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Michael_0718

The country which consists of 7,640 islands.
Completed
A League of Nobleman
3 people found this review helpful
Jan 7, 2024
29 of 29 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.5
This review may contain spoilers

The upstanding, straightforward & gullible version of Conan | Teamwork of Noblemen's brilliant minds

I know it's weird to say this, but I find this crime and investigation drama easy, comfortable and exciting to watch. Although there is that one moment when the show went astray of its usual set up (that I will talk about later) I'm glad that they were still able to pull it all together and end it nicely following how it started with a peaceful and cozy vibe to it.

In order not to spoil the good image I have created with the introduction of this drama. Let me start this review by listing down some of the best attributes I like about it.

Plot and story flow is neat and meticulously constructed. I was so indulged that time flew by while I was watching it. The introduction of the characters were smooth, clean and I really love how they started it with a casual yet interesting incident that gradually became a bigger case. The scenes of the story is well connected and I'm glad that they didn't simply threw out cases after cases and instead created a sequence of events that slowly build the relationship between the main leads while working/clashing with each other.

Chemistry of the main Leads including the supporting roles are surprisingly good. I love how they didn't immediately set both of the leads as partners in crime and solving cases after their initial meeting and rather gave us an opposite context of them fighting and competing with each other in a harmless way while showing us their capabilities along with their strengths and weaknesses. In adddition, I just wanna mention how the male supporting roles connected to Lan Jue felt like a great romantic pair for him e.g Wang Yan and Gu Qing Zhang. I even thought their relationship can pass as a side story for a romantic affair of some sorts just base on how they set it up and portrayed it. Lol!

And while we're at it. Let me talk about that one moment this drama took the bland and unexpected route AKA the introduction of Gu Qing Zhang. I was bothered by this for quite some time because I was thinking what has gone wrong that made me feel that empty space in my stomach; and after pondering a lot about it, I realized that it was a result of the sudden mood change of the drama. We're on the 'Rising Action' part of the story where all the conflicts and problems are happening. Then all of a sudden we were given this melodramatic back story, reminiscing of the past and introduction of GQZ and his relationship with Lan Jue. Like, what the hell was that? those moments truly threw me off of my mood and made me feel tasteless about this drama. I get that he's the main villain of the story but was it really necessary to make his back story that dramatic and subtle romantic? Thank god it only lasted for 2½ episodes because more of it would have completely change my view of this drama.

In regards to the entire cinematic experience of this drama. I must say I'm extremely satisfied. I love the balance of the colors, more specifically between the grayness and darkness of the scenes. It gave me chills and somehow has this cozy effect on me that made me feel relaxed while watching it. I even reached a point where even when the tension is high and conflicts are rising left and right I still feel calm, at ease and simply enjoying the whole show.

Lastly, I want to recognize the state of mind and/or behavioral disorder of the characters; specially Lan Jue's episodes of having confusion and anxiety whether to continue taking his revenge in a rightful way or to cheat his way to claim justice. Those sequences are some of my most favorite scenes of this show and has left this significant mark on me that made me acknowledged Jing Bo Ran's acting capabilities. Special mentions are GQZs strong obsession to hear his Mother's regret of abandoning him and getting the acknowledgement as her son and Zhang Ping recovering his memories after going a traumatic experience as a child.

Story - 9.5, The story construction is great! same goes on how they connected each of the scenes. The only issue I have had is the sudden change of mood when GQZ was introduced. That section truly left me hanging for quite some time and made me felt tasteless and bothered inside.

Acting/Cast - 10, This is my first time watching all of the actors casted in this drama; and all I can say is that it created a good impression to me of them and their acting capabilities/skills. Jing Bo Ran is great but Wan Duo and Song Wei Long are equally good too. Not to mention Hong Yao and Guo Cheng.

Music - 10, Overall it is excellent. I love the neutral sounds of the BGMs used. They are nice, harmonious and blended well with the vibe of the drama. I also love that the music didn't overpower any scene of show, not even once! and the sound effects are greatly emphasized. Specially the scene right after the bomb was detonated where it gave them that realistic echoing, defeaning and dreadful silence that we usually experience after hearing a loud explosive noise. Great Job!

Rewatch Value - 9.5, It could have been a perfect 10 only if they didn't caught me off guard with GQZs introduction. Sorry not sorry, but I can never let that pass. Nonetheless, I would still recommend it to people who love watching problem solving and case investigation genre of dramas.

Overall - 9.5, Still a note worthy drama to watch and Please don't get me wrong. GQZ as a character is great. It is just that the way the director had decided to introduce him in such a melodramatic way doesn't fit my palate at all. Overall, this drama is really good, nicely done and easy to watch. I would still recommend this to anyone who loves the actors' casted in it and those people who enjoys investigation and crime historical dramas.

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Completed
New Life Begins
3 people found this review helpful
Feb 26, 2023
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.5
This review may contain spoilers

A tale of finding One True Love & A tightly knitted Sisterhood. Rise Women, RISE!

Adaptation doesn't mean identification - Yuan Ying

Wanna open up this review by quoting it with one of my favorite line in this drama. I feel like this short yet powerful sentence can explain and expound the real essense and lesson of this story as a whole... That being used to something doesn't necessarily mean you embodied and can be identified by it already. Oftentimes it's more of an acknowledgement and respect towards something other may deemed essential and/or important.

Above all, I wanna say that my rating for this drama doesn't only revolves around the usual 'logical and typical' characteristics of how a drama should be made of, but more on how it delivers itself as a narrative— more on a lesson to its viewers.

I started this drama in hopes to see a lot of actual 'drama' going between the Main Leads but I never really knew I would be introduced to something more deeper— complex yet warm and heartfelt. It's about the respect, understanding, forgiveness and acceptance we need to do to let go of the things that's weighing us down and to accept that life was never all about colors and rainbows but more of a rocky-thorny road we need to go through to achieve eternal peace and happiness.

Sisterhood is the most symbolic meaning of this drama for me. I love that they all got each others back through thick and thin, and would do anything just to make sure that they're safe and in good places. Never once, do I feel this touched and proud to see this type of sisterhood and bond in any drama. A healthy and strong friendships that will never betray and forsake.

Familial relationship and its starting grounds - It conveys how toxic power struggle in a Polygamy family is and how it can badly affects their children in the future. Although this drama showed some negative results of it, I'm also glad that they presented us the positive side of it by letting us know that a person's future still depends on how and where they were raised, what values do they followed growing up and how will they handle themselves with those upbringings.

Women Empowerment in this drama is a surreal fantasy. I admit that they might've gone astray from the real history but I just appreciate how they still chose to do it that way. To show us that women even back then has been extremely capable and is always eager to fight to attain what they want and deserve.

Overall production, Setting and Color grading - I love how the background used looks majestic and real even when I know that a lot of them are green screens. Also, their attentiveness to details when it comes to visualizing the diffent regions, decorations and overall graphics stood out for me. It complemented really well with every scenes.

Supporting and Side Characters.

+ Yuan Ying - I really love her character. I admire how she was handled in this story and how she was never a bile in our Main Leads throat. Instead, a great and capable friend who guides them for the betterment.

+ Hao Jia - The only 'male disguise' i can accept so far in the dramaland. Although she still looks extremely beautiul but her proportion made her disguise really convincing and believable. I also love how earnest she is as a friend. Friendship that always protects and never betrays.

+ Song Wu - She may be annoying, bratty and childish but I just love how they didn't go all out 'antagonist' on her. Love her character development a lot same with Zhao Fangru (2nd Prince's Consort).

