ramblingromantic

This show has me wishing there were more light sci-fi comedy romances to watch

What a show. The comedy was def a 9.5/10, I was laughing out loud all through out the show.

Here are the main things I loved about the show:
- Tang Qi and Su Cheng Cheng’s dynamic. I did think it interesting Tang Qi was convinced she was a bully in middle school while she viewed it all as an innocent crush. Its def not a common occurrence in these shows so while it felt “overblown”, that is what made it so funny and entertaining to watch. Especially as Tang Qi finds himself falling in love with different “versions” of her.
- Su Cheng Cheng’s self-perception was all too relatable. I also like that it *wasn’t* her being fat or *actually* ugly but rather “plain” and not feminine enough (especially compared to her sister) because I think comparison is the crux of the beauty industry. She also was a fun balance of wishing she was prettier, but also knowing she is a good person.
- Further than that, the plot addresses “extremes”. Once Su Cheng Cheng lets go of the bracelet, she doesn’t want to touch any type of beautification tool and Tang Qi does a great job of reminding her she is beautiful as is, but can also “dress up” as she pleases.
- Lin Yuan as a person and then doubly in her relationship with Gu Yu. I feel a bit mixed about their ending. I would always chose to keep my child personally, but we see her so adamant against being “tied down” I wish they gave us a bit more of her walls coming down prior to her finding out she is pregnant to have her keeping the baby feel more authentic than just the predetermined “happy ending of not aborting”.
- I hated Su Cheng Cheng’s sister at first, but I do think her personality was pivotal to the plot and Su Cheng Cheng’s self-perception. In that way I respect how her character wasn’t one dimensional, and a “realistic” sister relationship.

However, the few things I didn’t like:
- There is that line where comedy is funny but then also frustrating:
- I really felt *killing* the two of the three was overkill. Su Cheng Cheng could have told him she/he was moving to America, say bye and then turn off her secondary number.
- And ofc Tang Qi being unable to accept a no from a woman for the life of him. If he wasn’t the MML of a comedy romance, he would be your regular audacious nuisance of a man.
- While I get it’s just the “Trigger” for the plot, but I would have loved a bit more substance around the origins and logic of the bracelet. I know in those magic Christmas movies its reduced to “Christmas miracle” but since this show went in a more Sci-Fi direction, I was left wondering exactly the goal and mission of the old lady that gave Su Cheng Cheng the bracelet.

Overall, this was a very *fun* show. I enjoyed it (especially because I low-key wasn’t too invested in watching it based off the trailer). I think the acting all around was great and now I’m kinda wishing there were more light sci-fi romances to watch.

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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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Mo Qing Cheng is a quiet but thoughtful type. His voice is deep and resounding so it makes so much sense why all the girls love his voice. I didn’t find myself interested in his character off the bat, but he played his role well and by the end of it, I was looking up the actor’s shows list.

Gu Sheng is cute and passionate. I appreciated that she didn’t fit some cookie cuter person for a female lead. She can sing but loves to compose. She has a fan crush on Qiang Qing Ci but slowly falls in love with the man that is Mo Qing Cheng. She is bubbly but shy.

I loved how their relationship truly unfolds from “strangers” to acquaintances to lovers. We get to see them blossom as a pair without any dramatic third act breakup. I found the “climax” around his retirement to be refreshing and more realistic than any kind of misunderstanding or miscommunication between the two.

(PERSONALLY) I arguably loved Zhou Zheng’s voice (and looks) more than Mo Qing Cheng. His character of level headed CEO but bashful crushing was too entertaining so I was pretty disappointed with how his and Geng Xiao Xing’s romance played out. While it was there on the side lines it was very “jumpy” with their interactions only every random moment with lots of gaps of time in between. Thus leading to the ending just telling us they “got together at some indeterminable time” which I think was a waste of an opportunity to give us double the love serotonin. Romance aside, I also enjoyed Geng Xiao Xing’s personality. She made a great friend to Gu Sheng and was also more dynamic than one would expect given her overall role and screen time.

Feng Ya Song and Dou Bing were cute but similarly, I wish they had more of their romance unfold on screen rather than go from 0 to 100.

