kinda mid but gets better at the end
Subs are a lot better, although timing is still a bit off if you’re watching the one on yt. This season feels like a filler season idk. Okay I think the ending ALMOST redeems the whole season. One thing I do like about S3-5 is the brutal realities of life and the life lessons that are expressed in this show.TL;DR: story seems rushed, but it gets a lot better in the last 5 eps. Acting is phenomenal as always, music is around the same, and rewatch value is probably a one-and-done for me.
Story: Some parts feel rushed, and some new characters are suddenly pushed in without like any intro/context. Like the relationship between characters is there but we don’t even know their names yet? Also Lucy’s romance is so confusing to me like I don’t get why they did some things a certain way, and it just doesn’t seem coherent to me. Also they kinda just left it at that and never brought it up again lol. They did not need to drag the redemption arc that much tho imo, but we got there ig. The ending is pretty open-ended, but idk if they're going to make any more seasons.
Acting/Cast: There’s a lot of emotional moments that are duly conveyed in the acting. Acting is good as always.
Music: Much of the music is from past seasons, and there are some new ones, but nothing to be amazed abt.
Rewatch value: Even though the ending is good, I don't think I'd wanna go through all this just for it. I can just watch the last eps and be done w/ it lol.
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a nice spin on a lot of tropes
First impressions: I just looked at the cast section, and the screenwriter and director are both female, which in hindsight makes sense bc there are a lot of feminist ideals that the FL talks abt. There are a lot of callbacks to previous scenes, and I love it when shows do that. Most of the scenes are done on location, so there are so many breathtaking backgrounds, and you can tell they have a high budget too bc the wardrobe and makeup ppl went all out.TLDR; for me, the most important part of this show is the life lessons it teaches. The story is mostly pretty realistic when it comes to how they handle certain situations. Acting seems kinda forced at times. The only character whose acting seems the most natural is Xue Chen's errand boy. The intro and outro songs are really catchy, and they love using them in the scenes. It's more modern-style, and sometimes they'll use pop elements in there for some reason. For me, it's a one-and-done, but don't let it downplay the story and lessons of the show.
Story: There's a lot of role reversal tropes that are pretty well executed. There are a lot of misunderstandings, but for the most part, it's not overly dramatic and it usually gets resolved pretty quickly, and the characters aren't dumb and actually use their brain. There were a lot more life lessons than I thought it would have. As for the mystery, it doesn't really start picking up until the tail end of the show. In terms of comedy, it definitely plays a lot with romcom tropes that are quite enjoyable.
Acting/Cast: Seems a bit unnatural a lot of the times, idk why. Love the writing of the characters tho. The dynamics between the characters are pretty mature, and I love how they talk about their relationships. They have a lot of reflection in their actions that I don't see in most cdramas.
Music: Intro and outro songs are catchy, with the bgm using more modern elements.
Rewatch value: One-and-done for me, although I enjoyed the character dynamics and morals of the show.
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better than last season, that's for sure
Subs are bugged if you watch the one on yt. The timing is really off so much so that sometimes it skips some lines. It's slow at first but picks up during the last half of the show. This season focuses more on the relationships between the characters, and I'd argue their dynamics are just as good as the original cast. The writing is a definite improvement to last season's. Acting is good as always, music is pretty catchy, and rewatch value is better than last season's fs.Story: There wasn’t much romance to begin with last season, but this time, it focuses more on their love interests and less on HongHong’s shortcomings. Honestly, I quite like the relationships. Each one has different dynamics and have their own charm to it. Some of them try to sort out their problems as adults and misunderstandings aren’t exaggerated. I’d go as far to say that the relationship dynamics are as good as the original’s. The writing is significantly better, as they touch on topics that are a little too real as an adult.
Acting/Cast: Really good, especially the moments where they're supposed to be fuming, they really capture that feeling.
Music: I think they rendition one of the original season’s music, which is nice. The new ones are still pretty catchy.
Rewatch value: personally I think this is a one-and-done, but fs better than last season.
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good characters, amazing music
Just a foreword, the actor for Wei Ya Nei is different but is still spot-on with the original's mannerisms and expressions, so I don't mind it. Also, a possible reason why they changed it was the love interest, which seems weird if it was done with the original since she is clearly a lot younger. With the new actor, I feel like the students are actually supposed to be teens and not adults lol. Also if you're watching on yt the eng dub isn't amazing and the subs stop starting at the 15th ep but reappear and disappear sporadically. I've posted my side-rant in the comments; the spoiler is at the very end.TLDR; There is a definite budget increase, which is evident based on the music and the backgrounds/more CGI and green screen backdrops. Story is a bit better in part because they make some bold choices, and although the acting of the main characters is similar to the original, the supporting characters make it more interesting. Music is a definite upgrade from the original. It's a lot shorter than the original, but honestly I don't know if I want to watch it again because there are some heartbreaking moments I don't want to relive. I'm probably going to go into Yuan Hao's character in another post.
