Zogitt

It takes a village to raise the best junior badminton team

Watching this show is like eating a whole tub of ice cream by yourself. It is a little naughty but so satisfying and a guilty pleasure. You almost feel a little embarrassed to admit you liked it so much.
This show has all the things that you'd decried about tropey, over-the-top scripts with questionable story telling but it has so much charm and energy that you didn't realise until you are hooked and it is too late to bail.
A lot of that energy came from the young cast. There are a lot of testosterone, teenage angst and bravado on display and sometimes it can feel monotonal but most of the time, the young actors, especially the Racket Boys, pulled it off. A special mention goes to Tang Jun Sang. He was impressive in Move to Heaven and he did not disappoint in this show. One to watch as his career develops. Kim Kang Hoon was a joy to watch, a mix of cuteness and determination. The veteran actors provided the glue that gave the show cohesion and a nurturing environment for the youngers to grow and be themselves. To be honest, some of those roles are from central casting and there is not a lot of depth to their characters but the fact that they are instantly recognisable is also comforting within this dramaverse.
As you can imagine, humour is central to a show like this but some of it is pretty crude and they are served with extra cheese. The show can be cringy as it farmed all the clichés and set up tropey situations just to milk the laughs/tears. What made it worked is the ensemble cast (both young and old) and the fast pacing so that you are never given enough time to analyse each scene. For much of the show, there is a definite coda, see setback -> overcome obstacle -> plot advances/character grows -> rinse and repeat. The show also tapped into many other themes beyond sports, found family, friendship, romance, dislocation, alienation and many more. Even a bit of supernatural towards the end which you can only shrug and say "why not". You would think it is a mess and it was but you are too invested to care (or you'd have dropped the show a long time ago). You'd forgive a lot of their trespasses just to see what happens next. However, this is a doubled edged sword as you knew things will never get too rough and the reward is always a few scenes away.
However, not everything can be dismissed offhandedly. The way the show dealt with antagonists can be quite tone deaf and lackadaisical. Foreigners and city dwellers are easy foils. Bad people will do bad things, end of story. The whole land developer subplot was heavy handed and farcical.
Romance was a big part of the show and a source of minor frustration as the teasing and push/pull goes on and on. There is little skinship to talk about but it is rated PG15+ more for other contents.
I have read some comments on the badminton games were not realistic. I beg to differ. I doubt any sport based drama has ever portraited their sport 100% realistically. Drama and plot development must come first so tight editing and a bit of CGI are used to create tension and magic. I think the young actors did their best to impress us on how physical and challenging the game is at elite level and I'm sure they'd have sweated through tough training sessions as well. They deserve a bit more credit.
One thing that did irked me was how Kang Tae Seon gets to play in the national team selection match against the ML. According to the show, Kang has not played badminton for 10 years. Putting aside his fitness and skill retention there must be some kind of ranking system so that people have to demonstrate a certain level of merit to earn a wildcard entry but to go straight to the top seemed to take the mickey out of the system, Consider his character was introduced late in the drama and probably will not show up again (unless there is a season 2), it served little purpose other than to take the ML down a notch and to humanise the head coach.
Even with the questionable subplots, I definitely enjoyed this show and it demands very little from you. The less critical you are, the more enjoyable this show will be. Like I said, it is a guilty pleasure that you can binge watch easily.

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Lovely healing romantic drama. Shame about the unravelling plots

Genre meshing is very common in k-drama. Supernatural/romance, romance/crime and many other combos. A lot of the time it works and that is usually because the plot grew around each other organically. In this case, the opposite happened.

Before you assume this is a negative review, it is not. I really liked this drama and the romance/healing plots were so well done and it was so sweet in a natural way. The crime/revenge plot was also very intriguing and complex, it is the lack of cohesion between the two at the later stage of the drama that pains me.

In terms of the positives, the acting from the cast is great. There were the odd overacting but their characters demanded it, otherwise it was well above average. The love story was cliché but seasoned actors pulled it off and pulled you into their lives so that you really want to swoon at their cheesy antics. The cinematography was wonderful. So many scenes were beautifully shot with depth and nuisances. Some were very thought provoking and impactful as well. Ditto the use of colour and lighting to signify moods. The production values were good all round and the OST was thematic. Most rooftop dwelling in k-drama equate cheap and cheerful housing for the lower income protagonists but this one is luxe. I want to live somewhere like that!

