Michael_0718

The Kind, Gentle and Naive Man's failed attempt to Kill.

Have you ever been dumbfounded after watching a drama?... not for the reason that it was good but because you were flabbergasted?

Up till this point i'm still astounded and fascinated from all the occurences in this drama. So let me make it simple and precise as much as possible.

I don't know where it started but I got this unsettled feeling while watching this show. The entire story is actually good and I like how things gradually escalated because it helps the narrative to move forward logically, but... something about this drama felt awkward to me. The closest I could think of is Nakagawa Taichi's cringey acting (mostly facial expressions). For some reason it bothered me to the point where I was just looking at his face trying to decipher what the hell is the problem with it. Maybe I'm just not used to seeing a handsome face doing such incedible facial distortions?

Anyway, I probably would never be able to categorize which genre this drama is under. I felt like i was watching different plays at once. I mean, It's always been the norm for J-dramas to be quite random and goofy like 100% of the time but I just can't sort out how they blend in action and comical scenes like this and turned it into something weird to watch.

Well aside from all my opinions above this drama did quite well in delivering the context to the audiences as well as incorporating various emotions and situations that shows how regular human being functions. + I love the fun and extra scenes we got at the end.

Story - 9.0, Well created — It may not be the best but I must say that they did great in incorporating good scenes to make the entire story work. It was filled with the right amount of sequences that made it easier to digest and not entirely heavy.

Acting/Cast - 9.0, As mentioned above I felt like Nakagawa Taishi could've worked more on his facial expressions; cause I really find them cringey at times. I understand that his character was written to be like that however something about his acting just stood out like a sore thumb to me. The rest actually did good. Well, I guess I just got some problems with the characters and how they are supposedly acted (by the artists).

Music - 9.5, Music is Good. As always I love the song used whenever there's a romantic scene. The only thing that bothered me was that classic french? song being played whenever Death Prince does his ridiculous antics. They could just rip them off honestly. They did add color to the story but it was weird for me to watch them.

Rewath Value - 8.0, This is one of the dramas that's best to watch only once in a lifetime... Few more times and you'll surely get tired and hate it.

Overall - 8.5, This is a drama that has no particular flaws in terms of story progression and cinematography but kinda fell a bit when it comes to the acting part. Some of them are really cringey to watch. A little more polishing and it could've been better. Overall a good drama.

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Tons of Wasted Plots & Lacking Ending + Hard Carried by Actors Spectacular Acting.

First of, I felt like this drama could've been better without the countless plot twist and overly dramatized story progression.

To start everything with, I just wanna rant and point out how the large number of useless plot twist ruined the entire story. Honestly, they were kind of bearable and understandable during the first 10-15 episodes of drama cause that's how they usually set things up to make the story more mysterious and exciting but I never expect them to push it to the extent where I started to get so irritated and tired of it. They built up 65% of the drama with those craps but failed big time in making them work or even useful for the story.— What a waste!!

The excessive amount of unnecessary and unused plots and twists that ruined the drama even before it reached half of it + The overly rushed and mostly off screen scenes that are useful to the narrative but was excluded and dumped at the end.— The final 10 episodes left a big impression to me for being exaggeratedly fast pace and rough in terms of character closure and story conclusion. Like, they invested so much drama for the 2nd Main CPs story only to make their whereabouts off screen and even not giving them any proper final exposure? seriously? Their love story made me the most infuriated all throughout and they've all decided to give us almost nothing?! Gosh~ that was a bad writing right there. I'm disappointed.

Going deeply into my most hated story plot of all. Here comes... Yang Yue and his unwavering, foolish and persistent way of going after Shangguan Xi. Like, man! When will you learn to stop? that woman's love sick towards other man and been treating you carelessly all this time!!! Their takes completely infuriated me, imagine having to deal with them for more than 50% of the story. Wow! That was tough and I must say I endured a lot.

Also, The cinematography, color grading and graphics during the first half of the drama was really bad and ghad!! The horendous use of green screen made me rolled my eyes out of frustration countless of times. Like, are the people handling the art, design and editings are some bunch of interns? It look so unpolished and unbearable most of the time.

Hmm, It was a drama that was saved by the set of great actors and their great acting skills and character portrayals.

Story - 8.5, I wanna give it even lower rating but the story wasn't entirely bad at all. It's just that they've misused and misguided a supposedly good story into a dark and hollow space and failed to bring it back into proper light for salvation. They gave us 55 episodes and made 65% of it useless.

Acting/Cast - 10, The saving grace of this entire production~!! The only positive take of this drama is how they casted such great actors and how they performed their characters with deep understanding and accurate execution. The spectacular acting and character portrayal amazed me so much. I love almost all of them.

Music - 10, The music used on this drama was able to make the scenes either more enjoyable or sorrowful. It created an emotional aura that highlighted most of the scenes and made them more heartfelt and alive.

Rewatch Value - 7.0, I probably won't. This is one of those dramas I will keep and hide on my archieve and will only look back to when I'm trying to appreciate how great the actors/cast are.

Overall - 8.5, If it was not for the Actors and their splendid acting I would've probably given this drama a 7.0 or so. The story has a lot of unused plots and how I wish for them to remove all those irrelevant scenes to make it shorter and add a little more to the lacking ending. Definitely a drama I won't rewatch. But will recommend to people who loves to see good acting.

