emberzmars

Must see romantic suspense drama with great acting and fiery chemistry

I discovered this drama when I was going through Huang Bo's filmography to update his MDL profile. This drama's synopsis intrigued me. I enjoyed this drama a lot and could watch this drama on repeat.

What I liked:
1. FL characterisation - She was a drone developer. Great to see a female scientist in vertical dramas. She was smart to use her strength to save herself in difficult situations. Lun Rui Xue impressed me with her acting.
2. Romance - At first the relationship between FL and ML was more physical for survival but it's great to see it transition to love as both trusted and depended on each other to catch the villain and get out of that place. This is one of few dramas in which main couple works together on a common goal. There were hot kisses and sexy seduction.
3. ML characterisation - A complex character wonderfully portrayed by Huang Bo. ML is anti-hero trapped in an undercover mission waiting to finish and get out. I liked that I couldn't read him at first.
4. Antagonists - There are two types of antagonists: FL's family and the people behind human trafficking & drug smuggling. Both types were nicely developed though I wish there was more screentime for the mastermind behind the those big crimes.
5. Legacy - Legacy is one of the themes explored in this drama and I liked how it was written in many ways such as from perseptives of FL, ML and antagonists.
6. Fitness - I have been into keeping myself fit after a health scare. So I appreciate whenever a drama has scenes of physical training & fitness. Appreciated that this was shown as part of main couple's preparation to bring down the mastermind.

What I disliked:
1. Abuse - This story involves human trafficking which for me is hard to watch. Innocent women being duped then abused physically and mentally by heartless people.

Favourite scene
When ML revealed his identity to FL

Read More

Painful to watch because of abuse endured by FL

I managed to watch this drama after Black Swan Strategy was released and before Youtube link got removed. I am a big fan of Wen Mo Yan and I enjoyed Wang Hao Xiang's dramas that I have watched. This drama was painful to watch. Trigger warning: Abuse, Self-harm

What I liked:
1. FL characterisation - I liked that she took the opportunity to blow off steam when she wanted to be herself. I'd say she was mentally strong because of the tantrums her mother threw at her frequently.
2. Ending - Loved the ending! Very similar to Black Swan Strategy.
3. Styling - I liked the styling contrast between FL and her twin sister. Wen Mo Yan looked hot in biker chic getup.
4. Acting - Great acting by Wen Mo Yan and the actress who played FL's mother.
5. Relationship - I liked that ML was there for FL / played the role of a friend when she was at her lowest point. There were some kisses but that happened mostly at the start because drama was quite heavy from second act onwards.

What I disliked:
1. Abuse - FL's mother had mental health issues and she was abusive towards FL. It was painful to watch scenes of her hurting and threatening FL.
2. Confrontation - That scene between FL's ex fiancé and FL's mother was tense. Damn he was brutally honest with her mother that I was afraid of what she would do to herself and FL.
3. Chemistry - Unfortunately I didn't sense any romantic chemistry between Wen Mo Yan and Wang Hao Xiang.

Favourite scene
The ending

Read More

Loved watching aircraft maintenance engineer FL fall in love

I watched this drama at the recommendation of MDL user - I asked for Yao Guan Yu's best work. I am an aviation geek and I love Secret Love at 30,000 feet so I had high hopes. I enjoyed this drama but with the long running time, I wouldn't repeat this drama.

What I liked:
1. FL characterisation - It's wonderful to see a FL in male-dominated job, which in this case aircraft maintenance engineer. She is capable and smart and I enjoyed the scenes in which she proved her sexist colleagues wrong. Peng Yao was good in this role as she managed to add femininity & innocence to the otherwise tomboyish character.
2. ML characterisation - I saw two sides to his character: calm & collected pilot captain and sensitive husband. He was so sweet to his wife despite the cold facial expression. Yao Guan Yu looked dashing in pilot uniform.
3. Aviation - Amazing to see aircraft maintenance scenes as I had not seen such scenes in other aviation-related vertical dramas. The piloting problem at the end is quite similar to Secret Love at 30,000 feet - I enjoyed the scene in that drama more because both FL & ML worked together on the problem.
4. Romance - Slow burn with nice kisses and sweet gestures. The scene about their wedding rings was touching. That TMI scene between FL and her flight attendant friend made me giggle.
5. Supporting characters - I enjoyed watching scenes involving FL's colleagues, FL's mother and ML's family. The female pilot & flight attendant were a nice surprise.

