Female Resilience!
Zhao Lu Si, my beloved flowerššøThis drama was such a masterclass in terms of acting, cinematography, styling, music, just everything was so splendid. I loved the cast, the complexity of the characters. Duan Wuās fighting spirit and determination, but also her sensible side and strength, her resilience, her love, her loyalty. What a wonderful character, Zhao Lu Si played her to perfection. Cui Shi Jiu was an interesting character as well, who I pitied by the end of the show. CSJ was in some ways similar to Duan Wu, but she was so much more aggressive, hot-tempered and rash in her decisions. The endingā¦ letās not talk about it, I cried too many tearsšš¤š» My only criticism would be the non-stop problems befalling Clear Mind once Duan Wu set up her business. It was repetitive: she takes care of one person sabotaging her and her business, and whoops: next person coming to mess with her. Regardless, this drama was wonderful. It puts female characters at the center and shows their strength and resilience, their intelligence and sensibility. Truly, a great show. š
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Headache-inducing heartbreak but sooo worth it!
Second watch: 10šā¦ I could fill an ocean with my tears right now. I love this show so much, but Iām yet again broken lmao. I just love Ruo Xi, and her consistent character. The years in the palace took her girlhood, her youth, her beauty, and most importantly, her healthiest years. This time, the romance between her and the 4th prince made more sense to me. I could feel how they gravitated towards each other, and how they could feel the otherās presence before seeing them. They also had similar views on certain matters. The little romance she had with the 8th prince wasnāt as weird this time, although I STILL think he was greedy lol. I appreciated it this time because those early years are so peaceful and calm compared to the rest. The series gets progressively worse after episode 20. Thatās when every scene, every plot, will hurt like daggers, when the characters start to suffer the most. Regardless, I love the show and its characters; I also love the setting, the costume, and the beautiful OSTā¦. When I watched the show for the first time, the timeline confused me to be honest, but after some research it became clearer, which made the second watch even betterā¦ What a show, but I need something healing yet againā¦. So, Iāll watch āMeet Yourselfā now lmao.
First watch: 9š
I have a headache, I cried so much. At first, I didnāt even cry, but the last 10 episodes hit me as if a train and truck and bus had run me over. I thought I was okay in the last episode, but then they had to kill the 13th brother tooā¦ my heart hurts just a little bit šš».
To be honest, I wasnāt crazy about the romance because I found 8th princeās advances ā¦ not that cool lol: he wants the throne AND his sister-in-law? Like, letās not be greedy, you have her sister already, and she doesnāt even like you, bro. But, in comparison with the 4th prince, later emperor, the 8th wasnāt so bad, I guess. It was at least a lot more peaceful lol.
My poor Ruo Xi looked soā¦ drained, tired, and exhausted from the second half on that I just felt so bad for her. Just like her sister, she longed for freedom and not for the palaceās restraints and the princeās schemes.
I really enjoyed the political intrigue and scheming of the drama; the storytelling and pace were great too, there was never a boring episode! Especially in the later episodes, I felt tense and I was anticipating the next plotā¦ I really LOVED the costumes/styling and the music a lot too.
Anyway, Iām sad now and need a no drama-drama to heal my heartšš§š»āāļø. Might (probably) rewatch once I feel delusional again.
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Great blend of rom-com, mystery and action!
Ah, how sad I am to have finished the show nowšš„¹. This had the perfect mix of mystery, rom-com and action for me! I like how Dan Oh had a great relationship with Shi Yeol, Yoon Ho and Kang San individually as well as with all of them as a group! I also enjoyed the mystery behind the identities of the Prince and Watchman! They gave us clues and (misleading) hints here and there and yet it made sense once the identity of those two was revealedš§š»āāļø. Sometimes, the episodes had some segments that felt like filler, but every episode had an AMAZING cliffhanger and would be succeeded by a banger start of the next episodeš„š„The OST also had some really nice instrumentals that I enjoyed a lot! I am satisfied with the ending as everything wrapped up nicely: the bad guys got their deserved ending, the good ones created their happy end and we, the viewer, were able to finish the show happily and positivelyšššŗ. The second-lead story with Shi Yeol and Hong Joo was heartbreaking, but so beautiful; for once, I really enjoyed a secondary love story as much as the main. The overall love-lines in this show were really sweet and so cute, I had great time!Was this review helpful to you?
