justjacky

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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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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Visually beautiful + slow paced + romantic

PART 1: 10 ⭐
I was hesitant to watch this drama because some reviews say it's boring and there is too much torture. Good thing I decided to give this a chance anyway because this drama freaking exceeded my expectations. From the visuals, the storytelling, the characters, the acting and the music - everything is done so, so well. There is not even a single boring part and the torture scenes are very timid and not horror type at all. I binge-watched part 1 in two days and it was the best thing I ever did.

Main couple is super cute and I really appreciated that for a Xianxia drama the FL is strong-headed, clever and resourceful. The ML is very cute, devoted and strong-willed. I also love mermaids and in this case I love seeing a story about a merman. There are also two side couples that are adorable. In fact I love all the characters, even the villain's personalities are done really well.

Visually it's beautiful, the music is lovely when the ML is singing. There are no more words for me to describe how pleasantly surprised I was with this drama and it's totally worth the watch.

PART 2: 7.5 ⭐
Second part of the story is consistent with the look and feel BUT not as good as part 1. The first half (10 episodes) pacing of the plot is very slow and not much happens. It's quite heavy and dark so not the easiest to watch but the beautiful kissing scenes in between the depressive scenes made up for it. Second half (last 10 episodes) was more enjoyable, the plot moved well and wrapped up the series nicely. The ending of the drama leaned heavily on the dilemma whether all the couples will have a happy ending or not so if you like that kind of angst, you'll enjoy that. The final battle scenes were enjoyable but not as impactful as I would have liked (compared to the first part).

OVERALL: 9 ⭐ I enjoyed the visuals, storyline and romance of the story so I'll highly recommend the drama.

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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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Jewellery business politics + subplot romance

This drama is about the female lead's story of being a pearl diver slave to becoming a successful jewellery merchant. Alongside her journey, we also follow the male lead, a ruthless businessman out for revenge after the tragic death of his family.

POSITIVE:
- Strong-willed, badass and street-smart female lead.
- Morally grey male lead.
- Business politics focused, with romance as a subplot.
- Fantastic storytelling: this truly felt like “her” story, as we follow her journey from a slave with nothing to a powerful merchant.
- Feminism vibes. Women supporting women and showing they can be powerful leaders.
- Beautiful kiss scenes.
- Lovely OST.
- Nice fight scenes. Not a lot but what we do see is really good.
- Beautiful jewellery and costumes, especially Zhao Lusi’s styling was top notch.
- Emotional and baby angst vibes. It has that realism feel to it, with a mix of revenge and scheming around the business side.
- Zhao Lusi: phenomenal acting performance. From her raw underwater scenes, to her angsty slave scenes, to her transformative portrayal of a powerful business woman. This role feels like her best yet, and she truly brought the character to life.

NEGATIVE:
- The second half felt repetitive at times: the antagonists constantly tried to sabotage the female lead’s business. Different scenarios, yes but it was the same thing over and over, which made parts of the drama feel draggy.
- Basic plot: honestly the plot was not that deep, just straightforward business politics with basic villains. Having said that, the drama was still very enjoyable.
- Annoying second female lead: I literally couldn’t stand the character even though the actress was so beautiful. I hated everything she did and everything she said and I was not satisfied at all with how her ending was written.
- Ending: I was not fully satisfied as the writers decided to do a powerful scene off screen, which made it less emotionally impactful.

OVERALL:
This drama isn’t about romance, although there is romance. It’s not about angst, betrayal with dazzling action scenes, even though those elements are there. This drama promised a story about a pearl diver slave, who faces many hardships and rises to become a powerful jewellery merchant - and it absolutely delivered exactly that. For me, this is Zhao Lusi’s best role to date. If you want to see a drama with the strong message “Women can conquer the world,” watch this one.

FAVOURITE QUOTE:
“One tear of a mermaid, so rare and bright, is brought with the blood of countless divers."

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The most romantic and sensual xianxia. Lots of kisses and intimacy.

If you ever wondered what and how dual cultivation works, this drama will show you all! The drama is about the female lead who, during a car crash, is transported to the fantasy world. She takes the identity of a disciple, who is forced to go and serve the most powerful and ruthless Grandmaster (the male lead). Having no other desire except sleeping and eating, she earns the trust of the Grandmaster and his love.

