lemam

Had potential but crashed and burned

Storyline had good potential but it just fell flat. The main couple had no chemistry at all. A lot of the characters/actors were annoying. Skipped thru a lot of it.

Acting:
- FL: I like this actress. I've seen several of her shows. She's not the best actor w/ a ton of range, but she has a cute charm about her.
- ML: I don't think he can pull of the main lead of a show. He's good looking, but his acting is basic. Every show I've seen him in, he's got the same whiney facial expression. He had zero chemistry w/ the female lead. He could not pull of this role as an impressive, high powered corporate exec. He's better suited for support roles.
- Most of the support characters were rather annoying and flat acting other than Zhao Xiao Lei. She is type casted to play that pitiful, kind hearted, unwavering loyalty type role. You just felt so bad for her in here. But yes, she was the biggest idiot/fool ever. I actually liked the storyline of the older bookstore owner/artist guy - but that just went away, and then the last few minutes of the series he randomly appears again.
- Lin Hao character was well played - he was believable as both the kind/hard working, and then the gradual change into a sinister evil person.
- Han Shuang character was really annoying - just kind of over the top with the abrasive, hot-headed, constant yelling approach.
- That musician love interest of the doctor (Xiang Nan) - he was like a wet noodle. Their relationship was not believable at all. And his voice...WTH, he sounded like a pre-puberty teen boy. Whenever he was on screen I couldn't take it, skipped all his scenes.
- Xiang Nan (doctor) - they tried too hard to make her the older, wiser, rational, all-knowing sage. Like who nominated her to be their representative.

Storyline:
- Had good potential but crashed. Lots of draggy and repetitive parts. The last episode seemed oddly rushed and then the ending was just flat. I felt nothing.
- Predictable, over-used trope of the jealous-for-good-reason female colleague/superior that you risk your own career (and going to prison) just to oust the person you don't like.
- Some storylines made no sense, under developed then went nowhere.

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Cute and uplifting series

Storyline:
The premise mainly focused around ice skating sports and the life of an athlete - the aspirations, the determination, the sacrifices and team comradery. There's some light coming of age romantic comedy sprinkled in there and family relationship dynamics.

Acting/Characters:
- Song Zu Er (FL): she is one of my favorite up and coming young actresses after seeing her in Cupid's Kitchen. She did an amazing job in this role as well. She has the ability to portray the character in a spunky, witty, adorable, and kind in such a genuine charismatic way without coming across like she's trying to be cute. She is naturally adorable. But she can play the range of emotions...happiness, anger, and heartfelt emotional pain.
- Wang An Yu (ML): This was the first time I've seen him in any show. He did a decent job, but I think he was a bit overshadowed by Song Zu Er (FL) - his acting capabilities is not at her level. But overall they were cute and had chemistry.
- Support characters: for the most part all the supporting cast did a great job, especially Zu LeLe the FL's best friend. She was quite entertaining. Xiao Qing - at first I thought they were going to make her the main couple's protagonist to scheme and drive a wedge - while that was sort of the case but not completely. The actress played this role well - she made you not dislike her, but you kind of admire and empathize for her. The most hateable character was Luo Xiao Yi - the star athlete who was entitled and arrogant. I know that's the point of the character's role, but that actress made it even worse. There's something about her that is just very annoying and her acting is so bland. She was annoying in Legend of Fuyao as well.

Overall a very cute series that didn't stress you out with too much evil manipulating characters. However I don't think it's great enough to re-watch.

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Peaked early, plateaued and dragged

The concept of the story is good, but the pacing was all over the place. The series peaked early around episode 10-15, then completely fell flat and plateaued for the next 20+ episodes, then peaked in the last 2 episodes. It did not need to be 40 episodes, they could've made this 30. I skipped through a lot of it - lots of filler scenes. For example, the FL's father...zero hints/lead up to that storyline...then suddenly he was introduced out of the blue to be a major part of the story about 20 episodes in, then just disappeared again then shows up again. And the lead couple had zero chemistry.

