ramblingromantic

A romance fantasy with a yearning male lead and a determined female lead

The current reviews are harsh. I do agree, this show would have done better if it came out closer to its production and completion. I also do with we got those seven cut episodes because I do think it would have buffed out some more under explored aspects. That said…I loved it! If LBFAD can have an 8.7/10, I don't see why this show can't hit at least 8.

It gave me Love Between Fairy and Devil vibes not because of the demon lord vs fairy concept but the coloring and overall production — but with an arguably more satisfying ending.

The things about this show I loved:
- Though the romance was overall more lowkey because of Jiang Li Fei’s (rightful) distrust of Lei Xiu Yuan for much of the show, their chemistry and tension carried. Lei Xiu Yuan also did such a great job yearning so I was satisfied with that.
- The group friendship(s) were super cute and I loved them a lot
- I enjoyed the general side characters. I think the antagonists were a bit one dimensional but the various antagonists make up for that. I also liked the different masters than look out for the main leads, they were all so great with distinct personalities.
- I loved the costumes and overall production vibe – pretty pastels and fun energy
- Baili Ge Lin and Lu Li were very cute and I super enjoyed not just their romance but relationship and personalities.
- Ri Yan and Qing Cheng’s friendship was fun but I liked Qing Cheng’s background a lot.
- Some people said it was slow but the pacing felt perfect to me, it’s one the first shows in a long time that I DIDN’T watch at 2x speed. I actually watched 99% of the show at 1x speed which says a lot. While parts of the editing and story continuity were chopping, the plot was always moving forward in a way that made sense.

The things about this show I didn’t love:
- Ji Tong Zhou’s storyline wasn’t unexpected but I would have loved him not not have fallen into the cliche obsessed route
- Miao Qing was a great character but I’m not sure I liked her ending. She dies for a man that literally did not give 2 cents about her. Even before he becomes consumed with evil, he was pretty indifferent to her so I’m also a bit lost as to why her death made him grieve so much and why it’s what does him in. We could say it’s regret for not appreciating her but I just don’t feel like that was well insinuated or built up towards.
- I wish we got more substantial flashbacks of Ye Sha & the Divine Tree in the past.
- She always dies for him to help him but then the calamity is a curse due to the immortals killing her so I feel like there could have been a lot more provided her rather than only the make out and death scenes.
- I felt like I missed something in terms of the demon land and how they got stuck but finally went back but then started coming back again at the end 10 years later
- Someone pointed out that big reveals are glossed over.
- I watch a lot of romantic fantasy and they all follow pretty similar beats so I didn’t think much of it in the moment but I do think the fact that the main leads just casually remember their past without much fanfare holds that fates intertwined aspect back.
- I think they glossed over some pretty big deaths quickly. Si Mo is mentioned and mourned but his head was literally cut off??? Like excuse me?? And then even with the ending IDK if I feel like Ye Ye and Chang Yue’s deaths made sense. Like they did but also didn’t. It all happened so fast. Shao Min’s death was “fine” ig but I hated that she died fr.
- I loved Lei Xiu Yuan’s puppy sick love for Jiang Li Fei but it gets undercut by her stubbornness. She loves him and argued that fate could be changed only to be completely apathetic to his pleas for finding a middle ground and even now I still don’t understand why she doubted him? Like I get be betrayed her when they were younger but we already established his real reason was to save his brother and that he was more or less tricked and she forgave him eventually so I still don’t understand why she suddenly became so cold to him again…I think this links back to those missing 7 episodes.

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A Sizzling Romance (w/ a political plot line that falls a bit short)

NOTE: Unlike kisskh I also have a category for Romance (because I exclusively watch romances lol) so while some categories get less than a 10, I did give the romance an 11/10 (YES 11). So the show ends up a 10/10 for me.

Pursuit of Jade has all the classic aspects of a historical romance but still feels new and creative. For me, the best things about the show were:

- Xie Zheng & Fan Chang Yu’s romance. This is a core element that makes this show so good. You have a perfect burn romance with leads whose chemistry rivals that of oil and fire. Everything about their romance felt perfect for the plot. My main care is always the romance and this was easily an 11/10 for me
- The depth of most of the antagonists. While some had more screen time and better arcs than others, 99% of the antagonists had a depth to them many shows skip for the sake of having an “evil antagonist”. I loved that each character, good or bad, had a logistical reason for their choices and actions.
- Tian Xi Wei as Fan Chang Yu. Tian Xi Wei played her role to perfection. I liked Zhang Ling He before this show and he is a handsome actor, but between the two, she was amazing. I had more of a crush on her character. Fan Chang Yu was the dream balance of boss lady who takes no sh*t and sweetie pie that cares about the wellbeing of everyone.
- Gongsun Yin and Qi Shu’s romance. It was an excellent secondary romance with such a lovely softness to it that contrasted the “hardness” between the main couple who were navigating war and their fathers' deaths.
- Jin Yuan Bao and his crew. They go from hooligans to Fan Chang Yu’s entourage (aka the Butcher Crew). Jin Yuan Bao was super cute and loyal to her and I love that we see him have a tiny crush but he packs it up and recognizes she loves Xie Zheng rather than causing a “dramatic love triangle” drama. The crew was so cute, I was genuinely sad when one of them died.

