justjacky

Slice of Life/Romance/Business. Best 2024 modern cdrama so far.

The best 2024 modern drama so far!!! To be honest, I initially felt apprehensive about starting this drama, seeing that it’s 40 episodes and usually those feel very draggy. But this one is truly an exception as almost every episode felt like 5 minutes long. The chemistry between the leads is definitely the highlight of the drama and the well written script and great cinematography make it a worthy watch.

The drama is about the female lead who quits her job to start a business and the male lead becomes her investor. We also follow the side stories of the two female lead’s friends whose main focus is on their romantic relationships. The tone is a mix of slice of life, rom-com and some business.

POSITIVE:
- Slice of life with focus on romance and a bit of business.
- Great chemistry between the leads (I was worried about this pairing but I instantly felt their chemistry from their very first meeting).
- Great kiss scenes and skinship between the leads.
- Awesome dating era (main couple).
- Eye candy (Xu Kai, the male lead, looks great in suits. His shirtless scenes broke the sexy scale).
- Great friendship portrayal (well aside from that one friend. So it is indeed realistic as not all friends are good friends).
- Platonic relationship between men and women (a rare sight in cdramas).
- Many cute rom-com moments.
- Support cast has their own stories but don’t take away from the main lead’s screen time.
- No stupid plot scenarios and cringe scenes.
- No fillers. None of the story or characters felt pointless at any point in time.
- Meaningful script.
- Great character development.
- Good pacing.
- Two side couples that enhance the plot without taking too much screen time.
- Secret crush trope (subtle).
- Cute university flashbacks (not a lot).
- Heartwarming, a tad realistic, life lessons, cuteness and hopeless romantic vibes.
- Realistic topics like sexual harassment, misogyny, corporate hell (at the start of the drama).
- Lovely OST (the english song is a nice touch and one of the songs is sung by the female lead).
- Great acting, especially from the main leads.
- Ao Rui Peng (guest role) stole my heart.
- Brilliant special episode. Truly one of the best I’ve ever seen.

NEGATIVE:
The last 8 episodes slow down the plot and there are two episodes that are a bit too melodramatic and cliche for my taste. But having said that, this did not take away from my enjoyment of this drama. During the last 8 episodes, the main leads continued to have awesome cute scenes together.

COUPLES (MINOR SPOILERS):
- Main couple: Girl boss and her CEO investor. Hot chemistry, great character and relationship development. Definitely a slow burn that I love. This romance and couple had everything you want: sexy, cute, angst, love.
(The two side couples I felt shared equal screen time between each other. But didn’t overtake the screen time of the main leads).
- Side couple: Posh girl and her love struggles. This love story felt realistic, relatable, not always happy and had a very important lesson of self-worth. One of the rare cases where a love triangle was done right.
- Side couple: Sweet livestream girl and her rich lover. The cutest couple in the drama. Bickering to friends to lovers. A sweet slow burn that will definitely make you smile.
- Bonus side couple: Female lead’s friend and ex-boyfriend. Yep, this is a pairing that not everyone would like. Girl code definitely didn’t exist for this girl who went after her friend’s ex. But still, I did find their scene wholesome and realistic. They had little screen time.

OVERALL:
There is something about this script, the romance, the story, the way the male lead is gazing at the female lead, that gave me the warmest feelings ever. Even when bad things happened, it was meaningful and well-portrayed. All the characters felt real and multi-layered. The story felt wholesome, somewhat realistic with hopeless romantic vibes which I absolutely loved. I’ve never seen a cdrama quite like this, a truly wonderful watching experience, this is hands down my best 2024 modern cdrama so far.

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When two hot villains fall in love with each other

This mini drama is about the female lead who is a comic book character with her own consciousness. She always plays the supporting role of the villain however in the new comic story, she is unexpectedly the heroine who ends up falling for the villain.

The best part of this transmigration story was that the story takes place in a comic book which meant the writers had the creative freedom to bend the story’s reality in an engaging way.

POSITIVE:
- Villain/morally grey male lead and female lead.
- Lots of kiss scenes!
- Love story of a morally grey couple (very rare to see).
- Top notch comedy.
- Lots of cool twists and turns.
- Plot that is just as good as the romance.
- Hot second female lead (I always find these obsessive female characters annoying but this one was cunning and looking stunning)
- Binge-worthy (I watched it in one sitting)

NEGATIVE:
None! It’s truly one of those rare dramas where I can’t think of anything I really disliked.

OVERALL:
If you want a mini drama with crazy twists where two hot villains fall in love with each other, watch this.

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Three lifetimes. Three marriages. Not for the faint hearted. The anti-hero story you need to see.

This drama is about the life of Taintai Jin - a human that is destined to become the Devil God and destroy the world. He is your anti-hero male lead that you can't help but fall in love with, sympathise with and even pity. He is a tragic character that from episode 1 till episode 40 experiences injustice, suffering and pain. The female lead is not your typical and innocent character - she is righteous , strong-willed and a tough cookie to crack. From episode 1 she has a mission and no matter how challenging it is, she sticks to her mission until the end.