Love stories aside, I loved all the characters. Everyone interacted and bounced off each other so well. The *community* of the podcast/dubbing group really shifts into the show itself. You feel a connection and fandom that is hard to describe and like nothing I’ve experienced in other shows. It’s unfortunate (but maybe for the best) that I didn’t watch this show the year it came out to bond with other viewers the way listers were fans of Perfect Voice Studio.

Wang Ke was a cute character and I call it out because I actually really enjoyed when he would be on screen which is kinda rare and random for me when watching romance so again props to the writing making every character so interesting and props to the actor of Wang Ke as well.

The flaw of the show for me was the pacing. I kind of had to push myself to keep watching at the start, then i was fully invested, and then near the end the last few episodes felt dragged out.

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Cute & Bubbly, But Def Different

I don’t have too much to say about this show as it was a tad more slice of life than anything. The MML and FML get together by the second episode and the rest of the seven episodes are more about them navigating a relationship than anything else.

My favorite thing about this show was their healthy communication. It really carries the show because most romances are about the couple *getting* together while this show leans more into them *staying* together. Yaeshima Asako is shy about her sweat and being smelly. Natori Kotaro is bubbly and adores her but has his own worries and concerns. Seeing them navigate their individual concerns as a couple was truly a breath of fresh air.

While I can’t say I “loved it” I did also appreciate the creative approach they took for the *sex* scenes. They were funny and very much interpretive. I don’t know that I could watch them again, but this show is def it’s own brand of entertainment.

I loved the background music of the show overall – it was mostly like this bubbly lo-fi mix. But I wasn’t a fan of the songs with actual singing.

Some things I thought we interesting/could have been set up better was:

- They do a one year time jump and then have him freak about about a break up because he can’t smell her emotions. I don’t know how I feel about him freaking out a year into their relationship? I feel like 3 or 6 months in would make more sense than a year. Especially since they don’t seem to have too much “growth” in that one year span of dating. *(This is the reason for a docked .5 in Romance.)*
- I really wish the FML called out her childhood bully even though it makes *sense* for her personality that she didn’t.
- For the sake of comedy, we have her in the work bathroom spraying the hell out of her body spray – but all I could think is how has no one reported her and how can SHE breath when other people in the bathroom cannot.

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Fun & light but frustrating side character(s)

8.8

SPOILERS BELOW

Ling Yue and Gu An Xin were a rare insta-ish love that you can totally believe and root for. The softness in Yue’s eyes when he looks at An Xin within like the third episode is disarming and I ate it up.

I would say overall they are a solid couple that needed to navigate communication and self-confidence to get to their HEA as a couple. It was frustrating to see them build walls at every inconvenience at the start but it makes their relationship a lot more hard earned than other “insta-love” stories so I think that is why they work.

Moving away from them, I LOVED Ling Fang’s character arc. I think the “evil stepbrother” set up was super well done and to have him really realize he’s just fighting himself as opposed to Ling Yue was a nice reprieve from cliches. Which made Ling Sheng’s plot twist reveal all the more suprising and a solid contrast to the brother dynamics.

Gu An Sheng was alright. I see how his role was needed but I just wish he had a bit more depth and that we could learn more about why he loved Gu An Xin so much. Especially since he seems to have been her step-brother while the sisters are half siblings?

I wanted to know more about Gu Yuan Chao because he is given a decent amount of importance but then in the end he’s just sick and bed ridden so that was disappointing. I know Yang Hong is revealed to be the “real villain” but I still feel like the resolution here was tepid at most.

Last but not least, Gu Xin Er was the most headache inducing, exhausting to look at, pathetic character. The fact that her story ends with her promising to wait for Ling Sheng regardless of the fact that he almost killed half her family is the ending I guess she deserves but was embarrassing to witness. I think she needs therapy more than a man.

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A Heroine's Journey (versus the generation before her with a whole lot of yearning from the ML)

WHAT A GOOD SHOW. ITS EXACTLY WHAT I’D BEEN CRAVING.

