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I need a Fang Muyang in my life.

Unexpectedly GOOD!!

I watched this drama because of Chen Feiyu, and this is my second drama of Sun Qian (after The Guilty). I initially started it as a filler while waiting for more episodes of Generation to Generation, and I’m so sorry I almost skipped it :(

This is a slice-of-life drama, and many people think this kind of drama can be boring because it usually has less dramatic conflict. But this drama truly turns the simplicity of everyday moments (and the innocence of youth—just like the Chinese title suggests lol) into a compelling, interesting story.

First, the setting itself provides so many interesting aspects for storytelling. The girl is a factory worker whose dream is to become a university student. Achieving that dream was extremely difficult during that period because of government restrictions, as the universities only accepted workers, peasants, and soldiers through recommendations from their workplaces. Come on, Fei Ni just wants to go to university, why make it so difficult, my goodness. And then there’s the boy, who becomes an accidental hero after saving several neighbours during a storm. He also has a complex and fascinating family story.

I think the core of the drama is about this poor couple (like, financially… lol) who have limited resources in every aspect of life, yet they continue supporting each other to achieve their dreams. They face one hurdle after another and only have each other to lean on, but of course, they never give up. How much sweeter can it get?

Fang Muyang is such a green flag main lead, an entire forest, I can say. From the innocent first-love vibes, to the clever way he reacts to the sabotage his girl faces, to the constant positivity he shows throughout the story, UUUGGGHHHH I. LOVE. IT. He sets his eyes only on Fei Ni from beginning to end, and we all clap our hands when Fei Ni finally returns his feelings. He is the number one supporter of his wife through rain and storm, even an earthquake (literally). He even refuses to back down in the face of political suppression. Honestly, he is the best husband EVAR.

I can confidently say this drama is not boring at all. The pacing, the story, the characters, and even the villain, EVERYTHING works perfectly.

AND! THE SECOND COUPLE, GOSH.
I didn’t expect them to steal the spotlight, but their story is just as heartbreaking as the main couple’s. A marriage of convenience turns into true love. Despite all the lies and detours, they started wrong but ended up in the right place. Just as they should. I didn’t expect to search their edits on my timeline because I can't get enough of them. The chemistry is chemistrying.

I love how both couples are not simply “fake love turning real,” but rather people who heal each other, grow together, and complement each other. In the end, they also achieve their dreams. I feel like the dream part is a bonus; it’s the process that matters.

I also really enjoyed the family backstories, from the restrictions, the separations, and the difficult reunions. It feels like everyone is learning how to be an adult together, including the parents.

Lastly, the villain, OH MY GOD, Feng Lin, you are such a loser lol. All the evil things you did didn’t even bring you anywhere decent. Karma really exists, and you deserve it. And the Xu family, including the son and daughter-in-law, eat that! The actors did an amazing job portraying their characters. I almost punched my screen whenever they appeared. AND DON'T FORGET THAT LIN FAMILY! A truly evil leech family, huh.

It’s a pity the drama was a bit late in getting recognition. I really want to recommend it to everyone I know. The production quality is also impressive. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been to build sets that resemble the 1970s. And the acting! Chen Feiyu surprised me. I didn’t know he could portray such a sweet, innocent character like Fang Muyang. Before this, I only knew him as Li Xun and Sima Jiao (I dropped Eat, Run, Love, so maybe that’s why).

Anyway, this drama is a great start to 2026 for me. Recently, modern dramas have been grabbing my attention more than the usual costume dramas (Generation to Generation, you failed us! Grrr).
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GJM trap all over again, fall at your own risk!

Plot premise is good, but the execution!!

First of all, I’m an enjoyer of My Journey to You and a dropper of Fangs of Fortune, and I think that already describes my expectations for this drama. I knew about all the controversies surrounding GJM, and honestly, I already expected to hate this drama even before it aired (but still ended up watching it anyway… wtf 😭).

