keylimepi

BEST ROMANCE DRAMA BY FAR.

I don't know how else to describe this drama other than the fact that this is a MASTERPIECE.

My Dearest is simply not as hyped up as it needs to be. "One of the best historical kdramas, best 2023 historical kdrama", guys this is THE drama for me, NOT just in 2023, and not enough words can express how much I love this kdrama. I get that this is a historical kdrama so it's not really a lot of people's thing, but coming from someone who's also not a typical fan of watching historical kdramas (like seriously given the option I would choose a modern drama over historical 9/10 times, usually because I'm not a fan of political/historical stuff and seeing historical costumes) this is an absolute must watch. From the scenery, the story, the acting, the character themselves, to the romance, everything was so perfect to me. Emphasis on 'to me', because I know some people were disappointed with Part 2.

Let's start off with the storyline. For those of you who may not know, the drama's premise is based on Gone With the Wind, Yoo Gil Chae being Scarlett O'Hara and Lee Jang Hyun being Rhett Butler. If you know GWTW, trust me when I say this has a much more satisfying plotline, and while the characters start off acting exactly the same, the character development is outstanding and the latter half of the drama is nothing like the original movie/novel it is based off of. For those that don't know GWTW and decided to search it up, this is a lot less icky since in the original Scarlett is in love with her cousin and they even kiss once - bleh. My Dearest takes place in the 1600s and while I was a little confused with all the history stuff in the beginning, I still understood what was happening for the most part. Basically, the Qing Dynasty is invading the Joseon Dynasty because the Qing are at war with the Ming, and Joseon has friendly relations with the Ming. To sever these relations, the Qing invade Joseon to have an upper hand on the Ming. Anyways, if you're looking for a drama with interesting MCs, friendship, romance, backstabbers, and an interesting storyline, this is the one!! My credentials: Some of my top dramas are Move to Heaven, 2521, Law School, Youth of May, A Time Called You, Penthouse (mostly szn 1), Alchemy of Souls, Our Beloved Summer, and All of Us Are Dead, so if we have the same taste, maybe give this one a shot!

Now down to the actual review part (spoilers!!)

Part 1 - Characters:
Gil Chae. Rich Gil Chae, poor Gil Chae, beautiful Gil Chae, ugly Gil Chae. From an immature, spoiled noblewoman to a selfless and courageous fighter within a few episodes. Her character development was one of my favourite things in this drama. The way she was forced to grow up quickly to protect her friends and family was heartbreaking to watch, and Ahn Eun Jin literally killed this role. The way GC had such modern perspectives in a historical setting was very refreshing and not enough people thought the way she did! The way she reassures Eun Nae that it's not her fault she was almost assaulted by an invader. To be honest their entire friendship with each other and their maids was so heartwarming. The way these women care and look out for each other is not something we see enough in dramas these days.

Jang Hyun. "Do you hear it? It's the sound of the flowers blooming." This line changed lives. The most romantic line I have ever heard come out of someone's mouth. The way Lee Jang Hyun is the STANDARD of standards is something that needs to be studied. He took green flag to the top of the flag pole and kdrama men are fighting for their lives to reach him. I completely understand why people say Namgoong Min is an incredible actor. This was my first time watching one of his roles and I was shell-shocked, in awe of this man's acting. The way his eyes speak volumes of his emotions is insane. He went from being a selfish playboy who never wanted to get married, to the most caring man who only wanted to keep GC safe and would marry her if she allowed it. From someone who didn't even have the word loyalty in his dictionary and couldn't write a single word about it on an exam, to someone who had the most unwavering loyalty to GC during the most difficult times. Part 1 was truly engaging, especially with JH's fight scenes that were very well directed. I just love when men are smart and useful, and that is exactly what JH is throughout this entire drama.

Eun Nae. She is simply so pure and innocent and you can't help but feel bad for her. Growing up in a society of very one track minded women, telling everyone moments before disaster strikes that if you're so much as even touched by an invader your chastity is ruined and you become a disgrace to society (because that's what's important apparently). I can't believe this is truly how people thought back then when this happened, it's absolutely heartbreaking that they place 'chastity' over women's' lives. EN was such a good friend to GC and knew her so well, and didn't even mind it when GC was in love with Yeon Jun (but of course it wasn't true love). I'm so glad that in this version GC never sabotaged EN for YJ's love, and simply chose methods that involved attempting to seduce him lol. She knew from the start where GC's heart was and she was definitely the captain of this ship. bless her. She even supported GC on running away with JH if it would make her happy.

Yeon Jun. What interesting words to describe trash. This man deserved none of these women's love. He was a fool for wanting to protect a King that ran away without even knowing how to fight, it was so pathetic. He definitely was stringing GC along when he knew he would never actually get with her because she didn't fit the typical wife standards. I don't know what EN sees in him and she deserves 100000 times better.

Ryang Eum. What a controversial character!! Although I know we all hate him for what he did, let's face it, it was necessary to continue the story. Dude gave us part 2. I hate YJ more than RE. While RE was indeed selfish and wanted JH to himself while knowing JH would never reciprocate his feelings, let's be sooo for real we would've done the same for JH lol.

Part 1 - Storyline:

To those who thought the drama was boring in the first few episodes, it was necessary to depict the difference in quality of life before, during, and after the Qing invasion. The way the setting went from bright, colourful, and lighthearted scenes of noblewomen only worrying about whether they'll get married or not, to dark, cold, and violent tragedies was a thrilling transition. Again, those fight scenes with JH were one of the more interesting things in Part 1 and it was so cool see JH's swordsmanship. The constant bickering and teasing of our MCs was so funny and kept things hopeful even when disaster strikes. The way they kept on reuniting whether they both knew it or not, was so defining of them as soulmates. The whole invasion taking place was what made it thrilling, worried about what other tragedies would befall our main characters.

After the invasion ended we were again given GC and JH obstacles, with GC not being over YJ and basically telling JH to leave with the Crown Prince. While I want to say it was dumb for her not to have moved on from someone who shows no intentions of being with her, I completely understand it because he was who she grew up admiring for the longest time. YJ is someone she knows while JH is someone who came into her life a few months ago, how scary it would be to trust and love someone she didn't fully know yet? She had to be given time to grow and understand her feelings. In that time GC only grew even further and proved herself to be a savvy independent businesswoman who knew how to make money without a man having to help her.

No matter what people say, she WAITED for JH and I know RE misunderstood that she was engaged but she only agreed after thinking JH was dead because she wanted a better life for her family (especially cause YJ that hoe went off to help the King and left EN to fend for herself), my girl had MOUTHS TO FEED. Anyways, their reunion in Pt. 1 was short-lived but gave us so many romantic scenes. What do you mean JH bought her dozens of floral shoes, what do you mean he asked her to run away with him, what do you MEAN he said he'd become her servant and not just her husband??? Her fiancée knew what he was doing using her dad to get her to stay with him, because deep down he knew her family was the only reason she agreed to marry him and it wasn't because she ever fell in love with him, not once. I can't even remember the asshole's name while writing this. Won Moo. That bitch. Him and YJ fall into the same category - GARBAGEE.

The ending of Pt. 1 brought me to tears, literally nonstop waterfalls, and I never wanted a happy ending for two characters more than for GC and JH. I actually cried in almost every episode here whether it was getting emotional over GC's selflessness, JH's disappointment in winning over GC, or their heartbreaking departures from each other. The most enticing Part 1 to a drama and I will never forget it.

