I Feel You Linger in the Air: Uncut Version
8 people found this review helpful
Best BL of 2023
Production quality, acting, script is all top notch! This is such a beautiful story and they did not only focus on giving the main characters purpose and reason, they also took their time to shape the side characters. It felt so real. Although the time travel concept is nothing new, they did use their own twists and overlapping tricks which made it all look more well-rounded.I was confused at the ending. But since I found out there will be a second season, I will give it the benefit of the doubt that this is just part of the bigger picture, since the rest of the show was so well thought-out. The only reason I didn't give it a full 10, is because I generally don't enjoy dramas as much in the time he travelled to. I am looking forward to the second season and I can only recommend this show to anyone interested in a heartfelt Bl romance.
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Boring Mess
It was a boring mess. I never warmed up to the ML and I preferred Si Yeol much over him. The mystery part was way over the top in the first half of the drama. It was obvious what the writers wanted you to believe - so many obvious (and weird) red herrings. The FL was bland with no other characteristics than being kind.For the first half, it felt like the writers added the romance as an afterthought while in the second half, they completely threw any mystery out of the window. Even with the mystery it was bland but without it, there was nothing to it anymore.
While it was very mid and hollow throughout, I was hoping that at least the ending would be satisfying but it was disappointing. Important motives were changed, characters blamed other characters for stuff that doesn't make sense and in the end, I had the feeling they could've just completely left ML out of the story and it would've had the same outcome.
I'm really disappointed in the story writing but the soundtrack, colours and production quality was really good. Wish they would've casted actors with more chemistry and hired better scriptwriters. Missed opportunity because the idea has potential.
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Hate, Love, Trust - All you need!
First things first, it's a great show with great pacing and story-line. It mostly doesn't stall unnecessarily and the trust between the couple was very heartwarming. Watching them overcome all the trials and them coming closer was great and it felt like genuine progress and not just one event leading to him suddenly trusting her. Even the side characters were fun, although the villainess annoyed me due to her thinking she's cleverer than she is. But villains are there to annoy us, right?Something that bothered me a little was that I felt that although the romance was very sweet and I genuinely felt happy and sad for them, I feel like their personalities don't actually match. It gets better throughout the show (perhaps that's the points?) but with his background, I don't know if I would've fallen for her. Same for her. I thought his actions in the beginning were quite extreme and I don't know how realistic her falling for him (and generally, her personality sometimes) was.
All in all, it's a great show with great pacing and it gets you invested. I don't normally binge-watch a 36 episodes á la 45 minutes show, but this one got me invested.
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Insanely good quality but wonky storyline
This drama has an insane production quality. I knew I was in for some serious quality when I first saw the intro and it kept sucking me in. The stabbing scene was so good and the second time I ever looked up a drama's OST because I really liked the music. It has comedy, it has romance, is it transmigration and is enemies-to-lovers. So everything I love. And it was a really good ride. The actors were all insanely good and didn't let me down.So.. while production, music and acting is all very good, I do have a bone to pick with the story. It starts very, very strong and I love the way they handled the concept of transmigration and how vary FL is of ML. It made sense and I loved that she didn't just blindly start trusting ML although she has serious reason not. However, around the 30th episode, you can tell that the story starts to get wonky. The "first" villain is out of the picture and suddenly, the viewer doesn't know what the actual story/goal is. What is left that warrants 10 more episodes? And the answer is: not much, really. You can tell that they stalled until about the 34th episodes until it started rolling again. But that shouldn't happen. I think 35 or 36 episodes would've been sufficient for the story.
Another point that it really bothered me, was how the rules/the fact they're in a script started not to matter anymore. No matter how much they insist they're "real" people, it's still a script and nothing should break that fact. Additionally, what happened to the method of weapon forging? It was such a big deal but was completely irrelevant in the end. It feels like a loose plot device that was just abandoned somewhere.
And finally, and it may be just me, I started rooting for the SML in the end. Not to get with her, but to win. Maybe it's the underdog-syndrome but I started to dislike FL and her pretentious act. Yes, SML was obsessed but from his point of view, I kind of get it. I think what really frustrated me (and probably him too lol) is that although FL and ML can apparently break all the script rules and change the story, he can't break out of being SML and losing/being inferior to ML. It's just very sad and that's why I was rooting for him. He literally had no way to win. When he did, everything would reverse. To me, a very tragic character.
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A bit of a feverdream
First things first: production and writing of this show is a mess. The first 3/4 of this show are nothing like the last part, it's like they are separate shows. And although I'm usually bored by court intrigues, I would've preferred that over this fantasy attempt that made my brain cells rot. Literally nothing made sense (I mean logic-wise, not the fantasy aspect) and at some points, the show felt like a fever dream. FL's actress was also quite bad. She is the kind of actress who needs to look pretty - she did not really cry but did this aesthetic crying which is so cringy to watch.But in the beginning, I won't lie, this show had me hooked like meth for some reason. I could not stop watching and I liked that the relationship felt like how a married couple would behave. They did love each other and all misunderstandings were resolved quite fast, so you didn't have to suffer for too long.