ROMANCE/RELATIONSHIPS:
The drama is not for the faint of heart. It has tons of betrayals and the most angsty relationship I've ever watched. Beware that this is not a fluffy love story. The romance is the true definition of love-and-hate and it stays that way until the end. The relationship between the main leads is complicated - they want to kill each other but at the same time can't help but love each other. The misunderstanding trope is heavy in this so have that in mind. The chemistry between the leads is phenomenal and they truly carry the whole drama. There are also two side couples - one of them you will probably dislike, and the other you will love and cry for. All and I mean all characters are morally grey at one point or another in the story which makes it very captivating to watch.

VISUALS/CGI:
The visuals are absolutely stunning, CGI is top-tier, the fighting scenes are majestic, the costumes are striking. The male lead alone has about 50 stunning costumes. This is where the high-budget has been spent and it's well worth it. It's truly the most visually beautiful Xianxia you will ever watch in 2023.

PLOT/EDITING:
The plot is very fast paced with tons of layers and backstory. There are 4 arcs - the Mortal arc, the Dream arc, the Mortal kingdom arc and the Immortal arc. All of them have something new and unique to show you and they weave in together like magic. From start till the end, the storyline between each arc connects really well which is impressive. The plot and characters really make the story multi-layered and can be quite complicated so you definitely need time to digest everything. You will not find any fillers. In fact the drama was originally supposed to be 56 episodes but due to China's new regulations it had to be cut down to 40 episodes right before it aired. Unfortunately what this means is that sometimes the pacing is off and the editing is choppy which especially can be seen in the last 10 episodes. But even so, in my opinion it doesn't take away from the experience of watching this addictive drama and it's still worth it.

ENDING (MINOR SPOILERS)
The ending is totally heartbreaking. It's open ended and can have different interpretations - you will have to watch it and judge it for yourself. Due to China’s regulations the drama had to be cut from 56 episodes to 40 which means that the story wasn’t fully wrapped up for the support characters in the end. In short, everything is open ended.

OVERALL:
This drama has become my all time favourite xianxia because of the emotional impact it has had on me. It’s been days since I’ve finished this and I’m still thinking about it constantly. Despite its flaws (I blame China’s regulations) it will always hold a special place in my heart. I truly believe if we had received the uncut version, the drama would have easily become the greatest masterpiece of all time. The male lead is absolutely phenomenal in his anti-hero role as he is totally unique and different from any other cdramas. His acting is top-tier, his character story is top-tier and for him alone it's 100% worth it to watch this drama.

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Themes of death, loneliness, disability, worthiness, opening to love and family

The drama is about the cheerful and disabled female lead who goes back to her small hometown for a vacation and meets her aloof high school crush. Themes of death, loneliness, living with disability, worthiness, opening up to love, family and emotional trauma can be seen throughout the story.

The female lead looks carefree but is struggling with feelings of unworthiness due to her disability (amputated leg). She puts on a smile while hiding her emotional pain. The male lead is aloof due to his childhood abandonment trauma and has closed his heart to love. He works as a funeral make-up artist which is a big part of the story.

There is a Lover in my Hometown is the previous and also very fitting title. The main plot of this drama is watching the main lead’s navigate through their inner emotional struggles, insecurities and inner desires for a relationship. Woven into the plot are the main lead’s jobs, their family members and life in the small town.

POSITIVE:
- Mature and raw dialogue.
- Realistic and mature plot about life and adult relationship issues.
- Flawed main leads (inexperienced in love). Their thoughts, emotions and decisions always made sense and were portrayed well.
- Great portrayal of the female lead as a disabled woman (amputated leg) that’s woven into the story in a realistic way.
- Great chemistry between the leads.
- Lots of kiss scenes.
- Hilarious grandma-grandson relationship moments.
- Fun relationship portrayal between siblings.
- Push and pull dynamic between the leads.
- Nice cinematography with interesting colour schemes and camera angles.
- The cutest high school flashbacks.

NEGATIVE:
- Death is a constant theme in this drama, we constantly see a lot of death scenes which makes it very emotionally heavy to watch.
- Harsh mother. She is not the worst cdrama mother but she was constantly unhappy and nagging. I easily get annoyed with these mother type characters and it got to a point where I was skipping her scenes as even her high pitched voice made my blood boil.
- Boring side scenes. It’s a family drama and a drama about a small town so I cannot fault it for that. It’s just a personal issue that I found the mother and grandmother separate scenes as well as the town scenes boring to watch.
- Too realistic. In general I do love the realism in this drama but many times it felt too emotionally heavy. I would have liked to see more softer and happier moments.

OVERALL:
If you are looking for a realistic, emotionally raw/heavy and mature love story, watch this drama.

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Mr. Grumpy meets Miss Sunshine in a novel/game setting

This drama is about the female lead who is sucked into a demon hunting novel and assigned to play the vicious second female lead. In a game style setting, she must complete her mission of making the grumpy male lead fall in love with her, in order to go back to her reality.

The best thing about this drama is hands down the relationship dynamic between the main leads. I can’t even explain my obsession with these two. They just made me FEEL everything. It’s the humour and teasing between them, the angry looks and fights, the way the male lead gazed secretly at her, and all the times the female lead did little things to heal his inner pain. It was like watching the love story between soulmates. Their relationship felt real and progressed so naturally, so I couldn’t help but love them.

