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I think the lead actors ruined it for me :-\
This is my first time watching a drama with either of these actors and only my second contemporary CDrama. I've been trying to figure out why I didn't like the drama much, because I feel like I should have liked it. the first 20 or so episodes were awesome (solid 9) but then it dropped to a 3 on the enjoyment scale and I found myself reaching for the fast forward button often. I ultimately concluded that the two lead actors were the problem.Allow me to explain.
1. The ML did a phenomenal job with sad, longing, romantic, and/or flirty scenes. But for the technical scenes as an engineer in particular, or where he was supposed to be cool and aloof, he came across as not at all authentic. It's like he couldn't pull it off. There's a difference between aloof and flat. Likewise, there's a difference between stiff and intelligent. His aloof scenes came across as flat and his scenes where he was supposed to be demonstrating how brilliant he was just made him look stiff/robotic. This character was supposed to be passionate about systems engineering and the actor brought no passion to this part of his role (so, basically the basis of his central conflict and the core of his character).
2. The FL was really, really fun to watch, absolutely fantastic, until the two leads got together in the 22nd episode or so. After that point, she started randomly behaving in this really irritating infantile way that got worse with each episode. Her voice got higher and higher until she was using a baby-voice by episode 30. I was so sad because I really enjoyed her character up to this point.
Anyway. I'm willing to give these actors another try, but this drama was ultimately just average for me despite the story and direction being solid.
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Basically perfect
This is my first high fantasy Kdrama and I demand to know why there aren't more in this genre. Everything about this was perfect: the production values, script/story/dialogue, acting of the whole cast and chemistry between the leads, direction-- everything. I loved the deep world building and it truly felt like a deep, immersive experience.The FMC was such a complicated character, which is rare to find in any TV show (anywhere in the world). Likewise, the MMC was complicated and imperfect, but that just made him feel more realistic and relatable. Loved them both as characters and will really miss them.
This is my first Drama with the ML and I sought out more of his work after watching this one, which is why I can say definitively that this is by far his best work. He was funny, vulnerable, stubborn, irritating, and wonderful.
I've seen the FL in other shows and she's legit fantastic in everything. Even if I didn't like a drama she starred in, she was still amazing and made it somewhat worth watching. I will watch everything she's in.
The chemistry between these two was insane.
WATCH IT!! Or save it for when you need a "sure thing."
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The middle part is the best part
==Breakdown==Background plot - 45%
Romance - 35%
Misc comedy - 20%
Background plot -Good
Romantic chemistry - Good/Sweet
Misc comedy - Good
Production value - Good
This was a good drama and worth watching. Definitely on the sweeter side. No substantive complaints. My favorite character was the second male lead; he seemed the most realistic and had the best lines.
A few quibbles:
1. The FL had better romantic chemistry with the male actor when he was possessed by the ghost, which was odd. to realize and watch.
2. The spirit sister was THE WORST and I was left unsatisfied with her ending.
3. The ending dragged and then was suddenly rushed with no resolution regarding what happened with the ML's family. It's strange to me that none of his family stuff was at all addressed or resolved.
4. As I mentioned, it just sorta ends, leaving no time for us to know how the main characters lived their lives.
Overall, not perfect, but definitely enjoyable and worth the time spent watching it.
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Lovely and surprisingly spicy youth to college romcom/dramady
I really love Zhang Miao Yi. She's adorable without coming across cringy or baby-like. That's rare in Cdramas (I've found). That said, she always seems to play exactly the same character. And, you know what? that's okay because she always plays that character REALLY well.The chemistry between the leads (actors on screen) was quite good during critical (romantic) scenes, but the ML's voice (dubbing?) sounded flat and lacked emotion even during the critical scenes. So, interestingly, the on-screen acting was good; the voice acting wasn't so good.
Also... I have to talk about the spicy scenes. I am not used to kissing scenes being this realistic in CDramas, so this caught me off guard. I closed my laptop at one point and stared at the floor, wondering what I'd just watched, before finishing the scene with a new mindset. I don't mind spicy scenes at all, but I wasn't prepared, you know? I mean, this felt more like a JDrama level of spicy.
In summary, it was quite good, funny, with great chemistry, well-paced (for the most part) with reliable tropes and solid acting. The story is a predictable one, but that's fine. You'll get what you expect.
