Hilarious Body Swap that has a message
This body swap drama about a mediocre actress and a troubled CEO not only is fun, but it also shows character development (something seldom seen in a vertical drama, or any drama IMO).After the FL receives a Razzy award equivalent for her bad acting, she has an encounter with the ML which ends up with an accidental kiss and body swap. Because of their predicament the two must work together, helping each other through their new careers until a second body swap can be done to resolve their problem. Obviously feelings grow between them (complicated by loving their own body) as they learn the challenges and strengths of the other.
Depressed CEO learns to be more resilient, to open up his emotions, and rely upon someone else as the FL shows him to keep getting back up after being punched down. It wasn't shown as well, but I do feel the FL lead probably learned more about acting from living in a body and life situation she had never experienced before.
Wang Nan really steals the show as he leans into his feminine side. One of the scenes that made me laugh outloud was when the ML in the FL's body comes out of the shower with the towel wrapped only around the waist and bumps into the FL's manager. LOL. The photo session when FL in the ML's body has to coach the ML in the FL body on how to do sexy poses is just side splitting.
But on the more real side, the FL in the ML's body makes sure the ML' s mom really understands the dark place the ML has been experiencing mentally.
This little drama has a lot of heart. The ending confessionals are very sweet and the drama ends on a lovely note.
If you are a fan of the Korean drama Kill Me, Heal Me or It's Okay Not to be Okay, I think you'd enjoy this vertical. It will definitely be on my rewatch list.
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Surprisingly good
I caught some of these short vertical dramas and most of the modern contemporary stories are very uninspiring. This one is surprisingly good for several reasons.Overall, this drama moves fast and has all the tropes (boss-employee, childhood connection, nasty half-sister, greedy mother, no-good stepfather) so there are really no surprises. But you aren't watching this for a surprise. You want hot kiss scenes (you get a shower, under the bedsheets while listening to coworkers discuss you, and some bedroom scenes) and this show delivers this with a likeable hero who defends his lady and gets jealous when required, as well as a capable career woman female lead.
While there is some aggressive boyfriend maneuvers (lots of wrist grabbing, shoving her against a wall) since the female lead comes across as capable (and the end twist makes it okay), I didn't find it irritating or morally gray. Only hot. LOL. A hero who looks hot with glasses? Yes. This guy is really a cinnamon roll and despite the wrist grabs, he does think he might be scaring her so backs off (slightly).
The two leads have good chemistry and I found the acting pretty good. Even the villain came across as someone you might know (though her insistence that the ML was going to marry her got old, but she's an idiot so what can you expect?). I really liked the dynamic of the main couple relationship which was him respecting her intelligence, and her leaning on him for emotional support.
The producer/director made some smart moves here which elevates this drama:
1.) The sets. The backdrop is a hotel so while there are myriad scenes it all stays in one general location which actually had furniture, frames on the wall, coffee tables, couches, chairs, computers, carpet etc... which gave this little drama a good amount of realness. Most of these modern vertical dramas seem to be taking place in an empty gray room without any set design at all so using a hotel was a smart choice.
2.) Costumes. Because of the hotel set up the women were all styled in the traditional black jacket and skirt. This probably helped a lot with the budget for costumes and it made them all look well-groomed and professional. This is a big improvement over most of these vertical modern-set dramas where the clothes looked like they were bought at the local cheap off-the-rack department store.
The dresses by the half-sister and the female lead during the gala event were all very nice. Even the mom with the blouse that had a big rose on the shoulder looked well-dressed when she was holding her purse in front of her face to block the female lead from filming her.
3.) Story flow and continuity. I REALLY appreciate that when it flipped to the next app, it picked up straight from the end of the previous episode. This maintained story continuity and there weren't any odd jumps in the story like you find with these other vertical shows. If you pay attention to the framing, this was a very well thought out show for a vertical format. Everyone is in frame, the actors are balanced in their positions, and the close-up and cuts all flow seamlessly. Well done!
4.) Female empowerment. Our female lead, and the others she knows (the actress, and the hotel fixer) are all women and professional. You won't find the poor-Cinderella trope here. Thank goodness!
This would be a rewatch for me. It was fun, they had chemistry, good acting, good sets and costumes, and the dialogue, and while not breaking the mold, it was a solid show that made sense and was visually appealing (and hot!).
I found it on IQ but only through the app (look at the tab for vertical shorts). If you try to find it via your TV it doesn't show up on search.
