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I was surprised that the drama actually talked about more serious topics in the later episodes though, and I did enjoy the vibe of it, though plot-wise there wasn't much development (which is understandable considering the shortness of the drama).
If you're looking for anything with actual substance, I'm not sure I'd recommend this.
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Like I said in my review for the first season, I still wasn't a fan of all the imaginary scenes. They still were boring and unnecessary to me. Other than that, however, I still really liked the humor in this, and the fact that they tackled a more serious plotline near the end of the season was great.
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The main thing that makes me want to rip my hair out is...THE ENDING. UGHHHH. The ending could be definitely seen as realistic and bittersweet, but to me, it just left me upset and unsatisfied. My heart hurts because of it and it will hurt forever.
Overall, the entire vibe of this drama was so wholesome and cozy; it was refreshing to watch something a little less modern and a little softer.
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The entire aesthetic and cinematography of this drama was beautiful, from the sunsets in the background to the bird's eye views of the beach, to the city night lights. I wish SO BADLY that my college experience would be like this.
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Messy
The biggest reason I liked the second season less might just be because Han Yu, MY FAVORITE CHARACTER, has so little screentime. I also wasn't a huge fan of Jiang Chen Chuan, and the fact that he seemed to replace Han Yu as second lead seemed unnecessary and made for the purpose of one of the plot twists.Overall, the plot had some really messy parts, and this season felt like it tried to squeeze in too many cliches. I'm normally okay with cliches—and I even enjoy them, but even too much of them annoys me.
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Once you get past the confusion of the beginning, this drama isn't too bad. I liked that the main character stood up for herself, and I liked the friendships with classmates. At the same time, however, it was hard to tell what the plot actually was, and the story kind of seemed like one cliche after another.
Having watched this after Put Your Head On My Shoulder, I definitely had trouble getting used to Xing Fei's dubbed voice; the voice they gave her was honestly a bit shrilly and annoying, but I got used to it.
My favorite character was probably Han Yu, and I wish he got more screentime.
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I never really cared for Jun Pyo either—and I definitely felt second lead syndrome, though at the same time my heart didn't care THAT much. The more I think about it the more problematic it seems, and Jun-Pyo simply seems violent and abusive.
The story is honestly hard to believe — it's the very cliche kind where literally EVERYTHING happens to the main leads and it's pretty nonsensical.
With that being said, all 5/10 of my rating is for THE SECOND SHIP. I SHIP THEM SO DAMN HARD AND I AM SO HAPPY WITH THE WAY THEY GOT TOGETHER. THIS 7/10 IS FOR THEM. The second reason is the OST, which I gotta say, is pretty damn good.
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The biggest problem I have is honestly the way mental health was addressed, which, no matter how I think about it, was really problematic especially in the later episodes. While I understand that the character struggling was the antagonist, it seemed like they were just a hindrance and talk about suicide/self-harm were never sufficiently addressed as an issue.
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Not as good as its prequel
While I liked the overall vibe of these movies and how they were a mix between romance, life, and action, I just didn't connect much to this movie's plot. I wasn't a huge fan of Chungking Express but it was still better — I felt more invested in the stories and the characters had more personality to them. The stories felt more organized and I connected to what they were feeling more.Even then, however, I have to give credit once more to Kaneshiro Takeshi, who had the most intriguing part of the movie and certainly did his character justice. I wish we saw more of his character.
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Heart-warming, insightful, and relatable
I'd read the webtoon a while ago and really liked it, so I was looking forward to this drama, and it definitely didn't disappoint! On the surface it's a pretty simple rom-com; we see the characters go through ups and downs in their romantic lives and career journeys. But showing how decisions were made and what their thought processes were added so much to depth to what would've otherwise been a very straightforward plot, and it's just so creative.The characters are extremely realistic — flaws and all — and we end up with a slice-of-life drama that's actually really insightful and profound in its approach to relationships and emotions. I'm absolutely delighted with this one and really looking forward to season 2.
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Unproblematic, healing drama
I was really impressed with the writing of this show. Even though it’s generally light-hearted, it actually touched on a lot of heavy topics, like mental health and anxiety after being in a stressful and unhealthy relationship.The leads are really cute together, especially when they’re just getting to know each other. It’s pretty refreshing to see a drama where there’s no random childhood connection or “first love” trope, just two adults who met each other, liked each other, and put in the effort of being together.
I will say, however, that I don’t really care about traditional Chinese medicine, so anything related to that wasn’t very interesting to me — which is a shame because the leads’ romance was so heavily dependent on it.
The side characters in the show are also just okay. The second couple is pretty cute at times but the romance is simple and fast — it is nice to see a mixed friendship group without a love triangle though, and they were great as the FL’s support system. On the ML’s side, the other doctors are also just okay and not very memorable. In terms of the FL’s parents, they were characters that really had to grow on me; they felt really overbearing and frustrating at the start, but by the ending I appreciated the growth in their relationship.
The one big plot point that was really frustrating to me was the “hiding a cancer diagnosis” plot. It’s something that I’ve definitely seen in a drama before, and the way it plays out is always the same. I’m glad that it didn’t lead to an overdramatic fight between our leads, but I also feel like the way the characters ultimately resolved it was an underreaction that didn’t feel too satisfactory — it sounds contradictory, I know.
Either way, I think this was a light-hearted watch, similar to dramas like Love Me, Love My Voice, Amidst a Snowstorm of Love, and You Are My Glory, where the romance is very mature and calm.
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Soft and quiet
Let me just start by saying I was in the middle of this drama when the Kamimura Kenshin news dropped, and unfortunately it really did affect my enjoyment of this show by a lot. I sped run the last half. I'm trying to separate those emotions from my review of the show, but I just have to admit that I didn't like it as much as I think I normally would've.I think the beginning was kind of rough. While I love the premise of a romance between a misunderstood delinquent and a good student who just tries to keep their head down, the amount of random and unprompted kissing in the first few episodes felt a little abrupt and confusing.
Over time, the characters and story definitely grow on you. I think the cinematography is great and the vibes of the show are really warm. The actors have good chemistry and the dialogue is really insightful and thought-provoking, and it's overall pretty well-written, with some really dramatic plot points that somehow manage to never feel over-the-top. The plot unfortunately does fall victim to the break-up and separation trope, and while I don't think it's completely out of left field here, I still didn't love it and I feel like their reunion should've been slower, even knowing that there's limited screentime.
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They got me so invested in all the characters and fleshed out the character development for pretty much everyone, which is really hard to do in a simple two hour movie. I was really emotionally connected to all the characters and yes, there was a lot of crying.
Essentially, this is so much more than a zombie movie. Yes, there are zombies and they freaked me out, but the story was so much more about human nature. There's a lot of social commentary about how the homeless is treated, about selfishness, about how easily distrust is sewn between one another...I felt a lot of references to Macbeth and Lord of the Flies when I was watching this — but with ten times the emotional impact.
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A slow burn
It took me a long time to get into this — I rarely watch historical dramas, much less something so heavy, so I had a lot of trouble with the character tree and not really understanding what the backstory was.About 25 episodes in, however, I really started to hit my stride. I was really interested in how the different plots would unfold, and especially in the tension between the main characters Mei Changsu and Jingyan as we gradually got a few identity reveals — none of them disappointed.
Overall, I ended up really enjoying this one and would probably enjoy it a little more had it not been for the ending, which I understand thematically but still feels tacked on. It always feels kind of underwhelming when a drama adds a mini plot after the main one is over. It feels unexplained and rushed, and I really will just…pretend it doesn’t exist, to be honest.
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