Wynndzofchange

Bonded In Purpose

Imagine yourself as woman, if you will, having your cousin pawned to the sworn enemy of your family who has made it clear far and wide that they are out for vengeance into a marriage alliance. She’s in love with someone and they want to get married. You want her to be happy with the man she loves, so you arrange for her and he live to escape the marriage so you can take her place.

You dress in wedding clothes and take off to meet him. But, from the moment you meet him, he is rude, degrading and even physically threatening. Staying leaves you vulnerable to harm, leaving means your entire family will be wiped out.

From your childhood to present age you have sat at the feet of your grandfather and learning subjects normally reserved for men. You are a quick thinker, intelligent and good at looking past outward appearances into the heart of people, and are skilled in communication. You take nothing at face value and dig deep to learn the truth.

Eventually, you are able to gain this man’s trust and you develop a strong bond that cannot be shaken, because you both want the same thing. No matter who, or what comes your way you remain steadfast in your commitment to each other and your shared goal.

This is what this drama is about.

It shows how some people placed in places of leadership should not be leaders, how some who manipulate and contort the needs of the people entrusted to them are exploited and endangered in order to increase their power. How some blame everyone else for their ruthlessness and greed on everyone and their obsessions for their own failures. How lies you create can twist you into believing they are true. And, how putting the wellbeing of others above yours is how you make a real impact.

Every single cast member, the scriptwriter, the production, scenery, props, editing, location and music all combine into an epic and spectacular production.

This drama is a must watch. Liu Yuning and Song Zuer shine brilliantly in their individual roles and especially together. The chemistry between them that pulls their roles together is beautifully developed. They both deserve accolades for their stellar performances.

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Communication is Key

I will preface this with saying that I have seen a lot of reviews saying not to watch all of this drama, that it is a waste of time, frustration with the fl, etc. While I agree that she was often infuriating for her stubborn and know-it-all attitude, most of her behavior is understandable. Exaggeration of responses by characters in dramas is nothing new as they keep us coming back…to see how it will work out. Right?

Now my thoughts on the story:

I think that the point of a lot of these stories is largely overlooked because viewers want heart flutters and characters that are nearly oerfect in their affection once the couple unites. This drama is too close to realty and that is what frustrates viewers and doesn’t give the dopamine hit required to give them heart shaped clouds and fast beating hearts.

This drama is more focused on the extreme importance of open, honest communication between couples. It’s not only important or reserved for your best friend. It’s something rarely communicated between parents and their children, especially when parents are more focused in marrying off their children than they are in teaching them how to live life together with their future spouse.

This drama exemplified a gap between two strong, romantic and sensitive people who focused on happiness together and dreams of the future rather than the process of understanding how the other processes thoughts and responds to difficulties.

Granted, the ml was better at listening to the fl than she was to him, they both viewed everything through the happily ever after lenses of their love goggles - and when life’s difficulties and bitter realities hit them, those lenses cracked, and woke them up.

They both wanted to tell the other about their difficulties but their internal dialogues made assumptions based on their thoughts and not the reality of what the other person felt or needed. This is a dangerous and often disastrous thing for relationships. Trying to keep the other person from feeling any unhappiness (which is temporary in difficulties), neither had the courage to bear their struggles to the other. The result? A rift in the trust they had built, romanticized dreams crumbled and anger lead to resentment. This resentment resulted in defensive barriers to shield the fl from pain and her anger into bitterness. The ml was riddled with guilt and remorse.

None of their attempts to move on or accept the reality of their situations had any affect on their feelings, so they both dived into their professions and channeled that energy into success.

When they reunited both wanted to go back to the other. While the ml did everything he could to rekindle, the fl fought him off. And nothing would have worked until they both faced their part in the failure of their past relationship.

This step was imperative to their relationship. True reconciliation cannot happen if only one person recognizes their contribution to the failure - and the ml had done that.

The fl on the other hand was incredibly stubborn, and it took her a long time to finally recognize what was truly important. She’d lost herself in her anger and hurt, and it took the scare of losing her best friend to cancer to wake her up.