The main issues I had with the show were:
- Some of the side main characters were handled a bit odd. Specifically Yu Qian Qian and Song Yan. (*This is a large reason why story is 9.2*)
- I know there was real life drama for the actor of Song Yan, but his role at the end and his AI face really made it hard to watch him at all. *(This is specifically why acting is a 9.8)*
- For Yu Qian Qian I don’t understand why they made her of a *mysterious background,* it literally adds/subtracts nothing from her story expect making you feel like you are missing something. The show is very much “realistic fiction” so why allude to her being an immortal or from the future or whatever ambiguous origins.
- Plus Qi Sheng as a push over Emperor, his character is so passive and to have him go crazy was disappointing to say the least.
- There are a lot of “antagonists” whether passive or active, this is both a plus and negative in that some “endings” for the antagonists fell a bit flatter than if there were fewer antagonists. For example, Sui Yuan Qing’s death felt so abrupt when there was so much pent up hatred both towards and from him.
- Kind of linking to the point above, I loved and hated that the "main, real antagonist" was the Late Emperor. It is a great way of giving all the antagonists on screen more depth, but it feels so unsatisfying that there’s nothing to be done that the “main evil” is already dead even though he has caused so much pain 17 years ago and now. (*This is the other main reason why story is 9.2*)
- Someone also made a good point that Fan Changyu easily defeated two seasoned generals without much effort while Xie Zheng is said to be the most powerful general but there was not a single proper battle for him. I think Fan Changyu makes sense because her father did raise her to be a fighter (and she was born extremely strong) but I do think it would have been nice to see a bit more fighting and dominance from Xie Zheng in war (but I don’t personally care toooo much about this so it’s more a nit for me than an actual flaw.)
- While I liked the “in another life” epilogue it was also unfulfilling for me. I would have preferred more about their current life to be honest.
- It sets it up as “another reality” but then everyone seems to have a deja vu of each other. Qi Min is alive but feels sick near Yu Qian Qian which again makes no sense if this is a world where the tragedy never happened. They should be able to have their HEA in this life (assuming he is decent and she falls in love back)
- Xie Zheng and Fan Chang Yu are “betrothed” at childhood which was cute but we don’t get any insight on how their relationship growing up is different which I feel should have been the focal of this flashback considering their romance is the focal point of the show

### Original Thoughts & Ideas
- Evil is a loop of cause and effect. Someone will always feel wronged for one reason or another. Ending the cycle starts with one’s self if we are to look at Qi Min and Wei Yan. Accountability and even just a bit more sympathy could have changed their fates drastically. Wei Yan was a great example of a gray character with all he did for the State of Yin, his lover, and his wife who he took in to protect as a pregnant widow contrasted with how he treated his nephew (Xie Zheng), how he manipulated the emperor, and scapegoated others.

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a show well deserving of its fame (a shot of serotonin in the form of a tv show)

This was so cute. A shot of serotonin in the form of a tv show. I love that we get to follow Su Zai Zai and Zhang Lu Rang‘s romantic journey. Zai Zai’s crush from the start was never a question, but she throughly enjoys befriending him and his two friends. Her personality is sunshine and bubbly cuteness. What I loved about her character is even though she was super bubbly she didn’t read as cliche or “manic pixie”. When she’s bullied by others, she stands up for herself accordingly. When she sees someone being bullied, she stands up for them. Those moments of fierceness were refreshing and satisfying to watch.

Zhang Lu Rang was shy and timid due to his parent’s ridiculous behavior. His growth was beautiful. Quite literally like watching a flower bloom from bud to blossom. He is silent and brooding but the actor did such a good job with nonverbal communication that you can tell how much he enjoyed Zai Zai’s company even as words fail him.

The show is mostly of their first three years of friendship in high school but we do have time jumps and get to see them in college and adulthood. The show is not full of stressful climaxes for the sake of plot, but rather very slice of life with the rollercoasters of joy and sadness as the characters navigate youth and adulthood. It was so satisfying to see Zhang Lu Rang go from a boy that says three words at a time to a man that says what’s on his mind unabashedly to the woman he loves 😭.

My only “complaints” are:
- I’d have liked more of Zhang Lu Rang‘a family life after his brother called out their parents.
- More for technical reasons but why was Zhang Lu Rang able to make Zai Zai’s high school and college graduation? Why didn’t she go to one of his? Did he finish before her both times?
- Because we get from 10th grade to them become full grown adults and parents, the timeline jumps a decent amount after high school. I don’t think this is wrong but I would have liked an episode more covering college and work, but I get why it was kept brief. I will say I like that the time jumps were seamlessly interwoven into the show rather than just a scene change and the words “2 years later” showing on screen.

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An Engaging (even though long) Show

This show was good, and I was thoroughly entertained even though it ran pretty long. I thought I would drop it because most of the synopsis had already happened by episode 15, and I still had more than double that number of episodes left to watch, but I had 0 idea what the plot would be. I am shocked that I made it all the way through, but I don't regret committing.

I liked the creativity around the show. That said, because it was so long, even though it was creative, it also occasionally felt tedious and repetitive. They insisted on killing a lot of characters, which plot-wise made sense, but of course, I never like it when they kill characters that are good. I'm still not over the fact that they killed the little boy sidekick Dou. He was so cute, and he deserved so much better, but I mean, he got to be a general in the end, I guess.

It was doubly ridiculous that an unprecedented number of characters committed suicide by knife to the throat, as if they didn't have poison or something they could use. I don't know why everyone had to take a knife to their throat, including her mother, which was a decent plot twist except for the fact that, once again, someone had taken a knife to their throat to kill themselves as opposed to something different.

I did enjoy that the Great Khan's wife was the real villain, but I hated that her story was pretty similar to every evil empress in that she wanted her son to become a ruler. Honestly, if she had just left Ashile She Er be, he probably would have been the ruler regardless. She actually just wanted power like every other person who is evil, and I'm not convinced about the reason why she did what she did. The Great Khan did suck, and he wasn't a great husband. It sounded like she literally had a better husband before him, and she still killed him, too. To say that her villain origin story started with this guy isn't true because she literally killed the original husband (the father of her son) she had. So, I don't know. It's like I low-key get her point of view, but they made her so black and white that it was a bit ridiculous.