Part 2 - Storyline:

GC and JH apart yet again, and this time not just a few months but a few years. GC is married, JH has a literal princess after him, possibility of the couple getting together?? (never zero!). JH once again proving how smart he is by advising the Crown Prince on how to deal with the Qing's demands. Also, still have to give credit to RE for pushing JH to save the Joseon captives, while he's not by his side in the first half, JH still held up on his end. Although I do think this is something JH would have done regardless. At the end of the day, he is simply someone who deeply cares even when he says he doesn't. And dare I say RE character redemption for telling GC's family about her disappearance. But of course her husband assumes the worst instead (do I hear... insecure jerk!?). Not even joking, him giving up her bail money to those thieves, just because he heard she was sold already is a whole other level of dickhead men in kdramas.

GC truly had it hard in life, and somehow continued to have it hard in Pt. 2. This girl has been through so much like please give her a break. The way she found a way out of every horrible situation she had been in when she had me so worried for her, and how she refused to seek JH's help because she was ashamed of leaving him. The scene where he sees her at the stand about to be sold was so heart wrenching. The way he let her go thinking she'd live her best life even without him and she ended up where he never thought she would. Their love for each other after so many years is what kept me going and you can see it in the way they look at each other. Gag Hwa (the princess) needed to leave them alone omg. But honestly, the GH storyline was so interesting to me, the way they made her slightly similar to GC in the sense of them both not following typical standards for how they should act as women. But you could tell how different she was with the way she thought about people (like the captives). In a way I think she was very similar to JH in Pt. 1, that same type of selfishness and the pride she carried herself with. But JH changed himself for the better. I wanna say what she did to GC only drew the two closer together for the better. JH was so hilarious for pretending to be sick for that long.

One thing I admired is that GC had her own morals and values that she always followed, nothing happened between her and JH until she got an explanation from her husband. Too bad it wasn't an explanation she got but the biggest betrayal. I can't believe that man went and got remarried, while leaving his wife he claimed to care about to die. The thing that had me most upset was the way people were treating her after she was literally kidnapped. The way her own sister was worried she was r**** not because she cared about her but because of their reputation, and the way her own father tried to kill her as he thought it was the only way she could live with herself. The only one who truly cared about her wellbeing back at home was EN. The was exactly what she needed to realize though for her to finally go to JH. Even her own family could not accept her, so she could go to the one who accepted her no matter what, after leaving him once before because of her family. Seriously guys the scene makes me tear up just thinking about it. His acceptance of what she had been through was so beautiful and she finally found a place of comfort and safety she had always longed for. I know some people were debating whether or not she was assaulted but in truth it didn't matter - what mattered was JH didn't care about any of that stuff, she was it for him. We again got to witness the constant pushing and pulling, the distance and the longing, it made my heart feel emotions I've never felt before. It might've been frustrating for some people, but for me, it was the best part of this entire drama. It's the buildup of their romance that's so grand and obvious until they finally collide - what the universe always meant for.

Then tragedy strikes again - surprised, not really. Basically people die and JH wasn't there to save them - oh no they have to follow history, it's fine, we got an episode and a half of peace, I'm not complaining. I truly only cared about GC and JH's ending. All I have to say is, King was so worried about his position for what, bro had to give it up one day.. also that concubine of his? Maddening, and I felt so bad for the Crown Prince and Princess. Also, GH letting go of JH is totally mirroring JH letting go of GC, although it was her threatening him with a knife before she did that lol. The captives finally go free - yay! Honourable mention for Jong Jong and Gu Jam. Then the King's people is sent to kill all the captives, seriously this guy is something else. GC was absolutely spot on about YJ though, since Pt. 1 she said she admired him for never changing and always following his own set of rules, and that's exactly what he did. He was just like everyone else and believed women should kill themselves than continue living if they were touched by invaders, even failed to accept his own wife who has done nothing but support him and she was only grabbed by her wrists. Then goes onto almost kill JH (side note, glad JH's dad died cause he was another disappointing character). Then of course JH nearly dies YET AGAIN. I know some people found the two times memory loss thing ridiculous but lowkey? I'm not sure if it was intentional bc I heard they might've changed the ending for the viewers. But you know how RE told GC the first time JH lost his memory that he thought JH would remember her of all people, and that's exactly what he did the second time. The only thing he remembered was literally only her. Heartbreaking, but beautiful, their reunion (so many reunions) on the beach was gorgeous and I'm just so glad they got the happy ending they deserve. I think his memory loss also caused him to forget RE in that mental hospital cell though poor guy.

Their love story spanned years, and that's one of my favourite things. Their feelings remained the same throughout everything and developed the strongest love I've ever seen, overcoming the greatest obstacles ever to be together. I know since this is a historical kdrama revolving around war and everything, so obviously there are more extremities on what they sacrifice for each other but that's exactly what tugged on my heart strings this entire drama. I don't really get the people saying Pt. 2 wasn't as good, but it may also be that I binged Pt. 1 and 2 while only waiting for the last 2 episodes. While obviously not as great as Pt. 1, Pt. 2 did not fall short of my expectations and I take noo criticism on this lol. People have not seen a GREEN flag until they've seen JH. Every single actor in this drama really sealed the deal, no one was lacking and their delivery for everything was perfect and met my expectations for what people were saying as a great drama. Truly the best drama I have seen by far. IT'S SO DEAR TO ME no one understands!!!

Music:

Lastly, the music. The soundtrack has never left my mind since I completed this drama. I listen to it every night before I fall asleep. With My Heart was beautiful, sang by both Kai and Ahn Eun Jin. My other favourites are The Painted on The Moonlight, and My Star. But my true favourite was definitely the instrumentals, it's etched into my brain - Fate, My Dearest, Lyrical, and With My Heart instrumental.

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and we cheered for mystery case solving dramas

So the premise is that our leading actress li landi plays Shen Wan, who is a young prodigy that has the excellent skills of a physician and a coroner. After her father is wrongfully accused of corruption, both her father and mother are killed by assassins, and while attempting to help Shen Wan escape, their friend Qin Liang also dies at the hand of these assassins, leaving only Shen Wan alive. She takes on the identity of Qin Liang's daughter, an old patient of hers, Qin Wan, who actually already passed a year ago, but news of her death had not yet reached her family. She returns as Qin Wan, and quickly forms good connections with noble families with her physician skills. After a murder case occurs, she is eventually able to showcase her coroner skills as well, that were taught to her by her father. Hoping to make a name for herself as a coroner, her goal is to eventually travel to the capital to investigate her father's case and restore his title as an upright official. She continues using her forensic + coroner skills to solve multiple murder cases that happen in her town. I'm seeing some people say that FL is too OP at the moment and how everything's going the way she needs it to. Well, idk what to say people, sorry she's intelligent and skilled, and maybe I don't want to see her trying to prove her identity for 10+ episodes like in the Double—we're saving time for the murders and eventual romance!

One of her connections include mr. ao rui peng who plays Yan Chi, nephew to the emperor, one of the youngest generals to lead Shunxi army, good at martial arts and also good at detective work, etc. you get the idea. This is my first time watching him and while I didn't find him very handsome in moonlight mystique, I think he looks great here! Someone said something about a fan perpetually facing towards him and they're not wrong - somehow faint wind is blowing on him in almost every scene, even indoors (hilarious). I quite like his acting so far, and I especially love li landi's acting. I thought she was great in our starry love but couldn't finish that because of the story + male lead. She's so pretty in this drama, I absolutely love her outfits and she looks stunning in purple + her line delivery is as natural as usual. She carries herself with a calm demeanour, but that doesn't cover up her fierceness within.

