Rissa_Mac

A crap shoot and a half

I don’t usually write reviews for shows this terrible, but this one is almost laughable. For all intents and purposes, I dropped it half way through but skimmed through to see what happened…

This show is everything wrong with minidramas. I was literally laughing out loud at how inane the plot is. Pseudo-sibling romance where half the time he actually does think their siblings? Check. Another actual sister who is actually in love with him incestuously? Check. Oh wait they’re not siblings either? Check? I honestly can’t figure it out.

Memory loss? Check. Absolutely psycho second FL? Check. Evil mother who somehow gets forgiven? Check. Abuse, self harm, rape? Check. It’s like we take terrible tropes and put them in a blender…. OH AND THE FL DIES AT THE END IM SORRY WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK IS THIS STORY AND THEN WE GET A PARALLEL UNIVERSE FOR TEN MINUTES THIS IS INSANE.

I don’t know if I’ve ever watched a drama this level of crap—which sucks because the first few episodes were awesome. Then it all went spiraling down the toilet.

Goodness, someone fire the writers.

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A Game of Matching Wits

Final Verdict: Dropped

Is this a bad show? No, it honestly isn’t. I probably could skim through the final episodes, and I might still do that. However, for me specifically, it’s lost me.

The last half fizzles out in my opinion. It loses a lot of its charm. I feel like the writing just goes out the window. First of all, they did not build up the intrigue side of the show well enough for the drastic shift in the later episodes to make sense or pull you in. Secondly, some of the male characters drove me crazy… Our lead seems to grow more juvenile as the time goes on but then we’re supposed to buy it when he suddenly gets serious? And don’t get me started on how dumb the crown prince is written. It’s insane. And the antagonists… These “baddies” don’t give you a high stakes feeling at all.

And when I said second-lead-syndrome hits the chat HARD, I mean it. I found myself rooting for the other prince over the ML at times…Big yikes. Loved his character.

Look, I still honestly think a lot of people are gonna like this. So I’m not necessarily recommending against it. I really really enjoyed that first half, and maybe the flaws in the second half won’t bother everyone like it did me. But, personally, it’s gonna be a no.



Initial Review at the Halfway Point (Will Update after Finale)

I had super low expectations for this, but it has pleasantly surprised me. The romcom is definitely coming through strong. Our leads do a great job of portraying these bickering frenemies always trying to outwit the other. It’s funny and charming, and their chemistry is excellent. It’s not a perfect drama, but I’m really having a blast watching it.

Our FL has gotten a bad rap from commenters, but I get her. She’s been shaped by her awful circumstances; so she’s willing to do anything to protect herself, her little sister, and their beloved servant. She manipulates and acts “selfishly”, but reality always shows she has a heart that is strong and compassionate, and she’s brilliant too. This really is seen after episode 6. Stick it out, and she’ll win you over.

Things I’m liking so far:
• The cast is pretty solid. I love our leads, and many of the supporting characters are acted well too. You’ll fall in love with the FL’s little sister.
• The scenery, cinematography, costumes, and OST are *chef’s kiss*.
• The story, took a slow start a bit, but it’s on fire now. It’s really pulled me in. I’m invested fully and excited for the next half. It defies some trope, which I also appreciate.

Things I’m not liking so far:
• Something just wasn’t sucking me in the first five episodes. No “wow factor”. I almost dropped it, but I’m glad I stuck it out. I got done with the game of wits angle over and over because, while it was done well, it felt like there were two whole episodes just dedicated to their competitive dynamic but not in a way that kept you interested. Luckily, it shifted away from that. They still have the game of wits but it’s a part of the plot rather than the whole plot.
• I would like to see the overarching plot of the ML working for the Prince explored much better. They’re going for sneaky and vague, but it just comes across like nothing actually matters. You can’t get invested on their side because I’ve got nothing to work with. Give me some depth.

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Started with a bang, ended with a splat

My disappointment in writing this review is very strong. Why? Because this had potential to wrap up China’s stellar historical drama year with another bang. But it failed. Oh how it failed.

Pros:
• One of the best fleshed out casts of any drama. Hands down. This was the strongest aspect of the show. Even when I completely lost interest in our leads, the subplots and characters kept me going to finish (though I HEAVILY skimmed through the last 8 episodes).
• An incredibly solid first half, especially those fist 13 episodes!
• Our secondary couples were just excellent. There are four couples in this show, including the main leads. The other three outshone our leads by far. In fact, the romance between [SPOILER] the Princess Royal and the main villain was so incredible. It had me fully captivated.

