9/10. This is a true slow burn, and done well for a cdrama. My 2nd fave of the year behind Meet Yourself (hard to beat). Everything feels very organic and natural between all the friendships and romances that develop on this drama. My only thought is, and took it away from the 10, is that occasionally the pace slows too much I found myself disengaging and I don’t really like to experience that.
Otherwise, fantastic writing and the directing is on point.
Subtitles need a lot of work. Can’t tell if they are done by google translate or what but they are in dire need of a good english editor. Just to fix the obvious missing words to have it flow the way it should. Thank you to those who do speak Mandarin in the comments who fixed the mistranslation and let us know when powerful dialogue is lost on us because of the flaws. Bad subs do not affect my rating at all. They are not the fault of the production crew or the actors. It is the problem of the streaming service provider.
Slowest of Slow Burns, ignore any reviews telling you the romance has a good pace. There is no pace to the romance tho it eventually will come. Eventually. Be prepared for a lengthy bout of discrimination towards the FL for many episodes- though it’s really at the hands of one individual as she has the support in her career of pretty much every other man in the series.
The flight scenes and airline stuff was decent. The music was pleasant. Theres a few cdrama tropes dropping in here, to be expected. I think my one frustration is that this is a new drama with mature actors, and where Kdramas are succeeding with high quality shows, giving a lot more with mature stars, cdramas are not quite there yet. It’s possible, they’ve shown it can be done with the incredible Meet Yourself, which is probably the best cdrama ever made.
If you can handle hours and hours of irritating nothing, go for it. There’s character growth for everyone but things do not pick up in this series until the last 3-4 episodes which is disappointing.
Most people will arrive here for Marcus Chang after Lost Romance, and will likely feel disappointed due to a massive lacking in chemistry and romance, but what this show lacks in sensible plot and decent acting is the farm family. Especially in the final few episodes where the show finally gains some momentum. Xiaomao especially takes the MVP award for this show. Absolutely hilarious and wonderful. Marcus does well in his role, something just is off with FL and also the nasty 2FL with the one annoying curl, she needed some serious hair stylist help.
Overall it’s watchable the OST is great, but it would have been better if script had been edited somewhat to tighten it up. It dragged some, had some pointless filler side plots that you can easy skip through.
What to say? On one hand this extremely slow of slow burns to the point of exhaustion burns was frustrating to say the least. The FL seems to be in a trance of sorts until the last minute of the series. So much staring into space for the both of them, and they seem so miserable. I’m trying to figure when the deep love develops because they have one night of “relationship” before she backs off again… and then misery returns. I would have loved to have seen a few episodes of actual happiness and smiling and chemistry before trouble returned so we could feel a bit more the tragedy of the circumstances. Instead I was left confused as to when they were connected enough to be suffering now. The writers missed an opportunity and FL just had to master blank looks and crying. I came for both of the leads who are incredible actors, but left at the end feeling a bit “meh”. On the flip side the others in the cast had all the range of emotions and thank goodness as this show would have been a torment without that. As far as what they were probably going for, they succeeded I just don’t think 16 episodes of misery for a final happy minute is my thing. Some seem to love it, its just not for me.
7/10 I’m relieved to see that the reviews on here match the comments on the show on Viki, because the reviews on Viki are oddly high. This show did not deliver a top rated historical sadly, and I was so disappointed. The entire thing was an anti-climax. The script was left wanting, and thats a shame because there was a good cast of actors, and even PHS’s amazing acting skills was not enough to save it. Super draggy and far too kuch repetition to explain things we already knew multiple times over as the series progressed. The Forbidden Marriage seems to retain its place as top historical drama for 23 still. Far superior to this giant mess.
Also if you are hoping for romance, go into it with reduced expectations. The writers either intentionally didn’t care about it, or missed the mark entirely. Multiple missed opportunities for sweet chemistry creating moments. Instead we get far too much repeated dialogue and jealously that stops being funny. One thing that saves this show is the comedic character that is in the friend circle, he’s fantastic!
Fairly sweet simple wholesome romance drama, with a few odd plot holes and some dodgy editing. Easy to watch, a few missed opportunities and my biggest gripe.. the FL never once calls her hubby by his first name. Always professor + last name. Seriously? Everyone else is using it but not his lover? Weird, odd and ultimately jarring. Other than that a 8.5/10. All the tropes. 🤣
7.5/10 - The concept of this show is great, and the ML absolutely knocked his role out of the park. The struggle is very much with the FL, which I am sure is not anything personal but rather the script and directing I assume she was given. Her character is supposed to be a smart independent doctor. Yet what we get too often is a naive woman with teenage-like behavior. The romance was missing far too much- sweet nice scenes aren’t gonna cut it- it came across as a platonic best friends type between two roomies that really care about each other. Chemistry suffered as a result. There is very little character development for her as a lead. It frustrates me when writers do this to the FL because I think we have enough proof now of how incredible dramas are with strong mature classy women who can carry the show on their own. Too many tantrums, odd crying and selfish lines. Also she is a doctor yet each time she is faced with a medical crisis she acts like someone who has no medical training. Its weird. What is winning in this series: comedy, plot, the 2 second leads (mature and possess chemistry), supporting cast, coastal town setting and main lead’s acting range.
