Ariel

Such a good show

This is one of those shows in which you really have to know the culture to appreciate properly. A lot of people watching it are watching it with a western mindset, which very much impacts the enjoyment of it. The importance that amae, as well as cultural interdependence, plays on this show is huge, and it needs to be in your frame of reference to understand some of the characters' more... questionable actions.

Now, I'm not saying that their miscommunication nor their more toxic traits were okay, but it is important to have the Japanese culture in mind as a reference while watching. If you want to go into more of a deep dive into this, I can suggest a post by notfreetoday on Tumblr (feel free to ask me for it).

Now, into my own reaction of the show: I loved it. This show reminded me of my early manga-reading days, when the only translations available were fan translations of really blurry scans. Both actors were amazing at portraying their emotions, and the chemistry between the two was off the charts.

Segasaki's insecurity whenever Yoh wouldn't treat their relationship as seriously as he did was portrayed wonderfully and expertly, and whenever Yoh couldn't pick up on the amae that Segasaki was putting out, you could tell how hurt Segasaki was. Conversely, Yoh's confusion about what their relationship is and his desire for Segasaki to be more straightforward with him was also beautifully portrayed.

I enjoyed watching their relationship develop and both of them growing and clueing in to what the other's communication style was (a bit, haha. They definitely still have work to do there). The last episode was very satisfying for their relationship, and made me wish for more episodes with them. However, I do think it ended very well and that the episodes they had were perfect for the story they were trying to convey.

I recommend this to those who watch a lot of Japanese shows and/or are familiar with the culture. Yes, there are some questionable aspects, but watch it more with an open mind! (Also, let's remember: this is fantasy! It's not a real relationship, so we're allowed to enjoy it for what it is.)

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Disjointed but good chemistry

Look, for a show that's in 2023, from China, and about lesbians, our standards (unfortunately) can't be very high. And honestly, it was fun to watch.

The show in and of itself doesn't make much sense; the plot is very disjointed. I often didn't know what happened in between transitions until a flashback much further down the story explained it, but even with said flashback I was still a little lost on how (or why) things were happening. All three lifetimes also ended with one of the girls dying, so we're back to China only giving us queer content if it doesn't end happy. (Though I'm grateful for the little behind the scenes wedding!) But even so, I gotta say this little show did all it could to give us what we wanted. The chemistry between the two girls was great, the acting was decent, and the costumes were good. Even though the plot was disjointed, I could mostly understand what they were going for.

It's not the best short drama in the world, but it's a good one to binge (it'll only take you 20-ish minutes). I'm glad I watched it.

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Plot holes... plot holes everywhere.

Many reviews have already said this but... so much happened and at the same time nothing did. I feel like the idea behind this story was great, and it could have benefitted a lot from more screentime and money.

There was no understanding of the timeline whatsoever. At one point someone asked one of the main leads "how long?" (had he liked the other main lead) and I too, wanted the answer to that question. How long has it been since they met? One week? One month? Several months? It was very confusing.

The plot... I think the conception and idea of it was good. I really wish it could've been executed properly. Either they didn't film enough or how it was edited was bad but it was very confusing. I wish there had been more time to flesh out the characters and backstory. I did hear the movie version will have extra scenes so maybe that will help?

The acting wasn't bad! It wasn't great, but I think with a little more experience they'd do well.

The ending, like the entire show, was very abrupt. I should have been used to it, but when it ended I definitely was like, "That's it?!"

I'd watch this if you have nothing else to watch. It's cute, albeit very confounding.

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Give it a try!

Normally I don't like this type of complex political-type show, but a lot of my friends were recommending it so I decided to give it a try. Honestly, I'm really glad I did. As a person who has anxiety and really hates misconceptions in shows, this drama had quite a low amount of plots that had me super anxious. Instead, it's really cool seeing how Mei Changsu is going to navigate the latest dilemma and what things he's got hidden in his sleeves. I absolutely loved his character, as well as Prince Jing, Meng Zhi, and Fei Liu. The acting for everyone is amazing. Even if you hate the character, you have to respect the actor and the script-writer for their work, because I was amazed every time. This show really gets you invested from the second episode (the first has necessary set-up) and really makes you want to re-watch to see everything that you missed, especially if you're like me and haven't read the novel. There are truly no filler episodes, and the only tiny thing that lagged was the semi-romance but frankly it wasn't at the forefront of the show so I didn't mind. I really recommend it, not only because of the plot, but because every aspect is really well done.

