ramblingromantic

i'm late to the party, but better late than never

I just got into SVT recently so it’s funny that the ML is a SVT (ex-)member. Jun’s acting is not bad at all, and in fact, while I don’t find him super attractive personally, his acting was the perfect level of swoony that I can say by the end of the show I found him extremely cute haha. Ling Chao is textbook “falls hard & first” male lead which I EAT UP EVERY TIME.

Xiao Tu was cute. I just love Zhang Miao Yi as an actress. The roles she’s been in that I’ve watched are *similar but she plays them each so well.* This show is ~similar~ to When I Fly Towards You, but she has a slightly different dorky quirk to her in this one that you don’t feel like it is the same actress. She also has a great face for playing a “youth” drama, but without the overdone “baby acting” that other actresses seems stuck in. I liked that Xiao Tu was last in her class, but then Ling Chao helps her figure out her passion and direction. I also love how seamless their relationship is. Though she sees him as a “brother”, it’s clear he hasn’t seen her as such for much of their lives. It was also nice to have their occasional voice narration that balances out the storytelling and helps shape their friendship to romance. I am a sucker for (childhood) friends to lovers and this one was the cream of the crop.

Something that I appreciated as well was Yin Zi Han. He’s the “SML” but GOOD. He’s a bit obnoxious, but he’s kind and good hearted. He falls for Xiao Tu the five-seconds after she asks him if he likes her and he says no. Truly tragic for him. But instead of being petty or mean or conniving, he recognizes the reality of his crush and chooses to maintain their friendship. Ling Chao also knows how Yin Zi Han feels but lets them stay friends (with some rules hahah). 10/10 the way it plays out.

Jia Si Wen and Jiang Juan Juan were a cute couple. I like the dynamic and realistic issues they faced. I also just liked Jiang Juan Juan as a best friend character. Xu Ling Long was a funny frienemy character and I actually liked how they were basically friends but not? It was different but still entertaining.

I could have done without the motorcycle guy – I get how he played a role in “pushing” Ling Chao to be a better boyfriend, but I would have loved to see them be creative outside of a SML that is really just an annoyance for two episodes.

Read More

great show for fun vibes and light hearted plot

I want to say this is def a light and fun show. It is not to be compared to more cinematic /dramatic shows because I can say if we were to rate it off that logic it would fall a bit short. HOWEVER, this show was a flush as I loved everything from the music to the romance to the plot.

The drama, on a high level is relatively one dimensional. There are people in power that are helping the enemy kingdom for the usual reasons of money, power, and jealousy. However, with this more basic backdrop of espionage, the romance and silliness shines through. None of the “good” side characters has to tragically die or sacrifice for the betterment of the main leads.

Luo Ling Yu’s personality was great – she was sassy and determined. What might seem cunning and underhanded to someone on the outside is actually her acting out of loyalty to her parents *and* her sister but most importantly, she was also acting for herself. Lu Yun thinks less of her at first due to their poorly timed first interactions, but he is also similar to her in his own pursuit of the truth about his father. He seems aloof to others but it was a persona he crafted to better serve his goals. He is stellarly loyal to those he trusts and cares for. He wasn’t the cliche playboy, but he also wasn’t the cliche straight lace either so watching him fall in love with Luo Ling Yu for who she was fully was mighty fun to watch. Their romance just felt sooo seamless and natural. They bantered off each other fantastically from start to finish. I love that they were able to morph their banter from “rival” to “romantic”.

Luo Ling Yu’s attempts at catching Lu Yun were hilarious. I love that she came off a *tad* too eager but her logic was sound because Lu Yun really was paying more attention to her than any woman ever before – but only because he thought she was the enemy lol.

His exasperation with her antics was the perfect level. He was attracted to her physically and mentally, but refused to accept it by insisting she is tricking him. This makes their love much sweeter as he doesn’t actually hate her to begin with, but doesn’t know how to deal with these unprecedented feelings.

OF COURSE, as she accepts that he was stringing her along and trying to re-direct, he figures out he is in love with her. Tragically timed on his part but the plot made it work. How? By having him now have to equally chase after her. So now the power dynamic has flipped between them but because of their banter, it also works to equalize them. They both equally love each other even if her attempts were more for money at first.

I love that because of the pacing of the show, we get them being in love/romantic with each other for the last ≥ 20% of the show which is honestly generous. Most shows like to only give us the last 5% or give fake us out with a secondary break-up.

The last portion of the show is set up as a them vs the world rather than vs each other.