What I disliked:
1. Length - At almost 3.5 hours, this drama could be trimmed down. The romance trajectory between FL & ML took too long and their individual arcs, as aircraft maintenance engineer and pilot, went smoothly with few challenges that were solved almost immediately.

Favourite scene
When ML responded to snide remarks made by FL's aunt & cousin

Read More

This drama made me think of external locus of control

I am a massive fan of Guo Yuxin and was excited to watch her historical dramas because I had never done it before.

What I liked:
1. Acting - Solid acting by Guo Yuxin, Ceng Yi Tong, the actress who played SFL and Gu Ming.
2. Plot - This is my second reborn tale involving sisters. It's fascinating to watch how 2 characters, that were given another chance in life, lived their lives. I also enjoyed this drama for exploring the social status of ancient community even though it was brief.
3. Locus of control - Gosh, I learned about locus of control when studying psychology at university 20 years ago. I enjoyed watching the perspective of SFL who always blamed the outcomes of events in her life on external forces i.e. other people.
4. Ending - The last 10 minutes of the drama went from tragic to comedic. I liked how the leading 4 characters were wrapped up. There was a nice move on the 2 supporting characters too.
5. Styling - I love FL's outfits especially the aquamarine & lilac robes.

What I disliked:
1. Romance - Slow burn romance which is understandable because ML was a general. I wish there were more tender moments between FL & ML, not necessarily kisses or sex but more like handholding and playful banter.

Favourite scene
The ending for SFL & SML.

Read More

Republican era reborn-revenge drama with sexy pairing & good acting

I was curious about Xu Jiang Shuai's work after watching She is Noble. Decided to watch this drama since I enjoy Yao Yu Chen's acting & I rarely watch Republican era vertical dramas.

What I liked:
1. Romance - There was chemistry between Yao Yu Chen and Xu Jiang Shuai making their intimate scenes sizzling hot.
2. FL characterisation - I liked that she approached ML to execute her revenge plans. Her revenge on her fiancé's mistress was amusing. Yao Yu Chen was great in this role.
3. ML characterisation - He was protectiveness of her. I liked that he was willing to go along with FL's scheming.
4. Styling - I loved the qipao worn by FL, the mistress and other female characters in this drama. Xu Jiang Shuai also looked dashing in the uniform of Republican era military officer.
5. Antagonists - Gu Jing'An is a villain I love to hate. Such a meaty character that pose threat to FL & ML.

What I disliked:
1. Cruelty - The abuse at the start of the drama was hard to watch.
2. Antagonist - The green tea that appeared in third act was annoying. I don't understand why she got to live in the same house of the couple.

Favourite scene
When villain ambushed ML to tarnish ML's reputation

Read More

Supernatural murder mystery with a touch of romance

I was browsing through my iQiyi app when I found this drama. The synopsis intrigued me as it reminds me of Western supernatural series such as True Calling and Ghost Whisperer. So I clicked play and overall I liked this drama.

What I liked:
1. Supernatural theme - It's refreshing and I really enjoyed it.
2. FL characterisation - She's aloof but smart. I really liked that she's always a step ahead of others. Zhao Fei was excellent in this role.
3. ML characterisation - He's a workaholic but not overbearing. He's smart - I liked that he came out with a plan to convince shareholders.
4. Romance - As expected, there is romance. A sweet one but the chemistry between Zhao Fei and Yang Cheng Han was lacking for a romantic couple. I wish there were more warm moments by the couple so it would feel rewarding when they truly got together.
5. Supporting characters - I really liked ML's mother and FL's male friend. The two junior colleagues of FL were cute.