I just love a good costume or fantasy with mostly yearning and romance and love. This show had it! It’s not a 50/50 split, definitely more a “from the female leads pov” but I didn’t mind because Zhou Yi Ran did soooo good conveying his thoughts/emotions with just his face let alone his delivery of lines.

The good of this show:
- **The Plot:** it’s simple and relatively straightforward in a way some fantasies are not, but is a way that allowed the real messages of the show shine AND that allowed us to just enjoy Cai Zhao’s journey (and her romance with Mu Qing Yan)
- I love this more literally visual/breakdown of generational trauma in this show. You can clearly see how her aunt’s choices (and the choices of those around her) affected everyone and in turn colored how the kids grow up.
- **The Romance:** As I mentioned, we don’t get scenes with Mu Qing Yan much without Cai Zhao, but Zhou Yi Ran does such a good job that I don’t think we needed more than what we got. Mu Qing Yan clearly falls for Cai Zhao almost instantly, wanting to be around her as much as possible, being clearly upset when he learns she betrothed, following her on all her adventures for no other reason than to make sure she is safe.
- I adored their “break up scene” as much as anyone could adore it. Cai Zhao loves him, but he was being toxic, a bit too manipulative, selfish, and shortsighted. She saw that, she STILL loved him, BUT she told him, they were not going to work with that set up. Lo and behold, he stops trying to learn the Wu method, he stops being as aggressive as he was at the start, and he start letting her make her own choices properly – even when he really wanted to just throw her over his shoulder and hide them away somewhere safe.
- The Main Leads: I know I talk about them in the romance point, but their characters were great.
- Cai Zhao is a caring young woman determined to follow the path of justice like her beloved aunt. I loved how she kinda breezes by peoples negative opinions, but you can see how she has to struggle with prioritizing her own feelings vs her morals vs what the adults she admire tell her.
- Mu Qing Yan is an iconic male lead imo. Is he a little bit “toxic”? Sure, but not so much so that is unreasonable. To say his upbringing was traumatic is an understatement. The man could probably do with some therapy but his arc is clear – he was a young man on the road set for revenge and then death. But in meeting Cai Zhao, his softer side is slowly exposed and freed from the wall around his heart. He was totally smitten with her and I ate up every second of it.
- The secondary leads! I didn’t think I would like Qi Ling Bo or even her mom because they were definitely annoying at the start, but their growth and pain and struggles were legit and I loved them both by the end. The rest of the secondary leads were great too. I feel bad for my guy Song Yu Zhi, but hope he finds love with someone else. I also actually loved his dad LOL the way he was trying to get his son to woo Cai Zhao was highly entertaining and he spoke facts when he said that Cai Zhao likes how unrestrained Mu Qing Yan is with and around her which is why she isn’t into Song Yu Zhi.

So for the “flaws” of the show, I think some were less “serious” than others but:
- There are some “logistics” of the story that are conveniently skipped but threw me off. Like Cai Zhao’s sheath for her sword makes no sense. How does the sword come out of the sheath when the tip of the sword is way bigger than the base but the base of the sheath is small? And how did Mu Qing Yan get his sword when she hijacked his “execution”? Those were the more obvious ones, but there were other little things like that, that I wished they properly resolved even with a sentence or something. If it’s going to happen off screen it needs to be something you can obviously stitch together which wasn’t the case for those moments.
- The plot was solid, but I was kinda hoping for some kind of “wow” climax. I don’t think it was horrible, but heaven knows some shows overkill on red herrings and “plot twists” for shock value, but I could see Qi Yun Ke being the villain from a mile away and no one else would have made sense but still – would have been nice if they thought more on how to make the antagonist more dynamic and not the “leader of all the good sects” lol

That are my only two complains. Some people claim that the show is confusing, which considering my second complaint, I wholeheartedly disagreed. But then some people say there were too many characters introduced all at once. To which I say: I am not a native Chinese speaker so I am *used* to being confused by fantasy plots in the beginning...but this show is no more confusing than others similar to it. If anything it’s a pretty simple fantasy with just two sides: the demons vs the “amazing perfect six sect”. There's a range of characters, but you really don't need to "keep tabs" as the last names do most of the heavy lifting. After finishing it, anyone that I could not really "remember" well was not more important than if they were "good" or "bad" tbh LOL.

