Romance hard carried the entire series
It came highly recommended to me, so I was genuinely excited to dive into a mix of mystery and romance.The characters made a strong first impression: a smart, capable male lead and an equally—if not more—brilliant female lead.
Their dynamic was built on mutual competence in their respective fields, which translated well into romantic chemistry. They matched perfectly, at least in that aspect.
I also appreciated the attempt to make the cases “complicated,” but even as a non-technical viewer, it was easy to spot how illogical and far-fetched they were. That made the mystery side of things harder to take seriously.
The characters also felt flat. The leads were portrayed as flawless and perfect, which stripped away the opportunity for depth, especially considering the themes of revenge and justice they were supposed to be navigating.
If you’re here for the romance, it’s a decent watch. But if you’re hoping for good mystery or detective work, this is not the best choice.
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Warmth in the mundane
Watching Resident Playbook gave me the same feeling when I watched the Hospital Playlist series, most especially because they share the same universe, directors, creators, and screenwriters.Like Hospital Playlist, it has a quiet and steady pacing with themes that tackled life minus the fiction cliches, tropes, and conflict.
It fills me with amazement how a series that merely used the different point of views of the main, secondary, and tertiary characters as the main storytelling device yielded high emotional impact. For a material like this, a writer would need tremendous talent to not turn it into a bore-fest.
I’m very contented with the ending and I’m usually good with a single season wrapping up the entire story, but for someone who’s now emotionally invested in the characters, I would like to see more of their journey (I am secretly hoping for a second season).
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Drama’s emotional grip is good; it’s something that you just can’t stop watching
I was one of those who was eagerly waiting for this drama, but was immensely put off by iQIYI’s intervention that ultimately led the team to rewriting the conclusion into a sad ending, as advised by AI (I have so much to say on this subject, but that will be an entirely different discourse).With that, I initially pushed this series further down my watch list, with no intention of picking it up at the moment. However, I noticed the good ratings steadily persisted despite the backlash it received. And I took that as a sign.
There’s nothing unique about the plot and the CGI and OST are decent at most.
There is nothing groundbreaking about it at all, if I’m being honest, but as someone who has watched over a hundred of dramas, there’s a slim chance that I'd come across a new material anyway.
What’s good about this drama is that the writer didn’t undermine its audience and treat them as ping pong balls—the writer demonstrated authority and knew exactly where the direction is headed (except for the ending) and it shows in the script, pacing, and quality of writing in general.
In fact, Ren Jialun himself said that the script is well written that we can immerse in it.
Aside from the consistency and the overall good quality, the cast delivered so well, especially Ren Jialun.
What I like about his acting style is subtlety. He knows how to add just the right amount of emotion and nothing over the top. I could feel he is fully in control of what he is trying to deliver, which makes him a good actor.
Although I didn’t find the FL’s character enticing at first, her character grows on you. And as you watch further, you kind of start to realize that Song Zu Er also did a good job portraying her character, too.
There is a good chemistry between the leads as well.
There are still some lose ends, but personally, they're something not difficult to overlook for this drama. For the entirety of the series, I decided to turn off my brain and ended up having an amazing experience.
Despite the sad, frustrating, and unsatisfying ending, with controversies surrounding the use of AI, the series is actually good and an enjoyable watch—the good ratings on this one are reliable!
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Like a hot cup of chocolate on a rainy day
A close, realistic representation of the realities of growing up, understanding your parents, falling in love, growing apart, finding oneself, and learning what's truly important.The series did not fall short of clichés, love triangle (it's a love square, actually) and the usual misunderstandings among the couples, but the amount added is just quite right that it does not leave a bad taste, at all.
One of the best things about the series is that the characters, and this is not entirely limited to the leads, are written with depth, which did not incarcerate them to a specific character archetype—a good case of deviation from the usual youth drama formulas.
The female lead is one of the best written female leads I've encountered. She may be the usual innocent, shy at first, goody-two-shoes, hardworking female lead type, but what is different about her is her emotional maturity. She is not book smart but is able to navigate life with wisdom.
The male lead is the usual happy-go-lucky, "bad" student, carefree, and sporty heartthrob, but he’s also someone who consistently grows as an individual. Something I appreciate about how the male lead's character is written is how he is not deprived of ignorance, vulnerability, and stumbling blocks in his life that he cannot overcome alone despite his male lead role, underlining that he is actually young, imperfect, and still needs growth and guidance along with other peers his age.
As a couple, they do not shy away from openly expressing affection and discontent, acknowledging defeats and gaps in their personal life and relationship. Their growth as a couple is so beautiful and heartwarming and it is portrayed without much pretense.