The worst thing about this drama is the fact that the romance and game style was totally sidelined in the second half. In fact, I truly felt like someone else had written ep 1-20 compared to ep 21-30 because of the stark difference. Ep 1-20 were absolutely fantastic in terms of romance, comedy and game plot. They made me obsessed like no other and these episodes deserve 100/10 points. However the second half lost its charm completely. The writers decided to turn the drama into a typical xianxia. Suddenly we were introduced to tons of side characters and side plots/backstories that nobody cared about. It didn’t help that the main leads had less screen time and their hot romance completely died down.

POSITIVE:
- Top tier romance: off the charts chemistry with natural and fiery on-screen presence. The main leads MADE the drama.
- Top notch comedy. The humour was brilliantly woven into the game plot.
- Game style: the set up was executed brilliantly. Hilarious and accurate to real life playing.
- Flawless transmigration: relatable female lead (hating her job and spending all her time reading fantasy novels) + the perfect twist in the end for the genre.
- Stunning visuals + OST: the CGI, costumes, setting, everything was dazzling and beautiful.
- Enemies to lovers + grumpy x sunshine trope.
- Male lead: the hottest tsundere character. His progress of initially being harsh and a total red flag to gradually revealing his warmer nature was chef’s kiss. A flawed character, he is a hurt young boy who’s deeply loyal to his family and friends.
- Female lead: the cutest character that might initially be mistaken for a typical brainless girl but is in fact a tough cookie, brave and empathic soul.
- Heartfelt relationships: sis-mas, brother-sister, daughter-father and a tiny bit of bromance.
- Ending episode: it touched me deeply as it had a very meaningful message.
- Ryan Ding and Esther Yu: stole the spotlight with their brilliant on-screen presence. I loved the microexpressions during Ryan Ding’s emotional and angst scenes. He embodied his character to perfection and his demon form was beyond sexy to look at. Esther Yu on the other hand had the perfect comedy timing where she shined bright. No cringe, only cuteness overload.

NEGATIVE:
- Ending: the last minute of the episode pissed me off. I blame censorship but still…
- Second half: lost its magic. As mentioned above, the romance and game plot pretty much disappeared. Instead we suddenly got a typical xianxia that nobody cared about. I couldn't emotionally invest in the plot of “the world is ending” when I knew the world was just a virtual game. I also felt overwhelmed with info dumping of like 100 new side characters, side plots and backstories.
- Wooden second couple: they were dry as the Sahara desert and I felt zero emotional connection. Which is a shame as the actors had such great chemistry in Fox Spirit Matchmaker.
- Boring second female lead: she had nothing going for her aside from her siblings' plot line with the male lead.
- NPC second male lead: he literally had zero personality. Some might argue that he was supposed to feel like an NPC but that to me is just boring. The writers in fact tried to give him some backstory towards the end but it felt pointless.
- No kiss scene. It made sense why but it’s still a crime.

OVERALL:
I have mixed feelings about this drama. The first half is a total masterpiece in terms of romance, comedy and game plot. It made me love and obsessed over the main leads like no other. However the second half deviated from that path and the delivery was a snooze fest. The ending was strong, meaningful and deeply touched me but also that last minute flaw pissed me off so much. In conclusion, I still recommend this drama if you want an adorable grumpy x sunshine trope with lots of comedy and stunning visuals (and you don’t mind skipping some boring stuff in the second half). It’s worth mentioning that during airing time, the drama debuted with a solid 7.6 with over 100k+ votes, which made it the highest rated costume fantasy on Douban this year.

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Love, sacrifice and magic. Prepare for c-trauma heartbreak.

This is 10000 times better than Red Moon Pact. I admit, the early episodes are very weak and I almost dropped the drama, wondering if the stellar cast is enough to keep me going, until I reached episodes 8-10 when I was suddenly hooked till the very last episode.

The main focus of the drama is the love stories between many different types of characters and their fight against the evil Black Fox. At the centre of the drama are the two main characters from prominent families, the female lead who is a strong-willed fighter with special blood and the male lead, a strong leader and number one swordsman.

✨WATCH OR SKIP RED MOON PACT?
I’d say they’ve made this drama pretty much self-contained and I don’t necessarily think you need to watch Red Moon (I personally would never recommend this disastrous drama). But I have to say, Red Moon does establish the world better, such as the conflict between the demons and humans and explains the Dongfang’s special blood. Love in Pavilion kind of throws you into the world without much explanation which may confuse some viewers at the start.

✨PLOT BREAKDOWN

Ep 1-9 Intro arc
Getting to know all the characters and setting up the plot. The weakest part of the drama for me.

Ep 10-18 Time Travel / Demon arc - my favourite.
Time travel / female lead as a demon / sexy villain / Black Fox’s backstory. Basically, lots of sexiness and fun angst.

Ep 19-28 Beast Realm arc
Mostly heartwarming, romantic and fun. Ding Yuxi stole the spotlight here. I think I loved it just as much as the demon arc.

Ep 29-36 Tushan / Grief Tree arc
The final showdown, emotional and very angsty. Prepare for c-trauma. Raw and well-written ending.

