Wynndzofchange

Unusual Ending But Still Worth The Watch

There’s been a lot of disappointed comments about this drama because of the way it ended. Contrary to being disappointed, I actually liked the ending of this story.

I enjoyed the development of their characters during their mutual dream, it was preparing them for what should have been from the beginning, rather than making the wrong choice from their youth on. Their shared dream gave them hope to fight back when things got difficult instead of surrendering to the problems that arose. The dream cleared their minds of the nonsense and put them on the right path.

I enjoy the ML’s acting. He is quite talented and needs more roles like this. Support characters are fine, but he is capable of so much more, and I Hope he is able to get better roles after this.

The FL was equally talented and she is absolutely beautiful. Her character switch from a young girl with her head in cotton candy colored heart shaped clouds of love into the confident, intelligent woman who tackled things head on and with her partner actually is more inspiring than being pampered and treated like a canary in a guilded cage like many C-dramas portray women. She embodied what a strong woman’s character looks like.

The development of the leads relationship in the dream was also very well done. It wasn’t all fluff and acquiescing of the male to make the FL happy. He was a leader by example, he had strong morals, was patient and let the people on his team develop and use their strengths to do amazing things in their field.

I think people were disappointed that it really wasn’t a fantasy come true because it was a dream as they were stuck in the dream itself. And, when they woke up from the dream it was a shock, and were bound by analysis paralysis trying to figure out why it happened, yet ignored the last few minutes of the final episode.

The elevator they originally got on was closed down - meaning what happened in the past would not be happening again. The dream was a set up for the dream to become reality.

When the FL was able to get on the elevator they both knew what would be happening from that moment forward, and when the elevator bounced they both reached for each others hand, and that act let each of them know that they remembered what happpened during their dream.

Rather than continuing down their separate paths, they would face difficulties together and the life they shared in the dream was real, not a actually a dream that would vanish.

I personally found the ending quite satisfactory because it was the start of their shared dreamscape coming to life.

It was disappointing to see the FL’s brother so destitute at the end, but also gave hope that the relationship he was so invested in still had a chance. Even though he was not comatose with his sister, his trajectory was changed for the better because the leads had changed.

The only thing that they didn’t give away at the end was the outcome of the 2ML. But after thinking about it, maybe that’s because he never should have been there in the first place.

So if you are wondering whether or not to watch this drama because of the comments and disappointed ending reviews, I suggest you watch it. It’s good - acting, story, cast, directing, script, OST. All those elements combined were beautifully wrapped up in hands united in love and mutual respect.

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Fluff and Stuff

Let me address my annoyances which didn’t affect my rating too much. The acting skill between the ML and FL (who played Su E Huang in Prisoner of Beauty) was mismatched. She portrayed this role very well and was quite endearing. She was believable in the role and okayed it well in all aspects.

The ML’s role was a domineering CEO with OCD and other personality quirks due to his high IQ and PTSD from childhood trauma. He couldn’t have survived in business with his abusive behavior in other countries as they claim he came from. It’s understandable that he has high standards, and his mental health issues caused him a lot of problems - but his verbal abuse and overly domineering behavior were too exaggerated. There was a lot of over-acting done on his part. His redeeming bits came through scenes where he let his emotions reach his eyes. This helped with what I found to be a rather stiff and uneducated portrayal of someone of high intelligence and a mental health issue. Of course, this could also be attributed to directing, so that may not be entirely his fault.

There was also the issue of him always going to his neurologist for advice on mental health issues. Smart man can’t differentiate between nerves and psychological issues? That arc in the story was hard to swallow.

And…one of my pet peeves in dubbed scenes is the fake breathing through the mouth. It was used a lot in this drama.

Now the review:

I found the story rather unique with the return of the amnesia after intimacy. But, they never really tied up why his mothers attempted suicide had anything to do with that. They rushed past it when he finally remembered the past he had with the FL. That was either left out, censored out or left in the cutting room floor.

Aside from the loopholes and annoyances, they story was fluffy, had a lot of funny interactions with the supporting cast (especially the other employees in the CEO’s office).

The ending episodes were also odd. All the big plans for the wedding, but she didn’t wear the dress he got her?

Also, details are important especially when the ML was a control freak and OCD. The fake flowers in the arch (the white mums near the top and the weird daisy) inserted in the white leaves and blossoms were droopy and poorly placed. It might be something I alone would notice, as I have been in stage designs for productions and been a floral designer for over 30 years. What started as a unique venue was totally ruined in my eyes by the careless placement and poor quality.