The secondary characters did not get left behind in the story department as they were written well, too. The selfishness of second female lead and the grit of the second male lead are actually just the perfect representation of the bubble we built around ourselves when we were young.
The perseverance of both the secondary characters that scrapped their elbows and knees is, in fact, redirection in life that intended to lead them to where they should be—this realistically mirrors a type of love you can only look back fondly on, but something that must be left behind.
There is some heaviness on the themes as the series tackles death, social status, family background, family roles, grief, loss, unrealized dreams, and finding purpose and identity, but they're conveyed gently that it feels like you're sitting down and catching up with an old friend, talking about the beautiful old days, sharing wisdoms in life, laughing about the things you cried about, and sighing, yet bracing yourself, for what's yet to come—all these while cooped up somewhere nice and warm with a cup of hot chocolate, as you wait for the rain outside to pass. This, with a really good music playing in the background (OST is also really, really good!).
We haven’t reached the half of 2025 and yet I found one of the best youth dramas, and not just of this year.
Watching this gave me a pinch in the heart, as it made me recall my youth that I can never take back.
Watching the characters finally learning how to “go home” after soldiering on as adults in the real world gives me a wishful thinking that maybe, I’ll get to go home myself someday. That the right things and people will find me eventually without trying too hard.
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With managed expectations, it can be a cute rom-com without the unnecessary conflicts
Disclaimer: I have already come across a lot of Falling into Your Smile clips on Facebook and Instagram before I picked up the series, so I dived into the drama knowing what would happen in certain scenes, more or less. With this, I had anticipated that the romance aspect wouldn’t have much effect on me, taking into account the “immunity” I thought I developed from watching a lot of spoiler videos. Surprisingly, I still felt the butterflies—and loads of them.The love story is definitely the strongest point and the highlight of this drama. Even with scenes that I have already watched a number of times before, I still found myself pausing some episodes just so I could take my time to breathe and recover, as the fluttering sensation in my stomach got a bit overwhelming.
Xu Kai’s portrayal of the tsundere, cold, taciturn male lead was decent—I can see he tried his best depicting the subtle shifts in expressions, which felt natural and nothing over-the-top.
The romance aspect is undeniably in full swing. So much so that the male lead fell too fast and hard, which also makes the relationship arc as one of the major flaws of the series.
In the first meetings and episodes, the male lead was already giving the female lead a kind of special treatment to some extent, without any (pre-)established notion. This left no room for the development of the romance structure: the male lead almost went all in, like he was already in love with female lead from the get-go, failing to provide the viewers the journey of getting to know and falling in love.
Another flaw of this series is Cheng Xiao’s portrayal of the female lead. Sadly, her unamused eye expressions do not help the audience distinguish the emotions she was trying to portray. With this, I think it was Xu Kai who carried the romance and made it work.
Other than this, the pacing and writing are quite decent: the series started with a narrator ala Gossip Girl, seemingly in charge of an online e-sports gossip platform, who helped establish in setting the story and introducing the characters. The narrator is not omnipresent in the entire series, as a switch in perspective/point of view between the leads is observed, but it was a good tool in storytelling.
As someone with zero background in e-sports, the series still got me engaged even during the actual games. While I have no absolute understanding of what was happening during the competitions, I was still able to enjoy and take part in the team camaraderie.
I appreciate how the games have their own animations as well and I didn’t feel the need to know the technicalities of the games, such as its purpose and characters, as I feel this could make the story unnecessarily convoluted.
There were also no unnecessary conflicts and filler episodes, which I really like, and the second leads and secondary characters have had the chance to resolve their own conflicts.
Overall, there is nothing extraordinary nor unique in the series, but this will make a good choice if you are looking for an easy watch, modern rom-com without the unnecessary filler dramas.
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Melancholic reverse-harem whose flower boys have character depth
I dove into the series mainly because of the reverse-harem tag—the hopeless romantic in me was feeling low, and I’ve figured that a reverse-harem could aid as my instant gratification.Little did I know that the series is actually a wrong choice for romance. Still, it’s definitely the right choice for everything else that makes a good wuxia.
I say that it is not the right choice for romance because it is not (just) a love story. Rather, it is a story that explores the characters and the heavy weight they carry, which shackles them as they trudge along their grueling realities, including their journey in love.
The series takes its time in storytelling, but I love how the writer was able to turn this into an advantage by using it to build character depths.
The characters are multi-dimensional and as an audience, I get to explore how a character’s traits and motivations are shaped.
My favorite thing about the series is the lack of pretense in storytelling.