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Strong plot, mediocre everything else
First things first, the plot was well thought out. Things made sense and especially when dramas are in the mystery/problem-solving category, that is the most important part. I also really liked that the character dynamics between the four main characters made sense and was nicely done. So from a purely mystery-writing perspective, they nailed it.Now to the criticism. It's mostly related to the main couple's actors. Both were okay but what especially FL lacked was "something more". I can't really describe it. Her acting was fine but I was not interested in her whatsoever. She was very lukewarm. The problem of ML's actor was that he really only had two emotions, which were him serious/investigating or slightly amused. He wasn't bad, but it just made his character very one-dimensional. I think what mostly bothered me is that there was no character development for either character which made both characters meh.
The second couple on the other hand had that. They had character development and chemistry. SML's acting was not amazing but I still liked him a lot. He was very handsome and he had "something more" that FL lacked for example. I did not really like SFL that much, she was okay, but I really liked their romance. I can't believe that she wasn't pregnant by the end though. That would be the typical plot reveal.
One final point is that the last scene really bothered me. The story is finished for me and there's no need for a second season. Also because I really liked SML and he'll be gone. No need to watch another season with one-dimensional characters.
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Slow burn with compelling plot
Although giving a heavy impression of a romance story, I would emphasise that this is definitely not the focus. The focus is revenge and power struggles. The plot is very strong and it's very nice to see that although the female lead is cunning, she makes mistakes and she does not always win. But still, you can clearly tell she learns and grows smarter. I also like that she doesn't forget the people who went against her (including male lead). You'll get a lot of female empowerment and things coming together beautifully. The acting was also amazing, even of support characters.However, although I enjoyed the plot, we got very much just the bare bones of romance. It was there, but it took a long, long, long time to develop. So if you need couples falling in love quickly (or even medium-speed) and show their love and trust, you won't get that here. They scheme against each other, behind each others back and also use each other. And they do that for most of the drama. Since romance is the main criteria for the shows I watch, this did bother me. I'm not against overcoming trials and tribulations (that's the most fun part imo), but it should come to a conclusion in reasonable speed. Also, the outfits were not my cup of tea. The collars are just not for me and I enjoy the dresses of other costume dramas a lot more. Probably a choice for time-related accuracy, but just not for me.
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Good actors, weak plot
This review is for seasons 1 & 2. I didn't (and won't) watch season 3. I will tell you why later. Don't worry, I will not go into too much (or deep) spoilers. First, I want to start with the positives and mention that the actors were good. While FL was a bit much in the beginning, she did grow into her character and matured. I appreciated that. Similar story with ML. I liked watching them together and it was very cute seeing him miss her and actually wanting to be with her.Now to the negative part and why I won't watch season 3. What hooked and interested me in the beginning was the premise of her needing to find true love and choosing between 4 guys. However, the plot got really weak and relied heavily on misunderstandings and miscommunication. It also frustrated me a lot that ML could get away with bad/questionable actions, while FL gets blamed much more for making less severe decisions. The whole plot of the show is basically happy -> miscommunication -> one pushing the other away -> heartbreak for both -> resolving misunderstanding -> getting back together -> repeat. That is a typical storyline in dramas (if not THE storyline) but it happened so many times in this show, it was tiring to watch (like man - just talk to each other)
Another point is that I feel that the whole character and storyline of Hua was completely superfluous. Everything he did, there could've been a different character easily doing the job (or just FL herself). The fantasy element of his character also felt very misplaced for the whole show. Maybe this will get explored more in season 3. But I'm honestly not close to being interested enough. I don't know why the writers expect us to be interested in the least present support male with out of place storyline while everyone is already rooting for ML or the other support guys who are much more present.
One last thing that bothered me a bit were the costumes. Very obviously on the cheap side. But even cheap outfits don't need to look like that. I've watched quite a bit low-budget dramas but rarely one with these outfits.
All in all, it was entertaining. But especially towards the end, it only frustrated me and the romance could not save it anymore. It's definitely a good watch if you don't want to get invested too much.
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Good to pass the time
If you're looking for something quick and light to pass the time, then this drama is for you. Its storyline is really not that deep, although it seems like that in the beginning. I would honestly say that my theory of the plot twist was much more interesting than the plot twist itself. The acting was mostly fine, though quite stiff from ML and Ji Wu Huan. I really enjoyed Xiao Lian though. The romance part was quite underdeveloped in my opinion, although they spend quite some time on it. There are other mini-dramas that managed this much better. It's good to pass time, but don't expect too much of it.Was this review helpful to you?