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Republican drama with a great FL character
Reincarnated multiple times, our FL shaman is one tough and enigmatic cookie. I love her! Cool as a cucumber she is an exceptional foil for the ML, who is more on the passionate side. Although a marriage has been arranged, our FL finds a way to stall while she saves the family business. And of course, her fated death is right around the corner--.She has a big job cleaning up the family (she is suddenly a part of) as she has returned as the "rightful daughter" who supposedly grew up in a brothel. One thing I did enjoy is that she helps her brother and sister grow into better people. They start out as brats, but instead of watching a show where they continue their stupid thinking, they finally start listening to her wisdom. I appreciate that a lot considering how these short dramas usually play out with family.
ML is also in the Fiery Young Marshal (this one is hot!); and Spring Night's Fiery Kisses (Bad boy, mob boss type). In the few I've seen with him, he 1.) knows how to kiss (no mouth closes, face presses here); and 2.) he seems to have a lot of chemistry with his female leads. I suspect he knows how to put them at ease when they are doing these scenes because the intimacy scenes are generally very good with him.
Costumes, sets, and filmography are well done. The FL's dresses are really exceptional. The dark red dress with the black shawl; and the black dress with the flowers are wow. BTW that striped dress she wears? A master made that as you can tell where the seam is the lines have been carefully worked to match.
This show seemed to have a lot of extras in it and they didn't look like they were taken off a bus somewhere and stuck in suits that don't fit. So that also gets a plus.
The reason for the score is due to the spoiler below...
SPOILER BELOW
The ending is bittersweet. She meets her end. There is a fast forward to a current reincarnated life where she meets her soul mate but their ages are at odds and its unclear if one or both remember anything. So not happy with that and why I would probably not rewatch.
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Adorable fun ride with chemistry
Great chemistry between the leads in this vertical drama about a FL who, after losing her memories, develops alter egos which she acts out with the ML supporting her all the way (even when she goes off the rails imagining the strangest scenarios).ML is a walking green flag as he will do anything to protect the FL but also help her live out her strange fantasies (in this one, believing she is an assassin). What makes this entire show hilarious is the FL is SO SHORT, and her hair is a very cute fashion statement (I don't know what the style is called but the two bear-like buns on the head), that when she thinks she is a deadly killer you just think "what a cute kitten!" She is also a very incompetent assassin.
This is a quick and easy watch, the plot does not lang and it has continuity from ep to ep. I do think the costumes needed an upgrade. I don't really score the music as I'm not a big music-follower on Cdramas so can't speak of it.
I was surprised to see on the ML's bio that he primarily does vertical dramas because his acting is really good. I've since seen the FL in other shows (Mr. Xiao's Lovely Maid) and she is a great comedian with impeccable timing. Find both of them in My Unconventional Wife and Love of a Thousand Years. Definitely I will put both down as actors to watch.
You know what's cute? That the ML and FL are engaged to be married IRL!
NOTE: While the FL and ML are obviously going to stay together, the FL's condition is not resolved at the end so the scenario of her believing she is someone else will repeat. I would have preferred the doctor giving the ML some hope that one day her brain would have healed... (that's the scenario I'm going with).
Find at IQ under "This Killer is a Bit Cute."
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Plenty of fun w a blunt talking FL & sexy ML
When it comes to rating a drama if it makes me laugh it gets a minimum of four stars; if the leads are good, another star; and if the story brings something new to the tropes, yet another star. This one gets a high score from me for fulfilling those three areas.Li Zi Jie and Xu Zhen have some great chemistry here. Even when the story goes off the rails, these two will keep you interested. The FL is brash and straightforward. She defends the hero and his family, and is not a shrinking violet by any means, and this leads to some very funny scenes in the first half of the drama and at the end.
The Fl actually develops a relationship with the ML's mom which I also enjoyed considering how rare it is in these dramas. Her foster brother, while an idiot, has his heart in the right place and in the end, causes a funny misunderstanding.
Some notable scenes for me:
When the FL is brought in front of his female clan to explain the marriage and the totally ludicrous story she comes up with about their first meeting.
When the FL defends ML's mom and ends up punching out his cousin (?)
The ending is feel-good hilarious.
What I didn't like, and what caused me to skip some of the later episodes:
the connection between the FL and her BFF who is ML's arranged marriage intended.
the break up between the FL and ML that drags on too long.
the CEO aspect of the FL's real life - she's a doctor! Isn't that enough?!
Overall, this is a fun ride. Just agree to the ridiculousness and you'll enjoy. Both of the lead actors are very good (and certainly the ML is very easy on the eyes).
Find on IQ under "Only Wild for You."
