Orithian

Yeah, I think the translation doesn't work for sassy. I've always linked sassy with smart, or at least reasonably competent and intelligent enough to hold their own...This girl relies more on her title/rank than her brains.
Agree on Luo Fan & Ling Bi being adorable...and I'm always here to have the ex-fiance mercilessly mocked. He's really trying to punch *way* above his weight!

She was drunk, but she's also a petulant spoilt princess who basically thinks anything she wants can be hers...
I'm 9 eps in so far, and she's gotten slightly better, but I still think the writer of this series doesn't understand that petulant, spoilt and willful, are not in of themselves an actual entire personality. I'm struggling to see *why* Shen Yan fell for her in the first place, other than looks.
ZYC honestly does seem to be phoning this role in sometimes. He's almost looked bored in some scenes.

Oh Merxat just arrived...Guess I'll keep watching then...

I do like Zheng Ye Cheng & his character, but I'm about 2 seconds away from wanting to boot Crystal Yuan's character into the sun! ...and I'm only on the 2nd ep.
I'm *really* over spoilt brat princesses...

I think each romance has a specific feeling. CY & JYH have a quiet/subdued, but *intense* relationship. They do more with a look than others do with an entire days worth of arguments.
San Yu/Li Shu is more firey, passionate & combative. LuoLuo/KongMing are confused/passionate and argumentative.
Tho to be fair, if I was going to rate the male characters on their kissing skills, I deeply suspect Li Shu would be top of the list....and now I kinda want to write out the rull list and my reasoning for it all...🤦🏽‍♀️

I've just started to watch Love a Lifetime... and he's definitely *not* playing the stonefaced iceblock in this role. The character so far is more the charming, mischievious, shit stirring, troublemaker. I'd say his acting is once again at the discretion of the director. Also if it was because he is married, then ... then i'm sure they wouldn't have the number and length of kissing scenes thats done in this series.
Also remember he's trying to portray a race that's not very familiar with the surface world. His character basically starts out as an alien, complete with learning a new language and all the wierd customs the locals have. All while being imprisoned and tortured for no good reason.

I agree that JYH's much better character. She has *far* more agency than either BaiQian or JinMi, who were both very passive for large parts of their story's. JYH is making waves from the get go, always has her own end goals in mind, even as they change and grow with her.
Her most passive part, is a distinct plot point. She's actually dying and too physically weak to do much, and she still causes CY serious headaches with her escape attempts.
I think the writing in general is much better in this series than in many others, with a much more agreeable ensemble cast of characters that all actually like/respect each other.

Its not as heabreaking as Ashes or 10Miles, but I've definitely cried far more times watching this series than I ever did for those other two. I think the fact I care so much about all the surrounding cast helps. I only actually loathe the main bads, everyone else I either love, or don't mind.
There bad guys where on screen enough to make their presense felt, and life hard for the good guys, but not enough it felt like they were sucking all the life out of the show.

I feel like the director/screenwiters have looked at all their favourite dramas and gone, "Yes all of this, but with *more* kissing!!!"
Oh... The director *is* the director for some of my favourite dramas. No wonder! So is the screenwriter!

Definitely. Its a lot of fun, and the way the characters mesh and play around together is part of what makes it so good!

I'm not even an E-Sports fan and I keep wondering why they insist on using some really wierd tropes in these drama's. It's like all their information on how to play computer games is from FPS shooters 20 years ago...
This is a MOBA, the skills are on cooldown. I don't think button mashing actually does anything, except maybe kill your keyboard faster....
Also this is a mobile only game, you need an emulator to run it on a PC...

This is what happens when an old school nerd watches these shows. But the out of date gaming tropes aside, the story and characters are super cute so far.

God, I nearly choked when JunShan told Xiang, he was going to pursue his "sister"!! All while sitting there shirtless, and having Xiang apply the ointment.
That smug look on his face, he's so goddamn please with himself!!
He's found out the person he likes is actually a woman, knows *why* YanZhen is being *such* an arsehole, and can indulge in some petty revenge for Xiang hiding everything from him and letting him think he was possibly gay...
I nomally hate tangles like this, but this time I'm in stitches.
...I just wish Xiang would kick the crap out of YanZhen more often when he makes her life so much harder...Now I'm going to go back and keep watching JunShan sitting there all shirtless & smug...

...You've obviously not watched much media at all then, if that's the most unrealistic scene you've ever seen! Also consider it less walking in mid air, and more very graceful, super powered leaping.

I take that back, I just need a cooking show that's all about Sui Zhou cooking, and Tan Fang, Wang Zhi & Don'er hovering around the edges, making snarky questions about when the food will be cooked, getting stuff thrown at them, then making happy faces once they're all eating!!!

This show has the best sound track, the *worst* editing, and the *wierdest* soundscape.
But I'm still enjoying it 16 eps in...Even with Ying Huan Huan shrieking her lungs out at the drop of a hat.
2nd part greatly improved on pacing, and really enjoyed this.

This series is an otherwise really good story about Hopes & dreams, friendship and found family. Amazing cast, great acting, but geeez could they maybe have done more than 5 mins of googling on ...well everything?
Also *enough* with the 20 yr old FL and 30 yr old ML age gaps!!!!!

Being able to programme AI =/= you can create a decent website.
Cyber Security/Network Pentesting =/= CTF FPS games
Any security expert will tell you, the easiest way to get into a network isn't to hack the system, but to hack the people.

I probably wouldn't care, Except, I suspect the writers are using the cybersecurity angle to give the gaming an air of "legitimacy". Since faking their own FPS game shouldn't be too much harder than throwing up random screenshots of commandline windows.

Writers need the drama of the short competition shelf life of a FPS gamer, but the legitimacy of an actual IT security expert, instead of trying to lean into the real life E-Sports gaming as legitimate??? Pffffft!!!!
Lazy!

Also ...Whyyyy are they "playing" ...hacking and pentesting like it's a FPS game???
This is making my IT nerd, computer gaming heart break...

Two eps in and I'm desperately trying not to cringe over the amount of cluelessness displayed by "professional" gamers and supposed "cyber security" students, about basics of how phone apps work and games are played.

I know, I know. China's biggest hindrance to some truly amazing stories is their censorship. Looking at older series, even ones just a few years ago, and some brand new series, it feels like any hint of sex, even in modern drama's has gotten very 1950's americana sanitized.

Also as this is the umpteenth comment I've just left on one of your reviews, I thought I would say Hi.

I found your review of The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty, and it made me ugly cackle hard enough that I started reading through more of them.
I've now added even more dramas to my "already" enormous list of "to Watch" thanks to your reviews!!

Cheers and Thank You!!!

I keep wanting a side mini series just about Zhe Yan & Bai Zhen and their relationship...
I loved how Eternal Love of Dream was even more blatant about it as well. This series is one of the best for it's "barely subtext" queerness.
Also, I kind of want more 'grumpy but adorable Dad' Ye Hua, and his adventures with the ever mischieveous a'Li.
...
Hmm, I think your review also just made me realise, a'Li is the reason Ye Hua didn't go down the same route as Bai Qian after he suffered the same loss of his beloved. A'Li kept his father alive, but also his existence didn't let him shut down emotionally the way Bai Qian did. Otherwise, given the general palace environment, Ye Hua might have turned out ever more frozen and broken than Bai Qian.