I went into it with extremely low expectations because of the reviews I've seen but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
The good: I love how ethereal the added CGI makes the story feel - the animated Mi Gu, the underwater traveling bubble and the times we get to see Bai Qian's fox tail and Zhe Yan's phoenix. I thought I'd laugh at Luo Jin's ridiculous costuming but oddly I loved it and it suits him so well; I also adored the smooth richness of his voice actor. I appreciated Yang Yang's smiling handsomeness and gentleness as well as Crystal Liu's literal goddess like presence. The funny moments are the best part of this movie. Most of the costuming is quite pretty too, especially for Bai Qian.
The bad: the story telling is confusing and the editing is choppy. They managed to get most of the points of the story and quotes from the book but they didn't really explain the first life with Mo Yuan and Si Yin. It's mentioned briefly but doesn't really explain the resemblance between between Ye Hua and Mo Yuan nor how Bai Qian ended up as a mortal. Because of that, in the end when Mo Yuan is revived and looks like Ye Hua, you as the audience are left wondering if Ye Hua was really just Mo Yuan in the first life and now that he's "died" in the third life, he's returned in Mo Yuan's body. I'm guessing that's what the ending implies but it's a bit ambiguous. I didn't like that this version left out my pretty boy idiot Li Jing but you win some, you lose some. I also didn't like that Su Jin seemed to get off easy nor did I like that Ye Hua was relatively polite towards her. Minor but it was what I loved about drama!Ye Hua; he never fell for any of Su Jin's crap and it was always clear how much he detested her.
TL;DR: if you're a fan of the novel and drama, you might potentially enjoy it but don't think too much during the viewing
If you've not been exposed to the novel or drama and want a feel of the story, don't look to this version; I think it will confuse you. Try the drama for coherency and the full story. May not be quite as pretty but I think it's worth it.
I've been avoiding the ending because I spoiled it for myself but I'm glad I did because then I wouldn't have been so gutted by the ending. This drama went through a series of ups and downs for me. The ups were more at the Green Hills court for me which explains why I enjoyed the drama so much in the beginning. It was all right when they finally reached Yanbei but the storytelling became more haphazard and the characters more traitorous to what we had known previously. All in all, I liked it - 8/10
If you're looking for romance, watch the last 5 minutes of the finale episode for all the cute stuff. Other than that, the storyline has some action but mostly drama, yet somehow manages to be draggy too. The characters, especially the female characters (I'm looking at you, Koy and Pimdao) annoyed me to the end of my wits. To be honest, I was hoping for more romance like the cute kitchen scene that was shown every commercial break and I thought I'd get to see them as a couple for at least a few episodes but again, that didn't happen. I didn't really like the format of the drama either (too many zoomed in and long lasting shots of someone's face, the two songs that were overused for so many scenes and too many flashbacks). Really, the only two things that pushed me to finish this drama was the very handsome Push and to see all the bad people finally get what was coming to them. Not absolutely a terrible drama but I do kind of regret starting it and then needing to finish it too. Usually I wouldn't bother but handsome Push + really annoying villains that needed to get roasted drove me forward.
I know I shouldn't, especially since he's fated to die and he was a terrible person irl and kind of in the drama too, but I'm seriously loving Lee Dong Gun's performance as the king!
Teensy bit confused by the ending but I liked it and I never thought I'd have a second male lead syndrome for an old man but grandpa Li was too sweet :')
For someone who had a higher opinion of this drama in its earlier episodes, that praise has plummeted greatly. To make this as short as I can without it turning into a rant, I'll split into two simple categories:
What I liked -
Yang Yang is nice to look at.
I like multiple guys liking one girl trope.
The side characters are cute most of the time.
I liked getting justice for Bai Cao's teacher even though he could've spoken up sooner and saved himself and his kids a lot of heartache.
Ting Hao's candor is VERY MUCH appreciated even if he does get his heart trampled on a bit.
Our main character, Bai Cao, started off as a loyal and hard working kid.
What I loathed -
Bai Cao deteriorated as the drama went on - from someone who was strong, fought her own battles and had a mind of her own, she morphed into a weepier, indecisive and (I'm struggling to find a kinder word but I can't at the moment) dumb version who couldn't make up her mind to win a fight without Ruo Bai's encouragement or about the two boys who did confess their feelings to her.
The inability of Ruo Bai to verbalize his feelings (at any point in the drama but mainly) for Bai Cao - could be seen as a well-loved trait usually endured by second male leads but the way this drama handles it irks me to no end. We, the audience, knows that he loves her but any time there's an inkling of it, he immediately threatens Bai Cao with giving up on her completely/tells her off harshly. Not to mention how he refuses medical treatment, ignores the doctor's advice, puts his body under strain and gets his frequent attacks of pain all while cautioning that no one can allow Bai Cao to know. All for the sake of a competition. I know his love for the sport but honestly, it's not a good idea. Especially when it's a competition we don't even get to see the outcome of. And suffering in silence isn't really the most attractive trait to me.
