Zii3

Feels faked. Like writer&director looked up kinks on Wikipedia & actors are poorly playing pretend.

Dropped after Ep7. I can't force myself to keep watching, not even for the sake of keeping my review current. General spoilers only.

Not mentally or emotionally engaging or satisfying as either porn-with-plot OR porn-without-plot. It's mostly quick cuts to and away from 10-60 sec vignettes of "action" with not much to string them together. Akin to scrolling through porn search results; it's mini previews of scenes I might be interested in watching more of without actually getting to see them. Many of the snippets are at the point of highest shock value and then they are over or the story jumps away. There's rarely any build of anticipation or sexual tension and the BDSM scenes get more campy as the series goes on, especially when gear is involved.

The story also has a tendency to cut away right after the pinnacle of non-sexual, emotional confrontations, which comes across as lazy writing not putting in the effort to comple scenes. It's also frusterating because it keeps the audience at a distance from character's experiences leaving huge gaps between scenes/events, which makes it hard to connect with and invest in the characters emotionally.

I was looking forward to a grittier BL story with intrigue that explored sex and kinks more freely but this is so far disappointing. The characters are written 2-dimensionally (simple & shallow) and acted flatly, and the sex/kinks often feel forced/fake. Like the series is trying to sell a showy shell of a vaneer without a fundamental understanding of the dynamics that would drive the more extreme types of desires and scenes in real life. Like BOTH the writer and director looked up kinks on Wikipedia and the actors are poorly playing dress-up; interactions are poorly faked simulations that no one seems to enjoy convincingly.

I can't believe it's the Only Friends screenwriter (which had it's weaknesses but was overall enjoyably chaotic while the characters were understandable and many were easy to empathize with and root for). The quality of storytelling in this is so disjointed and weak. There are too many characters that don't get introduced or followed properly and the mess of thin plotlines are shallow and often confusing.

I continued to watch in the hopes that it would get better, since I thought the screenwriter was capable of it. Ep 4 actually made me laugh out loud twice at how bad it was with poor and overly dramatic writing, acting, and music.

Ep 7/14 update: This episode showed a couple improvements after the holiday hiatus but it had a different feel to it, which I think would be even more noticeable if someone was binge-watching. It was weird how 'in love' many of the characters became suddenly.

There was still confusion about what exactly was going on in some scenes, the way multiple relationships are progressing don't quite make sense, multiple character choices are illogical, and Zouey still feels like a different character than how he was presented at the start of the series. He seems to have somehow moved past the physical/sexual/psychological eccentricities that originally made him so different and interesting.

What I thought was improved: Power dynamics were the focus in the various types of relationships. The themes of the episode and their execution were more clear. There was a better rhythm to scenes because the editing didn't interrupt and bounce back and forth in the middle of scenes as much. The editing between scenes was less choppy, the interactions between characters were more focused, and the music was well suited to each scene. This allowed some tension to build over the course of the episode leading to a more intense cliffhanger.

I watched the Uncut version on GagaOOlala in the USA.

General Spoilers for Ep 1-3 below.

There's some tension/anticipation built with Zouey and Teena but then Ep3 breaks it. Zouey uncharacteristically feels "in the mood" (to go all the way no less) and they start a slow exploration then SNAP, the camera briefly switches to the middle of a sex scene with a different pair! and SNAP, we're back to Zouey and Teena and they are about to try 'the main event'. And it quickly doesn't go well.

Wait. First, you deliberately don't show us the interesting part of seducing a body with pleasure (especially Zouey because we're not even clear in what way he does/doesn't experience pleasure or arousal) then second, tell us a sex worker doesn't know how to adequately prepare someone for bottoming?!?!? Really?

How in the world did they even get that far- what was Zouey's reaction to anything leading up to that point? That's what made that scene/relationship interesting and they didn't bother to write it in. *Facepalm. And where was the Japanese overvoice that was present before? (And why weren't subtitles included for that by the way?) It feels like Zouey and Teena were written out of character just so their plotline dilemma could line up with one of Zouey's friends for this episode.