I will say that the uncle killed Li Chang Ge’s dad, and I was trying to figure out how we would come back from that. Of course, they made it so that Li Shi Min literally killed Li Jian Cheng, not to become the crown prince, but because Li Jian Cheng was gonna kill Li Shi Min first, and so to survive, Li Shi Min killed Li Jian Cheng instead. Then it's crazy to know that low-key Li Shi Min was gonna be with Lady Jin if he hadn't come back from war to find out that Li Jian Cheng, the late crown prince, basically raped her???? I feel like they glossed over that a little too much because I'm like, wait, I don't understand how this was allowed and how this even happened. It was insane, but it did work to the plot's advantage. It was one of those points that was, for lack of a better word, “creative”, because normally in these shows where the character needs to get revenge, she succeeds, and it's literally the peak climax – she got her revenge, her parents are satisfied in their graves, and she feels like she's committed proper retribution – but in this show, they kind of turn that on its head and really push that idea of not everything is as it seems. Sometimes you have to think of the greater good as opposed to just revenge, which was this show's strongest point.

The romance was more of a slow burn secondary part of the plot, but I loved:
- Ashile Sun’s three reasons and letter of proposal 😭🥹
- omg omg she found Falcon’s letter of proposal ahhhh so cute i will die
- Their ride or die attitude for each other

Other parts of the show I liked:
- The godfather to father scene between Du Ru Hui and Hao Du was super cute
- Hao Du and Li Le Yan’s romance was nice and pretty decent overall
- Li Le Yan’s “side quest” as a princess learning about the people
- I actually enjoyed Ashile She Er’s character arc and how they explored his brotherhood with Ashile Sun

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Good Chemistry, Questionable Plot Execution

Real Rating with Romance as a category is 8.9/10

Li Shuang is a kind but fierce general truly hoping for a world with peace. Jin An/Prince Annan, without the weight of his real life, is a golden retriever who just wants to protect Li Shuang with even his life. The two of them really have chemistry on screen and are 100% why I watched the full show.

That said, there were parts of the plot outside the romance that I didn’t like.
- I know she took him in because he was a child, but we never get a legitimate explanation on why he became a child at all especially when it is for only a total of 10 minutes on screen.
- The ending, while it made sense, just didn’t feel satisfying. I know they get to be happy together, but the fact that they are written off as “bad guys” for the fact that they “helped the enemy” while under a very odd circumstances. It was just bittersweet that they were *scapegoats*
- I am not gonna lie. I love Bi Wen Jun’s face and this show was no exception. *However*, Su Mu as a character was frustrating. He has feelings (and history) with Li Shuang – nothing new for a 2nd love interest. And yet, his character was too hot and cold. I hate when the *push over* looses his mind and betrays the very people that help him. Worse than that is we see him loose it but never see him find his sanity again. So when the ending comes up and he’s benevolent towards Jin An/Prince Annan it feels abrupt when the last we saw him he was crazed about having Li Shuang stay by his side.
- The magic made sense, but also really didn’t. I still don’t understand if they were trying to make an army or just one person or just Jin An/Prince Annan
- Why did the stone pick Jin An/Prince Annan in the end? What did that even mean? Might have been a translation issue but I do feel they skim over the magic when they can
- How exactly did Jin Wu Jian find himself so in love with the Empress Dowager Qin?
- We learn they met before he was kicked out of the mountain for dark magic, but not how they really met, why he was so devoted to her, nor why she so disgusted by the only man that actually likes her
- The Empress Dowager Qin is actually crazy and just wants her son to secure the throne as “revenge” to the Emperor, but I wish they made her a little saner since she really was the main antagonist and even had control over Jin Wu Jian who was arguably more sinister than her.
- We miss a lot of the juiciness around Empress Dowager Qin’s drama with her sister over the Emperor. I get there was a time crunch but it would have been nice to see more of that overall

Basically, the plot is decent but there are *holes* and some things I feel weren’t executed the best. And while I loved the ML’s romance, the end rushes everything leaving us with a happy but still unsatisfying ending.

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Excellent storytelling, amazing chemistry. The only drawback? The last few episodes...

There is a LOT that happens in this show so I will list the pros and cons accordingly.

What I loved:
- I thought Joseph Zeng was a cutie even when I first watched him in Hi Venus, but him with his long white hair and historical fits was an unprecedented level of handsome.
- Fan Ling’Er as a character was fun and different. You really think she is a basic jealous love interest trying to get rid of Li Qing Yue at first. The reveal that they were on the same team was JUCIY. I loved it if for no other reason than I hate to see women tear each other down for a man. Then on top of it, I loved the relationship with her father. He truly did suck even if he "loves" her. It was hard watching her experience disappoint after disappointment with his choices.
- Zhang Suan in love with Li Qing Yue. But it is *absolutely unrequited*. I saw a review that said he was a “wallflower” but I think his role was actually refreshing. Secondary male leads are often turned into antagonist in a way that often feels misogynistic (trying to bring down the woman he claims to love after being rejected). However, here Zhang Suan is truly in love and loyal. Even when he knows a romantic affair is not in the cards for him with Li Qing Yue – she was a shining light to him and he does all he can to reciprocate that. His loyalty being what has Fan Ling’Er reach nirvana was a “fun” side quest. It was the same yet different from so many other fantasy dramas.
- **Li Qingyue and Bai Jiusi’s chemistry.** These two were not particularly romantic for 90% of the show, but the love was palpable
- Li Mo and his “love tribulation”. It was cool to see a platonic love story unfold.

