fun watch if youre looking for a simple romance with a fun build up. not without flaws, but theyre easy to completely ignore. nothing crazy wow here but its definitely a good romcom watch
warning - FL is irritating as fuck in the beginning but the story wipes that off quite well as it progresses.
awesome show. just like everyone in the comments pointed out, it was so peaceful and immersive to watch. i wanna appreciate the directors ability to go beyond just romcom and actually make the audience interested in everything else because of his story telling abilities. most cdrama directors fail massively when they step outside of their designated "romcom" drivers seat and stuff shows with utter boring nonsense that clearly they know nothing about. here the director knew how to navigate all kinds of topics so well. i literally found the whole show so peaceful (the first two eps are heavy but he irons our hearts out really well thereafter). kudos to all the actors, and especially our mains. FL is like a Japanese garden when it comes to watching her. her soothing voice nails it in even further. love her unique acting takes. ML does vulnerable good guy really well. hes really the definition of watching a puppy; just adorable as hell (yea ok hes sexy too but thats a given)
this is one of those shows i wish had a proper script and good production team. i loved the essence of the characters (dark ML, FL who accepts him as he is). their relationship was awesome. unfortunately the shows editing/make up/directing/sets all kinda failed to allow this to breathe properly. if the guy from a perfect stranger did this - i think itd been awesome as hell. i recommend watching just for some of the unique takes it presents - but do be aware of just how messy the packaging of it all is.
eh - wasted potential and wasted main cast. started out promising but then went downhill fast. the editing team was high af when they got their hands on this. screenplay and script folks were probably taken down by the second hand smoke of the editing team. only way to explain how you fuck up and rush everythin with THAT many episodes. many things just didnt make sense - not in the writing, or the editing.
shame. i had high hopes. the characters were even made unlikeable due to the shabby writing. ML was cool. everyone else was a bit of an asshole tbh and not in a reasonable/grey way - no just...a bunch of not so nice characters gettin lucky cuz story requires it.
definitely dont recommend unless you have an ocd need to watch all the "classics/famous shows"
now this was grand. worth being called a classic. way more serious approach across the board than other big ones (eternal love, EL of a dream, ashes of love, etc). the story was grand. the writing was grand. the love was grand. the sets. all of it.
i absolutely fell head over heels for this actress. shes definitely many tiers ahead of all the popular actresses we see today (bai lu, dilraba, yang zi etc). shes so charismatic and nuanced. love her. very happy xu kai matched her. you could see shes more of a professional actor, but he really did justice to being paired with her. good for him.
definitely recommend this as the ultimate classic in chinese fantasy. id recommend this over all the other big hit classics. in fact watch this one last - the others are messy/cheesy/idiotic angst filled, with usually very stupid/annoying FLs - this will cleanse your palette and show you a very big lovestory without being cheesy and angsty just for the sake of it. also, unlike most fantasy shows, this FL is truly a tough FL. she has an actual character and each one of her traits is within absolute logical reason of her character (ie shes not arrogant just cuz, shes not stupid just cuz, shes not an idiot just cuz - etc - how cdramas usually portray FLs) - shes tough and shes awesome. ML, although overall story frustrates you because of some of his choices, the show does a very decent job at telling us "he has no other way, and this is what he thinks will be the best thing he could do for her". (many shows fail to deliver this to us convincingly, leaving a very frustrated and annoyed audience whos forced to watch tropey nonsense). here, although you are saddened by many aspects, you still get it more or less and understand why. youre not busy yelling at your screen because you think theres a "better way" (ok maybe in some minor scenes lol but hey, nothing can be perfect lol)
this is definitely worth a watch for the story, the beautiful visuals, and a very memorable concept.