This is what you’d get if you cut out all the draggy scenes, stupid parents and love triangles out of a 40 episode cdrama 🤣so yes it’s short but it doesn’t feel off.
The most annoying thing is the first couple of episodes you have a FL that can’t take no for an answer and comes across “too much”. It’s a bit silly but most these dramas are, but there are a handful of good comedic moments. The chemistry is great.
Thank goodness that is over. It started out so good, different and interesting. I liked the concept they were going for but after only a few episodes this series went downhill fast. Despite there being so much they could have done with the story as a whole—I just felt like the character of Rembrary took a stupid turn for the worse. For someone with power and smarts previously, taking both away was a bad call. Yes, trying to figure out this new world and life he has found himself in gave opportunities for the comedy. It makes sense it would be confusing. It makes sense that his power would dwindle. However what does not make sense is a major change to personality. Too many times he was so stupid it got so annoying. The story line started to drag and I had no desire to continue bingeing the show. This was hard to force myself to complete it but I did. Reaper was probably my fave character in the end, but he was under utilized. Wild Animal team members were all great but only give tiny snippets to tell short backstories. They could have really portrayed the character growth of this group as a whole, and their frustration with Rembrary went on for too long. Cut to the chase and move on with strength. Performances were needed, unity was needed. Developing the fanbase organically was needed. Too many evil characters it got very confusing and clearly by the comments on viki it was clear others were too. One solid bad guy with helpers is fine but this was all over the place. Such a shame for Kim Min Gue to take this shoddy excuse for a script after the powerhouse of Business Proposal, he can do better than this.
Sadly, the high hopes I had for this show gradually fizzled away as it progressed. There was far too much repetition and dragging of the story. Writing needed to be tightened right up and the FL Se Jeong was completely trashed by the script. She was so weak and pitiful most of the show. Also, I get it. Tropes are there and we know them and make fun of them but still come back for more. But, if as a writer, you can’t come up with a legit reason for using a trope, don’t use it. Period. The last minute departure for a year was stupid as heck and so pointless. The only redeeming feature of this series is the OST.
Gave a lot of Reborn Rich vibes, with premise and reliving your life differently with an end goal in mind. Was fine that this is mostly a political/legal thriller with a good dose of action (thats why we are here for LJG awesome stunts/fight scenes)-so could have done w/o the odd drop of romance at the very end. Wasn’t realistic or had any feels to it, so either leave it out completely (which would have been better) or incorporate some kind if emotional connections throughout.
FL is not even what I would consider a FL. She’s hardly in the show. That and a handful of other oddball plot holes are in there, but for the most part we just overlook it because it’s entertainment at the end of the day. 🤣
Good show, I desperately needed a good watch as I have started 7 shows lately and dropped them all part way thru 1st episode. So glad I found one to keep me hooked, which it certainly did.
super short easy watch, and not much of a plot except leads coming together. Given the time of each episode it totally makes sense though, and that positively excludes all the draggy nonsense of longer series. Of course it looks like multiple series, so perhaps thats where all that stuff is hanging out!
7/10 Nice ending, but far too much of this drama drags and at times is ridiculous which is a major shame- but cdramas are what they are and this is pretty typical.
There was something missing from this series, not quite sure what it was, perhaps just the acting/plot wasn’t as compelling as it could have been. ML does his part well, there’s probably the most growth for him with his part, FL gradually evolves a little, but she remains quite emotionless throughout sadly.
It’s a decent show, my favorite was probably MaPi he had a good strong arc.
OST was good, and that helped it out. Nothing really stunning, but a good filler show all the same.
I held off starting this one due to plenty of bad reviews on tiktok, and while I think there is some merit to the points they disliked, overall it was still worth a watch for me.
Yes, the biggest plothole of all to me is the casting of FL. This is ONLY because the premise of the show is she was a young aunty when the girl was left by her mother and the current age isn’t mathing. I didn’t bother to go hunting down her age like most people did, but she easily looks early 50’s, and by any stretch the absolute most this character must be is late 30’s, but probably early 30’s. They go as far as to even make a point of it in the script early on when ML points out she is too young to have a high schooler. Nope she fits right in there with that group of nasty Mom’s as far as age goes. Nothing against her as sn actress she is incredible. If they wanted this to be a noona romance, which would have made more sense, then sure cast an older lady. That was my only gripe with the whole thing.
I did love that thos show was not so centric around uber good looking leads either, it brings kdrama back to the real world.
There’s plenty that’s uncomfortable- in particular the horrendous behavior by several mothers. I was routing for these kids to grow beyond the way they were being treated. Their character growth is probably my favorite element in this series. I was happy with the ending.
