justjacky

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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Fluffy, healthy main’s relationship, wholesome vibes

The drama is about the main leads who enter a committed relationship, with the desire for marriage, while being strangers to each other. Things get a bit complicated when they start working at the same department as boss (male lead) and employee (female lead).

Ngl, the start of the drama felt very odd and didn’t grab my attention at all but somehow by the end of the episode I was invested.

Ep 1-10
The beginning of the main lead’s relationship. I loved seeing the leads respecting each other due to their commitment and at the same time open up and get more comfortable with each episode. The intimacy was slow and built up well. The slightly annoying part here was that the female lead’s ex was chasing her and trying to get back with her.

Ep 11-20
The progression of the main lead’s relationship was steady. It felt like the writers did a nice job showing us how the main leads work through their misunderstandings. Nothing was dragged out. It felt realistic albeit a bit frustrating. It was nice that the female lead’s ex was out of the picture, however the new nuisance now was the male lead’s ex-school mate, who of course likes him.

Ep 21-27
The second couple totally stole the spotlight for me, especially here. Their love story arc was chef’s kiss. The main couple had many sweet moments. The conflicts were pretty much resolved so it felt like the drama could have nicely wrapped up here without the additional episodes.

Ep 28-32
I started ff/skipping stuff especially the business side and third couple. Ep 31-32 were sweet but too many flashbacks. In general, these episodes were not needed as it felt like they added nothing to the story.

Special Episode
I absolutely loved it as it showed the married life of both couples.

POSITIVE:
- 99% fluff. There were only about 2 episodes where sad things happened but otherwise it was always wholesome, happy vibes.
- Arrange marriage (kind of) + secret office romance.
- Secret crush trope.
- Healthy main lead’s relationship.
- Green flag male lead.
- Green flag parents. Truly one of the best I’ve seen in a cdrama.
- Cute school flashbacks. These are shown after the credits of each episode and are totally adorable.
- Romantic kisses and some skinship.
- Second couple that steals the spotlight as rivals to lovers.

NEGATIVE:
- Odd third couple. They meet as ex-lovers. The girl doesn’t want him but suddenly gets back together with him. The relationship had zero foundation, no flashbacks to tell us exactly how they fell in love, why they broke up etc. It seriously felt like their scenes at the start were cut. 99% of their scenes were as a couple, no individual scenes which made them one dimensional characters. They weren’t annoying per say but totally skippable. Especially their odd ending. Nah.
- Female lead’s behaviour. She can be slightly frustrating at times but that’s because the male lead is the perfect guy so the writers used her as a scapegoat to create conflict between them.

OVERALL:
This is the perfect fluffy cdrama to watch after a tiring day or before going to bed. You get lots of cuteness, romantic kisses and healthy relationships where the male lead is a total green flag. What makes this drama stand out from the other fluffs is its maturity and wholesomeness. Although the drama could have ended 5 episodes earlier, it was still a very enjoyable watch. If you love mature fluff, I recommend this one.

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Slice of life, cooking & some romance

This drama is about the female lead, who pines over the male lead, who is hung up on his ex and needs therapy. The support cast tries to get with the leads even though they have zero chance. The side couple marries after one night stand. Oh and there is lots of cool cooking. Okay, okay I’m just trying to be funny here (but it’s lowkey true). Let me tell you the actual plot. The male lead owns a food platform but refuses to learn how to cook so he hires a double for his cooking shots. After being caught lying, he hires the female lead (who also works at his company) to teach him how to cook.

The main lead is a hot, red flag. Workaholic, toxic boss that appears to be arrogant and prideful but secretly is kind and lonely. He carries a lot of past trauma and emotional baggage. The female lead is down to earth and a total cinnamon roll. Mature yet gentle. Kind but not a pushover. Hard-working but not materialistic.

POSITIVE:
- Viki live chat. Yep, the drama was 100x more enjoyable because I watched it while reading the hilarious live chat. Users on Viki not only roasted the drama but each other too. If you decide to watch this drama, definitely do it on Viki, the subs there are great too compared to Youtube.
- Awesome cooking shots.
- Cute romance (for the most part).
- Great mother-daughter relationship.
- Mature dialogue.
- Nice OST.
- Nice chemistry between the leads.
- First half of the drama has wholesome vibes.
- Relatable female lead.