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a premise with promise, but an ending that fell short

This show was a “happy accident”. I had it on my list for a while but I got impatient with my list and started several first episodes. From the first episode I was 50/50 about the show just because I wasn’t sure the direction it was planning to take. However, the acting was compelling and even after starting other shows, I chose to come back to Si Jin.

The best parts about this show:
- Excellent romantic chemistry between the main leads. Jiang Si & Yu Qi / Yu Jin were a romance I ate up. I love when a man is smitten and Yu Qi walked so his Prince self as Yu Jin could run. When he gave her all his flowers, one by one I was a goner. His devotion to her was elite, but I will say I wish she had a bit more romantic gestures on her end. *Just a tad more near the end*. But still, I loved it and you can tell she loved him since she literally jumped off a cliff to save his life in their first lives.
- I love the relationship between Jiang Si, her brother, and her father. It was sooo cute and very sweet to see them support and love one another even with all their family drama
- The overall drama that happens *before* the imperial specific issues
- Jiang Si’s flashbacks. I am pretty against flashbacks, but these ones had me curious as heck
- Jiang Zhan was such a cutie patootie himbo at the start and even after he trains to become a fighter, he is too cute. I loved his pure heart for his family and ofc Lu Chu Chu. So happy he climbed up the ranks and became general of territories.
- While the sisters were pretty scheming and the grandmother was frustrating to say the least, I did like the character development and dynamics of the Jiang family. It was toxic but you see them all grow as Jiang Si fights for a better life for herself and every member of the family, even her insidious aunt.

The weakest parts about this show:
- Jiang Si as the Saintess. I get the use of it but I don’t feel it was used to it’s full potential in this show considering the “war” between the two countries.
- I am not sure I get the sacrifice origin story for the Saintess. Does that mean Yu Jin killed her in their first life on purpose? I was pretty sure he didn’t realize it was her when he shot her with an arrow her from behind. But then the ending of the show mentions: nán wū gǔ shù // ruò zhí niàn zhòng dié // kě yǐ zì jǐ de xìng mìng // huàn suǒ ài zhī rén wàn fēn zhī yī // zài shēng zhī jī // shì yù jǐn // shì tā dǔ shàng xìng mìng // huàn wǒ gǎi biàn // mìng yùn de jī huì // duì // tā fù chū de dài jià bù zhī shì xìng mìng huán yǒu chè dǐ wàng jì nǐ
- Even with translating the subtitles over it makes no sense how Yu Qi / Yu Jin triggered Jiang Si into becoming the Saintess. This is not a case of subtitles/translation, but I feel more poor execution of the overall Saintess plot and logic
- Jiang Si’s past. While the flashbacks made me curious to keep going, by the end I was still a bit confused because how was she with Yu Qi in her past life if she was married to Ji Chongyi who she spends the first part of the show trying not to marry? Also, curious if this means in her past life, when she fell into the water, Yu Qi saved her but went on his way because *she wasn’t the Saintess yet* which changed how her and his first life played out.
- I know villains are evil, but I like my antagonists with layers. Madam Xiao was supppper annoying but she had more layers than both Princess Rong Yang and Cui Ming Yue. I will say while Cui Ming Yue and her mother are pretty one dimensional, there are a decent number of antagonists with different personalities and roles to make the overall show interesting.
- The ending, while a HEA romantically, did not really feel complete nor make sense to me fully
- Princess Rong Yang’s death monologue pissed me off. She claims no one ever understood her and no one ever loved her, but she was able to get away with so much specifically because the Emperor saw her as a sister. Her husband didn’t love her, but that was her own fault for forcing an engaged man to be with her. Plus, she cries a river about her daughter, Cui Ming Yue, dying, but she gave 0 effs about the several families she broke and damaged. From killing Jiang Si’s mother, to forcing Consort Xian to abandon her son to the war torn boarders.
- Princess Rong Yang did not deserve to have a post-humorous title. I don’t care that they were probably trying to cover just how messy she was but her and her daughter (Cui Ming Yue) both did not deserve to be given any good title, they should have been marked as evil and disloyal to the Emperor.
- We don’t hear anything about the two princes that died when Rong Yang usurped the throne
- The Emperor just decides to let the 7th prince be Emperor and everyone is okay with it after he was labeled bad luck by the woman that they post-humorously defended with a stupid princess title.
- The Emperor was ready to kill Jiang Si but then decides she can be Empress?
- Jiang Si is able to fix centuries of war with basic trade teaching? I think that whole thing with the Nawu fell flat at the end.
- The Elder is learning from Jian Si like she’s never heard of the words barter and trade which is highly ridiculous
- It looked like they are a community only made up of like 100 people so how have they been “beating” Zhou? They could have used all the extras to fill in the space or had the people on screen be just the “leaders” or something. Small nit, but after all the buildup it matters.
- Why are they kinda portrayed a bit like “savages” as if trade was never an option? I feel like it must have been at some point but Zhou must have cut them off of resources or something.
- I feel bad for Arong and worse for Aman. Aman was sooo cute, I think the actress did so good. I wish they at least found her body after she jumped off the cliff.