I watched the first 7 episodes in one sitting when only 15-16 episodes were out. Then I decided to pause because I knew the ending wasn’t going to be good. But eventually, I picked it up again, continued until episode 20, and then binge-watched the rest once the express package was released. I just couldn’t bring myself to give it a 9/10 because the drama is simply… disappointing.

It is a draining drama. It’s exhausting… Honestly, I don’t even know why I put myself through this misery, hoping for the impossible lol. But I would still recommend it, with LOTS of notes.

What I love:

I love the acting, especially from Ju Jingyi and Tian Jiarui. The rewind scenes were heartbreaking but also beautiful. Ji Ling’s appearance is definitely a highlight. That viral wires white robes reuters were actually the reason I started this torturous GJM production in the first place lol.

Tian Jiarui did a great job portraying multiple roles and showed clear growth from his previous performances. As for Ju Jingyi, I can finally see why she gets so much hype, she’s beautiful and delivers emotionally. Don’t tell me you didn’t cry when she longed for Ji Ling beside the puppet in that red robe 😭😭.

This is also my first time watching Zeng Shunxi, and I can confidently say I’m becoming a fan. Wu Shiguang feels like a role made for him, and he executed it really well. Chen Duling, as always, carries that elegant, refined aura perfectly.

I also want to highlight how well they executed certain emotional storylines, especially the creation of Li Jie. The bond between the brothers, the friendship, the sunshine and sunshine protector dynamic… it was all so touching. The devastation Li Jie felt when he realized he had lost Ji Ling forever, Ji Ling is his sunshine, his partner 😭.

Episodes 23-24 are crucial because they finally explain all the confusion from earlier episodes. You really have to survive all the plot twists to get there. And Longshen… he’s probably the loneliest character in the story, to the point that he develops a “loneliness fragrance.” That absolutely broke me 😭.

Overall, it’s a good drama if you’re looking for high-quality fight scenes, impressive CGI, beautiful visuals, and a strong OST. The action choreography and camerawork are mostly memorable.

What I hate:

The “equal billing” nonsense and the lack of screentime for Zeng Shunxi and Chen Duling. They are the biggest victims here.
I really hate how underdeveloped the “heir of the dragon deity” plotline is. Why was he written to be so weak? How did the story shift from a journey to find the 10th dragon deity and build the heir, the future… into a story about reminiscing over the creation of a spirit vessel? He is merely a supporter of the “real” dragon deity, no? Did I misunderstand the premise from the beginning? 🤔I could’ve accepted it if the drama had focused solely on the kingmaker storyline. But they promised EQUAL BILLING. Of course viewers are upset. We are mad! After 25 episodes, it feels like GJM suddenly remembered: “Oh right, we still need to make Wu Shiguang the dragon.” Like… where was the PACING all this time?

I’m not blaming the actors. This is solely on GJM. If the promotion hadn’t emphasized equal billing, this would’ve been more acceptable. They shouldn’t have marketed it as four main leads with equal billing. I would’ve been fine with the LWY-JL couple as the main leads, if only they had been honest from the start. IF ONLY. I genuinely hope Zeng Shunxi and Chen Duling were paid accordingly, as main leads. I don’t know why I fell into the same GJM trap again. At least I was strong enough to drop FoF lol.

Besides the billing issue (which I usually don’t even care about, but this time I felt betrayed), I also hate the censorship. The Han Ba arc was clearly cut, we CAN tell. The scenes about storytelling to get the room keys were missing, and I’m sure there were more beautiful moments between Su Jian and Han Ba that got removed. Cutting it from 40 episodes down to 29 is just… painful.