Now the not so good bits. The main issue for me is the two main plots were intertwined in the beginning and the crime side was very impactful for a few episodes but then it started to head off into its own space. There were intersecting points along the way but it felt like meeting of acquaintances rather than close friends. This is a shame as the crime thriller side could stand on its own but there was only about an hour of solid footage in 16 episodes. The tonal shift between the main sunny romance plot and the much darker revenge plot was getting uncomfortable as the show progress and the relationship between the OTP and the 2ML become more and more tenuous. It was never jarring but it does beg the question what impact does one plotline have on the other and the answer is not a lot. I'm sure the writer wanted us to see the self destructive nature of the revenge plot but it yin-yang too much. In the end. I pretty much focused on the romantic stories and basked in the warm sunshine and frolicked with the unicorns while paying less and less attention to the revenge subplot. I think that is a shame but I was shipping the OTP too hard to suddenly shift my mood 180 degrees every so often just because the writer-nim wanted me to.

I would still recommend this drama but treat it almost as if it is two separate dramas and how much enjoyment you get out of this will depend on where your focus is.

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Light and fluffy rom-com that is weighted down by its setting

If you look at this show purely from a rom-com perspective then it is quite good but tropey. Nice cute CP with not a lot of "drama". Some swoon worthy moments but I can't help but feel that the ML did most of the heavy lifting. The FL is cute and pretty but for the longest time, she has minimal facial expression and a pout. When they do kiss, I felt that she was kissed rather than they shared a kiss, if you know what I mean.

The elephant in the room is the backdrop of the e-sport scene. There has been several other shows using that theme but this one has a very singular focus on one MOBA game and it does felt a little claustrophobic as all the antagonists and protagonists came from that pool. Sometimes it is the fans or management or players behaving badly. No wonder they got some backlash from gamers saying that they portraited e-sport in a bad light. To be fair, the show did expend a fair bit of energy on promoting the goals and aspirations of the players but they do live ostentatiously so the message is definitely mixed. It would be interesting to see how much traction this show will have in the current push by the Chinese government to limit online gaming by the younger generation. Just to round out the topics de jour, we also see the issue of rabid fandom and cyber-bullying. Maintaining the light tone, things never get truly out of hand.

OST is light and fluffy and rewatch value is limited as the show is padded out with a lot of gaming sequences which you will either love or be confused by.

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Short and Sweet romance with a decent plot

I have only watched a few Thai dramas and this is another good 'un
Let's be honest. this is no high drama. It is low angst, low impact drama by any measures. It is a rom-com that can be easily binged as it is only 13 episodes long (about 45 mins each). Because of the short run time, the pacing is good and the plot moves along without too many deviations.
What I did like are the OTP's chemistry, they are hot together. Yes, lots of push/pulls in the beginning. The development of their relationship was well paced. It is not like they hated each other for 80% of the show and then just jump into bed because they ran out of time or ideas. You can see from their expressions and their private musings that they were falling for each other as the show progressed. They also have this easy going sexy vibe with each other.
I also like how the writer used the dirty tricks cooked up to harm the OTP as catalyst to push them closer together and take their relationship further. This is so much better than just set them up as the OTP early on and then throw roadblocks at them until the inevitable breakup. In this case, you still get the impact of the misdeeds but it was also a positive force and you can enjoy their growth as well. Nicely done.
What I didn't like was how the antagonist was used. She got away with too much. Even after being called out again and again, she just kept escalating her scheming. Yes, it moves the story along but she was not really punished in the end (she paid a price but it was a fraction of the pain she brought unto others) and then she even gets a happy ending. This is a pet hate of mine. Many dramas allow the antagonist a free run, give them a slap on the wrist and then hands them a happy ending as bonus. Not really sending a strong message, are we?
Support cast did a fine job. Some were a bit one dimensional but that is to be expected in such a short run show. They served their purpose by introducing some angst. The main support roles were more fleshed out. I loved the BFF of the FL. She was such a perfect foil for the FL. The 2ML (Tawan) was too weak for my liking. He enabled the antagonist ceaselessly, called her out repeatedly and then just hanged around like a love sick puppy (which he was).
All in all, an enjoyable watch. Nothing amazing but well worth the time to binge it and recharge with some swoon worthy moments.

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Genre bending wuxia rom-com that takes irreverent fun to the next level

A word of warning. If you are a wuxia aficionado then you probably should skip this show. The setting is familiar and the characters played roles that are instantly recognisable but almost everything in between have been flipped and turned around so that it became irreverent and very tongue-in-cheek.