Acting/Characters:
- Kenny Lin as the ML - he's my favorite actor and I have loved him in everything I've watched so far, but I was disappointed in this series. His character was a bit one-dimensional. He didn't really have any depth portraying various emotions other than the strong, stoic, in-charge version. There were some hints of comedy, but not much.
- Wu Jin Yan as the FL - while her acting wasn't terrible, it wasn't good. She did not have the screen presence to carry a lead role in a series. I rarely felt anything for her when she succeeded, when she was bullied/wronged, or when she was sad. Her trying to come across as charming and cute just didn't hit the mark. Her character was supposed to be from humble/poor roots and struggling financially. Yet her outfits did not fit that description. Her outfits often times looks like something out of a runway show or fashion magazine.
- Most of the support characters were just ok, nothing memorable. The FL's mom did a good job. The 2nd support couple Qin He Bo and Shuang Shuang were kind of cute...but their relationship did not need that much screen time. The 3rd support couple...the FL's ex-boyfriend He Zhi Jun and the ML's little sister Ning Meng were so annoying! I literally skipped most scenes they were in. She tried way to hard to be cute/innocent but came across as a whiny annoying child. The character was supposed to be 22 but she came across as trying to act like she was a 12 year old child.

Overall:
- If you're bored and you need a new series to watch, then fine. But I would not recommend this one.

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Too long and boring

I was excited to watch this because of Allen Deng (loved him in Ashes of Love), and Luo Jin (lead in Princess Wei Young). This series was painfully slow and boring.

Storyline: So many characters to keep track of. Very slow and repetitive scenes/dialogue. I skipped through so many of the series. Only finished it to see if it was a satisfying ending. Predictable ending, but not satisfying.

Acting: While some actors did a good job, some of them over-acted and/or were not convincing in their roles. Allen Deng was a bit disappointing, but I'll give him a pass since this was one of his earlier roles (he improved significantly in more recent works like Ashes of Love). Luo Jin (ML) was just ok, he was way better in Princess Wei Young. I did not feel any chemistry between him and the FL. The FL her acting wasn't bad but didn't live up to the weight of that character/role. Hewei Yu who played Jian Zi Ya was not convincing as a slow-witted, funny character. It seemed very forced. One of the most annoying characters was Shen Gong Bao (support role) the antagonist. Completely over acted. His acting is always the same (like in Rise of the Phoenixes).

Overall - waste of time.

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Frustrating and Draggy

This storyline had potential, but there are so many things that dragged this series down that made it so frustrating to watch. I skipped through a lot of it. The cast and acting wasn't the problem - it's the script writing that is ridiculous and insulting to the viewer's intelligence.

Positives (not many):
- ML (Dylan Wang), I watched it just for him. But his voice did not fit the character (they should have used a voice actor to dub him)
- 3rd FL (the niece Qin Shi Yue) - she started out super annoying acting like a toddler w/ the constant whining, tattling and stomping her feet, but that eventually subsided and she becomes quite endearing

Negatives:
- Main couple's chemistry wasn't great. He's supposed to be the older, successful, idolized one and she as the young bubbly one just starting her career. But she appeared older than him so it seemed awkward, like a big sister and little brother dynamic.
- ML's wardrobe was just terrible - nothing fit him properly! As another reviewer commented, it looked like he was borrowing his older brother's clothes
- FL character was so damn annoying - it's not bad acting on the actress's part, it's the scrip writing that made no sense. One minute she's smart, aggressive and outright daring and flirtatious w/ the ML; then the next minute she's a shrinking violet, overly dense/naïve when it comes to love
- The phone ringing interrupting every pivotal moment was so ridiculous! Literally almost every build up to a kiss scene or a confession, their phone rings and they answer it!!!
- 2nd FL (ShanShan) the FL's BFF was so annoying, giving out relationship advice when her love life is a complete mess
- The toxic male dominance was intolerable - how many times did the ML Shi Yan drag the FL around by the arm like a rag doll - in public, in their home, at work places, etc. Some scenes were meant to be cute and some were meant to be anger-based. Either way, there is no way in hell a woman would allow that so it should not be done to that extent in a modern drama. And that scene where Shu Yi's ex BF shows up drunk and obnoxious at her door - Shi Yan leaves a work event...somehow gets there in time to shove past the ex, slam the door, make out w/ the Shu Yi, comes back out and to send a message to the ex that he kissed her and that she belongs to him so get lost. That was just so gross.

