Tempest

It was cute one time watch

As a reader, I love the concept of the story. Everything was kinda okay, nothing stood out. The characters were okay, sometimes fun to watch, but not really memorable.

The supporting characters didn't have much depth and therefore it was difficult to take them seriously or remember them when they were out of focus. What's more, they even tried to pull off the, "I need to protect you so i'll break up with you" trope. It is just tasteless trope that I don't care about. If you don't trust your partner enough to come up with a plan and work together, why are you even together? You make a patsy out of your partner and then later expect them to forgive and forget.

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Surprisingly Gentle ML

Nie Yu Sheng was an enigma here, while he may come off as a green flag for the most of the show, in the first few episodes he tried his best to hurt the FL knowing she was struggling to collect money for her child. Usually with stories' where the MLs find out that their past lover kept a child from them, they rave and rant about it. Yu Sheng, however, accepted it without holding any grudges.

The worst thing Tan Jing did was to keep it from him, the child would have lived a much better life had they sorted out their differences in the beginning.

Maybe the wouldn't have ended up together but the child would have had all medical attention he needed. As a mother, it was her responsibility at the time to find the best path for her child, but she was blinded by her father's accident and could only think how Mr Nie was culpable. She made the wrong choice, does she deserve to be hated for it? I don't think so. If she had so much pride she wouldn't have begged others for the money.

While I feel sad for is Sun Zhi Jun [Tan Jing's husband], he often wasn't there for his child, always falling for schemes and not being stable enough. He brought so much trouble for their family when he should have been a rock holding them together. He wasn't really a bad person just not stable enough.

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The premise was good, the story not so much.

The arc where Fu Ze Yi falls in love with Jing Zhi Xia was so sudden that it was unbelievable. The rich guy making the FL do chores trope is kinda icky and doesnt make for good romance.

The story could have been so much better with a little bit more flow to it. While the ML was fine at times, it was hard to envision the female actress as the character she was trying to portray. She was very out of place in the whole setting.

Korean actress Lee Da-hae did a much better job portraying her character Ah Mo-ne in Hotel King, in a role very similar to what Joey Chua had to play.

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What a great ensemble cast!

I usually like this trope where the ML or FL gets together with the other lead for revenge, however most of them fail to hold these characters accountable for the way they treated the person they supposedly loved. (Korean Drama: The Innocent man: is another example of this trope) And that is what happened with William Chan character Shi Yue as well.

The ML was in a situation where he had to be chummy with his ex who is this uber powerful older woman who doesn't really care about what the ML wants and just wants to control him. So, when this woman comes back in his life, he doesn't really put up a lot of fight in trusting his relationship with the FL and doesn't have any faith in her either. He decides to play the game with the ex and be cruel to the FL. Honestly his game had no purpose at all, in the end, he gave it up anyway.

In other situations I would have termed the FL as a doormat, but this FL was anything but that. She was just a great character to watch, she tried very hard to put faith in ML when he didn't deserve it. She is the who held on so that their relationship could work. She didn't react blindly but thought logically everytime she discovered something new.

The acting was brilliant. I wish the drama had been shorter, as it would have cut the FL's suffering in half at least.

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I would rewatch it for the chemistry between the leads

Li Yan Shu (FL) : First things first, for someone who is supposed to not take shit from anyone, I lost count of the number of times she was slapped by people in the show, including the second male lead, her step sister, and Mrs. Gu (mother figure for the male leads). (The writers really overdid the slaps)

At her best, she was lively and mouthy, so it was painful to watch such a beautiful person brought down by bunch of harpies. Although the ML has a presence, it isn't as powerful as the female lead, the magic doesn't happen until the FL enters the picture, that's when the show goes from "am i going to continue watching it" to "Yes! I picked the right drama to binge watch!"

Gu Cheng Ze (ML): One gorgeous man. Loyal to the family that adopted him, even when the old brat didn't deserve it. Protects the FL on numerous occasions. Is kinda a green flag. Watching the FL and ML together is such a joy.

I wouldn't mind watching another drama with these two actors in the lead role.

Honestly, Season 2 is much better.

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I was just about to stop binge watching & here comes temptation!

Okay, I have been binge-watching cdramas for a while now & I was about to break out of this habit, but they have done such a good job with characters & finding the right cast, that I gave into this temptation. Here's to hoping that this drama continues being so intriguing & I won't regret spending my time on it.

