emberzmars

Solid drama about revenge, hidden identity & teamwork

I am a big fan of Zhao Xi Xi so I added this drama to my playlist right after The Love of a Fool. Links were not available until today when thehepburn shared new links in the comment. I enjoyed this drama.

What I liked:
1. Perspectives - At first the story was told from FL's point-of-view. Then around halfway through ML's perspectives got thrown in and that made it more exciting watch for me.
2. Revenge - The big fish was much more interesting than the small fish.
3. Acting - Zhao Xi Xi and Wang Yi Lei gave good performances. I think it could have been great if they increased the level of sexual tension. SFL & SML were good in their roles too.
4. Antagonists - One of the few dramas with good antagonist arc.
5. Identities - It's interesting that both main characters had opted for different identities and appearances.

What I disliked:
1. Romance - There was a kiss but I would have liked more kisses or affection after the secret's out.
2. Corporate scenes - I found the meetings and corporate problems less interesting.

Favourite scene
When ML asked FL if she was Chu Tong

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Steamy kisses but same old plot devices in this drama

When this drama was newly released, the Google translated title caught my attention - "Vulgar Plot". I decided to watch it today because I wanted a drama that's around 1.5 hours and I also enjoy Lin Rui Xue and Wang Nan's acting.

What I liked:
1. Romance - This drama had a lot of stramy kisses (sometimes I wonder how Zhang Bei Xi feels about it). There was fondness and affections between them. I liked that he called her "jiejie" - I think it's because of the rescuing she did at the second meet. ML did a lot of giving in this relationship.
2. Challenges - I liked that both characters faced challenges that could affect their livelihood - FL and her career, ML and his family dispute.

What I disliked:
1. Breakup - I am tired of this "I have to break up with you to protect myself and/or us". I wish FL had confided in him about the threats. I also found FL to be passive in the relationship.
2. Antagonists - Wow, so many baddies here: ML's self-proclaimed fiancée, FL's friend, ML's family. The self-proclaimed fiancée was intrusive - she didn't have the right to simply enter ML's house. Glad she was told off.
3. Oversight - It was odd that FL had to search online for signs of falling in love when she's written books about it. Hadn't she done a lot of research prior to hooking up?
4. Ending - I didn't like it. I felt like it was a cop out.
5. Plot device - There was kidnapping & hit by moving vehicle scenes.

Favourite scene
When FL rescued ML from being harassed by another woman

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Simple story about loving a person for who they are

I miss Guo Yu Xin so I decided to watch this drama today. I chose it because of the length and its historical setup. I liked it very much!

What I liked:
1. FL characterisation - I loved that FL was kind and pure. She helped ML thinking he was a prisoner of the king when he was in fact the king (this is a hidden identity drama).
2. ML characterisation - I liked that he had 2 different exteriors: tough at work and in public, and soft/mellow in front of FL. Righteous king - he punished those who went against the law.
3. Romance - Very sweet romance with a dash of spice. Damn that bathtub scene was sweet then spicy. There are several good kisses in this drama. I also liked that they were very protective of each other.
4. Duration - This drama is less than 100 minutes and pacing was good. A simple story.
5. Wedding - I liked FL's reaction when ML finally admitted to being the king.

What I disliked:
1. Abuse - Pity FL & her mum for getting abused by her father and that silly princess.
2. Antagonists - Disliked FL's father, his mistress, FL's suitor and the princess.

Favourite scene
Bathtub

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Wholesome, warm & lighthearted comedy about time travel forward and sibling dynamics

I loved Chen Mu Ye's acting in a drama she co-starred with Wang Yi Ran. I was excited when this drama was released. I watched it this afternoon and it was such a pleasure watching this drama.

What I liked:
1. FL characterisation - Lin Mo was endearing, kind & unpretentious and I liked that.
2. Comedy - I laughed a lot watching this drama. Loved the warm & lighthearted tone.
3. Relationship - I loved the sister - brother interactions. It's clear that both brothers loved her dearly.
4. Acting - Chen Mu Ye was wonderful in this role. Even though she's in her mid-30s, she was able to transformed into a 18 year old character.
5. Supporting characters - My favourite supporting character goes to Jiang Tang. Capable employee - she should be given the president role. I loved FL's brothers, ML's butler and even FL's ex and the girl who was dating FL's second brother were not nasty.