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BORING and worst Female Lead EVER

This is my first time watching a K-drama (I always was C-dramas). This was the worst drama I've ever watched. So SLOW and BORING as hell. And god, the FL has to be the worst character of all time. Not one redeeming quality about her at all, yet all these men fawn over her, and the ML was obsessed but they had no chemistry. She constantly lied, created unnecessary, irrational drama that humiliated or hurt others she supposedly cared about just to concoct a narrative she thinks "is better." She always talked in circles - whenever someone would question her she always answers w/ a stupid rhetorical or condescending question!

Literally a drama full of really unlikeable characters - other than the 2 moms (the ML's mom and the 2nd FL's mom), they were charming and cute.

Every other scene was either a flashback (for the 100th time), a shot of their phone screens either making a call or a text, or the characters staring, blank-faced at each other. The scenes just kept bouncing back and forth, moving onto a scene that leaves you utterly confused, then it goes and replays flashbacks to explain the confusing sequence of events....OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

I'd give this a ZERO star if possible.

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Waste of Time and Talent

I don't understand the highly rated reviews for this series. The premise of the story was promising - portraying the unfair glass ceiling for women in the professional world dominated by men. The strong FL with the unconditionally supportive partner/spouse. But the pacing and the editing made it extremely boring. There was no real build up to the climax of the series...just really long drawn out, repetitive dialogue. Tons of screen time showcasing the FL's career as a lawyer. A lot of the legal cases were just ridiculous.

While the lead actors did a decent job acting, as the leading couple they had zero chemistry. Yang Mi usually does pretty good, this is the first time I've seen her in a modern drama. She came across as self-absorbed for her own personal gains, and he came across as a wimpy doormat/servant. This is the first time I saw the ML actor in a series, and it does not make me want to see any of his other shows.

40 episodes was way to long, what a waste of time. I sat thru it, skipping a lot of episodes just to see if the ending justifies enduring the time spent. Not at all. No major sense of happiness or satisfaction with the ending. I was just annoyed for wasting my time.

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Soul-Crushing Masterpiece

One of the best dramas I have ever seen. This is not a fluffy idol drama. It's a heavy, gritty, captivating masterpiece that crushes your soul. It's a beautify story that realistically portrays the human experience of utter despair surrounding poverty, domestic violence, survival and hope. There are no flaws in this series, everything just hits the mark perfectly.

ACTING:
Steller performances, from the main leads to the entire supporting cast. Raw, genuine acting of human emotions.
PACING:
Only 12 episodes so time was spent effectively. No filler scenes or unnecessary characters. I was pleasantly surprised that even with such a short series, the character development was done so well, each of the characters will leave an impact on you. Every episode ended with a cliffhanger.
MUSIC:
While the songs/music isn't quite memorable, but served very well with each of the scenes.

This drama lingered with me for days. I only gave it 5-stars for the rewatch value because I cannot bring myself to rewatch. It was just too emotional for me.

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Low budget indecisive comedy or period piece

I only watched this for the ML after seeing him in "Love Me If You Dare". This was not his best performance. I skipped thru so much of this series.