Ep 1 to Ep 5: The beginning of the ep 1 starts with betrayal, the guts of the guy to do her so wrong and still have the balls to pretend like he cares about her! I care about you but I don't have a choice so I'll frame you parent, get your brother killed, & one more, kill you myself. The tears are the worst, how meaningless. Man the kindness at that Zhenvv Hall, here's to hoping the head of the hall receives the same kindness. Poor Jiang Li, Fang Fei is so right, the wicked go unpunished & take pleasure in punishing the kind. I'm of two minds about Fang Fei taking over Jiang Li's identity. One one hand I can see her conviction about making Jiang Li's family suffer for the neglect & abuse she received at the hall. At the same time, it also feels like Fang Fei did it not because of Jiang Li but because she want to get her own revenge. Ep 4 clears that up, she is doing it for both and man is she brilliant! She told the Duke to scold her back for calling him brainless & he come back with her original identity.

Ep 6 to Ep 10: I get that the stepmother is evil, but the father is worse. His daughter is dead because of the both of them. She died without having her name cleared. This is the time, I wish this was a horror story & she would haunt their ass. Still not sure what's going on between princess & the murderer, but I don't feel sorry for the guy at all. Every time he is confronted with what he did to his loyal wife, he has tears in his eyes. Honestly, what good are those tears? That guy had no care for her. I don't know if the romance between the Duke & Li will go anywhere or if they will even get to be together without any issues. I hope it works out well for both of them though.

Ep 10 to Ep 15: I was so excited to see the competition between the two sisters, knowing that our double would win. But I must say that Rua Yao gave a terrific performance, I didn't think that Jiang Li would have been able to top that. But she won for a reason, the emotions she put in her song made it seem so real. I didn't much care for the graphics because for some reason they didn't properly convey her feelings. They were good but I wish they have come up with a better idea. We finally have a little hint of romance popping up, with Li being jealous about the Duke being at the brothel. I like the drama as it is, but I wish the leads had more screentime together, they are beautiful to watch. The Jiang family is so messed up, Jing Rui is the only person I like so far. Ruo Yao & Yu'e deserve each other, but I can see that being married to Yan Ban will not meet Yu'e expectation. What's more, it looks like both the cousins might end up being married to the same guy and none of them are his first choice. He has such a wandering eye.

Ep 16 to 27: I can't believe how good this show is. I messed up my sleep schedule again to catch up on all the episodes! I don't want to wait so long for the rest to come out. I love the progression of relationship between Duke & Li. It is so good to see such well-written characters with minds that gel well. I also feel a certain level of dread that either the Duke or Li might not make it till the end. That would be heartbreaking, but it wouldn't negate the bond they shared. Yu'e marriage ended up as predicted, I'm surprised that Ruo Yao actually did something right for once. I'm sure Jian Li's father suspects Jian Li's identity. I wonder how everyone is going to react once they find out that Jiang Li was murdered by the members of the Hall where she was supposed to be well cared for. I want them to be devastated! Jiang Li deserves that at least. Here's the hoping both Fang Fie & Jang Li get to clear their names & people who murdered them & plotted against them suffer. For a main character, Ye Shi Ji has very little screen time & I wonder how his feelings for Jiang Li will change things. I saw video on Youkou's international page which included a scene that suggested that Li & Duke might have happy ending. However, they were both standing in front of two graves, if one of them was Jiang Li's whose was the other? Here's to hoping Tong Er survives.

Ep 28 to 31: I had hoped that Tong Er would make it! But now she is gone to go be with her lady. I wonder what's gonna happen to Ji Shu Ran now. Was glad to see her maid being dragged away. I do not like waiting for each episode. It was soo good to watch the first 26 one after the other. I must say, this drama is gonna be one more addition to my favs list. For a moment their Fang Fie had me worried that she had really forgiven Jiang Yuan Bai on behalf of Jiang Li. Thank goodness, Jiang Li deserves better. There should be no redemption of any kind for Ji Shu Ran, for all her claims of she was forced to do things, she is the one who reveled in being cruel. She caused the death of little Yue and covered it up. I don't know if she was really pregnant at the time, but if she was, she killed her own unborn baby to frame a little girl who loved her. Framing that little girl led to her death as well. She is the reason so many people have died. I do think the diviner arc was a bit pointless. They sacrificed Tong Er for that arc. Here's to hoping that the Shen Yu Rong meets the same fate as Fang Fie who was buried alive. Okay this drama just makes me scared for everyone's life in there. I kept wondering who's gonna die next, will it be Fang Fie's father, the poison princess, or Wen Ji. Now, I wonder if Zhao prince might ask Duke to marry his sister. Then where would our Fang Fie be? Living Tong Er's dream probably. Poor Shi Jie probably wondering what's happening around him.