i love both main actors but i unfortunately didnt feel their collective chemistry. individually they were awesome, but together...awkward. Allens pairing with Bai Lu was so good, that this was very underwhelming by comparison. im not personally a massive fan of Dilraba, but i love watching her nonetheless because she gives it her all with her characters and i like watching her bring them to life - but here she felt disconnected from her ML. it was like they both were sooooo distant from each other as actors...specifically as actors, not as characters. you could see that there was something uncomfortable, especially when it came to being physically close. they looked like those teens during dance parties - the ones that hold each other with full arms out during a dance - which is ok for teens - but here it was so painfully obvious. it was weird and hindered my enjoyment because love is the center theme here.
id still recommend it cuz the overall journey and story telling was awesome. (minus points for that cringey suit...omfg what were they thinking. plus allens acting during those episodes was honestly abismal - but it got better once he sunk into the role)
loved the concept. ML is hot (but his acting is questionable). FL is fun as hell even when shes annoying (her acting has you covered so you dont get irritated even when she is). but it all kinda failed and was a little too....weirdly put together for my taste.
expected more considering the ratings, maybe thats on me.
this was an easy fun watch. adorable fantasy story, with two lovely main leads who built up good chemistry and heartfelt fluffy story with loveable characters. no big issues, and nothing wow either, but definitely worth a one time watch.
such an underrated gem. given a better production team, i reckon this woulda been a hit. it had a few minor issues that come with lesser known, lower budget dramas - but man it made up for all that with its humour, acting, fun premise, and awesome main leads chemistry. this was truly fun to watch. very underrated and definitely a recommended watch
this is one of those shows that i truly wished got a better team to work on it. it had a lot of potential. loved both leads. not your typical personalities. show failed the concept and the characters. very saddened by that.
definitely watch cuz its not bad its just the failures of the show become too glaring since you notice its potential, and you feel upset throughout that something with so much promise in essence and such fun actors, failed to deliver overall
this was boring tbh. i love both these actors, and despite my not liking their big hit show (once we get married) - i still loved their pairing there. they just suit each other. just as in their previous show - FL is selfish. ML has to simp his way back into her self centered lifestyle. nothing new really. same old combo but at least, as i said, these two visually suit each other.
watch if you have nothing else to watch. i wouldn't necessarily skip it, but i wouldn't really recommend it either
annoying show. it tried to be deep in its writing but failed. instead we got an annoying and agressive FL, a mopey spineless simpy ML and a whole lot of boring from their past and presenr that made zero sense if youre an actual functioning adult with a brain.
FL is a good actress but this script is just cheesy nonsense for her. she belongs with with serious writers and in serious character roles. ML i like most of the time - but here his character kinda ruined his acting tbh. i feel this actor deserves better. dear romance writers - just be good romance writers. stop going into directions you have no talent in (psychology, serious adulthood etc). stick to what youre good at ffs.
despite this shows popularity, i still cannot fathom why you need to make characters absolute morons to allow a show to have its "misunderstandings" and "angst". no humans behave like this. the writers always take the easy way out and make everyone mute and absolutely idiotic
not worth it. the FL actress also ruins it by having very weird expressions (its like shes about to cry and burst into laughter all at once. unless shes doing her "im an upset toddler" face, cheesy 90s style acting abilities, and trumps hairstylist. i like ML but here he looked constipated for half the show
angst galore but without reason. FL was annoying. shes as interesting as watching paint dry. her "issues" are even less interesting (and make no sense). not sure why everyone calls ML an asshole. dude was doing his own thing and not willing to let a flimsy whiney FL drive him into her endless teary pitty party. he was normal. youve all just been spoilt by idiot simps in these shows.