NEGATIVE:
- Male lead is heavily hung up on his ex for the first half of the drama.
- Unnecessary and illogical situation at episode 13 that might ruin the drama for some people. The remaining 3 episodes were too melodramatic and draggy so I skipped a lot.
- Kind of slow paced especially as each episode was more than 1h 15 min compared to the typical 40 min.
- Second male lead had me conflicted. Sometimes he was such a sweet green flag, other times he was the most obsessive and annoying towards the female lead. I feel the way his character was written could have been better especially as he got tons of screen time. In the first episodes he kept putting a toothpick in his mouth which I didn’t like. Then the director gave him a glow up that was actually a glow down.
- Annoying side character (girl) who acted like a 3 year old and her voice was non-stop quacking like a rubber duck (and mind you I rarely find characters annoying).

OVERALL:
This drama starts off great but loses its charm half-way through. I have mixed feelings, some parts are great, other parts not so much. The drama sometimes felt very wholesome and sweet but other times too melodramatic, sometimes mature but other times too silly. In the end, I felt that it wasn’t what I expected (the poster misled me to believe it was a fluffy rom-com). But I suppose if you want a slice of life with lots of cooking and some romance on the side, check this out.

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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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From Zero to Hero. A love story about two immortal youths and their trials and tribulations.

I initially dropped this at episode 11 but later decided to give it another chance. Unlike most xianxia’s, this drama has a very youthful feel to it as it follows the love story between two immortal youths. This means that in the beginning, both main leads are shown as naive and relatively powerless characters, and their story revolves around growing up, facing life’s challenges and learning from their mistakes in order to become powerful rulers.

WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH THE PREQUEL FIRST:
Before talking about this drama, I feel it’s important to mention that this is a sequel to Ancient Love Poetry (ALP). Technically you can watch this without having seen ALP however I feel like you will miss out on all of the important details. First off, this drama throws you into the world without explaining much. In ALP, the three realms are introduced, as well as the different immortal statuses that characters have. This is significant in understanding how the world works in general and most importantly, the power dynamics between characters. Most importantly, the backstories of the big villains in this drama as shown in ALP. Again, this drama just throws you the villains and I believe to truly understand their motivations you need to watch ALP. Third and also very important point is that we see the male lead as a child in ALP. I feel like his character is quite misunderstood by many people but if you watch his childhood in ALP, you will definitely understand clearly why he acts the way he does. A big part of this drama is the Da Ze Mountain which is the place where the male lead grows up. I was only able to feel why this place held such an important part of him because I had seen it in ALP. (Note, if you do decide to watch ALP first, know that the production team is different so the characters' names have been changed).

IF YOU DON’T WATCH THE PREQUEL:
I have written a short comment explaining the world’s setting and male lead’s backstory for those that don’t want to watch ALP but still want to understand what’s going on. WARNING, it contains ALP spoilers.
https://kisskh.at/698285-shen-yin#comment-15573701


THE BEST PART ABOUT THIS DRAMA:
Now, back to this drama. The best part is hands down the character dynamics and development. The main lead's growth is striking from episode 1 till episode 40, as we see them both start off as immature youths and end up becoming responsible and wise rulers. The dynamics between the main leads and the support cast is done well. We see the portrayal of many forms of relationships: friendships, romantic love, kinship, family loyalty, master-disciples.

CHARACTERS/ACTORS:
- Zhao Lusi (female lead) is the reason I watched this and she absolutely slayed in playing two distinctly different characters. She was cute and endearing as a Water Condensing Beast and badass, powerful and calm as a Phoenix. She was indeed the star of the drama and pulled me in all of her scenes, especially towards the end of the drama when she was a Phoenix.
- Wang An Yu (male lead) is an actor I haven’t seen before. I must admit that he is not written as the most likeable character at first (and for most of the drama) but he is perhaps more realistically portrayed as a flawed character who makes mistakes and learns from them. He hurts the female lead a lot (both intentionally and unintentionally) but also redeems himself big time.
- Li Yun Rui (second male lead), he is a big reason I continued to watch the drama after I had initially dropped it. I loved his character as a sly fox and the charisma of the actor definitely made his character shine bright. He had a great character arc and his love story was a lovely addition to the drama.

