This review may contain spoilers
Perhaps the Best Wuxia of 2024.
Wow what an amazing wuxia drama-- loved how it was on Netflix and I really took my time with it, trying not to rush through it too fast. The last three episodes were really so heavy but I think everything (besides our two sidekicks dying at the last minute-- like WHY) was executed really well.Shen Yurong and Wanning had such a complex relationship and character development. I really love when dramas show perspectives from the villains because the empathy we start to feel has our emotions all crazy.
~~With ShenYurong, it doesn't really make sense that he was capable of giving everything up for XueFangFei when it was him who literally buried her alive, after knocking her out with a shovel. But I guess that was his arc-- his realization of his love for her and his decision to not make the same mistake again. Again, he is a perfect example of someone blinded by toxic love, who uses "love" as the reasoning for every evil doing. And then in the end takes his own life rather than facing the consequences.
~~Princess Wanning seemed like just a selfish princess who had no empathy for others, but her character became interesting when we saw her struggles from her previous forced marriage, with the SA and forced miscarriage. Though that doesn't really justify someone to use violence and threats with power, I think I personally learned to sympathize with her-- especially when she died. A part of her probably knew that the man she loved didn't love her back, and her making ShenYurong stab her seemed kind of like a "you may want me dead but you killed me with your own hands so you'll never be able to forget me". Gotta give her props though-- accepting her fate in the end but refusing to die in anybody else's hands but hers shows her stubbornness in the highest until the end.
Our main couple was phenomenal.
~~XueFangFei was a bit easy to read, as her eyes gave away her emotions, but her way of executing her plans and avenging JiangLi little by little was refreshing to see especially with her outsmarting everyone. She had to balance keeping her identity a secret, fixing the wrongdoings against JiangLi, redeeming her Xue family, outsmarting all the villains. She must've been so exhausted, but at least she had someone going through just as much.
~~Duke Su was always confident and his growing affection for her was so sweet, albeit we could've used some more expression (though I just found out he is 12 years younger! so makes sense I guess). I love how they always trusted each other, each one willing to sacrifice themself but also trusting the other to carry out their plan without too much interference. He is officially on my top five Chinese actors list now, hope to see more of him!
Side characters like the friend group, JiangLi's father/grandmother, even Consort Li were all so well thought-out. The friend group was sadly not as big of a role after she won the Annual Exam, but the fact that they supported her til the end was so heartwarming. YeShiJie in particular had so little scenes, though I thought they would show more of his planning for the final battle and his interactions with DukeSu. Papa Jiang knew of his daughter's death already but when they actually talk it out loudly and he still accepts XueFangFei as her replacement, I was so sad. His love for someone he thought was his daughter he could make amends with, along with his love for his biological daughter whom he never got to see again, was portrayed so well but I'm glad he's alive at least (and Grandma). Consort Li was a bit harder to read, and I was surprised she actually loved the Emperor to the point where she'd be willing to give up her life for him. I remember being confused in the beginning because she looked old enough to be his mother.
The flow of the story was pretty structured, which helped so I don't get bored over one issue prevalent and stretched out for too long. Now time to watch the special!
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Cute, typical coming of age Cdrama
You can never really go wrong with a coming of age cdrama-- they're all so good! This is no exception.I LOVE LOVE the two leads, literally obsessed with Return of the Queen and Love Between Lines so seeing both leads in a drama together was such a surprise.
The high school part had the best plot, and cute moments here and there, but really focused on overall friendship and growing of relationships.
The college part fell on the plot, but the romance was made more solid and thus very very cute.
I'd give this a 8/10, I did hear this was before the leads were big in China and so the drama was low budget, but honestly you couldn't really tell. Very easy watch, though I did skip some filler plot in the last few episodes. Hope we can see them together again!
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WAYYYYY too underrated short C-drama!