Cons:
• OUR LEADS. These two were knocking it out of the park at the beginning. But goodness gracious by episode 25 I was so done with them. Let me break it down specifically:
— Ding Yuxi was stellar in the early episodes as he grieved his family. Afterwards? To be honest I feel like his character had split personalities. One personality was a ruthless general and cunning young marquis fighting for his family, and the other was a love sick puppy who cried at the drop of the hat.
— The wonderful character of Chu Yu fell prey to Victoria Song’s unfortunate ability to begin strong and fizzle out mid drama. Plain and simple.

• Poor pacing. If you’re going to do a Cdrama over 30 episodes, the pacing HAS to be good. We know it’s possible. We’ve seen some amazing dramas that go even into the 50 episode zone (looking at you “Love like the Galaxy”) without losing your interest. So what went wrong here? Well… they essentially put the climax of the whole show at episode 28/40. I mean this literally. Epic battle scenes, humiliation, political intrigue, a victory that defies odds—and by episode 30 it was over.

So what happens next? Literally episode after episode of the emperor trying to keep the leads apart and our leads handling this stupidly. Add some politics and a little bit of slice of life randomly… The only thing that kept me skimming was the scenes between the three side couples. Then what’s crazy is the final battles weren’t even as epic as the ones in 28-30.

• Tragic ending for their best selling point in the last quarter. I knew the Princess and king of Northern Qi wouldn’t have a happy ending. But dude. They were the best part of the last ten episodes and it ends [SPOILER] with them confirming their love before she poisons him with a kiss, tells him she aborted their baby, asks to try again in the next life, pushes him off a literal cliff, and then jumps of the cliff herself.

• Chemistry? None. All three of our side couples had way more chemistry than Ding Yuxi and Victoria Song. In fact, in some ways, our FL had better chemistry with the SML.

Anyway, I’ve ranted enough. This was super disappointing.

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Okay hear me out… I know 7.5 feels low…

“Perfect Match” had a whole lot of potential, and in many ways, it lived up to it. However, in many ways it didn’t. I experienced a plethora of emotions and opinions throughout the course of this show. Was it perfect? Not by any means. Did I enjoy it still? Definitely.

Here’s my breakdown:

Pros:

1. What a fresh idea! Never before have I seen (among over a hundred dramas) any drama like this where it tackles four stories in one and yet makes it one cohesive story! I truly hope we see more of this in the future. It was especially cool to get to follow the couple’s lives on past their stories since they all remain active in the plot.
2. This is family writing done masterfully! This family of women is tremendous. You will fall in love with them. Even their eccentric, over-the-top mother had my heart in the end. They managed to walk the very fine line between becoming a family drama instead of romance. Instead, it was both, and I loved it.
3. The first and third story arcs were beautifully done. Both couples (Li Kangning/Chai An and Li Haode/Shen Huizhao) had tremendous chemistry. Like seriously! Their kiss scenes were on point and their love felt real. Plus these storylines were the best fleshed out. I expected the third arc to be my least favorite but it ended up being my favorite.
4. The Rom-Com balance is excellent. There is a healthy blend of comedy—you will literally laugh out loud—and romance in this drama. You will laugh and cry as you journey with these women though their funny moments and their deep despair and ultimately their forever love.
5. The Son-in-Law Alliance!!! This was the freaking best. I loved this, iykyk

Cons:
1. The repetition in the stories... They had so much opportunity for these arcs to be profoundly different each time. But they really weren’t. They typically follow this pattern: 1. They hate each other. 2. One falls hard first (typically the ML). 3. One pulls away and keeps the other guessing (typically the FL). 4. They break up and are miserable for a couple episodes. 5. Happy ending… This really hurt the show. It meant I began to lose interest at some point in each arc. The thing that kept me watching was knowing it would change to a new couple soon.
2. The fourth coupling was atrocious. Oh my goodness, where the heck do I start? Li Leshan is hardly the likable sister in the first three quarters of the drama, but in her own story she is worse. She is physically abusive (and I mean this literally) and spoiled and unkind. Yang Xian is no better. He is awful. He is selfish, also unkind, and so manipulative. I made it three episodes into their story before giving up and skipping to the last half of the last episode because I could NOT handle them or their storyline at all. Luckily, you can do this and not miss anything because it’s its own story.
3. At least two of our female leads drove me crazy with the way they made their men work their butts off to earn their love (Kangning and Shouhua), but Shouhua’s was truly disappointing. I’m a huge Liu Xie Ning fan so I was PUMPED for her arc. But the “will they or won’t they” and “will he ever earn her love” things really are tiresome to me. And goodness what was that kiss scene? I know LXN can nail a kiss scene (ie. “Night of Love with You”)… so um what? Her arc was still fine though.