There really aren't that many good things about this series at all other than I like the ML - Wallace Huo is just pure eye candy

The Cons (so many):
- FL Tiffany Tang is hit or miss, I like some of her work but this was not one of them.
- None of the support characters were worthy of screen time, acting was so one dimensional across the board
- Terrible production quality - not sure if it's cuz this is a really old series and they didn't have all technology/special effects like they do nowadays, but this was so bad. For example the lighting was inconsistent, often times the lighting behind the characters makes their ears glow like bright light bulbs, and you always saw mist of their spit coming out of their mouths when they spoke. The scene w/ the emperor in the imperial palace hall - the decor was laughable, looked like an amateur theater stage set up.
- The wigs were SO BAD, especially for the ML - literally it was his normal haircut slicked back w/ highlighted bangs and the wig bun you can see where the line is wrapped around the base of his head, with his real hair jutting out. The FL's bangs were just so unflattering and fake looking.
- The costumes were poor quality, and especially for the ML, his clothes did not seem to fit him properly
- Inconsistencies in the storyline details - in the beginning the FL is portrayed as a tough fighters/martial artist compared to the ML and she always had to come to his rescue, but halfway thru she's a damsel in distress and allows the men to grab her and push her around w/out even try to fight back. ML supposedly did not know martial arts...but some scenes he does, and some he doesn't?
- Very tropey toxic love dynamics - ML verbally, physically, emotionally abuses the female lead...over and over again...but she still keeps forgiving and coming back....cuz he did it in the name of love for her own good.
- The ending was a WTF type of ending. Made no damn sense. Utterly ridiculous.

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Not the romantic comedy I expected, but overall good series

This was not the typical romantic comedy I was expecting, but it was an good series overall. I am huge Kenny Lin (Lin Gengxin) fan so I want to watch all his work.

Storyline:
- Overall it was good. Interesting view into the world of investing in China's market. Good pacing and I'm glad they kept it at 30 episodes rather than dragging it out. But all the hype build up to the main male and female leads...seemed extremely rushed and wrapped into the very last episode. It was very interesting how the story intersected w/ the FL as lowly assistant rose to success as the ML godlike success came crashing down. While both the ML and FL did an outstanding job w/ their acting - they as a couple lacked chemistry. There was more chemistry between them as boss/employee and co-dependency in each other lives, rather than romantic chemistry.

Acting / Characters:
- Kenny Lin as the ML Lu Ji Ming was great. He was able to portray a very powerful rich, arrogant, chauvinistic jerk on the exterior while deep down being a very ethical, loyal and caring person at heart. And later he was able to portray the despondent, humble person who fell far from his pedestal. With every character development / arc in the series, you are just drawn to his charisma.
- Tan Son Yin as the FL Nin Meng - this was the first time I've seen this actress in any series. She did a great job playing the nerdy, lowly assistant. And her gradual growth into success was well done. Her happy go lucky, can-do attitude was so charming w/out over doing it w/ the cutesiness. And her quiet sadness scenes broke your heart. She's not the typical tall, eye-catching beauty that they usually cast in these types of roles so it was a bit 'off' casting alongside Kenny Lin who is really tall and good looking.
- Supporting actors that all did great and great chemistry: Ceng Yu Hang - ML's best friend. He was not good looking but he played his charming, funny, down to earth rich kid role well. Xu Si Tian who started out as the villainess was so hateful and petty and became adorably charming as part of the friend group. And one of my favorite support characters was Shi Ying, the FL's mentor and boss. Her calm, empathetic yet powerfulness was portrayed so well by the actress.

Music:
- not bad, but nothing memorable. But one of the instrumental songs seems like it was the same song in another recent Kenny Lin series (To Love).

Overall:
- Good series, but I don't think I would re-watch it

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Way too long, horrible ending

Pretty upset that I spent so many days/hours/late nights invested in this highly rated show. I did watch until the last episode but skipped over so many parts as it dragged on way too long. This was a very violent and bloody drama compared to what I'm used to seeing. The opening scene alone that lasted almost the entire episode was so disturbing.

PROS:
- ML and FL had strong chemistry
- Great acting for most of the cast overall
- Fight scenes choreography is well done, you can tell this is a high budget production

CONS:
- Way too long and draggy at times
- Messy sub plots w/ so many random characters w/ too much screen time
- Too many loose ends without any resolution. Characters that had a ton of screen time in first 2/3 of the series, suddenly just stopped appearing in the rest of the series but it's never explained what happened to them
- The ending was the worst. Felt cheated after investing so much time in anticipation of some sort of saving grace w/ the ending. NOPE. That's why I took off so many points overall.