What I disliked:
1. Conclusion - What is the motive of the masked antagonist for killing FL's family? Was it explained? I want to know so please let me know.

Favourite scene
When FL's male friend fought against masked killer

Read More

Fast paced spy drama that has light touch of Mr and Mrs Smith

I found out about this drama from reddit. Was in the mood for something quick and this fit the bill with the drama being under 90 minutes. This drama has light touch of Hollywood's Mr and Mrs Smith and was enjoyable.

What I liked:
1. Action scenes - I enjoyed the action scenes and appreciated the one on one battles between FL and ML. It's great to see kickass FL and kickass ML. I actually liked that ML acknowledged FL as his equal partner during their action scene.
2. Romance - Since both FL and ML had secret identity, their romance was done in two ways - sweet (when they run their daily lives) and spicy (when they were on missions). I wish there were more emotional pull between them before their secret identities were revealed.
3. Styling - One member said Yer Forger outfit which made me search online as I was unfamiliar. I liked FL's spy outfit.
4. Antagonist - The antagonist character was done well and I could feel that he's almost on par with the main characters unlike other antagonist. I liked how his character was wrapped up.

What I disliked:
1. Last fight - I thought this scene could be done better with a different strategy. Since we had 2 great spies, why work in silo?

Favourite scene
FL and antagonist in hotel room

Read More

Offbeat romcom that looks at long distance relationship

Over the weekend I watched Lin Qiting-Wang Qianshuo dramas and got to know that she and her real life partner Peng Yu have acted together. This is my first drama of theirs. I enjoyed this offbeat romcom.

What I liked:
1. Comedy - I didn't expect this drama to be humourous. A lot of laughs from start till almost the end. Just leave your logic when the drama starts.
2. Romance - I saw their romance as a long distance relationship. They were not able to be in close proximity but they made it work within the capacity that they had been given. I could see that ML genuinely cared for FL.
3. ML characterisation - I really liked his character. That confrontation between ML and that family of three was well written. I was delighted that he stood up for himself. This is my first time watching Peng Yu and I was charmed by his acting.
4. Supporting characters - I was wary of the artefacts expert and arms dealer but wow they turned out to be allies of ML. FL's general was also delightful to watch though I think FL was too generous about the sharing.

What I disliked:
1. Antagonists - Gosh I hated ML's ex and her family. Opportunistic, selfish and disrespectful to the elders. I had no issues with ancient antagonist since it was done sensibly.
2. FL's styling - I disliked long, fake nails and this being a historical drama, it didn't make sense for an empress to have long nails with some art. Lin Qiting should have them removed. I also disliked her outfit when she confronted the enemy. The shoes did not make sense!

Favourite scene
When ML's lunch disappeared

Read More

Started off great but went downhill in third act

I got to know about this drama from reddit. The first few minutes alone was interesting but oh dear, this drama was a rollercoaster ride.

What I liked:
1. Fake dates - This drama uses a fake relationship trope. I really liked when they went on their dates. FL was fun so I got it why ML was attracted to her.
2. Styling - I really liked Zhang Yun Tao's outfits. The teal green suit and blue suit were well tailored and fitted him to a T. However stylist should give Chi Xiaoyi a different set of clothes. It's unbelievable that she went on almost 9 fake dates wearing the same outfit!
3. Acting - While the writing was very much flawed, the acting was good enough. I always find Zhang Yun Tao compelling in any role that he's portrayed. Yang Sanji was charming enough to portray 2 different personas.
4. Supporting characters - I really liked ML's grandpa. He was a sensible man!
5. Interaction - I enjoyed the interactions between FL and ML's grandpa in particular the chess game and his birthday party. What a thoughtful gift!