Story: It's a bit more convoluted than S1 imo. I think the main reason for the lower ratings on S2 is that there are a lot of references to Chinese mythology/folklore that I'm not familiar with and that could also be lost in translation. I'm rolling with the punches like Wei Ya Nei fr. Even though the comedy in the original is well executed, I think they improve it esp when they stop the music right before it swells to climax to deliver the bit; I love it when shows do that 😆. Can I just say though, Yuan Hao is such a good villain. They make some bold choices that compensate for the lack of good eng subs.
Acting/Cast: Honestly I don't think much has changed and the acting is still the same to me. I think most people feel that it has improved just because there's more opportunity for them to act more emotional moments. I will say the new characters are amazing.
Music: A definite improvement to S1, especially with the orchestral renditions of the originals. I love it when games/shows slightly change the main theme based on the mood. Of course, they also use the original music, which is refreshing. Honestly, I could listen to the whole track multiple times and not get bored of it.
Rewatch value: Although it's shorter, I don't think I could meet new characters with hindsight, but that's just me. Also, the eng subs aren't great, esp near the end.
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Really good acting and music
Story: Especially at the beginning, some parts of the story are being thrown at you, but it does get better throughout. Honestly, some parts were confusing, mainly because they introduce characters by name before you see what the character looks like or their personality (but could also be translation errors). The dynamics between the characters are very well-written, and although some misunderstandings change the course of their relationship they end up working it out eventually. Also made me realize how psychologically torturing being an assassin is.Acting: Exceptional especially for the antagonist and protagonist but honestly every actor/actress did amazing, including the parts where the characters are desperate and suffering. You can feel the emotion in their voice. Even when there isn't anything verbal going on. In particular, the main characters' facial expressions and how they move still give the scene weight to it.
Music: A lot of the OST music I would listen to on repeat, particularly the intro song. And I know a lot of people love it for the same reasons I do. It fits the relationships between the characters in the story and the cadence of the singer really describes the emotion of the song. They do milk it a lot in the episodes but it is a moving song so, it's not as annoying as you would think..
Rewatch: I generally don't rewatch shows unless they are amazing shows/mystery genre. I feel like this show is a one-and-done situation, but I did enjoy it while it lasted.
TLDR; Story is a bit confusing at first but it flows throughout the show. Acting is phenomenal and is amazing a portraying emotion even when they aren't talking. Music is beautiful and melancholy. Most likely won't rewatch it, but it was an interesting experience.
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Personally, not very picky about shows
Honestly at first, I was a bit skeptical because the plot summary makes the show sound a bit bland. But it was a lot different from the mystery genre I'm used to that includes a murder, and they try to figure out who did it etc. This one is very different and then the ending is very conclusive, although we never figure out why or how they got into the time loop.For story: Like I said, it is very creative in how they tell a mystery using a time loop. It might sound repetitive, but every loop is a little bit different from the last when they get more information to figure out how to fix the time loop. It also involves a lot of perspective on the accused side of how they deal with things and process sticky situations. As for romance, it's a little slow but there are some bite-sized romance stuffed in there, and it's not overly dramatic/cheesy.
Acting: AMAZING!! The actors definitely know what they're doing and they portray every emotion and personality perfectly. I comment on the acting a lot for the episode reviews lol.
OST: I don't know why but I especially love the ending song because it kind of fits with the main characters' relationship but also the other relationship too (that you'll see if you watch this). The singer also did a phenomenal job of singing the emotions of the song.
Rewatch: Usually, I don't rewatch things unless they're really good but for mysteries I like to watch them again to see the little details I didn't catch the first time because I know what happens.
TL;DR Amazing show with a spin on the mystery genre with slow but sweet build-up of romance and the ending has good closure on all the characters that leaves a little bittersweet feeling when you watch a good show.