What I disliked:
1. The ending - What?!!! I also felt that the accident wasn't solved.
2. Romance - It was underdeveloped especially with that abrupt ending. I felt like ML and their potential romance didn't get enough screentime.

Favourite scene
When FL scolded second brother after the staff meeting

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Familiar plot but both leads had rock vibe & gorgeous styling

I found out about this drama on reddit and it is an adaptation of "I had one-night stand with younger man overseas then we met again in China 3 years later" plot. I have watched 4 other versions in total - Zhang Yun Tao, Shao Wei & Cai Cheng Yuan as MLs. I enjoyed this version.

What I liked:
1. ML characterisation - He got the bad boy vibe going and was the most aggressive / tough Lu Chi Ye out of 4 versions I watched. I liked that he threatened legal action to the company who dropped FL as their spokesperson. I also liked that he felt FL's pain when she confided her secret.
2. Styling - I loved Qin Tin Ai's hairstyle and outfits for this drama. She had the rock chic vibe. The photo shoot with the motorcycle was different than the photo shoot in other versions
3. FL characterisation - She was tough as nails on the outside but had vulnerable moments too.
4. Romance - ML was aggressive with his bites & wooing style. There were nice kisses in this drama.
5. Acting - It was my first time watching Qin Tin Ai & Liu Yi Long and I liked their acting in this drama. Qin Tin Ai is young to be Liu Yi Long's jiejie but somehow she made it work!

What I disliked:
1. Smoking - Not a fan of smoking. There was too much smoking shots in this drama.
2. Acting - The acting of supporting cast (FL's agent, FL's family, the scumbag who had affair with FL's sister) was underwhelming. I felt the actress who played FL's agent was timid - she looked more like an assistant when she was supposed to be firm, no-nonsense.
3. FL's grandmother - Unlike other versions, this version only had grandmother "appeared" during phone calls. Quite a disappointment because her grandmother was her rock.

Favourite scene
When FL tended to ML's wound

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No romantic spark & the story would have been better if leads were business partners

I am a fan of Si Jia Li so I was intrigued by this drama when I browsed her work. Since the drama was only 48 minutes long, I decided to watch it. I did not like it and would not recommend this drama to anyone.

What I liked:
1. FL characterisation - She was quite eccentric. I liked her for telling off ML who assumed she wanted the arrangement done by their families.
2. Supporting character - I liked FL's friend. There was a sense of comfort between them and their interactions were more fun to watch than interactions between FL and ML.

What I disliked:
1. Romance - There wasn't enough interactions and chemistry between Si Jia Li and the actor who played ML. It would have been better if they had worked as business partners rather than as romantic partners.
2. Antagonist - Typical vertical drama antagonist.

Favourite scene
When FL and her bestie worked on a photo shoot

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I liked leads' performances in this rich guy-poor girl romance drama

I was really impressed with Aorigele's acting in 'After the Fake Play Became Real, He Lost His Love Forever'. So I went through his drama playlists and this title had many positive comments. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

What I liked:
1. Acting - This is my first time watching Jin Yanna and I really enjoyed her performance. I also loved Aorigele's performance because he made the character soft-spoken.
2. Relationship - It's a slow burn romance that started off with student-teacher and then progressed into employee-boss, baby momma & later love. They resolved their misunderstanding in the first 28 minutes. I liked that writer didn't force a love relationship just because she was pregnant.
3. FL characterisation - She was kind & self-reliant but not meek / a damsel. When she was bullied, she fought back.
4. ML characterisation - I liked him despite the forced intimacy. He was patient & rational & tried his best to understand FL's actions.
5. Supporting characters - I liked ML's grandma for talking sense to FL about her pregnancy and indirectly offered to be her family. I also liked ML's friend / cousin who always helped around and to some extent, FL's childhood friend.

