Like a moth to a flame
First impressions: this show loves its slow-mo
TLDR; Despite the use of a lot of romantic tropes and the slow romance, the confession makes it so worth it. ngl it's hard to follow the mystery part of the story, but I think that's just me (hard to remember all the characters' names). Some parts seem a bit spotty to me, like some characters just disappear from the story (Pan Chi), and we don't know what they're doing while the main story's going down. The ending is also a bit abrupt imo, but it's a happy one. Acting of all the main characters is amazing, esp the Empress Dowager, fl, ml, and LLZ, in no particular order. Music is also enjoyable, and they don't play the main theme song every emotional moment. One and done for me, but it was enjoyable while it lasted.
Story: I watched for the romance btw. There are a lot of typical tropes (some are reversed) you usually find in romance dramas (ml saves fl in fire, ml gets injured and fl takes care of him, childhood sweethearts, 2nd love interests, breaking up, misunderstandings), but it somehow doesn't detract from the relationship between the leads. The part where they break up is really unique, so I'm not entirely mad abt it. I also enjoyed the relationships where they're just friends and nothing more, and the writers don't push the love triangle/rectangle trope. The romance part was kinda iffy at first, but the confession is worth all that banter. Also, the fl might seem kinda annoying at first, but she has some character development, and it mellows out a bit. There are some plot points that didn't make sense to me (ig to develop main leads' relationship??), but it was tolerable. The family dynamics are really sweet..Also, I'm not sure where to put this, but there are some parts where the subtitles appear one by one, matching the actors' emphasis, and I've never seen a show do that before, which was interesting.
Acting/Cast: ml's reactions are so expressive. He can portray something w/o actually saying anything. People keep hating on fl, but at least she apologizes when she knows she's wrong and takes accountability (and a testament to DEX's acting ability). Everyone keeps praising DYX, which I totally agree with, but I'd argue that MZJ's acting is on par with his.
Music: There are lots of variations from the main tracks. Just a lot of pieces and songs that fit with each scene.
Rewatch value: I most likely won't watch this again, but I enjoyed it.
TLDR; Despite the use of a lot of romantic tropes and the slow romance, the confession makes it so worth it. ngl it's hard to follow the mystery part of the story, but I think that's just me (hard to remember all the characters' names). Some parts seem a bit spotty to me, like some characters just disappear from the story (Pan Chi), and we don't know what they're doing while the main story's going down. The ending is also a bit abrupt imo, but it's a happy one. Acting of all the main characters is amazing, esp the Empress Dowager, fl, ml, and LLZ, in no particular order. Music is also enjoyable, and they don't play the main theme song every emotional moment. One and done for me, but it was enjoyable while it lasted.
Story: I watched for the romance btw. There are a lot of typical tropes (some are reversed) you usually find in romance dramas (ml saves fl in fire, ml gets injured and fl takes care of him, childhood sweethearts, 2nd love interests, breaking up, misunderstandings), but it somehow doesn't detract from the relationship between the leads. The part where they break up is really unique, so I'm not entirely mad abt it. I also enjoyed the relationships where they're just friends and nothing more, and the writers don't push the love triangle/rectangle trope. The romance part was kinda iffy at first, but the confession is worth all that banter. Also, the fl might seem kinda annoying at first, but she has some character development, and it mellows out a bit. There are some plot points that didn't make sense to me (ig to develop main leads' relationship??), but it was tolerable. The family dynamics are really sweet..Also, I'm not sure where to put this, but there are some parts where the subtitles appear one by one, matching the actors' emphasis, and I've never seen a show do that before, which was interesting.
Acting/Cast: ml's reactions are so expressive. He can portray something w/o actually saying anything. People keep hating on fl, but at least she apologizes when she knows she's wrong and takes accountability (and a testament to DEX's acting ability). Everyone keeps praising DYX, which I totally agree with, but I'd argue that MZJ's acting is on par with his.
Music: There are lots of variations from the main tracks. Just a lot of pieces and songs that fit with each scene.
Rewatch value: I most likely won't watch this again, but I enjoyed it.
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