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It pulls you in, but doesn't always keep you there

This is my review of part 1 and 2 in its entirety, not the individual parts.

While I enjoyed the beginning and the show kept me hooked til the end, I do think it missed on a few points.

First, the things I liked: I loved that Yun He was smart and powerful. Many of these shows make the female lead a person that gets herself into trouble but needs help getting out of it, normally by the male lead. Her intelligence, wisdom, and strength made her a fascinating and interesting character.

I also really liked Chang Yi. I felt that his character was very realistically portrayed and he, too, was a powerful, intelligent being. It's rare to find a show that is willing to make the male lead naive and sweet, and it was nice to watch.

Many reviews state the lack of chemistry between the main leads, but I would disagree. I actually felt it to be pretty solid. Not mind-blowing, but good.

As for Hao Qing, it was interesting to see him basically similar to his father (minus the manipulation) towards the end. He was also in a wheelchair, and his attendant was also in love with him. Not sure if I liked his somewhat bittersweet ending, but it wasn't too bad.

The world-building was well done, and while the CGI wasn't always great, I've seen worse!

Our main leads' ending was left open ended, but I felt satisfied.

Now onto the things I didn't like as much.

I honestly disliked how this show treated Shunde. I'm not saying what Shunde was good, in fact I very much hated her, but compared to the other bad guys she felt more two-dimensional. While the other big bad guys got redemption arcs (Lin Cang Lan not being truly evil, he just so happened to be forced into the situation; Ning Qing ultimately sacrificing himself to atone for his sins), she did not. And yes, while we did get some other powerful, good women in this show, the fact that the only evil woman was treated differently than the two other (significant) male antagonists was a bit questionable.

I also really disliked Luo Luo. A lot. I am not a fan of the ditzy, silly best friend who means well but because she can't read the room ends up causing the main leads more trouble. Shows always want to portray this type of character as cute but I just find it immensely annoying. Not to mention the really frustrating "pretty-fication". At the start, she was supposed to be not very attractive (she has freckles and slightly darker skin; apparently this is considered unattractive) but then she finds love and magically loses her freckles and gets lighter skin. Not only am I so tired of the casual racism this trope implies, but also the message that you can't be average-looking to find love.

Overall, a fun watch, but I did occasionally have to use the fast forward button to get past drawn-out parts (or parts featuring Luo Luo).

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Enjoyable, but not great

Not bad, not great, but enjoyable. The plot sometimes was a bit all over the place, and some things seemed too easy at times, but the two MLs' chemistry was very nice to look at. I'm hesitant to say that I wish it was longer, because while I do want things fleshed out, I'm not sure they would flesh out the right things if they were to make it longer. I know this was technically a bromance and there were FLs and all, but I much preferred the two MLs together, even as a bromance, and was relatively happy with the ending. It's a good watch if you're bored and looking for something to watch, but don't expect too much!

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No, thanks

I'm just really tired of the "pretending to be gay so the fujoshi girl notices" trope. Like, do you think a person who thinks you're gay will actually notice you in a romantic way? No! Also for the other couple, the stepbrother is literally a stalker, crossing lines that should not be crossed, and people think it's romantic? I think if this one had been released five years ago, when the quality of BLs wasn't as great, it would've gotten more stars from me. But now, we've got great comparisons (We Best Love, HIStory 3: Trapped, Be Loved in House, and more) that these tropes and non-consent stuff just don't do it for me.

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Toxic in the best way

When I read a review about how China's been pumping out the most toxic shows this year (2025) and they included this one, I knew I had to watch it. I'm a sucker for toxic relationships (in fiction, lol). And boy, this show delivered.

I'm going to start off by saying that if you don't like toxicity, manipulation, etc., this show is NOT for you. I've seen so many reviews of people talking about how this is not a healthy relationship and they don't condone this, etc, etc. Guys, let's be real for a sec -- fiction is allowed to get dirty. Some people like it. It doesn't mean we condone it in real life.

Now that that's out of the way, I'll talk about what I loved about this show. I love pining, I love the whole "I can't not love you," I love the possessiveness. The storyline was everything I wanted it to be. And towards the end there was the perfect amount of pining so that we'd get that incredible climax of a reunion.

