Lynn

Short hot diamond in the ruff.

Considering this is a short drama it has decent acting and likeable characters. As the story begins with a major tragedy that sets up the plot and intrigue for the show., Shao Yu Qi, who plays Li Cong Huanwho is a princess from a bordering small country set to marry a neighboring country. Thus the revenge plot begins in the first episode. The FL is beautiful and does a nice acting job. The ML, Li Dai Kun who plays, Mo Jin who is equally handsome and quite sexy. He also does a decent job of acting. I name him one of the top 10 kissers in drama land after this drama.

Begin that this is a short drama the back drop is simple along with the set and cinematography. So, for a log budget film they did well for what they had to work with, assuming it was a low budget. There are not many special affects so there is not much to note there. If you are looking for a drama with a big budget and big CGI this is not the one. ML and FL have most of the scenes trying to solve a mystery and misunderstandings.

This is what I call a short, sweet mini drama with a splash of romance. There are plenty of kissing scenes and romance that is hot and steamy. So my review is based on the mini drama scale which is a lot more lenient that the bigger dramas.

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Interesting story not so much cast.

The story: This is the story of a girl (Cho Yeo Hwa) who was in an arranged marriage, and you could say a somewhat forced marriage as she did not have any family to support her. As luck would have it her husband to be dies on the wedding day before they even get a chance to meet. Thus, she becomes a virgin widow destined to a life of solitude and repentance with her not so nice in-laws ultimately leading to following her husband to the grave. (The entire time watching I just cannot believe that this type of thing would ever happen in the world. It made my heart hurt for her.) Her brother who is now missing taught her martial art skills at an early age so she is somewhat restless and does not sit still waiting to die. She becomes a masked vigilante at night helping the poor find what they need and during the day praying to a shrine of her late husband. During this time, she has a run in with a Captain of the Guard (Park Soo Ho) who is somewhat fascinated by the masked person.
This all happens early in the drama so it should not be a spoiler. I found this story interesting and different from other dramas of this nature. It has a comedic flare and will make you laugh out loud at some of the antics of the characters. This is where the charm starts to end because some of the things are somewhat hard to believe and the pace is a little choppy and slow.
The Acting: So, the acting is fairly good, with a host of characters which all play their part well. The exception to this is the casting. The cast of characters is a little off in my opinion. The FL (Honey Lee) which I do like seems too old for this part and throughout the entire drama I find the pairing with the ML weird. They have a chemistry of brother and sister more so than realistic couple. The older brother (Lee Ki Woo, 42) who is paired with her best friend (Park Se Hyun, 25) and the casting seems off there too. So, to me the characters never fit to make the drama more enjoyable.
If you can look past the obvious and not be bothered by the slow pace you may find this a good watch but not a re-watch.

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2020 drama underdog that I surprisingly found entertaining!

I was surprised and actually delighted by this short C-drama. Eternal Love Rain is 24 episodes which move along really fast. With that being said, you will notice some editing problems that may seem like you missed something but if you have been watching c-dramas you can fill in the gaps. Of course, this drama has the usual romance drama with basic conflicts and villains for 2020.

This will be a pleasant break if you have binged any long complex and tragic c-dramas.
The actors seem underwhelming at first, but they start to grow on you, I mean really grow on you. I found myself getting into the characters after a few episodes.

What I really like!

There are some laugh out loud funny moments in this drama. Things that other expensive dramas seemed to miss. the FL is energetic and annoying in a good way. The ML is the typical young actor they do not give many lines to because of the inexperience but he gets better as time goes by and you start to genuinely like him. The second FL (side kick) Her character is sweet and likeable and is bad ass with a capital "A". Which brings me to the martial arts. I loved it! The martial art action scenes are done in a spectacular way within interesting spin and make the cinematography look great. The fight scenes are fast paced with some really unique moves that made me hit the replay button a few times. I have seen a lot of wuxia dramas and I was a little impressed. One "Con" to this is, you can tell there is a stunt double.

The second ML was so, so not impressive but he grows on you. Some of the other side characters are really funny and likeable they could have used more scenes. Probably budget problems but it does not get boring.
The special effects well for a low budget film they did an ok job. I have seen worse on bigger budget films. So the fighting and the dragons are not bad. The make-up for the dragon horns well, use your imagination it is fantasy after all.

This drama is simple and uncomplicated don't take it too seriously and I think you will like it. Some things are never explained, just go with it.