I literally binge watched this in two nights. I went into it with low expectations because of all the negative comments... but honestly I have no idea why there's a larger group of people who disliked this. I had a blast.The leads did amazing, really portraying their characters-- the determined girl with a strong personality willing to fight for revenge and the aloof brother-in-law (I know it sounds really weird but it really isn't) who'd do anything to protect her. Despite wanting to take the bullets for her, literally and figuratively, he always gave her the space she needs to find strength and grow herself while he watched in the shadows. Their dynamic was amazing, despite the weird brother-in-law title, and towards the end I was just smiling ear to ear watching them. You can definitely see how the actors themselves grew more comfortable with each other also. iykyk lol
Subtle moments of humor really helped lighten the somber-ish mood of this crime/romance/era drama. The brotherly bond between the four brothers was such a bonus, and though the dynamic shifted a bit, the latter half had their bond really shine. Character development right there 👏🏻 There were some who annoyed me a lot, but surprisingly they didn't stick around for too long probably because the drama is considered shorter than most. That helped the pacing stay relevant and not stray or give "boring" of course.
The first half was a bit more my style, with the vague and anticipatory aspects more thrilling, but the latter half was also fun. There were heartbreaking scenes, truly, but they all enhance the story and show the character arcs of these characters.
I know I found myself a new male lead to obsess over heh
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This review may contain spoilers
Finally got myself to watch it... sort of wish I never did :/
Here's the thing with my drama priorities-- idk if it's sad all throughout, as long as the outcome is happy. That is why my Scarlet Heart Ryeo (Korean) will forever be my Roman Empire.This has a happy ending, okay. BUT the process of it, is just too much heartbreak. The leads get together, but at what cost? Literally every single character dies lmao I have never watched a drama-- except SHR as mentioned before, that kills every supporting character off.
Sure, it's like 99% self sacrifices. But still, what's the point of the couple getting their happily ever after if their friends and mentors and everyone they love is gone. Is it really a happy ending? No. Hence my saltiness about this drama.
Sure, the leads are beautiful. The story is typical xianxia.
But... not my cup of tea I guess.
Even killing off the divine gods, XingYue and JingYuan, was such a waste of a parallel happy ending. smh.
My favorite part of this drama has to be the ost. It was beautiful, and gave me Ashes of Love vibes.
But because it just ticked off the boxes of my least favorite drama qualities, the highest I can give this is an 8/10.
The ending was beautiful in itself though, and I am not hating on the writing in any way. Death can be beautiful too, and it was portrayed with meaning for each one, it's just my weak heart can't accept all the sadness🥲
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Late to the Party.. why didn't I watch this before?!!
3+ years later and I'm finally getting to finish this.The leads are quite attractive, and as vain as that sounds I find that to be an important factor when watching romance dramas.
Story-wise, it was interesting enough to keep me watching til the end. The dynamic between the leads is probably most intriguing, because I didn't know how things would play out after their altercation in the beginning. Their steady growth was executed pretty well, and it was really cute to see the typically mean ML grow softer as his feelings for her intensified.
Unfortunately this didn't really have a second couple to root for alongside our mains, but nonetheless there wasn't any crazy misunderstanding or super serious villain, which can honestly be such a turn off for a drama imo.
8/10!
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Watching a Few Years Later... Pretty Fun!
Came across this after being bedridden for a week, and I was deciding on an easy to watch albeit cliche watch. I'm such a killer for those cliche yet cutesy dramas.This one was one I never got to watching, because the cast was a bit too unfamiliar and the synopsis wasn't really eye-catching. Twin switcharoos are almost always done in a way where I don't really feel they did a good job at execution (Except Who Are You: School 2015) but in this case, only one is a real main character so that part was not bothersome.
The songs were good, as expected from a band-based drama, without the plot being too music-based. The ML was quite fine, and I know he's really exploded in popularity in Korea, and I'm so happy for him. The FL is not my favorite actress, and their chemistry was probably the only meh part. I think it was a mixture of their lackluster chemistry as partners AND the lack of potential scenes for them together as a couple-- they could've added SO MUCH MORE.
That ending was also boring and just random, in the sense where everyone just solves their own problems in two seconds.
Anyways, it was still a cute watch with some cute scenes, though I did skip through some parts. I won't rewatch it, though it was not bad for a 12-ep kdrama of this type.