✨POSITIVE:
- Lots and lots of romance. From friendship, unconditional love, meet-cute scenes, sacrifice, yearning, heartbreak, it delivered all.
- Character driven. It’s rare but I liked all the characters and I think that’s the main reason why I enjoyed this drama so much.
- Great chemistry between all the couples. It’s rare but I enjoyed all the couples. The main leads in particular were my favourite and they suited each other really well.
- Fantastic villains. A good story needs captivating villains and this drama definitely delivered on that.
- No love triangles, misunderstanding or typical annoying immortals.
- Engaging story after episode 8 til the end.
- Great fight scenes with different weapons and magic. The boss fights were always intense to watch, they went all out.
- Unexpected spice - I’m looking at episode 13, that's one of the most spiciest scenes in xianxia.
- Marvelous BGM (background music) that elevated the scenes, especially the fights.
- Well-written ending that wrapped the story well. It was real, raw and very emotional. I cried buckets of tears.

✨NEGATIVE:
- Weak start. As mentioned above, I almost dropped the drama because of how boring the beginning was. But after episode 8 till the end it truly captivated me.
- Decent CGI but unfortunately not on the same level as Red Moon Pact, which is a shame.
- Plot flaws. The story is told fast with many things happening which sometimes means details are not delved deeper and certain parts may feel rushed.
- C-trauma. This drama delivers on the ultimate heartbreak which can be too much for some people.

✨OVERALL:
Like everyone else, I had very low expectations going into this drama. The previous installment Red Moon Pact set the bar very low. Still, does this drama have its flaws? Yes, of course. But in terms of plot, characters and romance, it’s miles and miles and miles better than RMP. In fact, having watched both, I can say Red Moon feels very much useless, as Love in the Pavilion directly sets up the story for the final chapter Sword and Beloved.

Aside from the weak start, after episode 8, this drama captivated me till the end. It’s very character and romance driven so if that’s your thing, you will enjoy this. The plot felt different from the typical cliche xianxia with annoying misunderstandings, love triangles and stupid immortals. You have none of these things here. The plot is fast with many things happening. There were lots of unexpected twists and turns that kept me watching. The main cp was strong and the side couples enchanted the story for me. It’s rare but I loved all the couples and characters, especially the villain duo.

The cast did a stellar performance. The highlight for me was Ding Yuxi, as he totally captivated the screen and his character’s story was just as strong as his chemistry with his romantic pair. A special mention to the main lead, Zhang Yun Long. It was my first time seeing him and he was marvellous. Actually, in January, I watched the variety show ‘Random Tour’ where he opened up how he has been in the industry for a long time but never given the chance to star in a high production, and that LIP was finally his opportunity. I can only hope it’s not too late for him to receive more amazing projects. He deserves it.

Conclusion, if you want lots of romance, magic, fast plot and are prepared for c-trauma heartbreak, try this out.

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✨COUPLES / ACTORS PAIRS

💗Liu Shi Shi & Zhang Yun Long (main cp / frenemies to lover / fighters duo / hands down my favourite ship)
Poster: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/fa/e3/0e/fae30e7c86a1025d21d4d3917f1c64cd.jpg

💗Wu Xuan Yi & Zhai Xiao Wen (second cp / childhood friends to lovers / carefree girl and her protector / adorable)
Poster: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GqI1HpTWAAAVIUe?format=jpg&name=large

💗Ding Yu Xi & Meng Zi Yi (side cp / school friends to lovers / confident girl and her tsundere crush / my second favourites, their chemistry was effortless / ep 20-32 )
Poster: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GqRs5AXWwAE6w74?format=jpg&name=medium

💗Charles Lin & Peng Xiao Ran (side cp / best villain couple that stole my heart / ep 27 + more)
Poster: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GqjI9UObcAAg-uZ?format=jpg&name=large

💗Qin Xiao Xuan & Zhou Jie Qiong (side cp / feisty demon with split personality and shy human / loved them / ep 12-17 )
Poster: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/d4/82/16/d48216ecf5bce428d9a5048cb7ef0347.jpg

💗Zhang Ruo Nan & Chen Ruo Xuan (side cp / marriage / emotional but not as strong as the others / ep 2-8 )
Poster: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/60/00/f6/6000f6e8c355cdf24bbfe018f9ebd9b1.jpg

💗Hou Ming Hao & Chen Yu Qi (side cp / demon couple / too short to make an impact / ep 1)
Poster: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GpsexlqaAAArC6x?format=jpg&name=large

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A simple and fluffy story to de-stress

This drama is about two students that are linked together in the most unexpected way. We follow their journey through love, friendship and school/university years.

In short, the first half of the drama was enjoyable but the second half disappointed me. Second male lead was a much more interesting character to watch than the male lead. In the end, this drama felt sweet but didn't stand out to me. Their university years start from episode 17.

POSITIVE:
- Cute teasing/light bickering between the main leads.
- Fluffy/innocent romance.
- Second male lead stole the spotlight for me. I instantly liked him from the very first scene he showed up. The whole time I kept thinking why the heck the writers created such a compelling second lead, he really could have been the main guy. His chemistry with the female lead was so good. I almost wish the female lead had a twin sister so he could have a happy love story too. I loved that he had a lot of screen time in the first half.
- First half of the drama had the best fluffiness and heartwarming vibes.
- Meaningful story about love, life, dream goals and friendship.
- No outside forces (like family and other love interests) trying to actively break up the main leads.
- Very satisfying wrap up of the main lead’s story + (SPOILER cute wedding scene).