The plot is classic wuxia. I would even go as far as saying it was old school. All based around sects, secret sutras and the attainment of the highest level of martial art form with special powers and lots of flying around. The basic plot was the typical blood feud that spanned years and wicked plots to secure the secret sutra. However, that storyline was largely used as the skeleton for the meat of the story which was the romance of the OTP.

Here I am going to on a tangent because it has been bugging me. From the first episode to about the 1/3 mark, the show gave me strong "What's wrong with Secretary Kim" vibes. I know the setting is completely different but if you look at the basic outline then you can see quite a bit of WWwSK's DNA in this show. The handsome and VERY narcissistic boss (ML), beautiful, long suffering and super efficient assistant (FL) who had been with him for years. Once the boss realised the FL was going to quit, he decided that the only way to keep her was to marry her. There was even a childhood trauma which the FL only vaguely remembers and a "brother" that saved her which could be either the ML or the 2ML. Curious, no?

Anyway, back to the review. The romance was the focus of the whole show and luckily, the writer kept a steady hand on the wheel and did not allow the show to go from rom-com to melodrama at the blink of an eye. Yes, there were death, injuries and destructions but the Love is strong with the OTP. Once you get past the standard wuxia storyline, the writer really got "creative" with the subplots and twists. It was Sillyville for much of the show. Everything from slapstick, funny dialogues to visual gags were thrown into the mix. Even the presentation was not spared. We had scenes shot like black and white silent movies and even a cartoon segment. You certainly have a feeling that there were some influence from webtoons.

Was the show funny? A fair bit of the time and there were even the odd hilarious moments. Some jokes did fall flat but that is to be expected. Most of the plots were telegraphed in advance so it is almost like having laugh tracks, you know something weird and crazy was going to happen soon. Credit goes to the writer and director for sticking to their guns. The humour didn't stop until the last scene.

It did get a bit draggy during the second half of the show as it was a long retelling of their courtship but from a different perspective.

A lot of the main support cast were there as comedic foils so their characters were deliberately one dimensional or exaggerated but they earned their pay. It was not an easy gig.

Yes, it is a silly show and you are not talking about fantastic acting, intricate plots or heartfelt emotions (most of the time) but in a sea of same-same dramas, it is a nice change of pace and it did have some cute and funny moments. I enjoyed it more than I expected and that surprised me. Rose-tinted glasses helped a lot. :)

The OST is weird. Not much Chinese music, almost themed like a Benny Hill show (look it up if you don't know that reference ;) ). Rewatch value is there if you want a break from heavy going dramas.

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Text book rom-com with a love of clichés

The TL;DR version: it is a very tropey, cliché laden rom-com that failed to hit any heights and ended up meandered for too long before a predictable ending.

The longer version: This show started fine. Very tropey setup with cold, rude CEO ML and feisty college student FL in a contract marriage. The logic behind the plot was questionable but we'll let that pass for now. It was set up and running within the first 2 episodes. Consider the show runs for 30 x 30+ mins episodes, you would think that there is lots of time to develop the characters and watch their relationship blossom but alas, the real confession didn't happen until late in the show and nothing much happened (drama wise) between those two points. It was overstuffed with every colour of clichés that I wish I was a cliché spotter! Time and time again, just when you see the obvious set up and waited for the ML to utter the 4 immortal Chinese words (我喜欢你) and seal it with a kiss, the scene faded to black and they took a collective step back.

They did amped up the sugar moments after the confession but it was all bait and switch as the writer threw even more CP roadblocks in their way and culminated in the predictable plot arc. If you think that I'm talking about the OTP both dying in a plane crash then you should get a job with them because you are way more creative.

I'm not saying that every rom-coms have to be full of original ideas but better ones handle clichés like delicate building blocks, be creative with them. This show used them with extreme prejudice and with little return. It was like they took the "Chinese Rom-com for Dummies" to the pitch meeting.

Acting was patchy. The FL is fine. A feisty college student is bread and butter for young actors these days. The ML suffered from the Chinese idol syndrome. They have the looks and the physique but his acting skills are limited. Stoney face might be ok for the cold CEO role but when the role expanded and he couldn't stretch to meet the demands then we have a problem. The FL's BFF and one half of the 2OPT was problematic as well. It was almost painful to watch her in some of the lovey-dovey scenes with the 2ML. There was little chemistry with the second pairing but they can be cute together. There was a decent amount of skinship with the CP's but not a whole lot of passion. One surprise was the ML's mum. She was a scene stealer and a fount of wisdom and so sweet and understanding. Shame that she didn't have a bigger role.

There was little growth in the characters, more like Jackal and Hyde personality changes. This was especially true for the ML and not in a good way.

