Beautifully intense
I found out that this drama exists because of a list of enemies-to-lovers BL recommendations, and went to dig up the episodes out of curiosity despite not being a huge fan of the trope.Turns out, this is a beautiful coming of age story. The acting is perfect and the OST never felt out of place; if anything, it made every scene better. The camera work was also quite interesting to see, making the whole series a delight for the eyes.
I gave it a low rewatch value for two reasons: the first one is that the pacing of the story is quite slow, which means that while it might make every emotion more intense and tangible along the way, it can also get very frustrating if you already know what comes next. The second reason is more personal: there's a lot of pain and tears in this story, and while conflict is necessary for an interesting plot, it's not my cup of tea, so I might be hesitant to pick this series up again in the future unless I forgot what happens in the story.
Overall, I strongly recommend watching this series. It raises the bar for all the BL dramas out there, and I hope that it will motivate the industry to put more effort and artistry in their BL works in the future.
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Such a lovely couple!
"What did you eat yesterday?" shows the day-to-day life of a mature gay couple. I started watching hoping that I would enjoy myself, and ended up loving it.Shiro and Kenji make an unexpectedly good pair. Shiro is very pragmatic and a little grumpy from time to time, and also still not comfortable with being openly gay (especially at his workplace and in crowded places), but after a little while it's very obvious how most of the little things he does day by day are for the sake of Kenji's health and happiness. Kenji, on the other hand, is led by his feelings most of the time and the most comfortable with his sexuality; he wishes he could take care of Shiro more and show him around proudly, but he's willing to give him the time and space to do so on his own terms (well, in most cases).
Rather than a story, this drama is a slice-of-life series and it includes many aspects that aren't mentioned or explored in other LGBTQIA+ shows. I was surprised to see some events of my past in the series, which made it very relatable for me. The idea of Shiro and Kenji being able to navigate through their issues, both the solvable and unsolvable ones, despite their differences and their occasional disagreements, is truly heartwarming to me! I found myself watching with tears in my eyes more than once. The acting of the two protagonists definitely helped with that - they fit so well with each other!
The drama includes many recipies for the different dishes prepared by Shiro (and other characters) in each episode. If you're looking for skinship of any kind, I recommend looking elsewhere - this is not a typical BL and there's no fanservice included!
I had fun, feld moved and ended up devouring the entire series in the span of a couple of days. Absolutely recommended!
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Very painful romance but I have no regrets
I was hesitant about picking up this one because I had heard that there was lots of drama and angst in the story, but I saw it being recommended too many times (and I saw Bai Lu being praised all around A LOT), so I had to watch it and make an opinion for myself.The story is about Tantai Jin, the demon lord who is destined to bring chaos to the world, and Li Susu, the immortal who witnesses the destruction brought by Tantai Jin and travels 500 years back in time to prevent his rise to power. What Li Susu doesn't expect is to be reincarnated as Tantai Jin's wife, and Tantai Jin to be a mortal who is hated and mistreated by everyone. Just like that, Ye Xiwu's plan becomes more complicated: she has to find a way to neutralize Tantai Jin's evil core, but she also needs to make sure he doesn't die in the meantime.
The story flows very nicely. There is a lot going on, but the pace is not too fast and it allows to follow all the events well without getting confused, all without ever needing to slow down too much. There's also a very good balance between the dramatic plot elements and the more fun, romantic, and fluffy ones, which was a huge relief to me.
The cast was amazing all around, with very likeable characters and great villains as well. I was impressed by the ML the most for his performance as Tantai Jin: he was able to portray a very complex character, managing to show warmth and coldness as needed without it ever feeling unnatural. I've seen a good amount of anti-hero protagonists, but this is one of the few who were actually unsettling to me, in the best way possible!
The quality of the production was very high, with special effects that never looked out of place nor overdone. The OST also matches the core moments of the drama and enhances them very well.
I can't lie, the story made me suffer a lot. There's lots of moments that made my heart ache for the characters, and after almost 40 episodes I was starting to feel a little tired from all the heartbreaks I had to watch. Despite this, I enjoyed this story and its characters a lot, and I can easily recommend it to any fan of the Xianxia genre.
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They completely won me over!