What I disliked:
1. Third act - The series went downhill once we entered the final 30 minutes. There were too much drama and unnecessary use of supporting character.
2. Antagonists - With the blonde hair & coloured contact lens, Hera was ice queen personified. Like many other white moonlight, she did all she could to sabotage FL-ML relationship. I was baffled by how she was left unpunished even till the end.
3. Romance - Now the romance felt like a rollercoaster ride. They were sweet when they were together but their relationship didn't have a solid footing. There were too many assumptions made that led to misunderstanding. The couple didn't have clear communication and it frustrated me.

Favourite scene
When FL took ML to roadside stall

Read More

Family saga and slow burn romance with Huang Bo portraying the greenest flag

I am a huge Huang Bo fan so I got excited when I got to know that he had new drama out. I watched this drama by accident - I thought I was going to watch The Moonlight Never Falls (another of his new release). I did watch The Moonlight Never Falls and overall, I enjoyed this drama much more than The Moonlight Never Falls.

What I liked:
1. ML characterisation - I swoon whenever I watch Huang Bo playing a gentle soul. Total green flag character. He was loyal, patient and loving.
2. Romance - This drama has the most passionate love scenes by Huang Bo and Xu Si Qi. ML's gentle voice when they were intimate for the first time was touching. Their relationship did suffer from lack of communication (I blamed it on FL). Despite that, this drama is very focused on their relationship with little interference from third party and I like it this way!
3. Family theme - The core theme of this drama is family and I enjoyed it!
4. Acting - Out of all the Huang Bo-Xu Si Qi collaborations that I have seen, I think this is my favourite because of the richness in their acting. Various emotional states were expressed by both of them.
5. Styling - I loved the outfits worn in this drama.
6. Supporting character - I liked FL's best friend and adopted brother.

What I disliked:
1. FL characterisation - I disliked her insecure and rash behaviour. She made assumptions about ML, left without confronting him and when she was wrong, she apologised and promised to stay together. She did this a few times but good thing she remained loyal to ML.
2. Antagonists - ML's family was controlling.

Favourite scene
When ML & FL made out and then came a proposal

Read More

Well-written and compact fantasy romance drama

I found this drama while going through Liu Qing's drama playlist on Youtube. However I only watched this drama last week when I wanted to watch something that is less than 90 minutes. This is one of the best written vertical dramas I have watched.

What I liked:
1. Plot - I must say I was hesitant to watch another merman story because My Mermaid Husband is a letdown. Thankfully this drama did justice to mermaid trope because of the excellent writing. A Youtube user mentioned that this drama's plot is similar to Kdrama My Demon but I beg to differ. This is a better fantasy drama. I appreciate the gender reversal with FL being a boss and ML being her assistant. I also liked the antagonist arc because it did not involve any love rival or jealous family members.
2. Product placement - This is my 2nd or 3rd time watching a Chinese drama heavy with product placement and yes, it was clever marketing. The writer brilliantly interweaved the products into the story that the products seemed relevant to the characters.
3. FL characterisation - I loved that FL was hardworking, smart & fair boss. This is my first time watching Yi La playing a serious character and she did well.
4. ML characterisation - Liu Qing usually portrayed intense characters so I liked this one the most because he was funny! ML was smart (i) to apply for a position of FL's assistant in order to retrieve his missing item, and (ii) to use resources around FL.
5. Supporting characters - OMG, this drama has different set of supporting characters that provided intel for ML and comedic relief for us.
6. Romance - Mostly sweet romance. I watched a few of Yi La's dramas so I know that she doesn't do real kissing. That's fine because the romance in this drama is believable enough.

What I disliked:
1. Ending - I usually don't mind vague ending because I could make my own interpretation easily. However this one left me with some unanswered questions.

