I kinda want to watch this cause I saw a lot of spoilers of tiktok but I kinda doubting whether I'll watch it…
watch it!! it’s so worth it. all the characters are so lovable :) and if you love the cold guy turned affectionate trope, then you'll defo get butterflies while watching this :)
Hello there FYIS lover. Hashtag Falling Into Your Smile on tiktok already reached 1Billion views while 1.2B views…
yes!! the amount of views it’s managed to get in china and worldwide says a lot about this drama :) continued support for both cast and crew of this drama <3 jiayou!!
Dropped after 3 eps. Leads have no chemistry. A shame i never got to the second couple’s plot but i don’t think it’s worth all the skipping if they have such little screen time anyway.
just started this now that it’s finished airing and i already know i’m gonna love this! one thing though: cheng xiao’s face is stiff as hell. her dubbing actress (?) is more expressive than she is.
pros: - story is cute! admittedly, it’s nothing out of the box but it was enjoyable nonetheless - romance was fluffy :) lots of cute scenes between the leads and the ML treated the FL very nice! - acting was good (ish...). jasper did a good job. i found SY’s acting was so so in this. some feelings i felt werent conveyed properly in more romantic scenes and that affected their chemistry a little bit they still made a cute couple. - i loved the way this was filmed. the sometimes skewed camera was so such a nice touch. the lighting was so lovely too! in the beginning, the ML was always in dark lighting while the FL was in warm. once they met, he was presented in a warm lighting more! small detail but didn’t go unnoticed :D - the bodyguard side couple was sooooo cute - nice extra episode
cons: - the climax (?) of the drama was written so poorly. i get the whole FL being hurt because of the ML’s fam trope but they did not convey that well in this drama, poorly built up as well and felt rushed. it was such a drag and i skipped loads at this part. - SML was annoying lol normally they are jarring but this one, i skipped all his parts. - FL’s bro’s side couple was weird. he’s fresh out of high school, no? - as i said, story was cute but it was not that interesting. it’s rare i find cliches boring because i’m a big fan of them, but this was kind of boring lol proceed with caution ig?
overall, 7.5/10. it was nice and average. i haven’t watched the kdrama version but i don’t think i will after this lol watch it to pass time but not to make ur time fun?
turns out third time IS a charm! just finished this :)pros:- SIZZLING chemistry between the leads: nothing more…
it was a good and suitable ending. both ML and FL remembered their romance and it’s all dandy. i don’t want them to bring it to modern day because chances are, they’re gonna make ML suddenly not like FL or smth which is jarring bc he was clearly head over heels for her in their dream. i’d rather they just made an extra special ep to see them being all fluffy and cute in modern day and that’s it. another option is for them to travel back into the script or into another script she writes (that would be so good! like mayb republican era?). but idk, i’m happy with the way it ended and i don’t want them to ruin it with anything more. i have even accept the ‘we had the same dream!’ explanation enough to not want a second season. plus the risk of them not getting ZLS and DYX back is ://///
turns out third time IS a charm! just finished this :)
pros: - SIZZLING chemistry between the leads: nothing more expected from the king and queen of creating chemistry (srsly, ZLS and DYX looks good with each other and everyone they work with)! - great acting: wowow the whole cast was great at their roles! no awkward acting at all :) LS is so cute and DYX’s cute gaze <3 - unique storyline: i tend to immensely dislike isekai/time-travel/‘it was all just a dream’ dramas (hence it took me so many tries to get into this) because it sucks when they return to the real world and it’s just like.... what’s the point of the drama, but this is an exception! riveting plot with a good balance of comedy and angst :) also the feminist element of the plot is really refreshing. - intense romance: loved the main leads’ romance. ML was so whipped by FL, so cute! both were very loyal to one another by the end. not very many kisses and the ones we did get weren’t very ‘passionate’ though :( but i think the other interactions made up for it a little :D - the costumes were lovely. could tell the budget wasn’t that high but i think they did a good job with what they had. - the script writing was so good! funny, snappy and not too convoluted. ML had killer romantic lines and FL had such funny modern day lines too! cons: - a bit draggy in the middle: FL took her time to finally accept she had fallen for ML and it got annoying so i skipped a few bits in the middle. admittedly, while i did love the couple in the end, it took me a while to get into the romance bc of how dismissive the FL was towards ML for so long. - ML forcing himself on the FL in the latter half was not it. it was so OOC for him, even in context he was doing it in. - FL was a bit brainless at times. i understand she was trying to get out of the script and all, but like she should have given up way earlier lol - i get the ending but also, we need an explanation. that’s all i’m gonna say.