I heard nothing but good things about Unintentional Love Story, so I was really looking forward to watch it and make my own opinion about it. I'm not going to lie: I was also a little bit skeptical about it for some reason, and ready to look for flaws that would make me dislike this drama at least in part.As you might have guessed by the overall rate I chose, Unintentional Love Story ended up winning me over, and became one of the best Korean BLs I've ever watched.
The story starts off with multiple circumstances involving the main characters, Ji Wonyoung and Yoon Taejoon, that need to be kept in mind in order to make the watch more enjoyable. This is not the kind of drama that one can watch while half-asleep or unable to keep track of the plot details being revealed little by little in the story, you've been warned!
If I had to pick one recurring theme for this story, I'd say it's about freedom, in particular the need to break free from what hold people back in life. At the beginning Ji Wonyoung finds himself being swept away by situations and people much bigger and powerful than him, so he ends up acting against his own morals. At the same time, Yoon Taejoon is trapped by an intense feeling of loss and betrayal that made him unable to truly trust anyone around him. Not much is revealed in detail about these two protagonists, yet their interactions on screen and the way they slowly start taking space in each other's life and adapting to one another is a wonder for the eyes. I also really liked how they indirectly made the other people in their life change as well.
The pacing of the story was just perfect: I felt like the characters took the perfect amount of time to get to know each other and build up their chemistry, and the obstacles they found along the way were all reasonable. Even when things looked bad for their romance, I didn't feel frustrated nor annoyed at anyone's decision or train of thoughts a single time, precisely because the characterization AND the writing of the drama were so perfect - something that even dramas with the highest budget get wrong sometimes.
The two couples were very good and I really liked how different their respective dynamics were. Neither of them were a "passionate making out moments" kind of couple (if you're looking for steamy kisses and love scenes, this is not for you!), but they were both very cute. Wonyoung and Taejoon especially made a very warm and romantic couple; the secondary couple wasn't shown enough for me to make a clear opinion about it, but I've heard that a spin-off about them will be coming soon and I'm curious to see how they will do there.
In conclusion, I consider this a must-watch for any BL fan, and I also strongly recommend it to whoever wants to watch a nice romantic drama in general. Each episode lasts about 35 minutes, so it's about 6 hours overall - not too demanding at all, so dive in if you have the chance!
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Not what I was expecting at all
The synopsis here on MDL is too generic to give a clear picture of what this is about. I had only seen a few short glimpses of this drama here and there and I was expecting something packed full with action and maybe comedy. It turned out to be a lot more sentimental and introspective than I thought, but I actually enjoyed it a lot!This story is about Bu Yiyong, a high schooler with a passion for drawing. Despite having a hereditary talent for calligraphy and a grandfather who keeps encouraging him to refine his skills, he has no interest in it. Things start to change when, after an accident that leaves him in a coma for two years, mysterious creatures start approaching him and asking for his help.
The plot mainly revolves around Bu Yiyong solving mysteries that involve supernatural beings, so if detective stories with fantasy elements are your thing, you will probably enjoy it! What you might not expect is how these stories actually involve a lot of introspection for all the people involved, including Bu Yiyong himself. The themes are mainly about past trauma, grief, and overall about overcoming the shadows of the past, on top of bringing comfort to those who were left behind. (If you're particularly sensitive, get some tissues ready, maybe?)
The characters are all introduced and used very well in the story, especially Chen Chuying and Cao Guangyan, who stay by Yiyong's side all the way through. The three of them develop their friendship in a very unusual way, but it works and it's amazing - I was afraid that they would feel out of place with each other until the end, but instead I ended up feeling like something was missing whenever one of the three wasn't present. There were also some hints of romance and bromance scattered here and there (between Yiyong and Chuying, and between Yiyong and Guangyan, respectively), but the drama never seemed to take any of those moments too seriously and were mostly used as comic relief. If you're looking for romance, this is definitely not the place.
The only part of this series that left me unsatisfied was the final resolution of the plot - I couldn't help feeling like something was missing and that not everything had come to a proper conclusion, which is why I gave it a 9 instead of a 10. I really hope there'll be a second season for this drama.