Regarding the romance (YEA IK MOST OF YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE ROMANCE) it was kind of love at first sight for Yan Chi. In the early episodes, they have many moments where you can see him falling for her deeper, it's very endearing. I've been watching mostly slowburn and enemies to lovers dramas like the princess's gambit, so this was kind of a breath of fresh air? It's not like their romance is given that much time to develop that early though cause they're too busy kicking ass and taking names. It's looking like possibly 6 episodes ish per murder case? So nothing is going too fast, you just see these small cute moments they share! Hes probably held her wrist in almost every episode so far and that little moment of contact always makes me smile. Shes proven herself as a smart and upright individual who cares a lot about bringing justice to the dead and the wronged, you can't blame the guy (and lowkey a lot of other dudes) for falling for her that quick. He respects her, protects her, and supports her—and is one of the only people around that can stomach autopsies (guys he already wiped her sweat in episode 2 during an autopsy, are they moving too fast?). He's also one of the only people that are suspicious about her identity, and he's also hoping to investigate her father's case as it involves someone who was close to him. I don't think Shen Wan will accept him that quickly since he still doesn't know her true identity until who knows when, but until then, we're just gonna see her stuck with him regardless while they solve cases alongside each other. Now, upon finishing this drama, even though they do get together a little earlier than expected, their interactions aren't cringy or too much, nor do they take away from the serious plot lines. Their support for one another helps them grow as individuals (as if getting even more good is possible for these two) and them being together just MAKES SENSE.

About the cases, they're actually pretty interesting. I don't find the murders/autopsies gory or gross or anything, but maybe that's just me. Everything's kinda fake enough for me to not care. I like the way they find clues along the way and actually manage to piece everything together. They are truly doing detective work—there are calculations, logic, they take the right steps to figure out the motives and intent of everyone involved. You're kind of aware and also kind of not on who to suspect, (first case was obvious, the next one.. not so much), so it's like you're solving cases with them. It lowkey reminded me of Scooby doo and the mystery gang (and I would've gotten away with it if it weren't for you meddling kids!!). But also this is my first time watching a case solving drama so I can't compare it to anything. Editing of the scenes is a little weird at times, they seem to like tilting shots at certain serious scenes, but I don't pay that much attention to it. Overall, I really like the costumes, settings, and plot so far. edit: YUPPP THE ROMANCE IS ROMANCING. Also, be prepared for the last mystery case as that was genuinely the biggest mystery of all! Trust me, you'll want to go into it blind.

finale edit: absolutely loved the way they tied up this drama. now THIS is how a drama should end. no loose ends, no plot holes, no unnecessary deaths, (albeit quite a few necessary ones), and yes, if it wasn't obvious enough, its a beautifully well done HAPPY ENDING!!!

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Found Family

To start, for anyone who doesn't know, this is a remake of the cdrama Go Ahead, which I haven't watched myself yet so this will be interesting to watch with a spoiler free mind. I know a lot of people who've watched go ahead will have a lot of their own opinions! Edit: I also wanted to say that I really don't get the hate for this just because it's a remake - I watch both cdramas and kdramas, and I'm gonna be so honest, cdramas are like a palate cleanser for me. They're usually what I watch when I need something a little less serious, and something more light hearted (no I am not referring to historial/wuxia/xanxia cdramas - I know these are traumatic but I LOVE them). But in terms of the modern cdramas - NO OFFENSE TO ANYONE but in my opinion they're usually just a little too long and sometimes tell the story with a bit too many unnecessary side stories. SO yes, I suppose the original is a little more flushed out and has more moments to explain this and that and moments people found important - but keep in mind this is really only a 16 episode kdrama, we don't have forever to add more of these moments. And yes, there is an apparent difference in the acting between cdramas and kdramas, where I find that kdrama acting just has a bit more maturity and realistic emotion in theirs. While I do love dramas with silly and fun characters, sometimes it can be a little too much in cdramas which take away that level of seriousness and realism that I want to experience while watching dramas. So far I am loving Jung Chaeyeon's acting because she's genuinely such an endearing character and such an amazing actress. SO PLEASEEE PLEASE PLEASE STOP COMPARING HER SO MUCH TO THE ORIGINAL ACTRESS - OF COURSEE I DON'T EXPECT A REMAKE TO HAVE THE CHARACTERS ACTING EXACTLY THE SAME - let them each embody the character in their own way.

The first 2 episodes are really good and I really hope this becomes the healing drama I see it having the potential to be. The story starts with 3 kids, Yun Juwon, Kim Sanha, and Kang Haejun, all having lost someone from their family. They meet as little kids and due to some unfortunate circumstances, Kang Haejun's mother leaves him in the care of his aunt (who's still young and in university), and so Yun Juwon's father takes him in. They grow up together and have become one big family along with Kim Sanha's father. Right now they're showing their lives in high school, each growing up to become their own person. Yun Juwon is a cheerful headstrong character who loves her two (unofficial) brothers very much, Kim Sanha is a quiet, smart, and hardworking student who wants to get into med school, and Kang Haejun is a popular basketball player. Sanha and Haejun still seem to have some unresolved feelings and emotional trauma from their past, and I hope by the end of this we'll see that they get their closure. Thankfully we have Juwon who has always been by their side to cheer them up. You can tell how much they care for each other, although you also get the feeling that they aren't simply just siblings. Yes, there are some romantic undertones of course, but nothing obvious yet, and I don't believe this gets dived into until the future when they're all adults. Yun Jeong Jae (Juwon's father) is really the mvp for taking in two extra underlings to feed. I'm always a sucker for found family and this seems to be a really solid one. They care for each other, look after each other, and tease each other as if they were family all along. There's some foreshadowing already that they won't be able to stay by each other's side forever, and I believe they all reunite again when they're in their 20s, so hopefully the journey will end with them being as happy as they can be together.

In terms of their acting, they're all doing really well so far. Especially Jung Chae Yeon (Juwon), this is my first time seeing her act and I'm in love with her and her smile already. Hwang Inyeop is as dreamy as ever and seeing the way he stands up for Juwon gives me butterflies. It's about time he gets the girl! Bae Hyun Sung is also just a cutie patootie in this, the way he's so fixated on what Juwon thinks about him. Juwon's father, Choi Won Young is such a sweet and caring father. He has such a big heart, and I also loved when he played a father in Twinkling Watermelon.

Music has very feel-good vibes, and very suited for a coming of age drama. Loving this so far as well.

Really recommend for a light and cheerful watch!

Edit: WARNING THIS IS ACTUALLY NOT A LIGHT AND CHEERFUL WATCH. IT IS ONLY OCCASIONALLY CHEERFUL AND SOMETIMES IT MAKES YOU WANT TO SHED TEARS OH MY GOD. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ALL THEIR FAMILIESSSS THEIR SITUATIONS ARE MAKING ME BAWL. UHMM I HOPE THEY ALL END UP SO HAPPY IN THE END FOR REAL.

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Heart-wrenching Anticipation

Severely underrated and beautiful drama. What comes after love is the story of a cross cultural romance between Choi Hong (Beni), and Aoki Jungo (Yun-oh). It starts years in the past where they are both college students, when Hong first ran away from home to travel to Japan and escape her family, only to find more than enough of a reason to stay. She meets Yun-oh and it's love at first sight, believing it to be fate as they continue to collide paths in their every day lives. They fall in love and start a relationship, one filled with firsts, happiness, and laughter. It's beautiful how they portray the start of their romance with the lingering glances, the brushing of the hands, and the gentle opening of each other's hearts. Fast forward to 5 years later, Hong is back in Seoul and helping run her father's business, where we discover they've broken up. This is a short drama of only 6 episodes, with each episode revealing more of why their relationship fell apart. With their reunion in Seoul as Yun-oh is now an accomplished writer, it leaves the viewers in anticipation of their story - will their history together be enough to restore their love, or will life, other admirers, and unresolved feelings get in the way of a happy ending for them?