Yes, some issues might be due to censorship, but a lot could have been avoided if GJM had put more effort into balancing the story and respecting all his actors. He couldn’t balance the screentime, he couldn’t balance the romance, nor balancing the dragon deity-vessel storyline. He couldn’t even balance the favouritism between his favourites. Equal billing bulls*it. Wu Shiguang, as the heir, is so underpowered that Ji Ling has to appear everywhere to solve everything and save everyone. Like… Wu Shiguang, you such a spoiled little dragon brat prince. Why are you freeloading? /s. Even in the final confrontation with Jiu Ying, he still needed Ji Ling. I get it, I get it. The fake feels like the real, and the real feels like the fake. That’s the main plot of the story.

Well, the ending is quite surprising. It’s a HAPPY ENDING by GJM standards. IYKYK lol. The fact that simply being ALIVE is considered a happy ending is wild. No one turns into dust, no one is left waiting endlessly on the stairs. It’s an open ending for the Wuwu couple, but I choose to regard it as a happy one. They get to restart, and I know Wu Shiguang would succeed in courting Wu Wangyan again. They’re fated, and no one can separate them.

As for the *main* couple, it’s a happy ending in the sense that they forget their miserable past lives and are reborn as humans, just as Lu Wuyi wished. Their wish comes true, and that last scene at the flower shop! That smile! It’s Ji Ling’s, just like the first time Lu Wuyi saw him, the form she fell in love with. That’s enough for me *ehem. I guess I have low standards.

The ending is actually a rewind timeline and a different universe (so you watched 28.5 episodes for noth—oops lol), so there’s no Li Jie, no weak You Chi, and no dead people.

You either love or hate GJM dramas. It’s ALWAYS like this. Next time (maybe for Hidden Shadow), I’d rather wait until it finishes airing before deciding if I WANT TO TORTURE MYSELF AGAIN with another draining yet beautiful drama before starting it lol.

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A pretty drama with a pretty cast that lived up to my expectations

My first ongoing C-drama in 2026. I’ve been waiting for this drama since I discovered Cheng Lei last year, and it doesn’t disappoint! I’ve never read the novel, the manhwa, nor watched the donghua, so I’m watching the drama as an original viewer lol.
I love it so much! I kind of lost track at the beginning of the plot. I mean, I know Prince Duan and the Empress Dowager are the villains, but their “slaves” (the ministers and allies) were all confusing me hahaha. I think I need more experience with politics and the monarch system in Chinese costume dramas (but come on, maybe I was just too tired to concentrate, because I digested Legend of Zang Hai just fine last year).

Anyway, I started the drama because of Cheng Lei, and he lived up to my expectations. His acting was just wow. When he switched his tyrant mode on, I was so scared. The angst… the backstory… when he silently cried inside for Zhang San’s memories, when Uncle Bei was gone, when he tried not to get emotionally attached to the other 2D characters… I cried with him :(((. I watched a lot of his dramas last year, and he set a new standard, at least for me.
Wang Chu Ran was also doing great with her role. She SUITS YU WANYIN TO THE BONE. The comedy was executed well, too. It’s not cringey, it suits the plot, and it IS funny. All the details of the modern “innovations” they brought to the palace, hahahahah I LOVE IT. As expected, my hotpot couple lol.

Praise to Wang Chu Ran as well, because what she portrayed is not just a pretty lucky girl holding spoilers from the book and trying to survive in the palace, but someone who actually made her power useful. I like how Yu Wanyin is such an F person (I mean her MBTI lol), because that’s what balances the soulless Xiahou Dan. She ‘undead’ him, wow.

Annndd, I need to make another paragraph for the visual production. IT IS AMAZING. I love how they threw red into the costumes, the makeup, the VISUALS. Xiahou Dan’s style is perfect. I love all the colors of his robes, the red-black one, the purple, the green, even the white at the Empress Dowager’s funeral. The hair is also good. I mean, I know C-costume dramas always deliver with long hair, but this one is just too good. Also, WANG CHU RAN, YOU PRETTY GIRL. I am not a fan of her, but I know I need to compliment her this time. The dresses… I mean, ALL HER CLOTHES ARE AMAZING. I love her makeup, her hairstyles, her sparkling accessories, even her silk pajamas lol. And COME ON, I REPLAYED THE EMPRESS STRUT LIKE FOUR TIMES?? The crown, the dress, the tail ARGH, SHE’S BEAUTIFUL. And I saved her photo in that costume, the one Cheng Lei posted on Weibo. You know which one lol.