I somewhat appreciated that safe words were a topic in Ep 3, but it was very rudimentary in its explanations and kind of put blame on Zouey for not remembering to use a safe word instead of "wait/no" for his first time. The discussion by the group of friends compells me to add:
FYI you can incorporate "What's your color?" or "Say your color" to check in with your partner using the traffic light system (green = go, yellow = slow down or reduce, red = stop). Prompting a response in this way is especially helpful when trying something new or with those that have a hard time thinking and/or verbalizing while exploring (like those in subspace).

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Awesome sisterhood-focused revenge on misogynistic manipulator!

(I rate vertical dramas on their own sliding scale. General spoilers only.) This was so good. I don't often watch verticals that don't have romance as a main plot, but once I started this I couldn't put it down.

The FL wants to take revenge on her husband of 10 years (for herself and their daughter), but to do it in a legal way. She is grounded, clever, and determined. She also forms strong bonds with multiple women and has a mentor vibe. The actress fit the role perfectly, I felt, and very quickly had me rooting for her.

There is a little bit of screentime for a green flag man who falls for the FL, which is nice to see for her. But her happiness and success is never dependent on him, which is also great for her, especially after everything she gave up for her marriage.

There are a couple of interesting twists and it's fun how all of the main characters end up intersecting. Not sure what else to say without giving too much away...

It was thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying throughout the entire show. I highly recommend!

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Tightly woven, lots of feels, and fully satisfying.

(I rate vertical micro dramas on their own sliding scale.) General spoilers only.
The best I've seen of this plotline so far (July 2025). The script, acting, and directing were excellent. Everything felt so natural and the old bond and magnetism between the leads was palpable. So many nuances and layers in emotions. And the emotional and mental shifts the characters go through were very believable, realistic, and paced well (in a natural, un-rushed way). There were many shifts for the leads, but especially the ML, and his face was so expressive, even when there were only subtle changes. The dynamic between the leads had fluctuations too that really drew me in. There were more times of the leads acting almost-at-peace or equanimity with each other than in many other versions. It wasn't all negative feelings for most of the show, which I appreciated.

The love/hate dynamic and actions were very well balanced too. There is bullying and manhandling along with forced kisses, but also pondering looks and flashes of concern from the ML. Things never went too far (in my opinion) to make his character irredeemable. He is not as cruel as some other versions I've seen. Quite the opposite; he was very empathizable. Even when the ML was bullying the FL he would stop escalating things at a relatively low point (compared to other versions) and he still stepped in to protect her at times. His internal conflict was evident.

And I loved how there was a good amount of time of the ML softening towards the FL, even thinking about letting her go so she and her son could be happy with the SML, before he knew the kid was his.

Multiple sexual tension moments that were quite intense and quite a few really good kisses. The actors seemed comfortable with each other and played off of each other very well.

The multiple misunderstandings in the plot make sense (none were too far a reach to stray from believability and didn't feel like the story was forcing them in) and were resolved well.

There was a contractual marriage green tea who wanted to be more, but she wasn't over-used in the plot. The amount of screen time she got was good and not a main focus.

Story is tightly woven. I didn't fast-forward anything, and re-played multiple scenes as I watched to really absorb all the micro facial expressions the leads gave.

I watched on iQIYI in August 2025 under "Inescapable Scorching Love" and the background music was quite good; it fit well.

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Very Satisfying Gender Bender Romance Balances Sillyness Of Screenplay

The bromance to romance between the lead couple gave me basically everything I want and hope for in a gender-bender relationship. It was so very satisfying in that regard that I'm rating this higher than I technically would otherwise. I've listed the main points of why I found the romance so satisfying under the "general spoilers" section further down in this review. Overall there's mutual respect and trust, giving support and working together as equals, great chemistry, romantic and sexual tension, a ton of skinship, some passionate kisses, flirting, and sweet words delivered in a heart-felt way. The set-up of the friendship is super fast and unrealistic, but then the progression of their relationship flows well and Yanuo is in male form for most of it.