Chu Yuan's blandness as a character aside, he didn't deserve to see her with Ruo Bai in the last episode. That was just hurting the guy unnecessarily.
There's probably more to add but I'll stop here. All in all, I enjoyed it at first but eventually ended up enjoying it less and less. The pacing towards the final episodes felt awkward and rushed. I'm giving this a 6.5/10 but only for the initial joy it did give me.
The many kisses are my favourite part of this drama. I liked it but thought it was a little too draggy especially towards the end. All in all, not bad though!
I don't see how the title fits the drama but okay! The first episode was actually the best for me. This drama has a super quick pace and the ending just felt kind of inconclusive? I mean it did conclude but it was so quick. Not bad and definitely an interesting premise.
It wasn't a bad drama by any means. Well acted. I tried the anime but never finished so I thought I'd look at the drama. I don't like the story but I did appreciate the ending.
I finally feel like I've watched one of those super dramatic slap-kiss filled Thai lakorns I've heard so much about. The way he looks at her made me smile!
I watched the entire drama just because I really love the actor; he's so handsome. I enjoyed the drama for the most part too - it's beautifully shot, I like that the girl was aware that she was attractive and not shy for once, and everyone in this drama is very nice to look at.
The story is quite fast-paced and interesting but the drama definitely has its faults with how it doesn't even acknowledge that the male lead is abusive and despite trying to make up for it in the end, I still don't think they really dealt with it. If Sibtit wasn't so attractive, this story would be of an entirely different mood.
The drama did recognize that Sibtit was wrong for cheating on Prickkan but it didn't truly show how obsessive his "love" actually was. Sibtit was not only a possessive hypocrite; he was abusive - insulting her if she dressed too scantily for his taste, putting her down for talking to other men, grabbing her and refusing to let her move until she agreed with him, always threatening to punish her by essentially sexually assaulting her. Hell, he even tried to force himself on her - twice. The only reason he stopped was because her cries got to him. Else, he would have definitely raped her.
Prickkan was no angel either - I hate what she did to Key, essentially using him as a tissue and jealousy tool most of the time even though he let her. Tha being said though, I don't think she should have accepted another go at the relationship. Despite the rather grandiose last minute crisis with Pitta in the end, being shot didn't even help Sibtit improve himself. All it did was make Prickkan's dad guilt her into looking after him and then she was putty in his hands.
I mean, I get the appeal - he's charming, handsome, well off and claims to be entirely in love with you and pledges his faithfulness to you. Who wouldn't want that? But my problem remains the fact that his attitude still didn't change - he still was possessive albeit "teasingly" (although I can't say the same if some other guy shows interest later), he still wants her to obey him and not talk back and he's still threatening her if she doesn't agree with him. How is that relationship going to work? Her personality is not one that can really handle being controlled - as the drama has acknowledged, she's pretty stubborn. Plus I can easily see Sibtit going back to his playboy days - all his friends need to do is goad him about being a tamed cat instead of a tiger and then he's back to try to prove them that he's still got it. I honestly don't see a good ending for the relationship despite the hearts and flowers ending.
You can technically enjoy the drama if you turn your brain off and just accept a handsome guy and beautiful girl falling in love. But I strongly urge anyone who watches the drama to recognize the signs of an abusive relationship like theirs. And my advice to Prickkan in that situation (if only she could take it) is: girl, please, get the hell out of there, leave the monopoly board, do not collect $200, do not pass 'go'; just leave him and don't look back.
You really do need to watch this down to the very last second even after the credits to get ALL the good secretive bits. I loved it! Bai Ping Ting and Ye Hua were the two characters I first saw the actress and actor as and loved them as but they managed to impress me even more. Also, Mark Chao's singing❤️
I THOROUGHLY enjoyed this drama. I found it on a whim and thought the premise sounded interesting. A guy looking past the face to actually fall for the girl? Sign me up! I watched 6 episodes in a row last night and then finished it this morning. Highly addicting once you start! Suea is incredibly charming and holy heck, is the man attractive. Once he started pursuing her, I couldn't stop watching and giggling at his antics. I also like how they dealt with the relationship dynamic and I personally related with Joo even though she did annoy me sometimes towards the end. ALSO, THE END - THAT TWIST. It smacked me in the face! I'm usually good at figuring these things out and although I had a slight suspicion, I never expected it to be true!
The good: I love how ethereal the added CGI makes the story feel - the animated Mi Gu, the underwater traveling bubble and the times we get to see Bai Qian's fox tail and Zhe Yan's phoenix. I thought I'd laugh at Luo Jin's ridiculous costuming but oddly I loved it and it suits him so well; I also adored the smooth richness of his voice actor. I appreciated Yang Yang's smiling handsomeness and gentleness as well as Crystal Liu's literal goddess like presence. The funny moments are the best part of this movie. Most of the costuming is quite pretty too, especially for Bai Qian.