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The FLs Flirtatious Final Transformation + Emotionally Unstable ML~!!

What an Up-Down Hill drama—This story by far is one of the dramas that gave me such hatred and despise over the MLs character (alongside 'The Wolf').

The story is rather stagnant at first, basically dragging almost half of story into nothingness instead of building hype and providing us more watch-worthy scenes 'us' viewers can enjoy. The pacing was slow and well controlled in a way that I felt tired waiting for it to be more exciting and a bit more romantic. Everything seemed to be well planned and even manipulated to the point where I find it boring and eventually though of it as its major downfall during the first half of the story.

Male Lead is mentally unstable and was extremely weak in differentiating love and revenge /sighs/ I was disappointed on how he handle the situations often times specially when it comes to things that are heavily important to him. I mean, I understand where he's coming from BUT knowing that your brother sacrifice his life to protect the woman he loves and yet blaming that Lady for what happened is basically nuts not to mention that the Lady in mention is his Previous & Future Wife (they got divorce, so...) — and that's not it~!! He chose to do all that during their secret Marriage Ceremony and if you think that's the worst; he treated her so badly I myself felt so enraged watching it. IF you love a woman how could you blame, push and make her suffer emotionally & physically that way? Like how the hell can you fathom seeing her go through sorrow and distress infront of you? This guy is freak and seriously got some BALLS problems.

Anyways, aside from those major complaints above, the drama went quite well. Not the most light hearted one but surely provided so much laughter and warmth to me as a whole. + The Female Leads transformations are rather cute and enchanting specially her Dragon Form. Like HOLYSH*T Hu YiXuan serving top tier visuals.

This production is truly enjoyable and has been such a great experience specially during its 2nd Half and most of FLs and Prince Ning/Naxi's moments. Not to mention NanNan & LuoJi's cute romance development. Hihihi

Story - 8.5, Gonna Give this drama a rather 'okay' rating and this is highly influenced by how random and unstable the Male Lead is jumping from being so frantic into suddenly being so caring and loving. I think he's clearly suffering from bipolar disease or something. I swear, he killed the mood for me. But gonna give kudos to the director and writer for sticking to such ending. Once again proving that woman will never be less of a man.

Acting/Cast - 10, Nothing but Applause and Praises over the Actors and Actresses. I wouldn't be this mad and agitated if Zheng YeCheng performed badly. That man got great facial control and was able to summon his tears in the most unexpected and emotional way. Hu YiXuan is another spectacular actress to mention; she nailed her character so well and I just love her for that. Special mention to the other Cast specially Naxi, Prince Ning, NanNan and LuoJi. Prince Shun unfortunately needed more balls. Hehe

Music - 10, Songs are Top Tier. Not the most excellent of all but it has a great set of really fun and swaying music that clearly fits the mood of each scenes it was played on.

Rewatch Value - 8.5, It was not that bad but I would never put myself in such situation where I would watch a drama again considering I hated every minute of a scene or two because of how such an asshole the ML is. Hahaha~ I just got so much stress these days and i can't accumulate more. Nonetheless, story is still good and enjoyable to watch.

Overall - 9.0, Despite my bad take on the story and ML Character, I can never deny that it was a fantastic costume drama that not only provided those frustrating scenes but also made me feel those delightful & fleeting experience while I was watching it. This drama still got so much to offer despite how badly I highlighted some of its dragging parts.

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Unending Sacrifice, Torment, Agony and Selflessness.

Whooah! This drama's so much for my heart. ><"

- Naive ZhaiXing who infuriates me the most throughout this drama for being gullible, stupid and blind for love.

- Stubborn Prince Bo for being the most stubborn and heartless to her 'supposed' only love. Like how? How can you treat a woman like that given any circumstances, his reasons just didn't sit well to me.

- Selfless Ji Chong whom I hoped to be more selfish at times. I pity his loving and quirky character the most. He deserved better treatment but his ending with Bao Na wasn't bad at all and that unexpectedly satisfies me.

- Mischievous Bao Na. I've got so much to say about this character but one thing is for sure and most of them are me singing infinite praises.

First and foremost, I wanna say that this drama is epic and is truly blessed with such great actors and good budget.

Lemme go all over these informations one by one cause I wanna emphasize and point out a lot of things. So, shall we get started?

First are the Actors. Like WOW! I'm totally impressed on how good the acting was specially with Xiao Zhan, Shu Yao and Li Qin. The immense portrayal of their characters made the show even more entertaining and lively to watch. Hmm, In terms of Darren Wang's acting... I don't know why but during his 'Wolf Boy' scenes I can vividly appreciate and see his pure and peaceful yet strong acting aura but most of his 'Prince Bo' scenes made me felt like he didn't know how to express it well or something. I know that the character was made to be like that but he just look dead/soulless to me 90% of his time playing that character.

Second is Kissing Scenes, God! One of the most terrible kissing shots I've watched eversince. I don't know if they received restrictions with it or what but all of their kissing scenes made me disappointed.

Third is Budget, This drama managed to shoot using the same location as Nirvana in Fire and that alone speaks volume. Anyways, I wanna commend a lot of things about this and one of them is the Great CGI that truly impressed me and even made me believe that they were for real. Followed by the set of costume that totally complements each of the artists.