MLs costume department shoulda told him he needs to stop with the super tight clothing and weird ass make up - hes a good looking guy - why make him look likes hes about to do a drag show?!. hes a charming actor and despite being thin, hes actually one of the few lankey dudes that can look pretty hot if dressed right - here they looked like they were trying to make him into an opera singer with some of the outfits.
worth it if you like unnecessary angsty shows. a lot of rinse and repeat for a looooong ass time. too many monologues. couple has good chemistry and ML actor always delivers his characters well - hes worth watching. FL needs to stop with the bassett hound like droopy look. dont recommend if you get frustrated easily - this shows frustrations werent worth it tbh. writing on the angst wasnt solid
this is epitome of childish romcoms. i watched it cuz apparently i like to lose brain cells without any reason. stay away if youre into even basic writing sense (second grade and above coulda done better)
loved this show for its down to earth and realistic approach to a typical romcom. loved this FL (not till the end tho)/actress - was building up to be my fave FL. ML as a main lead delivered and then some - would love to see him in more main roles. as a 2ML i never liked him - so i was surprised by how much i took to him here. they have good chemistry and LOVED all the food info. loved that they had real problems (her life attitude and his still being hung up on the ex) - although these are frustrating themes in any cdrama (which i personally loathe half the time) - here they werent melodramatic or makjang- they felt real and added some painful angst for the viewer that gave characters depth instead of being random writers fodder as with most romcoms(till ep 13)
BUT then the last few eps came and omfg. FL quickly became an immature asshole who shoulda remained single or gone for a different kind of guy - it ruined the entire show (not saying what happened shouldnt have, people come in all kinds- its HOW. who tf who does that?! also what happened thereafter made NO sense at all. shes a selfish idiot at best and how it was resolved was sheer....luck?). ML not figuratively fly kicking his ex in the face was another weird ass decision. whys she still there at the end?!. for the recipes (i actually use a lot of em now) and the first 13 eps - definitely watch. buckle up for those last eps.
weird show tbh. food was awesome, concept was interesting in theory. i love both leads, and love slow burn build up - but the FL wasnt likeable as a character and never really grew better - so i couldnt root for her in any situation in the story cuz she never redeemed herself - just too arrogantly manipulative for my taste (unless the character learns/apologizes - which didnt happen here). frustrating watch cuz of how shes written.
this is a wonderful drama, with two really cool main actors. i love their independent charm and their interactions. the story idea was wonderful, as were the overall feels of the show. not without its cheesy over the top moments, but that was easily submerged by the stories laid back writing and wonderful main leads (and their acting).
2 gripes that i feel were inconsistent with its set up and characters ● We focused on 2ML too much. he was a wet mop at best but they tried to present him as someone with depth. umm no - he was boring. FL spent too much time lecturing him on how theyre over supposedly but it wasnt even direct. given his nature no wonder he persisted (we're not meant to be can be taken as - change for me and ill reconsider - lady - say "we're over and i dont love you" ffs. and then she spent too much time helping him be a version she assumes he has to be - thats leading him on and frankly no clue why she needed to do this both in dream and post dream parts. this took away from our couple screentime, especially in the beginning - giving us NO build up to our FL liking ML outside of "oh wow he does nice things for me". for a fairly detailed show - im surprised this was messed up ●post coma - a bit of an incoherent mess compared to dream part- odd editing, weird fumbling around between our couple - zero logic to her actions tbh. baseless misunderstandings from her. cheesy competitions - and of course..making him yield first to a point where i felt SORRY for this pitiful man during his confession. i mean come on - as a viewer - seeing his 10 year silent love - i wanted her to take at least ONE step towards him sincerely. instead during his confession when he yielded to all that embarrassment she FURTHER goaded him with some joke about a form. very bitchy move imho. i felt this guys solo love throughout the show and as a viewer wanted him to get SOME reciprocal steps. we got none. she just....won and he had to step all over his ego yet again. this made NO sense given how the show set them up to be as individuals...very weird turn out. completely unsatisfactory for a viewer.
outside of the above it was a charming story with even more charming main leads. definitely recommend everyone watch this one. absolutely adore them both and would like to see them frequent our screens way more often. theyre both more deserving of lead roles than many more familiar faces. FL is a ton stronger as an actor than ML, but ML has his own unique acting charm which with hoaning could really turn him into a great pro actor i feel.
