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Ahhh, thank you for reading! ❤️

I am 50% intimidated by what might be a heavy film, and 50% intrigued because you have good taste. So if you are rating it a 9/10, then it must be good. Adding this to my PTW after reading your review lol.

I didn't read the novel, so I can't be 100% sure, but I try to tell myself it was a miscast. Perhaps his brother was in his early 20s and Yulou was a teenager? That would make the age gap feel less weird to me. Still weird if we look at it through a modern lens, but less weird in the context of those times.

It was a hard watch. The writers definitely knew how to make us cry. 🥹🫂

Unfortunately, no lol. The setting was actually the main reason I picked this one up. I’m trying to watch more films (and dramas) from different regions across Asia this year, but the writing here just didn't live up to the cinematography.

I’m still holding out hope for a Taiwanese film that will impress me, though. If I ever end up watching one that meets my expectations, I'll let you know!

Omg no way! That is so cool. I would be excited to watch the drama just to see if I can spot any locations I recognize too. A nice little easter egg hunt for a local~

January 16th is so close, but so far. I'm itching to start this already - can't waittt.

The mothers' friendship really grew on me too. I loved the way they came to understand each other better and genuinely supported each other in the end. 🥹

And I get what you mean about wanting more from Mirae's pov — I agree. Even though they were both the main characters, the drama definitely focused more on Miji. Maybe if we had seen more of Mirae, we could've seen more of Sejin (I loved that guy!) Your reasoning for rating it 8.5 is fair.

As always, thank you for the gifts and for taking the time to read my review, Jojo!! 🩷💕

I just saw some stills and Meng Zi Yi and Li Yun Rui look so good!! I can't wait for this drama to come out~

Omg, I'm so glad you understand! By the end, Tae Poong's mother and her relationship with Miseon's family was the best part of the drama for me too lol. I wish there were more positives than negatives, but at least we finished it.

Thank you for reading my review. I hope your next drama is better. 🩷

"I'm still in tears thinking of the characters and the challenges they faced in life."

^ You are definitely not alone! I spent much of the drama crying too lol. That final scene in episode 36 — where the elderly Xiuxiu returned home and was greeted by the spirits(?) of her loved ones — crushed me, but it was perfection. It made me feel like I have also lived a complete life with Xiuxiu. It has been days and I still can't stop thinking about it. 🥹

And I agree with you 100% about how we are so blessed to live in a time where we can witness the resilience of those who came before us from the comfort and safety of our homes. I don't think I would have had the courage to survive what they went through. These characters and their journeys humbled me, and the entire This Thriving Land team deserves all the love for that.

I started watching this drama late and missed out on all the discussions, so it's so nice to meet someone who recently finished it and loved it just as much as me. Thank you for reading my review and for taking the time to comment~ ❤️

You are welcome~ 💕

Sameee. They don't make dramas / movies like those anymore! ❤️

Omgosh, seeing an old HK movie on the feeds is bringing back so many memories from my childhood. 🥹 I can't remember if I've ever watched this specific one, but I loved Stephen Chow as well. ❤️

Watching this made me realize that while Baek Ah Jin was trying to gaslight the world into thinking that she was a good person, the writers of this adaption were trying to gaslight us into accepting that she was above consequences lol. I don't know what is more infuriating, the underwhelming ending or the possibility of there being a season two, but I am glad that at least I'm not alone in my disappointment for the second half of this drama.

Thank you for this review. I enjoyed reading it, Jojo~

Same. At least we have his new drama to look forward to. It sounds pretty fun!

Hey! The drama isn't released yet, but it's called How Dare You!? ❤️

https://kisskh.at/778182-this-is-ridiculous

Right? And it was made even more infuriating because we know the writers are capable of quality writing — we saw it at the beginning of the drama. The good news is, at least it's over now and we can move on to other dramas lol.

Thank you for reading my review~

"you can have great dialogue great characters great production values but you need above all a good story. "

^ I wholeheartedly agree with this statement! It is always disappointing when you have everything right going for a drama, but then it gets dragged down by poor writing. 😪

Thank you for taking the time to read my review and happy watching for your next drama~

Exactly!! No pretense, no performance. Just vibing~ ❤️