This is a beautiful drama with the scenery, the build up of their feelings, and the happy flashbacks - the actors do an amazing job with their respected parts portraying how people fall in love and fall apart. This is definitely an underrated drama right now and not enough people are talking about it! More story and feelings are conveyed through one episode than it does through half of a typical romance kdrama. Definitely give it a chance if you're looking for angst and tension - something more raw and real, and perhaps something that might break our hearts.

Edit: Just finished watching all episodes! I still believe this is a beautiful drama, however, I do have to say I am a little disappointed in the ending. To me, it was just a bit more underwhelming and less emotional than I thought it would be. However, given how this this isn't really a typical kdrama, I supposed I shouldn't have had my hopes up for anything grand or extravagant either. I think what I had in mind was just a little more fulfilling than what it ended with. I really needed something that could convince me of their love, and that in reality they would have really ended up together, because it really did seem like they were about to have ended with an open/sad ending. I'm happy they're together, but I really needed both of them to fight more for their love! I feel like they had so much more they needed to talk about!! I guess it wouldn't have fit within the hour episode. I needed to see just a bit more of the after - didn't Beni tell him she got proposed to? Does Beni's mother approve of them? I suppose all of this doesn't technically matter at the end, and what mattered was that they had regrets and longings that they were able to let go of and start anew with the love they still have. I WANTED EMOTION!! I WANTED TO FEEL LIKE THEY TRULY WOULD HAVE MADE IT TOGETHER IN THE END!! Anyways, one of my favourite things they mentioned in this drama is that a moment can last forever, but forever could end in a moment. Their moments together were never forgotten by one another, which is what filled them with such deep regrets they could never truly let go of one another. It was the fact that there were so many moments where they could have understood each other and take the time to heal their relationship rather than slowly let it blacken, they didn't make it to forever the first time. Aside from this, I also wanted to just mention that the ost is so good!!! Love listening to it - super calming and somehow makes my heart hurt.

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long long ago in a galaxy far away ... it had potential

Our Generation was one of the most anticipated dramas of Zhang Ling He and Zhao Jin Mai (I'm looking at YOU fans of ZLH, ZJM, or The Princess Royal). Yes, YOU includes me, I am you and you are me. Oh man ... if it isn't the dream to get the couple you loved in a period/historical drama to work together again in a modern romance setting. To preface, I did watch the princess royal, and yes I loved their dynamic there, was I super into the politics? well, no, but I was into the romance and I thought their comeback was great. We love a short-lived enemies to reluctant friends to old married couple trope, classic. In this essay, I will

joking, this is not an essay, but it's quite a long review for the 6 episodes I've watched so far. I just have some thoughts I need to get out.

Our Generation starts off as a slice of life + romance drama that revolves around a group of friends from a little town in the rural areas called Qunshan, but more specifically around the journey of Zhao Jin Mai's character, Lin Yingtao, and Zhang Ling He's character, Jiang Qiaoxi, as they spend more than half of their life knowing each other as kids to adults. Their story begins as kids with Lin Yingtao as a bright and eccentric girl who loves living in Qunshan, and more than anything, loves her friends and her family. They essentially define her purpose and meaning in life, and without them, she doesn't feel whole. Then one day she meets a boy who just moved to Qunshan, foreign and dressed in all black, she was determined to become his friend. Jiang Xiaoqi lives his whole life in the shadow of his late brother—someone his parents will never forget, never let him forget, and is someone he has never even met. Treating him as if he was his older bother, his mother cruelly invades every aspect of his life, whether it's where he goes to school, who he gets to be friends with, what food he gets to eat, what colour he gets to wear, she always has the final say. For a fleeting moment of time, he is free from his mother's grasp when he moves to Qunshan with his father, and this marks one of the most significant time in his life where he meets Lin Yingtao, who carries the torch that brings the light to a life that is spent living in the dark. However, very soon, he's forced to move back to the city and continue his studies there. One by one, Yingtao's friends leave her and transfer to the same school as Qiaoxi in the city, and it isn't until quite a few years later that the Qunshan gang all reunite again when she herself transfers. From this point on, begins Yingtao and Xiaoqi's journey to healing each other's unspoken wounds, and what was once a childhood crush, starts looking a lot like true love. (At least I dunno, that's what Netflix has aired so far). If you don't like watching family issues, typical second female lead mean girl, forced to separate multiple times tropes, LOOK AWAY!! This is not for you queen.

BORE we read the synopsis, yea yea I know im sorry. A summary is like a mandatory thing, bear with me. I heard about the first episode being about when they were children, and then the next episode is them as teens. This type of beginning usually makes me hyped! Who doesn't love a good backstory? Well, unfortunately, I felt it lacked some emotional depth from what we would expect to be Yingtao's most cherished moments in life. I mean, she carried these memories into the city when she transferred, and never seemed to forget about Qiaoxi for a single day since he left. I was waiting for just a single moment in all of their childhood memories that screamed, YOU!! oh I'll definitely never forget you. It was kind of a typical kid experience, they played together, she shows him a bit of kindness, shares her pet with him, shares food, sure but WHEREE WAS THE DEFINING MOMENT GUYS. missing the it factor here man. In that sense, showing their childhood story to me was kind of useless aside from the fact that Qiaoxi never came back for her. We could've started from there and I wouldn't have minded. Then we very quickly see the gang back together as teens (with the actual actors) and I again, expected more. Maybe I'm picky, but when I watch a supposed group of childhood friends, I expect them to have this sort of chemistry that makes me believe they're truly best friends and one another's found family. In this drama, it was definitely lacking this bond. Something about it just felt a little ... ingenuine? I can't pinpoint if it's the script, or the directing, but I know part of the reason is Zhao jinmai's acting. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying she's a bad actor, but I think something about her acting as a teenager was a little off. You can say it's the awkwardness a teen is supposed to have, but no, I think some teenagers can be normal guys. She's the glue of the group, all her friends love and protect her, but somehow their entire friend group chemistry falls flat. Storywise, this is a great typical set up to be fair, I like the setting of this, it's just poor execution in my opinion.

Romance-wise, yes I will mention Zhang Ling He now. Idk what to say but just looking at him makes me happy. I don't know if it's the overdo edits right now or what, but he's literally handsome in everything. I don't think ZLH or ZJM are qualified to play so called 'teenagers' but I'll endure it because I'm really just waiting for their story as adults. Acting wise, I think ZLH does a good job portraying miserable, brooding, misunderstood boy stuck under the control of his mom. Am I getting a little tired of these terrible mother tropes? VERY. I am SO VERY TIRED GUYS YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND. After the korean remake of go ahead, be passionately in love, and the accumulation of evil stepmoms in historical cdramas, A GIRL NEEDS A BREAK. Tell me why this woman is threatening to move Yingtao's family to another province if Qiaoxi continues being friends with her. AND THEY AREN'T EVEN MILLIONAIRES OR SUPER RICH.. make it make sense. ykwim?? It gets to a point. Anyways, very obviously Qiaoxi is in love with Yingtao. He was shy as hell as a kid and suddenly he's cheeky, playful, and good at flirting in their high school era?? I will say though, he makes everything a lot more interesting when he's trying to win over Yingtao, and I'm enjoying their scenes together. ZLH's charm is enough chemistry for the both of them, but thank god they still kept the chemistry they had in the princess royal. Despite their lacklustre past, I don't think it's unreasonable for Yingtao to place a lot of importance on Qiaoxi even though they were apart for so many years (ok maybe a little unreasonable for her to think about him every day compared to the friends she actually grew up with), I mean, think about seeing your first crush again (who looks like ZLH), there's bound to be some sort of unresolved feelings right? Ep 6 ends with their big misunderstanding resolved and some other problems a-brewing, but I'm excited to see what else is in store because I think I'm solely here for the romance.