Overall, this was a very fun show with “twists and turns” but also emotion and heart. I loved the main leads as characters and their romance was moving. That said, the ending was a tad unsatisfying with how some things are just rushed over. The biggest weak points were the lead antagonist and Jiang Si’s role as Saintess. Both just felt underutilized and oversimplified as basic plot devices.

### Original Thoughts & Ideas
- This show does a good job with the narrative of evil acts being born out of misgivings and jealousy. The examples below are all different fonts of the same story: evil is not exactly innate, but when left unchecked can fester and cause more harm than peace
- Yi’s husband was led astray by the allure of being the husband to a princess and maybe finally appeasing his always complaining mother. His mother actually liking Yi (and defending her as a wife) was a fun twist lol. Jiang Yi’s husband at least has his redemption because a) he was stopped early on b) he confronted *his own* accountability in his downfall
- Aunt Xiao couldn’t stand the judgement and inferiority of being from the second branch. She redeems herself by finally finding contentment and no longer comparing herself to the first branch or with what she doesn’t have. Her death was actually saddening because she had finally grown.
- Princess Rong Yang killed Jiang Si’s mother for thinking an affair was happening (even though it wasn’t). Princess Rong Yang’s hatred was not only left unchecked but generationally passed down to her daughter (Cui Ming Yue). The two of them wreak havoc on society mostly for sick entertainment.

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for the love of mystery & so many cuties

What a duo. Shen Wan & Yan Chi really outdid themselves as a pair of elite and self assured people. Landy Li and Ao Rui Peng bounced off each other flawlessly. Their story from strangers to peers to lovers was perfect and I would rewatch the show just for that aspect alone.

Both Shen Wan and Yan Chi are focused, brave, AND smart. It’s the whole package and it’s even better that they are so equally matched. They both respect each other’s choices and perspectives. It was these features that makes the no second act break up expected and luckily it was delivered. They stay together even as things get messy and they persist.

Yue Ning and Yan Li were maddd cute and I shipped them the second Yan Li appeared on screen and Yue Ning was like “what a playboy”. HAHA. It’s me – I’m the problem. But no I really loved how they each were solidly written and executed character while also getting to see how they matched well with each other. So freaking cute. I loved how we watch them go from frenemies, to friends, to lovers.

Yan Sui did such a good job! What a cute little prince. I am so happy that he was surrounded by the crew to help him but that his innate self was not tragically twisted like someone like Yan Ze who really done LOST his mind. Yan Ze knows his mother was murdered so I get that rage, but the other deaths and destruction he caused in the name of retribution was maddening. I hate when the bad guy’s origin story is being a victim so he makes every one else the victim. There is a sick irony between Yan Ze and Emperor Yan Huai. Both evil due to wrongdoing but rather than trying to heal, they hurt everyone else and cause more pain and suffering. Their deaths were definitely symbolic.

Qin Xiang was madddd stubborn and stupid that her death was truly no surprise, but it was pretty unfortunate. I will say, I feel they jumped Qin Shuang being single to married and pregnant that I was like “did i miss smth” but no I think the plot kinda just jumped on that storyline rather than ease into it.