Frustrating for the viewer yes. But also the reality of life and a good lesson to keep in mind. Nothing in life is guaranteed. Loving someone well does not mean you or they will be around and you’ll both leave the planet at the same time. This is a reality I have seen many times over in my life. People leave us in various ways, but those who leave when the grim reaper calls are the hardest to lose. This then should be an impetus to spur us on to looking at everyone in our lives in the realistic view of they could be gone in a moments time.

This is another lesson from this drama.

While romance and warm fuzzies are great diversions fueling our desire for someone to love and to love us in return, the true meaning to having a spouse or friend for that matter is that openness and honesty - transparency - that exposes your good, bad and ugly sides is what is needed along with open and frank communication, is what makes and keeps a bond strong and lasting.

And then at the end of one’s journey, sadness can linger, but the relationship of two people who loved well through all circumstances will never die.

Other things:

Music was good
Production was done very well. Scenes, prop placement, timely music cues and locations chosen to reflect the mood of each scene were excellent.
Casting was also very good. You were drawn to each character with excellent introductions and development. Enotinal responses to the good-guys, the bad-guys and the cutesy 2nd couple were well dispersed and added to the tension and relief very well.

Ovet all I gave this a 9, as the ending was too rushed and focused more on the recovery of the ml’s business than the resolution and redevelopment of the lead couples relationship.

Maybe another label type is needed for classifying dramas - business, business romance. A lot of dramas are labeled as romance when that seems to be the secondary part of the story, and would give the viewer a much better impression of the drama. Tge romance label is used too liberally when classifying dramas, and many seeking warm fuzzies are disappointed which results in bad reviews for the shows and negatively impacts the actors and production crew.

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Too Sweet

There is not much I can add to the reviews already about this drama, other than it can tug at your heart strings with the story and acting of the ML and FL.

One scene in particular made me cry, not just get teary eyed, but cry to the place where I had to open a box of tissue. Her surprise trip find out if the ML really was seeing someone. Zhso LuSi did this scene so well, Ang it was easy to empathize with her pain and the disappointment she felt.

Big lesson in this drama that they all learned, and was exemplified by the FL parents was to speak about what you’re thinking and your concerns in a gentle, kind and truthful manner. So many misunderstandings in life occur because people try to figure out what someone else is thinking without asking them.

This will be on my list to watch again. Multipl3 times.

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What Was This???

This series was given the wrong name. It should have been “man loves with whole heart while selfish female walks all over him”.

I stuck it out hoping against hope that the last few episodes would show both of them fully committed and making an effort to keep their love passionate and committed. But this turned into a man who loved a woman who had the emotional capacity of a six year old.

I read a couple of reviews that said this was nothing like the book, and if I was the author of the book I would be incredibly sad at how a drama that started out with so much potential fell - no plummeted to the sidewalk like an apple dropped from the top of a skyscraper.

Three of the cast were stellar. the ML (Wang Anyu), ML’s little brother (Fu Bohan) and the ML’s mother (Dong Xyan). The rest felt like they were grabbed off the street to fill a role because the actors quit. It was a miss match of acting ability, and robbed the story even further of its potential.

The music was good. Especially the OST. It’s a little haunting and mysterious, like love.

The script? It’s hard to say what it was originally like, and what ended up being edited and left on the cutting room floor by censors.

I don’t like leaving bad reviews because every persons work deserves to be looked at and recognized for their efforts, but this was poorly done. Casting, editing, chemistry - all fell short. There was too much focus on the FL and very little on the story between the couples. It held very little resemblance to its title. There were hints at resolving old parental wounds on both sides, and while the ML confronted his, the FL’s started and then just stopped. No resolution, nothing.

I feel for the author and the three actors I mentioned before. So much potential and talent - wasted.

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Roller Coaster Ride

Before I get into my review, I think it’s important that I speak to the ‘complainers’ about the stoic and emotionless face that I’ve read in the comments for this drama.

This man works for a department in the government that specializes in getting criminals to confess, digging through evidence which included exhumed remains, espionage and many other extremely unpleasant tasks. He is constantly under threat from corrupt officials, enemies of the state and criminals. He watched his wife die from poisoning. And y’all want him to walk around with a happy smiley face or show his emotions all the time? Any display of emotion could get himself, his coworkers and loved ones into serious trouble, so he has had to learn that his face must not give away his thoughts. Seriously, think a bit about a characters part and what would be required of them before you throw out remarks about his acting skills and insult his abilities. I have never seen this actor before, so I’m not a die hard fan, but his replication of this character was spot on and he doesn’t deserve the nasty comments.