NEGATIVE:
- Second half of the drama felt bland and I started ff/skipping lots. The plot at times felt very boring and draggy.
- Sad moments between the second couple at the final episode that had no business being there. The scene did deliver emotionally but it should have happened earlier. How they handled the second couple’ story wasn’t satisfying.
- Second male lead syndrome was TOO strong. It’s not to say that I didn’t like the male lead but the second male lead had so much more going on. Male lead’s story was too simple, he was just a reserved guy. Whereas the second male lead went through many challenges, he was the bad boy with a good heart that I love to see. In general his chemistry and personality was more compelling to watch and I feel a big part of why the second half of the drama failed for me was that he didn’t have enough screen time there.
- Not enough cute, romantic scenes between the leads as adults in the second half. I just really needed more.

OVERALL:
This is a simple and fluffy drama suitable for people who are going through a stressful period and just need something sweet and easy to watch.

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Soft & sweet rom-com with slice of life vibes

The drama tells the story of the female lead who moves to a new place and the male lead who is her neighbour. She hires him as a voice actor at her start-up company called "sweet games" (hence the title) for her game project. What she doesn't know is that the male lead (who is six years younger than her) has had a secret crush on her five years prior to their meeting.

The beginning of the drama didn’t grab me but after a few episodes I began to be invested in the story and really enjoy it. However around episode 18, a break-up happens and afterwards it got boring for me as there was no particular plot aside from work related issues. So the beginning and end of the drama are weak but the middle is super enjoyable to watch.

Overall, the drama is a mix of rom-com with slice of life. The male lead is adorable and for him and the cute interactions he has with the female lead, it's worth watching. The story follows a typical plot line so there is nothing extraordinary about it. Lots of parts are quite predictable but if you are looking for a soft and sweet rom-com with somewhat realistic work/life situations, you’d enjoy this drama.

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Suspenseful Romance of Time Traveler’s Wife

Amid the vast sea of mediocre cdramas, this one is a true mini gem. This drama is about the male lead who finds out his first lover committed suicide. Accidentally, he discovers he can time travel, and tries to change the past in order to save her.

Note, there is a post credits scene at the final episode that explains the time travel (I’m pretty sure it was done because of censorship).

POSITIVE:
- Mysterious and suspenseful plot.
- Lots of unexpected and cool twists and turns.
- Good balance between angsty and sweet romance.
- A true time travel story.
- Great cinematography.
- Well-written script without stupid cliches or draggy/annoying parts.

NEGATIVE:
- Some things happen a bit too conveniently but it's fantasy after all and it keeps the plot moving so it's not a big flaw.
- Ending doesn’t fully wrap up (if we don’t take into account the post credits scene). While we’re given hints about what happens, I wish it had been fully shown. I was deeply invested in the story and main leads so I would’ve liked all loose ends tied up. That’s the only reason I’m giving it a 9.5.

OVERALL:
This is one of the best mini-dramas I’ve ever seen! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. The drama is reminiscent of The Time Traveler’s Wife (USA) and Yesterday Once More (Chinese), so if you love time travel and romance, don’t hesitate to watch it.

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Politics, Ruthlessness, Revenge, Romance

This drama is about the male lead who is a commander/court official with a secret identity, and on a mission of revenge. However, his plans get derailed when the female lead arrives at the palace, messing things up and overtly becoming the centre of it all. Amidst all that, the second male lead plays a big part in the story, using the female lead as a pawn for his own selfish reasons.

POSITIVE:
- Ruthless/Cunning male lead. One of the things that made an impression on me is that the male lead was truly ruthless, stabbing and killing everyone in his path, including the female lead and innocent people. However, his character does abruptly shift from red to kind of green flag after episode 10.
- Political/revenge focused plot.
- Romance as sub-plot.
- Morally grey characters.
- Intense emotional scenes. I definitely give this drama props for creating angsty and cry worthy scenes, thanks to the plot build up and great actor’s performance.
- Love triangle. At the start I loved the triangle here as both males felt equal in terms of being charming, smart and cunning + sharing equal screen time. But later the second male lead became a cliche which kind of ruined it for me (check negative points).
- Realistic and mature script. The struggles of ordinary people of that time period were portrayed very well as well as the court dynamics. We get to see real, greedy characters who do evil things for selfish reasons in a very broken society, as well as toxic family relationships.
- Cat and Mouse game (mostly in the first half).
- Hot male leads. I loved Ren Jia Lun’s badass demeanour with his sexy voice (although dubbed) and cool mask, as well as Jeremy Tsui (first time seeing him) charming attitude and intense stares.
- Fantastic final episode that wraps up the story well and ties up all loose ends.
- Lovely OST.