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Quite nice!
I finally watched this ā been wanting to do it since it first aired! Overall, this was an acting masterclass from Shin Hae Sun, she was so marvelous to watch; the best performance of the show to be honest. I donāt mind the ending all that much because Ji Eum finding peace and happiness without the burden of her past lives felt very right and important to me. This show also made me cry so much!! The first 3 episodes were really nice, but after thatā¦ the middle did not feel as good anymore, it picked up again towards the end. I am overall a little bummed that I didnāt love it, but it is not a bad show by any means. Brownie points for the stunning cinematography and the beautiful OST!Was this review helpful to you?
Good, but expected more
I finally finished this after a month! Overall, this was good, but I expected a little more. Some parts felt long and draggy because I didnāt care too much about certain characters after a while.The acting of the leads was amazing though. I loved their chemistry a lot, and understand why everyone went crazy over themš¤š„¹. I wasnāt a big fan of our Black Dragon because 1) he was kind of bad at his job, 2) kind of dumb and 3) we never saw him as a dragon except for, like, two times. Thatās so annoying. I also didnāt like Jie Li to be honest. Her character was really annoying.
The cinematography and CGI were amazing though. Such a feast for my eyes, I really loved it. The OST is also so beautiful and catchy!!
Now, where can I get a Dongfang Qing Cang for myself?
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First Xianxia done :)
My first Xianxiaš„¹ DoneāI love my girl Lu Si, so I was very excited to start this, and she delivered. I loved her acting in this, especially her crying scenes ā she had me BAWLING. I think her on and off-screen chemistry with Wang An Yu was great too, and I loved seeing their characters togetheršš.
The second couple was cute too, but I think they developed the romance so late. Hong Yi only starts chasing Yan Shuang in episode 36ā¦ of 40!!! Thatās too late, we deserved to see them as a cute romantic couple š
I also think the ending scene between Feng Yin and Yuan Qi was too short. I feel like it would have been great to at least get a hug, no??? Regardless, Iām satisfied with how everything wrapped up overall.
Visually, the show was very pretty. Most of the CGI was very impressive and nice, and the costumes and styling delivered a 10/10 as well. The OST was really pretty too, such beautiful songs and voices that emphasized the story perfectly.
Overall, a nice show with
- Fun
- Heartbreak
- Some stupid immortals with 1 brain cell (honestly, after so much time youād think theyāre smart, but these old immortals were all so dumbšš)
- Romance
- Pretty costumes and OSTs!
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Too long, but still good overall
Damn. I finished this. The middle and the last couple episodes wereā¦ long, and I admit that I skipped a ton to get ahead. I think 35 episodes would have sufficed to tell the story; I donāt know why it was nearly 50š.HaoYan is indeed an incredible couple. Hao Du is like a pillar, a rock, thatās always been there to protect her. I think itās because he was also so consistently there that she kind of didnāt think more of it. The competition changed everything though š. Even when their feelings werenāt as strong, his highest priority was ensuring her safety, something Wei Shu Yu simply didnāt do. He was so useless in general: losing Le Yan, losing the Crown Prince, losing Chang Ge, not speaking up when he should (Le Yan confessing her love and letting her think he accepts her feelings only to sister-zone her???) etc. Hao Du had to clean up WSY mess, AND he would die for Le Yan, and gladly so (as we see when he joins the competition for her marriage, he does so because he didnāt want her to marry someone she didnāt love ā even if it meant she would reject him). Both Le Yan and Hao Du grew over the course of the show, they matured and learned to communicate their feelings and how to trust one another.
I also enjoyed Chang Geās and Ashile Sunās relationship. They were each otherās safe place, and a very smart, calculated couple. It was nice to see them have some sweet moments towards the end of the show.
What I didnāt like:
- The camera work and editing felt very sloppy and unflattering sometimes. Very disappointed in that department. How do you make Dilireba, Wu Lei, Liu Yu Ning or Zhao Lu Si look kinda bad? And why would you waste pretty scenes with a weird light??? Shining brighter than the sun damn.