TL;DR: excellent drama if you're into detective stories, supernatural elements and tear-jerking themes with a touch of good humour, definitely not for you if you want romance. I personally enjoyed it a lot, so consider giving it a chance!
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Overall so mild it's almost flavorless
I debated with myself for a long time about whether I enjoyed this series or not. It was definitely entertaining enough for me to finish it, which is a start, and I liked the actors and the effort they put in their roles. The plot, however? It was just so confusing, with excellent ideas scattered in a sea of bad and boring writing, that I still can't decide whether it's just horrible or there's still something good inside.The school is depicted as this horrible and tyrannical place to be in, but I found it hard to identify with the "rebels" as there was no actual element that made me believe it was a horrible place. The only rules I saw being applied were the dress code (everyone must wear school uniforms) and the students not being allowed to use their phones. It just felt like seeing any other school, except that Suppalo brags about being traditional for no real reason other than the plot saying so.
Because of this, the behavior of the students doesn't make much sense. They made some good points in the plot, but the overall context lacks the power to make them feel strong enough. I don't want to spoil anything, but some of the most extreme actions taken by the characters lack the right motivation; on top of it, many of these extreme actions aren't met with the proper reactions or consequences. It felt like the writers just wanted to make me feel agitated no matter what.
The couples are cute and the actors did a good job, but unfortunately I can't say anything more than this.
In conclusion, now that I've watched all the episodes I felt like I watched something, but I can't pinpoint what I watched exactly. I feel disappointed because the trailer felt mysterious and I was curious to see what would this series be about, but apparently the writers don't know either. I don't recommend watching unless you like the actors in it.
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Something new and well-made disguised as something old and badly-made
While watching the first episode and seeing who were the main characters, I immediately started guessing what would happen in the story. I expected the usual clichés: the main guy with glasses and a goofy smile would get a makeover and suddenly turn conventionally attractive, his panicked friend would get consistently (and uncomfortably) hit on, and their feminine friend would just be the comic relief of the show. Anyone's stalking or harrassment would never be addressed and the bad behaviors would be just romanticised. If it wasn't for the countless positive comments on this page saying that this show is actually good, I wouldn't have been able to keep watching.In the end, all my expectations were destroyed for the better, which I guess says it all about how actually good this show is. The usual tropes were subverted, making the series a lot more interesting to watch. After feeling a lot of second-hand embarrassment for some ridiculous scenes at the beginning of the show, I got so invested I finished watching everything in the span of a few days. The actors were all amazing and I really hope I'll get to see them again in other future projects.
I also want to compliment the translation team, because the subtitles were some of the best made I've ever seen - providing not only the translation for the dialogue, but also captions for sound effects, and context and cultural information about what was going on at given moments.
I recommend watching this one at least once!
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Very good and underrated
During the first episode, I admit I wasn't too interested - it felt slow and not very interesting, and was tempted to drop the series altogether since I didn't feel like checking out the second episode at all. After the second episode, the story becomes more interesting and I ended up binge watching the rest of the episodes.The story is not perfect and there were one or two plot holes that made me frown, but there's something very intriguing about the plot and the characters that made me want to stay until the end to see how things would go. I was afraid that the setting and the plotlines would be handled very badly, making it look like the hospital was some kind of romance playground or something, but instead they did it justice and I was fully immersed even in every case of the patients that were shown.
The acting is also very good, and I have to say that Yacht was the one who surprised me the most: I've always been used to see him as "the comic relief" in other series, so seeing him as a serious character for once was very refreshing.
Overall it was a bittersweet series, not one that I will pick back up easily as I'm more into sweet and fluffy stories, but it was a pleasant surprise. In the end, I'm glad I gave it a solid chance to amaze me, because it did.
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Tragic and entertaining, I liked it
Yeon Seo is Fantasia's prima ballerina and sole heir, but after an accident that takes away her eyesight, she is unable to dance and take care of the company. The only few family members she has left are in charge now, and plan to keep things like this for as long as possible, whatever it takes.Dan is an angel who is prone to bend the rules of Heaven in order to save lives and help the weak. When one day he sees that Yeon Seo is about to lose her life, he decides to save her and change her fate. As punishment, he is turned into a human and forced to complete one last mission: either Yeon Seo finds love, or he'll be turned into dust forever.