EXCEPT THE SURPRISINGLY SPICY SCENES / KISSES. O.o
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A great first part but ultimately incomplete
First I have to mention the cast. This cast makes me want to go back to my previous reviews and reduce the star rating I've given to other dramas' casting. The casting in the drama is SOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOD!! I wish there were a once-in-a-decade "11 stars" option. Every single role was cast perfectly and the actors were perfection in their roles. Seriously, I have never watched a better cast drama than this. And a special shout out to the dude who played the emperor. He was an absolutely delight and perfect in his role.I'm writing this review after watching part 1 and 2. If I'd written this before watching part 2, this would've been a 10/10 drama. As it is, and after watching the second part, I now see the flaws in the story of this show and it is no longer a 10/10. More details in my review of part 2.
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100% worth watching if you enjoy romance
The male leads (both the teen and the adult) were just absolutely phenomenal in this show. The teenage girl and the adult woman FL didn't look much alike and that was honestly distracting.Some of the camera shots looked like paintings, especially at the beginning of each episode where they'd show the title. The still shot with the title was always absolutely beautiful.
It's not comedy, but-- like life-- there were some funny parts.
It's mostly sad, with a bit of hopeful and happy. I do have to say, I didn't understand the hero's reasoning in episode 8, it make no sense to me. Nor did the heroine's choices right after. It would've been good if they'd talked to someone to spell it out for the audience.
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Short and worth a watch just for the bombastic side-eye
If you're a historical CDrama fan, this one is short and worth your time if only for the ML's bombastic side-eye. His side-eye game is so strong, he'd win the side-eye Olympics if such a thing existed.The story is rushed, but that's to be expected with the small episode count. That also means every episode is worth watching and there's no draggy bits. Really impressed with the ML actor. This is the first drama of his that I've watched, so I'll be seeking out more of his work ASAP (I already have 'My Journey to You' queued up).
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It was worth the watch (cute)
I kept looking for reviews that spelled out certain information, so this is for anyone wanting the following:1) Episodes 1-18 take place in high school (not much in the way of "butterflies" during these episodes)
2) Episodes 18-19 are transition episodes (I'd say most of the tummy butterflies happen here)
3) Episodes 20-onward take place after high school (some butterflies, but not a ton; just kinda cute.)
All the main characters are likeable. The secondary characters are also likeable.
There is a wee bit of angst, and it is super well done. It also gave their story a lot more depth. But this is a cute love story, not a melodramatic one.
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Problematic and fun... two words that only go together in fiction
I've seen the Korean adaptation but none of the others. The actress's portrayal of the MFL in the Korean version made the character so pathetic, I wasn't able to finish the series. I honestly only watched this version for Dylan Wang. As an aside, I didn't realize they dubbed his voice in some of his drama until I watched Only For Love and heard his real voice (which I actually prefer). Anyway, enough about voices.This story is problematic-ish. I add the "ish" because it's based on a comic book and everything is always over-the-top in comic books. Since this version seems to follow the original faithfully, the over-the-top scenes don't translate as well to TV/film as a medium. The acting is rather cartoonish (except when Dylan Wang does that eye thing, where he communicates all his thoughts with a single look; that's impressive as always).
This show is also addictive. Something is always happening until about episode 12, then it slows down a bit, which was good. I was getting exhausted from all the back and forth. The romance is drawn out to the N-th degree, thus I found binging 5 episodes at a time to be the right amount.
Basically, if you enjoy watching cartoonish, fun shows with over-the-top reactions by the ML and FL, this one is for you.
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I mean, I was sobbing
First of all, Seo Ji Hoon is absolutely mesmerizing in this drama. How and why is he not starring in every upcoming drama? He's SO AMAZING. What an incredible talent. I've watched 77 Kdramas so far and his performance was probably the best I've ever seen. I saw him in My Lovely Liar and he was stand out in that drama (he had a fairly minor role, but I remembered him). But in this one, totally blew me away.I do feel like 99% of my enjoyment of this drama was Seo Ji Hoon. The rest of the cast did perfectly fine. The story had some unevenness but was mostly fine. Keeping it real: without Seo Ji Hoon in his role, this probably would've been a 6 instead of an 8 overall.
But because of the believability and excellence of Seo Ji Hoon's performance, this drama had me sobbing at the very end. I cried and cried and couldn't stop wishing he'd somehow come back. Ugh. So, so, so sad. I'm going to have to watch another drama with this actor ASAP.