There were things with the screenplay and direction that would usually annoy the heck out of me yet the production somehow kept things fun. The main romance is the focus throughout and the connection between the lead characters was believable and touching enough to balance out the other shenanigans in the show.

There was melodrama and many unrealistic and silly situations that the show leaned into (didn't take itself too seriously) so the cheesy, ridiculous, and low-budget-feeling moments had me laughing out loud along with it instead of feeling outright disdain. It did require a lot of suspension of disbelief, but the show's approach was consistent so I found myself mostly able to roll with it. Things in plot, settings, and characters come and go purely based on what's needed at the time. For example, except for one scene at the beginning the leads never practice their martial arts, yet when they need to fight they are always in top form. And the head of the triad doesn't seem to have much power or any access to bodyguards or underlings for protection. Those kinds of things.

The side couples were not interesting to me so I fast-forwarded all those parts. However, I did like the ML's Mother's story, she was a loveable character.

Ep 19 is a special episode. It recaps the lead's long romantic story, has an exaggerated yet still hot rough and playful heavy make-out scene, and some behind the scenes footage.

Why I found the bromance to romance so satisfying:

General Spoilers Below.

- The actress playing Yanuo actually has, not just the face, but the body and physicality to believably have been raised as a male who practices martial arts. She is tall, has broad shoulders, some stockiness to her arms, and large strong hands. She looks more like a grown man (with slightly softer features) than the 'cute boy' look that many other gender benders rely on.

- There's lots of time (many episodes) with the ML falling for Yanuo as a person who happens to be in male form, and many moments of both romantic and sexual tension.

- Zi Feng experiences and works through the confusion of his growing feelings and attraction, reaches acceptance, and makes the decision to act on his love *before he learns Yanuo's secret. There's no disgust or gay panic.

- When the Zi Feng overhears Yanuo's secret, he respects it, trusts there's a reason for it, and waits for Yanou to tell him.

- Once Zi Feng knows the secret, his approach towards wooing Yanou becomes more direct. There's a lot of time with them becoming romantic and quite a few passionate kissing scenes while Yanuo is still in male form (not knowing that Zi Feng has learned the truth).

- Zi Feng's family can tell his bond with Yanuo starts looking more like lovers than bros and ultimately show signs of acceptance through their actions *before the last episode.


While I was watching, I wanted to know the exact point that Zi Feng learned Yanuo's secret so I looked it up. If you're like me and want to know, the basic info is below; episode numbers are given but no other details.

... ... ...

SPECIFIC SPOILER BELOW.

In Ep 18 the audience and FL learn when the ML found out she was female (he overhears it in the eleventh episode).

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An okay watch for a Suzuki Jin or Noona-romance fan.

Suzuki Jin is what got me through this. He is a good actor and charasmatic enough to keep me watching and to make me want a good ending for his character even if the screenplay is written simplistically.

While the screenplay does bring up various concerns one might have with an age gap romance, and social and familial navigation, it doesn't explore them well or deeply. It's not very insightful or thoughtful. A couple things come up repeatedly though they feel only partially discussed (like they're being used as a writing crutch), while others are resolved with unrealistic ease. There's way too much going on with the plot and side people so there's no time to explore things with more meaning. Character psychology and development stays simplistic as a result.

The set up is insanely fast. There wasn't adequate time for me to get invested in the characters before they started doing things that strained their likability. The first Ep of 20 min has Mayuki confess to Shino and them starting a relationship of sorts and growing some feelings, then it's all angsty struggles from then on. Shino's character was bland and I couldn't get invested in her.

There is a good amount of sweetness, skinship, and hugs, and a couple of kisses. The hottest scene is in the first episode (shows a bit of the lead up to the two main characters sleeping together).

Some suspension of disbelief is required for various things throughout the story.
General Spoiler below.
(Ex: who would start living with the person they are in love with and *immediately* leave their home in that state of disarray every day? Especially when it's a usually thoughtful character who is still trying to secure the other person's affection! That really came across as a forced plot point because the writer needed it to happen early on to prompt the "kid" arguments.)