I watched this drama twice (once as it was airing, once more in 2025): I was enamored with it during my first watch, still liked it a lot the second time despite noticing its flaws.
I gave the plot a lower rating because, despite it being interesting, I had the feeling that things were going nowhere more than once, and I wasn't able to ignore the plot holes. In particular, I felt like the rules of Heaven and all angels weren't established well enough: I kept wondering many times why weren't certain heavenly characters using their powers to solve a problem, and I was surprised at the usage of certain powers I didn't know the existence of. There were also some secondary plotlines that looked like they were handled half-heartedly, which is a pity.
Kim Myungsoo and Shin Hye Sun were absolute scene-stealers at all times. Their master/secretary dynamic was the most fun to watch, and even when their relationship got sweeter, they had very good chemistry. It really looks like Shin Hye Sun is born for tragedies, and I loved to see Myungsoo interpreting such a lively character for once.
The rest of the cast did a good job, but unfortunately a good chunk of them felt a little too flat for my taste. The "villains" in particular felt very cartoonish most of the time.
The production was pretty good. I was definitely impressed with how spectacular some moments looked. If anything, I would have preferred not having so many scenes filmed with the camera tilted sideways (seriously, I felt like half of this drama was filmed on a slope or something) and so many scenes of Character A saying something impactful to Character B, turning around and walking away quietly (after a few episodes it just looked funny).
This drama includes a few aspects of religion, especially Abrahamic religions. If you belong to any of these religions and you feel like this story might hurt your feelings or offend you, I highly recommend turning to something else.
Other than this? All I can warn you about is that this story is full of tragic elements and tears, so if you're looking for a cute rom-com that is easy to watch, this is really not for you. If you like supernatural romances, on the other hand, then this is absolutely your cup of tea. It might not be a mind-blowing masterpiece, but it's definitely worth watching at least once.
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Very fun show
The story is about five girls with very different personalities and lives, but all sharing the name Ploy, being the same age and going to the same high school. Despite being good friends in school, things don't go as smoothly as they hoped they would afterwards, especially with their respective crushes. Fifteen years later one of the girls realizes that the Ploys' phone numbers were switched around in their yearbook, leading to multiple misunderstandings and heartbreaks.The main theme of this series is about being able to forgive (both others and ourselves) despite the mistakes, but most importantly about healing after your heart broke, about looking back to make sure that there are as few regrets as possible, and about moving forward without letting past wounds slow down the pace.
The story is not flawless - in fact there were multiple times when I felt like certain events or behaviors from the characters were just a little too convenient for the plot, or a little too easy to achieve. I also had the feeling that some of the scenes were included less for the sake of the plot and more for the sake of "wouldn't it be awesome if this happened?" and such. The reason why I still rated this pretty high is that, despite this, I still had a lot of fun watching! The friend groups in this series really feel like friends, the emotional moments were delivered very well and I was invested in most of the story.
The casting was just impeccable. I decided to give this show a chance because Earth was in it, but I really feel like everyone did an amazing job. Most of the couples felt like true couples, which is one of the most important things for romance, but the parents, the friends and all the support roles were impeccable as well.
Pretty Ploy and Mek were by far my favorite couple of the entire series. At the very beginning I was convinced that I would end up hating Pretty Ploy, but instead she became my favorite out of all the Ploys. It's not easy to portray someone as concerned with beauty and dating as Pretty Ploy and make her so likeable, so props to Punpun for the great performance! As for Jimmy, I already saw his acting in other series and I can confirm that he can handle about any role; he was believable as the nerdy high-school boy, and he was still completely believable as a successful businessman, all without ever looking like he was interpreting two different people. These two also proved that you don't need kisses to prove great chemistry, and you don't need an elaborate plot to make a love story more compelling.
Prof Ploy and Khram were very sweet together, but not too convincing to me. I believe that Prof Ploy was one of the hardest Ploys to portray well, but Jamie was able to show a sweet and kind character while blending it with the subtlety and the cleverness that make her character so fascinating. I wasn't completely sold on her role as the chairwoman, but I'm not sure if this was something expected since Prof Ploy isn't supposed to be experienced. Despite his screen time, Mond didn't get too many chances to show off his acting, but I'm placing the blame on the overly elaborate plot this couple got. I don't believe they needed things to get so complicated, really.