NEGATIVE:
- Romance issue. First off, the first 10 episodes show the male lead excessively harassing, abusing, stabbing, and waterboarding the female lead to the brink of death. This definitely won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. I didn’t mind it though. In fact I liked seeing true enemies into play. However my issue is the abrupt transition between the enemies to lovers part. As enemies they were brilliant. As lovers, they were cute and endearing. But the middle part was butchered. After all the horrible abuse the female lead goes through, she just tells the male lead that she understands him and puts everything behind just like that. Next episodes we see her cooking for him, tending his wounds, massaging him, admiring his handsome face etc. which was cute but totally bizarre. In fact, a viewer commented “I feel like I’m being gaslighted by the writers and the abuse never happened”, and that’s exactly how it felt like because no matter how forgiving a person is, I won’t expect them to want to take care of the man who made them suffer for so long. She tells him “you hurt me three times but also saved me three times, we are even now”. No girl, I mean no writers, it doesn’t work like that. The shift of her starting to fall for him should have been gradual. So, no matter how cute their romance was in the later episodes, in the back of my mind it always felt a bit off.

- Plot issue. I do enjoy political cdramas and this one started very strong, with realistic and dark topics portrayed. But I felt the second half was a let down as it included draggy and boring investigations and war that I didn’t care about. It would have been better if the plot only focused on the male lead’s revenge.

- Second male lead issue. He started off great, as mentioned above, he felt like a main male lead too, charming, cunning, with equal screen time. However in the second half, the writers made him the typical and boring obsessively-in-love-with-female-lead-unrequited love type. This obsession was not only the cliches of the cliches but totally butchered his alluring character and was just used as a plot device more than anything else. In the end, he does realise his obsession is wrong so I guess I’ll give the writers one point for that but still… I wish they were more creative than that.

- Female lead issues. I felt her character was quite lacking in comparison to the two males. She was sometimes smart and resourceful but other times dumb and damsel in distress. I didn’t really mind her but she never stood out to me as a powerful and charismatic female lead. Her backstory and identity was kind of boring to watch, and her relationship with her Master/shifu was extremely underwhelming.

OVERALL:
This drama started strong but lost me in the second half. The characters, the plot, the romance had a lot of potential as they felt fresh and different from other cdramas. But then the writers decided to abruptly shift things (ML from red to green flag + from toxic to cutesy romance), add cliches (SML obsessive love) and drag out unnecessary plot parts in the second half (investigations and wars instead of ML’s revenge) which lowered the value and enjoyment for me. Despite all the negative things I’ve said above, overall I still feel the production of this drama is good, the script too and the actors’ performance really brought the whole story to life. If you like politics with subtle romance + dark characters and themes, you may want to try this out.

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Stunning visuals & OST but weak plot

This xianxia stands out with its stunning CGI/visuals, an OST that elevates each scene and unfortunately with a very weak plot. The drama is about the daily life of the Phoenix Warrior (the female lead) and her love story with the only remaining Ancient God (the male lead), who’s tasks are both to protect the realms.

The first 10 episodes start in the mortal realm and show us how the main leads fell in love. The main lead’s chemistry was great and the writers did a great job in balancing their maturity with the ability to still joke around. The fight scenes stand out here with beautiful CGI and the added OST elevates these scenes, giving me chills with its otherworldly vibes.

The middle of the drama is where it got boring for me. Many things were happening but at the same time I felt nothing significant was actually happening plot wise. We were mostly following the female lead and her engagement with her three men (her lover, her arranged husband and her loyal subordinate). I did love their scenes together but I needed more angst and complexity or at least some faster movement and development. Many of the scenes in the Immortal Realm felt like fillers and I had to ff/skip a lot. There was a lot of back and forth between the leads with the vibe “will-they-won’t-they”.

The last 10 episodes delivered in terms of plot and angst. They were action packed and well-paced. The final episode was very unique as it felt like an extra special episode. The drama explained everything well and wrapped up all loose ends.

It’s worth mentioning that there were guest appearances with side love stories that I loved watching. Some were even as short as only 2 episodes but they touched my heart. These love stories for me were a great addition to the drama.

POSITIVE:
- Otherworldly OST. I’ve never heard such a mesmerising OST, it was very unique and made each scene 100x times better. In fact I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have felt strong emotions if it wasn’t for the music.
- Great chemistry between the leads.
- Badass female lead with strong on screen presence especially during fight scenes. Her deadpan look is so good.
- Male lead who can crack jokes with a straight face. He is one of the best jokesters I’ve watched.
- The only drama where I 100% ship a chicken with a man.
- Stunning CGI! One of the most visually beautiful xianxia I’ve ever seen.
- Great fight scenes that can rival Marvel cinematography.
- Hot intimate scene (one but totally memorable).
- Side love stories from guest appearances that are short but totally touch your heart.
- No love triangles.

NEGATIVE:
Only two points but they are very significant!
- Plot was weak as it lacked the complexity and angst that I was looking for. Many things were happening but at the same time, it felt like nothing significant was actually happening plot wise. A lot of back and fourth. Perhaps if the drama was shorter I would have enjoyed it more. I’m pretty sure the whole plot is around 5-10% of the drama.
- Too slow paced and boring at times. As mentioned above, everything was just too calm and I had to ff/skip a lot of scenes (especially in the Immortal Realm).