The thriller part was a little odd, but I guess they needed it because the romance plot here was very weak. There wasn’t enough to drive it on it’s own. I wasn’t expecting it to be fair, the quirky opening credits and trailer doesn’t shout dark and creepy plot.
Overall it works, its not one I would watch again, but I am glad I watched despite the negative reviews.
I want to give this show a 9 because I want it to rate high enough for people to give it a chance, but I just can’t get there. Sadly, despite starting out so strong and regardless of every kdrama trope in the book being thrown in the mix, these writers were just trippin on another level. I mean come on, really? Far too much filler episodes circling around the same plotline that didn’t progress, evil villians that get away with literal……… and a super sketchy resolution for the illness that has driven the entire drama. Look, I’m not a fan of final 5 minute “tie it all up neatly” endings either. This thing could have reached where we were at the very end, at the beginning of epi 16.. easily. But it didn’t so what we got are filler after filler of stuff no one cares about, viewers blood pressure spiking, and too many scenes of the 2nd couple being sad which honestly was not a character development for either of them. Their best scenes were when they were being totally extra and I was there for it all day long. ML is perfect for this role and their chemistry was off the charts. These 2 must have crushed on each other something bad because these kind of kiss scenes in older dramas are kind of rare. Less filler, more progressive movement to a better ending would have brought this drama to to a 9 or 10 for me. I just plain had to skip too much towards the end. Disappointed because I wanted to love love love this one. Still, watch its worth your time. You’ll be glad you discovered ot, if not just for the chemistry from this lead couple.
Otherwise, fantastic writing and the directing is on point.
Subtitles need a lot of work. Can’t tell if they are done by google translate or what but they are in dire need of a good english editor. Just to fix the obvious missing words to have it flow the way it should. Thank you to those who do speak Mandarin in the comments who fixed the mistranslation and let us know when powerful dialogue is lost on us because of the flaws. Bad subs do not affect my rating at all. They are not the fault of the production crew or the actors. It is the problem of the streaming service provider.
Totally recommend this watch!
The flight scenes and airline stuff was decent. The music was pleasant. Theres a few cdrama tropes dropping in here, to be expected. I think my one frustration is that this is a new drama with mature actors, and where Kdramas are succeeding with high quality shows, giving a lot more with mature stars, cdramas are not quite there yet. It’s possible, they’ve shown it can be done with the incredible Meet Yourself, which is probably the best cdrama ever made.
If you can handle hours and hours of irritating nothing, go for it. There’s character growth for everyone but things do not pick up in this series until the last 3-4 episodes which is disappointing.
Overall it’s watchable the OST is great, but it would have been better if script had been edited somewhat to tighten it up. It dragged some, had some pointless filler side plots that you can easy skip through.
Also if you are hoping for romance, go into it with reduced expectations. The writers either intentionally didn’t care about it, or missed the mark entirely. Multiple missed opportunities for sweet chemistry creating moments. Instead we get far too much repeated dialogue and jealously that stops being funny. One thing that saves this show is the comedic character that is in the friend circle, he’s fantastic!
The most annoying thing is the first couple of episodes you have a FL that can’t take no for an answer and comes across “too much”. It’s a bit silly but most these dramas are, but there are a handful of good comedic moments. The chemistry is great.
FL is not even what I would consider a FL. She’s hardly in the show. That and a handful of other oddball plot holes are in there, but for the most part we just overlook it because it’s entertainment at the end of the day. 🤣
Good show, I desperately needed a good watch as I have started 7 shows lately and dropped them all part way thru 1st episode. So glad I found one to keep me hooked, which it certainly did.
It’s a decent show, my favorite was probably MaPi he had a good strong arc.
OST was good, and that helped it out. Nothing really stunning, but a good filler show all the same.
Yes, the biggest plothole of all to me is the casting of FL. This is ONLY because the premise of the show is she was a young aunty when the girl was left by her mother and the current age isn’t mathing. I didn’t bother to go hunting down her age like most people did, but she easily looks early 50’s, and by any stretch the absolute most this character must be is late 30’s, but probably early 30’s. They go as far as to even make a point of it in the script early on when ML points out she is too young to have a high schooler. Nope she fits right in there with that group of nasty Mom’s as far as age goes. Nothing against her as sn actress she is incredible. If they wanted this to be a noona romance, which would have made more sense, then sure cast an older lady. That was my only gripe with the whole thing.
I did love that thos show was not so centric around uber good looking leads either, it brings kdrama back to the real world.
There’s plenty that’s uncomfortable- in particular the horrendous behavior by several mothers. I was routing for these kids to grow beyond the way they were being treated. Their character growth is probably my favorite element in this series. I was happy with the ending.
The thriller part was a little odd, but I guess they needed it because the romance plot here was very weak. There wasn’t enough to drive it on it’s own. I wasn’t expecting it to be fair, the quirky opening credits and trailer doesn’t shout dark and creepy plot.
Overall it works, its not one I would watch again, but I am glad I watched despite the negative reviews.