Storyline:
Not very unique, similar to many storylines with these types of historical dramas. It was a decent storyline but somewhat predictable...except the ENDING! I did like that most of the main women (except Princess Yuan Chun) were tough martial artists rather than weak damsels in distress. Way too many sub plots and characters that really didn't need be there. Made it very messy and very long.

Music:
Just ok. Nothing memorable. Watched it on Viki so not sure if they swapped out the OST.

Acting:
All the actors did a great job, even supporting actors did well. It's just the characters & storylines they were given sometimes fell flat or were downright annoying.

Characters:
Yu Wen Yue (ML) - typical stoic hero. But I still LOVED his character. I anticipated to see him in scenes w/ the FL (Chu Qiao/Xing'er). He embodied nobility, badass strength, and moral character. And when it came to his love...he was so sweet and relentlessly selfless. So much that it was tragic and heartbreaking. This is the first time I've seen this actor in a series...I am a fan!
Chu Qiao (FM) - I don't understand the appeal w/ her. She seemed a bit one dimensional only able to portray the cold-hearted badass. When the scene required her to come across as soft-hearted, tender, or sweet/funny - she couldn't pull that off very well, it seemed forced. But she was able to convey a strong chemistry w/ Yu Wen Yue.
Yan Xan (other ML) - I love Shawn Dou in many of his works. This one I'm on the fence. He was so good in the first half of the series as the good hearted, happy go lucky hostage prince. The traumatic experience he endured, he nailed that performance. But once his soul turned dark I could not stand seeing him on screen. And the voice over dubbing was distracting because it was such a noticeable departure from his normal real voice in other shows.
Lin Qin - she was great as the spoiled, innocent, air headed princess. And when her innocence was shattered, her performance breaks your heart.

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A bit overrated - its just ok

I delayed watching this because the trailers all made is seem like a silly comedy, rather than a drama. I prefer dramas. The first 1/3 of the series was more comedic, but then it turned into a more serious, heavy drama. Pacing was off, took too long for the love story to build up. It seemed to dragged on too long after the climax of the series...it was like they just recycled random characters who had smaller parts earlier on, then disappeared for most of series...then suddenly reappeared towards the end just to continue the series? Felt forced and odd.
My main issue w/ this series is the main couple - both the ML and FL fell flat in terms of chemistry. I didn't feel it, but you feel like you have to root for them because they are the main couple. I wasn't convinced of any deep, intense love between them.

Acting/Characters:
- Wu Lei / Ling Buyi (ML) - the only other series I saw him in was when he was a child actor in Nirvana in Fire. So it was hard for me to take him seriously as an adult actor in this series. His acting was a bit stiff.
- Zhao Lu Si / Chen Shao Shang (FL) - she plays the cute, funny role fine. She doesn't fit the image of the most beautiful maiden in the capital. Her sad/crying scenes did not tug at my heartstrings, except for 1 scene where she was bullied by the princesses and almost drowned in the pond - when Ling Buyi unaware of what happened came to visit her talking happily....she turned her back and cried out of self pity but tried to hold it in. That scene broke my heart.
- The Emperor - acting was fine. But the script writing for him seems off - I have never seen a period drama where the emperor was so funny and kind. Even if they are kind at hear, they usually appear serious, stern, intimidating.
- Imperial Consort Yue Fei and the Empress - I liked them, it was refreshing that they were genuinely kind people and not scheming like most royals. I liked the spunk and grit that Consort Yue Fei had, and her relationship w/ the Emperor was cute.

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Infomercial for China's Photovoltaic Panel Industry Mixed w/ a Boring Romance

I'm perplexed thinking what did I just watch? It felt like a giant infomercial with so much tedious dialogue about photovoltaic panels, then layered in with a romance storyline that had zero foundation. I finished the series with lots of skipping and contemplation of dropping during each episode.