The ending was sugar coated and the FL's male junior did the honourable thing but the happy ending was never in doubt. It was a decent conclusion. I'm not too sure why they did the CGI chapel in the end. Seemed a bit unnecessary.

OST was serviceable. Rewatch value is low.

I started off enthused, gradually became irritated (aka almost dropped) and then finally settled on resigned indifference.

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More of the good things and a few niggles

Oh, so much I loved the Dr Romantic's drama-verse. It was a little microcosm of a perfectly crafted world where love, skills, compassion and friendship can overcome all evils. Dr Romantics 2 certainly had that in spades but there were awkward moments with the storytelling, a bit like your dog peeing on the rug while your friends were visiting. Do you ignore it or not?
As an ensemble drama, this show is second to none. The old hospital was a great setting and the main/support cast were always superb. You can pretty much just watch them chat while washing dishes and it would be ok. ;) However, where DR1 was a wonderful journey as we observed how the team grew, worked and played together, DR2 had the hospital well and truly humming along (still short staffed and poorly funded) but a lot of the enjoyment was just seeing the regulars in their roles. Some of them were angrier, some were more stressed, they all got older and one had to retire. The pacing was so fast and furious that you don't have time to worry about the in between bits.

Some reviews lamented that this is not DR2 with the same cast. I understand that but I don't think there is a dire need for that. DR2 is strong enough to be judged on its own merits and the time and plot have moved on. This left us with a time shift and 3 new doctors. Two of the new doctors were very flawed and scarred individuals. It was good that they came to Doldam Hospital because Dr Kim saw their potentials and he made them whole again.

That worked but because it included the OTP we had to deal with their romantic subplot. It was true that the ML had a crush on the FL since their med school days and we were left with no doubts by the flashbacks. Her feelings towards him was a lot more ambiguous. In a way, backstory stuff was a bit redundant as they were the classic trope of opposite types being thrown together in high pressure situations. You can literally get a spark off two wet sponges. No surprise then that after lots of push backs from the FL, she fell head-over-heels for the ML. It got the job done as the plot goes but it felt heavily scripted. On the other hand, the 2OTP were cuter and felt more relatable but they didn't get enough screen time, IMHO.

Another niggle is that after many episodes of trials and tribulations showing us the M/FL's personal issues, it all got resolved too easily so that it lost a lot of the impact. The main antagonist (Prof. Park) was a bit grey, neither truly evil nor chaotic. Deus ex machina was in full force at the end of the show where most of the evil plots and scheming were largely resolved in one stroke. It was a most satisfying conclusion but I couldn't help but felt like I was the only one left out of a prank.

Don't get me wrong, when this show gets it right (and that was most of the time), it was a masterful piece of medical drama. So many heart warming as well as gut wrenching moments. I still felt a bit choked up when I recall certain scenes (no spoilers!). But I do feel that the writer-nim succumbed to the demand of a romantic plotline and the desire to give us a happy ending at all costs.

The OST was great. Rewatch value is high.

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Cute, watchable youth drama with a hard edge

