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So Good!

Looking to escape into a drama that will make you laugh a lot but maybe cry a little but leave feeling happy?

There aren't many dramas where the ending leaves me smiling and feeling ridiculously happy and satisfied, but this one did. The Romance of Tiger and Rose is a new favorite. With how it kept me laughing while needing to know what was going to happen, it was one I couldn't stop watching. It was a bit longer than needed. Yes, it's short for a C-Drama at 24 episodes, but I felt like it could have done better with a little less of the very dramatic last 8 or so episodes. And poor Ding Yu Xi did a fantastic job acting, but the makeup (or lack of) was jarring after seeing him in other roles. Still, there wasn't much about this drama that I didn't like. It was just soooo good!

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Kept me watching

It kept me watching and had some good twists and turns. But it was frustrating because at some point, the main character stopped being proactive and went all reactive instead. I like a good isekai as much as anybody else, but the whole sucked into a fantasy world, dies, and reborn felt forced and useless. I didn't feel any connection to the character in the modern world, so that nixed any efftect an ending for that character would have.

This poor actress... Is she going to be stuck playing emotionally stunted characters her whole life? She does a great job, but the lack of/snail pace character development in the emotional department got old.

I didn't know I could like the ML in something more than The Princess Royal, but he was spectacular in this!

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Nice, light, and surprising.

I like how this one strayed from the typical beauty transformation and focused on inner beauty and development. It went a completely different direction with the ending than I thought it would, and I loved how it turned out. I was frustrated with some of the characters and what seems to be their definition of an "affair," which I don't think was ever properly addressed. But there was good character growth all around (for the most part) despite a throwaway character or two who popped in for a bit. I HATED how they kept calling the FL an "old lady" or "old hag" when she wasn't even middle aged yet. But I guess in the film industry, you're overaged as soon as you're born.

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Short and Flirty

Short but sweet. My ADHD was in super-hyper mode, and there weren't many dramas that could keep my attention. This one did, for the most part. Super flirty, interesting twist, and cute moments in a short drama that has a Sound of Music/Jane Eyre kind of governess to new mother kind of feel but with a 20s gangster twist. I really liked what they did with the other potential ML/gangster rival. I didn't see it coming but enjoyed it. The ending wrap up was nicely done (although darker than I imagined). However, the bonus ending scene was a weird and out of place. Were they trying to set up a sequel?

Side note: The male lead looks straight out of an anime. How does anyone naturally have that face??

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Interesting Ethical Dilemmas and A Surprising Ending

A drama with real life issues that challenge modern and cultural ethics and values. I thought it was interesting. I wasn't expecting the ending that we got.

It was frustrating to see how the woman's mistakes were judged vs the man's. The woman had an emotional affair that lasted a short period of time and ended in a one night stand and accidental pregnancy. The man was verbally and emotionally abusive of a long period of time and eventually r*ped her (it doesn't matter if you're married or not. Sexually forcing someone is r*pe, and in my opinion as a DV survivor, is even more traumatizing than if it were a stranger.)

I won't make excuses for the woman's behavior (although that I will say that I can understand how easy it would be to seek comfort in what seems like a safe and understanding place in those circumstances). An affair, no matter the circumstances, is breaking the vows made in marriage. It would be one thing if she'd tried to leave or divorce him, but he was so abusive that she couldn't, but at that point, she hadn't even tried. I can also see why she was lying and keeping things like paternity a secret to protect the child, but....

However, abuse in any form is also a breech of those vows. It bothers me that this show barely even treats that like the huge problem that it is. The woman is judged and ostracized for her mistakes, while the man seems to struggle a bit with his own faults, no one bats an eye at the HUGE things he did wrong.

I also hated how the one lady was forgiven so easily for lying about the ML's identity/death to keep him to herself. There were huge consequences for others that resulted, but no one seemed to care.

The ML's character arc was interesting. Can becoming a parent change someone like that for the better? Could a new baby really become a "guiding post" like we saw here? I don't know. It's interesting to consider. Personally, I think that when someone has been treating their spouse so badly for so long due to displaced anger, self-hatred, and resentment, it won't change that easily. It could definitely become a catalyst for change and self-reflection, but real change takes time, and we only had 6 months and 10 episodes. But then, we also have him seriously consider drowning himself and the baby? Seriously. *facepalm*\

I hated so many of the FL's choices. Like not telling the guy that he was the father even when everyone else and their dog already seemed to know. If he was some awful person she was hiding the baby from, that would make total sense. But he was a nice guy who cared about her and the child's wellbeing, so....

But, it was an interesting and thought provoking drama that I don't regret taking the time to watch.

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So so

This, like many dramas, started great but fizzled out by the end. I loved the cast, the sets, costumes, and music were great, but the story just didn't completely deliver. I was completely onboard until around episode 36, then had trouble finishing it. The time travel/rebirth thing was underutilized and not explained well, and there were too many plot holes. That said, I did enjoy the side characters' stories and almost feel this might have done better in the format used in Perfect Match where each family member has a few episodes dedicated to telling their story. But, then again, that would undermine the whole time travel centric plot so...maybe not.

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So so

It was entertaining, but while I love the cast, there was absolutely no chemistry between the leads. I don't know if it was because thought they were siblings at first or what.... The rest of the story was good, but the pacing was terrible. It was like they suddenly realized there were only 10 episodes left, and they'd forgotten to resolve a majoe co flict, so they rushed to accomplish that. In. Two. Episodes. 🤦‍♀️ I DID love the focus on relationships and forgiveness over wealth and power. It brought a nice change to the revenge driven tropes that are too prevalent in C-dramas.

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