Overall, it has enough good that you will enjoy it despite its flaws. The final arc does significant damage to the overall rating but still. (This drama would have been a 8.5 if the last arc had been as good as the first three.) The acting, the OST, the overarching plot’s writing, and the freshness of the story carry it through despite its shortcomings.

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The Best Historical Drama of 2025 So Far

Many Asian drama netizens have called the first half of 2025 a Chinese drama “drought” for the most part. I totally agree. “Prisoner of Beauty”, therefore, was a freaking rainstorm in the middle of it. I haven’t watched a historical C-Drama that I finished since the masterpiece that was “Blossom” (ended Dec 24).

Is “Prisoner of Beauty” a perfect drama? No. But despite its occasional flaws, it’s still excellent. I’m not even going to list the cons in this review. The truth is that they don’t matter. “Prisoner of Beauty” rises above any of its shortcomings to deliver a phenomenal historical drama with one of the most compelling ensemble casts ever. It's phenomenal, plain and simple. One of the best historical dramas I've seen in ages.

Let’s go to the big wins.

* A top tier FL — I had my doubts about Song Zu Er in this… Goodness I was wrong. Man Man is a character who is not only written to perfection but acted to perfection. She is strong but gentle, loyal but unbiased, resilient but human. She is one of the most lovable FL leads I have EVER seen in a historical drama. Her determination to heal the ML’s heart despite his initial anger, resentment, and ill treatment of her is beautiful. She’s clever and spunky too. I don’t know how to put it. She’s just great.
* A romance for the ages — This is arguably the prototype for a good arranged marriage drama. The slow melting of hearts is stunning to watch. The ML undergoes incredible development to become the man who openly, loudly, fiercely loves his wife, even forsaking his revenge to move forward together for a better world. Their chemistry is incredible. Kiss scenes? Just plain well done. I could have sworn those two were truly in love with how much ease they touched each other and interacted

Rapid fire:
* A great plot that takes cliches and actually shifts/morphs/alters them to create something highly engaging
* Cinematography and costuming that is top tier
* A STELLAR cast resemble of lovable and relatably flawed characters
* Great OST featuring Liu Yining’s amazing vocals

The ending? Bittersweet. Very bittersweet. Be prepared to weep. I definitely did. I could have gone without some of the tremendous losses, but, in the end, love conquers all, and we do get a happily ever after. Add “Prisoner of Beauty” to your watch list. You won’t regret it.

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Gems like “Two Foxes” are the reason we keep wading through low quality minidramas

Every year, over a hundred of minidramas come out (and I mean that literally). Most of these feel like you’re watching little more than a Wattpad story come to life. But you keep wading through them anyway… Why? Because gems like “Two Foxes” exist.

This is one of the best short form dramas I’ve seen yet. It is an excellently delivered revenge story that keeps you engaged. You’ll inevitably watch it in one sitting.

Pros:

* These two leads are amazing. One one hand we have Jin Xu Yan (played by the always awesome Cheng Yu Feng). He is clever, complex, intelligent, and compassionate. He is Xinyan’s equal in wit and challenges her schemes. Ultimately, when they partner up, they’re dynamite together. On the other hand, we have Wang Xinyan. She is determined, clever, and morally ambiguous. She’s willing to live in the gray to avenge her little brother’s murder, and Cui Yi Liang does a great job demonstrating both her rigid and almost vicious nature brought on by her trauma while allowing moments of vulnerability and growth to creep in. She development as a character is excellent.
* Production. Minidramas are often know for poor production. The cinematography isn’t great, the costume budget is small, the music is too loud, etc. But “Two Foxes” manages to deliver a quality drama that feels like the budget is bigger than it probably was. Again, it stands out as a gem in the Minidrama world.
* The storyline. Is it new? No. Were there tropes? Yes. But the truth is, “Two Foxes” has engaging plot that keeps you watching. The ultimate antagonist is written so much better than many short form drama baddies. Her acting in her final scene where she literally bludgeons someone to death was absolutely spinechilling. The unraveling of the mystery of Xinyan’s brother was done well too, as was the romantic development between the leads. And, in the end, we find ourselves with a satisfying happy ending.