What I disliked:
1. Forced intimacy - I'd say their first intimate encounter was rape. It sucked but ML apologised to FL.
2. Antagonist - This time antagonist was self-proclaimed future wife of ML. She was doctor but her actions and long raptor nails baffled me. FL's family was despicable.
3. Boundaries - I hated that ML allowed antagonist to stay at his family home.
4. Bullying - There were some humiliating scenes that I found unfair to FL.

Favourite scene
When they talked about their feelings after FL got out of a trap

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Refreshing story of second chance in life & love for ML

I came across this drama in a subreddit. I was intrigued because the title indicates that it involves rebirth trope & a character with disability. This drama was a breath of fresh air.

What I liked:
1. Comedy - I don't watch many male-centred vertical dramas and comedy so this was a fun watch. Funny moments were mostly provided by supoorting characters.
2. Acting - This is my first time watching both leads. Yen Hao was really good in his role. He was likeable. Shen Yue 'Er was good in her role as CEO FL. Supporting cast did well too.
3. Tone - This is a light-hearted tale of second chance in life & love. There is no overblown drama and I loved it!
4. Romance - Very sweet and wholesome with ML trying to win FL's heart. I liked that they had contrasting personality - FL was cool, calm & collected while ML was cheerful & warm.
5. Supporting characters - I liked FL's secretary & ML's colleagues from same department.
6. Styling - I really liked outfits for ML. He looked trendy & attractive with that styling. I loved FL's green suit and gosh her shoes were pretty.

What I disliked:
1. The ending - It was rushed. I wish there was more romance between ML & FL.
2. Antagonists - ML's family was horrible.

Favourite scene
Battle between 2 departments in the staff meeting

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I liked the leads' chemistry and their kisses in this version of a familiar plot

I became a fan of Song Yu Bo after watching him in inner thoughts drama set during Chinese Republican era last weekend. I browsed his list of dramas and this stood out because I was familiar with the plot - "my husband wants me to be impregnated by another man". I have watched versions by 1) Shi Tong, 2) Zhang Shan & Zhao Guan Yu, 3) Cui Shi Yi & Aorigele. I was surprised that I enjoyed this drama.

What I liked:
1. Romance - Plenty of lust & love. Song Yu Bo did not disappoint me - the kisses were hot. I really liked watching their relationship progressed from one night stand to kept man / sugar mama and finally true lovers.
2 ML characterisation - Out of the four versions I've seen, Song Yu Bo's ML is my favourite. I felt that he brought more warmth & support into the relationship and was more like a partner. Meanwhile in the other versions their MLs were almost like bodyguards with FLs being the boss. I also liked that ML expressed his dissatisfaction with FL's decisions.
3. FL characterisation - I liked Wei Fan Shu's FL. She was more open to being vulnerable as opposed to FLs in the other 3 versions.
4. Acting - Both Wei Fan Shu and Song Yu Bo were great in the roles. They had sizzling chemistry with the right amount of push & pull dynamics.

What I disliked:
1. FL's action - I disliked that she didn't come clean to ML about her pregnancy. I was baffled by that ending.
2. Antagonists - FL's cheating husband was possessive and nonsensical. How could you ask your wife to follow you & your mistress around at malls? How could you allow friends of the mistress to treat FL badly? The mistress was batshit crazy for the outrageous scheming in third act. I also disliked ML's grandpa for scheming. Anyway the actor seemed to young to play a grandpa - he could pass as older brother to FL's cheating husband.

Favourite scene
When they celebrated FL's birthday

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Gender role reversed - dominant & rich FL with ML that underwent a lot of character growth

I watched this drama at the recommendation of a reddit friend. I was unfamiliar with the leads but heck this was a fun watch.