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Start At Ep 7 For A Better Continuation From Season 1!

Ep 1 had so much emotional abuse by a ridiculously devolved Minato to Shin that I couldn't enjoy it. I skipped to Ep 7 per another reviewer's suggestion and was so glad I did! The emotional abuse starts to fade out then and it felt like a better, much more sensical continuation of Shin and Minato's relationship from Season 1. I highly suggest starting at Ep 7 if you want to be able to like Minato and be happy with the ending.

Minato continues his extremely slow character development, but it does happen. The acting is, again, supurb by all (especially Sho as Shin), and the secondary couple's progression is sweet and fun to watch too.

I rated Season 1 an 8/10 and I would rate Season 2 *Ep 7-12* at an 8/10 as a satisfying conclusion to the character and relationship arcs. I'm removing 1 star for Ep 1-6 because of the regressively poor characterizations and the unwatchable toxicity that was unnecessary and detrimental to the story's development.

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Silly and more fun if not taken seriously. *Not a romantic story! The twist at the end was unexpected and somewhat humorous; it felt like a lot of build up for one big joke though. 29min. I was expecting a little more depth (with characters and emotions) in this longer short film since it's produced by Strongberry and they can do so much with 10 to 20 minutes. If you don't expect that, you may enjoy this more.

The comedic style didn't really work for me (didn't make me laugh) but it was consistantly applied throughout by the actors and director. There was a lot shown for the sex scene, but it’s also done in a comedic vein and I didn't find the way it was approached very enticing.

Edited: The Hangul that shows up by each person at the end are not speech bubbles (as I originally thought) but the names of the character / actor.

I won't rewatch.

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Beautiful, Real, Powerful, Hopeful.

General spoiler only at bottom of review.
The way the story was written and told resonated deeply with real life. I had long lingering feels after the series ended. It made me nostalgic of the ups and downs of college, first love, and the hope of youth. Cried hard twice (one sad one positive). Some heavy themes (and a character actually getting help from regular therapy, which I so appreciated). Loved the main characters and their (true) friends.

Positive messages. Deeply touching. Riveted the entire time, didn't fast-forward through anything. Pacing and tension consistently well-crafted.

Chemistry between the leads was like magnets. Skinship and kisses were natural and full of feelings. Beautiful intimacy.

Beautiful cinematography and use of light. Artistically captured the feel of the ocean (didn't just look pretty).

Music, natural sounds, and silence were well utilized and timed. Really enhanced scenes. Some of the songs chosen were memorable and the orchestral piece at the end with the credits was perfect.

Note to self: Because this touched me deeply and resonated with some difficult personal past experiences, I may find it too emotional to rewatch frequently.

GENERAL SPOILER ON THE ENDING:
It is a happy and hopeful ending.

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Watch Once For Ja, First, & Bosston.

Once again, the enjoyment of watching Ja & First act, especially with each other, is the main reason to watch their show. A 9/10 for their acting. The script for their two characters (but not the rest!!!) is more naturalistic than Don't Say No, but there are weaknesses in the plot/writing that they, again, do an admirable job of compensating for through their acting.

It was fun, impressive, and satisfying to see Ja (Punn) & First (Ashi) play such different characters than they have before. And their nc-17 scenes have gotten even steamier while still retaining an incredible amount of sweetness. A special blend! And those two do both sweetness/happiness and angst/sadness so well. Even when the writers forcibly contrive/prolong angst for the characters, Ja's and First's acting tugs hard at my heartstrings. Really hard. But because it gets resolved, it hurts just right ;)

Bosston as the secondary character Mueang was awesome too! Totally fell in love with the way he portrayed his character. Otherwise, the writers really did his character a disservice. His "love story" got almost no dialogue; it was mostly an excuse for nc-17 scenes. It felt so weird. Everytime the scene jumped to a "love" scene between Mueang & his Doctor, it felt like a separate movie had been randomly spliced in for a minute before jumping back to the main story. The actor who plays the doctor is greatly lacking in his ability to express emotions, let alone nuances, so he couldn't pull off making his character likeable, especially with the small amount of screen time and dialogue given to his character.

