sinnyyy

Love Supremacy

Interesting plot premise right from the start and the execution was even better. The cast was great, no awkward acting (in fact, Lee Tae Vin knocked it out of the park with his acting), and the storyline had depth and not just fluff. It's about learning how to love and be loved, and a self reflection on what it means to be happy.

However, there were some pacing issues, which I feel was kind of expected with the number of episodes. They probably could have benefited from maybe 1-2 more episodes, but overall, I don't think it detracted too much from the drama, which was still high enjoyable and meaningful. Highly recommend a watch, even if you're not a BL fan.

Read More

This was a slow start drama that really takes a while to build up (with annoying flashbacks every two scenes and internal monologues galore), but overall, it had interesting characters and a decent storyline. I had doubts about both the ML and FL at first, but I ended up liking both of them in the end. If you're like me and like morally grey characters, you'll probably also like the ML, who is, honestly, pretty unhinged (pls get this man a therapist).

The romance part was more of an aside for me, as I wasn't really buying it between the ML and FL. The side characters were constantly mentioning how the ML and FL acted differently towards the other and how they must love the other, that the whole thing just felt forced, as if they were trying to convince the audience of this fact rather than letting their actions speak for themselves.

I probably wouldn't ever rewatch this but this was an enjoyable drama. If you like palace politics, you'll probably like this as well! Nice OST, good acting, and satisfying ending.

Read More

Beautiful Xanxia

Went into this with low expectations, and came out of it happily surprised.

This was the most visually stunning xanxias I've watched thus far. The CGI, cinematography, outfits, makeup - everything was done beautifully. Special shoutout to the person who worked on all of the ML's outfits because I literally could not stop obsessing over how beautiful his outfits were lol.

And while I wouldn't say it had a particularly complex plot and it definitely had a ton of tropes, the acting, music, and production of the show really made the whole drama immensely enjoyable for the viewer.

Read More

Great Production, Decent Storyline, Max Enjoyability

I had high hopes coming into this drama. I usually don't start watching dramas until they're completed, but I took a chance on this and yep, I have no regrets.

First of all, the production value of this drama was top notch. Everything looked great - loved all the different costumes and the sets, and it really helped set the mood throughout the whole series.

Second of all, I absolutely loved the FL. Honestly, if you're a fan of strong FLs, I would give this drama a chance because this definitely fits the bill. FL isn't the type of "strong" FL where they claim she's strong and then somehow somewhere down the line, 10 episodes in, you have the ML having to save her every other episode (an exaggeration, but you get my point). Nope, this FL holds her own throughout the whole drama, and is on par with the ML every step of the way, whether it's physically or intellectually. There were times where I thought, oh no, they're going to have her fall into the trap or oh, she's going to get saved by someone, but NOPE, she actually fucking figures it out and gets the job done herself.

This has now become my favourite drama of Yang Yang and Lusi so far. Yang Yang especially, stood out for me in this show and now I need him to do 500 other wuxia/xianxia because he is perfect in these types of roles. Chemistry between him and Lusi was great, so much so that I could deal with some Very Questionable Plot Points just because I was so invested in the two of them lol.

Also, bonus points for NO LOVE TRIANGLE. Hell yeah. There was a point where I thought they were headed to one with Feng Xiwu, but she became best friends with FL instead and was actually so genuinely supportive and kind to FL. A miracle!

All in all, it's a fantastic drama for me, highly enjoyable with engaging characters that I loved. Worth my time, and worth the watch.

Read More

Decent drama

This was a surprisingly realistic (or as realistic you can get when one of the characters is a hugely famous pop star..), not over-the-top drama. The problems ML had in the beginning I could definitely empathize with. It had an easy-to-watch storyline and no dramatic conflicts with unrealistic villains and terrible communication. Both of the leads were mature, knew what they wanted, and really made their relationship work. While Yang Yang improved from his Love O2O days, his acting always felt very wooden to me. However, he had great chemistry with Dilraba and their relationship carried the show. I'm not sure if I would ever rewatch this but it was a sweet, romantic drama that wasn't too serious and fairly light-hearted.

Read More

Heartwarming, Charming, Hilarious

This was one of the most charming, feel good kdramas I've ever watched, and I cannot believe it took me 5 years to finally watch it.

So, so many good things about this drama, but the one that stands out the most to me was the chemistry between the two leads because .... y'all. Bok Joo and Joon Hyung are seriously SO cute. I can't even count the amount of times I smiled and laughed like an idiot because of these two. Cutest couple ever. I think what really got me was how natural their relationship was, nothing felt forced, and there was definitely more skinship than I expected for a kdrama.

