Interesting premise, characters, sweet promises, but as always for BL kdramas, it falls too short
If you hate short dramas and hate dramas that don't follow through on most or every plot thread, then you don't want to watch this. This is more like a preview than anything else. Each episode is about 15min long with eight episodes, so ultimately, you only get about two hours of the drama--so more like a movie than anything. Because of this limitation, not everything will be addressed--and there are several threads that are so intriguing but ultimately isn't given the attention. Also, *trigger warning* for suicide--I can't remember the exact episode but I want to say it's episode 6 or 7.This drama is solely focused on the two main characters and their growing relationship, but mostly shown from Choi Yeon Woo's POV. The premise is that in this human world, there are humans with the condition of "mono," meaning that they see things in grey and grey colors only. This is different from colorblindness, though, because monos have a chance to see colors if they find their "probe." The driving tension is that Choi Yeon Woo fears finding his probe due to the many cases of monos going crazy without their probes and ultimately doing horrible things to their probe--like murder. He doesn't want to become like that. The driving emotional tension is that Choi Yeon Woo's mother, also a mono, disappeared four years ago. So, he goes through stages in reconciling with the absence of his mother.
Aside from the discontent that comes from an interesting premise that isn't fully filled, this drama otherwise is beautiful. Strong cinematography with beautiful actors, it is at many times moving. The actor for Choi Yeon Woo carries the show on his back as, again, he's the main focus and the one where we are seeing the world from, so he has a lot of scenes with varying degrees of seriousness and emotions. The actor for Go Yoo Han was fine. Nothing extraordinary, just fine. I think if the drama was longer, he might've had more chances to show different emotions.
Overall, a drama that deals with some hard and dark themes but with a dash of hope and sweetness that comes from the main leads.
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A sweet slow burn detective romance with well developed supporting characters and subplots
This is a gem of a detective romance historical. I've watched a couple of this genre (Miss Truth, Maiden Holmes--both I liked very much too) but this is the first one that is of this length (55 episodes) which allowed for expansion of subplots and supporting characters' growths. When watching this show, you'll want to pay attention. Skipping through will take you out of the mystery and investment in characters. This drama is kind of like if our main characters (and supporting characters) went on side quests (in this case, on cases) and all of it relates back to the main plot of fighting the antagonists. The majority of the show is the characters on that journey and away from the capital where the ministers and emperor live.There are some focus on the political plot and several names--that I personally never quite connected to who is who--but I like that it's not a big mess about ministers fighting and scheming against one another. It's mostly one main clan/villain group from the ministers VS our main characters. When the story show scenes about those ministers, emperor, and talking, it doesn't take too long. The main focus is the characters figuring out mysteries in the cases and trying to get evidence to fight the antagonist.
Allen and Seven's acting and chemistry as Lu Yi and Yuan Jinxia is a perfect combo. Allen plays a perfect cold stoic imperial guard who gradually shows his feelings. Seven's Jinxia is lovable with perfect comedic timing and also perfect tearful and sorrowful expressions. Her tears make me want to cry too. And she can fight! Like actually fight and hold her ground. A lot of times, the FL is written to be clever but not able to physically fight, which is frustrating as then she becomes a bit of a burden and in need of saving. Jinxia generally fights her way through things and it's only through the real tough situations that she needs saving from. (In fact, she saves the male lead a couple times! Love it.)
This is your classic dislike-to-love couple and their slow burn romance is well done. Truly, I think this is one of the slowest burn romances I've seen in a Chinese drama. They're not going to fall in love within the 5th or 10th or even 15th episode lol but all the set-up of trust and believing in each other's capability is there and it's SO good. It's well written and organic.
The supporting characters too had my hearts. One great thing is that the actors really look like characters from this time and era. I don't know how quite to explain it. For some dramas and some actors, they look like they're actors wearing costumes rather than genuine characters in this time setting. I love that the characters in this show all look like genuine characters.
I adore Shangguan's development and her romantic arc with Yang Yue and their romance is also well done.
Xie Xiao is a hilarious character, at times a bit annoying, but endearing.
Lin Ling and Uncle Begger! I adore them too.
Han Dong as Yan Shi Fan, the antagonist/villain, is great; he has such a beautiful face, but he's so evil. I love to hate him because he's such a terrible person with such a beautiful face. Well done, Han Dong! I hate your character so much.