overall, 9.5/10. this was such an enjoyable watch and i so recommend this for both romance and comedy :) i am a bit worried though bc i don’t think this needs a second season, more of a special episode or smth? i’ll put why in a spoiler below lol
ik everyone has different tastes, but this was rly not as bad as everyone made it out to be in the comments!
pros: - the chemistry between liu te and lusi was good! he has such a cute little face and him gazing at FL was so adorable! - i enjoyed the relationship in the drama. it was a bit questionable at first since he lied to her about many things but his apology for it was one of the most genuine apologies i’ve seen in cdramas LOL and he did change after that and stopped doing the annoying ‘i know what’s best for you’ thing ML in dramas sometimes does. lots of trust by the end and didn’t let anything get between them. it was very cute and fluffy, loved their scenes!! :) - strong FL. she was a bit all over the place in one or two episodes in the latter half, but overall, she stood up for herself and was charismatic. - i enjoyed the first half the most, where the setting wasn’t mainly in the office so praises to that section. but still quite enjoyed the later business side of things too! it wasn’t amazing but it was interesting enough to keep me watching. - cute side couples :) - acting was good from the whole cast! i’ve seen liu te receive criticism for his acting in this but it really wasn’t terrible. it was a little stiff but it didn’t ruin the drama for me.
cons: - an sheng was jarring as hell. he was the controlling and manipulative one if anything, getting FL to choose between him and ML at one point. it got so weird after like one or two episodes. also i am not a fan of the whole step siblings romance, regardless of whether they’re blood related or not. its just incest lol skipped majority of his scene. - weaker and messier storyline in the second half. it was like they didn’t know where to take the story and develop characters. it was still watchable though. - knocked some points off for the ending. could have wrapped up better. the number of episodes were enough to wrap things up nicely but they had directed their energy to characters that didn’t need it like xin er.
overall, 8.5/10. a very enjoyable, simple and cute watch. cliche done well! don’t go in thinking you’re getting a new cdrama storyline bc u defo won’t like it. if you’re looking for a typical chinese romance dreams with lots of fluff, then you’ll love this! :D
finished this in a week, but not because I was hooked.
pros: - the acting: wow. the whole cast did an AMAZING job. I can't fault their acting at all. They all had brilliant chemistry with one another and I felt every emotion they wanted to portray. Bravo to the whole cast! - the comedy next to the gore: on the contrary to what most have said about the comedy being out of place with the violence, I actually really enjoyed the stark contrast. Big fan of dark comedy lol kept things light enough to make the series not to feel too draining and gave everyone some depth in their personalities. - fun villains! - wowee, the ROMANCE!!!: Vincenzo did best was the romance. SJK and JYB have sizzling insane chemistry. Their romance reminded me of my fave anime, City Hunter, where they fall in love while working together and then becoming the cutest dream team ever. It was a mature romance where they mutually supported each other in healthy ways. If it weren't for the romance, I would have dropped this episode 4.
cons: - plot was weak: with the rating and raging reviews, I was expecting an explosive plot but instead, the backseat romance storyline saved the drama imo. The plot was typical, predictable and overall meh. - draggy: should have been a 16 episode drama. skipped loadsssssss from episode 10-19. I finished it so quickly bc i skipped so much lol i i get that it was meant to be slow-paced, slow burn or whatever but with a drama about mafia, it would have been better if it was punchy and to the point. - ik this was not meant to be a romance drama, but it should have been. i would have rated this a 10 if they let the romance develop a bit more. they had two strong characters and actors with such chemistry and plenty leeway to make something more happen than what did. I don't think it would have taken away from the plot which i already lost interest in episode 4, but would have gave it more stability and would have made the ML seem more... human lol instead, a lot of screentime was wasted on god knows what on random characters (loved the side characters but didn't need to see them THAT much). idm the ML being super OP and perfect, but felt it was too extreme bc they didnt flesh out the more 'human' side of him, like loving others. which would have been interesting since ppl in the mafia are meant to be heartless. - the episode they pushed the ML to queer bait that guy was not it.