Plot wise, I enjoyed the mini-mysteries that folded into the overarching mystery of Wan’s parents death as well as Prince Jin. That said, while the ending made sense the twin trope felt a bit like a fake out. Again, it made the most sense compared to anything else, but I feel like I was hoping for something juicier. I can’t say what since the story was built on this end point so the clues only make sense with this ending lol.

### Original Thoughts & Ideas
- Self righteousness vs revenge vs justice: Yan Ze and Emperor Yan Huai are both evil due to wrongdoing but rather than trying to heal, they hurt everyone else and cause more pain and suffering. While Huai was abandoned, he wasn’t left to die. But he felt cheated and betrayed by his family. Which is FAIR. But what isn’t fair is that rather than seeking justice, he seeks revenge. Ze’s mother is unlawfully murdered, but rather than just trying to get revenge on the killer her creates a whole cult and even tries to kill Yan Li as part of his revenge. But Yan Li is as innocent as Ze’s mother was when she was killed. Both Ze and Huai are blinded by their own indignant, self-righteousness. Both claimed they were just trying to right the wrongs done to them, but the deaths and pain they both cause is proof in why revenge is not equal to justice & why justice is important. I loved that they both died by each other’s hand, it really symbolized the endless cycle of revenge that only leads to self destruction.

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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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a good show with its gem moments

Wow! I was not expecting this show to be so endearing. While it is a romance and more on the “drama” side it still has lots of cute silly moments that make you wanna squeal. I will say, I feel like this is a drama I would put on and rewatch for comfort BUT there are some sad aspects to this show. The ML’s mom has cancer from the onset but her passing was still so sad and made me tear up. As well as Rao’s own issues as she unpacks them.

First, I wanna say even though they were the secondary couple Zhao Fang Gang and Rao Jing are my “rivals to lovers” icons. Their love story was SO cute and super smooth. It didn’t feel abrupt and I love that neither of them (or the other characters) feel one dimensional. Rao has her trauma that keeps her guarded but she loves as fiercely as anyone else. Zhao was a bit petulant as an employee at the start but really grows into himself as a leader as well. Excellent dynamic between them.

Ji Yu Heng as the main lead is the definition of a cinnamon roll hottie. He cooks and cleans and most importantly absolutely adores Tu Xiao Ning! He is basically perfect. They made it so that his flaw is having to be an adult from an early age because of his dad’s suicide and his mom’s inability to grieve properly. That said, my heart really went out for him while he struggled with accepting his mom’s failing health and her death.

Tu Xiao Ning is a straight up cutie and sweetie pie as a main lead. She isn’t a push over but she also still give people grace (including the woman trying to steal her man). She is hard on herself to succeed and it plays out in a way that feels really relatable.

I loved that Tu Xiao Ning’s parents play a decent role as supporting characters without feeling cliche or boring. They aren’t like my parent’s exactly but their banter and commentary felt authentic.

Ling Wei Yi and Qi Yu were a cute couple but I’m not sure what to do with their story or make of it. I thought the break up scene was it but then they see each other again after - does that mean they try *again* or that they have accepted their differences are too deep to overcome? I was curious to see how they would mediate the relationship since they truly were at a very realistic impasse which I can appreciate, but idk I’m a sucker for happy so I wish they figured it out or we got to see them figure it out with someone else.

### Original Thoughts & Ideas
- Ling Wei Yi and Qi Yu are a great representation of “young love meets reality”. I hated how Qi Yu ‘s dad spoke to him and of him but with their break up I am not sure if the message was that we should agree with him. I think Qi Yu’s desire to earn money makes sense but I wonder if they could have met in the middle somehow. Ling Wei Yi learning the value of money was really great but she wasn’t wrong to say she has money so why should she struggle over money that she does in fact have. The point of working hard is to be comfortable, she is lucky enough to be comfortable so why should she not use her father’s money and live there. It’s a great example of why Islam recommends you marry a woman with the same or less money than you because sustaining her lifestyle does matter at the end of the day.