Now that that is off my chest, on with the review.

The premise of this story was pretty interesting. Societal pressure and limitations in roles for women versus constant struggles to rise to the top to gain favor from men in charge of family, politics, and general life. Women banding together to fight back using the skills they once used on each other. It’s layered with the corruption of officials and family members, and filled in with letting go of the pain inflicted on children because of familial power struggles and cemented together with overcoming trust issues and finding home and love.

That’s a lot. While the plot had some holes and some acting was not top notch, the story was intriguing in its own way. There were gaps that never got filled in (or left on the editing room floor), some bad set designs (please…when it snows, it gets on people’s clothing, in their hair, they can see their breath, and don’t sit for hours on frozen stone steps without their buns going numb. Obvious things, but not a big destruction.

The FL was the main character, and the actress portraying her did a very good job of letting her emotions show in her eyes.

However, the performances that stole the show were the FL’s mother and father.

The mothers role was nothing short of brilliant. I can’t even begin to describe what an incredible job she did. The minute she saw hope in her situation she catapulted from monster to vulnerable and it was not only visible on her face, but her eyes, posture and facial features as well.

Tge FL’s father was a truly despicable, self-centered psychopath who used everyone, including his wives and children to take the fall for his action. He could cry and grovel in a heartbeat, yet turn around two seconds later and all of that was gone.

My favorite character though, had to be little A’Zhi, the ML’s daughter. Her purity and innocence radiated from the screen in every scene she was in. It was her simple untarnished heart was filled with love and the little actress was a joy to watch.

If you’re looking for a traditional romance, look elsewhere. This is not a romance. It is a drama of intrigue and manipulation, and romance plays a small part in it.

If you want a story that will keep you guessing, and loving or hating a character and causing you to hold your breath from time to time, give it a try. You just might like this.

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Not Disappointed

I watched this drama based on a review, and I have to say that I was not disappointed. Aside from being written from a very mature, adult perspective give, the story dealt with a lot of issues in regards to work, health ;physical and mental), and interpersonal relationships with family, friends, colleagues and romance.

There wasn’t a lot of typical drama cheese in the romance story line, it was very well done. The female and male protagonists had equal billing, and they were portrayed beautifully.

There is a lot of business interaction on both sides, and that too was well scripted. This was pivotal for both of the protagonists and it attributed a lot to their outlook on relationships.

This was a refreshing drama, and I will be watching it again.

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Morality, Admission, Forgiveness & Acceptance

I’d like to start my review with a song: “I’m an alpaca. I like carrots.”

Now that the music is out of my head, I’ll commence with my review.

There is a lot to say about this drama, and aside from my initial issues with the way the ML was treated, and the seeming indifference by the women involved, were resolved.

As an aside, honesty, the admission of your mistakes, apologizing and forgiveness are paramount to any relationship - whether with a potential mate or a friend. One’s pride or lack thereof are no excuse to withholding the apology owed to someone you have wronged. Being judgemental about a person because they don’t meet your standards for beauty is no reason to belittle, bully or humiliate another person. Misinterpreting someone’s words and intentions doesn’t mean that you are free to hurt them or treat them poorly. These character traits put you in the same category and EQ as the person who may or may not have harmed you.

These are the things that brought this drama into a class by itself. The screen writer did an excellent job bringing the unrealistic standards of beauty, the prejudices against those who, by no fault of their own, miss the societal mark. Misunderstanding someone because you assume you know what they meant by their words because of the ‘filters’ of your internal dialog doesn’t mean your understanding is correct.

Tan Jian Ci’s portrayal of the ML is spot on. He is a scientist, his mind is built to analyze, solve and create something new for his chosen field - makeup. He is a little nerdy, very naive and very persistent in his pursuits. This gets him in a bit of trouble in various circumstances. He doesn’t know how to let go because he is used to finding a solution, and even though his persistence may have initially been annoying, it is understandable when you consider his profession. He is also the King of the awkward first kiss.