+ 3rd Prince and his Harem - Lol! Ghad knows how they made the first half of this story extremely bright and colorful. I'm cackling whenever they're on screen and ghad, the Name tags on top of their head. Hahaha

+ 5th Prince & Shangguan Jing - Another story that added lots of spice and comical relief in this story. I'm very satisfied with this pairing and would love to see more from them.

+ 7th Prince and Ruan Sisi - The rich and generous couple who hates to socialize. Their scenes are very random but are always interesting and funny for me.

Lastly, I feel like they did their best pouring every bit of heartfelt emotion in the final episode. The way they summarized and showed us the results of what they've been fighting and working hard for is just precious to me and the fact that they gave us just happy and heartwarming scenes made it significantly memorable as well. + The Roof Scene... Perfection!!

P.S. I still can't accept the ridiculous fact that the FL refused to drink alcohol at the final episode because she's pregnant but was riding a horse to get to that family banquet. Just, whatdahell??

Story - 9.5, It may not be perfect and doesn't follow the logical and traditional historical pattern but for me it goes beyond that. Their great use of effective story telling and inspiring narration placed this drama on top of its own. + The fact that it's extremely entertaining and full of variety as a whole is another factor for me.

Acting/Cast - 10, Really love the cast. You can still clearly tell that this is an Idol drama but their acting is really impressive and convincing I would say. I love every Female character and almost all of the Male Characters in this production aside from 2nd, 4th and 10th Princes. I also adore how cute and lovely Bai Jing Ting and Tian Xi Wei is.

Music - 10, I'm in love with this dramas music. They made every scenes extra special and colorful. + The kissing scenes somehow felt more romantic because of how good they're in playing suitable music accompaniments and the Ballad songs are such a smooth slayer.

Rewatch Value - 9.5, I certainly would. I was never regretful of watching this drama and every episode is entertaining and full of colors for me.

Overall - 10, The overall story may not follow the traditional norms but everything about this story is purely inspring, worthy and entertaining. Not to mention how positive this story is as a whole and how we got a set of wonderful actors and actresses. I really love and enjoyed this drama a lot.

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Completed
Mr. Bad
3 people found this review helpful
Nov 22, 2022
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.5
This review may contain spoilers

Beautiful Love Story + Explicit and Satisfying Ending for the 3 Couples.

First and Foremost, Just where the hell do people get the hate for this drama? Seriously? I mean, I get that we have different preferences and standards when it comes to 'everything' but I find it offending when I'm reading reviews about this drama being less satisfactory, overhyped and a waste of time. Like, are we even watching the same story? — Well, I guess people preferred those overly complicated, frustrating and messy type of tropey idol drama than this.

Anyway, moving on. Let me just share the things I love about this story.

Let's start with the proper characterization of the Female characters. I feel like there's only 1 in a million chance for a drama to have this excellent story progression for their female characters and this story did that flawlessly and wonderfully. They gave fair treatment and justice to every character and made sure that they won't leave anyone behind.

Next is the unexpected yet highly satisfying takes they did with the story itself. 1st is the way they made the Guys go after Girls. Finally! I know that this isn't the first time it happened but I just love how they execute it here in a very neat and smooth manner. None are problematic and most of them have their own ways and personality that made their characters different and standout from each other. 2nd is the unexpected takes and turns in this drama. There are countless of times where I was fascinated on how things won't go the way i expected it to be. I mean, I got so used to clichė stories that I have long predetermined the scenarios that's going to happen but to my surprise they always managed to go against it by taking a turn which I never expected to occur in the first place. 3rd is the way they made sure that all 3 couples of this drama is properly concluded with a clear and happy ending. I always hated it when a drama neglects and completely forgets the other CPs; cause it always leave me this unsatisfied-lingering-feeling that something is missing. That's why I was glad and relieved to see that they made sure that all the CPs introduced will be able to get their well deserved conclusion.

One last thing... Even when I'm really satisfied with this drama I just would still love to mention some dissatisfaction I have for it. First is the extremely weird reaction the Female Lead has whenever she's facing her boss and ultimate idol.— Getting starstruck is fine but to the point where you started to severely stutter and unable to move... Huh! Isn't that completely ridiculous? I was really turned off by that yet decided to not have it affect my rating simply because she eventually got used to him and got rid of that reaction. Second is the weird treatment she got from her co-workers during her probation period. I admit that things like those do happen but the way it was presented simply infuriated me. They acted awkwardly and weirdly towards her for the most absurd reason and up till now it bothers me how irritating those scenes are.

Anyways, this story just proves that not all Idol dramas are extremely clichė and problematic. Hopefully many more dramas of the same genre can take this as a reference for their future projects.

P.S. I freaking appreciate the cameo of the drama 'Make a Wish'. Chiyan & Xiao Xiu <3

Story - 9.5, The execution and conclusion of this drama is definitely one of the best out there— Not problematic, extremely fun, wholesome and heartwarming. However, I feel like it lacks a proper 2nd Male lead that can stir things up for the Main leads relationship. There's just this point where it seems like something is certainly missing. A rivalry at most.

Acting/Cast - 10, OVER THE TOP! I'm so overwhelmed with their acting specially by Chen Zhe Yuan. The amount of expression he gave for his character is overflowing. He's got full contol and is a master of his emotion and expressions that I never find it awkward even one bit. Shen Yue on the other hand did great as well. I feel like she fits this high school/idol drama type of character the best. + Their entire Wedding Scene is a MASTERPIECE!

Music - 10, Perfect choice of Music overall and I love the fact that every song played just fits perfectly with the scenes. It accompanied the story very well and it really help me a lot to feel comfortable and happy watching the drama.

Rewatch Value - 9.5, I won't lie about this. I was kinda bored at some point specially during episode 6-10 but luckily the story picked up its pace and from then on porgresses beautifully. and maybe it's just me being too engrossed and addicted to Costume dramas that I find it this way. Still, a drama that's worth re-watching over and over again.

Overall - 9.5, When it comes to story progression, acting and music wise I can proudly that this is one of a kind. A drama that you won't get tired of, simply because it offers something different from the norms and completely nailed it in every possible way.

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Completed
Once We Get Married
3 people found this review helpful
Mar 24, 2022
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

Ants will be ashamed in comparison to how Ridiculously Sweet & Cheezy this drama is. ♡

It was beautifully wrapped and I can't stop my fascination and satisfaction on how well-created and produced this drama is. I got the bare minimum expectation for this due to its common clichè plot but I guess you can never judge a book by it's mere cover without checking what's actually inside and I gotta say that I LOVE it so much.

It started as an average drama but as it goes on and on it eventually showcases how good it is as a whole. It's like a medicine that will taste bitter and weird at first but will soonly shock you with it's sweet and enjoyable aftertaste.

It has provided several scenes that truly shocked me and even made me so overwhelmed to the point where I had to cover my eyes cause it felt so much for me to take. Those cheezy and cringy scenes that will make you jealous so bad is what I am talking about. Like, there's just so much of it in the drama and it made me feel like 90% of it is just them being so sweet and cuddly. Oh Gosh I cannot!! Anyways, let me move on and start the more serious analysis stuff cause i've been fanboying since the very start. HAHAHA~!!

The drama itself is like a cure that can remove your stress and bad mood like literally each episode has its own unique and lovely scenes that will make you forget time and space. It's one enjoyable production which has so much fun and enjoyment to watch.

At first, I was craving for a more competitive 2nd ML but then I realized that this drama doesn't need that. The ML is already enough with his possesive and adorable character that helps to make the whole Main Couple overflowing with love and chemistry. On the other hand I was so infuriated with Ran XiWei for being the badly badly deceiving bitch who always wears the same outfit. Does she have 1 outfit the entire time? or was her scenes shot on the same day? cause I really find that her clothes never changes.