- The show was too long, and I really didnāt care about the Ashile tribe. I liked AāSun, but the whole tribe and its inner politics?š¬ After a while, I got tired of it, and I also felt like those parts of the middle dragged the most.
Overall, a really nice show that shines due to its stellar acting, great costumes and sets, and amazing music that underlines every situation perfectly. It should have been a little shorter though, and the camera work/editing could have been betterā¦.!
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Sad now that it's over ...
Ah, now that I finished this drama, saying goodbye is hard š„¹. This show is such a beautiful gem among the C-Dramas that I have watched. I am more and more excited to start historical dramas, and this one made my excitement even bigger. A beautiful and light-hearted show that did not shy away from diving into serious topics such as a woman's independence, domestic/spousal abuse, mental health problems and more.The female relationships in this drama were sooooo great: support and love, and it did not matter whether they were blood related or not. To have such strong relationships was so beautiful to watch. The female characters loved and appreciated each other, supported each other unconditionally, and were true friends. Thank you to the writer for giving us such a show.
The actors did such a good job playing their characters. The comedic timing of the leads and secondary characters was always spot on, thanks to that the show was a delight to watch!
I felt like the show was a little too long, and the leads' relationship seemed to stall for a little bit, but honestly the last 15 episodes were very good and some even made me cry. The emotional attachment to the characters and their fate is veryyyy strong haha!
Li Wei is such a sweet bean, who grew into such a smart and capable woman without losing the essence of who she is. When needed, she was the boss, but with Yin Zheng she always knew how to be her carefree sweet self, and I appreciated that a lot. Seeing Yin Zheng's unconditional love for her was so sweet too, he could be so silly around her. The team work between him and butler Su was always very fun to watchš¤šš»
Overall, a very nice show that I thoroughly enjoyed. At first, I didn't think I would rewatch it, but the last episodes made me change my mind. I would probably opt for the latter half for a rewatch, simply because of the lead's relationship progressing a little more, and them committing to their feelings for each other more fearlessly. But the entire show is definitely highly recommended!š
Rewatch November - December 2024: changed my 9 š rating to a 10 š:
Ah, this rewatch was amazing. I cried so many happy tears, and actually loved it even more than my first time seeing the show last year. I just love-love-love the women and their beautiful relationships in the showš„¹šš. And the romance is fun and so, so sweet š + the OST is just pure magic!!
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Short but really great!
I will need a man as smitten with me as the male lead was with Shi Qi, please. Their romance was so sweet and occasionally funny, I really enjoyed this little gem. The story is simple, but exciting. The cinematography is beautiful, and the settings as well as the costumes don't disappoint either. This was just really great, I'm happy I watched this! I loved Cheng Lei in >My Journey to You<, and he was just as great here. His character was such a green flag, I loved it. Overall, I would watch again if I need something good and quick!Was this review helpful to you?
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Mostly good!
I quite like the different cases as well as the characters, buuuut there are just a handful of things that annoy me...1) I did not like the episode about the leaked exams, I know it was probably the whole point, but I did not feel bad anyone lmao. These kids and parents are already rich and privileged and then just decide to be even greedier, and then complain about having to face the consequences of their entitled actions. And I am supposed to feel bad, or have some empathy? No. Same with Eun Seok being the "whistleblower" for ratting out the previous head judge. Like, if SHE doesn't do it, the coward wouldn't have done it either since his own life mattered more. For years he was known as an impartial judge, but NOW that it concerns HIM, suddenly he wants to bury the case since he wouldn't benefit from it because he wanted to go into politics. Sir, you should have been more decent to your son!
2) The fact that Cha Tae Joo just always stands there while Eun Seok is getting CHEWED the fuck out? Sir? Either, she tells him to leave, or he really just stands there, while someone yells at her? His submissive nature is kind of annoying seven episodes into the show like say something man!
3) Eun Seok victim blaming the girl in that one episode. Listen, yes, the girl(s) should not have run away, but blaming the 14yo girl that was forced into prostitution that this is the consequence of her not following the law after she got assaulted and nearly raped was kind of very much unnecessary and heartless in that scene , i don't know. On one hand, the girl was a culprit because she did previously beat up another girl, but on the other hand she was a victim as well. It's just two different situations. But being forced into selling her body as a minor (by girls that are hardly older than her) to grown ass men and then blaming her lowkey while she's still shocked and bloody, is just wrong.