Still, it was a nice watch if you’re looking for fluff with little angst, and can switch off the part if your brain that reasons things through

Would I watch it again? Maybe. But not for a good long time.

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Facing Difficulies With Courage

I usually don’t watch many college-age sports themed dramas, but I was looking for something fluffy and not filled with angst and chose this one. Much to my surprise, I actually enjoyed it.

As I said, I don’t normally watch this genre and the reason is my feet get twitchy, my hands get sweaty and it feels like I am participating from the bleachers 😂

I’ve read comments about how long it took the ML to ‘get over’ the loss of his friend, and zi find that rather irritating because these people have probably never experienced having someone they care about die in front of them. It is a horrible experience - I know this is fact because I have lived it. It’s not something you can just ‘get over’ or overcome quickly. Especially when you don’t allow yourself to grieve like the ML did. It’s traumatic emotionally and physically. His stoic “long face” was there to block anyone from getting close to him so he didn’t have to feel that type of loss and pain again.

The beautiful thing about this drama is that the showed everyone has their problems and dreams and even though things were hard, they eventually dropped their”I’m fine” masks and were able to bond as friends and teammates.

Therewere annoying characters, obnoxiously narsicistic jerks, people with family dynamic issues, fearful of failure and many more. They all eventually managed to overcome their issues and develop into healthy people.

There was a hint of romance which is typical of college scenarios, but the main focus was the tug-of-war team.

By working through their own problems and trying to establish a sport club on their campus they learned what things are important and to let go of things that hindered them.

Of course there were odd things included, and logic holes in the storyline. But despite those things, this is a nice watch if you’re into building strong relationships even in difficulties. No running or hiding, but eventually working toward mutual interests and goals.

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Strong Women Supportive Men

I watched this primarily to see LYN in his first ML role and I have to say he did a much better job than many who have managed to get out of the support cast lane and into a lead role.

It was pretty cool to see him stretch his wings as an actor and show off his roots as a cook and live streamer.

This drama is basically about 3 older (as in their 30’s) women who seemed to have been caught up in all the politicking, compromising and being shelved by a chauvinistic society that assumes women are better off married and raising babies rather than doing hard things.

LYN and 3 other men have been scammed by the FL’s husband out of a lot money which puts their family and businesses at risk. These four men decide to get their money back only to find that their money has disappeared with the FL’s husband.

So while she is taking care of her young son, fending off phone calls, and finding out her position at work is at risk, this motley bunch of men descend upon her home and make demands.

As the story progresses the leads form a friendship and the ML alls in love.

Of course, no drama is complete without understandings and miscommunication which is what happens with the other two women. One is too frank and has no filter when it comes to being diplomatic and kind yet she has a heart of gold. The other comes from a humble background and makes all kinds of plans to manipulate people and things to her advantage.

All three of these women and their love interests eventually work out their problems and learn that what we think is living our best life is nothing more than a lie tied with a pretty bow. They grow individually, in their careers and personal lives.

It’s a frustrating a times, but generally a heartwarming story about letting go of childish expectations and learning what contentment and love are all about.

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Almost

This drama is usually why I don’t watch these short episode offerings. Giant holes, over-acting, leads who have little chemistry, and a lot of abusive treatment of women that gets swallowed or ignored completely.

First let me say that the ML has outstanding visuals. Truly. Out standing. They played on that a lot.

There was very little chemistry between the ML and FL. It was kind of like watching two introverts trying to get to know each other in a room full of strangers who were staring at them. The ML is a voracious kisser and the FL does the dead fish lip kiss for the most part. I was awkward to watch.

The excessive use of the ML’s name by the FL about drove me crazy. Every other sentence (insert his name) was used in the FL’s dialogue. I could be wrong, but even in countries where honorifics are used the use of (insert his name) was over the top. (insert his name)

I will give the ML credit. He had the angry revenge filled stare down to a tee and did a good job initially when he has his ‘heart of stone’, but the second that happened the script and production ruined his vendetta seeking persona and turned him into an overly emotional 12 year old in one quick episode.

Even the bad guys (with the exception of the hired assassin with the ball cap) were overacted and sadly missed the mark by a mile.

The only surprise to me was the real villain in the drama. Sister was a nut case and she played it well for the most part. Either the script or directing had her wound up to display her crazy mind way too early and didn’t giver her enough space to truly express her twisted mind as she could have.