What I liked:
- Even though his childlike behavior when his spiritual core was damaged was cliche, it worked well in helping them cross that bridge of him communicating and her realizing that he has always been made to be guarded in a way she was not so while he was wrong to lie to her back then, he wasn't entirely to blame either.
- Some people didn’t like the antagonist, but I liked that Shang Guan Ri Yue “dies” but actually takes over part of Zhang Suan’s body. I do think his back story leaves a bit to be desired. I don’t understand the importance of the steele and why they all couldn’t just cross this one dude’s name off if his mistake was that bad? But then we find out he was punished for like 100 years for the death of Shang Guan Ri Yue’s family so I’m a loss as to how he had so much hatred and anger in him tbh.

What I didn’t like:
- Hua Ru Yue’s resentment! It was 1000% justified but when she finds out the truth and tells his comatose body "this doesn't mean I forgive you," I had to roll my eyes. This man has only ever loved her and never *truly nor intentionally* harmed her. Even as she kills and hurts him over and over, he keeps trying to find a way to understand why she hates him. His biggest flaw was his inability to communicate but she was no better by never actually ever just telling him “being a mortal was hell because x, y ,z.”
- As a sub-note, I still don’t understand the semantics of Hua Ru Yue pretending to be Li Qing Yue for 300 years. I was truly expecting her to have amnesia or something so that not being the case was a nice surprise but I’m still like HOW DID SHE FAKE HER WHOLE SELF FOR 300 YEARS?
- The ending was 50/50. I am very glad we get a “happy ending” but just barely? I still don’t really understand the time travel and this is 99% the case with these time travel cop outs. I don’t get if this means she’s in a new timeline, the same timeline or something in between. Does this mean their child never dies? Does this mean Li Mo never dies? I just don’t understand these endings and they feel almost as bad as “it was all a dream” endings. This is honestly the main reason this show is a 9 and not a 10 for me personally.

***Original Thoughts & Ideas***
- With how much effort Hua Ru Yue put to get revenge on Bai Jiu Si, it really does call into light the idea of how love and hate are two sides of the same coin. Her hatred was born out of the feeling of betrayal from the love of her life. Her hatred was fed by her love for humans and her son only to witness their deaths.
- As I was watching this show, I just kept thinking wow Bai Jiu Si is so handsome and so in love but how can a man this in love not have checked on the woman he cares for over the course of 10 years and lo and be hold he was being jailed. The lesson here? COMMUNICATION IS IMPORTANT BRO
- Zhang Suan and Fan Ling’Er are excellent side characters that explore the dynamics of loyalty. Fan Ling’Er is loyal due to how Hua Ru Yue helped her when she needed it most, but **stayed loyal** because Hua Ru Yue *respected* her in a way her father never did. Zhang Suan is loyal because he quite literally wanted to die before meeting her but she gave him reason to live again.
- "Human kind behavior" was an interesting theme in this show. I like that you can’t make a blanket statement about the good or evil of mankind off this show. The lesson is really that they all deserve to live and to be seen as more significant than a passing ant. Humans are complex. As complex as the “immortals”. Their love can turn to hate. Their jealousy can weaken them, but their anger can strength them. Every one can surprise you with each choice they make.

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perfect "opposite attracts" shot of serotonin

SECOND WATCH REVIEW (never wrote a review on first watch, it was one of the first c dramas i had watched back then)

This show is very much a cutie-patootie. Dylan Wang really plays Dongfang Qing Cang so well. And his acting is really showcased when he “switches bodies” with Orchid. His mannerisms and demeanor completely change, you really forget it’s an actor just acting.

That said, Esther also played Orchid pretty well. I just think I’ve watched too many shows with her in a row that I actually kinda hate the personality she always seems to play. Not quite dumb but also not that smart, always bubbly and cute with a splash of dramatized innocence. I did appreciate the complexity of Orchid’s character as the show goes on.

Most importantly, their romance WORKS. Dongfang Qing Cang is cynical and broken, Orchid is optimistic and determined. While it was “enemies to lovers”, it also wasn’t. Orchid doesn’t see him as an enemy beyond the logistical reality of his Moon Tribe background. It’s also warming how her gift of life revives his emotion tree from day one. He is domineering and bossy, but clearly trying to resist falling in love. It was too cute to watch. I think in this way that we are actively watching them fall in love with each other for their *core* personalities and quirks, you root for them despite the odds and cliches.

Shang Que was a cute loyal dragon sidekick ready to support Dongfang Qing Cang always and then Orchid and of course Jie Li. His and Jie Li’s romance was cute. I wish it was *explored* a tad more but overall it does work. I like that the fierce dragon is the “dummy in love” while Jie Li is the cunning orphan. It’s basically a gender-bent version of the main couple on a smaller scale.

Rong Hao was pretty annoying. I get that he was basically possessed but I wanted to throw my screen across the room every time he talked about saving Chi Di Nu Zi. I will say the scenes with him and her were pretty poignant and I like that it was more maternal/familiar love than romantic. Their ending was sad but very fitting and satisfying. The only thing (due to translations I feel) I’m not sure I understand is why Rong Hao was so surprised about her “mortal desire” being caring for him. I guess he didn’t realize she literally brought him back to life…pretty quid pro quo resurrecting that happens between them.

Chang Heng was great. It’s been a long time since the secondary love interest is *not* bad. I wish there was more of this. He never turns evil, in fact, he persists him being righteous even as his brother the Heavenly Emperor threatens to kill him over and over.