OVERALL:
This wasn’t exactly my cup of tea but you might enjoy this drama if you want a slow paced and calm xianxia that focuses on the love story between the leads and their daily lives + you want beautiful visuals and music.

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Mystery + Everyday Life + Romance + Plot Twists

This drama is a mix of a few genres/vibes. Mystery aspect (the female lead is trying to figure out her world/the time travel stuff and the male lead is looking for his lost friend). Everyday life aspect (a big part of the drama is seeing the female lead working as a hairdresser/make-up artist and her struggles at work). Romance (more as a sub-plot but definitely there, the romance is darker and NOT a rom-com). Because of all the things mentioned above, the drama alternates every few episodes between very light and fun vibes and very dark and angsty vibes.

The drama tells the story of the female lead who has a car crash and believes she has travelled to a parallel universe and at the same time has jumped from 2025 to 2018. She meets the male lead who knows her parallel self and together they try to figure out the mystery of who the female lead is and how she ended up in 2018.

POSITIVE:
- Several fantastic plot twists.
- Hot chemistry between the leads. I could always feel the intense love and angst between them.
- No plot holes. All mystery questions are all answered in the end and make sense.
- Suspense aspect is done well as I was always at the edge of my seat.
- Mystery aspect is done well as the story keeps you guessing what’s real and what’s not.
- Strong-willed female lead. She was abused, yelled at constantly for no reason and yet she stood firm and strong. Her character development was amazing (seeing her being anti-social to making long-lasting friendships).
- Cinematography is stunning, especially during rain and snow scenes.
- Acting is top-notch especially from the female lead.
- Happy ending that is wrapped up well.
- The portrayal of mind distortions are done well, especially when the female lead is losing her mind and seeing things.
- Hairdressing/make-up scenes were cool to watch as it was unusual to see in a cdrama.

NEGATIVE:
- Last few episodes focused too much on the female lead’s career and a particular side character which made the drama a little boring and draggy.
- Needed more cute romance. Only one fake kiss scene (which I can get past that) but I wish we had seen the main leads hug more and have more cute scenes together when they were a couple.
- In episode 7 the male lead is manhandling the female lead. I personally didn’t mind it because it’s fiction not reality but if you are sensitive to these things, it might be best if you skip this drama.

OVERALL:
If you are looking for a drama that has mystery, career/life struggles, mental health issues, darker romance and cool plot twists, watch this drama.

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Ex-lovers + complex relationships in a variety show setting

This drama focuses on the ex-lovers theme. The main leads are exes who join an ex-lovers variety show. While on the show, they navigate their conflicting emotions and through flashbacks, the audience explores their past relationship. Part of the variety show are also ex-spouses (second couple) and former-classmates (third couple). The structure of each episode is: school flashbacks (main leads only, 5 min max screen time) then present day (all couples) then variety show interviews (all couples, 2 min max screen time).

The centre stage of this drama is the main couple who gets the most amount of screen time. This couple is the epitome of #itscomplicated. I loved the subtle eye contact between the couple, which showed a mix of hurt, frustration, longing and hidden love. Both leads portrayed their characters so well that at times I almost forgot they were acting. Their love story at first glance appeared straight-forward (ex couple reconnecting). But the underlying issues of commitment, childhood trauma and conflicting desires, made the exploration of their relationship more complex. On the surface, some might quickly write off the male lead as a simp due to his deep devotion to the female lead. But what I saw was a man with emotional inner struggles, and a secret longing for his first love after many years apart. On the other hand, some might call the female lead selfish for stringing him along by not communicating her commitment issues. Although slow paced, what I saw was a woman’s journey of overcoming her childhood trauma by becoming self-aware due to a series of events. So yes, some viewers might get frustrated with the leads at certain parts of the drama but it’s good to remember that they’re written as flawed people. They are not robots or perfect humans. The writers did a great job showing how difficult relationships can be to navigate, just like in real life.

The second couple shared equal screen time with the third. The second couple featured a divorced couple who is the ultimate bickering-comedy relief type. For the big portion of the drama I felt like they were better off separated but towards the end, I was pleasantly surprised by the character development of both. For me, they were portrayed as one of those imperfect couples. I like that the writers showed us all relationships can work out if both people put an effort.

The third couple was the fluffiest of the fluffiest couples I’ve ever seen. Both shy and introverted, I like that the writers put them through difficult situations in order for them to find their voices and speak up when it really mattered.

POSITIVE:
- Complex relationships with flawed characters that’s portrayed in a realistic and modern way.
- Ex-lovers theme (second chance romance). Main couple is ex-lovers. Second couple is ex-spouses. Third couple is former-classmates. All three couples are very different and provide a nice variety of romance.
- Variety show setting. The couples are filming ex-lovers show.
- Good character development for all six characters.
- Lots of kiss scenes and skinship.
- Nice cinematography with lovely OST. The blend of visuals and music was done really well and a lot of the romantic scenes looked like music videos.
- Sweet friendship girl group.
- High school flashbacks (short screen time).
- Mix of light-hearted, very serious and romantic-sadness undertones.
- Lots of shirtless scenes (male lead).