I only have two criticism:
1) the panning into their eyes or fists is not a good directing move. Maybe to general viewers, it's not as abrupt, but I never got used to those cut close-ups. Yes, Allen and Seven's expressive eyes are great, but I would like to see their whole face rather than just their eyes. It's too awkward to see just their eyes personally.
2) Sometimes, the political subplots or the antagonist don't feel connected to the main story with the main characters. It's not as strongly connected. I'll be watching our main characters and then we'll have a cut away to something happening back in the capital and I'm like "oh right, there are some schemes happening here. Forgot about that." Ultimately, our main characters come back to the capital and these schemes become stronger, but I think since our main characters are away for quite a while doing their investigations, the stuff happening at court is put in the back of mind. Also, I think because of this issue that as the series reach about mid-way point, the plot does feel a tiny bit dragging. Because the main characters are off on their own plots, the subplots feel irrelevant and dragging even though it'll become important later.
Overall, a delightful and interesting show with a strong cast and acting. The 55 episodes is a little bit intimidating to get through, so watch this when you're in the mood to pay attention and for detective historicals with slow burn romance.
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a hilarious modern romance with a splash of sci-fi + commentary on beauty standards
This drama starts out kind of like a typical romantic comedy, but around episodes 6-8, it becomes so goofy and silly that it transform into one of the funniest modern drama I've seen in a long time. And yet, that goofy element doesn't take away from the deeper messages of this drama!Su Cheng Cheng, an ordinary-looking woman (by China's harsh beauty standards and beauty industry, where Su Cheng Cheng is trying to work at), gains a magic-like, high-tech bracelet that lets her change her appearance. While she was still learning how it all works, she accidentally changes her appearance right before she ran into Tang Qi. Thus begins the misunderstanding between the two...and it's absolutely hilarious as Su Cheng Cheng tries to balance her real life and the filter appearances' lives while dealing with Tang Qi.
Tang Qi is a bit pitiful in the beginning since he's being deceived, but it's too funny to be too mad about it. Also! Because he's quite a logical man who has a healthy dose of skepticism, each new iteration of filter that Su Cheng Cheng uses starts to lead Tang Qi closer to the truth. As Su Cheng Cheng starts to struggle with her filters, Tang Qi becomes more suspicious and starts uncovering the truth.
This silly storyline is such a fun and refreshing way to talk about beauty. Each iteration of the filters is a mini-arc that addresses beauty standards in different ways. (I especially love the arc with Fang Jin!) I really appreciated the deeper and nuanced message in this drama. It doesn't sway extreme one way (never wear makeup!) or the other (add a filter to every photo to look perfect!). Tackling this important and timely topic in this way was really well handled. I really appreciate it.
The supporting characters, Lin Yuan and Gu Yu, were also really great. They were fun, cute, and hilarious. I enjoyed their dynamic and--no spoilers here, but just wanted to say--I really loved how the scriptwriter solved their issue at the ending. It was well done.
Overall: Definitely check this out for a hilarious and sweet time! (Enjoy the Alpaca scene, lmao. IYKYK) The storyline, I gave a 9.5 because I felt like if it wasn't for censorship, we would've gotten a bit more with Quan Shengtang's character, lol. But my enjoyment overall is a 10/10. I haven't finished a modern romance drama in a long time. This is definitely one of my favorite modern Chinese dramas of all time now.
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This review may contain spoilers
A cdrama that is very much character driven; full of interesting character dynamics
[Note: I have seen season 2 aka the second half of this season. This review and high rating is solely for the first season. If I were to rate the entire show, it would be at a 8/10. My explanation for the lower rating written below, with slight spoilers. On the "Lost You Forever" season 2 page, I will rate it 8/10.]This drama is not very action-focused or fast-paced as it's very much character driven. What happens when traumatized children grow up? How do they heal or regress? Who are the people in our lives who were important chapters in our lives but may not stay with us forever? What's more important: my duty or my love? This drama is full of interesting and flawed characters and their relationship & dynamic to one another, especially with the female lead to the male leads. NOTE RIGHT NOW: If you dislike female leads having "romantic" moments with multiple men (or dislike the men being "disloyal" by marrying other women), then this drama is NOT for you. This drama does a fine job in showing her potential future with different men, especially how each men are important to her and how they fulfill different parts. I personally didn't have any conflict over this because it's well written and makes logical sense, considering what each character has gone through.
Also, great acting from all the characters, especially yang zi, zhang wanyi, tan jianci, and deng wei. The amount I've cried from watching yang zi crying? The way yang zi and zhang wanyi have such an electric and tragic tone underneath every conversation they have? It's no wonder that this season 1 (and some of the actors) won plenty of awards in 2023.