There were also issues with the hit and run scene of the ML’s former housekeeper. When the ML went to spot in the road where she was hit, the bl**d stain was orange. its shape was oval. Bl**d gets dark when exposed to oxygen, not orange, and especially not on hot pavement. And puddles aren’t perfectly shaped. AND…if a person is hit by a heavy object flying down the road at them they aren’t going to collapse is a semi-fetal position still clutching their purse. If a scene like this must be included, there are better ways to display it.

The OST was a bit monotonous too. The same few lines over and over throughout every episode.

On a second positive note, I will have to keep an eye out for more dramas with Dai Gao Zheng (ml). I saw him in Rainkissed Fate previously. He has the potential to be a good actor if he can get some good scripts sent his way.

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Plot Twists and Intrigue

The first thing I want to mention about this drama is that it will grab your attention and not let go. Every single solitary episode captured your mind and had you cheering for the ML.

It was particularly refreshing to see that he was able to think on his feet when he faced obstacles and succeed when it looked like he was losing.

I also found it applaud worthy that the script writer kept him front and center and his character was not overshadowed by the FL. She was his support, and even though she tried to manipulate him onto her side, so to speak, he stayed true to his task.

I was also impressed by the integration and role of every support cast character. Every single one of them added to the story and did not detract from the story.

Every line in the script, every set, the costumes and buildings were an impeccably situated to add depth and authenticity to the drama without becoming a distraction.

Fight scenes were well done and the correography was very well done. It was also nice to see that the ML’s role of being a scholarly personality was not incorporated into being a martial artist as well. He had people on his side that helped him in that aspect which allowed his character to shine for the brilliance of his mind and not physical prowess.

It was also nice to see a role where the revenge side of the ML was separate from the kind and generous person he was - and not to become cruel and violent.

This is definitely a drama worth watching if you want something different from the typical palace intrigue and politics.

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Who Mocks This Man?

Before I leave my thoughts, I wanted to say that the people who claimed Liu Yuning was trying to gain popularity by taking this role (as if he didn’t have to audition for the role) with ShiShi as the FL, and mo led his acting skills are nothing more than keyboard warriors. I have not seen anything he has been in where he did not perform brilliantly.

Also, sad ending. Be prepared is all I will say.

Everything about this drama was top-notch. Every character was portrayed extremely well, from the bit parts to the supporting cast and main characters. Everyone was impressive.

The story was well scripted, casting was perfect and the OST was very very good. I liked the modernization of traditional music and the addition of electric guitars.

The female rolls were written extremely well. Strong, determined and all pushed through their difficulties and cultural differences and still managed to live in a society that treated women like livestock. And, they were awesome in their professions and positions. They fought back and demanded respect - and they got it. It was nice to see them develop and not simp around with tears and pouty lips or screaming temper tantrums.

I could go on and on, but honestly, there’s not a whole lot I can say other than WATCH THIS!

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WOW

All I can say is that this drama was incredible from start to finish.

I was captivated in episode 1 and every episode thereafter became more complex, more interesting and kept my attention the entire time.

Tan Jianci has elevated himself to an incredibly talented and diverse actor in this drama. Every bit of confusion, sadness, anger and hopelessness was not only on his face, but in his eyes and body language. One particular episode truly allowed him to break out of the ‘nice guy’ role he usually plays in his work, and had me completely entranced with his complexity and charisma. I wont spoil it by elaborating, just be prepared for an incredible performance. I hope the critics who have said he’s not a good actor feel shamed for those words now.

The other leads and supporting cast also did fabulously. They all had their quirks and shortcomings, but work together so well by bringing their talents and gifting to the work of investigating and finding the truth behind crimes.

The one spoiler is that the ending is definitely an open ending leading the viewer to believe a season 3 is out there and believe me, it will be another gripping series.

*****WATCH THIS!!!!!*****

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From Boy to Man

I am more impressed with Xu Kai than ever before after watching this drama. Even waiting a little while to gather my thoughts, I am still at a loss for words in regards to his skills.

Let’s go through the production. Fir the most part the scenery, stunts, buildings and battles were well done. There were a few wobbly swords, a couple of pre-sword strike dye pouch bursts, and awkward extras in the battle scenes, but not in every scene, so they were negligible. The Candyland trees on the plains were a bit much, but they did lend a bit of sweetness to the story between the leads. And the fake horses with the yellow eyes were laughable - and it’s obvious that they are used because a lot of the up-close scenes looked like they were on rocking horses.

