_ila

chill out guys, it's only february.

First of all i must say that my expectations for this drama were very high. Cuz i started watching this donghua vers. before i knew a drama was coming out and even though i only watched a few episodes i really liked it. Then to avoid any more spoilers i stopped watching the anime and waited for the drama for about 1-1.5 years. So yes, you can understand why my expectations were so high.
And thank God, it didn't disappoint me in the slightest. Except for the ending it was a breathtaking feast from beginning to end. I don't even need to go into the chemistry between Leizi and Ranran; they're both good actors and did justice to their roles. Plus they're both usually actors who play serious roles so it was a pleasure to see them in such a half silly fox role. My only issue was that they didn't do their own dubbing cuz at times you can clearly feel the dubbing in those scenes which ruins the whole viewing experience.
One of the best things about the series was how incredibly intelligent and cunning both sides were. I hate the "everyone's stupid except us" trope and in this series we saw a true battle of wits. Both sides used their power wisely. For example Prince Duan and the Empress were extremely intelligent but what led to their defeat was their excessive arrogance. (note: and all the villains had satisfying endings)
Also i had my doubts about whether the drama would be independent of the novel, but they followed almost the same plot as the novel. So, if you liked the novel, I'm sure you'll like the drama too.
As i said at the beginning, apart from the final scenes and some scenes that sounded strange due to the dubbing, there's nothing I disliked about the series. The plot, characters, acting, locations, CGI etc. were all very good. I knew they couldn't make the ending exactly like the novel due to the ban, but that still makes it a disappointing. However on the other hand i liked that Dan didn't die from the poison like in the novel and that they had a double happy ending. How he survived the poisoning also made sense, they didn't gloss over such an important scene.
Okey so if you like dramas that have romance, comedy, action, and intrigue all in one, you should definitely start watching this one. I mean i don't know guys, if they gave us such a good dramas even in february i wonder how they'll meet our expectations in the next 10 months.

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The 2026 cdrama season couldn't have had a better start

I've been obsessed with minghao and yixiao since Love in the Clouds, so there was no reason for me not to grab this modern drama in a heartbeat.
I mean... What can I say? Office life, employee-boss, roommates, rivals to lovers, sunshine gf and fake grumpy bf, green flag x green flag. Most of my favorite tropes are gathered in one drama. I feel like I'm in paradise.
I really liked how they approached each other from their first meeting. As I said, one of the show's tropes is green flag x green flag. Therefore, it's a show that doesn't annoy you with its main couple; on the contrary, it makes you laugh a lot and has a sweetness that will make you stomp your feet like a little child.
Despite having problems, they spoke to each other promptly and without hurting each other's feelings. They weren't some fantastical couple you'd never find anywhere else; on the contrary, they were both genuinely mature individuals with the necessary emotional intelligence. The wedding of the ex-fiancé and their breakup were the episodes I was most looking forward to; I was very curious to see how they would behave there. Thankfully, they didn't drag either situation out (especially breakups in TV shows usually bore the audience because the writers make the breakup ugly and reduce the couple's communication to zero. This wasn't the case at all. They both reflected the sadness well and their deep love for each other).
I also have to mention the female character because she's by far my favorite green flag female character after sang zhi. A sensible, realistic, charming, flirtatious, empathetic, outspoken person who can clearly set boundaries... She was perfect in every way. I hope they break up someday so I can date hu xiu lol

Now let's talk about the parts of the series I didn't like.
I know that one of the most important factors that drew many people, including myself, to the drama was the simulation game segments. The trailer gave these scenes a significant amount of screen time, so I don't think any of us expected them to be so few. Actually, they struck a good balance between the simulation game and real life in the early episodes, but the game scenes decreased so much afterwards that I really missed the competition in those episodes. Ultimately the drama was connected to architecture and design, so there was no reason not to see more of the game scenes.
Secondly, the chemistry between the second couple was so good. Even watching them as friends —a sweet guy and a serious woman— was enjoyable. Therefore, the cheating husband cliché was completely unnecessary for this couple. Either the husband should have been a decent person from the start, and we should have seen this married couple as the second couple, or the woman shouldn't have married at all, or if she did, the divorce should have happened years ago. When the cheating husband cliché came up, I expected scenes where he would turn into a nasty man after the divorce. But nothing happened. Really. There are no scenes with the ex-husband after the divorce. So that character was completely unnecessary; he just stole screen time from the couple.

Also, I have to mention that viewers who frequently suffer from "second male lead syndrome" won't have that problem with this drama. Because the second male lead is complete trash. Besides his good looks, he has no lovable qualities. Don't pay attention to the edits made to the drama; he's just a jealous kid who wants everything his brother has for himself. He doesn't even love the girl; he's just become obsessed with her (in such a short time).

In short, if you want to watch a cuddly and green flag relationship that constantly shows its affection for each other, but don't want it to be too slow-paced (i.e., one that maintains its own rhythm through its events), then this series is for you. You absolutely must watch it, go go go!

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