Fairy Dan Yin was also a solid side character. I always love when the “mean girl” becomes friends with the main lead. Like Chang Heng, I wish they could have their own happy romance (not necessarily together but just with a person for each of them).

IDK if it’s because I’ve watched so many more c-dramas so I “get the set up” for these shows now, but the ending wasn’t as bad as I remembered. That said, I do feel like the second half of the show “loses” control of the plot as compared to before the “battle”.

I know in fantasy death is not always permanent but I hate when the logic is inconsistent. I am ALWAYS happy with a HEA, but I still don’t fully understand *how* he came back to life? They claim he has to die for the evil Tu thing to also die. If he’s back, is the evil spirit also alive??? It’s very similar to Love You Seven Times in that you get a “happy ending” but you still feel a little wary because it just doesn’t 100% add up. If Orchid had died instead, would she also have just come back to life lol?

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Solid characters and decent court politics...only to be undone by a lackluster ending

7.8/10 rounded to an 8

TLDR: What a show….I cannot believe how BADLY they fumbled the last episode. Like I am so upset with how this show ended because I was loving it so much. There was a variety of characters and range in plots only to be let down by what I can only call an incomplete ending.

***

I loved Winwin as the secondary lead. Ye Xian practically stole the show for me. I appreciated his whole arc start to finish. I do wish they made him a *tad* less crazed at some points. I also wish he hadn’t died *of course*. But unlike some shows that kill for the sake of tears, Ye Xian’s death felt true to his journey. He was so apathetic to life and everything in the beginning but you can see him “melt” and soften as a person. I cried at his death and at both of his letters - the one to Gu Jin Zhao and the other to his sister. Honestly award winning storytelling and character arc.

Outside of Ye Xian, I also really enjoyed Gu Lan’s character. It’s usually that a character like her would just be “bad” and bratty, but I liked that she had no real issues with Gu Jin Zhao at first. It was only once everything imploded in the family she got desperate and betrayed Gu Jin Zhao’s mother. That said, she was still a redeemable and likable character. I was happy to see her learn and grow from that experience and even trust Gu Jin Zhao more.

Chen Xuan Qing was played by the same actor that was an antagonist in a different show and so because of it I was already pretty wary of him…even though that’s not how that works, I was still right to be wary. I feel he was the more surface level character. He’s used to move certain parts of the plot but has zero agency. I don’t think his character made as much sense as it could have if the writers focused more on character rather than plot in the later half of the show. I would have been more impressed if Chen Xuan Qing had more back and forth at the start of the show because his reappearance and apparently unresolved yearning for a woman *he* rejected years ago just felt…silly? I could not take him seriously at all. Where was all his devotion and romantic displays back when she confessed to him? Why would he wait over three years to still pine for her. I felt bad for his fiancee after all that. I’m glad she didn’t end up with him, but it was quite the ride to witness. I feel like I was expecting him to just communicate more. He takes after Chen Yan Yun with a lot of silent brooding, but I just felt like he admired Chen Yan Yun, it made little sense how crazy he got about the relationship.

I also want to give an honorable mention to Emperor Li Lin Zhang. He slayed. I feel like kid emperors are made super incompetent with their mom or court running the show, so it was nice to see him actually make decisions and stand by them.

Last but not least, the main leads: Chen Yan Yun & Gu Jin Zhao. Their romance is definitely a SLOW burn. The MDL synopsis makes it sound like she marries him in the first quarter of the show, but they don’t even “like” each other until the middle of the plot. That said, it was a believable and cute romance. She’s technically 15 when they first meet so I appreciate they wait until she’s 18 for him to formally declare feelings but I still like to pretend she was 18 at the start of the show and 21 when they start their romance. Gu Jin Zhao is a clever female lead. She’s almost a little to perfect - she can do archery and cook and think like the best of them. Her “flaw” is her intolerance to bullying which is not a flaw at all imo. I loved her. The actress was cute and played the role well. Chen Yan Yun is a cliche “serious” official trying to make the country a better place. That said, I was pretty “tepid” about him. He wasn’t bad but he wasn’t great either. I think his character was decently rounded and I enjoyed his journey in recognizing his mentor has strayed to the wrong path, but he didn’t really give Chen Xuan Qing much guidance in the later half of the show which I think did his character a bit of a disservice. I loved how he falls for Gu Jin Zhao, slow but steady. He treats her as an equal despite their age and life differences. I LOVED the letter of separation with his proposal bc it shows he understands her. I hated his reaction to the reveal she had a crush on his nephew 3+ years ago. Again, it’s not that I hated him, but I didn’t get that TV crush on him as much as I usually do for the male lead. I think it circles back to really enjoying Ye Xian’s character more. I even LOVED Ye Xian’s relationship with Chen Yan Yun — begrudgingly trusting.

All of these thoughts link right to the heart of the show — mostly well thought our main characters from protagonists to the antagonists. HOWEVER, it is that dedication to the characters that makes the ending leave a bitter taste in the viewers mouth. SO MUCH has happened and we don’t really get a resolution for half the characters and their storylines. If the writers had put an eighth of the effort they gave the characters to the plot, the last 10 episodes could have been so much stronger and the last episode would have been WAY more satisfying. We needed at least another 5 minutes from the closing scene if not 10 to really close out the forty episode long show.

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It was okay, I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t great either

I think Bi Wen Jun is as beautiful as he is a good actor, but Wu Xuan Yi who plays the fml, Zeng Li, is eh to me. I am not sure if it’s her acting or the script itself but something about her just didn’t sit right. But because I could stare at Bi Wen Jun all day, the show survives LOL.