At its core, it was a youth drama, a college romance but it was also a modern take of a wuxia drama which got me interested.
The core story charted the FL's growth in her tai chi skills and the romance between the FL and ML who was her college senior as well as tai chi teacher. Yes, that was an over simplification as a lot of it was tied up with the ML's plan to modernise the teaching of tai chi and the competition/bad blood between different Kung Fu styles/clans/sects. If you are thinking that tai chi is taught around the world right now so what's the big deal then you will have to watch this and see for yourself. ;)
The likes:
* The aesthetics was beautiful. One of the best looking c-drama I have seen. The cinematography and sceneries used were superb. No CGI required. There was an almost calming, ethereal quality to it with old architectures and lots of Chinese arts on display. The colour palette was warm and natural.
* The main cast were so good looking. The guys won, by the way. ;)
* Most of the fight scenes were expertly choreographed. Looks amazing and impactful.
* The story was not draggy (see discussion below).
* It was relatively angst light (see dislike below) and a lot of the misunderstandings were resolved fairly quickly with some straight talking.
The dislikes:
* While the aesthetics was beautiful, it did have its inconsistencies. The classic was the B-roll showing ancient tile roofs and in the background were high rise buildings shrouded in fog/pollution. Some scenes transition between rooms can feel weird. Like a really modern room (with digital wall switches) to a traditional Chinese sitting room that was suppose to be part of the same building. Not impossible but . . .
* I initially thought the production deliberately downplayed mod-cons like TV to keep that ethereal feel but then towards the end of the show, the OTP switched on the TV and started singing karaoke. Hmmm
* While the skinship was kept very much in the G rated realm, the fighting did get graphic and bloody (especially towards the end). Some themes were also very dark. It did felt odd that death and major crimes were ok but skinship was not.
* The romance was there and we even had 3 couples but they were all very restrained. There were chemistry (sort of) but there was little progress. A bit of hand holding, side eyes and a hug or two. We didn't even get a proper kiss for the whole show. The 2OTP is where the writer usually have more freedom to play with emotions and passion but we only got more angst and little passion. The word chaste came to mind.
* Costumes was a real mixed bag. The worse was probably the ML. His costumes went from standard sombre street wear to weird baggy Chinese trad/mod fusion. I won't call them stylish. For the OMG moment. Check out his costume for the final fight in the dying minute of the show. It is straight out of a video game.
Acting:
I thought the FL looked familiar and then it dawned on me that she was the FL in Dr Cutie. She did better in Dr Cutie but I think a lot of that was due to the script and the character had more freedom to express herself (and improvement in her acting abilities over time). She did a good job here as a young feisty college student.
The ML did ok for the most part. I believe he is an idol so we can't expect too much acting skills. As to be expected, he was supposed to be cool and aloof but at least he managed to appear more aloof due to his senior tai chi rank rather than just being a stuck-up. He was a bit out of his league with his wooden delivery during some big emotional scenes.
The rest of the support cast were mostly young and they did a decent job. Most have fairly straightforward roles.
I just realised I kept saying "towards the end". The reason is the last few episodes just felt odd. The directing, subplots and acting all felt misaligned. Episode 22 was the turning point for me. There were scenes and editing that didn't make sense. The tai chi dojo was supposed to be trashed but we saw none of that. A couple of girls got rescued but why? The cliché breakup that wasn't a breakup?
The National martial art competition was the main focus towards the end and it was done well. Lots of awesome fight scenes. There were also plot holes but you sort of just go along with it. It hit me later on that the competition was suppose to have lasted over 30 days?! That is ridiculously long. Even Wimbledon only lasted 2 weeks.
Episode 24 was mostly fan service but it felt underdone. We have the big dramatic scene (not spoiling) then relationship doubts then happy group scenes with cameo of the Japanese actor (for no reason). Final twist at the send-off was poorly handled and if it was meant to be a surprise then it landed with a thud. It just felt like a mishmash of scenes and messages. Something happened to the script writing for the last few episodes and it was not good.
Oddly enough, episode 1 was a bit like that. Things just happened that didn't felt connected. If I had only one word to describe it then it would be messy. Just as well things got a whole lot better for the next 20 episodes.
OST was quite good, especially when it matched well with the beautiful sceneries. Dubbing was a little patchy at times.
I would rewatch it for its aesthetics, the cute moments and the fight scenes but it is not a high priority.

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Sweet ensemble cast (some with 4 legs) that delivered

Very few drama trope can stir your emotions like those involving animals and with 6 furry pets involved we are guaranteed emotion and cuteness overload.
To be honest, the movie didn't break any new grounds and everything was fairly low key in the drama department but it was written that way so it delivered as expected. The stories were nice and sweet but it can hit you in the feels when it wanted to and I was really saddened by one of the stories. The rest were sweet, heart-warming and uplifting so mission accomplished.
Best to watch it with family or SO and your own pet on a lazy day.

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Too many villains spoilt the plot

The premise of this show is centred around a ML who can't forget and a FL was suffered from some memory loss due to PTSD and their journey to find love and heal each others emotional wounds.

Let me say up front that there are lots to like about this romance/healing drama and I enjoyed it overall. The acting of the leads were superb. I was most impressed by the ML (his first drama role was in the Coffee Prince!) who nailed his character from a serious news anchor who radiated gravitas to the vulnerable boy friend seeking love and reassurance. The FL appeared sweet and simple on the surface but required her to emote a whole range of complex emotions as the story progressed.

Most of the support cast also did a good job with veteran actors given solid roles. The 2OTP was a super cute pair and their couple time was so sweet. Unsurprisingly, they were allowed to fall in love organically and just be two people in love without all the crazy sub-plots.

The OTP had great chemistry and their couple time was often swoon worthy. The problem was that the writer just won't let them be. It was like a game of marbles. The OTP was constantly bombarded by trials and tribulations. I know it is standard trope to throw obstacles in front of the OTP but we are talking about a stalker/murderer, a copycat stalker, burglary, return of the stalker/murderer, an unethical doctor and then a revenge seeking journo to round things out. When you consider the show was only 16 episodes long, the villains are having more screen time than the main cast.