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Alchemy of Souls Season 2: Light and Shadow
2 people found this review helpful
The season was way too short, otherwise it's perfect
I was nervous when I realized the MFL was replaced due to the story progression. I wouldn't say the FL was "recast" since this actress also played the same character in the first season, but she comes back in season 2 to take center stage.First, the lead actress here is an absolute delight. I LOVED the main actress from the first season, she's one of my favorites, and I missed her funny facial expressions and sass in this season, but I didn't feel overall upset or like I missed out. In the end, and given the direction of the story, the new actress (who, I guess, isn't technically new) was phenomenal and brought her own color to the character which was neither better or worse than the original, just different.
The ML was awesome, as expected, and a bit darker in this season, which I loved. It was great to see his character mature and struggle in new ways.
The lovestory and overall story arc felt rushed, however, and that's why I had to take off a half star. If this had been 2-4 more episodes, where they spent more time building the narrative, it would've been an easy 10.
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This show should be entitled, 'Leo Wu Being Ridiculously Romantic For 30 Episodes'
I don't have many complaints except the title doesn't do justice to the actual content of the show. This show is really just Leo Wu's character being ridiculously romantic and dreamy-eyed for 30 episodes. Yes, there was also a compelling, cohesive story/plot. Also yes, everyone else / the rest of the cast did a great job, the direction was great, the cinematography was great, the script/dialogue was REALLY great. Overall, great show.The first 5 episodes, as others have mentioned, are a bit slow. Episodes 6-14 pick up the pace regarding the romance. Romance is the story, so billiards and pool as the background canvas for the story felt secondary but not an afterthought. It was executed well and I learned a bit about the sport.
But everything was a far, far second place to Leo Wu wooing the FML. If you enjoy romance as the main story, this one is your absolute best bet for 2024 (so far)
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Did an AI write the script?
This drama was so strange. So many things were said and happened that made absolutely no sense. It made me wonder honestly if an AI wrote the script because it felt like something a computer would come up with. Like, they fed rom-com scripts into an AI and then the AI came up with this odd amalgamation of tropes and unconnected scenes / scenarios. They legit kidnap a hedgehog. Also, she randomly raps on a livestream while wearing a bear costume for some reason I couldn't quite figure out. And then she gets drunk after three sips, sees a sign with a four-leaf clover, and wants to jump off a bridge.Like ????? what am I watching?
I swear, I couldn't come up with this stuff if I tried. It's so, so weird.
I do like the ML and FL actors and so I'll check out more of their dramas. But I will never watch another drama by this script writer ever again.
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Slow burn romance with awesome chemistry
ACTING: The first time I watched Tan Song Yun in anything was 'Go Ahead' and I really liked her character in that drama. I also really liked the character she played in this drama. She's a great actress and in both had amazing chemistry with her co-stars. However, this was my fourth attempt to watch a Xu Kai drama and this is the *FIRST TIME* I've seen him display romantic chemistry worth watching with a co-star. Certainly, he's a good actor. But his romances had always fallen flat for me in the past. But with Tan Song Yun, their chemistry together was the reason I actually finished this otherwise somewhat boring drama.ROMANCE STORY: Their slow burn story was worth watching and I loved their conflict / 3rd act breakup. It all made sense.
OVERALL STORY: It was your typical modern CDrama with some intrigue. Nothing new, special, or interesting.
PRODUCTION VALUES: Great
DIRECTION: Fine
WRITING / DIALOGUE: Fine.
MUSIC: Fine.
Overall, definitely worth a watch for the romance storyline (if romance is your thing).
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Truly "being crazy for each other" takes center stage
This drama deserves a MUCH higher rating than 7.9; I feel like audience expectations are the issue. I've noticed most Kdramas with a romance tag feel very neutered, where the characters just really, really *like* and respect each other, but don't display much in the way of true physical interest. Basically, I think of "romance" Kdramas similar to Disney princess movies with a tiny bit more kissing. Not so with this one.First, know what you're getting into. This is an actual romance, where the main story is the romance, and it has romantic scenes between two people who are legitimately and unapologetically crazy for each other. I'm not talking about just warm affection, I'm talking about pining and yearning and *want*. But it also has warm affection, deep friendship, support, and (eventually) trust, but the "being crazy for each other" takes center stage.
Second, this felt more like a western TV show than a Kdrama, and their relationship progresses as such with more emphasis on the physical desire between two people as part of romantic relationship. This can be good or bad depending on your view of what a romantic relationship entails/should be. If watching two young, beautiful, complicated people be both physically and emotionally crazy for each other makes you uncomfortable, you should skip this one.
Third, the ending is confusing until you re-watch the last episode and notice all the things you missed when you watched it the first time. I will say that I found the ending extremely satisfying when I watched it a second time, but was confused the first time I watched it.
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