overall, 7.5/10. it was a good drama, no doubt. but not as good as it was hyped up to be. haven't watched kdramas in a while so this was nice first one in a while. do i recommend? a tentative yes. just go in with lower expectations. looking forward to the casts' future projects!
pros: - wonderfully written characters who developed well as the episodes went on. there was a beautiful balance between romance and plot happenings. - healthy relationship between the leads. it started off rocky with ZC’s very apparent daddy issues but I love how his character actually grew and matured while still maintaining a playful air! i love the trust and loyalty they had towards each other, with a sprinkle of healthy jealousy. it was so nice to watch <3 - the plot was actually good! i feel that often with cdramas, the romance and story can clash or be incompatible sometimes and i lose interest in one or the other after a bit but i enjoyed both in Moonlight! it was nice seeing some insight into the publishing world - i loveeeee the beige/warm colour palette and aesthetics. so comforting :) - the acting was great :D DYX has really nailed the loving gaze (reminds me of Mark Prin’s loving gazes haha) and his kisses are so good lol there were some bits from Esther’s side where i felt was a bit awkward? but overall, everyone did a good job. - side characters were not jarring and i didn’t feel like they’re screentime was taking away from the leads’ storyline. well written once again! - the natsume soseki references. ugh will never be soft for ‘the moon is beautiful tonight’ confessions. - er gou. that’s it. that’s the tweet.
cons: - i did skip Jiang yu cheng’s storyline and romance, it was so boring to me lol - it got a *little* draggy near the middle before zhou chuan and chu li got together. they overused the interruption before the leads wanted to say smth trope and it got annoying after a point. nothing a good skip can’t solve though. - sorry but zhou chuan’s style was horrendous LOL he’s meant 28 year old man they were dressing him like a 12 year old fortnite kids at times (what was with the hoodie + blazer/trench coat combo?!) esther’s styling was nice though. - i am not a fan of babyish female leads and unfortunately chu li was just that. it took me at least 10 episodes to tolerate the baby voices, sounds, accent and mannerisms. while i still enjoyed her character in the end, i felt like her character could have done without it. it seems she always gets casted in these type of roles since her voice is very scratchy and squeaky and is so unpleasant to listen to when she wails. it seems like esther is casted in a lot of these type of roles due to that. her acting is pretty good though so it didn’t ruin the drama for me in the end.
overall, a very smooth sailing drama and such a gem! i highly highly recommend it! 9/10
pros: - wowee, the ML is eye candy!!!! great acting from him and the whole cast! - chemistry is nice between the leads - a nice balance or mystery and romance - enjoyed the little illustrations - production isn’t that bad considering now low budget it is lol
cons: - the plot is so boring. skipped loads of it in the middle ended up staying only for the romance. - draggy - would be a good drama to pass time but like not rly a drama to sit and concentrate on bc it can be a bit bland - i do think the 8.4 rating is too generous for what it was!
overall, 7/10 :) an alright watch, nothing horrible, but nothing amazing either
pros:
- story is cute! admittedly, it’s nothing out of the box but it was enjoyable nonetheless
- romance was fluffy :) lots of cute scenes between the leads and the ML treated the FL very nice!
- acting was good (ish...). jasper did a good job. i found SY’s acting was so so in this. some feelings i felt werent conveyed properly in more romantic scenes and that affected their chemistry a little bit they still made a cute couple.
- i loved the way this was filmed. the sometimes skewed camera was so such a nice touch. the lighting was so lovely too! in the beginning, the ML was always in dark lighting while the FL was in warm. once they met, he was presented in a warm lighting more! small detail but didn’t go unnoticed :D
- the bodyguard side couple was sooooo cute
- nice extra episode
cons:
- the climax (?) of the drama was written so poorly. i get the whole FL being hurt because of the ML’s fam trope but they did not convey that well in this drama, poorly built up as well and felt rushed. it was such a drag and i skipped loads at this part.
- SML was annoying lol normally they are jarring but this one, i skipped all his parts.
- FL’s bro’s side couple was weird. he’s fresh out of high school, no?
- as i said, story was cute but it was not that interesting. it’s rare i find cliches boring because i’m a big fan of them, but this was kind of boring lol proceed with caution ig?
overall, 7.5/10. it was nice and average. i haven’t watched the kdrama version but i don’t think i will after this lol
watch it to pass time but not to make ur time fun?
pros:
- SIZZLING chemistry between the leads: nothing more expected from the king and queen of creating chemistry (srsly, ZLS and DYX looks good with each other and everyone they work with)!