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eh p low budget, again being pretty generous in my rating
First impression: What happened to the original dubbers like I understand maybe replacing the support characters but the leads?? also wtf is that intro like why is it echoing in a rly horrendous way 😭 im like cackling cause its so bad funny NAHH they did it for the outro too,, okay nvm ig it was just a first ep thing they didn’t bother w/?? I think I found my guilty pleasure genre bc why do I still want to finish this lolTLDR; One takeaway from this show that you need to know is that Qilu is a walking red flag. If you see someone like that irl pls avoid 🙏. I rly feel like this is supposed to be a teen demo bc as an adult, I see his actions towards Chuxia as not healthy and def abusive. Hanyu would've been a better option imo. There are a ton of plotholes, and there’s def better comedy than romance. The acting is pretty exaggerated tbh, and it def could’ve been better. I will say intro and outro music is lowkey a banger. Rewatch value is def a one-and-done for this one. Apparently there’s a spinoff, but watching another type of this kind of plot will make me tired of it lol.
Story: tbh if you’re familiar with the genre, it’s pretty obvious that [redacted] will get together with [redacted], but that doesn’t mean I have to be happy abt it. I also don’t understand why other than to satisfy the trope bc she clearly doesn’t like him to that degree, and there’s def someone out there that has always actually cherishes her in a way that he never will. I just feel like there’s a lot of lazy writing too like Hanyu will be not in like 5 eps, and there’s not much explanation as to why other than a faulty excuse lol. And the way they wrote him off like that. omg fr Hanyu deserved better my boy 😭
Acting/Cast: tbh Jiang Chenchuan is pretty funny and his acting is maybe the most natural/best out of the whole cast. All the facial expressions are so exaggerated sometimes it’s funny.
Music: Honestly intro and outro music is p catchy, although the lyrics are kinda mid ngl.
Rewatch value: I don’t think I could rewatch this series again LOL
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def teen demographic
I'm ngl my review might be a bit biased compared to the last show I watched bc it went from high budget --> low budget LOL. Oh yeah it’s also adapted from webnovel, which makes sense bc I think it’s more for a teen demographic, while me watching this I just don’t see the logic in it 💀 I’m being real generous with the rating hahaTLDR; Reverse harem btw. First ep is actually a rollercoaster whaat also the condition her mom says imo seems kinda lazy writing lol. I'm not rly here for the story, but I am for the interactions between the characters, esp the mom. A lot of the scenes I’m just laughing cause it’s so stupid/absurd and nothing makes logical sense 😂 okay last ep is actually kinda nice, but it’s a bit dramatized. Acting is pretty mid ngl, so is the music. In terms of rewatch value I’m probably never gonna touch this show again LOL. Anyways there’s a cliffhanger so onto the next season ig
Story: I can’t tell if the plot is supposed to be taken seriously like so many scenes are way too dramatic to be serious, and there's this one fighting scenes that didn't have good choreography. Esp the first episode where you could see the obvious green screen like what be so fr 😭. tbh the story sucks and there are some really small things that are inconsistent with what's happening. Also, I'm still confused as to whether these ppl are high-schoolers or college students. I think they're supposed to be college bc they can drink and stuff, but they act like grade-schoolers, and they have uniforms?? Last time I checked colleges don't have that sort of thing lol.
Acting/Cast: Acting is okay ig. The more adult characters are definitely better tho. I will say FL acting and character is pretty good and her bestie too. Just their mannerisms are so silly, it's almost cartoonish.
Music: honestly the intro sounds like a tf boy band song, which I mean idk kinda mid imo.
Rewatch value: def better cdramas out there. One and done for me fs
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silly fun
TLDR; It’s an old show with modern humor. Acting is really good, they use a lot of popular songs for that time, so it's also a throwback, and out of all the longer shows I've watched, I would rewatch this one the most. The ending especially when the actors do the final goodbye and you know that ain't acting anymore 😭. It left a little bittersweet ending that I usually feel at the end of a good show.Story: It’s a pretty silly show, but there’s like a heartfelt moral of the story at the end of each episode; it kinda reminds me of the skits they do in the Spring Gala. It’s so unserious, and there’s a lot of fourth-wall breaking, and the way they do it is also very smart and comedic timing is golden.
Acting/Cast: This is really nitpicky but this is especially prevalent in the first half of the show where some of the characters are just not present/mentioned at all in the episodes, which granted there are a lot of main characters so I don't blame them. Acting is really good, although some acting choices seemed questionable to me at first, I got used to it by the end of the show. Each character has their own distinct way of acting, and I think it takes skill to do that.
Music: They use a lot of modern (for that time) music, and a lot of the actors know how to sing it's kinda surreal. Honestly, it was a bit of throwback to all the songs my parents used to play in the car LOL. There are some songs that are just renditions of popular songs but eh idm it. All the background music though seems to be original pieces, and those are enjoyable to listen to.
Rewatch value: For the number of episodes, it's a lot but I enjoyed each one. I don't particularly like rewatching long shows, but out of all the other lengthy ones I've watched, this one would probably be the one I'd most rewatch.