Fourth is Fighting Scenes. I never intend to include this here but Zhai Xing's amazing fight scenes on the Final Episode made me go insane. It was so good and that really awakened my adrenaline from possible slumber. Hahaha~! P.S. Darren Wang and Xiaon Zhan's fighting scenes were totally insane!!

This is a good and entertaining drama overall but I must warn people that they might get irritated with the Main Leads at times. Hehe

Story - 8.5, Wanna give it a higher rating than this but I just don't know where the hell should I get them. This is most probably one of the greatest let down of this entire production. Everything was doing great but suddenly the story decided not to fully cooperate.

Acting/Cast - 10, Well Deserved! Although I was quite indifferent towards Darren Wang's acting but I simply can't overlook how incredible the other actors are. They supported and made this drama reach a completely different level.

Music - 10, I'm speechless. Everything about this dramas Music is PERFECTION! Probably the BEST OST/BGMs out of all the dramas I've watched so far.

Rewatch Value - 9.5, It's a worth watch overall but I would never forget the frustrations this drama gave me whenever the ML is mistreating and hurting the FL. That's unjustifiable for me no matter which view I try to look at.

Overall - 9.0, This drama may not have the best Story but the production covered most of its flaws &mishaps and replaced them with such satisfying results.

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A Spiral downfall—It was promising but the plot ruined it. Lack of Competent 2nd ML~!!

This drama went from extremely good to gradually going bland and plain.

I honestly started this drama by reading a lot of reviews from people and I've contemplated a lot (more than 10 times) before I give it a go. I even told myself to completely break that 'common-cliche-story' feeeback but I never expected myself going that path as well.

I'm a sucker of Cliche Love Stories so much but this drama is either overflowing or insufficient of something or more. It is imbalanced overall and as much as I wanna give it a higher feedback out of consideration, I can only give it a 'So-So Rating' (See my bio to find out how I rate things) after all my contemplation and sincere consideration.

This drama could've been magnificent only IF they didn't overly played the characters and purposely added so much twists and turns that eventually ruined and made the story go astray from it's main plot. The story seemed to be all over the place and some of the 'supposedly' main plot were left hanging in the air and magically got resolved/conquered without proper explanation and presentation.

Anyways, I don't wanna keep it that long cause I don't wanna slander it that much but lemme just give some of the favorite stuff I like about this drama before I completely move on.

First, is the cinematography and lighting. Everything is so vibrant and sweet looking and it truly complements the actors and actresses. Second, The OST and the BGMs. I learned to love them so much throughout the show and wanna give a big thumbs up to people handling the editing; since they did great with sound placements & accompaniments and lastly, for keeping the story a little more mature in contrast to how immature the characters are.

P.S. I felt like I was watching a Teenage Love Story than a Young Adult ones and that bothered me a lot.

Story - 7.5, A Passsing Grade. Like what I mentioned above. The story went downhill as early as Episode 10 and from that point moving forward I've felt like a slump was placed within the veins in my heart. It made my mood a little off and even causes me heartache at some point. Not to mention the characters, specially the ML who is more Young-Minded/immature several times and how bothered I was on how we're lacking a more competent 2nd ML.

Cast/Artist - 8.5, Overall they're good but I feel like they could've done better. Most of the time I was seeing them as an Actor themselves more than the characters they're playing. I know that I shouldn't be too hard on them and should give consideration on how the character is written and portrayed to be that way but I can honestly see through their innerselves trying to squeeze the emotions in just to deliver some of their lines out.

Music - 10, The only Exception. I really wanna commend the Sound Team who made most of the scenes a lot more interesting and fun to watch. I love all of the songs and I'm ready to add them to my playlist.

Rewatch Value - 7.5, I don't want to give them a savagely low grade since I still enjoy this drama halfway but I would never watch this drama the 2nd time around. But I can always recommend it to some people who are interested with the same genre.

Overall - 8, It is BARELY Passing. It is Good but It was also bad and got so tiring and boring 2/3 of it's entire run. Something I wouldn't be tired saying is how they could've have made it better by sticking to their main story plot.

IF you find my review helpful please let me know.

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Goofy & Chaotic Characters with satisfying Cases~!!

This drama made me laugh so much and had me contemplating whether I'll give it a comparably high rating or not.

It started really interesting and great but I find it irritating throughout the first 10 episodes because of how mean the ML is to the FL. Like, how can a guy treat a girl like that? not to mention how naive and kinda spiritless the 2nd ML is, that made me go "this is helpless". Thank god!, the FL is super interesting, funny and full of life so I never tried to drop it or what.

Another thing is that the first 10 episodes felt so dragging. I thought "This is just too much for a character introduction and story build up" but right after that the interesting Solving Cases happened and it's all good things after that.

Afterall, this is such a decent drama with satisfying cases and I love how they didn't halfass on that. One of the best thing on this drama aside from the dorky & chaotic characters. Hahahaha~

Story - 9.0, I wanna give it a higher rating because I like it a lot as a whole but this rating just felt so right. There's a lot of questionable scenes on this drama and I felt like those were simply crazy and sometimes unbearable. Nonetheles this is pretty good and the story was able to pick up it's pace after the first 10 episodes.