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The cheesiness might make you sick
BC of a review here I thought I'd check this out. The only place I could find it with English Subs was on YT and the subs were terrible! Really, really bad. But I thought what the heck, I'll power through as it certainly doesn't take much of a brain to understand what was happening.1.) Lots of aggressive lovemaking, boss-employee stuff. So if that is hot for you, you'll like this.
2.) Lots of violence against women. Fathers slapping daughters; men slapping women; a SA; two kidnappings; and in the end the hero kicks a woman in her stomach (that left a bad taste in my mouth).
3.) The sets look like some high school production done by high schoolers.
4.) The costumes are off the rack stuff (though watching the ML get into his pink shirt is definitely worth a rewind).
The only thing that really saves this shlop is the ML and the FL are really hot together.
This show is like a checklist of wish fulfillment. Do you want a guy who will be your white knight against your greedy family? Take out the gossipy co-workers? Fire your power hungry boss that wants to throw you under the bus? You'll give a cheer when our ML swoops in for the rescue and makes all the FL's worries go away with his money.
Very tropey, very cheesy, quick watch, but you have to just roll your eyes through most of it and scan through to the hot parts.
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More nuance, great addition
Overall, a great addition and viewpoint of this revenge story where a woman goes back in time in order to re-write a fatal destiny with her boyfriend/husband and best friend from school.Some thoughts on this version vs the Korean version.
Japanese version:
The emphasis here on the FL is more introspective, and the flow of the story is slower as it unwinds. This is more about a woman's journey and does a better job showing a meek submissive girl growing into a confident (but not abrasive) woman. I do think the way the FL died in her original timeline was more interesting.
How the ML fits into the FL's story is also more mysterious until finally revealed. I thought the ending was far more dramatic and the scenery spectacular. The ML seems more tortured here vs the K-drama he just comes across as sad.
Here the best friend BF gives more of a "I'll wear your skin and take your life!" vibe. The parents being affair partners doesn't happen (which is something a bit too coincidental in the K-drama version).
On the down side of the J-drama the background sets were ho-hum. There is a lot of standing or sitting around talking without much action. The K-drama was more dynamic in terms of staging the actors and the backgrounds were more vibrant (although the J-drama ending was better imo).
Korean version:
Most of the action happens in the office environment and the heroine comes across as confrontational very quickly. The romance happens faster and there is more of it. I also though the financial manipulation that the FL did with the stocks was explained better and fitted into a returned to the past story. Who wouldn't want to take advantage of your prior knowledge!
The FL and ML plot together midway through and while I liked the beginning, the FL's ruthless attitude about making her former husband and friend suffer started to sour me on her. She didn't give them a chance to change. The FL and best friend relationship gave off a bit of girl love vibe as I definitely could see the BF thinking "I'll have her or no one will."
Overall, if this storyline intrigues you, watch them both! Together they act as bookends to a great storyline, providing different angles to the characters.
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Entertaining romp about a modern girl with modern morals
Set up the typical tale of a general with a marriage of convenience who comes back from the border with a new wife. The scheming concubine, the interfering empress, the doting dad with (another) scheming wife and spoiled daughter, the prince who wants to usurp the throne, along with some sort of weird parasite that needs blood and you probably have a typical C-drama.BUT now add in a thoroughly modern girl who continues being modern throughout and you have a lot of hilarity and some steamy scenes. Steam is pretty steamy between our emperor and modern girl who end up breaking a bathtub! For that alone its worth a re-watch.
Threatened by the emperor she bends the knee and begs but with a wink of "well, I've done this before at my PR job so one more time won't hurt." The thing is the emperor plays it all with straight which makes their scenes even more funny. Like when she sets off the signal flare and the entire army mobilizes (ROFLMAO).
Does she care her husband brought in a new wife? That's a big nope. She'd much rather have the new wife become star wife so she can get her divorce. If the new wife had just played along with her, everyone would have a happy ending but schemers must scheme.
Most of the costumes are ridiculous. The FL's headgear is almost as tall as the Pope's LOL and I swear it gets bigger each time I see it. It's like a cake topper of a Bridezilla's wedding cake! With the guy's outfits you know the costumer said they all needed MORE BRAID!!
Sets are limited. Music almost non-existent. The eps are very short and chopped up so continuity sometimes suffers. The plot hole that he has other wives and concubines is never really dealt with.
Shout out to the Emperor's eunuch who plays matchmaker and enjoys seeing his master happy.
The only place I found it was on YT on Daily Motion and even then you have to keep searching to find the subtitles. And the English subs are BAD! Like you'll grimace reading how bad the translations are.