Side character wise, I love what they did with Chen Xiu and Prince Heng Yang. Chen Xiu likes Lu Yun because of his kindness during her childhood but also because of what he represented to her while she was stuck with her terrible parents. Seeing her grow into her own self and befriend Luo Ling Yu was great. Prince Heng Yang was also a great “second lead” 1. him and Lu Yun’s banter as friends was *fantastic* 2. because he truly cares for Luo Ling Yu but just not quiet the same as Lu Yun. He loves her because she is fierce but he put more meaning into some of her actions than their original intention while Lu Yun could see her fully. I’m so happy with how Prince Heng Yang bows out of trying to win her over and does not fall into the crazy jealous trope (probably bc Fan Qing Chen has enough crazy jealousy for 10 people). But not only do I like how he bows out, I also like how he engages with Lu Yun *afterwards*. He still sees him as a brother but he still teases him about stealing her away. I like it because I do think he loves/cares for her so I would hate for him to just suddenly not care about her. I think she plays this role of showing him what life could be when you let others in which he wasn’t a stone cold man either, but he was more solider/war oriented before her. That said, I like to imagine his love slowly morphing into a healthy friendship love and that he finds another woman to hold dear because he honestly was a hot guy personality wise.

Prince Chang Yi and Zhou Yang Ling’s side romance was cute. Pretty straightforward once the identities are revealed but I liked that it wasn’t superfluously complicated. The emperor when they asked for an annulled engement was hilarious. I actually liked the emperors’ normal-ness overall. Usually they are just horrible or stupid but he wasn’t lol.

I will share a few “nits” that I had with the show. 1. Fan Qing Chen is such a one dimensional creep. As a woman, I know these men exist but it would have been nice if they explored a bit more on why he was obsessed with her. Especially because we get that flash back at the end which had me like “wait a minute, he has a bit more of a reason than she’s pretty?” and I can’t help but wonder if there was other things she did for him in the past. 2. I could explain the “sudden” setting switch to war when the espionage was linked to a war solider and ambush but the snowy mountain felt realllly abrupt. They were in these dessert looking lands and then look snow. I know they did it for the drama of the avalanche but they could have switched it up with a sand storm or smth lol 3. Speaking of the snow, we have ALL this angst and stress over Lu Yun being hurt, only for us to time jump a month. I thought he was in coma or something but he’s just fine??? I mean could we have a least seen him wake up in her arms or in the bed then do the time jump? It was a weird choice.

Overall, this is a feel good romantic comedy and 100% delivers on that experience. I highly recommend it especially if you are getting a bit tired of the more “classic” historical dramas and death of the secondary leads.

### Original Thoughts & Ideas
- To what end are we expected to live for ourselves versus for others. What does “freedom” look like? Is it loyalty to family? Is it loyalty to society? Or loyalty to one’s own desires? Maybe a bit of all three?

Read More

cliche “sunshine vs grump” but with enough plot creativity that it works.

Julia Xiang & Deng Wei did soooo phenomenally in their roles. Their chemistry was believable, their angst and love just the thing for the soul. Credit to the actors for delivering but also credit to the directors and the show for such a cute pairing. Su Yi Shui and Mu Qing Ge/Xue Ran Ran are just perfectly balanced in their personalities and qualities. It leans on the cliche “sunshine vs grump” but I think there’s enough creativity with other aspects that it works. Mu Qing Ge is seen as “frivolous” and “lazy”, but she’s good hearted. Su Yi Shui is “cold” but he was abused so it’s not surprising. It’s actually also really nice that he isn’t “cold” once Mu Qing Ge dies – he is just *indifferent* because of the Ice lotus, but is clearly soft for Xue Ran Ran basically instantly. Deng Wei truly makes an excellent Su Yi Shui. I was obsessed with the way he mastered being serious but clearly in love with all the micro-body language.

I also liked that there was Qiu Xi Er and the other two disciples. I think the friendship and loyalty and banter really played well. It added a “levity” to the show that really makes the show just so fun to watch.

Wei Jiu and Tu Jiu Yuan’s relationship was also super fun to watch. I LOVE when the *secondary* romances feel like they could be their own show. Not only that, but Wei Jiu’s character arc was as good as Su Yi Shui’s.

My three pretty minor complaints:
- Mu Ran Wu was pathetic truly – she hates her sister because her sister has everything but IDK if it’s because I’m the eldest child, I wanted to actually throw her bratty self off a cliff. Her actions do set most of the story in motion though.
- Su Yu was also pretty annoying and the only reason he’s less annoying than Mu Ran Wu is his final redemption. I wish he wasn’t a *sleazy* second love interest and really did have fully pure intentions, but I totally get the direction the show chose.
- It seems to be a truth universally acknowledge if the show starts with one main lead character having amnesia, the other will certainly also experience memory loss for at least an episode or three (especially if they are happily together but there are still 5+ episodes left in the show). I don’t hold this against them entirely, as it was well done enough, but I would have preferred if they skipped the amnesia part.