One last thing, the kissing scenes is everywhere. They literally make out even during the most unexpected situations and I love it. Hahaha~

P.S. I love the 2nd Couple as well. They keep the story well-balanced and intact. I just feel like they need more screen time compared to what they've got with this drama or just give them a whole entire show. 😁

Story - 10, It started with the usual clichè set up but eventually shine by itself due to its unique plot and different execution of character build up. A drama that deserves commendation for not taking the usual tiring love story plot and even adding their own spice and twists to it.

Acting/Cast - 10, The actors acting and the way they execute their characters are great. I only have praises and adoration towards them in general and I must say that we've got a set of professional and stellar actors/actresses in this production.

Music - 10, The BGMs are so good and they fit this dramas overall vibe. I love the songs so much and as I always says "Pop-sweet songs and ballads can never go wrong".

Rewatch Value - 10, Despite the Clichè plot I must say that this drama will never be tiring to watch. It has its own taste and feel that can make you binge watch it even 2-3 times a row or Maybe it's just me? Lol~ This drama just hits differently and got me so obssessed with it. Haha~

Overall - 10, I would never have it any other way. I got complaints at first but as the story progresses you'll realized that they're presented for the whole shows sake and it worked out perfectly well. A drama that can quench your thirst and can bring your appetite back to its energetic health. Will Recommend for sure.

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Completed
Young Blood
2 people found this review helpful
Feb 8, 2022
42 of 42 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

Amazing Teamwork & Unconditional Bond Built through Disasters, Hardships and Misfortunes.

This is an inspiring story of 6 Young Adult with different backgrounds who happened to be in a team and was able to get through so many dangers, troubles and challenges that created indestructible bond between them and eventually turned out as the BEST TEAM there is.

This may seem to be a Feel-Good-Drama at first but finishing it changes my mind drastically after. This drama surely has its own Goofy, Quirky, Fun and Ridiculous sides but it also carries such important and heavy topics that are relevant to the world right now.

The Story made sure that they tackled and highlighted some of the most underlooked issues for decades now such as Women Emporment, Power Abuse and Poverty and I felt that they all did justice to all of it.

One thing I want to aplaud and commend the director, writer and everyone who have worked for this production is the way they deliver the entire story in such a unique and interesting way. I admit that this is one of the most Oversaturated Theme there is in the market but I must say that they're able to establish their own identity in it and made it Different, Fresh and New compared to all those production who share the same plot and theme.

A 'Well-Rounded' drama that deserves more views and recognition. HIGHLY RECOMMEND for sure~!!

Story - 10 Satisfying plot and twists incorporated with a lot of funny, tricky and entertaining scenes that can make its viewers stick their attention to it from the first episode till the very last. I felt so bad that it was ended in an 'Open-Ended/To Be Continued' way but never got to release its sequal years after its release. I want to watch more of their adventure together. Wishing for the best!

Acting/Cast - 10, Outstanding Performance from every actors/actresses of this drama. They all executed perfectly and I never felt bored and awkward with any scene. They even made the Romantic Scenes comfortable, easy and fascinating to watch considering how I usually feel awkward watching them.

Music - 10, The moment I heard the Opening theme I've already decided fhat I will like it. The Anime-sounding and Adrenaline-Vibe only highlighted the greatness of this production. Other Music/BGMs used are either good and decent as well so I got no complaints.

Rewatch Value - 10, I would definitely watch it again. Its just that I have a long list of dramas to watch and I can't afford to wait to watch all of them as well. BUT, If they suddenly announce the release of it's Season 2/ Sequel then I surely would. DEFINITELY.

Overall - 10, This is such an Amazing and Interesting drama that should be watch and enjoy by many people regardless of Age and Gender. 💕

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Completed
The Romance of Tiger and Rose
3 people found this review helpful
Sep 4, 2021
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

An enjoyable fun-filled drama made perfect by it's mischievous contemporary contents~!!

First and foremost. I highly recommend this drama to anyone. I'm sure it would entertain any audience in General. A drama that won't disappoint. Anyways, Let me list down some qualities I like and may dislike in this drama.

×× Dislike...
→ Something I hate about this drama is how forgiving the 3rd Princess is but I also understand that it's all for the good and it actually entertains me most of the time. So instead of dislike, I may say it is something i don't favor thaf much?
→ I hated how short this drama is. I mean, why do dramas with sucj great plots always tends to be so short while the other crappy one's are receiving more than 50+ with abundant budget. It really is a waste that we didn't get to see some Modern day development and adventure from the Main Leads. I'm still feeling disheartened about it. This drama deserved MORE!

×× Likes...
→ I love how the Main Lead incorporates her Modern World knowledge and making it extra hilarious through out the drama. That was such a mood that brough so much laughter and giggles to me. I really love her.
→ I love Chen Qianqian (3rd Princess) clothes during her first appearance. Like i understood that her clothing is kinda bold for and all that but damn she looks extremely cool with them. I'm no pervert, it's jist that every time i watch the ending credit her hair style and clothing always left in awe.
→ I like the way this story delivered direct messages about how the world treated women so they have no choice but to fight for their rights and stand with pride to bring it back.
→ I also love how comedic the XuanHu's City Owner is. He appeared to be a little rigid at first but turned out to be a loving and funny husband.

Story - 10, It may not have the best plot ever but it was perfect for me in a sense that it depicted justice to gender rights and how things are viewed in our world right now. More than a drama, I think it is a representation of how we can do some changes bit by bit to make our world fairer. EXCEPTIONAL!

Acting/Cast - 10, Oh God! I love the acting here. Starting from the Main Leads to the tiniest people involved did well. I also love how there's a Boys love situation going on with the Main Leads servant. They made it more enjoyable. I cannot! Hahaha~!

Music - 10, Music in this drama is really good. The first time I heard of it I was like "Ohh I like this soothing type of music" It is perfect and compliments the drama scenes a lot.

Rewatch Value - 10, Highly recommendable and I will surely watch it If given a chance. I love it so much~! Surely one of my top 5 chinese dramas to date.

Overall - 10, I'm actually lacking of adjective to use to describe this drama. It simply satisifies my expectation and even went beyond and over all those borders I created. PHENOMENAL!

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Completed
Story of Kunning Palace Extra
3 people found this review helpful
Jul 14, 2024
1 of 1 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

The Wedding Ceremony | You are mine and I am yours. ♡

"I've seen your light and your darkness, your vulnerability and your madness. I know everything about you that is known or unknown to others. I might even say that I know you better than you do." - Jiang Xue Ning

This particular line above from JXN gave me relief and made me feel at peace for Xie Wei. Because finally! He'll be with the person who genuinely love and understand him. The woman he value and love the most and who's willing to share the good and bad times with him.

Also, I'll be lying if I say that I am not even a bit disheartened on what they have decided to show in this special/extra episode. I mean, they have shown us their family of 4 at the epilogue of the final episode, so I automatically expected that this will be about their family relationship and dynamics but then it was not...reason why I feel a sudden sadness for a moment.

Anyways, I am not saying that I didn't like it. It's just that I presumed and it's not the I way I though it would be. Nonetheless, I still appreciate them giving us a sneak peek of what had happened on their wedding ceremony and how they celebrated it.

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Completed
Love Like the Galaxy: Part 1
3 people found this review helpful
Feb 18, 2023
27 of 27 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

FLs the Master of talking back, fronting face, scheming and faking it! — A Drama Queen!