Favourite scene
When ML showed FL his special power

Read More

Potential to be a good drama ruined by FL's characterisation

There is something about Yu Pei Shan that compels me to explore his dramas. I was intrigued by this drama because FL was given the role of a villain and the running time is less than 90 minutes.

What I liked:
1. Yu Pei Shan - He was dashing in this drama even though his character was overshadowed by FL.
2. Intro scene - A sexy start and I liked it. I also liked the scene of how FL was brought into ML's world.
3. Ending - I enjoyed the vague ending.
4. Styling - I liked the outfits worn by both ML & FL.
5. Running time - It's good that this drama was short because otherwise I'd be struggling to finish it.

What I disliked:
1. FL characterisation - She had the advantage of knowing where things are headed but she was not strategic in her decision making. I understand that FL was playing a role to meet a goal but I got tired of her "lies" especially when she deceived the King of Dragon boss.
2. Romance - I don't buy the romance because FL had lied so many times. I also don't see FL as someone who genuinely like ML.

Favourite scene
When FL comforted ML who was going through a tough time

Read More

Mature jiejie romance with great acting by leads

I was intrigued by this drama because I liked the poster and the drama is about older woman-younger man romance. I had watched dramas by both Yu Xiao Wan and Chen Yun Ting.

What I liked:
1. FL characterisation - She designs jewellery and I enjoyed her "at work" scenes. She is a great boss and a rational person. I liked that FL doesn't get mad when she found out about ML's real identity. She weighs pros and cons of being in a romantic relationship with ML. Great acting by Yu Xiao Wan.
2. Romance - Lusty, loving & mature. I loved ML's dedication towards loving & protecting ML. FL was committed to the relationship once she felt sure & secure - I liked this!
3. ML characterisation - He was smart to offer himself as muse. Though I am not a fan of secret identity, ML didn't drag it out.
4. Styling - Loved FL's outfits as they exude confidence & elegance.
5. Supporting characters - I liked FL's bestie & ML's cousin a lot!

What I disliked:
1. Antagonists - Feifei was too annoying. I also disliked ML's parents.

Favourite scene
When FL confided her feelings after the chandelier incident

Read More

Charmed by Yao Yuchen in this light rom-com about love and family

I enjoy watching dramas of Yao Yuchen and Zhang Yi Yang so I was delighted when I discovered this drama on reddit.

What I liked:
1. FL characterisation - It's interesting to see FL's hiding her identity for survival. I love her hidden hobby. I must say Yao Yuchen is one of the most charming vertical drama actresses. I liked her in this role.
2. Romance - There were a lot of kissing and sweet moments between ML & FL. There is also a secondary romance in this drama, which I enjoyed.
3. Friendship - It's refreshing to see that FL and SFL are besties instead of rivals. I love watching their friendship in this drama.
4. Styling - Fabulous style for FL. She gets better outfits compared to her bestie.
5. Supporting characters - ML's mother is wonderful!

What I disliked:
1. ML's brother - His character is severely underwritten and the actor had the least screentime. I wish the writer had given him a better arc.

Favourite scene
When FL & SFL panicked because their husbands could find out their secrets

Read More

Sweet romance but drama is not memorable

I picked this drama because I discovered it in Xia Jingran's filmography. It had been awhile since I last watched Du Ya Fei's drama. I had some expectations but unfortunately they were not met.

What I liked:
1. Crush - I liked that ML developed crush on FL because of her kindness.
2. Romance - Sweet romance with a lot of light touches and hugging.
3. Styling - Xia Jingran has fabulous hair, which can be seen in this drama. I love her clothes and especially shoes. Fascinating choice considering the height difference between her and Du Ya Fei.
4. Acting - I liked Du Ya Fei and Xia Jing Ran's acting.

What I disliked:
1. Secret identity - After watching plenty of dramas on a regular basis for almost 5 months, I felt that there was nothing new offered in this drama.
2. Antagonist - same old, same old. Jealous of FL.

Favourite scene
When FL first saw her hubby shirtless.

Read More