What I liked:
1. FL characterisation - I loved the gender role reversal. FL was the more successful of the two - she led her own company & was a smart & fair boss.
2. ML characterisation - There was a lot of character growth for ML. He started off as a bully victim who was given a second chance at life. I chose to be with FL instead of SFL and it was cool to see him as a kept man but later had his own ambition to succeed.
3. Romance - I liked that FL was more dominant and proactive than ML but ML also made efforts as the relationship grew. I wish there were more romance in the last 30 minutes.
4. Supporting characters - I really liked FL's assistant for helping out ML with love advice. She saw value in making her boss happy and indirectly less stressed at work.
5. Retribution - Yes, the antagonists got their comeuppance.
6. Styling - This is first time I saw a ML getting a glow up. I actually liked his before and after looks - the thick framed glasses and hair with bangs looked good on him while the better hairstyle (forehead seen) and outfits made his character more mature & serious.

What I disliked:
1. Antagonists - The Lins were horrible people. However it's refreshing to see a jealous brother instead of the usual jealous sister in many vertical dramas. Qin Ruoyao was damn annoying.
2. The past - FL was insecure and later we got to know that there was a past relationship between FL & ML. I had a lot of unanswered questions - why were they separated? Why wasn't ML able to recall that past? Why didn't FL tell ML about this past (because why did writer include this past then)?

Favourite scene
ML made his move while FL was on a work video call

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Amnesia, reconciliation and ML's character growth are the essence of this drama

I watched this drama during the early months of vertical drama exploration. I think I chose this drama because of the amnesia trope.

What I liked:
1. ML characterisation - I disliked him at first because he was cold, distant & aggressive towards his wife. Then his personality changed after the car accident. He became charming & serious about his marriage. I also liked that he set boundaries against the green tea.
2. Romance - Mostly sweet & tender moments with ML trying to win over FL's heart. I liked their dynamics since they worked together to punish ML's brother.
3. Acting - I enjoyed the acting of Qiao Jia Le & Zhang Xing Yao. Both of them had great chemistry and I hope to watch them collab again the future.
4. Supporting characters - I liked ML's grandma for being on FL's side.
5. Tone - I enjoyed this lighthearted drama. I also liked that this drama was under 1 hour 45 minutes.
6. Styling - I loved FL's makeup because it looked natural. I am big fan of peter pan collar so that blue '80s inspired blazer was pretty.

What I disliked:
1. Antagonists - ML's parents & brother were horrible people. Green tea was narcissist & delusional - ML clearly stated that he's married. Office bullying is not cool.
2. Threat - I hate it when ML of vertical drama threatens a character to be sent to Africa as punishment.

Favourite scene
When ML tried to be intimate after drinking soup

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Longtime crush, assumptions & green tea shenanigans with sizzling chemistry from the leads

I didn't know Han Jia Hui has worked with Wang Zilin twice until I checked his list of new releases. This drama's video title caught my attention because it implied FL had relations with ML's father. It did feel weird but overall this was a good drama.

What I liked:
1. Romance - The push & pull dynamics was done very well. Their interactions at the start of the drama were explosive & playful (that sneaky kiss while ML's father in the room) but gradually developed depth as the story progressed. They became emotionally connected once they overcame a hurdle in their relationship.
2. Acting - Han Jia Hui has grown so much (Have Babies is my first drama of hers and I love her there). In here, she showcased different façades of her character. Wang Zi Lin was great in his role and matched intensity of Han Jia Hui's acting.
3. FL characterisation - Despite all the scheming & tough exterior, she was a vilnerable woman. I loved that she was willing to risk her life to save ML.
4. Supporting characters - I liked FL's bestie (she kicked ass!), ML's bestie (he looked so familiar) & assistant. The gangster boss was handsome!
5. Gift - There was birthday party of an elder and I liked FL's personalised gift.
6. Styling - I loved the clothes worn by Han Jia Hui & Wang Zi Lin.
7. The ending - I wasn't expecting it to be funny and that surprise guest in FL's entourage was a pleasant surprise.

What I disliked:
1. Communication - I wish they confessed to each other at the start of their marriage so there was no misunderstanding based on assumptions.
2. Antagonists - I disliked people that take credit for something they didn't do. I also disliked people who answered someone's phone without permission. She overstepped boundaries.