As for the acting... that's where the show fell short for me. Not to say that the actors didn't have chemistry - they do. But both actors didn't really have much of an expression. Hao Yi Ran (Shu Lang) never had any real expression on his face except when he was crying about his mom. And Yun Qi (Fan Xiao) really only knew how to squint to show emotion. I don't know if it was a director's choice or just the actors, but I wish they had more emotion on their faces. Instead, the show had to show us their feelings using other tools such as them crushing their cigarettes or throwing something. I could tell there were a few times where the actors were trying to show some micro-expressions, but tbh it really wasn't working, at least for me. I'm not sure if it's because of them being relatively new actors, but I hope they get to expand their emotional repertoire. BUT! The voice actors did AMAZING. The pining in their voices were a great offset to the expressionless face. Props to them.

As for the spicy scenes, while they were nice, the kisses were also not the best I've seen. It was very much peck and then biting neck. But hey, it wasn't a dead fish kiss so I guess that's good?

Anyway, this is definitely the kind of show you want to turn off your moral compass for and just watch the toxicity on full blast. It's crooked in the best way and I loved watching them both go nuts. Sometimes we need something gray in between the sweet shows, and this hit the spot.

P.S. The amount of smoking they did in this show made MY lungs hurt. But hey, definitely not the worst thing about these characters lol.

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Disjointed and chaotic

I don't know if it was the fact that this is short form, and so it's hard to flesh out characters, or that the writing is poor, but I honestly felt so confused the entire time watching this.

This show uses the fall-at-first-sight trope heavily, where the main leads meet for not even a full day and they're already professing their love for each other. There's no time for the characters to breathe and grow and they're already knee-deep in an intense love.

Then there's the reincarnation plot. These characters meet for a day, fall in love, and die once they accept each other's love. And then they start the process all over again. I actually really enjoy reincarnation stories, but this one was so chaotic and disjointed that I didn't even feel like I had a chance to enjoy it because Nagi's chaotic energy had me honestly very confused the entire show.

Not to mention the sprinkling of fantasy elements in the show -- there's a weird sort of prophecy that they're a part of -- but similar to the characters, it's not fully fleshed out.

This entire show/movie is a stream of chaos (and not in a good way) that leaves you with whiplash every time there's a scene change. I feel like not only does this show need more time (time to grow; breathe; let the characters fall in love) but also a rewrite of the characters' personality so that we can relate to them instead of being lost the entire time.

It's honestly hard to say that I can see potential in this show. I feel like they focused on aesthetics more than plot, with the disjointed filming leaving you more empty than anything else.

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Great for binging

I actually really liked this show. Maybe it was the right show at the right time, but it satisfied everything I wanted from a show. While this season was not a continuation of the first, I think that was the correct thing to do, especially since I didn't like the characters as much as I did here.

It did take me a little while to remember who is who, but once I placed the characters it was much easier to keep track of each of the three couples.

The first couple, Lee Hyun and Kim An, were what I'd call the main couple. Their story (or rather, Kim An's story) was what took up the most screentime. Kim An's backstory was dark but realistic, and the only gripe I have with it is that I wished he would explain it more to Lee Hyun (but maybe that happened offscreen once their relationship is more established). I also think Kim An's not-really-a-friend (can't remember his name) gave up a bit too quickly, but that's likely due to the runtime. I would have liked to see him suffer a bit more for everything he did to Kim An, but I guess it was realistic since bad people don't always get what they deserve. However, being that they're the "main couple," I was a bit disappointed with their kisses, especially when compared to those of the other two couples. I realize that J-min is a kpop idol and might not be as experienced in acting/kissing as the others, but this isn't the first time we've encountered idols in BLs and there have been idols who kissed well (Semantic Error, anyone?). But apart from that, the story was sweet and I am always a sucker for a character that sticks by someone even when things get rough and they're pushed away.

The second couple, Min Woo and Ma Roo were probably my favorite, even though it was full of clichés (maybe because they're done well). I loved Min Woo's pining and Ma Roo's obliviousness, and also super loved the whole "pretend we're dating to make him jealous" trope. I was a bit surprised that they Ma Roo clued into his feelings a lot quicker than expected, but maybe that's to do with trying to fit three storylines into ten 20-minute episodes. Their kisses were much more than what I expected from a K-BL and left me having to replay them, for science ;).

And that leaves the last couple: Joo Hyuk and Sung Min. They didn't get as much screentime but likely because their relationship was comparatively simpler. It was just courting and a slight misunderstanding, and then they got together. I enjoyed watching them on screen, and their kissing scenes were probably the best out of all three couples'.

The last episode was pure fluff and giving the watchers what they want, and I was grateful for it!