Acting/Cast - 10, The cast and their acting is exceptional. I love how natural they're and their reaction felt so real and truly complements each of their scenes perfectly. --- P.S. I felt like this could've been better if they use their own voice. Damn chinese dubbing. This is the first time I had some issues with it. (Not that the dubbing here is bad but I feel like it will be more fun to hear their real voice saying those lines).

Music - 10, I truly love the Music in this drama. I always feel swayed and comfortable whenever they're playing. I even have it on my spotify playlist now. Love it a lot. <3

Rewatch Value - 9.5, I would probably try to skip some scenes during the first 10 episodes but right after that the scenes were simply good. It deserves more love, attention and support.

Overall - 9.0, Afterall this drama still satisfies and entertained me so much and I can never wrong it, one way or another. This drama will forever be remembered for it's dorky sides and lovely characters. Sending my love and support to the people behind this production.

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LSS (Light, Sweet & Soft) Romance with Mediocre & Puny Criminal Cases.

I have mixed feeling about this drama. It started as 'okay' and is consistent in giving that good feeling but will eventually feel dark, irritating and ridiculous whenever they're solving and discussing criminal cases. Those scenes created a significant setback to this drama as a whole, and honestly this drama will survive even without them in my own opinion.

I understand that the main theme of this drama is about solving cases but the viewers in general just doesn't feel like it. We're here for the romance the entire time!! The selling point of this drama is the lightness & Fluffiness of its love stories; so whenever they try to focus in solving some cases it will immediately look and feel forced and unnatural. Not to mention how bad and ridiculous those scenes are. OH GHAD! Full of plot holes and very open to so much criticisms and judgments. It even made me ask "What the hell is the problem with the Writer and Director of this show?"

Moving on, the best qualities of this show is probably the Love Stories and the way the actors executed their characters in a Naive, dorky yet chick and cool ways. Gotta commend the best guys of this show 'Zhu Dacong' his character showed so much maturity, discipline and respect and I love him for that. I just love how positive and lighthearted the entire drama is. I would've rated it higher IF not for the ridiculous execution of the criminal case at the last 6-8 episodes of this drama.

Story - 8, Despite my rants about the Criminal Cases the drama itself is decent enough. If we could only remove those parts this show would even be better. This drama was salvaged by the cute, fluffy and funny scenes created by the couples. Their dynamics are on point and was carried out wonderfully.

Acting/Cast - 9, Acting is Fine and understandable considering the theme of this drama. I never really expect them to go all out and so does made me feel comfortable with their performances. Cast are perfect for each roles and they delivered their characters spectacularly. I think the problem is definitely with how the writer wrote the characters and how the director agreed to them being like that.

Music - 10, No discussions needed, it's a Perfect 10. The songs weren't even available on Spotify so I have to download it using a 3rd party website and I enjoy listening to it on repeat these days.

Rewatch Value - 7.5, Watching it once is enough. I don't wanna feel irritated by enduring those ridiculous scenes all over again. But if they've decided to do some revisions by cutting those scenes out, why not?

Overall - 8.5, I contemplated a little about this rating but I feel like it's the rightful and most justifiable score for this drama as a whole. It definitely isn't Bad and is only lacking in 3-4 aspects so does make it a Good drama for me.

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Excellent fight scenes along with crazy good CGI + Story was dragged so much!

I have decided to finally watch this after so much spoilers from youtube through previews and such.

What I like about this drama is that the Female Lead holds the highest rank among all of the Gods and I just love to see women being treated with high regards and technically reigning. Another thing is the "not-so-toxic" drama plot it provides (Which is also the reason why i gave it a low rating. Non-toxic turned bland).

Something I'm not in favor and kinda dislike about this drama is the way the story has became bland at around early episode 20s. It has become less impactful and lost its colors and taste in a sense where I even thought of dropping it IF it continues. Thank god it didn't!

I love watching AvenueX on YT and the main reason why i didn't watch it right away even after topping the weekly charts is because she drop it after watching 10+ episodes and I kinda understand her reasons for doing that. I even understand her even better after finishing it.

Nonetheless, A good drama that can provide great satisfaction when it comes to fight scenes and retaliation.

P.S. CGI is insanely good and I often replay most of its fight scenes on YT because it is that good.

Story - 8.5, Could've been better but they chose the rough and long path that ruin this drama for me in a lot of sense. Redemption part is that it's a happy ending and it's reasonable? in a lot of ways so does explain my given score.

Acting/Cast - 10, The Main Leads and Supporting Actors are great. I barely notice anyone with bad acting among the mains and such but I hate that Injured Fox girl. Thank god she got eliminated halfway.

Music - 10, The music on this production is REAL GOOD. Something I must say that stood out for me.

Rewatch Value - 8.5, Will definitely not watch the entire thing again but will surely binge my favorite parts. This drama got a lot of satisfying scenes that can get anyone addicted to it.

Overall - 8.5, I felt like I'm still being kind for giving it this score but it definitely didn't deserve anything lower. CERTAINLY not the best but not the worst as well. It has its own redemption parts and its fair share of ups and downs.