So, I’m glad I’m watching How Dare You while it’s ongoing, because I’m embracing all the hype and replaying the clips on my timeline since I don’t want to move on yet. One thing, though: the ending might be disappointing for some people (especially novel readers), because it’s just too short (noooooo), but I’m slowly accepting it :D.
I’ve seen worse endings for this kind of transmigration story lol. At least we got that iconic HI HOW ARE YOU I’M FINE THANK YOU AND YOU (and adult Zhang San in pretty styling) arrrggghhhh!

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A Too-Good-to-Be-True Story

I wasn’t planning to write a review for this drama, but since I have a bit of free time, here it is.

I’ve said this before, but a revolution setting in the 70s and 80s of China is my favorite genre. It’s not that I enjoy watching people struggle with poverty, but I love how these dramas portray development and history in the making. That’s also the reason why I keep watching this kind of drama no matter how bad the plot is (not that this drama is bad… okay, enough rambling).

This drama is a mix of time travel and the creation of a female hero. It’s heavily female-centric, with a green-flag male lead acting as support. It’s also a family drama, showing growth, development, and liberation.

Xia Xiaolan, who is in her 30s in the present, time-travels back to 1983 as a teenager. Of course, she has a “cheat code” to live her new life. She starts everything earlier, becomes a pioneer in many things, and lives her life to the fullest. In her previous life (the present I mean), Xiaolan was bullied both in school and at work, so she changes everything in the second chance she gets. I love everything she does the second time around. She rescues her mom from abuse, goes back to school to pursue her dream major, builds a circle of trustworthy friends and colleagues, finds love, and creates her own support system.

You can learn a lot of life lessons from this drama: giving people second chances, keeping supportive people around you, doing business, turning your “cheat code” into something real, finding warmth in people who aren’t blood-related, and even achieving work-life balance lol.

It may seem too good to be true, but that’s what makes the drama interesting. The plot is so perfect that it actually makes you anxious as it goes on. Every time Xiaolan gets a standing ovation, I get scared of what’s coming next. I didn’t read the novel, so I stayed in suspense until the end, and I survived, phew!

What I want to appreciate more is the writing and production. They had to work around censorship, and with time travel plots, you usually have to settle for a short reunion in the present, with nothing more than smiles. I think we’re lucky they at least showed the scene where Zhou Cheng calls her name. But still, no hug, no kiss, no glimpse of their life after the reunion [EHEM], lol. I only looked up the original novel ending after finishing the drama. Of course, it’s more detailed and clear, but that’s the Chinese drama industry for you. You miss out on some things due to government restrictions, but it also leaves room for your imagination.

As for the actors, Zhou Ye delivers as usual. I love how she portrays teenage Xiaolan in 1983: young, yet strong. You can really tell she put a lot of effort into showing Xiaolan’s growth into adulthood. And Zhai Xiaowen! Please do more dramas. I know you’re a singer too, but I want to see you act more, lol. Special shoutout to Lawrence Wong! His character is hilarious, and his acting is so good.

Overall, it’s a good drama. I’m glad actresses still have space to lead strong female-centric stories despite the challenges. It may not be perfect (there are still some flat/slower parts) but if you like the actors, you should definitely give it a try. It’s inspiring!

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Please give this drama a chance!