Lindy Li plays her role well. She is cheerful, happy, caring and highly protective of the bullied and underdogs. But to herself, she has believed the bullies and judgemental attitudes of children and adults that base a woman’s worth on their looks and appearance. Yet she clings to a belief that someone out there will find her true self worth fighting for, while she also tries to temper her disappointments by non-adherence to fashion or makeup.

Enter the bracelet that contains the filters. The FL is drawn by the ability to change her appearance and by using it, accomplished many good things, but also caused a lot of hurt to the ML - which she seemed to ignore based on her misinterpreted thoughts of his current and past behavior. Her bff and sister did not help matters when it came time to end the charades of the filtered people, and created some terrible resolutions to end the existence of those fictitious people.

However, they overlooked the depth of the pain their poorly planned exits would affect the one person involved with all of them - the ML. He was deeply hurt emotionally and suffered through physical and emotional backlash from these plots and took responsibility on his own shoulders that never should have been placed there.

So while I initially had issues with this line of progression in the story, it began to unravel the lies and misconceptions and brought everything into the light. The ML, once he figured out that all of the people he had been attracted to and fallen in love with were the best qualities that the FL possessed, began to pursue the FL with gentleness and great care, even though the FL still held a false prejudice against him.

Once they were able to get past their misunderstandings from the past and present, they actually started forming a bond that was unbreakable.

The screen writer brilliantly brought in the topics of forgiveness (but wasn’t really emphasized) and communication being paramount to any relationship. There was also acceptance of one’s self, respect for the thoughts and opinions of others, as well as the need for transparency in relationships even when it was uncomfortable, or when you feel like no one can see you for who you truly are.

There a moments of hilarity built in to relieve the tension, and Tan Jian Ci played them to perfection. The dance at the photo shoot, the alpaca, the attempted rescue of one of the fictitious characters - there were many - and they broke the angst of a lot of the heaviness in some of the situations.

I appreciated the way the concept of having a strong support network around you is important as well. Friends and family can support without interference or pressure. This is quite different from a lot of dramas where parents and friends try to manipulate and force an outcome that is better resolved between the parties involved.

The 2nd ML and FL were uniquely built for each other and worked through their issues by doing a lot of talking and taking the time to understand each other - and giving each other time to process their own thoughts. This was another area where this drama stands out.

The music itself added a bit of humor and more fuel for thought about the relationship between perceived physical beauty and the deeply attractive beauty of a persons heart, soul and care for others.

I loved the imagery of the ML proposing on the glass walled pier in the middle of nowhere with the beautiful flowers at the time the FL was invisible to everyone. He saw her not in her physical form but from his heart and loved her for who she is (the often invisible hidden part of every human being). That was a brilliantly subtle scene that spoke volumes about the MLs character.

There is so much hidden in the depths of this drama that it deserves a rewatch, which I will be doing because I know there is much I missed.

All in all this is a drama worth watching. When a story invokes an emotional response, it is well worth the watch, and the experiencing of those emotions whether good or bad. Just like people around us, this story brings to light our own prejudices and misconceptions of outward appearances and words taken out of context.

The moral of this drama is two-fold:

People are more than their appearance, and should never be judged on that concept alone.

And second, communication in any relationship is imperative. Assumptions, internal dialogue based on your own filters are often wrong, so ask questions before you make a judgement call that could hurt someone or yourself. Find ways to dispel the self-aggrandized comments of people who think they are superior to you based on their own looks or prejudices picked up from other small minded people. Appreciate your own uniqueness and embrace the totality of who you are - no one can define you as ugly or unworthy unless you give them that authority by being ashamed of what you look like.

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Love, Acceptance and Mental Illness

I’ve seen a lot of comments about how the FL should have given up on the ML from the very beginning because he “ghosted” her. If they had paid attention to the FL as a child, she had an incredible sense of the pain other people endured, and choosing to stick by them. She was different from others in her outlook on life, it’s experienced and its difficulties and always reached out to those who were hurting.

The man from her town who was a salesman (remember the cow poem?), her frienemy who was actually her best friend, the boys who were misfits in their own way were also taken under her wing. Her gift of being able to see under the masks of false bravado people wore and love them through their difficulties was always part of her character, and it didn’t change when she grew up.

She could see through the ML’s stoic and all of behavior and enticed him out of his shell with acceptance and love. She genuinely cared about him, even as a child.