Punk Ploy and Tawan were the couple I enjoyed the least, which is a shame since I was sort of looking forward to see them, but I also don't believe this was because my expectations were too high. Their plot just didn't convince me overall: it got overly elaborate very quickly and at some point I realized I was merely waiting for it to finish once for all. While Film was able to show different sides of her character, Joong wasn't as lucky, which was truly a pity. Last but not least, since their story wasn't convincing, I never really felt like their couple was as convincing as the others.
Plain Ploy and Pimai were great, but also penalized by a plot that forced me to suspend my disbelief more than I like to. There's only a handful of questions about the plot that I can ignore before I start to feel like the story was not polished enough, and this was one of those times. Despite this, both Aye and Toy did a great job with what they had and their acting was impeccable from start to finish. Props to Toy in particular for being able to act as both Pimai and his twin brother Plaimas, switching between the two so perfectly that I kept forgetting they were the same actor. This love story was also the most touching despite everything.
Prez Ploy and Thap were the frame for the entire series - the couple that started it all and the couple that was able to heal their scars and solve all the unfinished business in the end. I found this choice very satisfying, although some choices for their share of the plot felt a little too good to be true for my taste. I already saw both Earth and Namtan in other projects before and I already knew that they were great actors, but I feel like their casting for these role surprised me even more about their talent. They portrayed characters that felt human, making them the most real out of all the couples. I also wasn't expecting them to make such a romantic couple, and I mean it in the best way possible.
The production might not be everyone's cup of tea since it's full of time jumps between the main characters' high school days and present days. I didn't have any issues with it and was able to follow the story without trouble, but it might not be the same for everyone. The audio on YouTube sounded pretty bad, but I wasn't overly bothered by that either. One good plus is that there were absolutely no product placements getting in the way of the story here - something I'm not used to see from GMMTV shows.
This is one of those stories that deserve a chance, at least for one to make an opinion for themselves about it. If you enjoy love stories that involve lots of misunderstandings (done well) and plot twists, this might be for you.
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An unexpectedly fun drama
This drama has an interesting premise: the female general Wei Lin is looking for clues to redeem the late Crown Prince, but during her mission she ends up marrying Gu Mingzhu, whose family is involved with the case. She doesn't know, however, that the man she marries is actually Jiang Juan, leader of the Ling Pavilion, who has his own reasons to disguise himself and infiltrate Wei Lin's home.I was a little skeptical at this premise at first, since the episodes are short (if we don't count the opening and ending themes, all the episodes together amount to a little more than three hours), but the plot flows nicely and gets to its resolution without becoming too complicated in the meantime. I don't recommend expecting anything too refined (there were multiple moments when I had to forcibly suspend my disbelief at how certain events were unfolding), but for a short drama it works.
Rather than being dramatic and with an overly serious tone, this drama is actually more fun than anything else. From General Wei's attempts to adjust to a life with her new husband, to Jiang Juan trying all sorts of tricks and schemes to get closer to his wife. Not to mention all the secondary characters! Every episode felt lively and irresistible, I ended up binge-watching the whole drama in the span of a few hours.
The chemistry between the two main characters is great. I've never seen these two before, but I will definitely be looking forward to any new productions including them. They managed to make the love story believable and charming, and it was very satisfying to see their dynamic: a strong female hero who is actually believable as a general, and a sick male anti-hero who acts all sweet and clingy.
Definitely worth watching: it's fun, it doesn't have any unnecessary drama, and the actors did a great job from start to finish.
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Good for the dynamics!
I was looking forward to watch this drama since it features the same leads as "To Sir, With Love", which is another underrated gem (and actually includes a couple more actors from the same series). I might have waited a little to long to finally get to it, but it was definitely worth waiting for all the episodes to be released with English subtitles.The premise is very interesting: when Tinn's nephew, Tonkhao, dies from being hit by a car, he immediately decides to speak up and fight to bring her justice and make sure that her murderer is punished, but he doesn't have the power nor the knowledge he needs to do so, and his opponent, Thatthep, is too powerful. On the other hand we have Charn, who is a charming lawyer who only works for rich and influential people, and doesn't shy away from shady means to get what he wants, and is also Thatthep's lawyer for this case. At the very beginning, Tinn and Charn are enemies in this matter, but when Charn is dismissed by Thatthep, he starts to suspect that the case might be bigger than it looks, and decides to use the situation to get his revenge.