The bad: the story telling is confusing and the editing is choppy. They managed to get most of the points of the story and quotes from the book but they didn't really explain the first life with Mo Yuan and Si Yin. It's mentioned briefly but doesn't really explain the resemblance between between Ye Hua and Mo Yuan nor how Bai Qian ended up as a mortal. Because of that, in the end when Mo Yuan is revived and looks like Ye Hua, you as the audience are left wondering if Ye Hua was really just Mo Yuan in the first life and now that he's "died" in the third life, he's returned in Mo Yuan's body. I'm guessing that's what the ending implies but it's a bit ambiguous. I didn't like that this version left out my pretty boy idiot Li Jing but you win some, you lose some. I also didn't like that Su Jin seemed to get off easy nor did I like that Ye Hua was relatively polite towards her. Minor but it was what I loved about drama!Ye Hua; he never fell for any of Su Jin's crap and it was always clear how much he detested her.
TL;DR: if you're a fan of the novel and drama, you might potentially enjoy it but don't think too much during the viewing
If you've not been exposed to the novel or drama and want a feel of the story, don't look to this version; I think it will confuse you. Try the drama for coherency and the full story. May not be quite as pretty but I think it's worth it.
What I liked -
Yang Yang is nice to look at.
I like multiple guys liking one girl trope.
The side characters are cute most of the time.
I liked getting justice for Bai Cao's teacher even though he could've spoken up sooner and saved himself and his kids a lot of heartache.
Ting Hao's candor is VERY MUCH appreciated even if he does get his heart trampled on a bit.
Our main character, Bai Cao, started off as a loyal and hard working kid.
What I loathed -
Bai Cao deteriorated as the drama went on - from someone who was strong, fought her own battles and had a mind of her own, she morphed into a weepier, indecisive and (I'm struggling to find a kinder word but I can't at the moment) dumb version who couldn't make up her mind to win a fight without Ruo Bai's encouragement or about the two boys who did confess their feelings to her.
The inability of Ruo Bai to verbalize his feelings (at any point in the drama but mainly) for Bai Cao - could be seen as a well-loved trait usually endured by second male leads but the way this drama handles it irks me to no end. We, the audience, knows that he loves her but any time there's an inkling of it, he immediately threatens Bai Cao with giving up on her completely/tells her off harshly. Not to mention how he refuses medical treatment, ignores the doctor's advice, puts his body under strain and gets his frequent attacks of pain all while cautioning that no one can allow Bai Cao to know. All for the sake of a competition. I know his love for the sport but honestly, it's not a good idea. Especially when it's a competition we don't even get to see the outcome of. And suffering in silence isn't really the most attractive trait to me.
Chu Yuan's blandness as a character aside, he didn't deserve to see her with Ruo Bai in the last episode. That was just hurting the guy unnecessarily.
There's probably more to add but I'll stop here. All in all, I enjoyed it at first but eventually ended up enjoying it less and less. The pacing towards the final episodes felt awkward and rushed. I'm giving this a 6.5/10 but only for the initial joy it did give me.
The story is quite fast-paced and interesting but the drama definitely has its faults with how it doesn't even acknowledge that the male lead is abusive and despite trying to make up for it in the end, I still don't think they really dealt with it. If Sibtit wasn't so attractive, this story would be of an entirely different mood.
The drama did recognize that Sibtit was wrong for cheating on Prickkan but it didn't truly show how obsessive his "love" actually was. Sibtit was not only a possessive hypocrite; he was abusive - insulting her if she dressed too scantily for his taste, putting her down for talking to other men, grabbing her and refusing to let her move until she agreed with him, always threatening to punish her by essentially sexually assaulting her. Hell, he even tried to force himself on her - twice. The only reason he stopped was because her cries got to him. Else, he would have definitely raped her.
Prickkan was no angel either - I hate what she did to Key, essentially using him as a tissue and jealousy tool most of the time even though he let her. Tha being said though, I don't think she should have accepted another go at the relationship. Despite the rather grandiose last minute crisis with Pitta in the end, being shot didn't even help Sibtit improve himself. All it did was make Prickkan's dad guilt her into looking after him and then she was putty in his hands.
I mean, I get the appeal - he's charming, handsome, well off and claims to be entirely in love with you and pledges his faithfulness to you. Who wouldn't want that? But my problem remains the fact that his attitude still didn't change - he still was possessive albeit "teasingly" (although I can't say the same if some other guy shows interest later), he still wants her to obey him and not talk back and he's still threatening her if she doesn't agree with him. How is that relationship going to work? Her personality is not one that can really handle being controlled - as the drama has acknowledged, she's pretty stubborn. Plus I can easily see Sibtit going back to his playboy days - all his friends need to do is goad him about being a tamed cat instead of a tiger and then he's back to try to prove them that he's still got it. I honestly don't see a good ending for the relationship despite the hearts and flowers ending.
You can technically enjoy the drama if you turn your brain off and just accept a handsome guy and beautiful girl falling in love. But I strongly urge anyone who watches the drama to recognize the signs of an abusive relationship like theirs. And my advice to Prickkan in that situation (if only she could take it) is: girl, please, get the hell out of there, leave the monopoly board, do not collect $200, do not pass 'go'; just leave him and don't look back.