The rest of the scenery was beautiful and each location added depth to the scenes rather than detracting from it.

There are a few characters that were so annoying I almost fast forwarded through the scenes they were in. Tge Emporer and his sons were like watching clowns crawl out of a smart car in front of an oncoming train. Cringey bad characters.

Lady Gu (aka the silk stalker stuck in her imaginary world was just as unpleasant as the ML’s father and siblings. She feigned her purity of heart, while colluding with her father the traitor to eliminate the FL. As if her crazy self was even qualified to be something she couldn’t handle. Her annoying maid had a voice like a mosquito and was just as whiney.

Now that they’re out of the way, I can talk about the story.

The script writer did a very good job setting up scenes and the profession from one to the next. The transitions were smooth without a lot if repeat from the previous episode in the first few minutes.

The characters were all brought to life by each actor (even the annoying ones). I was also surprised to see that Liu Yuning had such a small roll, however, he pulled the quirky character off in his usual professional way. He should have had more screen time!

No on to Xu Kai’s performance. It didn’t matter if the scene called for martial arts, war scenes, or anything else for that matter. His eyes, facial expressions and movement was flawless. In one scene where he was angry that emotion was not only on his face, but his neck started turning red. I the last could of episodes, he was heart broken and it was all over his face, in his voice and reflected in his voice. There were two particularly poignant scenes where his body was shaking with fear and his crying was powerfully portrayed. So much so that I had tears streaming down my face and not just sitting in my eyes. He also did fabulously with the martial arts stunts.

The FL was an excellent choice for thar roll. She was tough being a general in the army, but put her in a beautiful silk dress and she carried off the sweet girl who could turn into a sword bearing guardian of the underdogs. She was an excellent actress for this role. She too performed extremely well in the martial arts scenes.

The music was pretty good. I am certain I heard Xu Kai’s singing voice several times.

Overall, this was a great drama, and well worth the 40 episode watch. It will be on my watch again list, that’s for certain.

It’s worth the cringey characters. Watch it, you won’t be disappointed!

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Products, crazy teacher, know it all best friend and more products.

This is my 3rd watch. And Johnny Huang is still sexy - he exudes masculinity in whatever role he plays, and this drama is no exception.

This drama was good but infuriationgly annoying. 1. The mothers - “its for your own good” excuse for manipulation, control and emotional entrapment to force their children into doing what they want them to do. Such as breaking into the FL’s apartment in order to spy on her and going through cabinets and drawers. The kids do almost anything to make the parent happy regardless of the consequences for their lives and tolerate their bad behavior. I realize it may be a cultural practice, but it’s still annoying. And still going into their childs home and rifling through their papers and belongings when the child is living outside of the home? Ridiculously manipulative.
2. That stupid ringtone.
3. The advertising of products. Every.Single.Scene.
4. The FL’s overbearing best friend who acts as if one must “do things my way or we arent friends any more’. Her incredible sense of assuming she is right about everyone and everything when all she does is speculate. And the way she treats 53 is like shes talking to a slave rather than someone she cares about.
5. The second half of the drama focusing on the 2ML and 2FL, and adding in bits and pieces of the FL and ML.

Good things:
Development of the ML and FL individually and as a couple. Their chemistry was on fire, and they looked and behaved like a real couple.

The story line between them could have been developed further to the point where they eventually worked together and combined efforts to make their mark on the world.

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Honesty, Perseverance and Reward

I have one complaint about this drama and that it is all of the screen time dedicated to the side couples. If more time had been spent with the ML and FL I would have given it more time. Not because of their relationship but because of their evolution of becoming stronger individually and in business.

While Seven’s character went from a tech position to entrepreneur in a relatively short time, her development as a business owner and then CEO was grossly underdone. They highlighted the difficulties others inflicted on her, but gave no insight on how she decided to make the decisions she did.

After a while, the ML and FL scenes became so short that it almost seemed like they were one of the side couples and not the leads.

Basically it is a story about knowing your worth, not giving up when things seem out of control, and learning that love doesn’t always come attached to a bouquet of flowers, with glittery clouds and happily ever after. It’s hard, requires swallowing your ‘right’ to demand your way is right, and learning to adapt and love your partner despite their imperfections while talking out issues rather than insisting you get your way.

Seven and Xu Kai had fire for chemistry. They were so natural and actually portray every aspect of their characters perfectly.

The villains were portrayed well and really showed what happens when you compromise good behavior and business practices in order to get what you want because someone else has what you want. There were instances finger pointing, blame transference and excuses in every misdeed the committed. But in the end, they were punished for their crimes.