Edit: beware, these are full spoilers of the ending. after finishing this drama, I can conclude that this was definitely a frustrating watch. Qiaoxi hurts her again and again, disappearing without a trace every time, when he knows that's what she's most afraid of. What is your goal boy. Because if it's to give her a broken heart indefinitely, he's really good at doing that. I liked Yingtao maturing once she started university, and I liked her friendship with her seniors, it showed that yes she could live just fine on her own, and yet she always has this void in her heart that has yet to be filled. I salute Yu Qiao for being such an understanding friend, he was the mvp in this couple pairing when he himself wanted the girl. What I disliked, was actually the fact that we don't get to see Qiaoxi's friendship with the Qunshan group ever get as deep as Yingtao's. I know that they're the OG Qunshan group, but Qiaoxi was also an important part of their lives, and they all consider him their friend. This truly gets downplayed in this drama, which I guess also plays into why Qiaoxi feels the only thing he can go back to is Yingtao. It just makes it feel like Qiaoxi is part of their group solely because of Yingtao and for being a pitiful kid. Aside from this, whatever, sure his trauma makes sense, and ignoring her for years makes sense, but I really expected more from this drama. The script isn't as good as you expect it to be with these two as the leads, and certainly pales in comparison to their dialogues in the princess royal. Even the Hong Kong arc, I really expected an explosion of chemistry or something, only to be met with the most stubborn guy ever. And how did it get resolved? A quick I'll stop loving you now, then he 'chases' after her.. hmm nice try buddy, you still didn't catch up though. And to make it worse, he had to be taught what to do in their moment of reconciliation. Talk about disappointing, whatever happened to the cheeky Qiaoxi?? Wasn't satisfied with how they tied up their ending here, love a happy ending but their path to getting there was unreasonably rocky. Don't get me started on Yu Qiao and Qin Yeyun's short open ending, we deserved a proper confession and a confirmation of them ending up tgt and I stand by that. Cai Fangyuan barely got any lines in their last scenes tgt too, why didn't they tell us what he's been up to? This was more a rant than a review, I advise anyone who hasn't watched yet to save their time! Stick to the edits only.

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A Slowburn For The Ages

I feel like a lot of people are here from watching hidden love and wifty, both of which were decent dramas but not exactly to my liking. Hidden love felt like too much fluff and not as much of an interesting storyline, and I do like the characters but eventually it kind of fell flat to me. Wifty I really enjoyed for that high school nostalgia, friendships, and youth, but it was only the second couple that kept me going near the end. I feel like First Frost has characters and development that's more to my liking from what I've watched so far, and I'm enjoying this slowburn. And to preface, I haven't read any of these novels/manhuas before, so I'm starting the show completely unbeknownst to me as to what will happen.

I want to first praise the fl, Zhang Ruonan, for her amazing portrayal of Wen Yifan. Again, I haven't read the novel, but from my understanding, she completely embodies her character that's an introvert, someone who keeps so much to herself, lives a simple life she believes to be boring, but also someone who has deep trauma from her family relationships that have haunted her until now. The way she speaks, her actions, gestures, and eye movements feel so accurate for someone who appears to be kind of socially awkward with people she isn't close with. I guess another thing I really like about her character is simply because of how relatable she is in terms of her personality, depicting my exact feelings in my own personal life. This is also my first time watching her and she's killing it. Not to mention she's unbelievably gorgeous and adorable. People are talking a lot about the ml, Bai Jingting but Zhang Ruonan is undoubtedly stealing the show right now.

Like I mentioned, the story is about Wen Yifan, a news reporter who lives a quiet life. Ever since her father passed away in high school, shes been unwelcomed and assaulted by her family, she chooses to cut off all ties with them. She keeps to herself, only has one close friend, doesn't like socializing at work, and lives on her own. Every episode has that melancholic vibe, which I personally like because it feels like a reflection of my own feelings most of the time. This drama does also talk about sexual assault and how this has affected her daily life, and she carries these traumatic experiences with her in her interactions. It's not a one and done sort of topic, the drama shows her journey healing, and it makes my heart hurt whenever she thinks back to these times. Shes gone through way too much, and you spend each episode just wishing that she's happy. To her, she feels as if there's no meaning or joy in life, and she's fine with continuing her uneventful routine every day as long as she can live in peace. But that all changes when she meets her first love again, Sang Yan. He was unfortunately someone she also had to cut off when she graduated high school, not because she wanted to leave him, but because she believed he deserved better, and that she couldn't give him what she wanted. Long story short, they end up living as roommates, with Sang Yan OBVIOUSLY trying to get her back and Wen Yifan being totally oblivious because he actually do be confusing as hell with his communication lmao. I know some people might have complaints about the male lead and how he's so cold with her and how they don't talk much, but genuinely I believe that this is way more realistic than him actively trying to flirt with and pursue her. I see this as him giving her space and carefully tracking for signs that she might just feel the same way he does as hes been in love with her the entire time. What's the drama have 32 episodes for then if they get together right off the bat??? You'll immediately notice the tension between them and the loser that's Sang Yan trying to act non-chalant around her 24/7 but goes out of his way to do everything for her. I'm enjoying this phase of them before they date, and I like that this story shows the timeline, and we get to see their interactions improve the longer they're together.

This is a story about a girl who carries a lot of heavy baggage and trauma with all her relationships, who wants to take a chance and begin her pursuit of happiness, starting with Sang Yan. I'm all here for the second chance, the first love, and these two beautiful green flags. If you're looking for a slowburn with tender and soft romance, you should definitely start this.

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Thrilling Fantasy Drama with a Hint of Romance

Is it bad that this is the first drama I've ever brought myself to watch with Park Shin Hye? Although I have to say I'm glad because I don't think any of her past dramas probably live up to her acting in this role.

This is a fantasy drama about Judge Kang Bitna, or technically, Justicia, who is literally a judge from Hell that ended up in Kang Bitna's body to serve a sentence after accidentally making the wrong judgement in a trial. Her mission: to kill and send 10 murderers to Hell within one year, otherwise, she'll end up paying with her own life. It makes it easier that her occupation is a Judge, so she ends up giving murderers light sentences to be able to kill them right after. There are themes of belief, Christianity, God, Demons, and Angels, so if these are things you believe might trigger you, best to not watch. This show revolves a lot around morals along with law and justice. She believes justice is served with these murderer's lives when she sends them to Hell, so of course there's a character that believes in the law and legal punishment - here comes in detective Han Daon. He's the first human to discover her secret of being a demon, and simply won't let her get away with these killings. Both have such different beliefs and yet continue to be drawn to one another. Every episode is thrilling as we get to watch Justicia serve payback to these criminals the way we believe they deserve. Heads up, there is gore and violence so if you can't stomach scenes with blood, don't watch! Park Shin Hye plays an absolutely hilariously sassy badass who kicks these criminals' ass and looks pretty while doing it. This drama also has that hint of comedy you need to break the tension after serious and heavy scenes, as well as that hint of romance subplot that are somehow always better than actual romance dramas. Detective Daon clings right to her side, one of the more amusing parts of the show, making the supposedly emotionless demon fall for him - which by the way, this is something that apparently goes against demon law (talk about forbidden love). This is my first time watching Kim Jaeyoung act, and he's great at playing this handsome detective who's serious yet silly whenever he's around Kang Bitna. I'm personally really enjoying the premise, and rooting for their romance even though it may not have a happy ending. Definitely give it a watch if you want something exciting with a fantasy setting and that dash of romance!