Cons:
* So much more to be explored. Because it is a Minidrama, some of the subplots and characters needed way more exploration. This left you feeling somewhat unfulfilled after it was said and done. If they were going to attempt this much depth from their supporting cast, this was going to need to be a longer drama. They bit off more than they could chew here.
* The evil half-sister…. What can I say? She was awful. Now, I think she was written just crazy enough, but the actress failed to deliver this. Ultimately, she wasn’t a Joker-esque crazy villain… She was a psycho who annoyed the heck out of you. In comparison with her mother, the main antagonist, these weaknesses were glaring.
* A little too much “slow” in the slow burn. Our leads had amazing chemistry; so having us wait and wait for them to finally take the step from confidantes and partners to lovers drove me crazy. If this had been a full length show and we had waited until episode 22/24 for them to actually get together, I would have given up. Their kiss scene was amazing, but we only got one… It felt like, given their chemistry, we needed more from them.

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Love Re-Blooming After Trauma

This was well-done from start to finish. The chemistry that we eventually got to see between the leads was mind blowing (like these two look like they were legitimately in love), but what dazzled me was the acting. The four leads astounded me. Gao Jianhong is an antagonist with as much depth as what we saw in “Crown Prince”, and that is saying something. The development of these characters was just awesome.

The drama itself was, for the most part, well-paced. Towards the end, it felt a bit on the dragging side, but it wasn’t awful, and the ending—which was splendid—made up for it.

My primary critique is that the relationship between the leads had some deeply, deeply toxic moments. In his attempt to “protect” her, Li Xun hurt Zhu Yun so much and so often. Out of the 36 episodes, we actually only see them together from 18-22 and from 35-36. From 23-34, it’s just angsty misunderstandings that nearly drive Zhu Yun to suicide. In the end, he owns up to his faults and loves her right, but that was hard to watch for me sometimes.

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Love that Defies Time

For some crazy reason, I didn’t watch this show until now despite many claiming that it has been the best drama of 2024. But, um, they’re totally right.

“Lovely Runner” SHINES in a year of duds. It is a masterpiece of writing and acting. It masterfully blends comedy, romance, suspense, and sci-fi (time travel) in a completely satisfying mix that will make you binge. I watched the whole thing in three days. I couldn’t stop myself.

And don’t get me started on these leads. Acting? Brilliant. Chemistry? Amazing. Depth? Fully fleshed out. Their story of young love deepening into a beautiful self-sacrificing unconditional love is one of the best romantic developments I’ve seen in any drama, this year or otherwise. Plus, their kiss scenes and overall comfortableness with their skinship is so perfect. Swoon-worthy the max.

It also has one of the most satisfying endings ever. I went from bawling my eyes out in episode 13-14 to grinning like a little kid all throughout episode 16. All their pain and fighting to be together through two (almost three) timelines is repaid with joy and a bright future.

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Ignore the reviewers and try going on the journey for yourself

Where do I begin? Nothing prepares me for what “First Night with the Duke” delivered. I came in with low expectations for a few reasons: 1) the trailers seemed to overplay the slapstick comedy, 2) I liked the webtoon originally and had doubts about the shift to a Joseon setting, and 3) I don’t always like the pacing of a 12 episode format for a historical drama because it feels rushed or underdeveloped. However, because I love Taecyeon, enjoyed the original webtoon, and needed something to watch, I gave it a try.

I’m so glad I did.

“First Night with the Duke” is a masterclass on a romance drama. It starts out hilarious but the shift to serious is very natural. You go on quite the journey. The cast is stellar. You’ll be invested every minute.

Our leads? Goodness. Chemistry? Absolutely on fire. Acting? Phenomenal. Character development? Next tier. Kiss scenes? SWOON. Cha Sun Chaek and Yi Beon are exactly what you want from leads. And guess what? No messy breakup. They actually communicate and work together. It was beautiful to watch.

As I said, the cast is great. The writers—who delivered a phenomenal script in general—do a great job fleshing them out. Some villains are more annoying than menacing, but I think that’s pretty normative in Asian dramas. Ultimately, all the characters were solid.

The transmigration storyline is overplayed these days. But I’m going to be honest. This is the best delivered transmigration drama I’ve ever watched. I can’t recommend it enough.

It’s making my all time list.

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One of the best vertical dramas out there

Okay, let’s be real. 90% of vertical dramas are trash. Do I still watch them as a guilty pleasure? Yes lol. But every once in a while, you find a gem, one good enough that you wish it would have been a full length drama. This is exactly the case with “The Tyrant’s Bride to Be”. It’s the first vertical drama I’ve given a 8.5.