I accept that the initial stalker plot, while tropey, was a reasonable device as both M/FL had lots of emotional baggage and it all started with that chain of horrible events. There were lots of flashbacks so we knew full well what happened eight years ago and the impact on them. To have the stalker plot repeated again and the new stalker copying the first one's modus operandi just felt lazy. 

The show then passed the baton back to the original stalker was an odd decision that gave him way too much exposure with minimal gains. Due to this parade of trouble makers, the show just didn't have time to address their arc to my satisfaction. Yes, they were punished but that tends to be a rushed footnote before the next villain was hurriedly wheeled in.

All this evil-doing sucked the oxygen out of the script. The OTP was constantly getting together and then breaking up and then reunited again with all manners of broken promises and forever apologising to each other and re-re-reaffirming their undying love. When we watch a romance/healing drama like this, the viewers need some kind of reward for shipping the pair. In this case, these were few and far between. It was rather draining to see the pair suffer yet another set back. Romantic scenes were great, even the breakups were wonderfully acted but we need to see a path out of the quagmire. That was one thing that the show failed to deliver.

In the end, we were gifted with the happy ending we all craved but it was so rushed and to be honest, a bit abrupt. They didn't communicate at all for 2 years (even though there were multiple options) and then the first time they set eyes on each other in Korea it was full on again as if they just had a lover's quarrel and made up a day later. Yes, I'm thankful for the unicorn moments but it was just too expedient. The OTP tried to say that they don't care about gossip and scandals anymore but they were strong 2 years ago and they walked away from that relationship. What gives?!

If I were to rate this drama purely on story/plot then it would have been a borderline 7 but the acting was so good that they deserved a solid 8.

The OST was fine, sad and sentimental mostly. Rewatch value is a mix bag. I wouldn't mind just cropping all the couple moments from both OTP's together and just rewatch those. The rest can stay on the editing room floor.

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You will either love this or drop it because it is polarising

You know how some dramas gives you a rollercoaster ride as the story develops and race towards the conclusion. This drama starts off like that but then it hits the flat bit and never goes up an incline again which is a shame as there were potentials but it got bogged down by "messages".

On the surface, it was a story about 4 pairs of lovers. Some have a fairly smooth run, others much more torturous. In between there were corporate battles and business shenanigans. If that was not enough, gun toting drug runners created havoc along the way. Did that sounds confusing, yes, it was.

Like many c-dramas, the start was promising. The first episode was like an action movie. Guns, stunts and explosions filled the screen. It was done well and definitely not your typical meet-cute.

The first half of the show largely settled down to more standard rom-com plots with the usually push-pull and discovering of new feelings. It was also quite interesting to see the progress of designing a new garment and the steps it took to turn the design into a successful product. If the writer stuck to the same plot then I would have given it a much higher score.

The wheel start to fall off around the half way mark. The plot took a silly turn with the drug king pin running amok which reinforced certain "messages" and allowed the ML to play the gung-ho hero one last time. That was pretty much the end of the 1OTP's romantic development though. By then, they were so fated, it was casted in iron and encased in concrete. The problem is that the focus now moved to the other 3 pairs and unfortunately, two of the three pairs were more than a bit cliché with Ning Weikai scoring the worst own goal I have ever seen in any drama! C'mon, writer, you can do better than that. I won't spoil it but it involved a dress and a letter. On the other hand, the relationship between Chen Yayi and Chen Zheng's was fun and organic. Quite refreshing compared with the other pairs. Chen Yayi was outstanding and her characterisation was even better than the FL at times. How she refused to play ball with Chen Zheng just because he was a rich playboy made her a much stronger character. Even as the two developed feelings for each other, she was always grounded and put Chen Zheng in his place when he tried any tricks on her. Honestly, if they separate out their storyline, jazz it up a bit and turn it into a 16 episodes drama (a la k-drama), I would happily watch it.