CGI/COSTUMES/OST:
This needs a separate section because I have mixed feelings. The CGI in some scenes (and the settings) looks vibrant and nice but most of the time (especially in the action/battle scenes) the visual effects were so horrible to the point that I could tell they were shot in a studio. I have read that the production was rushed so that could explain the reason behind it. So for this I’d say, have very low expectations and see it as a low budget drama. The costumes at the start were quite lacklustre but improved later in the drama. I especially loved Lusi’s costumes as a Phoenix. The costume that really bugged me was the horrible orange one for the SML/Fox guy that he wrote A LOT. It was one of the worst I had ever seen. I’m a big cdrama OST lover but the music was nothing special here as none of the songs stood out to me.

POSITIVE:
- Light-hearted xianxia (for the most part) without too much angst. It’s perfect to watch in the evening after a tiring day.
- Great character development for the main leads. We see them grow from immature clueless youths to responsible rulers.
- Nice character dynamics. I loved all the relationship portrayals: friendships, romantic love, kinship, family loyalty, master-disciples.
- Second couple’s love story was captivating. I actually wish they had more screen time together. Their relationship was the slowest of the slowest burns but worth the watch.
- No annoying obsessive/unrequited love. This is a HUGE positive as I absolutely hate the cliche plot line where the second male/female leads are obsessed with the mains and try everything to break them apart.
- Zhao Lusi slayed as the star of the drama. I loved her portrayal of two distinctly different characters. She especially blew me away in her mannerism and majestic aura as a Phoenix. If you love the actress, this drama is a must watch for you.
- Friendship goals. I loved the friendship between the four main characters as they always had each other’s backs.
- Main villains/antagonists were enjoyable to watch for the most part. In most xianxia they annoy me but these I enjoyed watching. They didn’t take too much precious screen time from the main leads like in other dramas.
- No three lifetimes/no human realm plot. In most xianxia we see the main leads reincarnating and forgetting who they are as they go through human tribulations but this drama was just one, straightforward story without these things.
- Cool father/daughter dynamic as antagonists. I rarely like the bad guys in xianxia but the actors really made me enjoy their characters. These two had one of the most loyal family relationships I had even seen.

NEGATIVE:
- Plot was definitely the weak point of this drama as it showed nothing new or unique. I feel like I enjoyed this drama only because the cast did a fabulous job and the characters were interesting. But if this had an infamous cast… it would have flopped for sure.
- Emotional moments didn’t hit me. I cry easily and yet the angsty scenes were just relaxing to watch. Nothing made my heart jump or gasp with shock.
- Bad CGI effects. This drama is said to be high budget and yet the quality can only be placed in the low budget pile.
- Not binge-worthy. It was easy to hit pause on this drama many times and to ff/skip some parts.
- Misleading title. It’s not an important point but I do love to connect the titles with the stories and this one feels all wrong. The title suggests that by the end there will be only one immortal left but that’s not the case.

OVERALL:
This is not the most unique or groundbreaking xianxia, it definitely has its flaws. But the story is enjoyable to watch (especially after episode 12) and the characters (+ actors) are the highlight of the drama. I had initially dropped this at episode 11 but I’m happy I gave it another chance.

I’d recommend this drama to those of you who want to watch a youthful, light-hearted (for the most part) xianxia that’s good to watch in the evening after a tiring day. It has great character dynamics and development, where the main leads start off as immature, clueless youths and end up becoming responsible rules. If you love Zhao Lusi and are not too fussed about bad CGI, you will enjoy this drama.

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Slice of life + hot chemistry between bickering main leads

The drama tells the love story between a genius computer programmer male lead and a hard-working programmer female lead who face many challenges together throughout their university and adult lives. Last year, I dropped this at episode 6 but now decided to give this drama a second chance.

The drama is split into two parts. Part one is their university life and how they fell in love. Part two is their adult lives and how they deal with the aftermath of what had happened during their university years. Many people in the comments say that their adult life story is better and I agree. The second part of the drama was more exciting to watch but at the same time I might have not appreciated it enough if I hadn’t seen their university life first.

The best thing about this drama is hands down the fire chemistry between the leads. They are the reason that I decided to give the drama a second chance and also what kept me going. I loved that the main leads were often rivals/bickering with each other but at the same time always supported each other even for the little things. One of the highlights for me was the villains. They made my blood boil but in a good way. They were exciting characters to watch and so horrible that I was constantly rooting for the main leads to destroy them.

The worst thing about this drama is the extremely lengthy computer dialogue at university and later at the job. I actually know many of the things they were saying but that doesn’t mean they were interesting. I found myself ff/skipping tons of things. Also some of the side characters had too much screen time and were boring to watch. In general, I would have enjoyed the drama more if it was shorter.