TIMELINE:
Ep 1-19 Immortal arc - I loved this arc. It struck a great balance between developing the romance and giving us a nice angsty plot.
Ep 20-29 Demon arc - Rushed and not fleshed out properly. Lots of concepts were introduced and it felt like I was watching at 2x speed. It had its good moments but also felt short on others.
Ep 30-33 Mortal arc - Rushed and the palace plot felt boring/unnecessary. I would have preferred if the focus was exclusively on the romance, with the final villain lurking until the final episode.

POSITIVE:
- Brilliant romance. One of the best written xianxia love stories I’ve ever seen. The chemistry, dialogue, interactions, everything was perfect. Their love story felt natural, real and gave me the biggest butterflies in my stomach. The couple was funnily so ‘ride or die’ coded as they were either on their way to kill someone or get killed.
- Top-tier intimacy. This is hands down the xianxia with the most kiss scenes, spice and skinship. Their love language is indeed touch!
- ‘Touch her and you die’ male lead. Handsome, strong and tragic. He was the cold-hearted-but-totally-hot morally grey male lead that I love to watch. A red flag when he needed to be and a green flag when he needed to be. Basically a woman’s perfect man.
- Relatable female lead. She was a very down to earth, normal girl, who just wanted a vacation 24/7.
- Amnesia trope done right. This is probably the only time where I enjoyed seeing this trope as it actually added depth and character development!
- Top-notch comedy.
- Decent visuals/CGI. Yes their budget wasn’t big but I still think they did well. The costumes in the second half were beautiful!
- Enjoyable OST.
- Ending. Considering the censorship for these types of transmigrations, the drama did well. I was happy to see the female lead SPOILER in the modern world for 10 whole minutes and actually meeting the male lead face to face.

NEGATIVE:
- Simple plot. The first half was pretty good but the second half was quite underwhelming and rushed.
- Villains. All unremarkable and quite one dimensional. They were just kind of there, being a typical obstacle against the leads.. but they did bring in the angst, so I can’t complain too much.
- Side character. Meh. Except for the cute snake, nobody truly stood out.
- Second couple. Wasted potential. In the first half, the second female lead was against the leads and (for some unknown reason) the second male lead had feelings for her (rather juvenile if you ask me). Then, her bad deeds were all swept under the rug and instead the script told us they were in love?! It all just felt like a bunch of non-sense. If their love story was actually deleted, it would have had zero impact on the plot.

OVERALL:
I wholeheartedly award this drama as the most romantic xianxia. It’s hard to describe my feelings but the best I can say is that watching the leads made me scream, giggle and kick my feet. Despite the simple and somewhat weak plot, the core and strength of the drama lies in the romance. You will love this for the romance, for the undeniable chemistry between the leads, for the spicy and beautiful kiss scenes, for the perfect touch-her-and-you-die male lead. If you are a hopeless romantic, you will love this for sure, as this is one of those stories that make you fall in love with love! I highly recommend it.

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The Soldier, the Spider, and the Script that forgot their romance

This drama had the potential to be the best Fox Spirit Matchmaker… until the writers messed up and made me so pissed off… I was on the verge of rating this 1 star and calling it the worst FSM (it’s not). But the title is extremely misleading.

The drama is about the male lead, a nameless soldier whose purpose is to kill demons. Void of emotions, forced to live a lonely life, he diligently complied with what he was told to do. Until the day he met the female lead, an insignificant, kind and innocent spider demon.

The first half of the drama was perfect. A blend of beautiful emotional moments, stunning fight scenes and heartwarming relationships. The second half of the drama shifted the focus on the secondary characters and expanded the world, but also created inconsistencies and a lot of irritation.

✨WATCH OR SKIP LOVE IN PAVILION AND RED MOON PACT?
Yes and no. Sword and Beloved (SnB) is made as a stand alone and can be watched on its own. However, it is also a direct continuation of Love in the Pavilion (LIP). Although the drama shows flashbacks of LIP and explains things well, I still recommend watching LIP first because of the bigger emotional payoff you will receive. There are details in LIP that make SnB more meaningful, such as Black Fox (main villain) origin story, the evil Uncle, Spider Queen, and the significance of the Bamboo Pavilion. On the other hand, I do not recommend Red Moon Pact (unless you love the cast), as the drama feels disconnected from the other two installments, and (for me) felt like a waste of a watch.