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A redemption after watching TWG (Chronological Order)

I've got low expectation when I started this and almost drop it after the first 2 episodes cause I find it boring but I eventually went through it cause the reviews are decent and i'm not the type who would drop anything after my 1st impression; and thank god I did cause it started to gradually pick up it's own pace after awhile.

This sequel is much more interesting compared to the messy and disastrous TWG so for anyone who are wondering whether to watch it or not, I wanna assure you that it's gonna worth your time.

This actually has its own flaws as well but it's more bearable compared to it's prequel and adventure wise it is far superior as well. Just be careful not to get irritated with Wang Pang Zi (Fatty Wang) cause I hella got irritated on how immature, greedy and useless he is.

Story - 8.0, I wanna give it a higher rating but the ending just kinda felt disappointing. + Although it has more to offer, the story itself got a lot of flaws in it and it felt lacking in the plot and story department.

Acting/Cast - 9, I just love Joe chen and she did great in this drama. The other actors were able to execute their roles properly as well. I just felt like there's a lot of useless side characters.

Music - 8.5, BGMs are properly placed and used. Nothing special about it so I felt like they could've done better.

Rewatch Value - 8, I wouldn't re-watch it unless there's an information I need to confirm or something but this whole production is good enough so here it is.

Overall - 8.5, The fair-est point I can give. Honestly speaking, it didn't standout that much and is a bit lacking but can be considered decent.

Please let me know IF you find my reviews helpful.

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A J-Drama taking their Creativeness into the Quirkiest way possible.

Honestly, this drama could've been more impactful IF I happen to discover and watch it during the strict quarantine/lockdown period cause it shows the strict compliance to Safety Protocols and stuff. Well it's all on me that I discovered it so late.

Anyways, this drama is a representation of how Japanese create their dramas and present it to the public in an informative yet quirky way. It has always been their selling point for me, J-Dramas are simply unpredictable that can always keep you off guard on a positive way.

Another thing I like about this drama is how people handle their stress, frustrations and weariness over what's happening and how they try to deal with it using their outmost best.

Story - 8.5, I felt like we could've gone wayyy deeper into the Main Leads relationship and how they deal with it only IF they try to keep their get-to-know stage an episode or two shorter. I honestly wanted to see them dealing with trivial stuff and discover a lot more from each other.

Acting/Cast - 9, I always deem Japanese acting as natural and presentable. Specially with their Extra-quirky moments. It has always been their best selling point above everything. The natural vibe and expression they give off gives me that they-have-personal-experience Vibe. Well most probably because Japanese culture has always been set like that.

Music - 8, Honestly I never notice any music IF there is, It must have blended naturally with the scene that i'm oblivious about it.

Rewatch Value - 8, A drama I would rewatch if the same scenario ever happen again where people are so dumbfounded and worried about the future because of the changes and uncertainties occuring at the moment.

Overall - 8, It definitely is a good drama but I just felt like they could've gone deeper with thei relationship. Nonetheless it was a great watch and I hope people can find my review helful.

P.S. Sorry about this review. For some reason i'm out of words and fet like I have squeezed out what's left on this tiny brain of mine

IF you find this Review helpful please let me know!

Happy Drama watching~!!

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Simple & Casual story with Extremely Gorgeous Costumes!

This drama started rough for me. I almost drop it after the pilot episode cause I find the main lead uninteresting and incompetent. But, I did push through and still gave it a try considering the reviews I red about it.

It surely might leave you the 'boring' feeling at first but once you set your mind in a way that "This drama was made differently from the others" you'll start to appreciate it little by little. It is definitely not the complex and full-of-plot-twist kind of drama we all got used to, but, this piece do provides values and comfortable feelings while watching it.

One thing that I must highlight is how gorgeous the costumes used in this drama. Top Tier among all I've seen so far! Most probably because it's designed for the winter season that's why they're simply beautiful and outstanding.

Story - 8, the entirety of it was decent. I was able to folow through the whole plot and there's nothing much special to it but I love how the Main Lead was created as he is. Illiterate yet compassionate and righteous. I just have to say that I expect some action with its ending but it was delivered so differently with a hint of Marriage and union. It's open-ended and has a very weird leap from the expected ending but I didn't feel dissapointed at all.

Acting/Cast - 9, Cast was able to deliver and is very good with expressing their expressions and emotions.

Music - 8, It only has 1 or 2 music that i know or notice of but I love both of them. Specially the part where the various musical instrument part of the song is playing. So beautiful and satisfying.

Rewatch Value - 7, Honestly this drama doesn't give off the REWATCH energy but i can describe it as something that should be watch for only 'once' and should be cherish as a memory for as long as we can.

Overall - 8, Overall this drama made me feel good and satisfy me but i feel like we deserve more from them. The story is already reaching its climax only to be cut off in the middle and be presented with a Wedding ceremony as an ending. Nonetheless it worths my time.

Please let me know if you find my review helpful.

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Born & die together~The female General & her bewitched lover boy | Love is stronger than any sorcery

First of, I want to express my sincerest gratitude to this drama and all the people who made this possible as it became a huge source of support, relief and inspiration to ease the distress I was experiencing...it helped me attain peace of mind and motivation to move forward, so thank you very much!

I don't think my words are enough to describe how beautiful and inspiration this story is. I'm not the articulate type but I will do my best to deliver what my heart feels and want to express.

