A fun, adorable drama
Things I liked:1) The kid. The kid steals the show. He's so adorably cute.
2) Miles Wei. I think Miles Wei has become one of my favorite actors. He's very good at playing the smart yet clueless male lead. Fun and funny to watch.
3) Secondary couple. I normally feel that the secondary couple kinda drags out the drama. However, I loved the actor/actress and how they played their roles. I especially thought the actress did an exceptionally great job. I liked their story.
4) Funny moments. There were plenty!
Things I didn't like:
1) Some of the reasoning behind the female lead's actions. She plays a psychiatrist. I feel like it wasn't very realistic that she would play a psychiatrist, yet do some of the things she did.
2) Bangs/Fringe. I don't know what's with the flat across the forehead bangs/fringe. It's so common these days...makes it look like they're missing a part of their head. I can probably name 10 other dramas where the thing that annoys me the most is the female lead's hair style. I guess they're going for, "Hi, I look kinda of ditsy because that's the role I play..."?
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Hilarious!
I've seen the ML in other short dramas before and he's great. The FL has also been in other shorts. I think there's a set of actors and actresses that seem to do a whole bunch of shorts, and it's a good break from watching a longer drama.Plot is funny. Typical transmigration, but atypical mind reading. It lends to A LOT of humor. I don't know how the actors manage to keep a straight face as they ask the questions they ask and ponder terms they don't understand.
Pacing is spot on. Sometimes shorts feel rushed, but this one flows just perfectly.
Nice fight scene.
I can't wait for season two! I hope it's just as witty as this first season.
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My favorite drama
A few things makes this my favorite drama:1) Humor. It's the kind of humor I like and the music fits perfectly.
2) Actors. Well casted and each person plays their part perfectly.
3) No annoying characters. One of the reasons why I might stop watching a drama midway is secondary characters being annoying. If the FL's best friend is too whiny, if a mean girl is too annoyingly mean for too long, or if an ex is too clingy. That doesn't happen in this drama.
4) ML's lines. His sarcasm is absolutely hilarious.
5) Chemistry. It's not just the ML and FL's chemistry, it's the entire cast's chemistry. You can tell they're just having a great time filming this drama. The set must have been a super fun place.
All in all, I've been watching this drama on repeat for like, the seventh or eighth time. It's my new background show, beating out Pride and Prejudice (6 hour version) and Lord of the Rings (extended version).
This and Reset are my only 10.0 rated dramas.
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sloooooooow e-sports drama
So, I'm under the impression that e-sports drama are "fast" in the sense that there's a lot of things happening. Music is fast, scenes and camera angles change quickly, lots of movement.This is perhaps one of the slowest dramas I've seen. It is now my current multitasking drama, it's so slow. I'm a third into drama and honestly, the first 13 episodes could have been condensed down to something like 3. There are so many long, staring at each other scenes with thoughts voiced in some dream-like state.
In short, don't take it as a sequel to Go Go Squid. It's almost an alternate universe where time has stopped too. It's a romance drama with an e-sports background.
Perhaps the remaining 2/3 will have more e-sports stuff? I dunno. I've not seen a set up this long before for this genre.
Having said that...
Love the actors and actresses, love the music, and the absolute best character in this drama is Wu Bai's grandfather. It's worth watching just to see him. He's so funny and sweet!
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One of the best youth drama/slice of life drama
This is a wonderful drama with great actors, real stories, and lots of laughs and tears.Things I liked:
1) Each episode shows character growth. I learn something from them too.
2) The characters are realistic and relatable.
3) I didn't find anyone annoying. Sometimes, a drama is ruined by the annoying characters.
4) It's not an overly long drawn out drama. There's no "dead time" or parts I want to fast forward. There aren't too many flashbacks.
5) Each actor and actress played their role so well.
6) LOVE the music. LOVE LOVE LOVE.
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Learned lots about Chinese embroidery and cloth
Things I liked:1) Features a lot of Chinese embroidery and fabric. And not just one region's techniques, but various people groups, styles and eras. A lot of these techniques are thousands of years old. It's a bit of a history lesson, but I love it.
2) Leads. I like the actors and I think they portrayed their roles well. I especially liked how they wrote the FL's character. She's confident but not arrogant, stands her ground but is kind. Lovable, and definitely not annoying.
3) Beautiful framing. From scenery to the runway, I thought the shots and framing were beautiful.
4) Music fit the drama. Although nothing stood out, the music was fitting.
Things I didn't like:
1) Pacing. History and fashion lessons aside, the pacing of the whole drama was slow. Very slow. I felt like watching the drama at 1.5 speed was more fitting. A lot of slow walking down the street or staring off into space shots.
2) I thought the "bad guys" could have had more dimension to them. Perhaps more character development? I don't know, they seemed kind of flat.
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Thought provoking
I liked the premise of this drama.A man who never lies...is that a good thing?
What is a lie?
Most people agree that saying something that isn't true is a lie. But...
...is not answering a question at all a lie?
...is not correct a faulty understanding a lie?
...is letting someone believe a lie when you know the truth but don't correct them out of compassion a lie?
...are all lies equal?
...are lies said to protect someone else okay?
...or is a lie a lie and you just should always answer every question with the truth?
Anyway, this drama poses those kinds of questions. The plot itself is quite cliché, but the philosophical probing was refreshing.
Also, the best thing about this drama is the ML's kid sister. SHE MAKES THIS DRAMA. WITHOUT HER, I PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE BOTHERED FINISHING IT.
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I really wanted to like this one...
...but couldn't.I like the actress for the FL and the voice actor for the ML. Started watching this mostly for the voice actor Wu Tao (voice of ML).