✨COUPLES / ACTORS PAIRS

Cheng Yi & Li Yi Tong (Human Soldier & Spider Demon, main couple)
I loved their chemistry. In the first half of the drama, they seemed to be the rare couple who loved quietly. A couple that you wouldn’t expect grand proclamations of love or passionate kisses. Their love seemed to be in the little gestures, unspoken but seen through their actions. However, I was extremely disappointed because in the end, this couple turned out to be more like friends/master-disciple relationship. There was nothing romantic about them (more in the negative points).

Guo Jun Chen & He Rui Xian (Human Swordsman & Dragon Demon, second couple)
This controversial couple had me questioning my drama choses. He met her when he was a kid and grew up living with her. But if we ignore that weird fact, I wanted them to work out because I simply loved Rumu. I didn’t particularly like her, she was too cold and mean for my taste. But I end up appreciating her in the end.

Chang Hua Sen & Zhang Kai Ying (Fox Demon & Human General, third couple)
My favourite foxy, who could even resist him! Honestly it wasn’t so much that I loved their romance but I simply loved watching Foxy as a character. This couple was fun and light-hearted but I can’t say they made a huge impact on me.

✨POSITIVE:
- Bromance. The best thing for me was the relationship of the three male characters - Fugui (the reserved leader), Rumu (a jack of all trades troublemaker) and Yunfei (an innocent cinnamon roll puppy). I love their interactions, their playfulness with each other, I could watch 40 episodes with just these three.
- Stunning visuals. The fight scenes, costumes, styling, settings. Everything was a feast for the eyes, especially the unique Western Region.
- Secondary romance. The second and third couple’s romance was developed really well. In fact, the second couple fit perfectly the title Sword and Beloved. However, at some point it felt like they did have too much screen time.

✨NEGATIVE:
- Main couple’s romance. In the first half of the drama, the plot seems to be connected to their romance. It was emotional, it was heartwarming, it was perfect. But in the second half, it’s like the writers switched and changed the characters. She promised to always be there for him and yet the writers separated them. Worse, when she met him again, she had dumb reasons to leave him again (without even speaking to him). Their reunion later was mega anti-climatic, pretending to be strangers for dumb reasons. Afterwards, their relationship completely digressed. In the end, it looked like they were just friends/master-disciple. There was zero romance between them which was extremely weird and disappointing.

- Main lead’s inconsistencies. This kind of covers my previous point. The leads became different characters in the second half of the drama. It’s like another writer had taken over, but he didn't understand their characters so he made up some stuff. It made no sense that she was hell bent on dealing with her brother alone because she thought Fugui would kill him. It made no sense that Fugui took 10k swords for her, but later didn’t even blink while sacrificing her. The male lead in particular felt like a shell of himself in some parts of the drama. The writers took away his sword, his beloved, and he ended up just showing up to drive the plot forward and that’s it.

- Father issue. Wangquan Hongye was one of my favourite characters in Love in Pavillion. I knew at the start that I would not like this new version of him. Part of me understood him. Part of me accepted him and his abusive behaviour. However, I expected growth, some sort of redemption. I suppose it’s realistic that he kind of stayed the same. Sure, he admitted his mistake in the end and gave a half ass apology to the main leads, but it wasn’t enough for me. I ended up disliking his character and wished he was killed off at the start and the male lead had a Shifu instead.

- Villains. They actually had the potential but weren’t fully utilised. The evil Uncle was pretty good at the start, but it was incredibly lame when the writers brought him back for the final episodes, as it made the heroes look dumb and weak. The Scepter Woman was mega hot but of course the writers killed her off quick. The Black Fox was fine but this is my third drama with her and I’m just thinking “does bish have 9 lives because she KEEPS coming back”. Overall, not impressive.

- Evil Brother. Unpopular opinion here but I didn’t mind his arc. However it was definitely too draggy.

✨OVERALL:
The early episodes of the drama promised a male centric story with heartwarming romance + bromance but ended up delivering only a portion of that. The first half of the drama was a solid 10/10 but then it felt like the writers had switched. The character’s inconsistencies were evident, as well as the main couple’s romance being changed to friendship/master-disciple. Some parts of the plot were brilliant, others a headache. I do have mixed feelings. It was kind of good but also quite disappointing. I guess if you are going in for the plot and the side couple’s romance, you might enjoy it. But if you are going in for Cheng Yi and the main couple’s romance, you’ll probably end up disappointed.

✨QUOTES:
“Lately, I’ve felt my heart growing warm. That warmth comes from bonds. The bond with family, friends, and even nature.” Fugui (male lead)
“Power is not right or wrong. It’s what you do with it.” Qing Tong (female lead)

P.S. I might reduce my rating later (depending on my mood).