As I mentioned before, the process of developing a product in the fashion industry was quite interesting but a lot of that disappeared around mid show. While there were some dirty tricks being played between competitors from the start, the second half was all talking. scheming and a race to see how low can their tricks go. Lots of planning and boardroom scenes but there is not a lot of meat. A few drawings were pushed around and a whole product line was created by the next episode including swanky shops. Everything boiled down to scheming and backstabbing. I suppose that would be okay if the show was 40 episodes long (instead of 50) as you can actually see where all the plots converged around that point and if they had stopped it there, it would have been a decent conclusion. However, the "message" really took over the last ten episodes.
I suppose it is time to talk about these "messages". It is not unusually for c-drama to push some messages about Chinese culture or pride in Chinese achievements but this show had many such messages and they were pushed quite hard and with little subtlety. While they were ever present throughout the show, It really amped up in the last ten episodes. When instead of just talking about faceless scheming foreign companies, they actually hired two blonde haired Chinese speaking foreign actors to play the villains and they were bad to the core. Obviously, the domestic audience might well love the patriotic storyline but others might find it too heavy-handed and sounded like propaganda. Your mileage will differ. When seen from that angle, It was odd to see Audi cars everywhere as they were obviously a major sponsor as were other international brands that appeared as PPL.

The OST was ok. Fairly generic love songs and background music. Nothing jarring with the audio which was a plus.
Re-watch value is low as it was a simple, well telegraphed plot. Some of the early action sequences might be worth a second viewing.

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Superior Chinese period rom-com

While the plot summary sounds kind of same-same to a number of period romance/rom-com where a cool, handsome ML meets and falls in love with a cute, feisty FL, the actual story telling and pacing placed this show well above most of the pack.
You might groan a little as the show opened with the FL cross dressed as a guy and running amok in the city's marketplace but it soon took a different track as more of her background was revealed. The fact that she actually accepted the arrange marriage and decided to turn it to her advantage was refreshing and very engaging. There were quite a few laughs in the first few episodes when she lorded over her shell shocked new husband even though he was a famous general with a killer reputation.
Another welcomed change was when they put in the typical divorce/breakup trope very early in the show and gave it a nice positive spin resulted in more laughs and character growth. This is a major contrast to when most c-drama would settle into a few episodes of despair and silent longing.
The OTP had fantastic chemistry. The FL was a strong character who stood up to bullies, will not accept defeat and willing to fight for her goals. Just as well that the ML is cool (not heartless) but smart and knew that she was his soulmate and gave in to her completely. Once the push-pull and doubts were settled, their love was true and deep, their trust unwavering and unquestionable.
Overall, the support cast were solid. Some of the younger actors were a little weak but they are not carrying a lot of weight so it was ok. Some of the cuteness came from the secondary pairings once the OTP settled into their married life. Even then there was still a decent amount of skinship and feels. Just a little less flirting.
The OST was surprisingly good. The main theme was well matched to the show and was used extensively.
Now for the not so good bits. The second (or was it third) sister was very annoying and a real trouble maker. That is typical for this type of drama but once again, she went unpunished even though her big mouth got the whole family into serious trouble. All was forgiven by the end of the show and everyone moved on as if nothing had happened. Weird to say the least.
Speaking of ending, the last episode was mostly rainbows and unicorns and tied up all the loose ends. That is all well and good as fan service goes but the plot leading up to it was surprisingly weak and contrived. Contrasted this to the writing for the whole show which was solid, well paced and consistent. It was a little disappointing.
Overall, enjoyed it very much, highly recommended.

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More sugar ball than odd ball

It is a bit zany and it didn't follow the usual t-drama path 100% which is a good thing. Using the live streamers as main characters is also added nice contemporary touch. However, it is not all good news as it had its flaws as well.
Put simply, this is a rom-com through and through. It is low angst even though it did touch on a couple of heavy themes but those are resolved surprising quickly and without the heavy melodrama usually attached to similar dramas. It is a surprisingly light touch but one that worked with the plot. Like some other similar shows, the main OTP has a decent amount of chemistry but I won't call it amazing. More sweet and cute than passionate. A decent amount of skinship but constrained. The more passionate love affair was (once again) left to the 2OTP. They had more angst but also burnt more brightly. By the end of the show, there are multiple pairings and it was a little over the top but it is a rom-com after all. On top of that there was one of the most fully developed bromance in many a c/t/k-dramas. It ran from first to the last episode and full of gags and feels. A definite highlight. There are also lots of feels from friendships that are supportive and genuine.
On the whole, acting was good. There were definitely some overacting (as per t-drama play book) but the comedic payoff was there. The ML and FL may be seen as a bit one dimensional and I would agree to a certain extend as their growth came later. Especially the ML who was a classic man-child for most of the show.
Interestingly, where the show dropped the ball is not the usual mid show drag (it is only 20 episodes long) but odd plot developments that felt a bit jarring and contrived. The ending is also very corny (a typical t-drama trait). There seemed to be a lack of story material towards the end and they used a fair amount of flash backs to fill time and the weakness in the story was fairly obvious by then. Maybe they could tighten it up and cut a couple of episodes. Not a deal breaker but it was telling. Honestly, by that stage, you are just watching the show for the romance and feels. Plot? What plot.
Overall, it was an entertaining show. Low angst and high on sugar content. There are LOL moments and lots of feels.