This drama (season 1) will break your heart. It's angst, hurt/comfort, tender, sweet, and heartbreaking. (The title is "Lost You Forever," you know?) Absolutely 10/10, no notes.
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-------------------------slight spoilers for season 2------------------------------------
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On season 2 and how it damaged this drama: I rated this drama 8/10--still high--because I enjoyed season 1 and parts of season 2 very much. But season 2's ending did irreparable ruin to the storyline and so this is really closer to a 7/10 for that unsatisfying ending. It was so lukewarm that it's laughable and so I don't even consider it a real ending.
NOTE: What caused the drastic changes? Lots of speculation: drama behind the production, actor favoritism, China censorship (which includes "hero-washing" the actions of flawed characters). Season 2 of the drama also got trimmed a lot from like 30 episodes to 23 episodes. So, it's clear at several spots that there are huge jumps in times and supporting characters who are suddenly brought forth to the main storyline...
The biggest betrayal of the storyline was that it ruined the character development of several of the main characters and thus was completely frustrating and unsatisfying. It happened in the final 4 episodes. Thus, I have personally elected to ignore most of what happened in the final 4 episodes, especially the "twist"--because it would not make sense.
If you're someone who can separate the two seasons like I have and consider that the good outweigh the bad, then you'll probably enjoy a lot of what this drama have to give. But if you're someone who considers the overall drama and considers the ending as an important part to conclude the entire drama, then this drama will hurt you. This drama was so highly rated in 2023 because of its interesting characters and dynamics. But season 2, especially the ending, did not follow through with some of them. So it's incredibly disappointing.
But I supposed this drama is like the final nail in the coffin, serving as a caution for Chinese dramas watchers: If even this incredible drama was reduced by its ending, can we trust Chinese dramas to give us satisfying endings from now on?
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Compared to the 1st season, lacking in some areas though still packs emotional punch
I loved season 1 because it was cliche but fun! It was a delight to see the great chemistry between LQ Wang (who plays Liang Weiwei ) and Ryan Cheng (who plays Jing Qing). They are such a power couple and I hope they do more dramas together. Anyway, combined with a strong OST, good humor, solid acting, memorable scenes and the right amount of angst to pull at heartstrings, the first season was perfect.Season 2 unfortunately doesn't live up to the standard. It leans too much into the silliness and focuses too much on letting the actors/characters try to be funny in the first episode. It starts to pick up around 1/3 of the entire series and actually has an interesting and expanded storyline from the first season, but it lacks strong directing and so suffers by being forgettable, as in, the scenes are straightforward and doesn't have much aesthetics (other than the costumes). Furthermore, the lack of use and lack of new and memorable OSTs is unfortunate. (I think there's one song that came through at the end but not soon enough.) They reused the first season's OST for the ending theme but really, they should've created another version or a different song altogether to let season 2 stand on its own.
What still holds up: when there are emotional (or death) scenes, it is still angsty and beautifully painful. The cute and sweet scenes also still hold up because they both are so cute together. It is perfectly acted by LQ Wang and Ryan Cheng.
So, honestly, what holds this series together is LQ Wang and Ryan Cheng. You watch this series for them and for Liang Weiwei and Jing Qing. They are likeable characters with a love story that crosses dimensions and you want them to cross all obstacles and be together.
Overall, this is like a low budget version of Eternal Love. It keeps coming back by popularity (and MGTV"s cashgrab attempt) and it flips the script by letting the characters play different roles this time around. It's interesting, but not as fun as the first season.
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A delightful and entertaining drama that still holds up in 2021
This surprising hit web drama from 2015 still holds up in 2021. Despite being a very low budget production, it got everything right with the actors, drama, humor, and its surprisingly poignant themes. (No wonder it has a cult following and also inspired a Korean adaptation 2021 drama Mr. Queen and launched the careers of many of its actors.) If you like parodies of costume romantic comedy dramas and want hilarious entertainment, this is a great one.PLOT: The playboy Zhang Peng, while escaping from ex-girlfriends, jumps into a pool to save a different girl. However, he gets kicked in the head and sinks further into the pool...and ends up back in time in the female body of Zhang Peng Peng, the consort of the Crown Prince Qi Sheng. Grappling with this new reality, Zhang Peng Peng tries to stay alive among palace politics and assassinations while also indulging in his desire of women around him and resisting his slowburn interest in Qi Sheng.