There were some things about the drama that I was kind of iffy on, such as the way they dealt with weight/diet/disordered eating etc. and the uh.... questionable coaching methods, but I did feel like the issues I had with the show were minor gripes in comparison to how happy this drama made me feel while watching it. I loved pretty much all the relationships they had with each other, especially Bok Joo's relationship with her two best friends and with her dad, as well as Joon Hyung's relationship with his aunt and uncle.

A+, would definitely consider watching again.

Read More

Humorous and Heartwarming

If you're looking for a super romance-y drama, this is not for you. But other than that, this was such a refreshing drama! I know next to nothing about publishing, so this was a nice insight to the behind the scenes (which I'm assuming is pretty accurate to real life) - I initially thought the premise would be boring, but the story was actually pretty interesting with lots of humorous moments that made me literally laugh out loud, and without being over the top.

Also, I loved the FL! She was spunky and energetic, but I never found her annoying. She's the epitome of how hard work and persistence pays off, and I love how she always took her work seriously because she was truly so passionate about it. Another thing I loved - she's respectful, but also just doesn't take shit from other people lying down without standing up for herself and the people she loves.

As mentioned before, romance between the two leads played a part in the drama, but I definitely wouldn't say it was the main focus. Honestly speaking, I found Ryan to have had more chemistry with other FLs and the kissing was uh.... a bit wooden, let's say. They had their cute moments, but my favourite part was most definitely the various friendships the ML and FL had. Loved the ML and his best friend; they were competitive, but was always genuinely happy for the other's success. No secret backstabbing, badmouthing, or whatever other plots dramas tend to like to throw at you, just great friendship and support. Awesome.

Near the end, the plot did get kind of boring and predictable, but solid drama overall and I'm glad I gave it a chance.

Read More

Fun, Short Drama

Pacing was slow at first, and I wasn't sure what to think of the ML since he really didn't speak much and the side characters also annoyed the hell out of me. The humour in the beginning also felt really forced, but I stuck it out because it usually takes a while for cdramas to grow on me - and tbh, I'm glad I did! There was an age difference between the two main characters, but their progression to affection towards each other felt very natural. The side characters also grew on me, which I guess really spoke to their growth in character throughout the series.

Also, one thing I really loved about this drama was how mature the ML was; sure, he gets jealous and petty, but when it really came down to it, he never doubted the FL and was always willing to apologize when he knew he was in the wrong.

This was only 24 episodes, so it didn't take me long to get through and pretty enjoyable to watch! Bonus: if you love food like me, you'll enjoy the pretty closeup shots of the food dishes too lol.

Edit: Forgot to mention ... how does she have so much time on her hands when she works as a chef at a 5-star hotel??

Read More

Worth the Watch

I initially avoided this drama because historicals weren't really my thing, and I grew up watching Charmaine Sheh in HK dramas so... it just felt kind of weird to watch her in a cdrama now, but after heavy recommendation from a friend, I decided to give this a shot.

I'm really glad I did! It pulled me in right from the very first episode, and I loved all the devious scheming and plotting that never made an episode boring. However, I felt near the end, maybe last 10-15 episodes or so it definitely began to drag a bit and I did lose a bit of interest. I'm sorry, but I really did not care enough about the Empress and Prince He to warrant having to watch that many scenes with the both of them lol.

The relationship between Wingluo and the Emperor I'm still a bit iffy about considering all the shit he had her go through before and that one totally shady noncon scene that could have went even more south if Wingluo didn't scheme her way out of it, but they do have an interesting dynamic.

Anyway, this was 70 episodes but it definitely felt shorter because it was, for the most part, an enjoyable show to watch and I can totally see how it got so many views when it first aired.

Read More

Frustrating Female Lead

Saw great review reviews for this drama and I wanted something a bit more light-hearted so I decided to give this a try - at first, I really loved it! It was funny seeing the FL navigate this new world and the FL and ML had great chemistry.

However, as the drama went on, it lost its charming point (mainly: the comedy and the fact that it didn't take itself too seriously) and my frustration grew the longer the FL kept going on about the "original story" and made extremely stupid decisions again and again.

One of the things that really annoyed me was how she wanted to keep the ML alive and loves him so much, yet still continues to treat him like one of her fictional characters and keeps him in the dark about absolutely everything - even right after making him promise that they'll keep no secrets from each other. Lady, are you okay?

This is a relatively short drama so I'll finish it but as of right now... it's a struggle to watch.

Edit: Lmao.. they consummated IN PRISON. AND THE ML FOUND OUT SHE WROTE THE WHOLE STORYLINE AND MANIPULATED HIM AND WAS STILL TOTALLY OK WITH IT NBD. WTF LOL.

Edit: Finished. Ridiculous. Lol.

Read More

Failed execution

Y'all... I tried to finish this, I really did, but after maybe 7 or so episodes, I just had enough.