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Fun light drama for in-between serious ones
This is a bit of fluff which was a pleasant watch mostly because it dealt with 1.) Merchant class (not royal politics); 2.) a different type of character for the male lead (not a general/warrior who is abusive/cruel); and 3.) wasn't exceptionally silly which some of these can get into and hence why I stop watching them.The ML (Zhao Yi Qin) is a quiet and thoughtful, but rather suppressed young man managing a merchant household that deals with perfumes. Because he supplies the royal household he needs to be married and hence why he and the FL lead get together in a contract marriage. The FL (Li Jia Qi ) is a goodhearted and rather naive person herself. The two dance around with silly antics. The ML falls first while the FL is rather oblivious.
What redeems this one for me is the side characters and some themes you don't see in other dramas. There is a great relationship between the ML and his servant who seems to know far more than his master about women; they have a bantering relationship that I liked.
The FL enemies-to-friends relationship with the girl who originally wanted to marry the hero eventually leads to a friendship that is hilarious. Their antics in Ep 5 are especially funny.
There is also a scene when FL and ML go to her home to have dinner with her father and stepmother. How her parents treat her is an eye-opener to the ML and I thought this was a well written, yet gentle scene where we got insight into the FL, and the ML was able to show his care for her. It is also nice to see our FL gain a supportive parent figure with her MIL.
I was less invested in the 2nd storyline with Ping'er.
The costumes, jewelry, and set are rather lackluster due to the budget (it reads like a US TV daytime drama in terms of that). One big problem for me is the music is too LOUD! You can barely hear the actors over it. I also think the show would been better if shorter with a tighter plot, but it is a nice breather between serious dramas. Don't take this one too seriously and it is enjoyable to dip in and out of.
female empowerment, woman owned business, contract marriage, kind hero, nice MIL, servant in disguise, cutthroat merchant business antics, master and servant dynamics, enemies to friend sisterhood
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Female centric, revenge tale
In this short drama of 18 episodes the plot stays at a good pace throughout. I found the beginning a little confusing until I got about 1/3rd through and the full backstory was explained through flashbacks.The actress (Christy Guo) playing Mo Qingchuan has a beautiful face that the camera obviously loves. She is a stronger actor than her ML, Zhou Zhan, but since the role calls for him to be rather naive and innocent, he was able to pull it off.
Yang Fu Yu plays the female disciple of Qingchuan. This role seems a bit off to me in contrast with the others but she does add a little lighter relief to a story that can grow dark especially at the end.
Female centric, female empowerment, revenge, wronged woman seeking revenge, justice for wrongs.
Overall, I enjoyed the story, the fight scenes, and the FL's arc. It would be a re-watch for me.
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Not much plot but super hot & steamy
The plot is thin as paper, but you aren't watching for that. You want to see the ML relentlessly pursue our FL by stealing kisses behind screens, in corners, and wherever else he can proposition her. Bonus: a man in uniform.Why does this pursuit work when so many of these short vertical dramas do not with the same theme? Because while the show presents the FL as hesitant bc she thinks she is in love with her foster brother (out of gratitude), you can tell she wants it. LOL If this had been played by any other actress, it might have veered into SA and be icky, but our FL's acting gives our naive girl enough humor and exasperation that you quickly see she wants him to devour her.
Both of these main actors are so very good! Both are so talented, and I've loved a lot of what they've been in. Chen Si has a scene where he is asked to kneel to appease the guy who has the girl, and the acting there is Aplus. Wow! Top tier.
JMO but I really like Chen Si in this one because his face is real. Not sure how to write about that but I like the more mature look on a guy and this is a very good foil for the FL's very young baby face. Bonus? He's a hot-hot-hot kisser.
Really great speech at the end when the FL explains to the 2ML why she knows its love with the ML. It shows she's really thought about the difference between a crush vs longlasting love.
HOWEVER, there is a very problematic scene in the beginning that I really did NOT like as it was gratitious and unnecessary. Early on the FL visits the ML and he has someone under questioning (why didn't his guard stop her? hello??). The idea that a ML has to prove how ruthless he is by torturing someone is (for some reason) a key in these Chinese dramas. Me no like it.
Add in that the ML just shoots the guy in front of her so his blood splatter gets all over face!!?? She would have some SERIOUS PTSD.
Another scene is the Russian roulette thing at the party. Really? Any real man would say "how dumb are you?"
Overall, watch it for the hot scenes and there are plenty of those!