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This review may contain spoilers
First half was seriously the funniest drama I watched in a WHILE
Like I said in the title, the first few episodes had me laughing OUT LOUD.Some ideas seem a bit cringe, like the characters of Spirit Fingers, but once they explain the group and members it becomes a bit cute and even heartwarming.
The main leads are total opposites but I guess that's how their dynamic works so well. He unlocks a side of her she never would've known.
The second lead couple is also really cute, and they fit the more mature vibe while still maintaining the freshness of a college couple.
The family storyline was terrible, with terrible parents and aloof brothers. The ending made no sense, like how one can go from being the strictest parents to so understanding and even encouraging... guess it can only happen in dramas.
Other than that, the main two storylines were the only parts worth watching. Side plots either got no real resolution, or just magically disappeared lol
I don't know why the broadcast got delayed so much, and while im not familiar with how it was perceived in Korea, I do expect this type of drama to be a lot more popular overseas.
Overall, a very cute and easy watch with some laugh-til-you-cry scenes making it VERY worth watching.
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LOVING these Korean-Japanese Dramas with a great plot and cast!!
After watching and absolutely LOVING What Comes After Love last year, I was pleasantly surprised to find another Korean-Japanese pairing-- and on Netflix at that.The overall story may seem cliche with the "I can't touch anyone but you" fixation, but having both leads suffer from a mental illness seems to be the point. Two people going through struggles and overcoming, or at least learning to cope with, them in healthy ways. Obviously for both characters, forming a deep connection with a significant other is a major difficulty, so honestly it was really cute seeing how they go from partners of sorts to lovers.
The visual appeal was great, but of course I expected nothing less from a Netflix production. The chocolate-making intro that changes each episode was beautiful as was the more metaphorical transition of the evolving relationships.
I am always a sucker for fast-paced romance, as a hopeless romantic, but in this case the trust they form was so meaningful I quite enjoyed the way the writers had them form a tentative bond at first.
Nothing too serious or deep, given that it's only 8 episodes, but still a great drama. 🍫💝
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Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo Season 2
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MUCH better than season 1
So I watched season 1 not knowing there was a sequel... the ONLY thing that really bothered me throughout the whole series was the fact that she filmed this at 16 years old with someone 10 years older :/But story-wise, the plot was also much better than season 1. The FL was still annoying but a tad less annoying than season 1, and the relationship between her and her husband was cuter with some more fluff this season. Nothing surprising really happened, though it was odd how some characters just randomly disappeared lol
I know it's been over 10 years now since this came out, and despite my problems with the cringe-worthy acting or plotholes, it's still a classic just like Boys Over Flowers and I had to watch it knowing it existed. Glad I finished, and skipped through more than I'd like to admit, but don't regret watching it.
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Cute and Easy Watch with a Mature Backdrop
Just wanted to leave a quick review.Finished the drama pretty quickly, and while I did skip through some parts, overall I quite enjoyed it.
Our ML and FL are both 30, and reunited after they briefly met in high school. Our FL has a physical disability from an accident, which I found really interesting, since it was quite relevant to certain minor parts of the story.
They do have some up and downs in their relationship, but I found it quite reasonable and I think the way they handled most of them were pretty reasonable. 🩵
The whole love vs. career issue is a big big conflict, and I can see arguments to both sides. Finding someone who loves you immeasurably is really rare, but also being able to build a career to be able to be independent is also something that should be prioritized.
Their chemistry was great🔥, and this was my favorite drama with the FL-- her bubbly character mixed with some pain from the past and her strong stubbornness as a defense mechanism was at the same time lovable and sad to see.
The ML is also great in anything he does. lol
The MAIN genres for this were romance, which they don't drag out at ALL, and family, which was really prominent throughout the drama.
Another solid healing drama👏🏻
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Quick watch to skip through
Like most, I started this after seeing a short clip that had me going "OOH he's cute. This'll be my next watch!" 🫶🏻And yes, he is indeed very cute and the overall vibe is really cute.
The setting starts off at a college but honestly it's basically a high school, not that I mind. The only thing that bothered me about this particular fact was that the level of maturity of the characters were that of preteens in high school, not adults in college.