Ep 32 to Ep 35: Wow, the brains on Wanning! She thought she might be able to use Xue Zhao in some way so she kept him alive without anyone knowing. Fang Fie's whole plan centered around exposing Wanning & Shen Yu Rong's relationship. Recanting the testimony might again put Jiang Li in the way of rumors. And it looks like Duke Su will be coming to the rescue. (Maybe their marriage begins with this) Well, it is hard not to like Duke Su & Fang Fie being together, especially since both have such a keen understanding of each other. And the trust in each other is so overwhelming, you rarely get to see such a couple in dramas. I can't wait to see the moment where Fang Fie gives him the jade pendant. Shen Yu Rong has gone mad for sure but he clearly has different goals from the wanning & he is willing to even sacrifice his own child.

Ep 36 to Ep 40: I admit like everyone else, I felt for wanning. Had she only taken revenge on people who did her wrong, I would have liked her as a character her, but she forgot that there was a line she wasn't supposed to cross. I wonder if she ever knew that such a line exist. What she did to Fang Fie and countless other innocent people stops me from feeling anything for her now. I felt for the princess who was treated as an object & violated, but not for the one who decided to the same in return and not to the people who deserved it. You gotta hand it to Duke Su, even with the tempting made by Zhao he still rejected the marriage proposal because in his heart he has already made a commitment. So, that's how Wanning & Shen Yu Rong met their end. I'm sad about Wen Ji & Lu Ji, when I first saw them on screen I had a thought that one of them is gonna die. I didn't expect that both would. I think the ending needed to be better planned. It is a happy ending but still it does not do justice to the entire drama.

I did see Ep 40.5: It was kinda okay. It would have been better if there were other characters in it.

One of the weirdest parts about the drama were the closeups when the characters were supposed to be looking at each other, but it seemed as if they were looking at a camera. It especially happened when the communication was supposed to be between Xiao Heng and Jiang Li. This happened far too many times with this drama and never with other dramas.

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Love the chemistry between the Leads

This show has given us another green flag in Yoo Ji Hyuk (ML). Just completed the final episodes and the show was worth the hype. All characters are pretty interesting, which makes you take in every minute of the show without hitting fast forward or skipping most parts.

Its interesting to watch Jung Soo Min hate the female lead (Kang Ji Won ) so much and still go on pretending to be her best friend, sabotaging her at every step. There was a time when I believed people weren't like that and the shows were too dramatic to show such characters. However, I have learned different, people get perverse sense of pleasure by putting others down. And to Soo Min making Ji Won's life difficult is like a drug. There is no self-reflection for this character.

Now, the female lead was actually a pretty terrible judge of character and its pretty common. It's lonely living a life suspecting everyone of a motive, much easier to trust people are telling the truth. I was glad to the sismance between Fl, Yoo Hee Yeon, and Yang Joo Ran. They did such a good job lending an ear to Kang Ji Won, however they weren't aware of her returning back in time. The second couple Yoo Hee Yeon and Baek Eun Ho took their time getting together but both were so adorable througouth the series. I do wish we had gotten to see Joo Ran and Lee Suk Joon together as well, but I feel very optimistic about their future so that's good as well.

The cast is pretty great as well, especially Song Ha Yoon, she did such a fabulous job portraying Jung Soo Min. This drama has made me see her in new light. I didn't recognize her as the lead actress from the show Devilish Joy. The ending left me wondering if it made sense that Min Hwan died and not her (Soo Min). While Min Hwan is a character that attack the weak, he isn't really brainy, so him in prison or getting out in the future wouldn't have made much of a difference. Eve still, did I feel sad that he died? Nope. He just stopped existing and things went about their way. Now, with the kind of hatred Soo Min is harboring for Ji Won, things might get tricky in the future if she was to ever get out.

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Enjoyable but could have been better!