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Office Worker Isekaied into Dafeng Dynasty and Becomes TOP DAWG

This is such a common trope I've read often in manhuas/manhwas but I have to say I really don't watch it enough in dramas. I would say the only other one I watched where MC was isekaied is Romance of Tiger and Rose! Guardians of Dafeng also lives up to the comedy in ROTR but more in the form of slapstick comedy rather than humour in the dialogue. I'm watching this while I'm in a kdrama slump and I am being kept very entertained so far.

Since this is based off a novel series, I wonder if they're planning on having multiple seasons or if they're fitting everything in one season! Personally, I haven't read the novel but super excited to be watching this! Summary of the drama from what I've seen so far is basically in my headline - Xu Qi'an (originally Yang Ling before he woke up in a different world) aka Mr. Dylan Wang gets isekaied into an alternate fantasy world which takes place during Da Feng dynasty. A world with magic and powers and magical swords. He wakes up in prison btw and basically clears his and his family's names by using his brain, catching the eye of some pretty high up people. His character is supposed to be very smart, and with the addition of his modern world knowledge plus somehow remembering all his years of education (seriously, who the hell remembers their entire high school chemistry textbook), he becomes very good at solving cases and becomes famous for his poems (the ones he writes from what he remembers from books hes read). He slowly starts to move up in this world, eventually achieving his goal of being a part of the Guardians of Dafeng (which are essentially the protectors of the people, think police but with powers). His family is funny, and its so heartwarming to see them form a close bond (apparently the old him was emo) - his uncle, cousin, and aunt are especially funny when they're all together. The one flaw I would say so far is the fact that the writers aren't thinking too deep about how to show Xu Qi'an as a brilliant detective, he is simply just better than everyone and pieces things together better than most people in this dynasty do. I honestly don't have a problem with this, I also like that he solves things so quickly without any confusing path to get there, but it's amusing seeing how it's REALLY not that complicated. If someone is expecting really complex and good investigative skills from this, this is noooot for you. Anyways, now that he's a Guardian, he's also beginning to upgrade his fighting skills and we see already that he's also gifted in fighting. Although he seems to have selfish intentions with his interactions, you can tell he truly does care about people and upholds this righteousness by defending those who need it. On the way to becoming top dawg for real - you just know he's walking out of this with a girl. The FL who is the second princess doesn't appear in the drama until 6 episodes in and I'm not sure how big of a focus their romance will have but I'm sensing some great character development from her. Princess Lin'an (Tian Xiwei) is introduced as a spoiled princess who's always competing to appear better than the Grand Princess, bothering the Bureau of Astronomy for education and now Xu Qi'an for his poetry. Also excited to see their love story play out and I expect a lot of bickering from these two. In terms of acting, I feel like it's the typical chinese drama acting - the side characters act decently well, nothing mind blowing but again this is a comedic drama. I haven't watched Dylan Wang in anything for a HOT minute and honestly I can see that there's been improvement in his acting. He has a lot more facial expressions since his Meteor Garden Days and his line delivery is much better. Could he do better? For sure, but for now I don't care and just like his face. His hair also looks good in this. This is my first time watching Tian Xiwei in anything and I like her so far - pretty natural acting, cute face, good expressions! I've also seen some people complaining about Dylan's sichuan accent and oh gosh some of these people are so nitpicky. I'm really glad he gets to dub his own drama this time and I quite like his voice, I don't think too much of his accent but I guess it bothers some people since this takes place in a Dynasty.

If you're looking for a lighthearted, comedic drama, with a character who gets super OP along with some romance, definitely give this a try!

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Another Decent Rebirth Drama

Don't get me wrong, it's not that this drama is bad at all, but I have to be honest that there hasn't been anything so far that makes this drama stand out amongst the dozens of rebirth dramas that have already been made. FL was killed in her last life, gets reborn 10 years into the past and tries her best to avoid all the conflict she met in her past life. She's reunited with her brother, her father, and her sister, all of which she ended up losing in her last life. But most importantly (to me, not to her), she meets her lover once again, but this time a lot earlier than expected. The beginning angst is that he was the one who killed her in her past life (gasp, I'm sure you've read the synopsis), but personally I'm still not sure if it was him because I THINK he didn't release his arrow and this was someone else's doing.

But without further ado, here's my review so far :)

First off, FL, Jiang Si, is an intelligent young lady and you can tell immediately as soon as she returns back to 10 years ago, she already has many plans to make sure things go her way this time, and she can brilliantly come up with different ideas on the spot when she faces the unseen difficulties as well. I would like to mention at the very beginning of the drama, it shows that she desperately wants her family to be safe, and that's all she worries about, but I felt like it lacked a bit of depth and emotion when she is able to see them again (and keep in mind the were wronged and killed off in her past life). I felt the same thing when she met the ML, Yu Jin (Yu Qi) again - her supposed lover who betrays her, yet she doesn't show any emotion after having spent many years with him in the past, or any indication that she has a lot of knowledge as to who he is as a person. It seems crazy to me that after spending all that time together, it's as if she wasn't able to learn a single thing about him. If she did, they aren't portraying this very well. Either way, Yu Qi is actually just his fake identity, and his real identity is the 7th prince, but he was framed as a bringer of misfortune since birth and had never wanted to reveal who he really is. Because of FL having a mysterious emblem on her neck in this life, what was supposed to be a quick trip turns into Yu Qi actually staying in Da Zhou to further investigate FL to see if she's secretly a traitor to their nation. He ends up working for the capital administration office and he and FL both work together to solve cases and capture the bad guys as their story unfolds.

I'm enjoying their little banters and it seems like it's a slowburn, but for a 40 episode drama I guess it technically isn't. Yu Qi is strong, intelligent, but also a little silly and petty, which really reminds me of his character in Are You the One. Whoever styled him with that long hair in the flashbacks needs a raise bc that man looks amazing in that hairstyle and I'm gonna have to see him in that style in a future drama (pretty please). FL is like I said, intelligent and able to stand on her own without the ML, but it's cute to see them worry and protect each other regardless. I can't say I love the actress' portrayal of Jiang Si, something seems a little off and I think she isn't delivering the lines as I would expect them to. Once again, there's a sort of emotional pull that this drama is lacking that doesn't allow me to empathize with, well everyone really. Zhang Wan Yi does a pretty good job though, I wonder how his future emotional scenes will play out.

Naturally, there are evil people that want the FL dead and that's the annoying ass princess royal and her daughter who don't have much character development as it seems they're just evil because they want to be. Trust me, you're gonna HATE them. I hope that little weasel actually gets whats coming to her in the end. Another thing I didn't expect was for some of the storylines to be so violent/aggressive. It reminds me a lot of western dramas, for example the portrayal of the abuse of women, women trafficking, etc., these are not things you see often in cdramas and when you do, they aren't as extreme as they're shown in this story. It doesn't necessarily add anything to the main plot, but perhaps it was just for more dramatic viewing?

Overall, really not that bad, an entertaining watch if you like period dramas with romance, but it really is another typical rebirth revenge plot.

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Gamble to Survive

Edit: please be aware this review is only for the first 21 episodes LOL everything lowkey went downhill from here as expected.