Before anything else, I wanna say that Zhao Lusi gave her AAA+ in playing her role in this drama and deserves a Top Actress Award for doing so. Damn, I cackled so hard whenever she says or does anything. She offered and gave so much 'drama' and comedy to her character which is something I've never seen before—one of a kind. I will be forever in love on how calculating and scheming she is, a badass capable lady!

This first part is all about the process—struggles and obstacles someone must go through in their lifelong Journey.

I kind of contemplated to write this reaction after finishing the first 27 episodes (Part 1) because I feel like it shouldn't really be cut-off in the middle and it's just a continuation without any timeskips or so happening, but I still decided to do so because I feel like it has been giving me the best enjoyment and it deserves this early review to serve as a commendation to how excellent this drama has been going thus far.

I never expected this drama to be this good in all honesty. I'm just glad to finally watch another ZLS & WL drama after quite a while but this masterpiece hook me from the very beginning till this very moment. It's a 'one in a thousand' type of production you'll got no choice but binge and get addicted to because of how crazily addicting and great it is.

Cheng Shaoshang as a female lead has been giving me nothing but pure joy and excitement. I feel like she was born and created to give non-stop color to brighten up my day. Every scene she's in felt like a whole damn amusement park ride— exciting and thriling. Take note that, not even once have I felt bored watching her. She's got a whole variety of entertainment in her that never cease to amuse me.

I also love how the story didn't dwell much on her sufferings with her relatives, Instead, they gave us another twist by showing us how parental love can be hard, rough and tough. It was indeed cruel I would say... and up till this moment I still can't agree that her Mother's way of disciplining her is correct. Heck! I even hated her mother a lot of times for using an 'Iron-Fist' to educate her because it hurt her even more. Not to mention how often her mother tells and shows her how someone is better than her and that she's nowhere close to how good her cousin Yangyang was. It made me upset so much to the point where I wish that she can just disown her mother and give her love to her 3rd Aunt instead because her real mother doesn't deserve it. But at the end of the day I just understand why her mother is doing it that way as well. It was because her mother loves her so much but didn't understand and know her at all. Her mother's lack of understanding of her made them drift miles apart as story goes by and I just hope that they can slowly reconcile and gain mutual understanding of each other in the next coming episodes.

Another thing I wanna mention is how lively and comical her entire family is. They were like a Circus troupe full of funny and unexpected tricks you'll never get tired of. I love how her Grandmother is greedy yet ignorant and how the rest of the remaining family and friends around truly loves and cares for her. Special mention to her Father, Maidservant, Qiqi and Brothers for being a great support and companion— specially during their silliest times.

Next is set of fine men who love and adores her...

×× Ling Buyi, I'm always satisfied with his character. He's always been respectful and honest with his own feelings and not even once disrespect the FL. Although he kind of lack the basic knowledge of how equality works, I just know that he'll do great in the future.

×× Lou Yao could've been a really great Husband and Partner to our FL but I'm just glad it didn't happen because I still want Ling Buyi no matter what. One thing I wanna mention is how pityful yet outstanding his character is. He's simply well written and would love to see him succeed and live a happy life with his Wife.

×× Yuan Shen is just like his Master. Cautious and coward to express his feelings. I just know that he'll be regretful and will suffer from a brokenheart for eternity because of how taciturn he is with his real feelings.

P.S. I badly need to mention how entertaining it was to watch all of them interact. Very different from the usual Jelousy scenes I was expecting but still very satisfying. It clearly shows how some men of the ancient past deals with Jealousy and stuff through their wits and imposing way.

Story - 10, It deserves beyond that honestly. Story is well-written and on top of that very funny and entertaining as a whole. No dull moments even once considering how l've finished Part 1 now.

Acting/Cast - 10, Solid and Perfect set of actors and actresses. I've never been this satisfied before with any dramas entire cast. I feel like they've got the best characters for each role and they also made me realized what real acting is. God, gonna mention how Zhao Lusi's acting is insanely one of the top and Wu Lei's imposing posture and body! whooa! He grew up so well from the Fei Liu (Nirvana in Fire) I've known and adore.

Music - 10, I'm really satisfied with their choice of music. I also love how the flute and its sound fit so well whenever Shen Shaoshang's playing it. I really thought they would murder it but they did extremely well in making it sound and look pleasant. P.S. Dubbing is really good too!!

Rewatch Value - 10, I would rewatch it again and again whenever I want to. It is one of those dramas that can never make you feel off and bored even one bit.

Overall - 10, Come on! This drama has been nothing but a masterpiece so far and i'm expecting it to constanly progress with the same intensity and satisfaction. I highly recommend this drama to everyone and I'm very excited to watch the Part 2.

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Completed
Warm on a Cold Night
2 people found this review helpful
Sep 3, 2024
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0
This review may contain spoilers

Cute and lovely CP | Great crime and investigation scenes but unfortunately got a Half-arsed Ending!

Standing apart from the crowd allows one to calmly assess the entirety of a situation." - Han Zheng

Finally, A long overdue review. I unintentionally procrastinated watching the last 6 episodes of this drama because I got distracted reading a couple of stories from my favourite author. Another thing is that I lost my interest quite a bit because I got spoiled by the ending from watching too much snippets from Youtube. My bad! I swear not to do it again (as much as I can Hahaha).

Anyways, this is one of the dramas I find easy and light to watch as we are focused on mainly 2 things. First is the progression of the main leads love story and second is them solving cases; which made it particularly more entertaining and easy to follow because I don't really have to constantly think critically of what might happen. And although it involved various complex cases that needs to be unraveled, I just find myself watching it leisurely without really minding how are they gonna resolve it. I guess it really has something to do with it being an "Idol drama" which helped me watch it with ease and without any reservations and overly high expectations. I even came to the point where I told myself to just enjoy it as it is and stop overly thinking of the plot; and I must say that it actually worked because I got to let go of my obsession and concern on how the story will unfold.

The crime and cases are well thought and the investigation process were done impressively in a clever and entertaining way. However, I feel like they gave the spotlight and credits too much on the FL to the point where I felt weird about it after just watching the first 10 episodes. I understand that she's the main "brain" of this story but there are just so much time when I felt like the credits aren't properly given to where it's due. It never appeared to be forced because of how well it was presented however as time goes by, I developed this significant feeling that she's getting so much more compared to what she actually deserves and worked for. She got pushed so much that I find it inorganic and weird because I know that the other characters worked even harder than her yet she's receiving most of the recognition and glory from it all. Not to mention how she typically handles her cases in an amateur and novice like way as if she's new to the job. I would say that she's carefree to the point of being careless. I am just glad that the ML was always with her while resolving almost all of her dangerous cases because she might have been long dead if he is not.

When it comes to the story progression, I would say that they spent plenty of time with all the occurences on the first half of the story that they lacked a huge amount of screentime at the end to address and deal with the main antagonist/hurdle of the show. The last 15 episodes of the story was rushed and I just knew how they most certainly had a hardtime with the editing and stuff because of how time constraint they are with the #s of episodes they got approved of (I don't know much about distribution licence but it surely is connected to that). Overall this impacted the drama a lot (objectively speaking) as anyone can visibly see and feel how quick things are going on (I can't even use "dealth with" because they didn't even show that to us) and how are we jumping from one scene to another without any proper explanation of what had actually transpired and how we arrived to the result they have showed us.

In terms of chemistry, I'd say that they all fit in with perfection. I never feel any awkward aura for all the characters and I can even feel the synergy and mutual affinity of the actors of this show. The vibe of the whole production team must have been light for the drama to exude this comfortability.