When it comes to executing the plot in a satisfying way, I can't bring myself to say that it was done too well. I can say, at most, that it gets the job done: the search for clues starts smoothly, and it comes with multiple dramatic plot points that make the story more engaging. Unfortunately the murder mystery ended up being much more simple and unsurprising than I hoped, and even some moments during the investigations felt like they were brought by sheer luck, rather than the wits of any character.
What I believe made the series so interesting and worth watching was the character dynamics: they were impeccable. Charn and Tinn are very different in terms of personal values and sense of justice, so seeing them work together and arguing with each other was always great to watch - and I can't deny that those words also made me think about it over and over after the episode was over. It was also satisfying to see two main male characters who are both openly attracted to men, for once! It made their interactions more fun, especially as Charn was flirting with Tinn every now and then, and it also let the series focus more on other aspects of the characters without the whole "who am I, what do I like" introspective bit.
The series also left room to deepen the information about Tinn and Charn's respective pasts, and the relationships with the people around them. Even the villains were shown properly, rather than being put there as cartoonish bad guys, which led to a secondary couple to have their moments as well.
The production was good enough, although I had the feeling that the budget was a little low here and there. The series only had 8 episodes and I believe that this time was used well overall: there was no time when I thought that a certain part of the story was taking too long to unfold, nor did I ever feel like anything was rushed. My only complaint would be about the slow-motion effect, which was used way, WAY more than necessary.
If I had to compare it to other Thai BL series I've seen in the past, I'd put it in the same category as Manner of Death and Triage. It doesn't quite reach the same charm as those series, but I thought it was just as intriguing for its execution and themes. Worth watching at least once!
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Beautiful love story!
This xianxia revolves around a powerful "evil" lord, Dongfang Qingcang, and the little Orchid fairy who accidentally frees him from the prison he has been in for 30,000 years, and puts him under a spell in the process. The plot follows them as Dongfang Qingcang does all he can to take advantage of the situation and rise to power once more, and Orchid does her best to hide her new companion from the other immortals, and change him for the better.What stands out immediately in the story is the characterization of the two protagonists, who couldn't be more different from each other: Dongfang Qingcang is practical, strict, always serious and straightforward, and has little to no care about what others might think or feel; Orchid, on the other hand, is very emotional and innocent and always tries her hardest to make sure that the people around her are happy and at ease, even at her own expense. The two of them grow to appreciate each other from the little things, and slowly grow and evolve emotionally as well. I really liked how the changes in their behavior and their attitude toward each other felt very natural; both protagonists are very different people in the second half of the drama, and I didn't question this change even for a moment. The story takes place in four different "arcs", so to say, each of them very relevant for the evolution of Orchid, Dongfang Qingcang, and their romance.
Overall the plot felt very solid to me. There were a couple of times when I felt like it was getting too slow, and also a moment when I actually wished the events had more time to unfold properly, but it didn't hinder the story.
All the characters were amazing. The two protagonists gave amazing performances and I was very impressed by their versatility to portray such complex characters in particular: the cast was just perfect for all the roles.
The quality of the production was pretty good, I really liked the props and the costumes and the CGI was pretty impressive in my eyes as well. The OST also has to be one of the best I've heard in a drama; I don't think I'll ever be over the opening theme in particular.
There are some elements that might stop people from watching (namely: Orchid's voice in the first half of the drama), but I feel like you should still give it a try if you like the genre. I did and I certainly didn't regret it!