Favourite scene
When FL was desperate to get out of dangerous situation & called ML for help

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FL with temporary amnesia with hot & imposing guy pursuing her

This is my first drama starring both Qian Zhe and Wang Yi Yang. I think I chose this drama because it features a main character with amnesia. Overall I liked this drama.

What I liked:
1. Opening scene - Such a sexy & memorable scene! I first watched this drama not too long after its release and now with 4 months gone by and plentiful of vertical dramas watched, I can still recall the scene.
2. FL characterisation - I liked that she was a journallist and had to conduct an interview with ML.
3. Romance - This is one of the rare dramas in which we see FL being pursued by 2 men. She even got to kiss both of them.
4. Abs - Qian Zhe is one of the few vertical drama actors that have well-defined six / eight packs. His shirtless scene was a delight!
5. Dumpling making scene - It was short but meaningful.

What I disliked:
1. ML's characterisation - At the start, I found him imposing because of his aggressive approach towards FL. However he redeemed himself when he showed genuine care towards FL's health.
2. Antagonist - Lu Ze was an opportunist and manipulative.

Favourite scene
Opening scene

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A story of a reformed prisoner who wants to live a better life with his son

I discovered this drama on reddit and watched it in preparation for a special post that celebrates Father's Day. Such an emotional experience watching this drama so please have tissues nearby when you watch it.

Plot overview:
ML Yang Lang is a reformed prisoner and lives a hard life with his young son. During a chance encounter, he meets his ex-wife and gets caught in a custody battle against her.

What I liked:
1. ML characterisation - I loved that he worked hard to live a clean life with his son. There was temptation there because his gang members wanted him to rejoin but he was set on his new life and strives to be a better man.
2. Bond - ML has a precious relationship with his son. The separation was tough on both side.
3. ML's son - At first he behaves like a typical 8 year old when it comes to school matters. However the separation really made him realise how much love & dependency he has for his dad. The last 10 minutes of the drama was very touching that you know his dad has raised him well.
4. Life lessons - This drama was tough to watch because of the prejudice faced by ML and how power and influence can affect someone's life.
5. Acting - Specatuclar acting by the cast.

What I disliked:
1. ML's ex-wife - She was clearly selfish prioritising her needs over her son's. I also disliked how oblivious she was about her partner's schemes.
2. Partner of ML's ex-wife - Sinister & dishonest. He should have been upfront to ML's ex -wife about not wanting to raise another man's kid.
3. Ending - I usually don't mind a cliffhanger but I wish there was another episode to that final moment.

Favourite scene
The last 10 minutes of the drama

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Flash marriage drama that didn't quite meet my expectation

I watched this drama because someone on reddit recommended it. This is my second time watching Li Ya Ya and first time watching Gao Ming. It was an ok watch - I expected more since marriage of convenience is one of my favourite tropes.

What I liked:
1. ML characterisation - I liked that he's protective and respectful of FL.
2. FL characterisation - It's nice to see a doctor FL. I also liked her for apologising to ML because a heated conversation that happened before.
3. Romance - I could sense from the start that ML had a crush on FL despite the cold façade. Their dates were cute.
4. Supporting characters - I loved ML's parents for being kind to and supportive of FL. Loved ML's father's reaction when his wife meddled with their son and daughter-in-law's relationship. ML's assistant was good addition too.
5. Prophylactic - I didn't expect such scene but hey I enjoyed it.
6. The wedding - I enjoyed that chat amongst friends.

What I disliked:
1. Antagonist - Wow FL's ex was very bitter about the breakout. He was possessive. I hated him for wanting to control her post-breakup by threatening her career.
2. Scheming - The hotel room sneak-in was an invasion of privacy. Pity the hotel guest! I also disliked the false accusation by a patient of FL. Good thing the son came clean - bless his heart for having a pure heart.
3. Acting - I love flash marriage dramas but this one felt like it's missing something. I didn't sense much chemistry between Gao Ming & Li Ya Ya - they seemed awkward & perfunctory.

Favourite scene
When ML drunk dialled FL

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