All in all, this was a fun watch. It's easy to binge, but I do think if I had to wait every week I would have probably not been as into it as I was watching it all in a couple of days. Even so, it was a pretty solid story. Yeah, it probably could have benefitted from a few more episodes or a longer runtime, but as it is, it's up there among my favorite K-BLs.

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Worth It

Oh boy. As soon as I started watching this, I knew it was going to be a sad ending. I could sense it from the cinematography, from the actors, from the plot itself. However, that didn't detract from the show, I think it actually enhanced it. There are some stories that are only good because of the bittersweet-ness. If this had had a happy ending, I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much since it wouldn't have been as poignant a story.

If you know me, you know I don't generally like sad stories. "Why watch sad stuff when there's already so much sad stuff in the world?" I always say. But this, this is the exception. When the story is so good, the plot and the actors and the writing is so well done, I get it.

So let's get to it.

First, the acting. While I've seen better acting, I do think the actors did really well. It's hard to convey the complex emotions this show requires. Grief and love are not easy emotions, and I think Komiya and Inoue did wonderfully given that they don't have a lot of acting experience as the main characters. Personally I think Inoue had the harder job -- it's hard to portray a character that is stoic most of the time and has to act more with micro-expressions. I think he did a really good job with that. I'd also like to shout out Otomo's portrayal of Kagami -- I really liked her character, she did well with the relatively little screentime she had.

As for the plot itself, I liked it a lot. The pacing was done beautifully with the exception of the last episode -- I felt there were a bit too many plot reveals at the very end, but I also don't know where else I would put them in the story. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the writing -- this is definitely one of those shows that makes you realize how beautiful life and love is, exactly because you can see it ending. It makes you realize just how special the sweet is because of the bitter.

Do I think everyone should watch this? No. There are some people who won't like this type of story. But I do think if you're on the fence, you should give it a shot. I didn't regret it, and I don't think you will either.

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Very touching and entertaining

As soon as I started watching the first episode, I couldn't stop. I binged this show in two days and honestly don't regret it at all.

I feel like I learned a lot about the kpop industry. I already knew all of it, but I think it hadn't really hit home how horrible some of the kpop practices were until this show really highlighted them.

My favorite story was by far EunJo and Annie. While they didn't have as much screentime as the rest (since their story was mostly told in flashbacks), it was the story that had the greatest impact on me. Of course I loved watching MaHa and Kwon Ryok's romance bloom, but EunJo and Annie made me cry - I felt their love in a very real way. I will say though, I really enjoyed the comedic relief that Kwon Ryok provided (especially when trying to figure out his feelings). I found myself laughing quite a bit during some of his scenes :)

Yes, this show has some loop holes, but its pros very much outweigh its cons, at least for me. I really loved that each character wasn't perfect; they all had their weaknesses and strengths. I felt like it made the story much more realistic when, for example, we see that Kwon Ryok didn't handle EunJo's situation as best as he could have, because it sends this message of "No, these people aren't perfect. But they're trying." It also reminds us that to err is to be human, and as long as we're trying to be good humans, that's all that matters.

I'm actually glad that real idols were a part of this. I feel like it adds to the authenticity, and also to maybe the weight of this story. These idols are shining a not-so-positive light on the idol industry, and I think that's really cool.

Of course, the ending might not have ended in the most realistic way (Shax was able to get off pretty scotch-free; we didn't see any backlash from MaHa and Kwon Ryok's relationship being public), but honestly after the emotional rollercoaster episode 11 took me on, I think I needed that ending.

All in all, I say good job. It might not be everyone's cup of tea (see what I did there? Tea Party?) but it was definitely mine.

(By the way, the only reason my rewatch value rating is so low is because EunJo and Annie's story, although very beautiful and touching, really did a number on me emotionally, and I'd need to be in a very specific mindset to watch that again).

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Sweet and fluffy

I really enjoyed this drama. While the main couple were flirting, pursuing, and angsting it was a great watch! I really loved the ML's acting - you could feel his inner conflict and pain when things were tough for him and those close to him. The FL was also really fun to watch. She is girly and sweet, but also knows how to stand up for herself (especially with her ex).

Both characters are mature adults that make decisions that make sense and that was my favorite part about this show (apart from the acting). I felt like their characters were real, not those over-dramatic characters I see in some dramas. The problems they faced were realistic, and their reactions to them were also realistic.

There's honestly not too much drama in this show. Once the main couple got together, I felt like the show got a bit boring - it was cute and fluffy, don't get me wrong, but not much happened. I felt like a lot of it was filler. But overall, honestly it was good! I don't think I'll re-watch but I'm very happy with how it went.

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