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Woo Do Hwan, surprisingly makes this drama. Okay the most positive thing I can say is that there is some nice eye candy in this drama. However flat, the drama may be. I also like the main plot with the Parallel Universe for the most part. However, the delivery falls short in almost all other aspects.
The acting.
To start the beginning of story actually starts of well and explains a lot. But then it loses everything when the actors open their mouths. The acting is terrible (or should I say over acting). I have never been a fan of Lee Min Oh and I could not really figure out why. I mean he is good looking and everyone loved him in (legend of a deep blue see). Me not so much and it is because he cannot act, at least in my eyes. He never has any expressions on his face as if someone told him he should look subdued and stark or did he get Botox? He does not ever raise his eyebrows while delivering a scene, it is quite annoying to watch. His voice is completely monotone, no up down it makes it hard to believe his character.
So, Kim Go Eun, is not any better. One thing Go Eun is good at is her stares that is the positive. I have to say they put two of my least favorite dramas stars together. They are very handsome people but not much more in this drama. So, Kim Go Eun, overacts in almost every scene. Her expressions and body movements are all wrong. Her lines seem to be way ahead or too late. Probably because she cannot read Min Ho, expressions. The other distracting thing is she is constantly either flipping or tying her hair. Oh, this makes me not like her or her character at all. Doing this while trying to deliver her lines. So, I am not sure is this is the director, writer or actually part of the story or just her vanity. Whatever it is, it makes the drama look really cheap and low budget. Beautiful women don't have to constantly flip their hair. Then her wardrobe, not marketable at all. I never understand why in Chinese dramas the women dress to a "T" (American expression for Great) which I love, but in Korean dramas they tend to look homely with baggie clothes just unkempt not a good selling feature to me.
Woo Do Hwan, surprisingly makes this drama. His character is handsome, light, funny and a joy to watch. I think he would have been a better match for the female lead.
There are some gaps in the story line which may throw you off at times and it is a missed opportunity for the director to make an impact. The romantic moments are awkward and rushed. There is not reason why the should love each other the dots do not connect. The first kiss does not have an impact at all.
I am not a hater I have watched over 300 dramas from all genres and I am a fan. It just makes me mad when directors, writers, producers miss the mark and forget to entertain the fan.
Supporting Cast
So, on the up side of this movie the supporting cast is somewhat entertaining. There are some truly funny and light moments to this dramas. I found myself laughing out loud at times. This part has kept me watching.
Action
There is some action and fight scenes in this drama that are entertaining. There are some climatic moments that make you want to root but they do not quite connect the dots for a awesome moment. It is as if the editing was cut a few minutes too short.
Sound Track-
If there was a sound track or great music it went over my head and I missed it.

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Another Romantic Hidden Gem with Heart

Luo Ling Yu is a young woman determined to escape neglectful foster parents and an arranged marriage. She wants to live freely with her younger sister and protect her parents' family fortune. Along her journey, she repeatedly crosses paths with Lu Yun, and their fates gradually become entwined.

It’s a classic costume drama rom-com, filled with humor, charm, and overwhelming chemistry between couples. This was so well written, directed, cast, and acted. Alen Fang as Lu Yun and Jelly Lin as Luo Ling Yu have electrifying chemistry and camaraderie. The two together leave you wanting more of this couple pairing. Alen Fang, whom I have seen in a few dramas, has really matured into a better actor. His puppy dog eyes and gestures are totally believable and swoon-worthy. Jelly Lin is absolutely beautiful and a strong FL worthy of the part. I have not seen her in many dramas, but I am sure she has matured also because she did a spectacular acting job. They make you want to follow their journey of looking for justice and love.

What makes this drama more interesting is that most of the cast has straight forward and simplistic characters. They are easy to follow and easy to love. The side stories are interesting and actually go somewhere. Lately, I have found myself fast-forwarding through side stories in dramas but not this one. There is brotherly love and a side romance; I dig it.

On another note, I really liked the costumes worn and the production. Although the costumes were a bit vibrant as far as color, the way they were put together was beautiful. The set felt warm and not congested like some of the sets are, and this made the production feel bigger, although it was obvious that it was a small budget.

The soundtrack sounded nice even though I did not understand the words, so I cannot speak much on that.
What I would have liked more would be to add to this storyline a bit. Put in some fight scenes and special effects and so on. But it was okay the way it was.

In conclusion, this was light and sweet for the romantic at heart. It was also a well-made drama. Not to cheesy.

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Great chemistry! Be prepared to read between the lines.

I was impressed in the first episode with the cinematography and how grand it all appears. Everything looked like the makings of a great drama and for the most part it was but it fell short by about 2.5 points. First, let me say the wardrobes were spot on beautiful and flowing for the women, strong and fierce for the men. The production was done well and made you feel as if you were somewhere real instead of a green screen. Thumbs up to the casting directors because they picked a great cast of actors. Each of the characters big and small does a great job of bringing you into their world. From Gu's father to the Goa's father. The only character I never connected with along with all of his scenes was Chi the gangster. I fast forward most of his scenes which were actually quite a few. They could have skipped those storylines and put back many of the ones they edited out.