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A breath of fresh air but not without flaws

I think this series held a lot of promise but not all were delivered and some mono-tonal writing caused it to lose some points. I have to give the writers kudos for including so many societal issues in the plot(s) and hence generated a lot of online reactions in the Chinese social media. While that was a breath of fresh air in the local TV scene at the time, I can't help but feel that it was done largely to generate the said traffic and viewership but most of the issues are not really explored, a bit of issue du jour? This is not helped by fairly shallow character portrayal. Especially the two youngest women, Qiu Yingying and Guan Ju'er. One was naive and immature to the point of being almost an airhead while the other is timid and grey. When so little character development happens in 42 episodes, you have to start asking questions. Not that they don't play their roles, it is just that it almost becomes a caricature and tools for the writers. The whole love line for GJE was just ridiculous. Why/how does someone have an instant crush and then nothing come of it in the drama. Even if she put up a fight for him, it would have been good but it was just side glances and deep sighs. I have to say that Andy as a character was the most complex of the five but then again, I find it hard to ship the relationship with Qi Dian. The writers tried their best to build chemistry but I never felt it exited the friend zone. How hard he tried to get inside her pants was also a bit off putting. The show also have some double standards. They are happy to highlight social issues but at the same time, they also push success and wealth to the front. While they didn't go so far as using the "rich dude get away with murder" trick, so many times fun is equated to staying in 5/6 stars hotels , clubbing with the elites and eating in fancy restaurants. Don't even mention fast cars as they are on full display as moving PPL. On one hand, the masses will identify with the 3 struggling women on the 22nd fl but the have's and have not's are also in stark contrast so that there can't really be happiness unless you have money and power. I did enjoyed a lot of the show but there are moments when I have to stop myself from shouting at the monitor when things get stupid and/or dragged on. OtJ2 is over 50 episodes.

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What is better than one swoon worthy CP? Two, of course!

I was reading a review of a movie and the reviewer made a salient point, a movie is supposed to make you feel something and by extension, dramas should do the same. This pretty much summed up why this show is so good. The writer-nims really know how we want to feel when we watch a rom-com and they delivered in spades.

There is no point is pretending that this show has no clichés or tropey plotlines. In its defence, it was done in such a way that it piqued our interest, pulled us through the door and then threw away the key. It conditions us with little swoon worthy and feel good moments. Angsty bits are fleeting, and it is always followed up by a bit more sugar. We are addicted and want more.

This is aided and abetted by the CP's deep love for each other and they were largely unshakable. This core tenet is what gave the Show an edge over others. We have all seen this before, romance dramas go through the sundry meet-cute and feed us a large dose of artificial sweetener before expending a lot of negative energy to pull them apart. It can be so wearing that we find it hard to ship the CP. We don’t have that problem here. Most viewers should be able to ship the two leading CP’s and ship them hard!

Speaking of the CP's, we have two primary couples (Tae Moo/Ha Ri and Sung Hoon/Young Seo) and a secondary pair (Eui Ju/Kevin). The primary pairings are great with oodles of chemistry and matching good looks. In all honesty, the 2OTP was almost as interesting as the 1OTP and should have equal billing. The 3OTP was ok but I do wish they'd tone down their overacting a bit, especially the 3ML.

Is the Show perfect? If you had asked me before the end of episode 11, I’d have said yes but it did stumble towards the end. The intimate scene of the 1OTP was oddly lacking. It was a long time coming, the stars were aligned but it just felt clunky. Compared that to the intimate scene of the 2OTP much earlier, it was night and day.

The next slip up is the forced separation of the OTP. Simply put, it was a waste of time. The FL was doing fine winning the granddad over and they could have kept going along that line. The 1 year time skip took up precious time and the show lost momentum. I would much prefer they give us a wedding scene (or two!). Maybe even the honeymoons.

It felt like the writer-nims phoned in the last 15mins of the Show from a beach on Jeju-do. The granddad's illness has little emotional impact nor their separation. Why bother at all?

The ending is as sweet and happy as you’d expect but it could have been much more of a fan service. Our two beloved couples were left with just a promise of eternal love. It would be much more rewarding if they followed the webtoon a little closer and gave us the key milestone moments. :P

OST was good. Rewatch value is high.

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