And just like that, 2025 is off to a great start!
“Love Scout” has set the bar so high for 2025. I felt like 2024, in my opinion, was a year of drought for good dramas (with “Lovely Runner” and “Blossom” as two huge exceptions), but this right here gives me so much hope!This show was a masterpiece romcom. What a story, and what a cast! The character development in our FL was heart-wrenching but oh so beautiful, and when the healing came, I wept with joy. This drama should be the golden standard for writing conflict in a couple. The situation came, and they took a break (not a break up) until she was ready to handle it. Then, they were stronger than ever.
The cast was awesome! Our two leads? Phenomenal… and with AMAZING chemistry. The ML’s daughter, Byeol? Absolutely the most lovable kid. Our second ML and FL? So adorable and so easy to root for in their subplots. And the quirky office staff? Well, same here. This was a great ensemble that delivers a solid performance.
The journey of healing shines so brightly through every bit of the show, and the writers give us an ending that truly does wrap everything up so beautifully. I was quite literally squealing like a little kid during some of those moments.
If for any reason at all you’re hesitating to watch this one, do yourself a favor and pull the trigger. “Love Scout” is a gem and making my all time favorites list.
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We love a romance with character development!
Initial Review at the half way point (12/30/25):I shouldn’t love this drama. It’s so far from my normal vibe. But here I am 18 episodes in and can’t get enough.
Pros:
* Slice of life done right — I am not a fan of this genre. It typically feels boring to me. I truly can’t say what makes this different, but it has this engaging storyline that keeps you wanting more… more of our leads, more of the backstories, more of the subplots… It’s an absolutely charming story of healing and love.
* Chemistry for days — As of right now, our leads are not officially together, but they’re on the verge of it. I can’t stop grinning at their interactions and chemistry. These two can tease and flirt so naturally. I’m obsessed. Plus our ML is a walking green flag and we love to see it.
* Our leads — I find our two leads so charming. Xiguang is such a relatable FL. She is strong when she needs to be, but she has her breaking points. Watching her journey has been amazing. Yusen is equally amazing. Leave it to SWL to give us yet another Woolworth male lead who is fleshed out and so well-acted.
Cons:
* College friends — I’m so glad we don’t have to deal with these pieces of work very often. They are so unbelievably annoying. I like them in the first two episodes, and that’s it.
* Where to begin with the SML — Our second male lead is hard to describe. You ship him with the FL at the beginning, then you hate his guts, then you feel sorry for him. He is truly a complex character. I’m not entirely sure he’s truly a con on this list or not. Right now, he’s infuriating me, but something in me still wants him to find love with someone new. Who knows how I’ll feel in the second half?
All in all, this first half was solid. Nervous because we have another 18 episodes to go, but if it keeps this trajectory, then this show is shaping up to a be a hit.
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Highly Disappointed
Couldn’t finish. Gave it all I had, but I just couldn’t finish.I can’t exactly put my finger on one specific thing that made this drama weak. But, in general, it falls flat. The tropes are painful. The acting of the female lead is somewhat grating. The random plot twists are inane.
Raphael is the one bright star, but he can’t save it.
Bummed out, but I won’t be finishing it. It had great potential, but it was poorly executed. Definitely don’t recommend.
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Another hit for this summer!
What can I say? This was phenomenal. I am still in shock because it’s been years since I watched so many good historical dramas in a row (for me “Prisoner of Beauty”, “First Night with the Duke”, “Coroner’s Diary”, now this).“Legend of the Female General” lives up to its name. Do you have to let the suspension of disbelief kick in for them to think she’s a man? Heck yes. But honestly, I got used to it. I’m a big Mulan fan so this was so down my alley. This show has a stellar cast, excellent production quality, and great writing.
He Yan and Xiao Jue are a couple for the ages. They go up in the same league as the Dou Zhao/Song Mo couple and Qiao Man/Wei Shao couple (“Blossom” and “Prisoner of Beauty” respectively). Their chemistry is on point and their fierce determination to fight for each other is beautiful. Even when misunderstandings threaten them, they resolve it quickly and are stronger than ever. The kiss scenes were well done so I would have liked to see more of them, but, for once, I didn’t mind the slow burn. It felt natural and captivating to watch.
Don’t get me started on some of the most beautifully executed battle scenes I’ve seen in a long time.