Things to know/think about:
First: this is a VERY low budget drama compared to "low budget" dramas from recent years (2017-21). A typical low budget drama nowadays would be the 24-episode dramas like "The Romance of Tiger and Rose" or the first season of "The Eternal Love." However, the production makes it work for them and makes it part of the comedy. The clothes are fairly plain (or has a modern-like style) yet so bright, several neon-like colors as the clothes or decoration on the pavilions and rooms. Literally, the "war" outfit that the princes wear are so strange and hilarious with its carved out abs.
Second: the actors are fantastic, especially Crystal as Zhang Peng Peng. She's flawless and acts so great in this comedic role of a man in a woman's body who's lustful after other women while also upholding his/her own morals and virtues. I never got pulled out of the acting and was laughing along or crying along with her. Absolutely fantastic and believable.
Third: the themes of love and gender are decent! Zhang Peng Peng has to go through a journey of acceptance since there was no sign of him returning to his modern times. At the same time, he/she was also falling for Qi Sheng, so it brings up some interesting point about love and body acceptance. I don't want to spoil anything too much but it felt well done for a 2015 drama and 2015 China c*nsorship. I suspect that this drama, if it had attempted to air now in 2021, wouldn't pass c*nsorship and wouldn't air at all. There are even very sexual and sexy scenes that aired!
Overall:
This is a silly and entertaining romantic comedy drama that is at times profound. It's definitely not meant to be taken very seriously but everything just came together and worked really together. The actors, the couple's chemistry, the female main character's steadfast goal in staying alive and her growth as a character is tremendous.
You might like this if you like time-travel dramas, soul-switching dramas with a twist of a man's soul in a female body, a cold male lead, a comedic and smart female lead, concubines who are supporting characters and not conniving but more like friends, slapstick humor.
You might not like this if you expect a very serious plot or a very serious political plot with war and fights and action. All of that is in the background and the production doesn't have the budget for a full scale fight.
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Been wanting a drama that is mostly romance focused? This is it for you.
Due to lukewarm reviews, I waited on this drama but fortunately I saw friends who were watching it and creating content for it. I decided to watch it for myself and I surprisingly liked it a lot! My advice for people is to always give the drama a try for yourself. You never know what's going to latch onto you. I truly didn't think I was going to like this but I did. The biggest thing to understand to set your expectation is that the drama is like 90% romance and romance-related points. Any serious suspenseful plot threads are not touched upon often enough but will come to the foreground toward the end of the drama.PLOT: A lone dragon king, Yuchi Longyan, while going through trials to ascend into immortality, gets hurt and drops into the mortal realm. A sweet and kind servant Liu Ying takes care of him (at the request of her Miss, Xia Hou Xue) and their relationship develops as her care and personality intrigues him and he learns more about humans. To repay her kindness, he promises to marry her--which ends up being a promise that hurt them both when Longyan learns a secret about Liu Ying and Xia Hou Xue and he ends up needing to protect Xia Hou Xue for three lifetimes to protect Liu Ying. The drama then is about those lifetimes, their sorrows and joys, and whether they can reunite happily.
The drama also has the second couple's storyline which was quite well done in terms of their organic development and reveals. The bird demon Qing Qing is on a mission to get rid of the meteor mark on her forehead (which has ruined her status and beauty as the prettiest bird demon) and will do whatever it takes--even if it means breaking into the Lord of Luofeng Pavilion's home and stealing an item. However, when she is caught by Xue Qianxun, the Lord of Luofeng, she is punished to be his maid for 100 years. Xue Qianxun is suspicious of Qing Qing and keeps her around to see what she is really up to and why she has an effect on him.
CHARACTERS AND ACTORS:
-Yuchi Longyan is your ML who loves once and loves forever and will do everything and sacrifice his own life if necessary for his beloved. He was fine as a character and Dylan's portrayal of him is either a hit or miss. Because Longyan is a lone dragon and doesn't get much social interaction and is mostly ostracized or feared by other gods/immortals etc., he can be awkward and expressionless. I think Dylan did well in that aspect. He may be thousands of years old as an entity but is also like a child in the human sense. However, some people might find Dylan's acting too wooden and stiff. For me, I just got used to it. I didn't really like his aesthetic and looks on this drama (something about the hair and his eyebrows...) but I also just got used to it.
-Liu Ying is such an interesting FL! Because of the different lifetimes, she gets to have different personalities and backgrounds and it's quite fun! Bambi's acting is perfect for this role. I totally forgot that she was one of the female antagonists in "Ten Miles of Peach Blossom" and so I didn't even realize that she could act "evil" or anything like that! She was perfect as a sweet and pure girl and then, later down the road, as other kinds of personalities too.