Pros:

• OUR LEADS! Chemistry? Check. Great acting? Check. Actually fleshed out characters? Check. Our two leads were shockingly compelling. Loved them. Beautiful kiss scenes? Check.

• A cliche done right. Yes, we’ve seen this story a million ways, but this one somehow feels fresh. I think the quality of production makes it feel exciting and new.

• A good script! Something we very rarely see in these types of minidramas is good writing. But this show is excellently written.

• HAPPY ENDING!!

Cons:

• Wanted more. I think this story deserves a full length series. There was simply no way to develop it in its short form.

• Our ML deserved better. While I completely understood the realistic side of the FL’s constant hesitation to be with him, I would have loved to see her confess her feelings sooner. Also what a strange final scene where he’s looking into a new fake fiance(?) before she returns.

• Our main baddie? More like bad actress. ‘Nuff said there.

Worth adding to your list.

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An excellent short drama

“Bright Eyes” isn’t perfect. No short drama is. But this one was a fun ride. Visually? It’s stunning. The production quality is very well done, and the cinematography is beautiful. The costumes and sets are excellent too.

Our two leads were incredible. Not much to say there. We have a strong and beautiful and intelligent FL and an ML who is head over heels for her. Their natural chemistry was beautiful to watch. Thankful for that happy ending.

It’s nothing new. Rebirth stories are a dime a dozen. But I will say “Bright Eyes” adds some new takes to a familiar trope that I found very intriguing.

Yes, it’s got some stupid stuff like the average short drama. Yes, the pacing is weird. Yes, things needed to be fleshed out more and explained better.

But to be honest, it’s a good watch. I really enjoyed the ride it took me on.

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One Big Trope

“Once We Get Married” had a lot going for it, but it lacked the momentum to keep me totally invested throughout the whole show. I skipped through a bit, especially towards the end.

First of all, the tropes are overplayed—even by C-Drama standards. The domineering CEO archetype took on a whole new level of unlikable, and though we see him finally change (and in a beautiful way, I’ll give it that) for her in the later episodes, his actions for the first 12 are hard to watch. Plus, if there’s anything I’m tired of in dramas, it’s a vindictive rejected woman who has to ruin the main FL’s life in psychotic and irrational ways. But I will say she never succeeded in making the ML doubt the FL so there’s that.

What this show does have going for it is some excellent chemistry between our leads (great, well-choreographed kiss scenes and adorable moments in general once they become a real couple), a fun and lovable FL, who comes into her own strength, a plot that has potential and sometimes meets it, and some cool moments between the main couples and their subsequent families. I loved seeing both moms and how supportive they were ❤️. Finally, a big is no breakup! No messy and unnecessary separation. They handle the final conflict together, which was good to see.

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You Don’t Want to Miss This One

“Falling into You” has got to be one of the best dramas of the year. It was absolutely wonderful.

The story of fighting your way through the world of elite sports despite all trials and people not believing in you was so moving. It will have you crying one minute and grinning ear to ear the next.

I’ve seen—and loved—the leads in other dramas, but this was a whole new level. Their acting was spot on, and their characters were amazing. And their chemistry? I’m not kidding when I say it’s unbelievable. The kiss scenes are next level. I cannot do them justice. Just watch them yourself. From the leads to a solid supporting cast—reach of which was a fleshed out character—this drama was amazing.

A great story, beautiful cinematography, swoon worthy romance, and STELLAR acting? Do NOT sleep on this one.

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A Solid Joseon Drama

This was a gem of a drama in a season of (in my opinion) some duds this spring. “The Secret Romantic Guesthouse” wins up to its hype. This cast was absolutely stellar. It was one of the best overall cast ensembles I’ve seen in any drama. You fell in love with all of them. I was almost more committed to the second romance pairing than the first! That’s how invested you get in their stories.

A plot filled with intrigue, lots of mystery, romance, and the importance of loyalty and hope—this drama delivers excellence in its writing and acting. Not to mention, Dan Oh may be one of my favorite female leads ever. Seriously. She’s brilliantly written and acted, and her sweet moments with the ML were to die for.

Here’s two cons for only really nit picky reasons.

One, the chemistry between the leads felt off at the beginning, like the actors couldn’t get off the launching pad. However, this was not the case forever. We ended up getting some AMAZING moments and sweet kiss scenes. My only other nitpick was, in all the intrigue and subplots, sometimes it nearly felt dragging (but not bad at all). Again, that’s if I’m being super picky because this was a wonderful watch.

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