Lastly, the Ending...and as I mentioned above, it really left a significant impact to the whole show. Because what do you mean we're getting the revelation of the main antagonist, Final fight, resolution and conclusion of the story at the last 2 episodes of the drama? They never even provide as a proper wedding scene. Grr!

Story - 8.5, Don't get me wrong the story is actually good and WAS on a good pace however it's the Editing Team who didn't consider the entirety of the show and have decide to screw the ending which resulted for the whole drama to look incomplete and half-arsed. What a waste of good story honestly.

Acting/Cast - 10, I won't pick on the actors' acting because they did it according to how to story required them to do so and its genre. But I would love to commend Li Yitong and Bi Wenjun for nailing their respective characters. This is my first project of them both and I like it a lot already.

Music - 10, I'm not gonna lie, I love the music! Opening is really cute, easy to listen to and entertaining; same goes with the inserts music/tunes. The placement of the songs are good too and is always on point. Kudos to the Sound/Audio Team.

Rewatch Value - 8.0, This honestly is a good drama overall and I can give it a higher rating only if they exert some more effort on showing us the ending. I still feel bad on how it was too JUMPY at the end! We missed and was robbed of a lot of scenes. Daheck!!

Overall - 9.0, Despite all of my feedbacks above, I guess I am just glad that they still end this happily and in a good note. I would at least commend them for keeping it light and easy to watch until the every end (But that was just TOO easy to watch). Nonetheless, I still hate the Editing Team for submitting such incomplete and lacking work and for the Director for approving it.

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Completed
The Double
2 people found this review helpful
Jul 4, 2024
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

A grand tribute ~ Scheming that's done magnificently! | Well served Justice.

"Don't be afraid of falling once and don't let that deter you. You have to forget about the pit and move on. No matter what, I am behind you." - Xue Huai Yuan

The above line from Xue Fang Fei's father truly has left a significant meaning to me. Although it was delivered to encourage XFF to never lose hope and keep the faith. I also felt comforted on behalf of her, because I know, as a viewer, that it somehow has a different meaning for her. It's a reminder and an advise that she should let go of her traumas and free herself of the chains that's keeping her caged in the past. That life is much more brighter and vibrant as long as she keeps on looking at the people who truly loves and cares for her.

Anyways, I want to officially start this review by saying that this story left me in great awe this year and most probably the drama with one of the best story line and character progression of all. I consider it so close to my heart that I want to take my time to carefully dissect the story by highlighting my most favorite elements about it. So, shall we start?

Story line - It was told without haste. I love that they took their time to show us all the crucial events that occured in the show. And despite having lots of scenes to show and address, they simply never took the liberty to magically skip through anything. They made sure that each important scenes are executed and shown in detailed way which also helps us viewers understand the story the best way possible. + The fact that they are able to incorporate a great amount of humorous and hilarious skits left and right made this show extra entertaining to watch. Also, I just wanna add up how crazily jam-packed and/or action-packed this dramas is. I myself was astounded on how skilled they're in deciding which scenes should make it to the final cut. No wasted episode at all!

Overall camera works, editing and all those related stuff - I'm speechless and too overwhelmed to even tell people how satisfied I am on how meticulously this drama was filmed and edited. They seriously got the best team out there. The transitions between scenes are smooth and flawless—well done! Not to mention how insanely indulging the camera angles, focus and choreohraphies are! Chef's Kiss! The camera position and direction are exemplary as it gives us a better and wider view of the horizon where the story is happening. Another thing I extremely love are the close up shots because it somehow made me feel like they're talking to me...like telling me words through their expressions. For some reason those shots expressed and conveyed their emotions clearly and precisely even better than them exchanging actual dialogues. Those are also my most favorite scenes of this drama. The main leads looking at one other without speaking as if they can read one another's mind felt so magical and endearing to me.

I also just want to mention how the cinematography and CGI was insane during the Qin competition. Like, Hell Yeah!! They gave me so much chills!! At one point it feels like I was watching a Xianxia drama all of a sudden which was mesmerizing and captivating all at the same time. What a performance they got there.

Chemistry and compatibility is Oozing! Something about the main leads has conquered and devoured this entire drama completely. I never expected them to be this charismatic, captivating and tempting all together. Their eye contacts are enough to melt my soul and awaken my romantic bones into life. They've got this chemistry and synergy that is rare for pairings to have. So I would say they have developed a mutual understanding and intangible connection that gives me this heart flattering feeling whenever I watch them. I guess they simply understand each other and has long found the secret recipe on how to make their chemistry work even when they're only giving us the bare minimum. Also, I love that they're not really lovey-dovey but are mature enough to understand and acknowledge their feelings for each other. And on Episode 33, their holding hands scene after XFF went out of the prison was such a mood. I myself was shock to see them being on that stage already even when they seem on guard of each other. Chess piece my ass Xiao Heng. Hahaha!

Ending was satisfying! I appreciate how everyone who the Main Leads seeks justice from got their own well deserved miserable ending and punishment. And although Lu Ji and Wen Ji died at the end, I am just glad that Xiao Heng didn't end up getting killed as well. I better watch the special episode right after writing this review.

Lastl, I personally want to thank the writer for the well deserved Happy ending of the Xue Family. I'm very grateful and is elated to see XFF spending her life in peace and harmony with her little family after all the mess Shen Yurong brought to their life.

"Living is the best revenge against your enemy." - Jiang Li (The real one)

Story - 10, I have nothing but praises and good words for this drama. The story was well written, progression was smooth and systematic and I immensely appreciate how the writer and producer avoided making such ludicrous plot twist and devices.

Acting/Cast - 10, Let's not talk about acting! Cause Heck!! They nailed, cemented and put up a statue of themselves in my head as one of the best in actors/actresses in terms of acting. Wu Jin Yan specially got me on my knees. She's overflowing with this indescribable force that will automatically hook you up to her acting performance. While Wang Xing Yue got me with his charming smile and stoic yet soft facial expressions. The supporting roles are the best too! Special mention to Ai Mi. Girl is on every drama I watched. A person who got good eyes and sense in choosing her projects.

Music - 10, Overall music choice are good. They're melodious and almost heavenly. Specially their main BGM! Their song placement is good and balanced as well. I never feel like it overshadowed or overlapped with any of the scenes it was used to.

Rewatch Value - 10, Solid 10. This is one of those dramas I will surely watch over and over again if only I have time to do so.

Overall - 10, Other people saying otherwise must either have personal beef against any of the casts or their taste is simply nasty bad. This drama deserved a higher rating and success, just to be very honest. Highly recommend!

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Completed
Back from the Brink
2 people found this review helpful
May 12, 2024
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

The Dragon's journey to reclaim his dismembered body & attaining true love | Baby Dragon Neo <3

"I wish I had never met you in my life." - Suying

Like what the title suggests 'Back from the Brink (of Death) is a story about the Dragon King (Tianyao) who was brutally schemed and killed on his Wedding day by his own Bride (Suying) and how he was revived by the help of a Taoist girl (Yanhua) who will make him experience and realize what true love is while retrieving his stolen body parts.

If I were to sum it up, I would say that this is all about the despair and unpredictability of love... that although love can be deceitful, tragic and ever-changing at times, it can also be delightful and uplifting all at the same time. This story showcased how love is not perfect and would never be! and it's a matter of finding that one person who shares the same feeling that you have... someone that will make you feel valued, loved, protected and cared for at all costs, at all times.

I honestly don't wanna be critical and strict to my review for this drama as I consider this as one of the 'better' Idol Xianxia drama created in past several years but I will still try to mention below the major shortcoming that could've make this story even better!