Spoiler here - the bonus us episode will require tissues; have them close by. It was the sweetest, most beautiful way to end this drama.

This was my second watching, and I enjoyed much more this time around.

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Cliff Hanger for Eternity

I really enjoyed this drama even on the second watch. I just with they had been able to tie up everything that was left wide open at the end.

It was refreshing to see a drama that made you think while watching it, keeping you entangled in each sub-story - and to deal with difficult issues surrounding mental health and society’s attitudes toward people who suffer from the ailments as well as neurodivergent peoples. Many of the cases were not given adequate time to fully explain their complexities, let alone how long some of those would take to bring someone to the place of functionality again.

Yang Zi and Jing Moran were very wel cast in their roles and played them extremely well. Their chemistry was quite believable and played well into the school crush backstory.

For a change, there wasn’t much of the hysterical crying or overly controlling parent trying to nanipulate either of the leads nor the second leads.

It was a treat to hear Yang Zi sing one of the songs and the OST was truly beautiful.

I sometimes notice odd things in the set or costumes in dramas, and noticed the couch originally purchased for the practice the FL opened started out as orange leather and in later episodes change to either grey or blue fabric.

There were a few misconceptions regarding Bipolar disorder, but there was one thing said that stood out from the mother of the 2ML. She said something along the lines of not everyone needs to be fixed. And this is true. Neurodivergency is not a disease, nor should anyone be debased or institutionalized (basing this on her diagnosis) because they see and feel things differently than everyone else.

Overall, this was a very good drama. I just wish they’d been able to complete the storyline.

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Excellent

I have to say that I really enjoy the intro footage in a lot of the C-dramas. The artists who create them for the dramas deserve a lot of credit. Tgey are impressive.

There are some oddities you might notice in the battle scenes. 1. Battles in the foreground at one speed and then background battles are at hyper-human speed. 2. When the armies are shown in arial view the horses being ridden through the formations are tiny compared to the soldiers themselves.

The wire stunts were done exceptionally well. There were no odd angles in the actors bodies, and the flight scenes were believable with the wind and clothing going in the same direction. I saw no rubber swords flopping around during battle either.

Zhao LuSi and Yang Yang were magical in their chemistry and interaction as their characters. Their growth individuall and together was well written and believable. And, their commitment to each other was portrayed very well.

I do not remember much about the OST, because I was so focused on what was taking place that music wasn’t really important to me.

As a wuxia fan, this drama hits the spot for action, the battle between good and evil, with a side of compassion and the desire for everyone to live peaceably together - with a side of love and self-sacrifice.

Overall, I found this to be a very good production and worthy of rewatching.

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Unexpected Justice

This was my first drama with ZTao in it, and I fell in love with his attitude about life, acting, singing and speaking voice.

Initially I found the FL annoying, but as the story developed and she mellowed, I didn’t mind her so much.

Every character in this drama was cast well, and they all did an excellent job with their roles.

There was lots of humor, tension and sweet moments throughout and they were all timed perfectly. The angst level was pretty low as well.

The story flowed naturally and the script was well written. Directing was excellent.

I loved the brand placing of ZTao’s apparel in several of the scenes. He’s a clever business man on top of being an excellent actor and talented musician.

There must be some sort of regulation in China that disallows wedding ceremonies to take place over the last few years. There is plenty of alluding to ceremonies, but very few that actually take place. This drama was no exception to this. Everyone was at the venue, dressed and ready to go and poof! Bride and groom are gone.

All in all this is a good drama, and it’s quite nice to see those on the right side of the law win in the end.

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Love Is Beautiful

Firstly I have to say that there was very little I did not enjoy about this drama. Anything negative was my own response to annoyingly clueless characters who did not know the meaning of personal space - and probably cultural differences with over-protective family members.

The most enjoyable thing about this drama aside from the beautiful music and gorgeous scenery was the development of the ML/FL as a couple.

There were no stalker-like exes who insisted on pursuit even after rejection, no vengeful coworkers or sinister plots by competing companies or peers. It is a beautiful, sweet and pure development of love, respect and transformation of two people coming together and learning the complexities of love and sharing good and difficult things - together.

There was no noble sacrifice, no break-up, no angst. Just people learning how to love each other, and sharing a passion for music and voice acting.

I have watched this several times now, and enjoy it every time. It is a very well done production from start to finish. Encore!

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