This makes three dramas to make my all time favorite list in the last five months—which has never happened. Don’t sleep on this one. Cheng Lei, Zhou Ye, and the rest of the cast delivered a masterpiece.
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Could this be a sleeper hit?
Final Review (episode 8, 11/26/25):Dropped but still a pretty good show. Just not for me. Honestly I’m not even gonna go ahead write a review because I don’t think it’s fair to be negative. It’s not a bad show. It just lacks the umph to get me through the last half, and I feel bad for our ML who deserves the world. The quirky and fantastical feeling is gone, and I’m mostly just frustrated and unengaged. That’s pretty much it.
Could this be a sleeper hit in the last few months of 2025? Initial Review (episode 6, 11/12/25).
Wholesome. Funny. Fantastical. Romantic. “Spirit Fingers” has its flaws, but wow… its strengths are many. This is an adorable coming of age romcom with all sorts of fresh elements making it feel new and exciting.
Pros:
• Ensemble Cast. Its cast is just amazing. You’ll fall in love with all of the Spirit Fingers club members. Our leads are well written, and our ML is an absolute psycho… a lovable crazy psycho lol. He has made me laugh so hard.
• A fun plot that just gives a fantastical, quirky feeling that keeps you coming back. The romance is sweet and engaging. In fact, there’s multiple couples to root for.
Cons:
• Our two FLs are driving me crazy now. Seriously, ladies… you both have two AMAZING men absolutely hung up on you and you’re both stringing them along. As of episode 6, I’m getting pretty annoyed with this.
• We have an awesome ML, but I would love to see him fleshed out a bit more.
Pumped for the second half.
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Falls Very Short
I wanted to love this drama with all that was within me. This era of Chinese history fascinates me, and “Fall in Love” is one of my favorite Asian dramas of all time.It has stuff going for it. Great costuming, an intriguing plot, SHAWN DOU , etc. But the romance is so appallingly annoying that I couldn’t bring myself to finish. I’m so sad about it. But the constant misunderstandings and even the willingness of both characters (especially especially especially the FL) to hurt the other is more than I can take. The toxicity borders on abuse, and the absolute lack of logic is maddening.
I was going to keep trying, but I soon found out that it wasn’t going to get better until the very end, and I wasn’t willing to watch twenty more episodes of it. It falls prey to poorly executed tropes and far too drawn out angst. The writing is infuriating.
It’s a no for me.
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The Spring Romcom We Needed
Initial Review on 3/30/25. (Will post concluding thoughts after finale):I came into this show with low expectations. The reviews have been unfavorable here on MDL. To be honest, I started it expecting to drop it.
What I’ve found instead is an absolutely charming romcom. It’s a gem so far! I can’t understand its 7.9 rating right now. In my opinion… The humor is spot on, the chemistry with the leads is spot on, the storyline is spot on. “The Potato Lab” manages to dance around romcom tropes while bringing enough newness to the table that I’m fully engaged. The cast is lovable and quirky, and I’m looking forward to each episode. So far, it hasn’t dragged in this first half. I am hoping to see this quality continue moving forward in the second half.
Fingers crossed.
Final Thoughts (4/9/25);
IGNORE THE HATERS ON THIS ONE. It’s a gem. It is a romcom that quite simply romcoms. It was a great watch. I had an absolute blast. From stellar acting from our leads to almost crying literally tears to going back to laughing my head off like the beginning of the show—the second half serves up a solid solid show.
The character development of our leads was especially impressive to me. They are flawed but both of them learned to work on themselves in order to be together. Even when things fall apart, they handle it within about one episode, and I was honestly shocked by how well it was handled. It reminded me of what we were given earlier this year in “Love Scout”—heck yes for communication.
Give this a watch. It was so so fun and romantic too.
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Failed its Potential
I almost quit this one about 8 episodes in, but I decided to keep trying because I’m in between shows and I love Ryan Ding. I thought things were looking up after that. We finally saw some chemistry with the leads. The ML was finally getting likeable… Etc. But, ultimately… I couldn’t.I’m at ep. 23 and I can’t bring myself to finish. The plot has changed into the day to day aspects of their job; the villains who were compelling in the first half are nowhere to be seen. The actions of the ML are odd, and I just don’t get them. Not to mention, we finally found out the backstory… and it’s just ridiculously unbelievable. Overall, I’m bummed, but it’s gonna be a no from me.
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