The plot is clunky and sometimes just doesn't make any sense. Okay, often times doesn't make any sense.
Most of the support characters are ANNOYING AS HECK, whether they're good guys or villains.
Well, I tried. Watched a third of it. Another review suggested just watching the last episode, so I might, but probably won't.
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A voice-con's paradise
Watch this if...1. You're a voice con.
2. You're a voice con who can't get enough of Tan Jianci's voice.
3. You want to hear Tan Jianci sing. A lot. THE OST IS AMAZING!!!
4. You want to hear Tan Jianci crush lines with his vocal acting ability.
5. You're working on knitting project, can't bother to look at the screen, and just want to listen to Tan Jianci.
6. You want to marvel how the same lines can be said differently to convey a completely different vibe, yet all done by Tan Jianci.
7. You're a Tan Jianci fan.
Female lead is cute and from what I can tell, less of a blank slate than the book version.
Oh, also watch this drama for the food.
And amazing views of Guilin! Bucket list of places to go!!!
All the supporting actors are super fun too!
Slice of life, not too much drama, just feel good butterflies.
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A different kind of review...
I will be focusing on the look and feel of the set + visual concept and voice actors. I will lightly touch on plot + actors. Oh, and of course, the music.Oh, before I start, this drama grabs you from episode 1. It might very well be the only drama I will finish for 2025. It's good.
Costume design:
The designer is the same person who has done many recent fantasy/historical dramas. You can easily recognize her handiwork in other dramas (Love Between Fairy and Devil, The Princess and the Werewolf, Coroner's Diary, Moonlight Mystique, among many others...). What I like is her attention to detail and the amazing embroidery! The colors are vibrant. Visual impact is amazing, truly a feast for the eyes.
Regarding makeup...there are times I look at Chen Zhe Yuan's eye makeup and it just screams Dylan Wang from Love Between Fairy and Devil. The eyeliner and eye shadow does something all together different to the eyes. Makeup alone makes these male leads complex, haha. Definitely not the "clean boy next door" type.
When this costume designer (Yi Xiao Ya) is involved, you know the expectations and quality of the drama are high.
Art direction:
The art director (Liu Shi Yun) works well with the costume designer. They've collaborated on a two dramas, and both are rated about 8.5. Again, visually amazing. I especially like the use of flowers in the palaces. Many times when I watch the historical dramas, there are a lot of silk screens, hanging silk fabrics, panels, but not a lot of flowers. In some of the shots, there are flowers everywhere! It really adds to the visual impact of the scenes. Again, all the dramas with this art director are well rated (8.1 or higher).
Voice actors:
While some people might look down on dubbing, in Chinese dramas, it is practically a necessity. Most filming takes place in cities that were built to be movie and drama sets. Building an entire set for one drama is not cost effective. Filming on site at historical palaces is not cost effect. Therefore, several dramas are filming literally side by side. It is a city of sets, and these sets are reused. Sometimes they're used at the same time, just in different corners.
There is way too much noise NOT to dub. Thus, actors even dub themselves, like Chen Zhe Yuan. The FL is dubbed by someone else. I heard the FL's original voice. It is a bit to high in pitch. Rest assured, she memorized and said all her lines well! That's why it could then be dubbed well. It is clear what she is saying, so then the voice actor can match her easily.
WU TAO. Wu Tao is one of my favorite voice actors. In the radio drama community, he's better known as Unlucky Death. He plays Gu Fei in Sa Ye, Yu Fan in Wait For Me After School, Gu Jiu Si in the audio drama version of Destined, and so many other characters. Wu Tao dubs for Chen He Yi (Xia Jing Shi)!!! I kept finding myself drawn toward this character, knowing he's one of the antagonists. Why? Why??? Why????? So I looked at the complete list of cast and crew and realized his voice was drawing me in. I'm a bit of a voice con, heh heh heh. Anyway, so now whenever Xia Jing Shi has lines, I find myself closing my eyes just to listen to the voice alone. Sad, cuz Chen He Yi is quite handsome, haha. But, Wu Tao's voice needs no visuals.
Here's a plug for other voice actors that I like: Wen Sen (seriously, listening to him talk is pure ASMR), Yuan Ming Zhe (and this guy has an amazing singing voice too!!!!!! *whimper*), Ling Fei (he has the most amazing deep voice! The timbre is just...sigh. Paired with a good BGM, my mind drifts into fantasy land), Ma Zheng Yang (this guy is so prolific! He has this clarity to his voice that commands attention)
Drama vs. the book:
The drama and the book are at best remotely related, lol. Okay, I'm on chapter 17 of the book and so far, other than names being the same, practically everything is different. Everything. The book feels like it's going down the route of Taming of the Shrew. There is practically nothing to like about Fu Yi Xiao for the first 17 chapters. And where's the amnesia???? It is so central to the plot of the drama but completely absent from the book, lol. I read almost 30 chapters and then dropped it. Not worth my time, would not recommend it.
Actors/characters:
Chen Zhe Yuan. Yeah, I wish I could be his godmother or something.
Chen He Yi is good looking in the drama.
Ding Jia Wen. I just want to pinch his cheeks, he's so cute!
The Princess of Susha is particularly annoying. She's actually more like Fu Yi Xiao in the book. Scary thought. Like I said, Fu Yi Xiao in the first 17 chapters of the book is super annoying. The princess, on the other hand, seems to have a better head on her shoulders.
Ling Xue Ying isn't even a doctor in the book. Lol! Her character in the drama is also much better than the book counterpart.
Music:
AMAZING!!! Lars Huang sings one of the songs (Surging Waves) and it's my new favorite song for now.
The other 3 songs are also very good and fitting. They add so much to the drama.
Okay, done!
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