Diving into this story is one of the most wonderful experience I have had this year so far. It was sweet, delightful and heart fluttering which renders me into this euphoric state that allows me to see different colors of hope, happiness and peace. I know this has been sounding so poetic but this story truly gave me this feeling of extreme happiness and excitement.

The story was greatly written as it addresses all the plots twists, conflicts and revelations and didn't leave a plot hole for me to criticize on. The introduction gave us the right amount of information to set the mood and mysteries on the story, followed by the events that introduces us to the main leads and the beginning of their bond and shortly to the growth and progress of their romance. Something I am grateful about is their decision of not using overly tropey and cringey scenes because doing so typically kills the story for me. I am glad that they were able to keep its charm by showing us just the right amount of scene elements while making sure that all the crucial informations are being served systematically and naturally without overdoing it and throwing everything all at once.

Rising action, climax and falling action were all magnificently executed. One significant reason that made me say so is their proper utilization of the characters on each plot they have set up. Nothing was misused, overly used or left out and each of them was resolved and settled on their own natural way without being questionable and unreasonable.

The finale was exceptionally satisfying! Not just because they gave us a happy ending but also for making sure that we got a glimpse of the growth/development of the characters we cared for. I am truly grateful to the director and writer for giving us such ending because they could've easily pull a plot twist and offer us a tragedy yet they still chose the other way around and even provided us more than what we're asking for. I am ultimately satisfied of the story's outcome.

In addition, I am overjoyed and gratified with the much deserved finale of our main leads. Because after chaos and constant turbulence they had to face on, they have finally attained carefree life and lasting serenity. To be free and unrestricted while roaming the world is the best gift and ending they could ever have...would have been great to see Jin'an getting stressed over their kids too. Haha!

Chemistry between the 3 CPs are great! Their synergy is oozing with immense charisma that you won't get tired looking at them. Qiao Er & Ouyang Jun for example got so much potential (it's not like they don't exude any in the first place) it's just sad that they didn't ended up together...well at least, Ouyang Jun embodies her values by adopting and raising abandoned/orphan kids. Similarly, Yu Xin & Mo Yin's were exceptional. I love their bickering moments specially when Yu Xin's being so shameless and Mo Yin got no other choice but to "always" surrender and yield out of his adoration, affection and love for her. Finally, Li Shuang & Jin'an/Duan Ou Deng whose chemistry went beyond and above. Didn't really expect much from them but damn! their compatibility is unmatched. One of the best I have ever seen recently. They're made for each other, that's for sure. Their aura combined is overwhelming and irresistable.

Action scenes and CGI were all impressive! Close combat fight scenes are unexpectedly good. The only disappointing thing about this drama are their fight scenes during the war—which are either off-screened/non-existent and/or lacking actual presentation and effort. Must have been a budget issue, but this is wartime themed drama afterall, so i expected quite a lot...at the very least they could have given us bare minimum at best? unfortunately they did not! CGI are great. Jin'an's transformation and all his action scenes were all pretty insane to me. They really all want out on making him look cool and badass. He was on fire! Also, I just wanna mention here Li Shuang's high yet soft tone whenever she's giving out orders. It was so soft and gentle sounding that I cannot take her seriously at times. I am so sorry. >_<"

Lastly, the Crown Prince...watching him grow from a wimp to a decisive, authoritative and ruthless ruler (to people who threatens him) was such a rollercoaster ride to me. At one moment I feel really bad and pity him then after several episodes, started spitting out fire and cursing him for how cunning and merciless he is. I understand all the things he's done was part of his coping mechanism for all the injustice and trauma he's suffered and of course as part of his characters growth but at the end of the day, I can't just stop myself from hating him. I am just glad that he still came to his senses at the end and still values Li Shuang's life and welfare. Because if not, I would have hated him to core.

P.S. All the blood sucking scenes, specially the neck blood sucking scene on Ep.5 was so sensually arousing to me. Cheng Lei was oozing during those scenes. Whataman!

Story - 10, Story was great! It was consistent from the beginning till the very end. Every conflicts and issues were addressed + they're remarkably efficient and considerate for giving us the best ending. Also, I will not take the war scenes against them as I will simply consider it as a budget issue. This is in consideration of this wonderful craft.

Acting/Cast - 10, Magnificent set of actors/actresses! Gosh! I don't know how to epress my satisfaction and gratitude that Song Yi and Cheng Lei got to lead this project. They're outstanding in their own ways but what stood out to me is how they complement each other as a love team (not just them but the 2 other CPs too) very well. Among everyone, I am really astounded on Cheng Lei's fluid execution of his characters. Him acting playful and gleeful in a childish way was unthinkable and is something I never expected at all. It's so refreshing to see him like this + he's so good in acting submissive. Wanna give some praises to Darren Chen for his seamless performance of Mo Yin. This man doesn't really age at all! So youthful and beautiful! Shi Ce and Liu Yi Hong was amazing in here too! Indeed a spectacular cast!

Music - 10, The chosen songs are perfect...they l're soft in melody and has this endearing tone that are like cotton to my ears + the accurate placement of songs that matches the vibe of the scenes is another notable feat of this productions sound team.

Rewatch Value - 10, For sure! Like, most certainly. One of the dramas I will not get tired of watching over and over again.