-Qing Qing is such a cute and funny second FL. She's loyal and protective and isn't afraid to express herself. Pan Meiye was also perfect for this role. I never felt off about her acting and thought she was just adorable.
-Xue Qian Xun is a stoic and cold second ML and Deng Wei totally did him perfect. His cold expressions that slowly opens up because of Qing Qing, he and Meiye were a delight to watch together.
OST:
The OST can really make or break a drama and fortunately for this drama, it really made it! The OST is moving and memorable. I especially have a couple songs on repeat right now because it hit me deep. Some singers that some folks might recognize like Henry Huo. My favorite is Shuang Sheng's Flowing Back song. Oof, it hurts.
The CGI is a bit rough considering that this is like a middle-level production, but it has surprisingly good moments like a fireflies scene. The costumes and overall set production is good enough. I don't have any specific memory of a favorite outfit but it was good enough that made it distinct.
This drama is good for people who enjoy cheesy or typical romance of historical/costume dramas who don't want to get bogged down by a lot of political or serious plots. You don't have to think too much while watching this drama and can enjoy the sweetness and comedy of the couples. It's also surprisingly at times poignant and leaves several deep impressions. There are two kinds of coupling here so you can enjoy the deeply dramatic romantic couple AND the comedy romantic couple.
This drama is not good for people who wants historical accuracy (the physical setting of this drama is not based in any real historical setting; it's a different world), who wants serious complex and complicated plots.
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I started this drama because of wang zhuo cheng (who plays Yi Ming Jun) and although he wasn't the main lead, I was able to get into the drama and the main leads because of their personalities and bickering/bantering. Most of the humor (especially from the main leads) carry this drama.
CHARACTERS:
The two main leads--An Ning & Long Hao Tian (as spelled from the Youtube subtitles)--are your typical romcom types: the sweet, kind, & strong girl with the rich CEO boy. What I liked about An Ning is that she stands up for herself. I think the actress herself pulls off this character well. Also, her backstory is strong and makes her character really feel real.
Long Hao Tian, in the first couple episodes, seemed like the arrogant, cold type, but because of his predicament, he needed An Ning's help, so he isn't outright rude and mean to her. He'll make some remarks here and there, but it isn't like a lot of other dramas out there where he is straight up mean. So, I like that he isn't overbearing. He's basically like an awkward rich boy who's trying to please his father.
Yi Ming Jun, who I came to watch for, is a strange character. The trailer characterized him as a "playboy" but he doesn't quite fit this type. He loves girls and would want to be with them or get with one of them, but when he becomes interested in the second main girl lead--Xia Tian--he only focuses on her. He doesn't try to play around with other girls? So I'm confused why he's labeled as a playboy. He also quickly can become genuine/sincere...so I can't quite grasp his character yet.
Xia Tian - she is the character with the least screentime (compared to the above 3), so her troubled past is ushered in really quickly and we rarely see her by herself and understand her more thoroughly. It's disappointing because her character has a lot of potential, but we don't see much of her. It feels like they slapped some heroine traits on her and then didn't let her have much of a personality...
RELATIONSHIPS:
An Ning & Long Hao Tian: as I said, I will keep watching this drama for these two. Their bickering is funny because they're both kind of stubborn, both kind of idiotic, so it's fun to watch two dummies bicker and then be nice to each other. I laughed out loud to many of their shenanigans.
Long Hao Tian & Yi Ming Jun: they're best friends so we see some scenes of them together, but not much. Their relationship is adorable and we'll see where it goes.
An Ning & Xia Tian: best friends, but we rarely see them together just girls hanging out and girls helping each other. It felt like while Xia Tian was going through hard times, An Ning was barely there...
MUSIC:
It's okay. It's bubbly, it's cute, so far.
CRITICAL REVIEW:
There's a third couple that I tried to care for, but I didn't. I like the potential of where it's going, but currently, I don't care much for it. My biggest critical review for this drama is that for how short it is, 24 episodes, they probably should've just focused on the two main couples and developed them more rather than forced in this third couple.
Currently, this drama feels like they slapped on some romcom tropes and ideas and then the main leads' chemistry are holding this drama together. Some things needed to be slowed down and shown more (like my girl Xia Tian), but alas, we have this drama that is trying it's hardest to be quirky but deep, funny but also asking serious questions. The balance is precarious right now.
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