NEGATIVE:
- Annoying side characters. The male friend of the female lead at the start of the drama is extremely arrogant, know-it-all and frustrating to watch. But he gets sidelined later on. There is also a very annoying investor’s daughter but she disappears half-way through.
- Ep 16-18 felt draggy as each episode was dedicated to guest characters. Ep 21 was too cliche for my taste. But these characters and situations were crucial for the character development of the female lead. So although a bit boring, they served a big purpose and were neither useless nor fillers.

OVERALL:
I felt like this drama portrayed well the complex relationships of ex-lovers while the variety show format added a fresh take on the trope. All three couples had different personalities and emotional issues which brought a nice variety of romance. The relationships dynamics felt realistic, with a modern approach and had good character development towards the end of the drama. In conclusion, despite some small frustrating parts, this was a very enjoyable second chance romance drama that I recommend.

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Family politics, basic plot and odd romance

This drama is about the female lead who comes back to live with her family after many years of being unjustly accused of a horrible deed. She navigates family politics while secretly investigating her mother’s death. The male lead (who turns out to be her non-biological brother) seeks justice and revenge for the death of his Master. Both, being mistreated by their family, bond as friends/siblings, helping each other through their life struggles and ultimately fall in love.

Fun fact, the female lead’s story is literally the same as the girl from The Double who’s identity the female lead of that drama takes. It almost feels like Ning is a ‘what if’ spin off of The Double.

POSITIVE:
- Family politics. Nasty, scheming concubines that you want to slap through the screen and an annoying father that makes your blood boil. Family drama is not my vibe but I did enjoy certain aspects of it, it did help that the female lead is a smart cookie and always one step ahead.
- Second male lead syndrome. Probably an unpopular opinion but I fell hard for the second male lead. He was THE red flag, toxic, loyal with hidden vulnerability lead that would make certain viewers like me eat up the romance. I felt he had a better dynamic with the female lead and the flashbacks with their backstory was super sweet.
- Cunning male lead and smart female lead duo.
- Mix plot of family drama, revenge and investigations.
- Father parallels. I enjoyed watching the stark difference between the beginning and end of the drama in terms of father dynamics. Without spoiling, the father figure at the end was endearing to watch.

NEGATIVE:
- Odd romance. The forbidden love (falling for a fake sibling) was poorly executed. Spoiler alert, the female lead finds out almost at the end that they are not related which is rather awkward. Granted, they acted more like friends than siblings but I still didn’t understand when and how the female lead actually fell for him.
- Basic plot. Honestly, you could fall asleep and wake up the next day AND still understand everything about the plot (talking from experience).
- Male lead feels like a side character in the first 10 episodes. Later the story focuses on him but I feel like the second male lead shined more.

OVERALL:
I had spent months waiting patiently for this drama to air but when it did, I was extremely underwhelmed. The focal point of the drama is the family politics, a father who will make your blood boil, concubines and siblings who you want to slap every time they are on screen, and even more characters that annoy you with their horrible behaviour. Regardless of all that, I ended up giving the drama a chance since I loved the main leads. However, despite their great chemistry, their romance was written poorly and I had a huge second male lead syndrome. In the end, all I can say is that this is a very basic drama that’s only good to watch to pass the time. But if you love family drama with an abundance of nasty, scheming women and a female lead who’s a smart cookie and wins over her enemies, you might enjoy this more than me.

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Healthy romance + online games and aerospace

This drama is about the love story between an actress and an aerospace engineer. The female lead is endorsing a mobile game but is caught by netizens for being a bad player. To redeem her image, she has to play at a live event and prove to everyone her skills. Online, she stumbles upon her high-school crush (who rejected her) a.k.a. the male lead. He happens to be an expert at the game so she hires him to help her. Meanwhile the male lead is facing his own dilemma in life, whether to quit his dream job and find a more stable one.

I didn’t have much expectations going into this drama, just thought it would be a nice before-bed watch. The first half was amazing and actually kept me awake at night. The gaming felt very nostalgic as it reminded me of my teen years when I was a hard-core gamer. However the second half was ok/a bit boring. I needed more of their dating/together era… something was kind of missing to make my heart flutter.

POSITIVE:
- Mature and authentic dialogue.
- High production cinematography. You can tell they spent money for the game and space shots.
- Nice intimate/kiss scenes. I loved that the male lead would always pull/grab her unexpectedly towards him.
- No love triangles, very clean romance, the exes show up and leave very swiftly and fast.
- No misunderstandings, no toxic stuff, no families against the relationship. It didn’t follow the cliche route which was nice.
- The game's visuals look amazing and if you are a MMORPG game lover, you will appreciate them.
- Cute romance but also a big focus on career.
- Easy and relaxing watch. Only 30 min per ep.
- Yang Yang is hot and Dilraba looks great.

NEGATIVE:
- Aerospace talks. I didn’t understand anything but at least visually it looked nice. Some episodes were very focused on that topic a bit too much for my taste so I had to ff/skip.
- Okish/boring second half. I needed more of their dating/together era… something was kind of missing to make my heart flutter.
- Side couple. They didn’t have much screen time but what I saw was very boring and pretty much a ff/skip.

OVERALL:
If you are looking for a healthy, cute romance and don't mind the focus on gaming and aerospace, you will enjoy this drama. It’s a very easy and relaxing watch for the evenings.

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