All the other secondary and tertiary characters (except Pun's mother), were written really poorly; over-the-top and/or shallow and/or annoying. I found myself rolling my eyes and fast-forwarding A LOT.

So if you like the actors Ja, First, and Bosston it may be worth one watch and just fast-forward through other scenes that you find dragging :)

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Wang YiRan's emotional acting is captivating! But the script makes the FL irredeemable to me.

(I rate vertical dramas on their own sliding scale.) Acting is great- ESPECIALLY by ML! Wow, he tugged hard on my heartstrings throughout the entire show. All the nuances of emotional pain mixed with hopless enduring love were so well expressed. I only made it through the because he got me so invested in his character that I wanted to see his well-deserved happy ending, even if the rest of the show and characters became super irritating to me. His acting is worth giving this show a try if you like long-standing angst, emotional MLs, and an eventual happy ending.

The son is adorable and natural, and the lead's highschool friend turned out to be their biggest support. Every other secondary character became unlikable. There are a few very sweet scenes in flashbacks and then some at the end. Good chemistry and a few kisses.

Shows that leave me feeling this annoyed with the screenplay and a main character get a 4/10. It is not terribly done however, so other viewers may still enjoy it.

General spoilers below.

The FL (the written character, not the actress) became more and more unlikable until she became irredeemable. The FL turned into an absolute b*tch in my mind because of the way she treated the ML (or I should say, repeatedly mistreated). After everything she did to the ML, and kept from him (many truths, including their son), and the way she keeps pulling away from him during the show, she never takes his feelings and point of view into account. She keeps making decisions without his input that crush him, yet she professes (to herself) that she loves him. And she NEVER APOLOGIZES!!! When they reconcile it is the ML apologizing for not being there to help her through her tough times when he never knew about them because she didn't tell him!!! She crushed him instead and made him go through emotional hell over and over. Why is HE apologizing and not HER?!?????

And reenacting your soul crushing fake-cheating-breakup from 7 years ago has got to be MEANEST way to try to fix the ML's temporary amnesia. Way to make him live through that 3 times, yeesh. (The original time, then experiencing it in person during amnesia, then reliving it in mind when the original memories come back.) So cruel.

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FL is Femdom to complete story mission but younger ML ends up liking it & obsessed.

(I rate vertical dramas on their own sliding scale. General spoilers only.)Very interesting BDSM-toned story. The writting wasn't that great and messy in spots, but the dynamic between the characters and the acting kept me engaged throughout! The story also stayed focused on the leads.

The FL is sadistic to her adopted younger "brother" in order to raise his darkness level so she can complete her mission in this book world and go home. However, she actually cares about the ML so can't help taking care of him secretly or in the guise of giving orders. But the ML notices and it appears that over time this hot-cold sadistic approach has honed a masochistic side in him and an obsessed attachment to the FL. Later, when the FL finds herself back in this world after a few years, she falls back into her hot-cold patterns. But at the end, it is very clear that they are both actively choosing their roles in this dynamic and enjoy it. I loved that.

Both leads inhabit their roles well; the ML especially did a great job showing to the audience his enjoyment of mistreatment, but also his genuine emotional pain when the FL seemed to show interest in people over him. They had good chemistry and a few realistic kiss scenes.

The plot and system mechanics, especially in the second half, require a lot if suspension of disbelief. But if you can do that (and are interested in this type of story) this is good for one watch.

I'm rating this a little higher than the writing warrants because I ejoyed this uncommon, interesting, and slightly more nuanced approach to BDSM (compared to other Chinese vertical dramas).