With two of fav's leading this, I had to drop in to watch no matter how the story started. I decided to take it from there. The first 12 episodes were a bit of chore to watch. they weren't bad. But I felt very detached about all of it, especially whenever Haoming was on screen. He just felt like this creepy dude from a stalker movie and the marriage was obviously a facade, so I kept waiting for things to fall apart and then I could watch the real show.

Episode 14 was so damn revealing, Haoming's monologue about them using each other I sat through with my eyes glued to the screen. That was intense. Poor Xu Yan, she tried to reach out despite that with an olive branch but he shat on that. I am not sure if he is even capable of redeeming himself at this point, but if they are to end up together I hope that he grovels a lot. I am not even mad about the child, yes, he lied but she has lied as well and I don't think to Xu Yan him having a child matters at all. Poor baby just wanted a little love.

Ep 15 to Ep 20: I felt so damn good for Xu Yan when she initiated the divorce. All the choices she has made since then have been so damn good for her mental health. Her mother-in-law (ex) has now started to grow on me. Both she and Haoming are busy with work. Haoming is slowly coming to the realization that she didn't approach him for the riches. I don't know where her sister's story is heading, I hope it is headed in a better directions than what happened in the novel. (I haven't read it but came across some spoilers)

Ep 21 and 22: Well, look now who's done a complete about turn and claims he has always loved her but was slow to come to the realization. As if.

Ep 23 to 32: Apart from that one monologue by Haoming in episode 14, none of it was that impressive. Did I enjoy watching the whole drama yes, but honestly it was the actors that made me continue watching it. If it were anyone else, I would have put it on hold and come back later to complete it (because of the damn closure I need). TBH this wasn't their best performance, especially William Chen.

Xu Yan's eye makeup just keeps reminding me of Queen of Tear's actress Lee Mi Sook, especially her character there. I'm sharing a link of her picture here just for fun: https://kisskh.at/photos/d0ov5g_3

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Who would have thought that Ji Bo Zai could be a green flag!

The best thing the screenwriter did while adapting the book to the drama was to take the philanderer out of the Ji Bo Zai. Man for first half of the book, the man couldn't rest unless he was touching a woman and physical intimacy with Ming Yi meant just pleasure to him and nothing more. He did more than makeup for it in the second half and Ming Yi gave him hell. (If anyone wants to know how bad he was, just DM me, I'll tell ya. I'm dying to.)

In contrast to Ji Bo Zai, Ming Yi (Ming Xian) was much more powerful a character than they have shown in the drama. She was honestly a goddess in the book. As much as I like the softer version of Ming Yi in the drama, I still wonder how much more the drama would have shined with Ming Yi's goal for equality.

I am not a fan of the whole netherbeast storyline, they would have done better sticking to the tournament, the fight scenes would have been epic.

What I like the most about this drama is the Ji Bo Zai and Ming Yi's relationship, especially how well he treats her. The only thing that seems a bit weird is that it is taking him so long to figure out Ming Yi's identity. Also, Ming Yi claiming to be Ming Xian's betrothed was a bit funny, never thought they would take that route. I am committed to the drama so I'm going to watch the whole thing because I like this part of the drama.

And Er Shi Qi is so damn adorable. I hope we see him again.

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This is what a remake should be all about! Just so impressive!

Honestly, this is one of the best remakes I have seen in a while and this must be only my 3rd or 4th Japanese drama, the other dramas didn't leave much of an impression.

Thea actors were good!
The chemistry was lit!
The pacing was just right!

I know, I am using too many exclamation marks, but it was that good for me!

I have seen An Incurable Case of Love but I didn't much care for it, this one is a gem.

It doesn't at all feel like a remake. The actors bring their own energy and style to characters and they look amazing throughout it all.

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My favorite genre. (Hoping that we'll have a happy ending for the leads at least)

I especially love the romance genre where one of the leads can see ghosts, but I had put this one on hold because it was a bit heavy compared to the recent light hearted dramas I had been watching.

I love the ML, he is so adorable. What's more, he looks after the FL so much that even though he doesn't admit his feelings and rejects her, its hard to dislike him. The guy is sure he only has around 3 months to live, so, he doesn't really think he has much to offer. But he could at least just tell her that he is going to die. So far, I have loved episode 7 the best, despite rejecting the FL twice now, the ML was so damn jealous of her admiring another guy. Now that I have finally started the drama, I can't wait for next week's episodes.