I first decided to watch this drama because Lu Yuxiao was rumored to star in season 2 of Romance in the Alley, and I am a fan of hers. Then I saw that Wang Anyu was also in it, so it’s a must. But then I couldn’t find proper subtitles for it and nearly gave up after half an episode :D

However, it is a good drama! A nostalgic Reply-series-like drama, with the importance of parents’ roles and their story of raising their children in a closely knitted neighborhood in the 70s–80s. I’ve watched several Chinese dramas with settings before, during, and after the reform of China’s planned economy, so I kind of understand the background and how life worked at the time. And the drama describes the problems and the development of the era quite well.

The drama is like: I wish I had a relationship with neighbors like them versus I wish they could leave us alone and mind their own business lol. Sometimes they’re too close; sometimes I need a Huang Ling or Song Ying for once in my life. The two beautiful ladies are the highlight! They practically live together, supporting each other, fighting with each other (Dongzhe and Xiaoting, you guys are partly responsible for this lol) within a 20-year span. They raise their children together (and even marry into each other), and if you think it’s a boring storyline, just stop and switch.

I cried and laughed throughout the 40 episodes. I laughed because of Dongzhe, I cried because of the parents. And also, because of Li Jia. Being a sandwich-generation family member (it’s even worse in the 80s) is never easy.

It’s a relatable story for everyone who is living in a developing country, and I can say the production did wonders. The acting is also awesome. I know the actress who played Dongzhe’s mom won the Magnolia Awards for her role, and the drama also got nominated in many categories. So, if you have “an award-winning production” as one of the starter to watch drama on your list, you should definitely watch this drama. They have some weak parts, of course, but it’s still a good drama.

Each couple has their charm. The Zhuang parents are about an unbalanced power dynamic between the two leads. The husband puts his extended family first, and I am so glad Huang Ling fought for it (and she won!). I nearly shouted “DIVORCE HIM” every time Zhuang Chaoying asked the kids to visit their grandparents lol. The Lin family seems more peaceful, but it’s about putting bread on the table. Glad Song Ying is quick to adapt, and I support her to smack Dongzhe at every chance because he is sooooo mischievous! But thank you for the laughter Lol.

Love the first couple (I mention it by age), Tunan-Jia, with their storyline. Some people might find Li Jia’s story annoying, but she can’t help it. It’s a real problem with realistic progression, and even though they took time to detour, they finally found the finish line together, that’s enough *cry a bit. The second couple, Dongzhe-Xiaoting, is more like an impulsive young challenger couple that turns good. It’s a little bit too good, actually. Childhood sweethearts with a perfect pace and perfect ending. They’re really cute together, and even though sometimes I don’t support their choices, they are really a match made in heaven. Like two troublesome people producing double uproar but somehow compatible and complementary :)

Speaking about the actors, it’s my first time watching most of them (except Wang Anyu, Lu Yuxiao, Shi Yunpeng, and Zhou Jieqiong), and it makes me wonder if I should add more non-idol dramas to my watch list lol. It’s my first time seeing Fan Chengcheng’s acting, as I only saw him on Keep Running, and gosh he is…different (in a good way, ofc) lol. And Guan Xiaotong…she’s kinda famous for other reasons, but I think I should watch more of her dramas before I can say anything. But she’s so pretty! Next is Lu Yuxiao: I’ve watched lots of her dramas, and can someone tell me why her dubbing is always like that :|

Anyway, the biggest downside of this drama is THE SUBTITLES!! IT’S SUCH A LOSS for Cdrama fans to skip this drama because they can’t watch it without subs. Mango, come onnnnn it’s a 2024 release drama and now it’s 2026, and you still can’t provide proper subs for international fans? I nearly gave up for the second time in Episode 9 because of how bad it is. Who the hell is “Forestry Worker”? I only know Lin Gong lol. Fortunately, I got used to it and binge-watched it to the end (I am so proud of myself :D). It is a good way to improve your Mandarin skills, though. At least for me, a non-Chinese speaker with an old rusty HSK level 2/3 (old version) skill lol. I think you can go for level 4 for the listening test if you can finish the drama haha!

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