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Leads truly feel like a couple & solved misunderstandings w/20min to spare

(I rate vertical dramas on their own sliding scale. General spoilers only.) Green flag ML, no abuse, no kidnappings. The chemistry between the leads was awesome. The flirting was both adorable and exciting. The leads seemed fully comfortable with each other and really felt like a true couple. Great skinship, multiple moments of romantic or sexual tension, a couple of suggestive lines and even a scene where they exit the shower together in towels, and a couple of good make-out scenes.

The ML was great! (Lan Lan was fabulous, as usual. I didn’t always like her character's choices, but I always liked her.) First time I've seen the ML and definitely curious to see more. His confession scene closer to the end was beautifully layered. The long-standing pain of unrequited love (as he was recounting the past) was palpable alongside his open devotion. Moments of self-deprication and old helplessness blended with relief and hope. All very natural and touching. My only wish was that the screenplay had given the FL more to say in reply, but the way the actor's embraced held a world of words anyway.

ML is Hu Jiacheng 胡嘉程, not yet on MDL as of 9/12/25.

There are long-standing, and repeating, misunderstandings/misconceptions between the leads, but they do all get sorted out 20min before the end so there's a good chunk of time with the leads just being happy together.

There are some of the typical antagonist scenes (like a green tea that won't give up) but at least they felt like secondary plot. Things regarding the ML's family were rushed near the end and didn't feel fully finished, but the ending for the leads themselves was solid.

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Watch for the more complex than usual scumbag! Interesting, though it left me ambivalent at the end.

(I rate vertical dramas on their own sliding scale.) General spoilers only. Basic plot (the summary on iQIYI isn't quite correct so I've edited it): "Five years ago, Ye Chuchu [FL] gives up her career as a jewelry designer and marries her first love, Liang Jiaming [ML]." The FL's best friend, Man Lin, seduces the ML and the FL finds out. The confrontation accidentally causes a miscarriage. No one was aware the FL was pregnant so the SFL takes the opportunity to fake a DNA report saying the child was not the ML's. In a rage, the ML smothers the FL and, panicked, the SFL and ML take the FL to the top of a building to stage a suicide. "Chuchu falls off the building, but survives." She comes back as Shen Wenjun's [SML] younger sister Shen Zhuoyan. "Filled with vengeance, she is bent on making the scumbag and traitor pay the price," starting with the seduction of the ML.

I really appreciated the complexity in the ML's character, and the actor was fantastic. Even though he's the scumbag, the story revolves around the FL and him so I'm terming him the ML. The SML, who loves and supports the FL, is a simplistic secondary character and does not get much screen time.

A heads-up: this is focused on revenge and some seduction; the romance is a small part and taken for granted (not built up). The FL has more skinship, moments of sexual tension, and kisses with the ML scumbag than the bland-as-water SML. And though there are satisfying seduction scenes, I would not count this as a steamier vertical drama, in large part because the FL does her utmost to string the ML along with as little physical intimacy as she can from her end because he, understandably, disgusts her.

Mixed feelings about this one. Storytelling was strong for a while but then the satisfaction I was feeling while watching started decreasing, and took a turn towards a bit annoyed near the end.

PROS:
1) I liked the spin that it was a revenge story of a person supposedly dead, but NOT a rebirth plot (though I enjoy those too).

2) As I mentioned, the complexity of the ML's character made this common plot more interesting to watch. Plus, the actor has great acting skills, has plenty of charisma, and can kiss well. The character is a narcissist with alterior motives (the FL's dowry), but he does actually care about her somewhat. He starts out rejecting the SFL's advances. Caves quickly, but still, it's unusual to see in this type of plot. He has every intention of keeping ChuChu as his wife and the SFL only as a mistress.
When ChChu comes back as ZhuoYan, the ML is greatly drawn to her because she looks like his ex wife. The FL manages to dissuade him of his suspicions regarding her identity in large part because he just wants it to be true (that she's someone else) because he wants to pursue her (for sex and money mainly, though also a bit of nostalgia for his ex wife too).

3) The idea of seducing back her ex to torment the SFL and to get a hold of the ML's wealth and company, is fun and interesting to watch for a good portion of the show.