The FL and ML have great chemistry and if you like romance there is a lot of it. Now this is also where they loose points with me for bad editing. It seems they edit out some key points in this drama. You will have to fill in the gaps, holes and even make up some episodes on your own. Don't bother going back to see if you missed something (You didn't). It was cut somewhere when back on the editing floor. Who ever the editing team were which would include the director they left out a left a lot of key elements on the editing floor. Which made me really angry. They spent too episodes trying a create love triangle that just fell flat, flat , flat. It was quite annoying.

Even at the last two episodes you may be confused because what could have been good for the drama and made it better got cut.

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Did not give me a full cup of tea!

So, I just finished season 2 and it did not give me a full cup of tea.
Keep in mind I have not read the novel so I my review is based on the Chinese drama only. To put this bluntly it did not flow for me. There are so many parts to this story that made me question the story the entire time I am watching it, and not in a good way. I just kept asking what is the point?

First. I still do not know where the plot came from. Is it a time travel they say no but clearly there are so many things that point to time travel. Is it based on some writing a novel? Well, this would make more sense and would explain the oddities of dancing, comedy and erroneous songs. Is it an alternate dimension? This would explain some of the obscure things such as: The city under the ice, the temple to nowhere and the high-powered gun. All in all I am still confused about the premise of how this story is supposed to make sense. I mean, I can go with any fantasy element but, please connect the dots. Not just who is the smartest in the room.

Second, the there are some editing issues and breaks in the story that left me dumb founded. I can only surmise that you would have to have read the novel to understand. If this is the case then the directing and editing should be slammed for not giving the audience clarity. I mean, it cut to Jianghan and the Ming family, but I don’t remember them giving us a lead into the Ming family and its characters which would have been nice. Also, it would have been nice if at some point they had given a spent time on the background on the Masters and their skills. Instead of the slow-paced long pauses between sentences for more airtime. Some of the dialog and political scheming was unnecessarily long.

Third, Fan Shian’s relationships with the female characters. I felt the story spent more time on his relationships with Lili and the maiden then he and Wanger. This was disappointing to say the least.

What I did like was the cinematography and depicting the massive set and era. Some of the images are breathtakingly beautiful. This made the production feel on point with the reviews. I liked the wuxia elements and fight scenes or lack of. The way they can make you feel like you have watched an intense battle when they only touched hands. The wardrobes are hit or miss, somewhere better in the first season and some where better in the second season.

I liked that the story does have potential. Also, I am a fan of the ML and FL who in the first season had electrifying chemistry.

In conclusion, I did not like the ending, but it was better than season one. I will continue to watch the until the end. Mainly because I want to see if they can finally put it all together for me to be satisfied.

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Lacking in most areas!

I just felt this story did not have a lot of substance to be worthy of a good score. The ML is handsome and his acting is getting better but far from there. The FL just fell flat acting wise. She has a very pretty smile and it lights up but that is all that saves her. FL's character was lacking the strong FL element she was not really good at much. This had editing issues in many of the episodes that just made you do a double take ask what happened, what did I miss. It was annoying. going back to see if I had missed something. Tried to mix in modern elements which felt awkward and they did not flow.

On an upside "Pinger" her maid was a highlight for me. The actress was cute as a button and played her part well. She and her friend played their part well. Another character that made the story better was the ML mother for her small part I felt she played her part nicely.

All in all it was what it was a small mini drama with a low budget.

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Si and Jin (Jin completely adores Si)

Si Jin had everything I love in a drama and more of everything I love. Number one is romance: In addition to a good storyline, there was mystery, suspense, humor, a good dysfunctional family, lovable characters, an ML who is head over heels in love, and plenty of eye candy. The first episode starts with an epic cliffhanger where the FL dies, and we don’t know what happened. So, the audience is immediately drawn in, trying to piece together this puzzle. The episodes move at a quick pace, but getting to the heart of this mystery takes some time. While you are putting together the pieces, you will enjoy meeting the many characters, some of which are really good and others really bad.

I have no sense of the novel, so I cannot write my review with that in mind. This is purely from a dramatization perspective and my point of view.

The acting is good, not great, but it delivers a decent drama. There are some over-the-top moments with scream acting and then some demure postures. (acting without emotions) The casting was good. I found most of the characters played a good role and helped develop the story. With that being said, I felt that there could have been more back stories with some of the characters. Because the episodes move along quickly, I couldn’t get into the emotions of the drama. I think you will definitely love the leads and hate the villains.