I will say I did love Liu Te as Deng Hao Ran to the point I wanna watch him as the main lead again. I really enjoyed his and Ma Yi Yi’s romance. It was fun and cute. I wasn’t expecting them to be exs already and IDK if it was needed, but it didn’t detract from their romance either even though I am not a huge fan of second chance romance.

The biggest issues with the show are:

- Zeng Li friendship dynamic is great BUT I hated that near the start when they all are talking about her being into him and she asks if they think he’s into her, they basically laugh and call her average. I know friends joke and tease, but that scene landed poorly and left a bitter taste for me.
- The set up for Yu Yi. The show info dump about him and Zeng Li in episode 13 which is more than halfway. It would have been better if his importance and the crush were properly weaved in at the beginning. It is hinted barely but because we don’t really learn much about him until over half way and she is talking about how she has been waiting for him, it almost felt like she was “cheating” on the ML or that her feelings have been “fake”.
- In the intro Zeng Li trips off the ladder and knows down like 5 rows of bookshelves which was already ridiculous because she’s not even 100LB but she can push down a shelf of books that weighs at least double her? never mind the fact that those shelves should be nailed or secured down somehow. I know this is minor, but then they go and have her push it down AGAIN in her book AND in the proposal scene, and I truly hated it lol.
- How **did he know** about the scene she wrote in the book? Was she posting them online? Did it get published? They never say.
- I am not sure if it’s the translation, but I hated how Africa is just this “country”. Africa is a whole continent, could they not have just picked a country for him to go to? It felt a bit passively racist.
- Liu Yu Cheng was a cute character but his relationship with Wu Ying was pretty frustrating. I don’t think she was fair to him at allll. I am glad she figures it out in the end though.

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*chaotically good* energy from both main leads

Momose Shu is so in love with his sister in law he marries another woman as to reduce the concern of his family about his single-ness. Okado Akiha agrees to help her grandmother keep her shop but then also falls in love with him and tries to help in any way she can.

While this show was enjoyable, I think Momose Shu spent too much time thinking about Miharu (his SIL). While I get that was the starting premise, I think the framing and just overall “love” for her on his part was played for too long. Yes, it’s nice to show him as a loyal lover but it messes with the romantic balance between him and the actual *love interest*, Okado Akiha. Thus the 7 romance rating. Honestly, I could even make it a 6 but I think the ending was pleasant enough so whatever.

I am glad Miharu ended up not divorcing Asahi, but I think during that time is when Momose Shu should have let her go properly.

I enjoyed how Okado Akiha’s fan admiration for Maruzono Fumi played out. And, I liked Mamiya Shoko’s as well as Makihara Yuito’s characters. Mamiya Shoko was very much the viewer in how she interacted with the main leads but her choice to suddenly want to be with Momose Shu for a hot second after already rejecting his original proposal was kinda random. I think it was just for her to “align” with Makihara Yuito but I don’t think it was needed at all.

Makihara Yuito was a cutie. Because of how DUMB Momose Shu was for much of the show, I was honestly rooting for him and I don’t think I have ever rooted for the SML before LOL.

Anyways, it’s not a show I will hold dearly but I did enjoy the ride for what it was overall.

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Who hasn’t told a white lie or three?

Yu Cheng En is in **Love in the Clouds**. He plays a pitiful prince caught in an unrequited love. I actually really loved his acting in it which led me here to this show. It’s contemporary and his role is entirely different, but it felt like a nice bandaid to see the actor find love in this show lol.

The premise of the show is not bad, but the starting execution is pretty cringy. I think the timeline/flashback actress also adds to the chaos of it all. Bai Xiao Duo is a compulsive liar due to her childhood but now that she is in college she is *trying* to lie less. Of course she has already told like 3 bald-face lies within her first 3 days on campus. The part that makes it confusing and weak plot wise? Her motivation and savior is Black (Su Yan Cheng) the author of this comic that gives her hope and want to not lie. But this guy is only three years older than her…The flashbacks feel like 10 years ago rather than 3 which is a small detail but where I think the show gets held back. I find it hard to believe Black was publishing at 15 years old, and if he was, they should have addressed it in the show. That said, it sounds like he started publishing in college so the flashbacks should have been more recent…I know this feels like a nit but this small choice made the show feel a lot more juvenile than it should have been.

I actually think the themes and messaging were great. Who hasn’t told a white lie or three? But the *intention* of the lie does matter.

Bai Xiao Duo lied to a bully to get out of being hurt, I don’t think it makes sense that she was suddenly labeled a liar by her whole school. I wish they showed her lying a bit more than just twice. Maybe even her lying to her dad about her being “okay.” On the other hand, I wish they also explored Su Yan Cheng’s lying of his own. The elephant in the room is never really addressed – he lied by omission every day about who Black is. I am glad He Rui kind of mentions it to him, but it was specific to his parents’ wanting him to study abroad. Basically, I think the theme about lying and lies was nice and actually pretty great, the execution could have been better. Also, not a huge deal because I didn’t care too much, but the psychology research aspect made no sense to me LOL I don’t get how Su Yan Cheng conducted anything with the three pieces of information he got from Bai Xiao Duo. Another nit, but I think they could have chose a better English title for this show.

Romance wise, it was fun. I loved how they go from acquaintance to friends to lovers. While I love childhood friends to lovers and enemies to lovers, there’s something so real and relatable to a more organic romance between “strangers”. He was the cliche cold/silent brood and she was the cliche bubbly gal (but with a past).

He Rui was a great secondary lead in that I am SO GLAD they didn’t make her hate Bai Xiao Duo for liking her crush. That story choice alone was a 10/10.