CHARACTERS:
I had issues with the male lead at the beginning. He appeared to be an arrogant jerk but with each episode you realise that he is quite misunderstood. He always has a different perspective from the mindset of everyone else. He is a genius and I felt his personality was realistically flawed. Genius people in real life can be insensitive and not able to fully sympathise with people because their brains are more focused on the logical than the emotional. Even though at times I definitely didn’t like his behaviour towards the female lead and he showed quite a few red flags, he was an interesting character to watch. He is cold towards people and pushes them away but later you realise that he has gone through a lot of emotional trauma that has made him closed off to others.

The female lead is a friendly, outspoken, hard-working and brave girl. As the title suggests, she is a princess in a sense that she has had good upbringing and never felt any lack of her life in a material sense. She goes through a lot of emotional turmoil because of the male lead that makes her stronger. She is one of the most devoted female leads I’ve seen in a drama.

POSITIVE:
- Hot chemistry between the leads. The tension between them was always on point. They didn’t even need to speak, their eye contact was enough to light the room on fire.
- Hot kiss scenes between the leads.
- Villains made my blood boil but in a good way. They were interesting to watch and elevated the story.
- No stupid love triangles.
- Opposite attracts. I love that even though the main leads often had the opposite perspective of life, they were learning from each other and their personalities seemed to click as the story progressed.
- When characters had arguments, the drama did well in helping you understand both perspectives.
- Meaningful storyline. The plot and dialogue always had a deeper purpose and didn’t feel cliche.
- Campus setting vibe was done right as I started to reminisce about my own university years.
- Second part of the drama (adult life) was done very well with many parallels with the first, and in general it helped me to appreciate the university part more.

NEGATIVE:
- All the computer/programmer dialogue was extremely lengthy (during university and later at the job) which made the drama very boring to watch at times.
- Some side characters were boring in the first half of the drama (university life).
- University life (first half) felt quite lacklustre compared to their adult life (second half).
- Lots of ff/skipping. In general I feel the drama was too long. The core of the story is the relationship between the leads which I loved, however the rest was easy to skip.
- Not enough cute romance. The main leads were always together but not together as a couple. Sometimes I wish we would have seen more cute scenes between them but at the same time I can see that the way the plot was set up didn't allow that.

OVERALL:
This drama is perfect for people who want to watch a slice of life drama with bickering main leads and many emotional/meaningful life moments.

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Expected a cute historical rom-com but received a mediocre plot

This drama supposedly tells the story of two brides who accidentally swap their carriages but the wrong husband at first turns out to be their Mr. Right in the end. At first glance Wrong Carriage, Right Groom has a very interesting concept however the execution of it is bad. I thought this drama was going to be a cute historical rom-com about how the brides fall in love with the grooms and go through ups and downs together but unfortunately that part was wrapped up within the first few episodes and the majority of the rest of the drama was filled with the villain and side characters.
The screen time is mostly about one main couple who has some cute moments together and the evil guy who constantly tries to ruin their fun for no reason. The second couple is cute but unfortunately doesn't get that much screen time in comparison to the first. And there are too many side couples thrown into the mix for such a short drama (read below the short info about the all couples).

POSITIVE:
- Likeable and well developed characters.
- Great chemistry of the three couples with the most screen time.
- Cute romance.
- Great acting.
- Set designs and costumes are beautiful.

NEGATIVE:
- Couples fall in love with each other within the first few episodes (too instant love for me without any proper built up).
- Nothing unexpected ever happens. The way the drama is edited shows all characters discussing what they will do before they do it. This ruins it for me as it takes out any sort of suspense. If I already know the bad guy will try to poison them and that the good guy already knows and will do such and such, what's the point of even watching how it unfolds when I'm already being told that.
- Plot is underdeveloped. I felt like boring conflicts were created and things were thrown in so that there was something for the characters to do. But it had no real purpose.
- Too much screen time on the evil guy and his boring schemes.
- Too much screen time on two of the side couples (an older guy with an immature girl and an evil guy with an evil maid).
- Not really the rom-com feel I expected as most of the screen time is about the boring plot.