4) Lack of character development. In my opinion, the characters more or less stayed the same. I also thought that Eun Seok's speech at the end was contradictory. She says she will not be biased in court yet admits that she still despises juvenile offenders. That's.... biased lmao, but whatever.
Other than that, the quality of the show is great as well as the acting and the cases are interesting and quite diverse.
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great start but got a bit draggy towards the end
I finally watched this show!! And hardly cried more during a show (okay, maybe >Tomorrow< is a strong contender for the show that made me cry the most....). The emotional delivery was excellent, every episode had something that made me cry. I also loved the bond the characters had and found family trope - it was so good. So Mun barely joined the counters, and they already considered him their babyš. Speaking of So Mun, he is such a sweety cutie pookie bear, i love him so much, what a sunshine! Mo Tak was my second fave because I, too, have anger management issues sometimes lmao! I loved Mo Tak's and Mun's bond that developed over the show, they seemed like one and the same person sharing one brain cell, and I loved it.I also see Mun and Ha Na more like siblings, I don't quite see why ppl shipped them romantically to be honest. Ha Na as a character was cool and badass, and I liked Se Jeong's delivery for the character most of the time. But sometimes I found her acting a bit too much, it felt too much like she was acting and just a bit unnatural whenever she was acting all tough. But her emotional scenes were excellent, she made me cry so much. Her character's story was really sad :(.
I also disliked the female evil spirit a lot, I felt like she was kind of point/useless for the plot? She didn't really add anything, she was just super annoying, shrill, loud and unhinged lmao? The last couple of episodes dragged a little, which was really annoying, but the last episode was nice,Ii liked it. The partners in the other world were super annoying, I especially disliked Wi Gen and Mo Tak's partner lmao. Their decision in episode 10 was super dumb, made no sense and actually pissed me off so much that I had to finish the episode a day later, skipping through the annoying bits and watching in double speedš.
Overall, a nice action-heavy show that made me cry way more than I thought it would!
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I loved our two introverts, they were so calming and understanding of each other, and I love how we still got some funny scenes of them together, capturing some awkwardness! I also really enjoyed the music and most of the characters. The second female lead got on my last nerve from the very beginning, I did not like her. The way she was pushing Dae Beom into academics without even knowing the consequences, or judging Yeo Reum for calling him "Dae Beom-ssi" instead of Mr. Librarian was just super annoying. Just because she's been friends with him since forever, she thinks she can make decisions for him or judge his relationship with the female lead?? At times, she seemed more like his mom than a friend (in love). I also never warmed up to Geun Ho's mom, I found her terrible. "Countryside attitude" - these countryside people were bullying a young woman for no reason (or rather for something that was not her fault.... did they want her to be homeless??). Their so-called attitude was just bad behavior and rudeness, nothing else.
I liked the simplicity of the lead's day-to-day encounters, and how committed Dae Beom was to Yeo Reum: knowing when she comes to the library each day, coming for her when he hears that something happened, leaving Seoul to come back to Angok etc. Their relationship didn't need much but I feel their bond was so strong and I like to believe that at one point they got married and moved in together lmao. I also did not mind the turn of events in the last episodes, some people thought it was unnecessary but I think it was fine.
Overall, a really nice little show!
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cute
[edit 2025: the previous rating was too low (and not fair), so I'm upping it a little - this was the best japanese romcom I have seen so far, but I'm sure there are better ones out there!]This is probably the first romantic jdrama that I watched that wasn't unbearable! :) The others that I have already seen were just hysterical but this was actually sweet although it did not have much depth or real development. It was simply a cute and fluffy romance between two adults who kinda get to know each other over 7 episodes. The jealousy scenes were kinda nice for once because they weren't unrealistic and you could understand where the male lead was coming from (it helps that he also reacted appropriately and not like a psycho). Misunderstandings were cleared very quickly and I think this was one of the rare times that a flashback scene was done right without taking a whole episode. In 3 minutes, they showed how the couple met and what the male lead was thinking during the wedding photo shoot, just the right amount of time to give more insight in the opening scene of the show. Overall, nothing super crazy, but the acting was decent, the characters not too stupid and annoying, no weird antagonists and the right amount of spice :').
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