The ML was riddled with PTSD along with physical and emotional abuse from his mother, and had no support from his father. No child should have to endure that kind of emotional torture and manipulation.

She may not have known what the names of the things he endured were called, but she saw the real person underneath his hide and seek behavior.

When an animal is hurt or in pain, it will seek out a remote and place to be alone to heal. Tgis is what the ML did, and not only that, he didn’t want his mess to affect the FL, and tried to keep her away despite his desire to get closer to her.

They lived each other. Obe found themselves unworthy of love, and the other knew love and acceptance were the cure.

Every single human being on the planet has issues. Judging a person with mental health problems and kicking them to the curb when they need kindness and help only exacerbates their problems. Are the creeps out there that should be blocked and never looked at again? Yes. But you can’t throw everyone with those tendencies of hiding from people under the bus because of them.

This story was a prime example of what kindness, patience and love can do for someone who has been traumatized and abused. I found it heartwarming and encouraging.

The cycle of hating one’s self by believing the lies you are fed, and craving the closeness and companionship of someone who knows you and loves you despite your pain is real..

Be kind. Use discernment between the real creeps, and those who have been so beaten down by life that they have no hope and feel there is no future.

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Not bad

I am not a fan of this type of drama episode format. They always feel like you’ve just ridden you bicycle to the top of a steep hill only to find the roadway turned into a cliff and you fall onto another hill and cliff until all the episodes have been viewed.

This one was a little different as there were bits of recappin.

Overall, the story could have been very good had the episodes actually fleshed out to allow for more time to develop the story and characters.

I have to say the ML, even though he looked innocent enough was like watching a panther stalk prey. ML is very good at exuding sex appeal, so good that he left singe marks on my tv screen.

The fl lead did well also. Shy and innocent with scruples and not willing to compromise on her integrity.

The rest of the cast just felt awkward - but that could be because there wasn’t much about their characters outside of the vengeful, the ex-girlfriend, the pervy boss and a psychotic jealous peer.

I’ll give this a 7.5/10 because of the leads, and -2.5 for making it a bumpy ride.

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Friends

This has to be one of my favorite dramas. Everything about it touched my heart.

Every villager, from the innocent little children to the beautiful wise grannies became friends that made me laugh, frustrated me, made me want to defend and protect them - and brought me to tears.

Every cast member was perfectly chosen and the story was brilliantly developed. Each character was given time so that you learned about them empathized with them, cheered them on, and wept with and for them. I can’t say there wasn’t a character that annoyed or bothered me due to tropey storylines. You’re able to watch them struggle and overcome things while being supported by each other. There was no backstabbing or crazy childhood friend being goaded by an overly controlling mother trying to force an arranged marriage.

The Ml and FL had sparks flying off the screen the whole drama. It was a joy to watch them draw closer and build up a solid, mature friendship before they committed to each other.

I just have to say that the ML’s granny had to be my favorite. She loves hard, fights back, teaches and protects her family and friends without reserve. The actress that portrayed her made me want to get to know her. This was a beautiful way to portray healthy familial love.

Some people might give this drama a low score because it takes so long for the leads to become a couple, but I think that’s one of the great things about this drama.

If anyone notices the FL’s obsession with time represented by the clock in the intro, at the hotel, her need to always know what time it was - even to rent one of the children’s wrist watch, and the comment made by the clock repairman at the beginning which basically said if one gear breaks the whole clock shuts down. After a few days the FL stopped obsessing with time As her heart and mind began to unwind from all the pressure she put on herself because of work, that is when her healing began. Then eventually she was able to remove her self from the clocks mechanism and realize that life is what we make of it, while strict adherence to her former jobs regulations, the importance of recognizing that rules and time can be their own prison. And, it is much better to let life roll on and do what you can to the best of your ability.

The friends she made in this little village were more understanding and loving group. Every quirky character was portrayed beautifully.

Needless to say, this one deserves rewatching. I feel like I missed a lot and want to go back to see them all again.

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Incredible

I have to say after watching this drama, that I have a whole new respect for Zhao LuSi. This role allowed her to show everyone that she is not just a pretty face made for rom coms.