COUPLES:
1st couple - rich, scholar-type male who pretends to be sick and a bubbly martial artist girl (the main focus of the story),
2nd couple - military general and a quiet, intelligent girl (not enough episodes for them, in some episodes the characters are totally missing and their story gets forgotten.)
3rd couple - soldier and a princess (prominent later in the drama for a few episodes).
4th couple - evil guy and evil maid (too much screen time and super weird relationship, totally unnecessary).
5th couple - married older guy and his immature wife (prominent for a few episodes, I couldn't stand the wife, totally unnecessary story).
+ two very short side couples that are just there for a short bit.

OVERALL:
It's an ok story to watch to pass the time or if you've had a long day and want to unwind. The drama could have been great.. but it's not. Wasted potential. Some episodes are funny and engaging, others super slow and boring. Plot is very weak and the only reason I finished the drama was for the actors (and for the sake of seeing the end really).

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Travelling, culture, food + hot geges

I started this for Chen Zhe Yuan & Ryan Cheng but the travelling, culture and food exploration was such an extra treat that I truly loved. The variety show is about six celebrities/actors who are divided into two teams and travel to different places in China in order to explore the culture, heritage and sightseeings. Every two episodes are dedicated to a city, and in the second episode of each one, the two groups do presentations about their experience. There are also extra episodes in between, with fun activities/talks as additional footage.

WHAT TO EXPECT:
- Travelling to different parts of China (see the locations below), culture, heritage, food, sightseeings exploration, you really get everything. I feel like this variety show is great in promoting China’s tourism to less known places for young chinese people as much as foreigners like me who love chinese cdramas.

- Hot Geges and learning more about them. I loved that I got to see the actors as normal and awkward human beings. I learned more about the personality, emotional struggles and past experiences of everyone, especially Chen Zhe Yuan, Ryan Cheng and Xu Kai. Che Zhe Yuan being a goofball was hilarious while Ryan Cheng was unexpectedly being shy and less talkative at first.

- Great development. Each episode got better and better. The group starts kind of timid and you see as they spend more time together, how everyone opens up more and becomes comfortable with each other. In the end, I felt like they had created a great bond between each other through this travelling experience.

- Guest appearances, which was a great addition to the show, especially Xu Kai.

- Interesting presentations that got more creative with each travel city, although sometimes it felt like a repetition of what we’ve already seen.

- Funny on-screen animations that enhanced the watch experience.

- Princess/diva vibes. Ok that’s a very personal opinion but at the beginning I didn’t like at all the attitude of the female actress. I didn’t really know her before this but she left a bad impression on me as during a challenge, she criticised some of the guys in the group saying none of them had famous scenes for her to impersonate. It was very awkward and one of the guys even called her out on it. She was also very obsessed about looking good in front of the camera to the point of refusing to do some of the travel experiences (as it would ruin her makeup) and she insisted on sitting on the left side of the car because it's her good profile. However, her attitude towards the later episodes did get better.


TRAVEL LOCATIONS PER EPISODE:

Ep 0
Pilot episode. The group assembles and gets ready to travel.

Ep 1-2 Xishuangbanna, Yunnan
A good start. Tame vibes. The group is getting to know each other and not as close yet. The presentations are just ok. Lots of fun activities and relaxations are shown.

Ep 3-4 Zhangzhou, Fujian
Favourite episodes so far, and the presentations were super entertaining to watch. Lots about seafood, fishing etc

Ep 5-6 Changsha, Hunan
Loved these episodes, filled with music and singing. The concert was a fantastic addition to the travel guide.

Ep 7-8 Zhongwei, Ningxia (Xu Kai as special guest)
This trip starts at the end of ep 6. Desert vibes. The most human and deep episode. We truly see who the actors are as people, their fears and hidden pains. Adventure and self-reflection. The final part of ep 7 brought me to tears.

Ep 9-10 Chengdu, Western Sichuan
Cute episode with Pandas but too much talking and not enough sightseeings.

Ep 11 Kangba Altay
Grassland games, super fun to watch with beautiful scenery. I’m not familiar with Tibetan culture but it reminded me of The Long Ballad drama. Really cool photography and challenge. This episode felt the most heartwarming as the whole group was together the whole time rather than separated.

Ep 12 Kangba Altay
Mountain walks in the same grassland and graduation ceremony (reminiscing of all travel places). Ryan Cheng was not present as he had to leave early.

Ep 13 Kangba Altay
Final goodbye from everyone. The end of the trip.