That being said, the synopsis including "school for rich children but poor female lead somehow gets admitted" was giving me major F4 vibes✨ (AND the fact that the friend group is four cute dudes), but the school background became so irrelevant.
Like most cdramas, I'd say it started quite strong and with some good potential.
At the halfway mark I found myself losing interest and by the last quarter everything became quite ridiculous. The director seemed to have a vision but the execution was just not there unfortunately. The plot was all over the place, with random characters popping in and out, references to DEAD characters referred to as "they left" was the most confusing because you assume they'd go find them only to later hear them say something like "when they died..." like what??
My favorite part of this was the best friend couple. She's ADORABLE 🐶 and her partner is so cute. Their scenes, though few, were imo so much cuter than our leads. The chemistry was just better.
I will say though, it wasn't TERRIBLE and the fact that the episodes were relatively short (15 minutes) was a smart move, or else there would have been so much filler. Don't regret watching it, but won't rewatch.
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Perhaps the best modern CDrama of 2025
This is the perfect example of when not to trust reviews. This drama slaps. In all ways possible.I literally don’t even know where to start— the beautiful leads, the perfectly annoying antagonists, the wow factor of a “ceo coming back to life” introduction, that OST?! I’ve watched hundreds of dramas and this honestly is in my top five cdramas, def my top modern cdrama of 2025 by a mile.
First of all, our badass female lead shows no weakness in front of her enemies. She just survived hell for the past three years to make an epic comeback in front of the family that stole her family’s legacy. From the brink of death to reclaiming her throne, as she should, her beauty and brains blind all. Even when any other normal person would fall in defeat, her determination to avenge her family and bring justice was truly commendable.
And then our male lead 🥰 This is the first time watching this actor act, but his puppy dog persona juxtaposing our headstrong female lead was just the cherry on top. Having been abroad with sports, his morals aren't corrupted by his business-focused family so when he trusts and approaches Haimeng whilst everyone legit pulls him away, I melted. He's just so soft and innocent but not in the weak way where he doesn't know how to differentiate between right and wrong. He knows how to protect his girl **swoons**
Their CHEMISTRY especially, was off the charts. Normally, the idea of getting with an in-law sounds pretty revolting, but in this case I could not encourage them more. (and good, because the ex-husband doesn't deserve her) The cinematography captured each of our leads' perspectives SO WELL (BRAVO). The lighting and colors, light and/or dark, capture the beauty of Haimeng and Siyu as seen from each others' eyes perfectly. I found myself falling for them at the same time as them HAHAH. It started with Haimeng's icy exterior melting in front of Siyu, the only person in the house who doesn't treat her with contempt. With the gradual increase in trust came the natural development of respect and soon after, feelings. I love how until the end, they chose to trust each other despite what could've turned into a situation of messy misunderstandings.
I’m assuming this was low budget but girl, you can't even tell. Other than some crowds seeming sparse or lack of diverse locations, everything from outfits (our girl is a legit MODEL) to pace of storyline distracts you and honestly makes it seem like a very well thought-out, highly-sponsored masterpiece.
I don't ever write reviews, but this one was much needed especially with the weirdos giving this such poor ones! Please give this a try, it's the perfect length (not the super short ones but also not so long it drags the story) and really moves at a steady intriguing pace. It won't be perfect, with some loopholes, but they can be easily disregarded lol
LOVE IT! 🩵 SOOO glad I watched this. I'm happier :)
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He fell first... anddddd then just fell harder
The leads and their chemistry was truly so amazing❤️🔥. I thought they deserved a quick review of praise.The story is what got me intrigued first, since I haven't watched a good Joseon era time slip with a new plot kdrama in many many years. Then the romantic comedy-like aspect of the first few episodes was really great. They had me laughing, especially our beautiful Lim Ji Yeon. Her comedic acting was hilarious! She embodied this character so so well. Especially after seeing her act in such drastically different roles. I'm glad she had fun with this one.