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Fun and thrilling adventure with an awful pace
This story is mainly about two young men, Huzi and Qi Xiaoxuan, who team up with each other and fight to overcome a crisis that threatens to destroy the world. The structure of the story and the way it develops in each episode reminded me a lot of certain action tv shows I watched as a kid, in a good way: I really felt like I was embarking in a great adventure and the setting was very charming to me. Despite this, the plot was not easy to follow because of its pacing, which is just terrible: the story seems to slow down or even come to a halt at the worst moments, it speeds up way too much right when it's supposed to take more time to let the events develop naturally, and so on. I felt confused multiple times as I wondered why were certain events in the story taking so long to finish, all while some very important parts of the story felt rushed for no good reason. If anyone dropped this drama because they were getting bored or they couldn't understand the plot, I wouldn't be surprised.The strongest point of this series is definitely in the characters. The main characters, the antagonists, even the secondary roles and a good chunk of the supporting cast were very captivating and well-detailed, most with a well developed story and personality that made for a very colourful cast.
Huzi and Qi Xiaoxuan are amazing as the main characters and make a very good pair: seeing their mutual dislike slowly turn into quiet acceptance, then respect, friendship, and even brotherhood was very satisfying. I'd go as far as calling it a bromance, because I feel like the chemistry they had with each other was unmatched. Seeing someone like Huzi as a main character was also a pleasant breath of fresh air to me, after seeing male protagonists who are always elegant and refined in all the Chinese fantasy dramas I've ever watched. Zhao Xintong and "Brick" Wang Yuqian completed the quartet very quickly, and their characters were explored to an extent that left me pleasantly surprised. I was afraid that their group would feel like "Huzi, Xiaoxuan, and friends" for the entire story, but that wasn't the case at all.
The production looked pretty good to me: the entire drama looks incredibly pretty to look at, and the fighting scenes are probably my favorite. I wasn't a huge fan of the CGI monsters, but that's something that I could overlook easily.
This series could have been a 10 out of 10 to me, if it wasn't for the bad pacing, which might easily discourage anyone from watching more than a handful of episodes. I still feel like Tiger and Crane deserves a chance despite this, because it's still a fun adventure and the characters are just too easy to love.
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A fun Xianxia adventure!
I started watching because I heard that there would be a dragon as a main character and I was curious to see what would the story be like. I can easily admit that I only watched a handful of Xianxia dramas in the past, so this review is only based on what I've learned to appreciate when watching dramas of several different genres, rather than watching other Xianxia stories.I just finished watching the last episode and I can say that I enjoyed myself.
The story starts off as a quest to find Tianyao's missing body parts, with Yanhui as a fundamental part of the plan. The rhythm at the beginning of the story is lively and addictive, the setting also feels welcoming even when there are dangerous situations. The dynamic between characters, however, takes the crown for being the real show-stealer: Tianyao's cold and stubborn attitude seem to clash with Yanhui's just as stubborn and fiery character, but they immediately complement each other and they are quick to become reliable partners, even when there are no romantic feelings involved. The arrival of Bai Xiaosheng also contributes to make the story even more entertaining: he has to be one of the most charming characters in the entire drama!
I felt like the dynamics among characters got ruined around the middle of the story. I'm not saying that this was unjustified (there are valid plot reasons for that, I believe), but a big part of what made the show so compelling was reduced to almost nothing in the span of a couple of episodes. The arc in the middle was also not very interesting, so I'm not lying when I say that at that point I was just hoping for things to get better as soon as possible.
Luckily for me, things did get better later on. On the other hand, the worldbuilding started to look a little fragile, with powers and magical effects coming and going according to what the writers seemed to need at any given moment. While it was still fun and I felt like the story was saved toward its conclusion, I also couldn't help feeling a little unsatisfied for this reason.
As I said, the characters were definitely the best part. There's almost always some characters that I end up finding too annoying or boring, but that wasn't the case this time around: Tianyao, Yanhui, Xiaosheng, even antagonists such as Suying and Lingfei were all interesting and fascinating to see on the screen. Now that I watched all the episodes, I have the feeling that I'm going to miss them a lot.
The production was good enough. The special effects weren't very good, but I'm also not the kind of audience who is too picky about that.
The music was another great part of the drama. All the songs are amazing and touching, they give the story the right amount of dramatic and majestic energy it needs, making the important moments even better in terms of delivery.
This drama is definitely not perfect, but the story and the characters are all charming. They kept me looking forward to the next episode, which is the most important thing for me. I'm definitely recommending this series to whoever is looking for an epic fantasy adventure with themes revolving around trust, betrayal, obsession, and most importantly finding your own place and your own path in life.
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