warning - FL is irritating as fuck in the beginning but the story wipes that off quite well as it progresses.
i wanna appreciate the directors ability to go beyond just romcom and actually make the audience interested in everything else because of his story telling abilities. most cdrama directors fail massively when they step outside of their designated "romcom" drivers seat and stuff shows with utter boring nonsense that clearly they know nothing about. here the director knew how to navigate all kinds of topics so well.
i literally found the whole show so peaceful (the first two eps are heavy but he irons our hearts out really well thereafter). kudos to all the actors, and especially our mains. FL is like a Japanese garden when it comes to watching her. her soothing voice nails it in even further. love her unique acting takes. ML does vulnerable good guy really well. hes really the definition of watching a puppy; just adorable as hell (yea ok hes sexy too but thats a given)
i recommend watching just for some of the unique takes it presents - but do be aware of just how messy the packaging of it all is.
shame. i had high hopes. the characters were even made unlikeable due to the shabby writing. ML was cool. everyone else was a bit of an asshole tbh and not in a reasonable/grey way - no just...a bunch of not so nice characters gettin lucky cuz story requires it.
definitely dont recommend unless you have an ocd need to watch all the "classics/famous shows"
i absolutely fell head over heels for this actress. shes definitely many tiers ahead of all the popular actresses we see today (bai lu, dilraba, yang zi etc). shes so charismatic and nuanced. love her. very happy xu kai matched her. you could see shes more of a professional actor, but he really did justice to being paired with her. good for him.
definitely recommend this as the ultimate classic in chinese fantasy. id recommend this over all the other big hit classics. in fact watch this one last - the others are messy/cheesy/idiotic angst filled, with usually very stupid/annoying FLs - this will cleanse your palette and show you a very big lovestory without being cheesy and angsty just for the sake of it. also, unlike most fantasy shows, this FL is truly a tough FL. she has an actual character and each one of her traits is within absolute logical reason of her character (ie shes not arrogant just cuz, shes not stupid just cuz, shes not an idiot just cuz - etc - how cdramas usually portray FLs) - shes tough and shes awesome.
ML, although overall story frustrates you because of some of his choices, the show does a very decent job at telling us "he has no other way, and this is what he thinks will be the best thing he could do for her". (many shows fail to deliver this to us convincingly, leaving a very frustrated and annoyed audience whos forced to watch tropey nonsense). here, although you are saddened by many aspects, you still get it more or less and understand why. youre not busy yelling at your screen because you think theres a "better way" (ok maybe in some minor scenes lol but hey, nothing can be perfect lol)
i love both main actors but i unfortunately didnt feel their collective chemistry. individually they were awesome, but together...awkward. Allens pairing with Bai Lu was so good, that this was very underwhelming by comparison. im not personally a massive fan of Dilraba, but i love watching her nonetheless because she gives it her all with her characters and i like watching her bring them to life - but here she felt disconnected from her ML. it was like they both were sooooo distant from each other as actors...specifically as actors, not as characters. you could see that there was something uncomfortable, especially when it came to being physically close. they looked like those teens during dance parties - the ones that hold each other with full arms out during a dance - which is ok for teens - but here it was so painfully obvious. it was weird and hindered my enjoyment because love is the center theme here.
id still recommend it cuz the overall journey and story telling was awesome. (minus points for that cringey suit...omfg what were they thinking. plus allens acting during those episodes was honestly abismal - but it got better once he sunk into the role)
expected more considering the ratings, maybe thats on me.
no big issues, and nothing wow either, but definitely worth a one time watch.
definitely watch cuz its not bad its just the failures of the show become too glaring since you notice its potential, and you feel upset throughout that something with so much promise in essence and such fun actors, failed to deliver overall
just as in their previous show - FL is selfish. ML has to simp his way back into her self centered lifestyle. nothing new really. same old combo but at least, as i said, these two visually suit each other.