I also just have to say I LOVED the romance between the secondary leads – Xiao Yang and Lin Xiao Miao, they were sooo cute. Yu Shu Bo and Yu Shu Fen were eh for me as a secondary couple just because I don’t think the romance was very well set up on his side, but I did like both of their characters as people. Lastly, I wish we got to better explore the dynamic between Su Yan Cheng and his parents. It’s nice that his parents listen to him finally, but it felt a bit too sudden and convenient. The dad is literally yelling at him about studying abroad but then two days later he’s in a cooking apron while his wife says they are okay with Su Yan Cheng staying in China. I am glad he gets that “happy ending” with his parents but it just felt too rushed that it wasn’t as satisfying as it could have been.

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Turn your brain off and enjoy a cliche but sometimes creative rom-com

This show is great in a lot ways with the first and foremost being that once the main leads get together they don’t have a dramatic misunderstanding and breakup. It was also pretty relatable overall for two college students navigating love and their first romantic relationship. It was super cute watching Gu Wei Yi search up how to woo a girl and later researching sex so that it’s better than their fail of a first time - which again, super cute and relatable. I have watched shows with Lin Yi before and he grows on me more and more each show. His acting is kind of like Miles Wei where you don’t really consider the skill of his acting at first because the roles are lowkey and the “same” ML vibe. But when I think about it, I do enjoy his acting a lot. Xing Fei also did a great job playing the chaotic cute Si Tu Mo. I appreciated that Momo was not just this 1D character. She was made to be silly, not so serious with friends, but when she was at work even at a job she didn’t like, she was smart and thrived. I liked that Tu Jie Er didn’t end up being some kind of romance rival even though they were in the past. I appreciated their work friendship. As for Xie Yu Yin [Gu Wei Yi's senior], I’m not sure if it was the script or the acting, I just didn’t get her character. I did like that her crush was relatively harmless overall, but it just felt a bit stilted in terms of her clearly pining for a taken man. It made sense for before the relationship happened, but it was so weird to watch her be in his space as a taken man. I will say, it gets a pass more for how well they wrote Gu Wei Yi brushing her off. As I think on it, I guess she was there to play a jealousy card for Momo since Momo had a "situationship" with Fu Pei for so long. Anyways, all of that was better executed than the very unnecessary character Anna in Germany lmao. The show would have been stronger without using a red herring misunderstanding breakup.

The main drawback of this show was Fu Pei & Wang Shan. Wang Shan as a character I actually really liked. And even Fu Pei, I hated him, but by the end of the show, I didn’t mind him. However, the romance between the two felt absolutely failing. I usually feel it might be a subtitle translation issue, but I don’t think that is the case here. I think Fu Pei was truly too fickle of a character. He was literally yearning for Momo for so long but then suddenly is in love with Wang Shan? And we are supposed to just believe it because he said it? I don’t feel like he showed his romance at all. I think they thought him studying with her all the time instead of playing basketball was supposed to show his devotion, but it really didn’t. Plus, in the end, what exactly is his start up? And I just didn’t like his script. It really felt like he just likes how useful Wang Shan is in his life rather than romantic love.

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I started this show for Ryan Ding – and I kept watching for Ryan Ding LOL

I started this show for Ryan Ding – and I kept watching for Ryan Ding LOL. I will give the plot credit but I won’t lie, I skipped some parts when he wasn’t on screen.

Overall, the plot was entertaining and not too dull. I was expecting it to feel repetitive because of the mortal tribulations but each one was pretty different so that was a nice surprise. That said, I did enjoy their heavenly realm time more than when they would be doing a tribulations. The demon realm was also nice because they actively knew who the other was and it was still the “heavenly realm timeline”.

I wasn’t super convinced with all the comments about Ryan Ding as a demon being the *best* version in this show, but he played a cat demon very well. I was literally screaming during the aphrodisiac scene (end of ep 33/start of ep 34). Ryan Ding literally played played like 5 different people including a body switch with the fml and a BELIEVABLE CAT DEMON. I could literally just watch him walk around in fantasy/historical costume for 5 hours.

Aside from Ryan Ding, I enjoyed the chemistry between him and Yang Chao Yue, the shows general plot cadence, and the nuance to Jin Lian’s character. Also, Xiu Ming was an antagonist in many ways, but I liked his overall story as compared to Love in the Clouds’ Situ Ling. Xiu Ming was just suppper loyal to Cang Hai since she really took him in and cared for him. I def don’t support his choices for blood thirst in the first tribulation, nor his lying in the second, but it seems like after each one he learns that his negative choices "are bad" and “improves” throughout the story. I am confused as to why he was made interim emperor though lol.

Similar to its “sister story” Love Between Fairy and Devil, the show’s plot peters out near the end. I started the show not emotionally invested and I basically stayed that way. The deaths didn’t really affect me in this show (which is kinda a plus for me tbh) but I think it’s also because death seems to not really mean anything. The main leads die in the mortal world to end up in the heavenly realm, but even in the heavenly realm the deaths just felt so abrupt so as to whether a person is really dead is always in question.

My issue with the plot specifically was:
- How did Immortal Li know about the change of the prophecy and WHEN? Was it as soon as he saw the emperor’s doom mark so then he yeeted to warn them via the next tribulation?
- The emperor was lame, predictable, and very one-dimensional. He was jealous of his better and cooler brother but also had an obsession with being the most powerful immortal in a way that just didn’t really make sense imo. He was already the leading ruler for the last 30,000 years lol.
- I still don’t understand how Chu Kong survived after losing all his primordial spirit? I am happy for a HEA but because it made no sense, I just feel like I am still missing something. Thus the ending wasn’t as satisfying as it could have been.
- Similarly, I loved Jin Luo and Zi Hui but don’t understand how he also reincarnated. The show never sets us up to understand that even after you DIE DIE, you can still be reincarnated. I thought reincarnation was only for people that “die” but their spirit is still intact, especially when both these men seem to remember if not their *entire* past, at least their love.