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Story: ngl the story is kinda convoluted and a bit confusing to me. Also, I feel like there are a lot of loopholes to her power that kinda just seems like they’re bs-ing in the show. And like there’s no explanation/lore as to why that happened other than just a quirk she has. At least they don't drag out the confession till the end of the show. In terms of romance, I think the chemistry between the different actors is there and the dynamics are quite unique imo, and the comedic moments are actually pretty funny. Also, my headcanon is that whenever she does the eye thing with him, she’s his ideal type and that’s why her appearance doesn’t change.
Acting/Cast: idk smth abt the lead actress’s acting seems kinda silly to me. Other than that, the other actors are good and act natural.
Music: Fit the situations well and some of them are worth relistening.
Rewatch value: For me, it’s a one and done, but I did like the story.
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Surprisingly heartbreaking
First impressions: There’s already so many cats and dogs within the first 10 mins. I hope the animals got lots of treats :}. Honestly idc if the story is dogwater Im satisfied as long as I get to see silly animals.TL;DR: if you love animals like me holy you will have a ball w/ this one. Story is rlly condensed, but it touched on topics of owning a pet, acting is good, music is decent, and it’s a good movie. idk if I’d want to watch it again, but that’s just my personal preference.
Story: Wasn’t expecting to cry but dang,, also, it doesn’t take much for me to cry tbh but anyways. I didn’t expect the reality of [redacted] to be in there 😭. Story is really condensed lol I barely remember the names of all the human characters, but it’s a movie adaptation of a novel so I can’t really blame them. There’s also a lot of characters bc of the different animals and somehow they get together and know each other? Sure!
Acting/Cast: Acting is pretty good, though idk if the blind representation was accurate,
Music: Pretty standard, nothing amazing but not terrible either.
Rewatch value: I don’t usually rewatch movies, so this is a one and done for me. It was enjoyable though!
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eh
TLDR; If you’re looking for the same content as s1 and 2, you’re out of luck. S3 has new characters, and honestly, they’ve changed p much everything that I forget it’s from the same universe/place as s1 and 2. Even the building itself is completely renovated. The one thing that I think is the same is the track area where Andy would jog, but other than that I don’t see much similarities. There’s really only one thing abt the story I like from the original, and it’s talking abt societal issues. I will say though, they’re pretty bold to make one of the main characters intolerable and to the others on F22. Acting is pretty much on par with the original. Music is pretty standard, and rewatch value is p low to me. Onto s4, so you don’t have to watch it and waste your time lolStory: Idk if it’s bc it’s a more recent show, but they tackle a lot of workplace issues that women face in China like sexual harassment and job searching, which wasn’t as obvious in the original story. I quite like it bc it’s more realistic that way. This might be the only point I enjoy abt this show ngl. Kinda slow at the beginning. Honestly, I’m not sure what the plot is supposed to be bc I know there’s like arcs bc it’s supposed to be slice of life, but I feel like there’s parts where the focus on some more than others. Here’s the thing: I feel like there’s 5 diff arcs happening at the same time. And they keep flipping to each one at sometimes random times idk. In the previous seasons, I never really thought abt there being multiple simultaneous arcs, if any. The story just seems more coherent and fluid than what they did here. In terms of character growth, not as good as S1 and 2 tbh. I feel like they’re dragging it out, and I’m expecting something redeeming to happen, but I feel like it’s going nowhere. They’re really trying to make her hateable, but I don’t see an end goal to all that tbh. In the original, it was more gradual over the course of the show, and you got to see a side of them that showed that they came a long way. I know I probs shouldn’t be so critical since it’s technically new cast new season and all that but if they’re going to share the same name, they should at least have a bottom line.
Acting/Cast: still really good, esp when you can tell the characters are supposed to be acting coy when you know that’s not their personality. Also, the actors make annoying characters unlikeable and are believable.
Music: It’s not bad, really.
Rewatch value: tbh [redacted] ruins the show as an experience bc the writing on her character is not as good as Qu XiaoXiao’s. She stays the same throughout the show.
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good drama, good characters and acting. also good romance
TLDR; Despite being a long show, it was worth it because of the characters and how they each solved it differently. There were a lot of plot twists and turns that kept me wanting to know the truth. There's a fair bit of comedy and romance mixed in, and the acting separates the different characters, each with their own distinct personalities.Story: Because there are so many characters, it's sometimes hard to keep up with who relates to whom, but there's definitely an emphasis on mystery here. There are also some moments where they throw a lot of information at you, and I feel like some parts were a bit rushed. It's not always serious though and their comedy is just perfect to relieve some of the tension in the show. In terms of romance, this might be my favorite just because of how they interact in the beginning. I'm also a sucker for love-hate relationships because it's interesting to see their reaction once they realize they love each other.