- great acting: wowow the whole cast was great at their roles! no awkward acting at all :) LS is so cute and DYX’s cute gaze <3
- unique storyline: i tend to immensely dislike isekai/time-travel/‘it was all just a dream’ dramas (hence it took me so many tries to get into this) because it sucks when they return to the real world and it’s just like.... what’s the point of the drama, but this is an exception! riveting plot with a good balance of comedy and angst :) also the feminist element of the plot is really refreshing.
- intense romance: loved the main leads’ romance. ML was so whipped by FL, so cute! both were very loyal to one another by the end. not very many kisses and the ones we did get weren’t very ‘passionate’ though :( but i think the other interactions made up for it a little :D
- the costumes were lovely. could tell the budget wasn’t that high but i think they did a good job with what they had.
- the script writing was so good! funny, snappy and not too convoluted. ML had killer romantic lines and FL had such funny modern day lines too!
cons:
- a bit draggy in the middle: FL took her time to finally accept she had fallen for ML and it got annoying so i skipped a few bits in the middle. admittedly, while i did love the couple in the end, it took me a while to get into the romance bc of how dismissive the FL was towards ML for so long.
- ML forcing himself on the FL in the latter half was not it. it was so OOC for him, even in context he was doing it in.
- FL was a bit brainless at times. i understand she was trying to get out of the script and all, but like she should have given up way earlier lol
- i get the ending but also, we need an explanation. that’s all i’m gonna say.
overall, 9.5/10. this was such an enjoyable watch and i so recommend this for both romance and comedy :) i am a bit worried though bc i don’t think this needs a second season, more of a special episode or smth? i’ll put why in a spoiler below lol
pros:
- the chemistry between liu te and lusi was good! he has such a cute little face and him gazing at FL was so adorable!
- i enjoyed the relationship in the drama. it was a bit questionable at first since he lied to her about many things but his apology for it was one of the most genuine apologies i’ve seen in cdramas LOL and he did change after that and stopped doing the annoying ‘i know what’s best for you’ thing ML in dramas sometimes does. lots of trust by the end and didn’t let anything get between them. it was very cute and fluffy, loved their scenes!! :)
- strong FL. she was a bit all over the place in one or two episodes in the latter half, but overall, she stood up for herself and was charismatic.
- i enjoyed the first half the most, where the setting wasn’t mainly in the office so praises to that section. but still quite enjoyed the later business side of things too! it wasn’t amazing but it was interesting enough to keep me watching.
- cute side couples :)
- acting was good from the whole cast! i’ve seen liu te receive criticism for his acting in this but it really wasn’t terrible. it was a little stiff but it didn’t ruin the drama for me.
cons:
- an sheng was jarring as hell. he was the controlling and manipulative one if anything, getting FL to choose between him and ML at one point. it got so weird after like one or two episodes. also i am not a fan of the whole step siblings romance, regardless of whether they’re blood related or not. its just incest lol skipped majority of his scene.
- weaker and messier storyline in the second half. it was like they didn’t know where to take the story and develop characters. it was still watchable though.
- knocked some points off for the ending. could have wrapped up better. the number of episodes were enough to wrap things up nicely but they had directed their energy to characters that didn’t need it like xin er.
overall, 8.5/10. a very enjoyable, simple and cute watch. cliche done well! don’t go in thinking you’re getting a new cdrama storyline bc u defo won’t like it. if you’re looking for a typical chinese romance dreams with lots of fluff, then you’ll love this! :D
pros:
- the acting: wow. the whole cast did an AMAZING job. I can't fault their acting at all. They all had brilliant chemistry with one another and I felt every emotion they wanted to portray. Bravo to the whole cast!
- the comedy next to the gore: on the contrary to what most have said about the comedy being out of place with the violence, I actually really enjoyed the stark contrast. Big fan of dark comedy lol kept things light enough to make the series not to feel too draining and gave everyone some depth in their personalities.
- fun villains!