Wow where to start? I'd just started my little binge of cdramas again and after finishing a very mediocre modern cdrama with 0 chemistry (COUGH passionatelyinlove) this is EXACTLY what I needed. 2 seasoned actors who clearly know what they're doing and the angst + tension + chemistry is all there! I've been seeing a lot of reviews saying they don't see the chemistry between Meng ziyi and liu xueyi and I guess chemistry is subjective, but personally I think they're a great pair. Love seeing Meng ziyi in her natural state (clever, strong, independent) and after watching blossom, while she isn't as clever and self sufficient as she was in there, her character here does a good job of surviving in a whole new nation on her intelligence alone while being poisoned and with the fate of her little brother's life in her hands. This is my first time watching liu xueyi and I really like him! He does moody brooding ruthless ml really well. Now more into the plot:

I've also seen some people mention how this is a harem and they didn't expect him to have concubines and a whole wife before marrying the fl into his house as a concubine. You guys this was really not that serious, he literally paid the other women 0 attention and only interacted with the fl the entire show basically LOL. I think in the novel it was a bigger deal, as in he likely frequently slept with the women and had to actually give attention to them - but usually dramas will water this down for us haha (thank god). Also they're literally all there because their families wanted to spy on him since he has so much power in court. And if this somehow still bothers you (SPOILER! he ends up divorcing all of them except our fl - wow if only all historical men were like him huh?)

It's not exactly a unique storyline but they do have a few factors they stand out, such as the fl coming from a different nation and forming a political marriage alliance with ml. I guess also the fact that even though she's a 'princess' in title, she actually isn't treated like one at all by her royal family. The poison was an interesting touch that drives the plot forward, fl being unable to fully betray either side with her every action but forcing herself to eventually reveal her true intentions. Now the more common plot point is the ml having a lifelong grudge against someone else in power and working his way towards his revenge. One thing I do like about this is that the emperor isn't seen as a good guy who wants to get rid of all the corrupt officials in court, and he doesn't treat the ml as his right hand man entrusting him with everything. He's someone who has to keep both corrupt and good in balance within his court, otherwise he could very easily end up overthrown (similar to the princess royal, where the emperor has one side of a noble family backing him up, and without them there's bound to be major problems). That said, I don't love the guy, but I appreciate the complexity in character.

One thing I absolutely love is the setup for the ml and fl's romance. Ml has never trusted anyone in his life, and very much dedicated to getting rid of anything/anyone that gets in his way. Fl has even bigger problems, she's a good person to her core, yet forced to do bad things for the people holding her brother hostage. Mix that in with her having to lie to ml every step of the way, gaining and losing his trust back and forth, it creates a loooot of angst. I don't think it creates high blood pressure for me, but it's definitely the right amount for what I can handle right now. People seem pretty frustrated with the amount of miscommunication but it's not really miscommunication is it? Fl has a reason she can't say all these things to the ml (hello? spies and little bro gonna die). And it's really not up to her to prove to him that she's a good person when she has time and time again shown her good character. I feel like I could name a million dramas with actual miscommunication and I don't think this is one of them. How else are we going to have things revealed one by one without the curated misunderstandings?

Anyways I'm currently at episode 21, can't believe they have the freaking amnesia trope but whatever. I just hope this is resolved super soon. Also really can't wait to see actual romance between ml and fl because whatever we're getting before is pure hate love relationship. I need to see the ml actually madly in love with her RN. I absolutely LOVE when the dude is in the wrong because I feel like we see a lot of dramas where the fl does something wrong and causes a bunch of trouble for the ml. I can't say I'm gonna love their dynamic once they get together but I hope it's not too lovey dovey otherwise it was a waste of all that angst and tension.

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Wasted Potential

I remember when I was super excited for this upcoming romcom with top actors Jung Haein and Jung Somin, especially because it was supposedly Haein's first romcom after starring in a long list of melodramas. Well, first of all let's mention the fact that this drama is tagged as a romcom, which it can't even be considered as - there was barely any romance until the very end of this drama, the drama never had any super funny or comedic timing of moments, and there are some heavier topics that make this feel like more of a slice of life than anything. Nothing wrong with this, but if you go into this expecting a light -hearted feel good romance similar to say, Lovely Runner, this is definitely not for you!! In my opinion, this drama was a bit disappointing and definitely wasted the potential to see the two leads shine together as love interests.

Again, with the drama, there are some heavier topics such as issues focused on families, troubles of being an eldest child, miscommunications, expectations coming from a lower class family, and illnesses. There is also a storyline on the leads achieving their dreams and working towards the life they want for themselves. While I do appreciate them delving into these topics and find it relatable myself, it seems the focus on this is what deviated them from showing the romantic build up between bae seokryu (jung somin) and choi seunghyo (jung haein).

What is supposed to be a childhood friends to lovers romance, we see that seokryu and seunghyo grew up together as seunghyo's mom travels a lot for her work and left him in the care of seokryu's mom. This led them to establish a long friendship from kids to adults (if we count their friendship being apart for 10 years before seokryu returns from the US). I like that after seeing each other again, there isn't any awkward interaction between them and it's like a friendship with a lot of banter, honestly kind of like brothers and sisters. We see that they are truly friends, always being there for one another when they need support, but the way they portrayed their relationship made it seem like seunghyo is stuck in an unrequited love. He is petty, childish, and immature with seokryu, which I guess they wrote him that way to show how different he acts towards only her, but it's a silly thing to have him be childish and not communicate in almost 10 full episodes, no development whatsoever. They're both almost 35 for god's sake. From seokryu's side, we don't see a glimpse or a hint that she ever had feelings for seunghyo other than friendly feelings. That's why to me, it didn't seem like a romance, as there were limited scenes of the sort of tension, and chemistry that we expect to see from friends who are slowly turning into lovers. Don't even get me started on the fact that their exes were in one episode too many - as much as it's good for them to get closure, we really didn't need to see that much of them and instead should have focused on seokryu and seunghyo. I would have rather seen more of the second couple's relationship. And finally, when the leads do get together, it's \the issue where their relationship changes too much from when they were friends - how do we go from teasing and insults to such loving comments and interactions between the two?? I honestly prefer them showing the same banter and teasing as before, but it's like they jump from 0 to 100 and changed their entire dynamic. It's cute but it's also a little boring? I would have loved to see how their relationship is SPECIAL because of the fact that they were friends for so long and knew everything about each other. Another thing, as top actors their acting is.. alright? I love them both and I feel bad for saying this but I expected romcom like Byeon Wooseok acted in Lovely Runner, where his romcom side shined, I wish Jung Haein had the same opportunity to show this side of him, but honestly I want to blame the writers for not letting us see this happen.

The second couple I really loved, in fact l liked their storyline more so than the leads. Moeum is a smart, energetic, and badass paramedic, and danho is a clumsy, calm, and kind journalist. From their first interaction I loved their dynamic and their banter, and it was so cute to see her fall in love when it seems like no man would have been good enough for her! I really wish we got to see even more scenes of them as the second couple (and less focus on both of the leads and their exes). One thing I would have liked is if we saw more instances of danho falling for moeum as well. We know danho is kind towards her, but he's presented as a kind and just man who's willing to help anyone with anything. I think I just wanted some indication that the way he felt towards her was more than supposed admiration for her occupation, and that his actions were special and not something he would do for anyone. The way they get together is also a little sudden without enough buildup, but I still love them. We should have gotten them together sooner though!!

Overall, don't go into this drama expecting an amazing romance and chemistry with hilarious side characters. It's a simple drama, nothing that special or fun, but still a decent watch if you want to watch attractive actors.

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I feel super late to the party but I just finished part 1 of this! I love Zhao lusi but even then it won't be enough of a reason for me to watch a drama just because she's in it. This was one of those dramas where I didn't have time to watch it when it was airing, so I never ended up watching it and decided to just add it to the to watch list especially once it got really popular. but I felt like I needed to watch something people all praise about and this was definitely one of those dramas. It's been a hot minute since I've watched her actually, and she absolutely steals the show here. Her cleverness, stubbornness, and trouble-making characteristics as shaoshang truly shined through.