Her range of character development from abused slave to an incredible business woman in a time where women were anything but respected and cherished by a male dominated society that treated them as punching bags and were sold like cattle at auction was breathtaking.

This was a hard watch for me, especially knowing the abuse and overworking issues she has recently made public with her health from things very similar to this drama. It must have been extremely hard for her to do. I could see even when this was made how she had started to decline in regards to her health.

I have rad a couple of reviews here that say the script didn’t make sense and they dropped the drama. That is too bad, because the finished product seems to have had a lot of footage cut out. But it is a story about a woman who fought against incredible odds to make a life for herself and to help other women along the way.

The ML, Yuning Liu was impressive. I had seen him in the Long Ballad and found him to be a very good actor - giving the role such a performance that you both hated and pitied him and loved him at the same time. His performance of Tang Zi Jing was stellar, and has made me want to see more of him.

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Brilliant Cliffhanger

I loved everything about this drama. Every character was played well. You experienced the gamut of emotions - loathing, sorrow, joy, frustration, disappointment, injustice, compassion, ire.

The bad guys were truly bad. The women were treated worse than livestock, parents used their children to curry favor with corrupt officials, abuse was everywhere.

And yet our ML and FL refused to buckle to the tyranny of authority and wanted to pave the way to where all human beings were treated with dignity and respect.

The flowers were beautiful. Male abusive dominance, manipulation and threats were not. Yet both were living lives that aware markedly different,m. Even though the ML had a reputation of a philandering playboy, it was all an act.

The tacit communication and cooperation of the ML and FL was done very well in both the writing of the script, direction and acting.

While this is a period drama, the battle for female rights are very modern but played out extremely well.

I look forward to part 2!

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Atypical Romance with Intrigue

I had my doubts going into this drama because I am not a fan of the FL. However, this is the first drama that I have seen with her that I enjoyed. This was a good role for her and she did a very good job portraying this FL.

I had only seen the ML in one other drama, but it was his performance that kept me coming back. His eyes truly are deep and affectionate. That was evident in every scene, even when he tried to portray himself as a person of questionable character.

Every role in this drama was cast perfectly and all characters, regardless of their roles personality added depth, humor, empathy and the full range of emotions. I will say that I don’t know if I’ll be able to watch a drama with the ML’s mother in it for a long time, as just seeing her face had me angry with her in every appearance she made in the story.

The childhood friends, the grandmothers and the biggest surprise of all was the ML’s little sister. Let’s just say that her singing debut was definitely not what I expected 😂

The storyline was good. A little weird in places - like the FL’s former boss who kept pursuing her even when he knew she was married, but didn’t believe it because he had convinced himself that he was perfect. Narcicist doesn’t even begin to describe how much this guy admired his self.

I have to admit, the 2nd ML was annoyingly endearing because he was just a tender hearted oaf who clung too much to his image of being a gangster. I loved the interaction between him and the 2FL’s son.

Tge story has a lot of twists and turns and the screenwriter did a great job of leading your mind down one path only to find out our assumptions were wrong. I showed the corruption and coverups of serious crime, revealed the dangers of holding others, especially children, for things beyond their control - and even more so was that revenge and anger have terrible side affects on you and those you love.

The ending was a bit of a letdown, and this is my only complaint about the drama. The wedding was just the 1ML and 1FL, with no guests, flowers or any of the pomp and circumstance of most cdrama marriages and felt more like it was filmed in a giant walk-in closet with less than ideal lighting. I really wish that screenwriters and directors realize how a mediocre or poorly planned ending can be a big detractor of a dramas ratings.

Sorry for the side trip!

All in all I think this was a good watch and tugged on all your emotions and pulled you in to the story at the beginning.

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Laugh Out Loud Funny & Cute, Too

Tgis is not my normal type of drama to watch, but I needed a lighthearted watch after seeing Prisoner of Beauty, and this was a good choice.

The characters are so odd and quirky that you instantly love them except for the raccoon loving control freak Managua ruining Editir In Chief who just made you want to push him down the stairs, off the top of a tall building or down a vacant elevator shaft 😂

There were a lot of times I laughed out loud or giggled in 96% of the episodes.

Every character was amazingly portrayed and their uniqueness remained consistent throughout the drama. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with it.

If you’re on the fence about watching this, don’t be. It’s good medicine.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

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