OVERALL:
I recommend this variety show if you love to travel and like at least some of the actors (as you get to learn more about them here) + want to learn more about China's culture, heritage, food and sightseeings.

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Chaotic, hilarious and heart-warmingly sweet

It doesn’t matter if you don’t know the plot is the original and very fitting title. I went completely blind into this and it was great. It's truly best if you don’t know anything, don’t read the synopsis, don’t watch the trailer, just start the drama!

Having said that, here are some hints what to expect:

POSITIVE:
- Very chaotic and absolutely hilarious.
- Tons of twins and turns.
- Wtf moments in every episode.
- Sweet romance.
- Healthy relationship.
- Beautiful cinematography and OST.
- Nice blend between modern and historical.
- No love triangles.
- Confusing plot at first but it's actually very clever. Later everything is explained and makes sense which bumps up the rewatch value.

NEGATIVE:
- Even though I loved the drama, when I finished it I felt like something was missing to be a full 10 stars. I can't quite put my finger on what though.

OVERALL:
If you want a heart-warningly sweet and hilariously chaotic mini drama, watch this one.

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Morally grey male lead in a palace setting

This mini drama is about a morally grey male lead who pretends to be Eunuch in order to take revenge, and in the process falls in love with his enemy's daughter (a high spirited female lead).

The drama packaged everything that I loved and delivered it to me perfectly.
- Morally grey male lead
- Sweet romance
- Engaging palace plot
- Great cinematography
- Beautiful OST

There are some silly scenes as per usual in a short cdrama but I found them very entertaining and fun to watch. Second female lead is a bit annoying at first but her unhinged behaviour gets funny and her ending is wrapped up well.

OVERALL:
If you love a historical romance with a morally grey male lead in a palace setting, watch this drama.

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Six youths on a self-discovery journey with romance, friendship & adventure

This drama is about two non-biological orphans who have lost their memories and together investigate their origin. Alongside their journey, join them four newfound friends who’s backstories are also explored. The drama is a mix of mystery and adventure with romance as the main focus.

All Sword and Fairy dramas are stand alone, they take place in the same world but have different stories. This drama is based on a video game of the same name thus the atmosphere feels quite different from the usual wuxia cdramas (in fact I believe it’s xuanhuan genre). The costumes and set designs do reminisce a video game vibe but in a pleasantly good way.

The best thing about this drama is hands down the main six characters. All of them have distinct personalities that make them stand out but at the same time they all work well together as a team. This is one of those rare dramas where I absolutely loved all six main characters, all six backstories, all of their romantic stories and how their friendship as a group was portrayed. All of them brought a great depth to the story and their character development was fantastic to watch.

POSITIVE:
- Top-notch romance. The love stories are the main focus so expect lots of cute romantic scenes. If you are a hopeless romantic you will love this for sure.
- All six main characters are well written with an intriguing past, romance and great character arcs.
- All couples have fire chemistry. They are different and yet exciting to watch (if you are a romance lover).
- Friendship group that you fall in love with. They fight together and sacrifice for each other. You can’t help but love them.
- Love triangle (hear me out), that’s done well. We all hate love triangles but this is probably the only one where you root for both equally. And it’s because the male lead and second male lead are both played by the same actor.
- Xu Kai (male lead) did not disappoint. Yet again I loved his acting performance. He played two different characters so well.
- Besides the two main leads, the four other cast members blew me away with their performance too and their presence elevated the plot.
- Mystery plot line was done well + the suspense vibes were on point.
- Biggest plot reveal is complex and yet explained very well and shown in the drama in great detail (which I really appreciated).
- Many twists and turns that kept the story engaging.
- Second couple stole my heart. They had lots of screen time and I absolutely loved every minute of it.

NEGATIVE:
- Second half of the drama lost my interest and the emotional impact was reduced. I easily cry and yet I didn’t shed a single tear during any of the emotional scenes towards the end.
- Final villain was very boring to watch. I always believe that good stories require intriguing villains and this one was NOT it. The final fight scenes were also quite lacklustre to watch.
- Cliche ending that I’ve seen in way too many cdramas at this point + I didn’t fully like how it was executed.
- Plot felt a bit all over the place at times.

OVERALL:
If you are looking for a drama with tons of romance, lovely friendship and well written main character arcs + adventure and mystery vibes, watch this drama now.