Overall - 10, A high quality drama that I am quite sure everyone can enjoy! I fell in love with this drama after finishing it and I hope I can share this unexplainable pleasure and happiness to everyone as well. A highly commendable drama!

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Genuine Love can be obtained by discarding ones desire & ambition | Lots of unused plot devices!

The 2nd ML (Zhi Yuan) is the embodiment of this story's title "The Longest Promise"—he waited 200 years to meet his eternal love only to be told that Zhu Yan wasn't actually the reincarnation of Yao Yi. Tragic!!

I want to officially start my reaction by stating that although this drama is not as perfect and flawless as what the other reviews on this site states, I would still want to say that it is still fine on its own. The narrative wasn't as complicated and complex unlike some Xianxia dramas out there, however, I still think that they lack a lot when it comes to story telling. This drama has many plot holes, incomplete explanation of events and a handful of unused characters and story elements that could have contributed a lot to the entire story if they were utilized correctly and efficiently.

In addition, I wanna say that they don't know how to use the HYPE at all. There are a lot of impactful scenes that has gone to complete waste simply because the Director didn't use it wisely and intelligently enough. The video editing team was also underwhelming when it comes to connecting related scenes and events to make it look more emotional and convincing. Well, I must say that It still all lies on the director since I'm sure even the editors are following his lead and instructions.

Also, why do I feel like I'm watching a contemporary cliché drama during the last 15 episodes of the story? and their only difference is that they're wearing traditional Chinese costumes. Hahahaha!

Moving on, let me go ahead and discuss some of my favorite elements of this story.

First is most probably the contemplating attitude of some of the main group of characters. It shows how bad people, weren't actually deep-rooted bad, it's just that the people around them treated them terribly and differently that's why they learned and adapted to protect themselves from such people and circumstances—that it's only their defense mechanism for a chance of survival.

This drama also shows some great developments from its characters and I think it is one of the positive sides of this production. I feel like they never intended on making the bad people really bad so they gave them a redemption path which is a really healthy take for a story. I just love that the main characters didn't even care about the throne and power; and at the end, were able to find their own genuine happiness by letting go of their worldly desires and possessions.

Lastly, the CGI of this drama is really good specially the first few episodes. However, there are also times when you will get lost because of their magic powers, its effects and how it is visualized. I can't even believe that the most powerful spell was animated like it was just some normal type attacks. I was left baffled and underwhelmed during those scenes.

P.S. I waited and waited for my most anticipated scene which is to see Xiao Zhan dying out of jealousy but it never came! damn! I'm so sad... Hahahaha!!

Story - 9.0, I love that the imperial struggle wasn't the focus of this drama because I'm just so tired of it and I'm also glad that the initially introduced bad characters were given a redemption path to take. One thing that truly disappoints me is the wasted plot devices that could have made this drama even better if they were only used properly and efficiently. Let me also mention the rushed and terrible way they chose to conclude the story. Like... HUH? What`s that bullshit?

Acting/Cast - 10, I'm satisfied with the acting and was never bothered by anyone all throughout. Maybe because I already categorized this as an Idol Xianxia drama and it made me stop scrutinizing their acting that much. I'm also thrilled with the artists of this production. I admit that I was indifferent towards Ren Min at first but as the dramas goes on, I learned to love her too.

Music - 9.0, There is nothing bad about it in all honesty. I already expected it to be all melodic, full of humming, heavenly sounding and it did just what I expected it to be.

Rewatch Value - 8.5, This drama is fine. But I don't think I will ever watch it again. I just feel like there are lots of dramas out there who deserves my time and attention more.

Overall - 9.0, the drama's good. It's that the director wasn't able to fully squeeze out the beauty and capability of the story. Could have been better with a different director and team I would say. Nonetheless, I was never bored of watching it and I genuinely love the artists of this production.

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Fall deeply with the melodious musical performances and Love that goes beyond a Lifetime.

Are you all ready to experience such great musical experience which highlighted the greatest strength of this act above all?

This drama doesn't go all smoothly for me from the very beginning till the end and I admit that I have had a fair share of displeases and hopes for this piece yet I'm here trying to tell people my insight and experience just to let you all know that this is a drama still worthy to watch 'once' even after all that.

Wanna start this review by shoving to people what this story is ahead amongst every music related dramas out there. Pitch-perfect is probably the most fitting word to describe how grand and intricate the music used in this piece. It was a combination of various instruments played simultaneously to create an immense melody that entice the music in me. Just the fact that the production and editing team managed to record and put such music altogether is already a great feat for me.

Character profiling and development of this story is something I really like as well. I just love the progress the musicians went through to build their relatonship. They went from having some serious bad blood for each other to being dependable comrades.

Another good asset of this drama is the 2nd couple who conquered almost 50% of this show. I honestly felt like they made this story more interesting and exciting to watch with their dorky antics that focuses on food, love and FOOD overall. Hahaha! They even saved this story from some droughts caused by the Main lead's somewhat lacking obstacles in love.

Lack of 2nd Male lead... Honestly, up till this point I still can't accept that this drama got bland because of the Main lead's lack of love hurdles that can twist and make the story more interesting. I just hated how the FL has to experience pent up emotions because of jealousy yet has to understand the ML because he's doing it for a reason. While the FL needs to bear just being alone without any possible 2ML to divert her attentions to. She was robbed off basic rights right there and that's very unfair! It was also a missed for a possible satisfying turn of events.