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Disappointed but not terrible.

O Han Byeol and Kong Tae Seong were a cute pair. I liked the history of their relationship and that they’ve always been a frenemies type of situation that care for each other. I also loved how puppy Kong Tae Seong is once he realizes he loved her. Just absolute cuteness and feels. I also like that O Han Byeol had a crush on him but was hurt so she built up her walls to his silly behavior. I also enjoyed Han Byeol’s friends - Park Ho Yeong and Cho Gi Ppeum - romances though I wished their stories started a bit sooner and where given a little more screen time. I also found it interesting that Baek Da Hye’s character has this super crush of the MML without it being a complicated jealousy love triangle. All of this is decent and enjoyable.

What I didn’t like? Basically every other secondary plot point execution. The rich maid storyline was weird and barely added anything to the plot, same with “smileboy”, and again with the 14 year old kid. All three of these “antagonists” exist for antagonisms sake without any rhyme or real reason. Even worse, there resolutions are simple and barely satisfying. I didn’t mind the message around “celebrities are hated for no reason” but I just think the way it’s executed was as if the show was a melodrama but it really wasn’t so these plot point land flat and annoying. Similarly, the college friend’s death was clearly part of the main leads’ dynamic and personalities, but still it wasn’t “tied up” properly. His death and his manager’s remaining anger about the death could have been a way better antagonist plot line to explore than the random three characters I just mentioned. In fact, I was waiting for a resolution on this and we never get one. Super frustrating. Minus points also specifically for the “Africa” depiction…

Overall, I really wish they had just leaned into the romcom and left out the melodrama because the melodrama parts flopped. My favorite parts were when it was just silly goofy – I was giggling, I was happy. But outside of that, it was so dumb that even the romance was held back by the nonsensical storylines.

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SECOND WATCH REVIEW
(i never wrote a review the first time i watched it, but would have gut rated it 9.5-10)

This show was one of my first c-dramas! I remember enjoying it a lot and really finding myself to be a fan of Lu Si. She is a phenomenal actress. That said, its been at least two-ish years since I first watched it. So after watching Chen Zhe Yuan be fantastic in Fated Hearts and re-entering this “universe” via The First Frost, I decided it was time for a rewatch.

I want to say, this romance is excellent! They are cute and adorable and caring toward each other. In my memory, the age gap wasn’t that big of a deal – and while it’s true it wasn’t “creepy” because Duan Jia Xu was **not** romantically into her at all until she was 18, this re-watch had me noticing that some phrases and wording were … interesting. As always, I’m not sure if it’s because it’s being translated to english. But even once they are together, the show chose to kind of romanticize Sang Zhi’s childhood crush. It doesn’t help that the actress that played her for when they first met looked 8 rather than 13?

Also I wish they let Lu Si drop the baby voice once she got into college. It’s like the writers REALLY wanted their age gap TO BE an issue even though it wasn’t? Idk I do think this aspect while not horrible, could have been better. He still refers to her as kiddo randomly which is *not* equivalent to her calling him old, it just isn’t. So little things like that were eh. IDK if this is a reflection on the story or the romance? I am leaning toward story only because again, he wasn’t into her until she was older and if he was, this would be more of a horror than a romance tbh.

Honestly, no offense to Duan Jia Xu, but I don’t understand why him and him mom did not take the dad off life support. We only see the dad in one flashback in which he confesses to his family he hit someone and ran, then jumps off the balcony. We have no background as to if this was an unfortunate blip or if Duan Jia Xu’s father was always a dead beat? I think after watching The First Frost, I have such a low tolerance for shitty parenting that I’m being more nit-picky, but other than the man being his birth parent, we get no insight on if he was a good father. If he was a good father and it was a literal one day disaster, I think it would explain why they even kept him on life support. Idk if its maybe a Chinese law or something that was why the man wasn’t just *not* given life support – but 9 years at $100K a year for a man that, if he woke up, would be sent to jail, does not make sense at all? Again, I think I’m being nit picky after hating Wen Yi Fan’s mother and extended family in The First Frost.

Alas, I think the way these two interact and fall in love from start to finish is pretty wholesome. **Sang Zhi** definitely “fell in love” first, but I would say **Duan Jia Xu** fell in love much harder – not to diminish Zhi’s love. She is consistent and persistent in getting Duan Jia Xu to recognize he is a good person and should not bare the weight of his father’s mistake. She is ready to support him which was cute and funny because girl let him make that dough. But from a dynamics perspective is really adorable because Duan Jia Xu has never had anyone look after him. After the accident he had to look after his mother, father, and the victim’s family. He literally has been grinding nonstop so to find a woman that sees him for who he is and not what he can provide was important. Duan Jia Xu’s love on the other hand, was an inkling at first. He was like she’s actually pretty cute inside and out. But from there he really dived into loving her. While he did kinda suck at pursuing her when he was working, I liked that he just could not think about anyone or anything but her. Near the end, once everyone is questioning their relationship, he is literally thinking about how to set them up for marriage. And while I’m sure Zhi has imagined being together forever, he is the one that actually verbalizes and plans around that longer term commitment.

Also, the proposal is cute for the face value reason but also with the realization that he contacted her friends and all of them figured the best way to trick her was to have her think she is helping set up Ning Wei’s proposal.

### Original Thoughts & Ideas
- To what end is a parent a parent vs a burden. When it is “guiltless” to sever or let go of those familial bonds?

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