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we get to witness a blossoming love with the classic historical genre backdrop

Similar to The Prisoner of Beauty in that the MML must deal with their trust issues lol but also in how the FL is both powerful AND feminine. Often times its one or the other so I loveee when the female lead is both. While it takes some time for the main leads to get together, their relationship is SOLID once bonded and they are a FORCE to be reckoned with. I feel like I could watch this over again for their love as it really was cute. The royal espionage was well done over all but there are some parts I feel just had a conclusion but I'm not sure how – this can def be a translation thing but I don't know that is was. No crazy plot twists but some not so predictable moments which is also nice. Def will recommend this one.

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moody production but an overall cozy & cute romance

This show was it’s own thing but for some reason it was what I was expecting from Love's Ambition. My issue with Love’s Ambition was the “flow”. Again, these are two *different* shows but the core “essence” was pretty similar. You have a romance unfolding with the backdrop of self love, self acceptance, and learning to open up/be honest.

What this show does right is the seamlessness of the plot. Even with the “mystery” element and mental health concerns, the show was pretty light-toned overall. I also reallllly loved Fang Ya En & Cheng Kai Ran. I think the actress Zhang Xiao Wan played Fang Ya En phenomenally but also Cheng Kai Ran’s personality really grows so nicely throughout the plot. From a bitter friend to a consistent friend and reliable hero.

With Qiao Mai Mai as a solid side character and Jiang Lu Zhi as an interesting/understandable “antagonist”, this show does a great job of really playing into the regular-ness of humans. There are of course the dramatic and higher stake moments that would be very unlikely in real life (re: Li Jin Yu temporary rich CEO alter ego) – but having nagging & loving aunties, bickering grandmas, annoying ex-husbands, feeling lost after a life set back all of these are absolutely relatable and well written in this show.

Grandma Dou was so good to have on screen. She was cheeky and fierce in all the ways a grandma is. And then even Grandma Ye was a “classic” obnoxious but loving grandmother.

Ye Meng and Li Jin Yu’s romance was pretty great. Li Jin Yu’s lack of communication was pretty frustrating, but entirely understandable when considering his traumatic upbringing. In this way their relationship reminded me of The First Frost‘s Sang Yan and Wen Yi Fan (gender swapped though). Their love is pure on both sides but one must confront their past wounds to really heal, move on, and be an active partner to the one they love. The black puzzle was soooo well used in this show. When it first appears, it tells us so much about Li Jin Yu’s personality and intelligence. Then how he looks for Ye Meng for the missing puzzle piece and finally how he keeps that center piece missing. 10/10 no notes. I also enjoy how we get to really *see their relationship.* It’s literally from them falling in love, to them learning how to communicate, to them navigating marriage all with a lot of cute moments to make up for any of the frustrating ones. Honorable mention – their Chinese/Western combo ceremony was soooo cute.

The only issues I had with the plot were:
- Gou Kai: He is obsessed with being with Ye Meng but conveniently has a trip and falls off the face of the earth until the second to last episode where he fianlly learns that Ye Meng was married to Li Jin Yu the entire time. This could have been better with him ideally accepting defeat before his trip or even just him texting Ye Meng once while gone.
- Li Ling Bai: Her story wasn’t horrible but it felt a bit undercooked or maybe a little rushed at the end. I can understand being bitter towards your life after being raped and basically “sold” to her rapist. But now I’m frustrated that her adoptive dad has no consequences and I also wish her logic was a bit more founded. Why torture your son instead of putting him up for adoption? Why not just ship him off to a boarding school at like 8 years old or just not torture him? What happened to the rapist? We don’t get these answers as she is actively avoiding the truth until she’s behind bars and quickly info dumps on us.
- The three musketeers: again, Gou Kai is only really in the show as a “love rival” so we don’t get much dimension from his character. Tai Ming Xiao is a lot more laid back and seems to hold no grudges with the past so it really is only him that makes Ye Meng and Li Jin Yu’s “three musketeer” dynamic make sense. We are told Li Jin Yu and Gou Kai literally grew up together, but it didn’t feel like that at all. Not sure if its to show how closed Li Jin Yu always was, but if so, it was not executed properly. As for Ye Meng’s “three musketeer”, she seems very bitter to Gou Kai even when she goes back so again, this set up is flawed as we are only told to believe there was a closeness. The do “patch” this up with the way Gou Kai softens after his return but its a shame that of his ~50 minutes of screen time on the show, he’s only given maybe ~5 minutes of decentness.