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It's about the journey, not the destination

This is a great drama but definitely not without its flaws. The drama revolves around two competing assassins and their teams of members, each with diverse backgrounds and skills, embarking on a life threatening journey. Several themes of love are shown in the drama: romantic love, obsessive love, bromance/comrade’s love, self-love and friendship love. Note, pretty much the whole drama is about the journey to save the Emperor.

The male lead is a notorious assassin and is tasked with saving the Emperor who is held hostage at the enemy’s state. His four close comrades tag along for the journey. The female lead is one of the best assassins from the enemy’s state and on her personal path of revenge that collides with the male lead’s mission. We also have a Princess who disguises as a Prince and a disciple who is obsessively in love with his master (the female lead).

The drama has an engaging start, very boring and draggy middle (ep 18-28 virtually nothing exciting happens) and a spectacular ending that was brilliantly executed. The last 10 episodes absolutely kept me at the edge of my seat.

Objectivately, the drama ticks all the boxes. It has the right balance of action, politics, comedy and romance, with strong-willed main leads. The characters are intelligent and the plot makes sense. However I always felt something was missing but I can’t quite put my finger on what.

POSITIVE:
- Female lead is the best female assassin and seductress that I’ve ever watched. Smart, cunning and beautiful.
- A true assassin’s drama. People die. I mean, lots of people die. Like lots…. trust me on that one.
- Strong male and female lead. They are both intelligent and badass.
- Healthy relationships and healthy romance between the leads portrayed.
- Many awesome bromance scenes.
- Fantastic fight scenes (some are even 10 minutes long and are visually stunning).
- Acting and visuals are top-notch.
- High budget drama (and it shows).
- Last 10 episodes kept me at the edge of my seat.
- Spectacular ending - one of the best executed endings I’ve ever seen.
- Alen Fang is brilliant. I started watching the drama for him and his performance delivered. He brought the best comedy vibes.
- Many umbrella walks that are visually feast for the eyes.

NEGATIVE:
- I absolutely hated the LTG character that had an obsessive, unrequited love plotline. His plotline was so unnecessary and embarrassing to watch. It took way, way, way too much screen time (literally around 10 episodes, repeating the same thing. Him crying like a little boy and obsessively trying to get with the female lead who repeatedly rejects him). The only way I managed to watch his scenes is because the actor is a total eye candy and his acting is top-notch. But I’m seriously so done with these plot lines and wish the government bans them forever.
- Extremely boring and draggy middle. Ep 18-28 (basically 10 episodes) nothing much happens.
- Female lead’s revenge story felt lacklustre.
- The love story didn’t grab me. I don’t know what it is but I just couldn’t connect with it (which is rare for me).

OVERALL:
You will like this drama if you want to see:
1. a badass, assassin female lead
2. a group of comrades on a journey together
3. a balanced mix of romance, politics and comedy
4. many brilliantly shot historical/war fight scenes

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Sensual and mysterious story with sexy and mature leads

This drama is about the female lead who’s husband mysteriously disappears/dies in an accident. After four years, the female lead is about to pronounce him dead and take full control of his company when his twin brother returns. Is he her husband or his twin?

POSITIVE:
- Main lead’s chemistry is HOT. Sexual tension in the current timeline and soft & sweet romance in the flashbacks.
- Sensual and mysterious vibes.
- Cinematography is on point.
- Story is engaging from start till end.
- Betrayal/Mystery plot.

NEGATIVE:
- An annoying childish sister who took a little too much precious screen time.
- Hot kisses at episode 1 but no more afterwards. And yet the sexual tension between the leads made up for this lack.

ENDING (MINOR SPOILER):
The drama is open ended but it can be interpreted as happy. I personally loved how it was done and it made sense to me.

OVERALL:
If you want sexy and mature leads with betrayal/mystery plot, I highly recommend you watch this.

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Hot chemistry between the leads, passionate kisses, engaging plot with suspense

This short length drama tells the story of a rich heirless (female lead) who's life turns upside down after her father's death. Her bodyguard (male lead) is there to protect her and yet he also hides many secrets of the past. Was her father's death an accident or a murder?

POSITIVE:
- real and hot kiss scenes (and more)
- suspense vibes
- engaging plot
- 100% binge-worthy
- well developed characters (for such a short drama)
- great villain that plays the bad guy really well
- hot chemistry between the leads
- no fillers, no boring parts
- happy ending

NEGATIVE:
None!!!

I highly recommend it for everyone that wants to watch sexy romance with mafia vibes.

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