Read More

A storytelling masterpiece about romantic and self love wrapped in a bow of excellent production

It’s been a few days since I finished the show and while I can’t remember every single detail, there are certain plot choices I want to highlight because of how good they were:

- **Flashback set up:** I normally don’t love jumping between timelines, but the way this show does it is phenomenal. It not only builds up their romance, but also helps unravel who they are as individuals and who they have grown into.
- Usually when we flashback, the actors are so obviously adults it’s disturbing but Bai Jing Ting & Zhang Ruo Nan have faces that really allowed them to seamlessly play high school and adult characters. So the casting for these two was 10/10.
- **The “set up” for assault:** I hate sad stories only because the real world is full of them. 1 in 4 women experience sexual assault including attempted sa. ~ 78% of rape cases involve someone the victim knows so to have this story really set the stage for this creepy uncle with concerning easy access to a young vulnerable girl was important to me in terms of properly representing that it’s not just strangers that hurt women.
- **When she talks to her past self (Ep. 29):** This scene almost broke me. It was such a great visual representation of healing and moving on from the scars that can haunt you.
- **Her mother’s apology (Ep. 30):** We can see that Yifan’s mom does not deserve her daughter, but Yifan for much of the show is still trying to meet her mom half way, so you aren’t really sure as a viewer how she will finally make peace with her mom. I love that she chose to let her mother completely go.
- **Secondary romance:** I usually enjoy the secondary couples in these romance shows, but Zhong Si Qiao and Su Hao An were such an excellent story. They felt like a different show (in a good way). Their plot didn’t overshadow Sang Yan & Wen Yi Fan but it also wasn’t so basic as to feel underwhelming/unneeded. It’s usually that the secondary couple(s) are “assigned” a basic trope and their story is squished in the few extra minutes the show has where its not a bad romance but there isn’t enough substance to really care or root for them. But I truly feel like we got to see Zhong Si Qiao and Su Hao An grow as individuals as well as a couple. I would LOVE a show that follows their kind of romance of oopies to old classmates to friends to lovers.

And OF COURSE the main romance. This is it’s own essay that it can’t be a bullet point. I have a lot I want to say about this relationship.

- It’s practically impossible for fated mates trope to be used for a contemporary romance, and yet, this show truly made me double think that. These two were truly made for each other and are fated.
- Sang Yan: He is stubborn, narcissistic, and brooding – but so very hot and perfect. Even with his “negative” traits at the forefront, we know his heart absolutely belongs to Wen Yi Fan. It real life, there is a bit of a creepy, stalker aspect to how in love he is with her even after she breaks his heart, but some how in this story it just works. Probably because Wen Yi Fan has been abandoned by her family and is alone in this world, but Sang Yan keeps his high school promise that she will never really be alone because she has him.
- Wen Yi Fan: She is traumatized and insists on running rather than facing trouble onwards BUT we can understand very well why. Her actual personality is witty and kind with a sprinkle of cutie-patootie. I love that she has always adored Sang Yan but that life and haters held her back from really indulging her feelings. Watching her grow into herself to gain confidence and defend herself was really beautiful. Seeing her find strength within herself but then learn how to depend on those that love her was the cherry on top.

All in all, this is not a light and fluffy romance, but it is a storytelling masterpiece with a happy ending.

### Original Thoughts & Ideas

- I wish parents had more counseling and guidance about how to really care for their child. Yifan was not wrong when she said the worst betrayal was not her aunt and uncle, but from her very own mother. This woman birthed and raised her for ~15 years, but just completely abandons her when hard times hit.
- Parents are not *owed* forgiveness when their actions play a direct role in your deepest hurts. While some children can make space to try and repair their relationship, sometimes the damage and hurt is too deep to ignore and that is okay.

Read More

SQUEAL WORTHY DUO

OMG THIS COUPLE WAS GONNA BE THE DEATH OF ME. They were SO SQUEAL WORTHY. Once they become a couple they are such simps for each other I loved it bc I too am a simp for my husband.

The one *major* flaw of this show is the last episode. We have so much build up for this video game and then we just JUMP to them selling 10 million copies or smth but I feel like a successful release in the moment would have been better - just one episode dedicated to that vs a 5 min "epilogue" that rushed the secondary romance and just leaves you wanting.

Some people complain that the MML is a jerk to her at the start and only becomes decent when he realizes she's his crush. While there is no denying he was a jerk, I didn't view it as *malicious* more ignorant. It's def not something I would want to experience in real life from the guy I like, but I think for the plot and with the fact that he does have to put in the work to win her "back", it works.

Read More

Arranged Marriage x Enemies to Lovers

This show was a perfect portrayal of love, loss, forgiveness and mercy in a world full of too many people that look after their own interests instead of the masses.

Two solid secondary characters died and one truly BROKE my heart but at the end of the day, the main couple gets their happy ever after and in this universe the lands actually find peace which I wish we could have in reality lol.

Original Thoughts & Ideas
- Is it really possible to give love unconditionally and if it is, can doing so mend old wounds? How does one learn to trust again after so many betrayals? To what end is revenge justified? If my parent’s make a mistake, am I to be held accountable?
- One life *can* make a huge difference. Her cousin felt she plays no role in the larger scheme of things but her choices directly impacted the FML and the politics that unfolded. Had she not died and removed herself as leverage, the story would have had a very different ending. On the flip side, I wonder, if her husband had just chosen to stand for what’s right outside of just ensuring his wife’s safety, how differently could the plot played out?

(I already plan to re-watch soon and try writing a better review. )

Read More