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I don't know why I waited so long to watch this one
==Breakdown==Background plot - 15%
Romance - 70%
Misc comedy - 15%
Background plot - Interesting
Romantic chemistry - Cute, then great, then AMAZING
Misc comedy - Good
Production value - Good
In summary: This drama is for those of you who want to watch a low-stakes, low-angst, lovely and fulfilling love story where the main plot is the romance. If I had to compare it to another drama, I'd compare it to 'The Best Thing' with Zhang Ling He. Both stories are about green flag cinnamon roles who are the quiet, thoughtful type, love to cook, are both doctors, and both fall ass-over-ankles in love with the FL almost from the very beginning.
I think I was put off by some of the reviews that called this one boring or "no plot," ect. ect. The simple fact is, this is a love story and the love story is the main plot. The background plot is set against the world of voice dubbing and traditional / classic Chinese music, which I found interesting since-- other than audiobooks and video games-- voice artists in the USA aren't as big of a deal as they are in China.
But back to the main plot, which is the slow but extremely endearing love story between the two main characters. Again, like 'The Best Thing,' this is a slow burn (with even less angst than 'The Best Thing'). The tension between them hooks you right away; they don't really interact much at the start (in person), yet the tension is already there. When they get together, the romantic scenes are done very well, with actual kissing rather than those weird fish-kisses that dominate CDramas.
I have to take a moment to call out the ML, Mo Qing Cheng played by Tan Jian Ci. Goodness, this man's voice is incredible, and his eyes are incredibly expressive. I would say he's not conventionally super-hot (like Zhang Ling He's otherworldly, indisputable good looks). But, there's something about Tan Jian Ci that's. . . I guess the word would be 'sensual.' He reminds me of Luo Yun Xi. It's like he's constantly undressing the FL with his eyes (and not in a creepy way).
There's this one scene where (they haven't met in person yet) the FL and ML are voice messaging each other via phone back and forth. All he says (like, 4 times in a row) are different variations / intonations of "Mmm..." and it was the first time I've felt all hot around the neck just hearing someone say "Mmm." For real, it was magical.
Generally, I like Zhou Ye in most of her works and she did a good job here. Both characters were inexperienced romantically, but mature / practical otherwise, so the 7 year age gap felt very natural. As a complete aside, I do think Zhou Ye tends to pick the same character to play over and over, so I'm looking forward to seeing her in something with more grit (because I do think she's more than capable of rising to the occasion) thus I'm looking forward to seeing her in Legend of the Female General soon.
ANYWAY, if you want to fall in love with a love story without all the messy dramatic or toxic parts, this one is for you. Highly recommend.
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Excellent
==Breakdown==Background plot - 25%
Romance - 60%
Misc comedy - 15%
Background plot - Pretty good
Romantic chemistry - EXCELLENT
Misc comedy - Good
Production value - Good
I don't think I had to fast forward more than 5% of this drama, which-- for me-- is basically nothing. Sometimes when the villain appeared, I skipped a few seconds ahead. She repeated herself quite a bit.
The main couple is magnetic. The progression of their relationship felt realistic and was a joy to watch. The side stories in each episode (of helping talented people find a good professional fit for their skills) was also enjoyable. The second couple was very cute and I would've liked more screen time for them; I hope the actors are in another drama together. I didn't even mind the kids' storyline! They were adorable and added a great element to the overall plot. The only reason this show doesn't get a 10/10 is because I wasn't absolutely obsessed with it while watching it and didn't have a problem waiting between episodes.
Loved this one and will likely re-watch my favorite scenes.
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Bad pacing and direction overshadow excellent performances and great chemistry between leads
==Breakdown==Background plot - 70%
Romance - 25%
Misc comedy - 5%
Background plot - boring
Romantic chemistry - Excellent
Misc comedy - fine
Production value - Good
The direction choices often had me scratching my head. There were so many scenes of them walking, driving, moving from one room to another, making food, etc. with no dialogue. Like, why do we need to see her walking down a full flight of stairs? And him driving four blocks in silence?
Also, the background plot was boring and nonsensical. The best part of the drama were the very few scenes where the two leads actually shared screen time. This drama would've benefited from being half as long.
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It was fine
I'm coming to realize that most Cdramas have a lot of filler scenes (and this ultimately keeps them from being highly rated--in general-- by me).The main couple had AMAZING chemistry and were BY FAR the best part of the show. Unfortunately, they just didn't have many scenes together.
The primary focus of the show is the heroine's family and their never ending drama / dynamics. I wasn't super interested in this storyline, but parts were okay / enjoyable. If the romance / main couple had been given as much screen time as the family, I think I would've rate this drama much higher.
Anyway, it's not really a romance. And it was fine for what it was.
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Premise and set up are great, chemistry (early on) is phenomenal. Doesn't quite stick the landing
Other reviews cover the storyline and what you can expect from the script, production values, etc. So I'm just going to give you my overall thoughts.The problem with setting up an addictive, shocking premise in a story is how to stick the landing. When the stakes are so high, viewers tune in to find out (how in the world) everything could possibly work out for these characters in the end. Sometimes, like Flower of Evil, everything builds beautifully until the very end. The problems are solved too easily and with too little ramifications for the main characters, which ultimately feels like a letdown because you realized the stakes were never actually that high. However, this show leading up to the end was so good, I cut the ending some slack.
Lee Joon Gi was phenomenal the whole show, start to finish.
Moon Chae Won was also great, but her performance started to feel a little too wide-eyed and naive toward the end. I needed something more from her, a bigger, more adult reaction. She didn't quite deliver.
The chemistry between the ML and FL was great 90% of the time, but-- again-- toward the end it faltered, and their scenes lacked the earlier crackling electricity. It's almost like, when they got to the heavy stuff, they felt less comfortable acting together.
Overall, I really, really liked it.
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Loved some parts, disappointed by the lack of certain (closure) scenes
As I mentioned in my review of part 1: 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.Some parts of this drama were OUTSTANDING, and some were bitterly disappointing. I agree with other reviewers who said sections were extremely draggy. I'd say 40% of this second season was unnecessary slow-motion scenes and reaction shots. This I might've forgiven if the ending didn't feel rushed / unfinished. I was so disappointed in the ending-- especially since so much time was given to pointless side-stories-- that I knocked off 3 stars.
Worse, the ending makes me not want to re-watch any part of this drama again, it'll only remind me of what scenes weren't included (ultimately).
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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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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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