I cannot say that it’s raw, but the series does not hide the characters’ flaws, nor it tries to adorn them with moralities for the sake of the protagonist role that they play—the main characters do not wear ornaments that would make them likeable and their actions justifiable. Instead, their decisions are in congruent with their experiences and the emotional response that stems from them (because of this though, I developed a strong bias against the female lead, who is cunning, selfish, manipulative, and emotionally immature —I never disliked a female character as strongly and personally, she does not deserve to end up with any of the men at all!)
The dialogues are not pretentious as well, but the impact is not minimized. The exchanges between the characters cut deep and they have lines that could stay with you.
All in all, the series is not excellent, but it still fairs good. The pacing is slow, but controlled and measured, enough to keep you on your toes—and I say this as someone who initially wanted fluff but got a poignant tale of loss and longing instead.
This was far from my expectations, but I will stay for the second season because I was made to root for the characters (except the female lead).
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This is one of the best dramas in 2025 – and I know we’re not halfway through the year yet
An audacious claim, one might think, but I am typing this with a bad case of headache–from too much crying.I am also currently wrapped up in a bittersweet anguish that comes from being reminded that a beautiful story is not always happy. And I think that what the series made me feel would stay with me for a long time.
The series does not have an outstanding nor a unique plot. A grim reaper traipsing in the human realm, and unexpectedly, bumping into romance? There are plenty of dramas who have already done that.
To be honest, I’m quite on the fence on the chemistry of the leads as well.
But, none of these matter. At all.
First, while I’m hesitant about the leads’ chemistry, their individual performance is stellar.
I just know that Gong Myung and Kim Min Ha were made for their role as they have portrayed their character really, really well.
Second, the story is not linear, and the expositions come in trickle.
As the plot is not unique, viewers might feel like they have already caught up and figured everything out after some time, until a little plot twists here and there would come right out of the gate—a great surprise, not overbearing, and something that may or may not make sense (ending is not conclusive).
Still, everything felt easy, smooth, and natural, despite the coalescence of fantasy, romance, youth, comedy, and melodrama genre–this is how you’ll know a writing is great.
I am also in awe by the brilliant use of plot devices in setting the tone and resolving an issue. This comes in (unremarkable, small) objects, color grading, and events. They do not initially stick out, assuming they’re intended to not stand out, but the lightning bolts and realizations would definitely come in the end.
The pacing is good and steady that watching it almost felt like a walk in the park—literally and figuratively. Viewers wouldn’t have to labor to catch up or slow down. The stride is just perfect.
There is consistency in the series, too.
Aside from romance, the series explores some really heavy themes: death, grief, and life.
Technicalities aside, what I love about the series is that it didn’t come off preachy about the grandeur of overcoming pain and choosing to live on.
Some may find comfort in the series, but personally, it felt like the story of my pain is being told.
The only bad thing about the series that I could think of is that the ending is not conclusive, which could be a dealbreaker for a lot of the viewers.
Still, I think there is beauty in not knowing everything. This way, like in real life, the story would feel authentic—harsh, real and meaningful.
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The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity
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Visually brilliant superhero tale that carries just enough emotional weight
I’m not familiar with the source material, but I still felt the worldbuilding lacked depth and intricacy. It didn’t quite meet the expectations set by its visual scale.I also didn’t know any of the cast beforehand, and it was only after watching that I learned Mark Chao and Deng Lun are top-tier actors. I can see why. Their performances weren’t over the top, but they delivered just the right amount of emotion to match their characters and the demands of each scene.
The rest of the cast didn’t fall short either. I think everyone gave solid performances.
The strongest aspect of the film is definitely its visuals. The CGI and cinematography are impressive, and the color grading is beautiful.
I especially appreciated how background elements were used to enhance lighting—lamps casting warm orange glows, the moon shifting the palette to cool blues on dark nights. It’s visually stunning.
The music scoring was excellent, too. There was a seamless blend of traditional and contemporary styles, and the music entered scenes with perfect timing that were always elevating and never intrusive.
Technically, the film is impressive. Groundbreaking, even. I wasn’t surprised to learn it was directed by Guo Jing Ming. I’ve seen My Journey to You and Fangs of Fortune, and his signature style definitely spilled into this film.
Based on those two works, I’ve noticed a recurring imbalance between technical brilliance and storytelling.
While the production is consistently impressive, the narrative often suffers, leaving a visually rich but emotionally hollow experience.
Fortunately, in this case, the storytelling—while not groundbreaking—is fairly decent.