I would say that the biggest section this production could've improved on is with the editing, more specifically in regards to the wise inclusion and exclusion of scenes and events as it has always been a big problem of chinese dramas for me. They tend to go all out with the introduction and character developements only to fell short when it comes to the climax and ending (thank god the ending of this drama is well created and polished); and this issue happened several times to this show as well. I recall feeling weird at around Ep 25+ because I noticed them rushing some of the scenes that made us skipped a lot of good parts and I think we got enough irrelevent scenes between episode 10-20 to fill those gaps. It's just sad that they 'most probably' got restricted by china's censorship and restrictions in the middle of getting an approval to go live. Nonetheless, better decision making on which scenes should make the final cut coud have been implemented!

Something I love and enjoy about this drama is the goofy and bright energy the leads and characters has showed us throughout the show. I appreciate that they included tons of silly and comical scenes each episode which helped accentuates the vibe and overall mood of the drama + it makes me enjoy it without having to feel uncomfortable and overly irritated. I would say that this is one of the 'Feel-good' dramas everyone should binge watch whenever they experience exhaustion from watching overly convoluted series.

Last thing I wanna praise and talk about is the chemisty and synergy not only of the leads but the entirety of characters and artists/casts. I feel like one of the factors that made me completely drawn to this story is the actors/actresses themselves and how magnificent they portrayed their respective roles. Their compatibility with one another is undeniable, that for some reason I can feel an almost tangible aura exuding from them as a whole.

P.S. Regarding the Quote above from Suying. This drama used that line several times that it effortlessly imprinted on my mind. I think it also proves that karma is a bitch and will bite back 10 folds fiercer. Serves her right! lol

Story - 10, I was planning of giving it a 9.5 but how can I do that when it gave me such a satisfying ending? Not to mention how I enjoyed the entirety of this drama and only skipped the flashback scenes as I am running out of time because of work. Also, the production quality and script writing of this story is really good and although there are some ridiculous scenes (underwater scene between Ep 1-10)... those are considerably minor in comparison to the happiness I have had watching it.

Acting/Cast - 9.5, I have no complains and/or violent reaction regarding the cast. However, I feel like Zhou Ye's acting is a bit lacking during her sad scenes. I'm not sure if it's because of the jolly and bright perception I have of her, but I just can't take her seriously during her sad/crying scenes. Sorry!! But I admit that she fits this silly, free-spirited, cheerful roles the best! Regarding Neo Hou! I can never touch this man. He knew he's charming and has always used that to complete his craft with precision and perfection! Him acting like a Baby is going to be the death of me! Lovely and adorable!

Music - 10, I love all the music used in this drama, specially the main OST they typically use on heartwarming scenes. I will surely hunt that one and will add it on my playlist.

Rewatch Value - 10, Everything about this drama is re-watchable. It doesn't have any boring and/ot uncomfortable scenes at all. I'm sure everyone's gonna love it!

Overall - 10, I don't care! I'm giving it a perfect 10. Lol I know that this drama got some flaws and is lacking on some areas BUT it's really rare these days for me to encounter such a good Idol Xianxia drama that I can actually binge watch the entire day! So I feel delighted and ecstatic watching it. All I can say is that it's worthy of all your time.

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Completed
Young Blood Season 2
2 people found this review helpful
Apr 28, 2024
27 of 27 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

Sharing Life and Death - The Class 7 Advanced! — Mission Accomplished!!

If I were to describe the entirety of Young Blood S2 using only two (2) words, it would be astounding and satisfying! I will try my best to explain why through my review below.

Although I love this series very much, I will still admit that I have little to no recollection of what had happened in S1 and all I can remember are the main casts and how greatly I adored them. So I totally appreciate how they incorporated a short yet detailed summary of what had transpired in S1 on the 1st episode as it greatly helped me remember how the events unfolded back then and how the story should carry on moving forward where it left off. It was like a little refresher because they knew it has been a long time since S1 aired and people might have forgotten how the story went on and ended. How considerate! <3

I just wanna say as well that they did not disappoint even a little bit in regards to the plot, twists and overall story progression. As we may all know, 2nd seasons of such successful dramas are often viewed and treated as a poor and underwhelming continuation of the 1st season. However, I will boldly proclaim that Young Blood S2 isn't one of those. This sequel just proved me that the director, writer and casts loves and cherishes this project a lot that they spent time to reassemble to do this drama together once again; and although it's unfortunate that the original Ya Nei didn't reprise his role, I'm just glad that the actor who replaced him lived up and embodied the character and made it his own. I'm also grateful that the other 5 main actors was able to assume their original roles and made the Class 7 Team alive again.

I also want to mention how satisfied I am on how smooth and clever they handled the issue regarding the change of actor portraying Ya Nei. They explained it in a way where we can realize it's inexorable and is currently the best option to move forward with the drama filming. Surprisingly after that scene, all my worries and inhibitions about the new actor playing Ya Nei had completely vanished and it even helped me to watch them comfortably without any awkwardness and restraint.

Additionally, seeing them all together brings back so much fun memories! The nostalgia kicked back so hard, I was like a proud father in awe looking at how my children had grown up all these years into a fine, matured and capable individuals.

In terms of character and story, I'd say they all stayed the same and I'm just glad that they didn't try to change anything about their characters at all. The goofiness and unpredictable comical scenes are still there but lessened a lot; and I think that emphasized the risk and danger of the situation they're in. I never viewed it in a wrong way rather it made me realized how dangerous this mission is, and that people are forced to mature depending on the situation. Which is a great call from the writer and director as a sense of maturity for their characters. I also love how they all made it seem like nothing has changed... Synergy of Class 7 is still present and it always put me in awe how transparent they're to each other; that I never really have to worry about them individually because I know that they've got each others back and has developed this unbreakable trust between one another.

Deep diving into the most crucial parts now, which is the story plot and twists. All I can say is that 'THEY WENT ALL OUT'—I admired how they showed us the power and skill level of Class 7 during the 1st half of the drama and how will they fail miserable if they go on just like that. It was also like a wake up call that this mission is in a completely different level in comparrison to the previous ones they have had so far and that a timeskip is very much needed to cultivate and nurture their inner talents and unexplored potentials.

I mentioned above that I find this story 'astounding' and that is because of how brutal and merciless they went on with the killings and sacrifices. Wang Kuan losing an arm, Zhong Xin getting stabbed and impaired by his father, Class 8 getting murdered mercilessly were all so unexpected! But it was like a big slap... a representation of the severity level of this mission. That they cannot go on just like that with their current puny power and tricky skills. Not to mention how defeated and impossible it is for them to finish their mission even after the timeskip!

More so, something I was flabbergasted about is how their mission of killing Yuan Hao (King of Xia) sounded so simple yet complex and hard. That guy is the truest form of a Final Boss. He was like a monster that's impossible to be killed no matter how hard anyone tries and I immensely appreciate how they perfectly keep him that way until the very end. Because doing otherwise will make it look like giving our Leads a helping hand in order to defeat him (which will kill the logic and hype of the story) and I will be very honest, that idea is purely ridiculous to me in every single way. So for going against that I am extremely thankful and 'satisfied'. They genuinely saved this drama from going to the tropey and frustrating plot by doing so.

Lastly, I just want to commend this drama for its Martial arts choreography and execution. It just proves that a smart and wise utilization of the camera angles and tricks can make any works look incredibly fantastic! What a perfect arrangement and cuts of sequences. Those scenes are PEAK! + They were able to showcase how powerful the characters (Godly Yuan Hao & Master level Yuan Tian Guan) are until the very end without making them feel underwheling and weak in any ways. Thumbs Up!!