The production is grand and beautiful, with what looks like a picturesque background, but the cinematography is somewhat lacking and feels closed in at times. (makes a big production look and feel small) There are also some editing issues where it feels like they left out chunks of information. It may be that they couldn’t fit in a lot of the novel. Whatever they left out, it does feel like it could have made a better drama. The costumes are well done and provide a large array of colors.

As far as the OST is concerned, I do not speak the language, but it sounded beautiful and fitting to the scene.

In conclusion, if you are a romance, family drama, crazy villains, smart, strategic and adoring FL, ML you will love this drama. If you need a more specific review, I thought this one was spot on https://kisskh.at/profile/DramaloverPanda, although the score is too low.

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Slow Torture!

To begin the pace of this drama was extremely slow almost as if it was purposely done to drag out 40 episodes. I did like the beginning plot and the way in which I felt the story might develop. It has a smart, pretty FL and a smart, handsome, dominant ML. These two although they start off at odds find a common element early on in their ability to solve cases. Each has a strong moral position and an unwavering penchant for justice. The FL is one of a few that will stand up to the ML and does not seem to fear much. The case-solving tends to move slowly to match the slow pace of the drama.

The set and costumes are done well for the most part you do feel you are a part of the room. However, they did over-decorate some scenes and the room is too congested. I am not Asian, but I notice that many Asian movies are done in the cold where you can see the breath of the actors as they speak, and in this drama, it happens often. This is distracting at times.

Another thing I liked was the fight scenes. They were quick and entertaining moving faster than the pace of the show. The actors handled the action well and did a good job.

There is an interesting cast of characters with political intrigue. With this being said the first two episodes had my interest but then it fell short due to the slow pace of the drama and the lack of connection between the leads. Ding Yu Xi, I felt played his part well as the domineering lead but I felt Ancy Deng could not match his presence. There is not a lot of time spent on the supporting cast. Just some flashbacks to get a sense of the characters. If they spent time on them it may have helped with the slow pace.

So I think I get it now, why I am not seeing any chemistry between the leads. There is a certain immaturity in the FL so when I looked her up I found there is a huge age gap of 10 years between them. Not that age matters but if you have ever seen Yang Mei Mei, who is 19 yrs., but she looks 15 yrs. and she can pull off the coy woman role like nobody's business. the FL in this case, her youth and immaturity strongly come across in this drama. I think that with some agencies popular actors are sometimes forced to act with newcomers to give them a leg up in the industry. What a shame they could have cast better.

I stayed until the end to give Ding Yu Xi the benefit of the doubt because I felt he did a good job. The ending was not unexpected but could have been better.

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Face swap success!

Face swapping, changed identity, murder mystery, and a take on child abuse. This drama was interesting from the trailer. The actors were on point and intriguing. I thought the casing was very good and each one fit their part. Although I must admit the initial Yang Cai Wei (woman with the scar) was so good that I did not think the FL Shangguan Zhi would fit the role. I was wrong, she took over immediately and owned the FL role.

This drama had a lot of depth to it in that some of the focus seemed to be on abandonment and child abuse. It becomes sad at times. The detective cases were handled quickly so it was not boring.

I like the production the costumes were great, especially ML who wore something different every time you see him, and it looked good. FL's wardrobe was so, so. In all of the movies I have seen the FL she seems a little anorexic (IMO) so her clothes do not look great.

The soundtrack was good, nothing I remember.

The ending was a little underwhelming but still satisfying as it was a happy one. They left room for a 2nd season but not a watch for me.

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Could be a little more realistic!

“Fighting For Love”,

So this a story of two people on merging paths to each other. I am only a few episodes in but the story is well written so far. Some of it is not so much words but the expressions and actions of the actors are so believable. The drama is well written I find myself listening to the dialog and not fast forwarding a lot. So, for me there is some intrigue about where it is going.
Acting:
Now that I am at end of this drama it has been fairly good. There is no shortage of plots and palace intrigue. There is a large cast and what seems like a big production. The story is not new with a strong woman pretending to be a man. The FL handles her part well and her played down looks helps with the part. In the beginning episodes the acting was really good, and I take my hat off to the emperor he is superb. The ML could have been a little better with the acting. He plays an aloof playboy prince that is not mature and does not know anything about responsibility. So, it is up to the FL to guide him. Their relationship does not take long to develop as they become friends first.
This drama has a lot a battle scene a little more than I like, because they lack that wuxia element, but they move quickly. The production of the battles are done well. I would not call this a wuxia it is just more of a drama.
I have binged most of the drama it does draw you in with the curiosity of who, what why and where is this going in he end.
Story:
The story is not original but is written well and does draw you in to watch. It has a lot of twist and turns. The last three episodes are rushed so much so I thought it would be a second season. I don’t know if everyone will stick around for the end or even appreciate the ending. I for one did not like the ending. I did not like the direction the story went in for the final episodes. This I more on a personal level and observation. I am all for the independence of women and that being able to forge your own path. I liked that the writers kept her personality of women in that she always knew she was a woman. She was forced by her circumstances to act as a man. I also liked that she was not portrayed as a woman that was physically stronger than men but she did work at being smarter.
Rewatch:
In conclusion I would not re-watch this. However, being that I binged most of it would suggest that I like the drama overall. It could have had a better ending, but I think that is how most people feel about endings these days. (They suck).