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Addictive romance ruined by noble idiocy

The drama is about the love story between the two main leads, who spend some of their childhood years living as non-blood related siblings. Yes, this dynamic would understandably put off some people from watching however this would be the least of your problems. In fact, the drama makes them look more like childhood friends than actual siblings, and when they meet as adults, that’s a non-issue in the drama.

The first 19 episodes of the drama captivated me with addictive romance, beautiful visuals and a story that’s all about the sexy vibes. The real plot of the drama was indeed the romance and that’s the main reason this drama hooked me up so bad that I’d be totally obsessed with it. The angsty car racing scenes were the cherry on top.

However, the last 10 episodes completely shifted the tone and story of the drama, making it unrecognisable. It truly felt like I was watching something else, and if it wasn’t for the hot chemistry between the leads, I wouldn’t have been able to push through the episodes, especially because of the atrocious noble idiocy inserted.

POSITIVE:
- Stunning cinematography.
- Fantastic car racing scenes.
- Hot chemistry between the leads.
- Delicious kiss and intimate scenes.

NEGATIVE:
- Noble idiocy pretty much ruined it for me. I read many opinions about the male lead and the reasons behind his actions. And yet for me they felt like excuses. The male lead’s response when asked why he ghosted her for 6 years and made everyone lie to her was simply “she was too young”. I hated how the male lead made all the decisions for her. I hate how he stole her dream of opening a cafe, and stole her dog (that he originally didn’t even want to keep). I found none of these things romantic. I also didn’t like how Mumu kept chasing him until the end. If it wasn’t for her, they definitely wouldn’t have ended together. I did pity Jin Zhao, but I didn’t like him as a male lead. I watched for entertainment and there was nothing entertaining or touching about his behaviour. To me, he was self-protecting, masking it as “it’s for her own good”. He ran away, felt unworthy, and actually his behaviour was quite selfish. He kept saying how he wanted her to be happy and yet he was the one that hurt her the most. I hated how he kept everything hidden for 6 years and even when they met in adulthood, he still kept it all hidden and didn’t let her support her, didn’t let her CHOOSE for herself how she feels, until she relentlessly pushed through him.

- The last 10 episodes totally shifted the tone and story. It felt like I was watching a completely different drama that I didn’t sign up for. The spark and special magic from the first half was gone. It was very boring and I found myself skipping stuff.

OVERALL:
This drama had the potential to be one of my top favourites this year but the sudden shift in the last 10 episodes, toppled with noble idiocy, really ruined it for me. My high rating is only because I absolutely loved and was addictively obsessed with the first half of the drama. I really wish the drama had happily ended at ep 20. The romance and chemistry between the leads was such top tier!

EP 1-19: 100/10
Ep 20-29: 2/10
Final: 7.5-8

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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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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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Youthful and romantic xianxia with a fox male lead

This drama is about the female lead that accidentally absorbs the soul fruit of a male fox. In order to get this soul back, the male lead needs to make her fall in love with him. Amidst their love story, the plot revolves around the humans seeing the foxes as evil and the female lead’s secret origin.

In short, the drama started great for me and I was enjoying it a lot. I found the many romantic scenes between the leads super adorable. The tone felt light-hearted and totally relaxing to watch. However the second half started to feel draggy and towards the end I found myself ff/skipping scenes. The ending is unfortunately the most stupid and illogical I’ve EVER seen and my rating significantly reduced because of it.

POSITIVE:
- Youthful romance as the main focus of the drama.
- Many cute and sweet moments between the leads. Their chemistry is great.
- Fairy good CGI for a drama like this (clearly not a high budget).
- Adorable and funny second couple.

NEGATIVE:
- Not a groundbreaking plot. It’s enjoyable for the most part but it didn’t wow me.
- Second half of the drama felt quite boring compared to the first.
- The ending! I’m very accepting of different endings and can always find a reason behind it even if I don’t like it. But this ending is the most stupid and illogical I’ve ever seen. There is a special alternative episode that makes it a little better but it’s still somewhat illogical. The writers really ruined the drama at the end for me.
- Bad subtitles (typical Mangotv style) but if you’ve seen a lot of xianxia, you will understand what’s happening.

OVERALL:
If you want a sweet and youthful xianxia with romance as the main focus, and don’t mind a stupid ending as long as there is a special alternative episode that sort of makes up for it, watch 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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