The male lead, Heo Nam Jun, was OUT OF THIS WORLD. This is my first time watching him as a lead, as he only recently has been getting main roles, and I honestly did not think he was attractive. Frankly, my opinion was neither positive nor negative, I just didn't have enough experience watching him. But his character was written MARVELOUSLY, playing the bad boy image who is very rich and successful (a great plus) and stoic in forming relationships with anyone. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll just say: watching him go from IDC who you are to I WILL WATCH THE WORLD BURN FOR YOU was really sweet.
Their chemistry? Fire 🔥
The plot? Also fire 🔥
Side characters? Just as great 🔥
I would not rewatch it though. NOT because it wasn't a great kdrama, but because it's one of those shows you invest yourself into and then leave it as a nice memory in your past. But again, I rarely rewatch dramas, so this could mean nothing.
Watch it! I do wish they explored the other characters, like his family, a tad bit more.. and I guess another "downside" was that it's only 14 episodes D: I could watch 18-20 easy. Maybe show their past lives a bit more idk. Still loved it. Probably will go to bed now dreaming of him.
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Don't Waste Your Time
This is one of those dramas that gain hype through short clips on Reels, gaining traction and interest from the global community, not local (because Chinese people appreciate plot more than anything). I guess a lot of people use the term "vertical drama" but this is more like a short cdrama from a lesser known production company...Anyways, I too was one who came in after seeing their reels, which are all snippets of the leads kissing. They're all quite impactful, I give you that. I also thought I'd give this a try because the two male leads have worked on reputable dramas before. Unfortunately, I had to drop this about halfway and that was a stretch.
The plot makes no sense from the beginning-- there's no explanation of this affinity virus and its origins, and the drama synopsis is completely different from what's being shown on screen. The CGI is NOT even remotely good, contrary to those who claim it is... c'mon it's 2026. That orange octopus coming out of nowhere LITERALLY had me laughing out loud. It looks like a school videography project. And don't get me started on the farfetchedness of some other... creatures😂
The leads aren't the worst actors, and I've seen them all on several other projects, but despite all the skinship they didn't even have good chemistry. Their off-screen chemistry was loads better.
So... to describe this in one word, I'd say cringe. And not the good kind. The embarrassing kind. 🫣
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My FAVORITE kdrama pairing!! ?
When we first found out this drama would be filming with Go Youn Jung and Kim Seon Ho as the leads back in 2024, I was beyond ecstatic. Alchemy of Souls 2 is one of my all-time favorite kdramas, and GYJ is probably my favorite k-actress. And then finding out the Hong Sisters wrote this was just a cherry on top. It was a LONG wait but I can finally feel the satisfaction of finishing such a well-executed and high-budget show!Plot-wise, I have to be blunt and say it wasn't my favorite. The pacing was pretty slow, and there wasn't a SUPER big plot twist, nor constant action to keep you on your toes. But I still enjoyed its simplicity. Almost like a healing drama, there was more of a lighthearted vibe to this drama from start to finish. I do wish there was a bit more though, as I did not find myself crying myself to sleep or laughing with giddiness like I do with some really well-written masterpieces.
Characters were all great, emphasis on our three leads. Like I stated earlier, our ML and FL were just fantastic and simultaneously executed the yearning and comedic relationship development so well. But I have to say, Fukushi Sota was quite the scene stealer. Every episode, I liked him more and more. It was pretty obvious from the start it would be a love triangle (literally the first scene lol) but I didn't realize I'd low-key be rooting for him🥲 He's such a healthy example of a MAN. 😅 The second couple was very random and meh but not annoying.
High budget is always a feast for the eyes-- in this case, the travel destinations were so beautiful. Japan, Canada, Italy were all filmed in quite scenic locations and it was a delight to see them going to places I've visited. Overall, I think more budget does have some correlation to high quality, giving the show almost a movie-like aesthetic. I wonder if they cut the story to only 12 episodes because of the amount of money they were pouring into this-- honestly 16 could've been better for the story.
Overall, it was an enjoyable finish. And just a feast for my eyes🫣🥰 Don't think I'd rewatch, but this will remain in my memory as a beautifully-executed easy watch with a great lineup.
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