4) For those who care (and I'm one), some realistic kisses from the ML infused with desire (but not the SML- though they had a simple kiss I think, it wasn't memorable, obviously).

CONS:
In the later part of the show, multiple issues with the FL started to grow for me.
1) She becomes less and less smart about how to enact her revenge. She repeatedly puts herself in potentially dangerous situations with the ML and SFL with no good preperation or backup plans.Multiple times she is only protected by the SML popping up out of nowhere, at just the right moment.

2) She is so focused on revenge that she disregards other people who care about her. Examples (small spoilers): The SML is one, and the other: the audience only learns near the end that the FL's father is still alive, and is still grieving the death of his daughter for over a year! She hasn't told him anything. That really tanked my opinion of her.

3) Justice through the law is not part of her plan at all. Examples (small spoilers): She conciously has a hand in a tertiary character's death.
The police are never involved until the very, very end, when we hear about the final fate of the ML and SFL through a report on the TV.
It doesn't appear that she's trying to gather evidence this whole time either. She's just determined to ruin her wrongdoers to the point of... it's not clear...

4) Which is another frustration. Except for one part (taking over the company) the endgame of her revenge is not clear. So it feels like she's kind of flailing about rather pointlessly near the end. It wasn't that satisfying to me.

Overall:
Despite my frustrations I deem it a decent one-time watch. I did not fast-forward and enjoyed a good chunk of it.

I watched on iQIYI (in the US) on 8/6/25 as Masked Danger.

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A different take on this plot premise.

(I rate vertical dramas on their own sliding scale). General spoilers only.
Has the same starting premise as a couple other shows (example Professor Qi Borrowed A Marriage) but a noticeably different take on the story from there.

Things that are different:

The FL did not have a toxic/abusive relationship with the SML.

Both the FL and ML are serious, dignified, and capable. They are not hesitant, soft people.

It is apparent to the FL pretty quickly that the ML has liked her for a long time and had designs on her.

The FL is a bit cold but it came across as guarded and jaded. She knew her godparents coveted the money her parents left her, and also knew once she got her grandfather's inheritance upon her marriage that it would be a target for any family she married into. (Similar to the other shows, she starts to show more warmth and some liveliness as her relationship with the ML progresses. She also starts to smile more, and more widely, as she falls for the ML and enjoys their relationship.)

The FL can fight back well enough to protect herself from sexual assault; doesn't need to be rescued. Yay!

The ML is a bit eager and pushy in progressing the steps of their relationship (in everything, but doesn't over-push sexually at least). He is possessive and a bit shameless. But he is also a good communicator, admires the FL as she is, and does his best to support and protect her. He is also quite lustful.

The SML does care about the FL but even though they are about to be engaged to be married, he feels like she's too cold. So he gets drunk and pretends to hang with another girl while saying disrespectful things about the FL. He was hoping to force a reaction from her to show that she cared about him. So his endless pursuit of her after she breaks it off with him makes more sense than the shows with the cheating guys who do a complete 180. He's still not likeable, but he's not a bad guy either.

Other notes:

There are lots of realistic kiss scenes, though most are quite brief. As their relationship progresses, the kisses become mutually passionate. There is also some flirting and sexually charged dialogue along with moments of romantic and sexual tension. There was enough sweetness to have me smiling at times.

There are some dramatic plot elements, but it felt like most of the focus remained on the leads.

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Kindred Spirits

General spoilers only. Lovely short story (14min). The leads are both members of the boy group TNT and have a true magnetism between them. The characters click with each other and their friendship grows strong fast. I like how the look of one boy's place changes (from messy and dark to clean and sunny) to indicate the steady, lasting change they make in each other's lives. They are together every day and plan to be that way from then on. They protect, comfort, and encourage each other.

This could fall under the Bromance category since it's made within China's censorship constraints, but I felt like the bond between the characters was palpable. It was fulfilling and made me smile. Surprisingly touching, since the story is quite simple, as the emotions are fully felt. Really great casting choice for this. Also some nice cinematography.

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