All in all, the issue I listed were not central to my enjoyment of the show and they were not so glaring or bad that they held the story back from being effective so I only dinged 0.5 off the story score.

### Original Thoughts & Ideas
- Does your own hurts EVER give you the right to hurt others? Li Ling Bai had a pretty traumatic experience but she was directly responsible for a suicide and the tormenting of her own son. Would she ever feel redemption/satisfaction from revenge? It doesn’t seem like it, and yet she insisted on hurting everyone around her except for her second son.

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relatable girl suffering from secondary character syndrom

What a ride. I won’t lie, I almost dropped this show LOL, but to my credit I was “speed watching” a bunch of shows that have been on my list for a while on Viki since I was planning on pausing my membership.]This show was the third K-drama to throw in a ridiculous “serious” scene within the first episode. I *still* don’t think the bathroom scene made any sense LOL it felt so abrupt and forced. I know bullies exist, I have been victim to a few, but it’s very rare for them to just attack someone so unconnected to them at a train station bathroom. I would expect them to at least have been her classmates or something.

That said, I still pushed through because I wanted to give it a chance and I’m glad I did. I know I would have ATE THIS SHOW UP in high school. While I’m not exactly like Song U Yeon (Baby Blue), I do think there are very relatable growing up elements to her that I would have connected with back then even more than I connected with it now at almost 30 years old.

While Song U Yeon was relatable, she does get a bit redundant with her thoughts and self-deprecation. Younger me might have been more graceful about it, but as someone who has gone through therapy and understood just how mean we are to ourselves, I was loosing my mind with how regressive she was after every bit of progress. It’s realistic don’t get me wrong, but upsetting nonetheless. Most specifically, I hated how she behaved after seeing Nam Gi Jeong model. It was so hateful for no reason and rather than think, wow my boyfriend is so cute and a good model, she “hates” him? The story doesn’t play this out properly and it honestly felt kind of forced rather than a natural regression on her part.

Nam Gi Jeong (Red) was hilarious and honestly kind of carried the show for me arguably even more than Song U Yeon. He is silly, confident, and terribly optimistic. No one else could balance out Song U Yeon as well as he does haha.

I loved all the other fingers especially Black because they gave her sooo much personality. I was honestly rooting for her and Khaki, but I guess it wasn’t meant to be haha. I will way while I was very happy for Nam Geu Rin (Mint Finger) and Koo Seon Ho (Blue Finger), their romance did start to frustrate me in a similar way as the younger main leads. I don’t like to hate on FMLs but Mint was really frustrating. The man bared his soul 100 times and she still just could not properly articulate her feelings. I liked her as a character but when the two of them where on screen together, I would honestly zone out for a lot of it because it was basically the same conversation between them from after her confessed until she confessed her elementary school crush.

I enjoyed dynamic between U Yeon's friends and how they all had their own growing pains to reckon with. I also liked the sibling dynamics both for U Yeon with her brothers and Nam Gi Jeong with his sister. I think those were really cute and relatable sibling dynamics. I was curious about Nam Gi Jeong’s parent dynamic when U Yeon’s family is so visibly chaotic. I do think they tied U Yeon’s family story quickly in a nicely wrapped bow more than I liked. I get why they did it but I think it could have been less intense if they wanted it to be “happy”.

### Original Thoughts & Ideas
- The idea behind them drawing just because they like it, even if they aren’t good was a great capture of how much we put other people’s perception of ourselves in front of our own true desires. We live life by this societal rubric that does nothing but hold us back from discovering and loving our true selves.
- The one friend that was jealous of U Yeon once she started to enjoy herself and her hobby goes to show just how much of unhealthy friendship you can find yourself in if you are “too nice”. I am glad they were able to reconcile and move on, but real life can be a lot messier, as I know from experience lol

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