Actually, when I first started watching this, I was really invested because it had such an interesting premise, and I liked the two main leads (never watched any of ML's drama's I think but I watched HYJ's from like... 10 years ago lol). However, after the FL revealed to the ML the secret, it all just went downhill for me.

Everything just felt forced, and the more I watched on, the more it was evident to me that the two main leads just did not have any chemistry, which was a serious pain because they apparently already fell in love by the 7th episode and we weren't even halfway through the series yet (which normally, is totally fine, but again, no chemistry = painful to watch). The FL really grated on my nerves with her bumbling personality and her constant shocked/worried face and after watching one more episode, I was done with her antics.

I personally wouldn't recommend this, but maybe a good time waster for those that want to go for it.

Read More

I wish I could rate this drama in parts - a 9/10 for the first 20 episodes or so, and an 8/10 for the latter half. The first part had almost everything I wanted in a xianxia, and it was unexpectedly hilarious, touching, and romantic. Props to the cast, but especially Esther and Yu Xi who really played their roles well.

Perhaps because the first part was so good that the latter half fell short for me - the plot moved much slower, and moments between the two main leads lessened a lot as the focus was more on the background of the second leads and ML.

Overall though, this was a really nice, feel good drama.

Read More

Less serious than expected

Started watching this maybe around a couple of months ago due to all the rave reviews, watched episode 1 and it didn't catch my interest so I dropped it. I decided to give it one more try, and I'm glad I did.

Highly unrealistic plot, but somehow still manages to be very entertaining. Almost perfect mix of comedy and seriousness, and the acting and cast was top notch. The villain storyline definitely dragged on a bit near the second half of the show, but nothing unwatchable and I felt the everything was wrapped up nicely in the end.

And while I loved all the cast (even the villains), I'm going to be honest, Vincenzo/Song Joong Ki absolutely carried the show for me. The character of Cha Young I felt like they could have done more with... I really wanted her to show off her skills (I mean, she's supposed to be a great lawyer!) but I didn't see much of that at all. In fact, the court scenes were almost non-existent lol. Also, the romantic storyline between Vincenzo and CY... I don't know how popular this opinion is but I definitely did not feel any romantic chemistry between the both of them. I loved their friendship, though! Seeing the two of them kick ass together was A++.

Overall, great production, cinematography, OST, cast, etc etc.

Read More

Worth Watching

I actually wasn't planning to watch this until a friend highly recommended it and I was like okay, I'll try a few eps first and see whether I like it, and if worst comes to worst, I'll just drop it (even though I hate dropping series halfway).

Well... turns out I ended up loving it, and is definitely up there as one of the best cdramas I've seen so far. The pacing for this was great - I know I've said this in other reviews before, but for fantasy dramas, it usually takes me around 10 or so eps before I become interested and the plot even becomes interesting, but right off the bat for this drama, I was pulled in.

The acting was top notch for the most part, especially for the two main leads, and the chemistry between them was undeniable. In fact, I didn't expect to, but I grew attached to almost all characters and couples on the show, which is surprising for me because usually it's one or the other. However, there were times when the misunderstandings between the characters made me want to rip my hair out from frustration (hello... episode 42 which took me forever and a half to finish) but the payoff in the end was worth it.

I didn't have many issues with this show, but maybe with the character and acting for Ruo Yu which was uh... not great and not believable. Luohou Jidu acting as Xuanji also completely took me out (as in it gave me major LOLs) and made that whole last arc maybe a bit unintentionally funny for me.

All in all, this show is definitely worth a watch, and the hype is well deserved.

Read More

I watched most of this series during my winter holidays (no work, just binging dramas!) and I'm going to be honest, if it were not for the fact that I rarely drop shows I have started already (unless they're absolutely terrible), then I probably would have dropped this halfway through.

Maybe it's just not my thing in dramas, but the pacing for this was absolutely snail-like. It also didn't help that a lot of the scenes were just eerily quiet with no background music at all. I struggled to get through the beginning episodes, and while it did get better and vaguely more interesting, the whole plot just wasn't engaging enough for me.

Ling Xi and Jiuchen were mainly what I kept watching for and kept my interest for the most part, but I just was not as invested in their relationship compared to the main couples in other shows I've watched. I liked how Ling Xi eventually stopped relying on Jiuchen so much and stood her ground on things, but what irritated me was that she was kept in the dark about most things from basically everyone around her. Side characters I found mildly entertaining, but all other side character relationships, again, I didn't care for, nor did I care about the Shanling tribe which they really pushed in the beginning.

All in all, definitely not a show I would ever rewatch (not even certain scenes), but it was mildly entertaining enough for me to watch 60 episodes of during the holidays.

Read More