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Nice love story, but!

Full disclosure: I have not read the novel and am unlikely to, so I can only speak from the drama's point of view. The First Frost is a nice love story that could have been a better drama. It is an unconditional love that spans years of lost time. The two leads are high school classmates who are clearly in love with each other, but for some unknown reason at the beginning of the drama, they separate. I truly liked the drama, but this is where I found my first flaw. It was a bit too slow-paced getting to the reasons for the separation. It is not what I would call a slow burn, but a question of why it is so slow. If the director intended for it to be a slow burn, then they missed the mark. This was the biggest disappointment for me, the dragging on. Other than that, I liked it.

It is a good story that deserves to be told. The bitter taste of life and family abandonment should be told to help people heal. You will be disturbed by the suffering the FL must endure. Which will make you an instant fan, and you will want to embrace her. It takes a draggy turn in the middle for a few episodes. I don't know how to rate the production because I am not sure what to think. The production felt low-budget and small. However, that may be intentional. I could not believe some of the living conditions. This drama can be a bit of a "Debby Downer" at times, too.

As far as acting, the ML and FL do a good job. Especially the ML, he is fully invested. His love for the FL feels real and underappreciated. The chemistry is there, but because the story is so slow and sad, it is hard to feel it. The cast of characters is sufficient, their acting is just okay. There are a few side stories and couples. Some are more interesting than others.

The soundtrack is good and fits the drama nicely

If you are romantic, this is a good watch. The devotion the ML has for the FL will leave you breathless and wanting for yourself.

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Do not waste your time

I thought this had an interesting plot, something uplifting about being thirty and it being a good thing, but it was just depressing. It was actually quite predictable nothing that comes out at you. Maybe the music was a bit somber that made it seem to drag on. I fast forwarded a lot. I did not feel any chemistry between any of the characters not even the FL's. I remember thirty and it was one of the best times of my life in spite of bad relationships and barely making ends meat. This should have been about the joy of surviving thirty but I could not find any joy in this drama. Glad it is over. I thought "WWW" had a better take on thirty.

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Unsatisfying disappointment!

The costumes, set, and production are well-done in this drama. I the role of the Emperor, the ruthless guard, and the female villain. I believe they were all performed adequately. This had a decent plot; although it was not unusual, it had potential. In this dark plot, not knowing who is bad or good is intriguing and will hold your interest at first.

I really wanted to like this because I am a fan of both leads, but I was never satisfied. The plot, although not unusual, still had a certain appeal and draw to me. I started out as I do with all my dramas, with an open mind. When there is a drama where both leads are masterminds at manipulating the narrative, I am automatically a fan and cannot wait to see how they outsmart the villains. So, I was a little disappointed when it did not happen the way I thought it should. It seemed they kept getting outsmarted, and that was a letdown. From the beginning, the first few episodes were a little too much in the psychological thriller aspect.

The acting was not horrible, but it was not great either. The FL (Liu Shi Shi) was somewhat demure in her portrayal of Ping An. I get that the character is emotionally damaged, but she failed to pull me in. I felt she needed some spunk to show her quest for vengeance and the truth. Also, the torture scene, IMO was over the top, and the only thing I felt was for the one doing the torture. I hated him for sure. Actually, during the entire drama, Jiang Xue Ming) who played (Li Jun was the only one that drew a reaction from me. ML, Shawn Dou, who played Yuan Shao Cheng, never showed any reaction or emotions at all. Note that his character is also emotionally damaged. To be honest, that is not unusual for the roles he plays. At this point in his career, he should be showing more growth.

Needless to say, the drama never picked up the pace. I started getting bored and could not wait for the end, just to see how it ended. That was also a letdown.

The drama never provides a pick me up through its tragic storyline. It may start but abruptly goes back to the undercurrent of tragedy.

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