watch if you have nothing else to watch. i wouldn't necessarily skip it, but i wouldn't really recommend it either
FL is a good actress but this script is just cheesy nonsense for her. she belongs with with serious writers and in serious character roles. ML i like most of the time - but here his character kinda ruined his acting tbh. i feel this actor deserves better.
dear romance writers - just be good romance writers. stop going into directions you have no talent in (psychology, serious adulthood etc). stick to what youre good at ffs.
not worth it. the FL actress also ruins it by having very weird expressions (its like shes about to cry and burst into laughter all at once. unless shes doing her "im an upset toddler" face, cheesy 90s style acting abilities, and trumps hairstylist.
i like ML but here he looked constipated for half the show
not sure why everyone calls ML an asshole. dude was doing his own thing and not willing to let a flimsy whiney FL drive him into her endless teary pitty party. he was normal. youve all just been spoilt by idiot simps in these shows.
MLs costume department shoulda told him he needs to stop with the super tight clothing and weird ass make up - hes a good looking guy - why make him look likes hes about to do a drag show?!. hes a charming actor and despite being thin, hes actually one of the few lankey dudes that can look pretty hot if dressed right - here they looked like they were trying to make him into an opera singer with some of the outfits.
worth it if you like unnecessary angsty shows. a lot of rinse and repeat for a looooong ass time. too many monologues. couple has good chemistry and ML actor always delivers his characters well - hes worth watching. FL needs to stop with the bassett hound like droopy look.
dont recommend if you get frustrated easily - this shows frustrations werent worth it tbh. writing on the angst wasnt solid
wouldnt recommend
BUT then the last few eps came and omfg. FL quickly became an immature asshole who shoulda remained single or gone for a different kind of guy - it ruined the entire show (not saying what happened shouldnt have, people come in all kinds- its HOW. who tf who does that?! also what happened thereafter made NO sense at all. shes a selfish idiot at best and how it was resolved was sheer....luck?). ML not figuratively fly kicking his ex in the face was another weird ass decision. whys she still there at the end?!.
for the recipes (i actually use a lot of em now) and the first 13 eps - definitely watch. buckle up for those last eps.
2 gripes that i feel were inconsistent with its set up and characters
● We focused on 2ML too much. he was a wet mop at best but they tried to present him as someone with depth. umm no - he was boring. FL spent too much time lecturing him on how theyre over supposedly but it wasnt even direct. given his nature no wonder he persisted (we're not meant to be can be taken as - change for me and ill reconsider - lady - say "we're over and i dont love you" ffs. and then she spent too much time helping him be a version she assumes he has to be - thats leading him on and frankly no clue why she needed to do this both in dream and post dream parts. this took away from our couple screentime, especially in the beginning - giving us NO build up to our FL liking ML outside of "oh wow he does nice things for me". for a fairly detailed show - im surprised this was messed up
●post coma - a bit of an incoherent mess compared to dream part- odd editing, weird fumbling around between our couple - zero logic to her actions tbh. baseless misunderstandings from her. cheesy competitions - and of course..making him yield first to a point where i felt SORRY for this pitiful man during his confession. i mean come on - as a viewer - seeing his 10 year silent love - i wanted her to take at least ONE step towards him sincerely. instead during his confession when he yielded to all that embarrassment she FURTHER goaded him with some joke about a form. very bitchy move imho. i felt this guys solo love throughout the show and as a viewer wanted him to get SOME reciprocal steps. we got none. she just....won and he had to step all over his ego yet again. this made NO sense given how the show set them up to be as individuals...very weird turn out. completely unsatisfactory for a viewer.
outside of the above it was a charming story with even more charming main leads. definitely recommend everyone watch this one. absolutely adore them both and would like to see them frequent our screens way more often. theyre both more deserving of lead roles than many more familiar faces. FL is a ton stronger as an actor than ML, but ML has his own unique acting charm which with hoaning could really turn him into a great pro actor i feel.