Coming to the beautiful stories we have, each episode was created to make you cry. The deaths seem so untimely and we wish these people had another chance at life.

This drama gives me the same feels as The Master's Sun. (The romance and the ghost seeing lead (here both of them see the ghosts))

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Although it seems light, it tackles some difficult issues.

Although it seems light, it tackles some difficult issues. Yes, there are some cliches and tropes but then we came her expecting them and I do enjoy some of those while I am not a fan of others.

Issues that they tackled:
>> Trust Issues: Lu Xing Yan's lack of trust in her was clear as a day in their past relationship. He came from a place of insecurity and instead of having faith in his partner he decided to react. And this was in the early stages of their relationship. It is good thing that they broke up at the time. They needed the distance to grow a bit.
>> Women's lot in marriage: Shen Xing Ruo's mother situations is the reality of many. When getting married they are told to either quit their job to take care of home or do both alongside. When a child comes along, the woman has to depend on the man blindly. After investing so much on the family, then she is told that she isn't enough and he has found someone else who is better for him. Yes, people change, divorces happen, that's life, but retaining some level of independence might have been better for Xin Ruo's mother's mental health.
>> Shen Xing Ruo's Trauma: It is understandable for Shen Xing Ruo to not want to get married. Her parents' unhealthy dynamic plus the result of that marriage caused a significant trauma for her. Despite all that, she managed to make choices that were smart and logical. She knew what she wanted and stood up for herself. And when she ultimately made the decision to get married it was because she knew that it was the best thing for them and that they could rely on each other.

I was indeed a bit surprised with the sudden transformation in Zhai Jia Jing's character. Unlike the last few episodes she seemed like such a decent human being so the complete change in her character was difficult to adapt to. To me, it felt more like an addition at the last moment than a gradual arc.

These things aside, Lu Xing Yan was so damn adorable whenever he was with Xing Ruo. Despite their challenges, I hoped that they would make it work. They are a good fit for each other.

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Showcases how emotionally manipulative parents can be quite well.

They explored not just romance but also workplace harassment, emotional manipulations by parents, a man's reactions to rejection, and so much more.

I did enjoy watching Yun Jin A and Seo Jun Hui's together but i thought Seo Jun Hui was bit of hothead at times. I just wish they communicated more. Things would have probably worked out better for them, had they both not just made decisions on their own, especially ones that affected both of them. I'm just glad it worked out.

I read the comments before watching and someone said that Yun Jin A let her mother control her actions and she did. This is what happens when you live in a family who for all intents and purposes seem to have treated you well, of course as long as they are controlling things. So even when you speak up for yourself, you are bound to feel guilty for disrespecting your parents. Yes, even though the child is never respected. The parents expectations become a cage that many get trapped in. In Yun Jin A's mom's case, she cared more about society and what people would thing completely overlooking her daughter's struggle. Her mother saying that if I can't even make this decision for my daughter then i might as well be a stranger. But strangers who had no blood relation to your daughter treated her better than you did ma'am. So maybe you should act more like that stranger, that'll make you a little kinder.

The drama again sheds light on how workplace harassment is handled, and many time bullying is also handled this way. The offender usually gets together with the company to silence the victims voices or just try sweep everything under the rug so that their company's reputation remains pristine. The execution of this theme was also poorly handled. It turned out to be too confusing.

The ex who turned a stalker and harassed Yun Jin A also got off easy. I don't understand why victims are supposed to show compassion to offenders so that offenders should be able to live a guilt free life. Maybe they should live with the consequences of their actions, learn from them and hold on to those memories to remind them to never do these things again.

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2nd time watching this drama and I liked it better this time around.

I like my stories with a little otherworldly characteristics, so this genre was something I was always going to like. The story was written well, the actors were pretty good, the pacing was also just right. These are the dramas where the actors are so good that you often forget that these are just stories, figment of someone's imagination and not just two people falling in love.

I don't know why I had a wrong memory of this drama, this is probably what happens when you binge watch kdramas with no break in between, the stories all seem very similar making it hard to separate them. You know how in Kdramas there is separation for few days, months, or years due to some pressing reasons and sometimes it is noble idiocy. I thought it was the ML in the drama being a noble idiot, but nah it was the FL. My dislike for the noble idiocy stems from the humiliation of the other person, thankfully, this drama didn't add that.

I like my dramas with just a little bit of angst. This has made my rewatch list.

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