I also just have to mention how obvious and ugly the green screens are during the first half of the drama. Those moments are really hilarious to me. Thank god they improved (or changed Graphics artists? lol) halfway. Because the editing on the other half of the drama has become slick and flawless.

P.S. Yuan Zhong Xin and Zhao Jian's jail wedding scene is too iconic for me not to mention! I wish we could have had more lazy and purely fun additional episodes with just the gang fooling around. 27 episodes will never suffice...

Story - 10, I was planning on giving this a 9.5 rating (For the green screen issue I mentioned above) but how can I do that when they tremendously improved halfway and never missed after that? Also, I just couldn't fathom giving this entire production a score lesser than 10 after all the great works they've done to make this story as brutally realistic and logical as it is right now.

Acting/Casts - 10, No questions needed to ask. The set of actors are perfection; not to mention how the 5 original cast were able to come back and reprise their roles. Additionally, I wanna commend Fu Wei Lun for owning Ya Nei as a character for himself. I have never even once felt like something is off with him. What a great actor! Special mention to Hao Yi Tian and Zhao Bin... this drama wouldn't be as impactful and exciting without this 2 terrific professional senior actors.

Music - 10, I love how they utilized the same opening used in the S1 for S2 as well. It's like the starting point... the engine that fires up all the excitement and adrenaline inside of me. Knowing that I am to experience and enjoy another great things from the ever incridible Qi Zhai. The other music used are nice too, as they're mostly used to set the mood and was played in the most subtle manner.

Rewatch Value - 10, I must say that although this sequel has lesser comical relief scenes compared to the prequel, it has never lost any of its original touch and essense when it comes to Class 7/Qi Zhai's natural affinity and chemistry. + It even gives us a more mature and capable side of the team we all love. So this drama is one of those shows I would never regret rewatching if I have time to do so.

Overall - 10, This 2nd season is as satisfying and impressive as the S1. Although they have matured a lot and was put on an extremely tough predicament, they were able to get through all of it and gradually come victorious at the end! All I can say is to never let the 'Negative Reviews' affect your decision to watch this drama and just thoughtlessly dive into it! You will never regret doing so, most certainly! I'm giving you my assurance!

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Completed
Rewriting Destiny
2 people found this review helpful
Mar 21, 2023
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
This review may contain spoilers

The Business-centric Wife and her Benovelent Husband + Would've been better with lesser episodes.

In this world, everyone has their own identity. If everyone is the protagonist, this story would be too boring - Gu Gu (NPC)

So, to put things into simple words... This is a story that has been going under multiple revision to achieve the best quality yet— A work in progress.

In terms of how the story progresses, I'd say that it was rather mundane at first, like a straight-up tropey and corny comedy skit from a gag show that slowly gets dull and stagnant after achieving its momentum but was still able to keep things all together at the very end. It was imperfect and can be very boring several times but wasn't that bad for me to halt or drop it. It's one of those dramas that made me realize how tolerant and trustful I am that there's always a good side in everything. Even to the point where I had to ask myself "Why do I feel stupid watching this?" and "Am I that credulous for continuing this even when I know how ridiculous the entire drama has been going?" Hahaha! But, Fret not! This drama is still enjoyeable overall, specially with how they ended it.

Ending - It was unexpected yet fulfilling... For some reason they made the ML kinda lose his credibility for not being able to cure the FL even after years of practicing and researching on how to cure that specific disease; then kept things hanging by making them going 'Missing in Action' for years, resulting to a timeskip and finally be presented with the Main Leads coming back... FL still alive and apparently in great health and even with 2 kids. It was surprising but I'm just glad and grateful they gave them a happy ending.

Main Leads - I guess what I love about our leads is that they balance each other. Male lead is always there to provide advisement and correction to his wife whenever she's doing something accidentally harmful to others. While Female lead kept things more exciting and lively by filling his husbands weaknesses and providing countless entertaining scenes with her clever business tricks and ideas. Also, their chemistry might have been a bit questionable at first but they make it all out flawlessly as the story goes on.

2nd Male Lead, 2nd CP and Supporting Roles - Xue Mu as a character is simply hateful. Someone who goes deeper and deeper into darkness because of his loathe and greed. Ye Wenzhao & Xia Liuqing on the other hand is an interesting combo. They're unique in their own way. While the siblings Xia Lan & Xia Yaozu are that foolish, naive and hateful characters who was given a chance to turn into a new leaf.

Xia, Xu & Ye Patriarch - One thing I find odd about this drama is how the Matriach's were all dead... Like, do the writers have some kind of resentment? Lol. Anyways, the additional chaos the patriarchs brought made this show extra boisterous. They serve like a secret weapon that made this drama different and fascinating in a really good way.

Lastly, I wanna say that I love how rich this show is when it comes to marketing and business ideas. The way they innovate and expand their business everytime it fails is an interesting and worthy progress to see. I just find the used of Child labor very wrong and problematic at some point... But I guess, reality hits really hard, huh?

P.S. I'm captivated with the Female leads yellow costume. It was very pretty and one of a kind. Something rarely seen. Simple yet explicitly beautiful.

Story - 8.0, It was actually fun and entertaining in general but the repetitive dull and boring scenes worn me out eventually. I feel like it could've work out much better if they reduce the episodes to 20 and concluded Xue Mu's infuriating revenge agendas as early as possible.

Acting/Cast - 9.0, I'm pretty satisfied with the casting and acting is actually good, but the way they set up the scenes tends to have this unnatural and forced vibe in it, like a self-explanatory thing that it's all scripted. + Although I find the Main leads chemistry a bit rough at first, they surprisingly carried each other very well with how comfortable they act with each other. The only acting I find really cringy up until the last moments are from Thea Xi, who feels like she needed all the direction she could get and Xu Bingchao's portrayal that feels exaggerated at times. Special mention to Liu Yaoyuan! He freaking nailed it!

Music - 9.0, The BGMs used fits the overall theme of the drama. Although I find the opening a bit too lively and intrumentally loud at first, I'd say it fits perfectly with the playful and funky feel of this drama and helped out a lot to better accentuate the overall vibe of the show. While the other Ballad song just sounds really good as well.

Rewatch Value - 8.0, Just, so-so... I'd rather watch other shows with better story direction than this. I still feel like they could reduce the episodes and get rid of the repetitive and wearisome plots that made this show draggy. The Xue Mu plot still makes me sick up till this point! The way he came back all the time after getting defeated felt like a loophole that truly exhausted and irritated the hell outta me.

Overall - 8.5, This drama could've been better if they didn't purposely drag/prolong the entire plot. It feels like they tried really hard to make it seem interesting and unique but it ended up getting tiring and boring. I guess, trying hard wasn't always good? P.S. The ending made this rating a bit higher. Thank god they didn't murder the leads or something.

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Completed
Who Rules the World
2 people found this review helpful
Mar 1, 2023
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0
This review may contain spoilers

The peace & people-loving Hei-Feng Bai-Xi and their mighty & passionate conquest for love.

From now on, we'll be drunk together (referring to kissing) - Feng Lanxi

My desire to get highly critical with this review is strong but I have decided to let my fun-loving drama passionate side stay rational by giving this production an impartial and honest feedback. So, rest assured that all informations stated are base on how I genuinely view this drama as a whole.

Plot twist, revelations and overall scheming - Most of the time I spent guessing with this dramas outcome was really satisfying and unpredictable. Kudos to the writers for making sure that we're still getting the elements of surprise throughout the solving and brain racking moments.