- wowee, the ROMANCE!!!: Vincenzo did best was the romance. SJK and JYB have sizzling insane chemistry. Their romance reminded me of my fave anime, City Hunter, where they fall in love while working together and then becoming the cutest dream team ever. It was a mature romance where they mutually supported each other in healthy ways. If it weren't for the romance, I would have dropped this episode 4.
cons:
- plot was weak: with the rating and raging reviews, I was expecting an explosive plot but instead, the backseat romance storyline saved the drama imo. The plot was typical, predictable and overall meh.
- draggy: should have been a 16 episode drama. skipped loadsssssss from episode 10-19. I finished it so quickly bc i skipped so much lol i i get that it was meant to be slow-paced, slow burn or whatever but with a drama about mafia, it would have been better if it was punchy and to the point.
- ik this was not meant to be a romance drama, but it should have been. i would have rated this a 10 if they let the romance develop a bit more. they had two strong characters and actors with such chemistry and plenty leeway to make something more happen than what did. I don't think it would have taken away from the plot which i already lost interest in episode 4, but would have gave it more stability and would have made the ML seem more... human lol instead, a lot of screentime was wasted on god knows what on random characters (loved the side characters but didn't need to see them THAT much). idm the ML being super OP and perfect, but felt it was too extreme bc they didnt flesh out the more 'human' side of him, like loving others. which would have been interesting since ppl in the mafia are meant to be heartless.
- the episode they pushed the ML to queer bait that guy was not it.
overall, 7.5/10. it was a good drama, no doubt. but not as good as it was hyped up to be. haven't watched kdramas in a while so this was nice first one in a while. do i recommend? a tentative yes. just go in with lower expectations. looking forward to the casts' future projects!
pros:
- wonderfully written characters who developed well as the episodes went on. there was a beautiful balance between romance and plot happenings.
- healthy relationship between the leads. it started off rocky with ZC’s very apparent daddy issues but I love how his character actually grew and matured while still maintaining a playful air! i love the trust and loyalty they had towards each other, with a sprinkle of healthy jealousy. it was so nice to watch <3
- the plot was actually good! i feel that often with cdramas, the romance and story can clash or be incompatible sometimes and i lose interest in one or the other after a bit but i enjoyed both in Moonlight! it was nice seeing some insight into the publishing world
- i loveeeee the beige/warm colour palette and aesthetics. so comforting :)
- the acting was great :D DYX has really nailed the loving gaze (reminds me of Mark Prin’s loving gazes haha) and his kisses are so good lol there were some bits from Esther’s side where i felt was a bit awkward? but overall, everyone did a good job.
- side characters were not jarring and i didn’t feel like they’re screentime was taking away from the leads’ storyline. well written once again!
- the natsume soseki references. ugh will never be soft for ‘the moon is beautiful tonight’ confessions.
- er gou. that’s it. that’s the tweet.
cons:
- i did skip Jiang yu cheng’s storyline and romance, it was so boring to me lol
- it got a *little* draggy near the middle before zhou chuan and chu li got together. they overused the interruption before the leads wanted to say smth trope and it got annoying after a point. nothing a good skip can’t solve though.
- sorry but zhou chuan’s style was horrendous LOL he’s meant 28 year old man they were dressing him like a 12 year old fortnite kids at times (what was with the hoodie + blazer/trench coat combo?!) esther’s styling was nice though.
- i am not a fan of babyish female leads and unfortunately chu li was just that. it took me at least 10 episodes to tolerate the baby voices, sounds, accent and mannerisms. while i still enjoyed her character in the end, i felt like her character could have done without it. it seems she always gets casted in these type of roles since her voice is very scratchy and squeaky and is so unpleasant to listen to when she wails. it seems like esther is casted in a lot of these type of roles due to that. her acting is pretty good though so it didn’t ruin the drama for me in the end.
overall, a very smooth sailing drama and such a gem! i highly highly recommend it! 9/10
- wowee, the ML is eye candy!!!! great acting from him and the whole cast!
- chemistry is nice between the leads
- a nice balance or mystery and romance
- enjoyed the little illustrations
- production isn’t that bad considering now low budget it is lol
cons:
- the plot is so boring. skipped loads of it in the middle ended up staying only for the romance.
- draggy
- would be a good drama to pass time but like not rly a drama to sit and concentrate on bc it can be a bit bland
- i do think the 8.4 rating is too generous for what it was!
overall, 7/10 :) an alright watch, nothing horrible, but nothing amazing either
but yan shan is so annoying lol