Xu Lu is a great actress but it's clear she's not getting the best scripts. I think the best route for her to go is to drop idol dramas and move on to more serious roles.
I just wanted a normal urban romance drama. The first 8 or 9 episodes were everything. The leads had amazing chemistry and both of the actors evoked passion even with just their eyes. I was loving it. But then the drama took a turn, and not in a good way.
I'm a slow burn girly but I actually was digging the fast pace until they decided to get married literally a couple months after dating and not even fixing their issues before doing so. The FL actually left the day after getting married, with no indication of when she'd be back. In no reality is that okay. Nor was it okay to choose not to be an adult and have a heart-to-heart with each other; instead of wanting to divorce and give your husband the cold shoulder for 5 episodes straight.
She kept saying her husband was a stranger and she doesn't know him anymore, and I was yelling at the screen, "You don't even know the man, you've been together for five minutes".
But the worst part honestly, was the genre change out of nowhere. Why did a romance drama revert to a thriller out of the blue? I didn't sign up to witness killings and abduction.
The only reason I didn't drop this drama was because I was invensted in the 2nd couple who's love story actually was worth watching and the son who was more mature than everyone in the drama.
This drama would have been miles better if I liked the FL. She just irritated me from the first episode to the very last. I just didn't vibe with her personality. She came off as very childish, self-righteous, and at times self-centered. I questioned throughout the drama on why the ML even wanted to be with her in the first place. Her first reaction every time he was injured was to hit him.
And the 2ML had such a hard on for the ML that I kept wishing throughout the drama that he'd just obsess over the FL like 2ML's tend to do. It would have made him far less annoying, because he wasn't even a good villain. The 2ML could burn a piece of toast or trip and fall, and he'd blame the ML. That's how rent-free the ML lived in this man's head. In the modern world, ML would have grounds to issue a restraining order.
I would normally have dropped because the plot was also draggy af (it only needed 24 episodes max), but Liu Yunning's character saved the drama for me and made me up this from a 6 to a7.5.
10/10. Hands down one of the best dramas I've watched this year.
I loved that the ML had no martial arts abilities to get him out of situations; he relied solely on his brain and wits. Every time he was caught in a web and dusted that sweat off his forehead, I'd get nervous, but he'd always managed to pull through.
I also loved that the FL wasn't sidelined to be the ML's romantic partner or some damsel in distress. She was smart and held her own in situations and could fight (she actually saved the ML a couple of times).
And the villains were *chef's kiss*, they weren't one-dimensional. They were layered, and we actually got to know their backstory and their motivation.
I'm very, very tired of "Purposely leaving people alive that want to kill you" trope.I've dropped the…
Are you talking about Kill my Sins with Liu Shi Shi? If so, yes. I watched it but I ended up dropping it during episode 18. It wasn't bad but I had higher expectations and although it was visually appealing, I wanted more when it came to the storyline.
I'm very, very tired of "Purposely leaving people alive that want to kill you" trope.I've dropped the…
I agree with you about part 2 of Flourished Peony it was very bad. It suffered the same fate as part 2 of Lost You Forever.
I've been watching Legend of Zang Hai. And honestly, it's one of the best dramas of the year if you like revenge. The romance is minimal but the FL is smart and capable and isn't sidelined like most male centric dramas.
There's this person on YouTube that's been slowly transcribing episodes of the 1995 version of Wu Zetian. She's up to episode 10. Here's the link: (https://www.youtube.com/@kikibeeinuk/videos
This drama was a 10/10 for me. I don't tend to like a lot of Xianxia's because the plots always seem to take the same formulaic route that we've became accustomed to in this genre. But this one was actually quite refreshing. There was not one boring episode in sight. The plot never felt draggy. And I believe it's because they gave us 32 episodes instead of dragging it out to the 40-episode length.
There were no annoying characters (aside from the villain, of course). Side characters were well-rounded and didn't go the route they usually tend to.
25 episodes in and the FL is still beyond insufferable. I could understand her plight in the beginning but I'm over it. She comes across as very self-righteous while treating the men like characters instead of people. She's so focused on the script.
I'm a slow burn girly but I actually was digging the fast pace until they decided to get married literally a couple months after dating and not even fixing their issues before doing so. The FL actually left the day after getting married, with no indication of when she'd be back. In no reality is that okay. Nor was it okay to choose not to be an adult and have a heart-to-heart with each other; instead of wanting to divorce and give your husband the cold shoulder for 5 episodes straight.
She kept saying her husband was a stranger and she doesn't know him anymore, and I was yelling at the screen, "You don't even know the man, you've been together for five minutes".
But the worst part honestly, was the genre change out of nowhere. Why did a romance drama revert to a thriller out of the blue? I didn't sign up to witness killings and abduction.
The only reason I didn't drop this drama was because I was invensted in the 2nd couple who's love story actually was worth watching and the son who was more mature than everyone in the drama.
Why did they have to strip away anything? Men can be both cunning and be able to fight.
And the 2ML had such a hard on for the ML that I kept wishing throughout the drama that he'd just obsess over the FL like 2ML's tend to do. It would have made him far less annoying, because he wasn't even a good villain. The 2ML could burn a piece of toast or trip and fall, and he'd blame the ML. That's how rent-free the ML lived in this man's head. In the modern world, ML would have grounds to issue a restraining order.
I would normally have dropped because the plot was also draggy af (it only needed 24 episodes max), but Liu Yunning's character saved the drama for me and made me up this from a 6 to a7.5.
I loved that the ML had no martial arts abilities to get him out of situations; he relied solely on his brain and wits. Every time he was caught in a web and dusted that sweat off his forehead, I'd get nervous, but he'd always managed to pull through.
I also loved that the FL wasn't sidelined to be the ML's romantic partner or some damsel in distress. She was smart and held her own in situations and could fight (she actually saved the ML a couple of times).
And the villains were *chef's kiss*, they weren't one-dimensional. They were layered, and we actually got to know their backstory and their motivation.
The FL doesn't have as much screentime but she's central to the plot and has her own storyline. She's plays an important role.
I've never watched a vertical drama if I'm being honest. I do watch a lot of short dramas but I'll give a try because I love smart and capable FL's.
I've been watching Legend of Zang Hai. And honestly, it's one of the best dramas of the year if you like revenge. The romance is minimal but the FL is smart and capable and isn't sidelined like most male centric dramas.
There's this person on YouTube that's been slowly transcribing episodes of the 1995 version of Wu Zetian. She's up to episode 10. Here's the link: (https://www.youtube.com/@kikibeeinuk/videos
There are some good big-budget dramas that actually get it right, so I wouldn't write them all off.
There were no annoying characters (aside from the villain, of course). Side characters were well-rounded and didn't go the route they usually tend to.
This is hands down my favorite Xianxia of 2025.