Pacing went too fast and felt too rushed. Sequencing may seemed alright but it's rather lacking as well. I feel like more than anything else this drama needed more time and episodes to make a lot of its scenes more detailed and effective. They dwelled so much in imperial struggles and throne infighting that they kinda forgot how much episodes they've wasted on it already and how many more is left for the climax and finale.

Fighting scenes - Most of the early fights were flawless, extremely good and greatly executed specially with our Main leads. However, towards the end everything just felt lacking and unimpressive. It feels like they were short of budget to make it 'actually' happen or simply because they got limited resourches to do so. Overall I'm still grateful and glad that we still got a lot of decent and even great combat scenes.

CGI, Graphics and Editing - This production survived because of their magnificent editing team. CGI is outstanding and I'm impressed on how detailed and well coordinated they all are. It's just that they have 'too much' of it that it gradually felt lackluster. They off-screened a lot of supposed great scenes and it's just a huge missed opportunity from them.

Climax and ending - Full of Recaps, Cuts and Off-screens... Climax should've been the most detailed and eventful part but it overall felt rushed and disappointing. The way they transition the events felt like they wanna wrap it up in the best way possible while still showing the necessary contents; although it kinda worked out, it still felt wrong the more you think about it. Ending is good and quite reasonable but I think they could've done it a lot better than that.

Main leads relationship and chemistry - It was refreshing to see that both of our leads have a pre-established connection through rivalry and countless interactions during their introduction as it served as the greatest foundation to further develop and strengthen their relationship. + Their constant bickering was more than enough to make me go insane!

Feng Xiyun / Bai Fenxi - What made this character really unique is her ability to befriend and attract anyone just by being carefree and unbothered. Not to mention how brave, skillful and sassy she is that made her even more interesting to watch.

Feng Lanxi / Hei Fenxi - I just wanna say that I really love his simply yet classy carriage. Hahaha! It contributed a lot to make his calm, composed and intelligent character be even more convincing and attractive.

Other character rants (mostly about Lanhua & Sect leader Bai) - This two character made me uncomfortable and rolled my eyes 10x or more. I feel like for a leader, Master Bai seemed so weak, fragile and vulnerable. While Lanhua just didn't deserve any screen time she has had in this show. Her character is the greatest downside of this story and I just hated how immature, unprogressive and stagnant she is even when the show's halfway done.

P.S. This drama doesn't need any skips because they do it for you. /Sighs/

Story - 9.0, Story flow is actually good and considerably packed with details. It's just that they spent 3/4 of the show to build up the climax and finale only to become unimpressive due to the lack of episode, countless recaps and off-screened scenes.

Acting/Cast - 9.5, Impressive main and supporting leads, specially Zhao Lusi, Yang Yang, Zhang Haowei, Lai Yi and Liu Ruilin. I just think that some of the side actors/actresses felt weak in showing the approriate emotions and body language.

Music - 10, Overall BGM were properly placed and in-synced to every scenes and I just love the songs they used in this drama. Lots of good ballads I'll surely add on my playlist.

Rewatch Value - 9.0, Despite all the rants I mentioned above, I still won't neglect the fact that this story is enjoyable and exciting to watch. Heck!!, I finished it in 3 days. Just be wary on the countless off-screened cuts that may spoil your watch experience.

Overall - 9.0, It could've been more impressive and satisfying if they could've added atleast 10 more episodes to it. It felt too compressed and rushed that I feel like something important is missing. It may have wrapped up 'decently' but this drama deserves better. Specially since it has Zhao Lusi and Yang Yang in it.

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Completed
The Autumn Ballad
2 people found this review helpful
Jan 26, 2023
34 of 34 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

Partners in Love and in Solving Cases~ Great chemistry + Family always has your back.

Just to give everyone an early impression of this story, I would like to describe it as something warm, inspirational and heartfelt... A tale that made me cozy and left a genuine smile plastered all over my face.

What a beautiful romance— Their mutual understanding and indestructible trust for each other is what captivates and stoodout to me the most in this story.

Sure, there's a lot more captivating and interesting ideas presented in this show, however, the glow and colors the leads has given to this story made it more brighter and memorable.

I probably have little to none negative feedback about this drama so let me discuss my positive take from this story instead while trying to recall any mishaps, if there is.

Plot - What interests me the most about this drama is how feminist and family-oriented this is and how they
sustained that till the very end. Something that's rare for me as an avid chinese period drama viewer. I mean, there are lots of shows who puts family first but this piece is simply different because they learned the real definition of 'Family' through hardships and great catastrophe. Thus forcing them to set aside the prejudice and hatred they have for each other and work hard together.

Twist - Most of the early turn of event situations were like the usual-commonly-used schemes and conspiracy, but, as the story progresses they started to have their own touch to make this drama more interesting in a way that it will highlight the actual values and lesson of the show.

Ending - It was Perfect! I was a bit worried when they started to pull 'that' lame twist and I honestly thought it would be ruined by a sad ending after exhibiting a great run all throughtout the story, but, as expected this show never disappoints and even used that as a breakthrough to prove the Main lead's unbreakable trust and unfaltering perception of each other.

Minor/Side Stories - Something I really adore about this show is their dedication to the Female lead. I just love how even the side story is all about her guiding and helping her family stand up again after all the life-changing calamity they went through and how the supposed 2nd Lead/couple is mainly focused about her as well. This made the story less confusing and highly devoted to her which I find really interesting overall.

Healthy competition and Rivalry conclusion - I was amazed on how dedicated this production on making this show light and non-toxic. A lot of plots that should've concluded in a disastrous way ended up concluding in a truce. One of the best charm of this drama to be honest.

The only questionable and silly moments this drama has that I can think of is how the FL suddenly seemed novice when it comes to espionage scenes during Ep.12 inside that 'hidden cave' where they produce fake money. Like gurl? you were introduced as someone clever and witty but became clumsy all of a sudden? Also, that investigation cuts during the final 3 episodes. Gosh~ Just how did the FL overwhelmed the 2 heads of supposed great intelligent investigation unit like that? doesn't make sense to me at all.

Last but not the least is the Main Leads chemistry— Their love story felt more significant and pure because of their disagreements, cooperation and unending bickering. It made their character more appealing and adorable to watch. They just fit each other so much.

Story - 9.5, The tricky twist at the ending almost ruined it for me, thank god!, this production knew what they're doing so I'm entirely amused and satisfied on how they created this story. The only issue I have is probably the inconsistency when it comes to the investigation capability of the Main Leads mentioned above. That was just silly.

Acting/Cast - 10, Highly Satisfied! Aside from witnessing the other sides of Jeremy Tsui which is more smiley, quirky and vibrant (comapared to his characrer in TLOD) which left me in awe. I was also able to discover some great actor/actresses I was not familiar with. Shout out to Qiao Xin for her impeccable portrayal and Zhan Yu for being adorable. I honestly feel like he deserved a side story or so. P.S. It's nice to see Liu Rui Lin here as well, an actor i'm really familiar with.

Music - 10, Lovely set of Ballads. I admit that I find it a bit 'common' at first but it slowly grew on me because of how peaceful, heartwarming and melodic they are while accompanying the scenes they were used for.

Rewatch Value - 10, I'm willing to re-watch it atleast 6 times a year. Hahaha! This is one of those drama that will leave you loving it. A great watch indeed.

Overall - 10, Each and every corner of this drama felt like it was personalized to cater and appeal positively to the viewers. It may not be suitable for everyone because we have different taste and preferences BUT for me it was such a great piece that deserves more love and appreciation.

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