This review may contain spoilers
A roller coast of zany plot twists
So this was the first short-form drama I watched after seeing all the fuss on social media with people praising it. I went in not expecting much, was pleasantly surprised at some points, and satisfied with the ending. I really like how the drama takes one of the popular cnovel tropes (awareness of the meta) and just runs with it. Daisy Li is superb as always as the main role (I heard she went to star exclusively in short dramas now since they give her more chance to shine than playing supporting roles in regular ones) and Ye Shengjia is a familiar face who plays familiar tropes/types as the male lead.
The one thing that tested my suspension of disbelief was the sheer number of plot twists they squeezed into one story. Like, even if you assume the world plot is screwing things up intentionally, it's still a little unbelievable. I think the most contrived one I saw was the female lead (FL) being drugged and sent to a brothel for auction, the ML recognizing her and going to save her before being called away, the FL being carried off by a lecherous guy and apparently assaulted, the ML coming back too late to save her and feeling regret, and then a couple episodes later we realized no, she faked being assaulted! But here's another twist: the ML knew all along she was faking it and played along with it anyways!
There's a lot of last minute reveals that keep you guessing (and I bet it's amazing to keep viewers watching). When you're in the heat of the moment, it's really fun and gripping, but after finishing the series and looking back at it as a whole, it's just a bit slightly ridiculous. Still, I'm not expecting a literary masterpiece from this, just popcorn-worthy drama, and that's exactly what I got. The nice acting, costumes, and coherent but happy ending helped me feel like it was worth watching it all in the end!
If you've never watched short-form dramas before, this is a nice one to start with. The stakes aren't too high and the frustration never lasts too long; even the angsty bits have enough beauty in them for you to savor as you suffer, hahaha~
The one thing that tested my suspension of disbelief was the sheer number of plot twists they squeezed into one story. Like, even if you assume the world plot is screwing things up intentionally, it's still a little unbelievable. I think the most contrived one I saw was the female lead (FL) being drugged and sent to a brothel for auction, the ML recognizing her and going to save her before being called away, the FL being carried off by a lecherous guy and apparently assaulted, the ML coming back too late to save her and feeling regret, and then a couple episodes later we realized no, she faked being assaulted! But here's another twist: the ML knew all along she was faking it and played along with it anyways!
There's a lot of last minute reveals that keep you guessing (and I bet it's amazing to keep viewers watching). When you're in the heat of the moment, it's really fun and gripping, but after finishing the series and looking back at it as a whole, it's just a bit slightly ridiculous. Still, I'm not expecting a literary masterpiece from this, just popcorn-worthy drama, and that's exactly what I got. The nice acting, costumes, and coherent but happy ending helped me feel like it was worth watching it all in the end!
If you've never watched short-form dramas before, this is a nice one to start with. The stakes aren't too high and the frustration never lasts too long; even the angsty bits have enough beauty in them for you to savor as you suffer, hahaha~
Was this review helpful to you?