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Funny and cute before it got boring
No surprises here with the story line. The female actress was perky and cute in the beginning and she carried the show. While the ML was okay, I just didn't feel a spark between them.The intimacy scenes were poorly done. The kissing very unbelievable so I'm assuming the actors were uncomfortable with them.
The continuity between scenes was also bad. There are several skips between scenes that don't make sense and makes the story hard to follow.
I wouldn't rewatch and halfway through I started skipping episodes.
Watched at IQ under My Almighty Princess.
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Fierce heroine and female empowerment
Jiang Shuo Yao has come home from the wars and she is ready to kick some azz.The main reason to watch this is to see Jiang Shuo Yao triumph again and again against a weak husband and his new wife, as well as a mean MIL. If you go into this without serious expectations and want the thrill of a woman taking back her power from people who tried to stomp on her, you'll enjoy this one.
The ML is there just to clap and admire her which I actually found hilarious -- I think there is a line somewhat like "oh, we need to go see this because we know how Shuo Yao behaves." Later, after some confrontational chaos is discovered, ML says something like "FL must have been here for this is typical of her work."
Another part someone asks the ML why he isn't protecting his woman, and he says "well she's furious right now so I think you better be careful." LOL
I'm not sure why this has such a low score. Yes, it is a vertical drama so you need to realize that it isn't going to have the scope of a regular production. It will have plot holes, skips in the storyline, and a limited cast. For being a historical and a vertical I though the costumes, sets, and acting was well done for what it was.
I found it on IQ (US) and I thought the subs made sense.
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Zany Taoist shaman brings the fun
Is there any logic here on why things happen? No, but it IS hilarious from the get-go.While trying to ascend Song Qing Ge finds herself waking up as the ML's wife. Lu Ting Yuan was about to dump the old wife (where did she go?) but our FL immediately throws him off balance with all her weirdness. So weird that he calls in the doctor who says she's fine and that her crazy may just "be who she really is." LOL
This vertical drama moves FAST. There is a lot of ground to cover and you won't be bored. Some of the outstanding things I loved was how quickly the ML's sister and mom decide that the FL should be kept in the family. The family as a whole responding to the FL (because they can read her thoughts; she can't read theirs; but I think they can read each others thoughts also - why? don't know, roll with it) is SIMPLY HILARIOUS.
With her ability to see the future, she keeps thinking about the disaster that awaits the Lu family -- understandably the Lu family (mother, two sons, daughter) really don't want those things to happen to them so they keep trying to change the future that FL predicts which leads to some very funny scenes.
Sets and costumes are also better than average for vertical dramas. There could have been more intimacy between the leads. I also feel it was a bit transphobic which I did NOT like (that could have been treated a bit better).
Overall, it is a fun quick watch so if you are standing in line somewhere, give it a try.
This is a vertical drama that can be found at IQ (US).
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Cute sweet romance with some laughs
If you want a quick watch that will make you smile, this is a cute romance vertical drama with no brain but definitely some sweet comedy.Song Wan hides behind a child-like persona while searching for her mother's jade pendant in order to prove she has rights to manage the Big Company. Per usual with vertical dramas there is a rushed marriage between her family and the hero, so she ends up in a marriage of convenience to wheelchair-bound Lu Ting Sheng.
Honestly, why you should watch this drama is because Song Wan is hilarious. She enters the Lu Ting Sheng's house wearing a Mario onesie and a chicken purse (the chicken purse is adorbs) and the hero leans into her wild silly antics while always treating her well (their interaction is the entire reason to watch). The outfits her and her girlfriend wear are over the top; I love the oversized black and white coat too.
A hilarious scene between the FL and ML is when they are telling each other they will divorce. Whenever their back is to the ex-boyfriend, they blow kisses to each other. Another funny scene is the competition between ML's secretary and butler - more of that please.
Of course its filled with the typical tropes: the childhood savior, the screechy sister (thankfully who asks for forgiveness in the end), the fiancée who fools around with said sister, and the evil stepmom. How the hero regains his ability to walk is laughable (not in a good way). The story doesn't bring anything new to the table.
Thankfully, the trope it does not have (which raises it a star for me) is the grapey drug that makes someone so hot they must be saved (which seems to be just a reason for non-consensual intimacy). This is rather important because Song Wan is posing as someone who acts like a child and if Lu Ting Sheng took advantage of her after their marriage I would have thrown my phone.
I watched this on IQ (US) so I think the subs were okay. The story does have plot holes and inconsistence episode to episode transitions that are a bit irritating. A little more physical romance (after they revealed their secrets to each other) would have also raised it a star. Add in a little more careful production and it would have been a 9 star for me.
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