Unique and visually appealing
Stumbled upon this one by accident while searching for another show and was positively surprised. The emperor is really handsome and the acting especially from the main couple is really good. Also, whoever fitted the emperor did an amazing job.That is to say, there were a few minor plotholes throughout the story which did not impact the experience whatsoever and the plot was pretty solid up until the ending where it crumbled. The main villain's motivations were quite watery as well. The music for the romantic scenes was quite anticlimatic. It starts with drum sounds, kind of like "We will rock you" by Queen (just to give an example). Always felt more like jamming than feeling the romance when hearing that.
Generally, I like the concept that FL is an archeologist. I haven't seen this type of character in a time travel yet. So it definitely had it's unique twists, also with some minor supernatural aspects (don't worry, they won't spoil the experience).
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Unexpectedly Addicting
Honestly, I went into this show not expecting much. But count me positively surprised. The acting was unexpectedly good from the whole cast and the story moves forward in a good tempo so that you won't feel bored quickly or overwhelmed.That being said, it is also not a masterpiece. The plot in the game is quite weak with plotholes and some of the game logic is ... questionable. The ending also left me a bit confused because it felt a little unfinished. Don't get me wrong, it's not an open ending but it does feel like it should've ended on a different note. Fl's back and forth with the prince also confused me quite a couple of times.
Still, if you're looking for a lighthearted show that keeps you entertained, then that's it for you.
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Way too long
The best part of this whole drama was Gwi and the 2nd FL. Both of them were so interesting and I wish, WISH they would've explored Gwi's backstory more because he was by far the most interesting character. While FL was already quite mid in the beginning, she quickly became annoying with her being constantly useless and a burden. At some point I couldn't stand her face anymore which always looked like she is about to cry and skipped most of her scenes - even the romance scenes. It says a lot when the lead couple are the least likeable characters in a show because they are just so damn weak and annoying. Gwi really saved the show for me - admittedly also because his visuals were just on fire.The story itself was fine, it was just dragged for way too long. This whole drama would've worked with half as many episodes. Unlike other people have said, I don't think the show looks cheap. It has its moments but otherwise it's fine honestly. The bigger issue is by far the drama length and main leads.
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Not a very special drama
Cliché amnesia and cross-dressing plot line. The only thing that made this drama stand out somewhat is that FL is actually very smart and she had some really badass moments that I really enjoyed.Otherwise, it was nothing really special. The actress of the villain was not good, her scenes annoyed me. Not because her character was annoying (this as well) but because her acting was not great. And I originally really didn't want to comment on this, but I had to look at the lipfillers of ML the whole time, it was quite distracting... And there was some serious second lead syndrome for me. He was just so non-toxic and charming, it was quite refreshing.
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Painful experience
No drama ever stressed me out as much as this one. Not because it was so beautifully written or the characters who I liked were going through hardships - no. The exact opposite. It started out okay, with the FL being your typical 2010ish lead (bubbly, oblivious and dumb - bordering on mental retardation) and ML being this ice-cold guy. And although ML was extremely unlikeable in the beginning, he got better. But every other character - oh god, I find no words. Literally every character made me mad because they were so stupid, hypocritical, greedy and unlikeable. By the way, I have no idea how people developed second lead syndrome here, his whole nice guy attitude made my blood boil so much. If you intent to watch it and not almost cry out of disbelief at the stupidity and out of frustration, I recommend to completely skip episode 22. By the way, whoever decided to make this show 24 episodes long needs to go to prison.Actually, the show was quite okay and in my opinion a much better show than Boys over Flowers (they kind of have a similar vibe) until the last few episodes when they, for whatever reason, decided to torture the watcher. When ML didn't even become king in the end, I almost threw something at my laptop. Like man - what did I even watch this whole fight for the crown bs for? The romance of the main couple was very cute and the only thing that kept me watching.
Overall, this review mainly serves the selfish attempt at self-therapy after this stressful experience I went through.
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Strong start, disappointing rest
The idea is similar to Scarlet Heart Ryeo (which is intentional) but is not even close to be on the same level. The worst mistake this drama made is disappointing me. It started out very promising; the FL was (relatively) smart, the romance between the leads was cute and funny, and the story had its own twist.But then, the FL just started to get dumber and dumber. For some reason the three main princes were obsessed with her until the end, the "conflicts" oftentimes didn't make any sense and the characters were so easily manipulated for people who should be used to court intrigues. Even the characters who were smart in the beginning and were able to look through manipulation just went dumb and hollow towards the middle/end.
The main leads disappointed me so much as well. There was so much chemistry and romance in the beginning but they started to give second lead vibes in the middle part and it only got worse. In the end, I think the writers realised who their story even was about and tried to save it again but no chance. They felt like support roles in their own love story. Even the extremely annoying and morally disgusting side couple got more character development than them.
But I'll give the second lead actress that I really hated her character with a passion. Great acting from her part.
Overall, quite disappointing, especially with such a promising start. And also quite vain, if I'm being honest, it just ran around in circles.
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