Still, it feels like a missed opportunity not to have explored the characters more deeply. A bit more buildup and backstory would’ve helped, as I often felt left to piece things together on my own.
Some plot points also got muddled, and I’m not sure if the missing context is only accessible to those familiar with the source material. That lack of clarity has definitely affected the emotional impact and depth of the film.
But overall… it’s okay. Despite the patchiness, the writer showed control and a clear sense of direction.
My favorite storytelling element was the use of names as a plot device.
The film opens with the quote: “A name is the shortest form of a spell.”
Beyond Qing Ming’s repeated cries of “Boya! Boya!”—each under different stages of their relationship and circumstances—names were used meaningfully to explore other characters, too.
For Killing Stone, his name symbolized acknowledgement and a second chance. For Fangyue, it reflected her longing for commemoration. As for Qing Ming, obtaining the title “The Yin-Yang Master” at the end is a crucial moment, not just for his character arc, but for the film’s overall narrative.
Technically, this film is a masterpiece. The storytelling isn’t flawless, but it’s good enough—action-heavy with just the right emotional pull to keep you hooked.
It reminds me of Marvel or superhero movies—not just because of the visual effects, but because of the feeling it leaves you with: protagonists who are still figuring things out but have saved the world, for now.
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Comparable to average-highly budgeted youth dramas
… but it’s not without flaws, because the series’ strong points also became its weakness during the second half.The good
- Decent cinematography for a low-budget web series.
- Impressive cast performance.
- Decent chemistry between ML and FL (the height difference is great, too!)
- Good flow, pacing, and storytelling in the first half—even comparable to average-highly budgeted youth dramas. Hooks you right in during the first episode.
- Good soundtrack.
The bad
- Inconsistent camera works.
- The relationship of ML and FL has a weak foundation. The romance peaked without the getting-to-know process. The shift from infatuation to a full-blown romance was not the best kind, and it does not give a clear distinction of where the relationship actually stands. I just couldn't tell if the way it's written is intentional.
- The secondary characters' antihero situation is poorly written and a mismatch of how their characters are.
- Everything crashed during the second half. Flew high up with impressive formatting during the first episodes but fell down pretty quickly due to inconsistency. Some stories were introduced, but not properly wrapped up. Additionally, the ending was a huge disconnect, like it was trying to be something that it wasn’t.
- The soundtracks were all good, but sometimes, they were used inappropriately, in a way that the lyrics of a song would not match the mood or the theme of a scene. Sometimes, they come off a bit awkward and intrusive, especially when a scene does not really require a background song.
Overall, I’d still give credits to where it’s due: despite the bad fall during the second half, I still think that this fared better than some youth dramas who had the advantage of budget and a full-length airtime.
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Decent time-slip for a short drama
If one can reconcile with the limitations of a short drama, this series can actually be a quite good binge.There are a lot of instances in this drama where one has to suspend disbelief, especially this is a speculative work of fiction where time travel is involved.
Production-wise, although unverified, I assume that this is made with little budget as well.
All that considered, I am especially in awe by how they were able to pack the story neatly within five episodes. No fillers, no fuss, just the story, romance, stakes, and resolution—all cleanly wrapped up in the last episode.
The acting is decent (special mention: Ding Yuxi school of ((eye)) acting), the pacing worked, and the OST is good!
More than anything, the emotional impact is also there.
Only downside is that the English subtitles on IQIYI are horrible.
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A more realistic slice-of-life exploring different types of love
I wasn’t supposed to watch Melo Movie, as I was under the impression that the “melo” meant melodrama, as in the genre.However, the “melo” means “romance” or “romantic” in this context—a mix-up I wouldn’t find the time to look into if I didn’t learn who the screenwriter of the series is: Lee Na Eun.
Lee Na Eun is the same screenwriter of Our Beloved Summer (2021), one of my favorite K-dramas from that year.
It wasn’t just because of the fluff though, nor it was just the resolution for the individual vs self conflicts of the series. It was the character depth that Lee Na Eun allowed the audience to explore.
Given the history, I was then compelled to pick up the series for my weekend binge.
Thankfully, for Melo Movie, Lee Na Eun was able to maintain her momentum in writing compelling characters.
In this series, a flawless switch of POVs among the characters, which includes the secondary characters, was used as a device for the viewers to explore the characters’ complexities and motivations.
My favorite part of the series is that it did not draw a glaring line to separate the main characters from the secondary characters; the secondary characters get their own stage to tell their own stories. With this, the audience are able to invest the same degree of emotional commitment they have for the main characters.
As we get to know more about the characters, we will see how they navigate the desolation of life and the consolation a love may bring.