Lack of effort from the ML— He's smart, calculative and and heck even got the advantage since he got lot of ladies admiring him but the heck! when will he start to actually put an effort? So far, all the chances were either push infront of him by someone or served by the plot instantly. Wasn't he simply dumb at that point?

Lastly, the Ending! This is another drama saved by the ending. I almost lost half of my interest during the last 8 episodes but the final 2 episodes just keep it all together for me. They served. and even went to great lengths by giving us happy ending.

PS. Female lead CARRIED! She's elegent, classy and stunning. An ALL-KILL!! God knows how her visual while playing Pipa on Ep.1 still haunts me because of how alluring she was in it. ♡

Story - 8.5, This everything considered honestly. Still very satisfied and pleased on how good they were in presenting the musical aspects of this drama and even nailed the ending. However, I still can't ignore the fact that I got bored for various reasons specially because of MLs lack of common-romantic-sense and oh well, let's admit it, Favoritism from the Writer. + Lots of cringey scenes. Overall a decent story.

Acting/Cast - 10, I love the casting overall. They're already serving visually but what I love about them the most is their facial deliberation of emotions. You can all see through it just by how they make great use of their eyes and face to make a statement. Would've been even more perfect if they use their real voices. Damn, over dubbing!

Music - 9.5, I actually hated the opening. It do fits the early and mid theme of the show but I just never got used to it. The reason why I'm giving it this high score despite all that is because of its overall musical presentation. It was a chef kiss.

Rewach Value - 6.5, I just won't. I feel like I have had enough of this drama and wouldn't watch it the 2nd time. Ever.

Overall - 8.5, It was a roller coaster experience when it comes to my satisfaction for this drama. It has its ups and downs but what made me kind of indifferent from this show is it's lack of solid romantic build up. The 'Love' on the title felt shallow because of the shows lack of actual romantic color despite having lots of interactions from the Main leads.

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The FLs journey in reclaiming her lost Integrity & Passion + Jovial character dynamics .

What an unterrable disappointment the FL has become— The once decisive and keen to details FL has gradually falter and eventually brokedown due to her dishonesty and selflessness.

At first look, this production may appear to have the usual J-Drama trademark of warm, light and mellow vibe however deep inside it has this complicated and unsettling occurences that made me frustrated quite a bit— The FLs constant dishonesty towards her feelings has cause her to lose her self-worth, decisiveness and integrity that eventually resulted to greater issues that could've been avoided in the first place... Well I know that this is a drama and those are parts of the plot but I just find it quite weird that a timeskip has happened yet the FL is still indenial about her feelings and even made things more complicated by making decisions that she herself find bothersome and confusing as well.

This drama could've gotten a lot more interesting if they escalated things faster considering that they need to squeeze all of it with the remaining 4 episodes. I just find it too rushed when they shove all the resolutions and concluding events at the finale, when they could have it installed on the previous episodes one by one. Nonetheless, I would say that they wrapped things up neatly and I'm also glad that they didn't worsen the other 'supposed' major twist because that would be a lot to bear considering all the unresolved bagages the FL have.

Moving on, I still love a lot of elements from this story; specially the way it motivates people to enjoy life by spending quality time to the things you valued the most as a way to keep your motivation, passion and drive. + The way they mentioned that money shouldn't only be spent on things that you can see and eat but also to the intangible things that keeps you inspired and going.

Lastly, I really like the MLs initial character demeanor— his obliviousness and ignorance may have been irritating at some point but it do provides a lot of comical relief to the drama. + I love that the team was created for specific roles that truly matters and not just some extras that has no purpose whatsoever. I also enjoyed their overall vibe and dynamics that sums up to their chemistry as a whole.

P.S. The FLs occasional 'kento-sama' swooning moments still gives me chills, so thank god they keep it at bare minimum. Hahaha!

Story - 9.0, The story is good it's just that they wasted so much time in making the FL uncertain about herself that made her character really frustrating a lot of times + The way they squueze everything at the final episode still felt like a missed opportunity to me. Aside from those, the rest are really well done specially the way they value someone's passion towards that one thing they love that keeps them moving.

Artists/Cast - 10, The set of artists' who acted on their respective roles did great and I never even once got bothered by their acting. They exude this comfortable and energetic vibe that made their overall dynamics colorful, vibrant and warm.

Music - 9.5, Honestly, I was kinda indifferent towards the Opening song cause it sounded really weird to me but the gradual listen did it's magic. I think this drama only has 3-4 BGM including the instrumentals and they're all good specially the ballad one. I just really have some initial issues with the opening so does explain my score.

Rewatch Value - 9.0, It's one of those dramas I wouldn't watch again personally. The FL has already left a lasting impression to me for being the BEST yet became one of the most mentally-challenged when it comes to her indecisiness towards love which affected everything.

Overall - 9.0, The overall theme of the drama is good, as expected from J-Dramas unique way of choosing a subject to expand it's views, struggles and values. The only thing I have a beef here is with the FL characterization and the sequence of how they handled the concluding factors of the story. Aside from those this drama is good and still worthy to watch.

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