Acting: I love the acting in this because each character has their own distinct personality and yet this group meshes well together because each can compensate for the other. I especially love the facial expressions and overall acting of Yuan Zhong Xin and Wei Ya Nei because they're probably the most expressive out of the group.
Music: The music definitely set the mood, and I could tell when there was a comedic scene happening or something bad was going to happen. I'll be honest though, it wasn't particularly memorable, but it wasn't terrible either.
Rewatch value: Out of all the shows I've watched so far, this might be the one I would rewatch because I feel like I could catch clues because of hindsight, but it also has 42 episodes, each at least 40 minutes long, so it is a bit of a commitment.
Onto season 2!
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everything is just better quality but doesn’t mean s1 was bad
First impression: they changed the makeup, so everyone looks a little bit different; I think it’s mascara or something. Also they got a phone sponsorship bc everyone changed phones lol.TLDR; All the characters are self-aware, and the story gets especially good near the end. If you liked the first season you will definitely enjoy s2. The romance and the interaction between the characters is very well thought out. Acting is amazing as always. There’s a definite budget increase in the music. Each song/piece fits with each of the characters and some of them are even sung by the actors, and there’s emotional meaning in all the lyrics. I’d love to rewatch this show and experience all the twists and turns again. It’s literally just a group of gals learning life lessons and experiencing life together 🥹
Story: The story to me just seems like a continuation of s1, which is a good thing bc it’s consistent in terms of quality. One thing I particularly enjoy about this show is that even though there are misunderstandings, it’s not overplayed and they address it pretty quickly as mature adults. The relationships are very good, and I’d argue that in terms of romance, this show has the best representation of it and probably has my fav group of couples. Btw I like Guan Guan’s romance the best, and I think it’s partly bc I relate to her the most out of all the characters. It did leave some loose ends like what happened to Wei Wei. I never understood why she didn’t pursue him again even though yes, spoiler alert for s1, he was manipulative/possessive, and she realized that she can conquer her fear. Honestly she left him for the same reason why she doesn’t want to get married? Idk why she chose one over the other since the reason lies with her. Anyways the part abt Wei Wei will make since once you get through half of the show.
Acting: it’s the same; that is to say, really good no questions asked.
Music: a definite improvement. I think some of the music is sung by the actors lol. There’s some silly songs, but I love the lyrics bc they fit the situation and the person in the scene. And each song has an instrumental that is very lovely in each context it’s used. There’s more variety of songs this time around.
Rewatch value: I’d argue I’d watch this more often than the first season, and that’s a compliment because I usually don’t like to re-watch long shows like this one.
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silly fun but realistic show
⚠️⚠️I RECOMMEND WATCHING S3-5 FIRST BEFORE THIS ONE. YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED IF YOU WATCH S3-5 AFTER S1-2!!⚠️⚠️TL;DR: Some of the story elements I feel are rushed a little bit but other than that this show really exposes the realities (count how many times I say “realistic” or something similar) of living in a city. Sometimes I feel like this show is a little too real😭, and the relationships are well written. Each character is amazing, and the actors really play into their role. The music is nothing particularly noticeable to me except for the outro, but it’s not terrible. When I rewatch shows, it’s usually because of the character development and where they got to by the end of the show that makes it worth the hours that this show does.
Story: I feel like some story elements are introduced only when they’re relevant. I feel like it would be a more fluid story if it was introduced earlier. But other than that, I love the relationships with each character, and the romantic interests are complex and full of surprises. There were many moments that made me cry, but I’m just really sensitive when I see people cry lol. When they cry it’s like never silent tears; they like bawl out their eyes. Each female lead ugly cries at least once, and somehow it hurts all the more. The tears seem realistic and not with powder or whatever they use for fake tears in other shows.
Acting/Cast: Every member has their quirks and unique personality. Although some of them don’t seem loveable at first, at the end of the show, you really feel connected with them because each of their personalities are realistic and some of them can be reflected in real life people. Honestly, by the end of the show, I wanted to see more of these characters, and I’m glad there’s a season 2!
Music: I think the outro is sung by the main leads, which I think is pretty funny and quirky. For other shows I’ve never really paid attention to the singer, but it just occurred to me halfway through the show. Other than the outro, nothing in the soundtrack really stands out to me, but it’s not bad.
Rewatch value: There’s a lot of character development that I could sit through just to get to the good parts.
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