The Good (not much):
- Scenery is beautiful, especially the snowing scenes
- The parents, besides the FL's dad, the other parents and grandparents of the ML and FL were not controlling or toxic

The Bad (Oh so much):
- FL (Zhao Jin Mai) - I truly don't understand why she keeps getting lead roles. She's average looking with very mediocre acting abilities. Limited facial expressions and emotional range. In all her roles where she's supposed to be youthful, charismatic and feisty - it feels very contrived (this series, Our Generation, Amidst a Snowstorm).
- ML (Song Wei Long) - first time seeing this actor. His acting was so one-dimensional, almost robotic.
- SML - the worse character ever. Mopey, self-loathing pity party the entire series with no real validity in his claim to her love or devotion.
- The love triangle made absolutely no sense at all. They dragged on the first crush heartbreak way too long for a seemingly one-side crush. They were never in a relationship to justify the forlorn heartache.
- Support characters (the college friend group) and FL's co-workers...had no backstory, just props to discuss and add substance to the FL's relationships.
- Propaganda pushing how China excels in photovoltaic panels, neuroscience, etc was excessive

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Stellar Acting But Slow and Hard to Watch

The story is interesting. This is not a fluffy romance drama. It's supposed to exude realism of life, human relationships of family, friends, and romance....which it did except for how unrealistically they put Rose on an idolized pedestal was so over the top. The pacing was so slow, it was like watching a train wreck in slow motion.

The Good:
- All the actors did an amazing job acting their parts, except Rose's brother. His acting skills was probably the weakest of all.
- 2nd FL (Rose's best friend/sister-in-law) was my favorite character. She was the most complex character who makes you empathize and root for her.
- No insane, toxic, psycho characters scheming with manipulation games.

The Bad:
- I did not care or connect w/ any of the characters aside from 2nd FL (Rose's best friend/sister-in-law)
- Rose's character was too unrealistic and felt out of place for a 'realism' type drama. While all other characters were portrayed realistically, Rose was too perfect - beautiful, fashionable, kind, intelligent, fearless...can be the best at anything she puts her mind to...roller blading, swimming, painting, driving motorcycles, flying planes, and making career changes...but she can't do something basic like cooking. And to have everyone obsess and fawn over her like she's God's gift to humanity...not just romantically, but co-workers, friends, family...it was a bit nauseating.
- One of the ML, Rose's husband (Lin Geng Xin) is one of my favorite actors (from Princes Agents). It was really difficult to watch him play this character who started off likeable and then decline into a such a suffocating person.
- Rose's first love - there was something so creepy about him. I felt uncomfortable every time he was on screen.
- Rose's last love interest, someone almost half her age - that was really unnecessary to throw that character into the last few episodes

Suffered through this long and slow series - cannot sit through that again.

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Boring and Zero Chemistry

Based on the storyline, this had potential to be a good series. It's main downfall is that it's extremely boring and slow, and the main couple had zero chemistry.

Pros:
- Good storyline
- Acting was not terrible

Cons:
- Lead couple had zero chemistry. I did not care whether they ended up together or not. None of their interactions invoked any emotions from me. Their relationship came across more like siblings, with the FL being the older sister
- Male lead - this is the 2nd series I saw this actor in (from She and Her Perfect Husband). I just don't understand why he keeps getting lead roles. His acting is very mediocre.
- Female lead - this is the 2nd series I saw this actress (Ashes of Love). Her acting is not bad, but her portrayal of this character was very bland. And the character's perfect Pollyanna image was a bit tiring.
- I did not feel anything or sympathize with any of the characters, except for the FL's father. He came across very genuine and likable
- The FL's mom seemed to be the star of the show, but my god was she unbearable to watch. Her well-meaning intentions just became an excuse for her over-bearing disastrous actions in EVERY episode.
- It was very slow and boring. I skipped through a lot of it. Each episode I kept telling myself to drop it, but I rarely drop series...I want to see if it redeems itself or not, and to find out what happened in the end.

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