Pacing is pretty decent for a 10-episode, too, and the OST is remarkable and unforgettable like its predecessor’s.
Regrettably, the plot lags behind, particularly the story of the main characters. It’s weak that it was overshadowed by the secondary couple’s and character’s narratives.
I am also not sure if having some loose ends remain untied is part of the writer’s intention, but some may come off as a plot hole, which is quite difficult to reconcile with.
Setting that aside, I’d still consider this a good slice-of-life romance, with a decent amount of comedy hitting the right note.
I’d gladly recommend this as a good binge for those looking for something uncomplicated but has enough emotional grip to keep one invested.
I’ll also be on the lookout for Lee Na Eun’s future work. Her storytelling style in slice-of-life might have just become one of my favorites!
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Weak worldbuilding and story structure; a slow-burn that doesn't work
CGI, cinematography, and OST are fairly decent.I got hooked with the first episode and thought the first arc was well-paced, with things running pretty much smoothly.
However, during the second arc, everything started feeling draggy and the push and pull of ML isn’t really working for me for some reasons, considering I’ve had a lot of this in the past.
Maybe it’s been dragged out for too long, or maybe the worldbuilding remained weak and lacked overall direction. Maybe even a combination of both.
I noticed that the series is character-driven. Still, the way they’re written also lacked depth.
I also don’t like how the ML’s character is written out. In the second arc, the second ML stood out better for me, which made me root for him instead.
When I was fast-forwarding a lot of scenes, I knew it was time to quit.
It’s such a shame, because they did a good work in writing the FL’s character: strong, smart, and beautiful.
And when I say smart, this is also in congruent with her view on self-worth. She set boundaries when the ML drew a line. She put more value on herself and the greater good rather than chasing a man who denied sharing any relationship with her. Maybe this will change, and the chase will start after the episode where I stopped.
Maybe even the plot will start picking up.
Unfortunately, at this point, even these possibilities couldn’t make me continue watching.
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Fake marriage trope built on deception that was stretched out way too long
One of my favorite tropes is fake marriage, but the series overextended it and backed it up with ML's lies upon lies—this arc could’ve been shorter, because they were mixing in a lot of things that did not add value to the plot at all.The fake marriage arc felt like a huge chunk of fillers, and it was quite a challenge to get pass through them.
It does not help that the FL’s character is not my cup of tea. She’s like a confused philanthropist who’s a tsundere and a badass for the most part but gets affectionate during full moons. I'd usually pass this as a part of dimension in a character's depth, but for Liu Mian Tang, it's not really convincing.
The secondary characters were more likeable and had more potential for a proper character development, but I doubt this will be properly explored.
Are You the One is definitely not the one. At least for me.
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A storytelling where the events unfold backwards, but unfortunately still under-delivers
The first episode reveals that the FL and ML do end up together—that’s one stress off the list.First episodes got me pretty hooked as the series begin to introduce the characters—tropey, as expected, but we have excellent series that didn’t really go outside the box either, so I don’t really use this as a deciding factor.
The main couple got together pretty early, which is not really an issue as well, but after this, everything went downhill—characters introduced that were forgotten, issues presented that were left unresolved, and the lack of compelling motivations of the characters.
The characters’ situations are all relatable, but it’s somehow difficult to connect with the characters themselves.
I think they also wanted to portray the main couple as someone with a healthy relationship, but I couldn’t look past the lies upon lies they had to do. The secondary couple is no good either.
I’m not pretty impressed with Julia Xiang’s performance as the FL and I don’t think there’s enough material for this series as it feels dragging and lacking.
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Only the premise is good, everything else is bad
I am aware that this is a low-budget drama and this could be one of the factors why the series didn’t work. At least for me.However, I have a few experiences with dramas with little funding that did not scream “low-budget!!!!” so I think this should not be an excuse to produce such a terrible piece and make it so obvious how the production team had to cut corners.
First, there are quite a handful technical mistakes I can name: terrible transition, mismatched footage, and the consistently poor editing in general.
In terms of writing and execution, I find it such a waste for such a good concept to be misused and not properly explored—there was an attempt to highlight the struggles of women in a patriarchal society, where the FL disguises herself as a man to secure a position in a government office. There’s also romance and politics in play, as the ML is a prince.
This trope is a no-brainer, and awfully easy to play with, if I’m being honest. I cannot comprehend why they couldn’t at least make this part work.
I tried so hard to get past each episode, but the longer I put up with it, the more it increasingly became unbearable to watch.
I’m giving extra points because of Zhang Linghe. His good performance was good for a television debut.
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