The drama definitely starts a little slow on the romance, and I mean truly slow, she was basically engaged to another man for half of the first part. the beginning episodes all start with her life as the uneducated daughter who had an unfortunate upbringing leading her to lack the manners and knowledge of other young ladies in the capital. her parents finally returned after 15 years from when the first abandoned her as a child and the mom seeing her child in this state really disappointed her. it was really heartbreaking to see the mistreatment whenever her mom compared her to her cousin, and it really wasn't her fault she ended up like this. somehow tho the mom decides to not leave an inch of empathy for what happened to shaoshang the first 15 years of her life and is the strictest with her, as if raising a daughter is the same as training a soldier. but where shaoshang lacks in knowledge of great philosophers, disciplines, basic etiquette, she makes up for with her bravery, resourcefulness, and her passion in craftsmanship. it doesn't take long to love shaoshang's character, I mean why else would she have 3 different men wanting to propose to her. the entire drama you're really just hoping she ends up happy and loved and protected. she eventually has her brothers and her father to protect her majority of the time, but what she really wants is for her mother to show her love as it seems the hardest to achieve at the moment. I understand it's hard for a child to understand their parents do what they do for their own good, but it gets to a point people!! she's 15 years old SHES JUST A BABYY.

one of the things I definitely didn't expect was for shaoshang to be engaged to Lou Yao. I really thought she would've kept firm with not reciprocating his feelings but after experiencing a tragedy together I guess that creates a strong bond. they were however in my mind definitely kindred spirits and should've stayed as platonic friends. shaoshang had mistaken their friendship and comfortability from that friendship for love, as she grew up without love and not knowing what it even meant to love someone as family, not to mention romantically. I feel bad he was still forced into a marriage he didn't want at the end, but I can see him and zhaojun eventually becoming a good couple, at least one that respects one another, though I hope their respect can grow into love, not sure if they'll still be mentioned in part 2. now for yuan shuanjian. this man is in love is totally going about it the wrong way. he belittles and makes fun of shaoshang for her character and upbringing - if this was an enemies to lovers and shaoshang was reciprocating that, hey im all for it but you can clearly see she's not having any of this. poor guy has so many ladies after him but has no clue what a lady wants. good thing this man gets his own popular drama later on (I love you li yunrui). MOVING ON to mr ling buyi. now if u asked me at the first half of this part why he's so deeply in love with our fl, I wouldn't know what to tell you. theres a big focus on shaoshang and general ling is a man of few words when it comes to his scenes. in fact I'll be honest, he was really boring to me, and you barely get any scenes of him and shaoshang together until her life is somehow in danger one way or another. it was definitely a bit of a jump between his short interactions with fl and then his sudden care for her. it only got more interesting near the end when he actually had more conversations with shaoshang, especially once she opened up to him. I will say tho it was definitely a red flag of him to ask the emperor to propose for him in front of everyone before even knowing whether or not shaoshang feels the same way towards him. he was basically trapping her in a marriage she didn't want, and it just proves his love for her was surface level and he didn't truly know her yet as a person. if he did he would know shaoshang would never want to be restrained this way, and now that she's involved in the palace, makes me even more worried for what she'll have to endure from this marriage. I do however, appreciate the character growth as he learned to respect shaoshang, showing her she's allowed to live the life she wants instead of having to follow rules. I do understand though, since he grew up in the military and he's always known to follow orders, so he's clearly a man of a strict routine with his life. that's how you get to know how much he likes shaoshang because of her defiance for rules. she's a bright start in his eyes and he truly lights up his life when he's around her. should've known better than to order her around in the beginning, amateur. he's so clueless with his social interactions with her family too, it was a little pathetic ngl, poor guy does not know how to act normal. I hope her family eventually accepts him and treats him like family too, I feel so bad he hasn't grown up in a proper family and I understand how hard it is to see the emperor as his father figure when he's well.. the emperor.

in terms of acing, ms lusi shines here. wu lei on the other hand was a little lacking. everyone else does their respective parts decently. mother was truly infuriating. good on her, I like this actress when she does the mother roles, that's her key thing now. in terms of the plot, I can't say im all that interested in whatever happened to gu city years ago, I think I'll remain more focused on the romance portion. it's definitely a decent drama and has some really funny moments - can't say it lives up to the hype it got though, but we'll see once I finish part two!

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"Passionately in love" except lacking the passion

I absolutely love wang anyu even though my only drama I've watched of his before this was the last immortal. I love him so much that I decided to finish watching this entire drama for him, and trust me, he really makes this drama and he seems like the only thing that makes this drama. First of all, he had exceptional chemistry with Zhao lusi whether it was bts, interviews, or in the last immortal and I can not believe that they lowkey ruined this story with ZERO CHEMISTRYY. I swear to god he really really really tried and you could sometimes feel it and then it disappears because of the fl. Don't get me wrong, I love liu haocun, I think she was so cute and great in 'just for meeting you' with song weilong, but I think this is a sign that romance dramas are not for her. lets put aside her no kissing clause in her contracts, there are SO many ways for passion, tension, tender romance to be portrayed through intimate moments WITHOUT kissing. get outta here with those cuts and weird editing of them 'kissing'. I'd rather no kiss be portrayed at all in fact. I didn't know how bad it was that there was no kissing until I watched this. but yk what. idk if kissing could have saved it either. liu haocun is a great actress and I fully believe this, but when it comes to acting out the character of a young girl in love, she just can't do it. YOUR BEAUTIFUL EYES CANT SAVE YOU THIS TIME!! she is truly so cold with the ml, ik we love seeing the guy fall first and harder but it doesn't work if we don't believe the girl likes the guy at all. the acting was just lacking in terms of chemistry and intimacy - you don't really feel those butterflies you're supposed to. I get that she's supposed to always suppress her emotions because of her past with her mom, but even after that whole thing got resolved it's not like she changed much towards the ml. line delivery was also a little stiff on her end, it didn't seem natural. the story was also really lacking to be honest, they break up for like 2 months and then get back together. they made it sound like they reunited after a year or two in the synopsis. she wanted to get to know him for his mom. are u kidding me. on a side note, I loved the second couple. yingying was so lively and cute and the actress for that now has a new fan. final note, Zhu yangqi lowkey looks like wu lei at times. don't watch this if you're used to naturally flowing chemistry, it'll be kind of a hard watch

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Decent Historical Fluff

I basically binged this entire drama while extremely sick but here are my two cents. It was an off to a really good start, it had a typical plot of corrupt officials and the emperor's trusted right hand man who helps him get rid of them. It's not like a unique storyline but I don't mind. The female lead was cute, very feminine which we don't see very often these days, it's mostly strong independent women (which I also love) but this was also a great portrayal of a strong female lead who's still very in touch with her femininity! First time seeing bao shangen in a drama and I thought she did really well. Song weilong, not my first time watching but basically my first cdrama I've watched of him. I enjoyed his character at the start, but after things started getting more lovey dovey, I can't say I enjoyed their romance as much. Chemistry was sort of there at times but idk something about it didn't sell it to me, I think it's lowkey cause ml turned into a soft simp LOL. While there was fluff and happy endings all around, really wish there was more scenes with romance!! I swear I saw someone recommend this as a romance drama but I felt it lacked a bit in that aspect, especially because fl being mad at ml lasted so many episodes and there were so many misunderstandings. Anyway, im glad her evil step sister and step mom got dealt with early on, and was actually really nice to see a father care so much about his daughter for once. Also the side couple was really cute lol I think their banter was great. Nice to see an episode dedicated to fluff and romance at the end too. Not a bad watch for something lighthearted, but I'm definitely used to seeing more exciting plot points.

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