I'm judging myself hardcore for watching this, lol. It's like they took all the sleazy cliches & over-the-top tropes of romance & tossed them together to make this show.
As always, it's 100% the chemistry of the leads for me. I will watch the same stuff recycled over & over again, but only if they show sparks. And this is on fire. I mean, I think I felt uncomfortable at one point!
Not bad for a short drama. Production quality was good & while there WAS lots of skinship & great chemistry, I kinda wish there was a stronger emotional bond first.
The last c-drama I remember liking this much was Love Like the Galaxy.
This is one SUPER SMART show. Loved the pacing, the political intrigue was different enough not to bore me, & our leads were so-so-so-sooooo smart--oof, that's hard to find these days. The romance was good but more of a slow burn & more intellectual since it suited the characters. A nice change. I appreciated that they kept the focus on her personal story even though it blended with the nation's story later (of course it did.) Bravo!
This was such a beautiful show! Yikes, the amount of artifacts they kept having to search for! There was so much to remember at first... I wish I had more of their love story w/her as Phoenix Emperor when he was so depressed. She was a little silly in the beginning, but it got better. Side characters were GREAT. I got bored at some point in the late teens/early twenties & did some skipping. I did not feel I missed a thing, lol.
My 1st vertical drama! I consider these kinds of dramas like the Lifetime made-for-tv movies that are kinda trashy but somehow still enjoyable. The tropes are heavy handed but then it's an incredibly short drama, so it is what it is. The FL is gorgeous.
I've been waiting for another period c-drama to love as much as The Story of Ming Lan. This one is looking like it's with up there with it so far! What an interesting couple, too. And though I've seen the leads in other things (how could I NOT, lol) I think this is the first time I've seen them together. So far, so good at 16 episodes... :D
ML was great, story was interesting but the way it was told was NOT my cup of tea.
Basically I didn't get enough of the flashbacks when it mattered & they pulled something that made me feel resentful: They killed off all the main characters two episodes before the end & spent the last two episodes showing us the past. NOT COOL.
I love love love LOVE Park Hyung Sik but really really REALLY dislike Park Shin Hye. I find her annoying & I don't even know why....
Does she do a good enough job to win me over? Or does cutie pie PHS outshine her enough to make it worth it? (I am considering this one, but am hesitating.)
Putting this on hold again at Ep 5. For some reason I'm not feeling the chemistry between the leads. Pretty boy ML is selling it as much as he can, but I'm just not buying it. Too bad cuz otherwise, I think this would've been a fun show to finish. I may come back for what happens with the 2nd leads & some eye candy.
A well done not-too-creepy show! Love both these actors & the shaman aspect. Was lucky enough that it was selected this year for our asian film festival so I got to have the theater feels with it.
I concur with everyone else: this had 10 star potential for a mini-series but left it on the table with the "that-was-it?" kisses after all that incredible chemistry build-up, plotholes & loose ends galore as well as that ending...yikes. To me, it was unresolved even with the flashy "happily ever after." :( FL did her job but I love, love, LOVE the ML here. He was emotional, sweet, & so caring that I was surprised he didn't have any of the overbearing CEO character traits thrown in to make him not as much of a nice guy. A GEM of a role played with nuance. <3 <3 <3
this was an exercise in frustration...the FL remained childish a LOT longer than I liked & there were very few sweet moments. They mostly went around misunderstanding each other. Then, poof! #34 & everything gets cleared up? Kinda disappointing, but I finished it, so I guess it wasn't too bad, lol.
Just started watching this one, guys (can't start watching an on air drama until it's at least half done, lol) & I am wondering if a lot of issues I read in the comments that people have with the FL is that she's introduced as the kind of character we usually get as a villain or antagonist...? She has a LOT of her negative traits on display in Ep #1: she's sly, manipulative, flirtatious, reckless, overconfident, petty & just plain FULL of herself! For me, it was a treat seeing such a different kind of character because I am anticipating a lot of growth to occur. :)
I think that her friend is more like the kind of character we usually get for our FLs.
So I was wondering why I didn't remember watching this until I checked out the drama again briefly & then was reminded. The synopsis is accurate in the most basic of ways without really helping you understand what this drama is about & the cover photo is really misleading. It's very tropey but super cute & the couple keep you smiling!
I highly doubt anyone who lives in China doesn't know what a Long Island Iced Tea is since I've seen this "I didn't drink alcohol, just tea" bit in other dramas where the FL gets "accidentally" drunk. I know it's solely a plot point for effect but makes her otherwise impressive & imposing badass CEO character look a little stupid.
Wow, this is such a gorgeous show! Am highly enjoying the character development of the main leads, the cinematography & storyline. Music is so-so for me; nothing really stands out song-wise.
I just have to take a break after episode 17 & watch something a little bit lighter for a couple of days before continuing because dannnnggggggg did they put me through the emotional wringer for the last few episodes, yikes.
As always, it's 100% the chemistry of the leads for me. I will watch the same stuff recycled over & over again, but only if they show sparks. And this is on fire. I mean, I think I felt uncomfortable at one point!
This is one SUPER SMART show. Loved the pacing, the political intrigue was different enough not to bore me, & our leads were so-so-so-sooooo smart--oof, that's hard to find these days. The romance was good but more of a slow burn & more intellectual since it suited the characters. A nice change. I appreciated that they kept the focus on her personal story even though it blended with the nation's story later (of course it did.)
Bravo!
Does she do a good enough job to win me over? Or does cutie pie PHS outshine her enough to make it worth it? (I am considering this one, but am hesitating.)
I think that her friend is more like the kind of character we usually get for our FLs.
I highly doubt anyone who lives in China doesn't know what a Long Island Iced Tea is since I've seen this "I didn't drink alcohol, just tea" bit in other dramas where the FL gets "accidentally" drunk. I know it's solely a plot point for effect but makes her otherwise impressive & imposing badass CEO character look a little stupid.
I just have to take a break after episode 17 & watch something a little bit lighter for a couple of days before continuing because dannnnggggggg did they put me through the emotional wringer for the last few episodes, yikes.