This was actually pretty interesting and somewhat unique. I liked that they made the professor ML so flawed and unlikeable that I didn’t even feel sorry for him when Lee Gang basically destroyed his life. The acting was superb tho!
I absolutely love that unhinged look in Hae In’s eyes! He’s so good at playing sweet, romantic guys, but he really proved that he can pull off a completely different, villainous role too. That being said, I wish we’d gotten more insight into his motives and backstory. I’m always a sucker for a good villain and while his acting was great, there just wasn’t enough backstory to really understand him as a character.
The humour and action were both good and I liked the ML as well.
Overall, this was a very entertaining watch if you’re looking for something fun and action packed. 8.5/10
A really cute friends to lovers rom-com with that classic K-drama feel that I absolutely love. It’s warm, comforting, and has great chemistry between the leads, with a genuinely heartfelt story that makes it easy to get invested in their relationship. My only complaint is that it was a little too long, especially with each episode being around 1h 20 min+ long. I definitely think it could have been shorter without losing anything important.
Romance genre listed.Who is the loveline(s) between?Does Yang Se Jong and Woo Do Hwan both get a separate love…
Seo Hwi and Hee Jae are the main romance, but from what I remember Sun Ho also has a thing for her. I’m not 100% sure, though, since it’s been a while.
That said, compared to the romance, the bromance is definitely the main event. Seo Hwi and Sun Ho have a VERY strong bromance, with all the messy love/hate feelings that come with it.
Bang Won doesn’t really have a love interest, but at one point there’s also some kind of bromance between him and Seo Hwi?? It’s complicated. 😂
Halfway through and I just have to say how much I love their friendship. I’ve only ever had this kind of friendship once, and it wasn’t with a childhood friend but with someone I met at university. We were constantly trying to one-up each other, annoy each other, and generally be a pain in each other’s ass, but there was never any fear that we would actually hurt or offend each other and ruin the relationship. There’s something so fun and underrated about that kind of friendship where you’re comfortable enough to constantly mess with each other without any hard feelings. And honestly, it makes such a great foundation for comedy.
Spoilers please.1. What episode do they get together.2. Any breakups.3. Any love triangle.4. Is it a happy ending.5.…
1. They’re kinda together throughout, because FL has amnesia and ML is lying that they’re a couple, so it’s sprinkled throughout. After she regains her memories they become a real couple. 2. Not really. There is one that lasts for an episode, roughly, but it’s not really a breakup, and they don’t linger on it. 3. No. 4. Yes. 5. Yes. 6. I guess. There are a few dead-fish-kisses because ML is trying not to take advantage of FL, but the later ones are decent/romantic.
I actually liked this very much, and I’m glad I ignored the negative comments. Jung Hae In’s character was the full package: sweet, innocent, and cute, but also tough and tragic. I also really enjoyed the combination of different genres and think it worked really well; rom-com mixed with some darker moments. It fits nicely with the show’s message that life consists of many different genres.
And I have to give credit to the FL because I was genuinely surprised by how much I liked her. Usually, dramas like this would spend a lot of time dragging out some pointless misunderstanding while the FL sulks for no reason, but this time she basically went "not on my watch" and the moment her memories returned, she immediately embraced the ML instead of wasting time being suspicious or pushing him away.
Yeah, it definitely looked that way. But what makes me think he genuinely didn’t know is the conversation they had with that girl/courtesan who entertained them when they were young. When she told them that He Rufei was actually a girl, he seemed genuinely surprised, and it was only then, after realizing that Rufei was female just like He Yan, that he started connecting the dots about her true identity.
I think he had always been fond of Rufei as a person, regardless of whether he believed Rufei was a man or a woman, and that affection just gradually evolved into romantic love.
Unmatched power-couple energy is what I liked the most. Usually, pairings consist of one fighter and one schemer, but here both of them were powerful generals. I especially loved seeing them show up together at court, or fight together. Neither was diminished in favor of the other, either. A powerful FL didn’t mean the ML had to grovel or constantly adapt to her, and a powerful ML didn’t overshadow the FL. They genuinely felt like equals and that’s what I liked most about them.
Other than that tho, they were a bit boring with all the “women can do whatever they want” talk. It became repetitive and annoying, and honestly felt pretty forced. I also didn’t like what they did with Chu Zhao’s character. That was a major letdown.
The constant, heavy-handed feminist tirades are kinda starting to piss me off. Like, you can make your point without being so in-your-face about it. There’s nothing wrong with incorporating feminist themes or commentary, but it really irks me when they’re delivered so forcefully and without any subtlety. Then again, C-dramas do have a long standing tradition of long-winded monologues, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. 😭
This was SO good! The story, cinematography, acting, the ML/FL relationship… honestly, everything was amazing. I loved how the mystery was revealed layer by layer, with each new piece adding more to the story, until we finally learned the whole truth about the pond ghost in the end.
To be completely honest, Ye Li was a little too Mary Sue-ish for my taste, and the only thing that really made her interesting to me was her psychosis. I also didn’t like how the revenge was handled, especially when it came to Guo Jin/Dowager Empress. The way Ye Li hated and had everyone involved brutally killed, yet essentially spared the main orchestrator, who was also responsible for years of abuse ML went through? I don’t know, it just left a bitter taste in my mouth. I actually found myself rooting for Prince Li by the end, and I didn’t even like his character. That’s how annoyed I was by their whole “revenge” arc.
That said, I did enjoy the romance between the ML and FL. It felt very steady and mature, and I thought their chemistry was strong in that sense. I also loved Cheng Lei’s portrayal of Prince Ding. He’s such a good actor!
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The humour and action were both good and I liked the ML as well.
Overall, this was a very entertaining watch if you’re looking for something fun and action packed. 8.5/10
That said, compared to the romance, the bromance is definitely the main event. Seo Hwi and Sun Ho have a VERY strong bromance, with all the messy love/hate feelings that come with it.
Bang Won doesn’t really have a love interest, but at one point there’s also some kind of bromance between him and Seo Hwi?? It’s complicated. 😂
The funniest part is, she never actually 'bragged' about it, but go off I guess.
2. Not really. There is one that lasts for an episode, roughly, but it’s not really a breakup, and they don’t linger on it.
3. No.
4. Yes.
5. Yes.
6. I guess. There are a few dead-fish-kisses because ML is trying not to take advantage of FL, but the later ones are decent/romantic.
And I have to give credit to the FL because I was genuinely surprised by how much I liked her. Usually, dramas like this would spend a lot of time dragging out some pointless misunderstanding while the FL sulks for no reason, but this time she basically went "not on my watch" and the moment her memories returned, she immediately embraced the ML instead of wasting time being suspicious or pushing him away.
Overall, this was a really enjoyable watch!
I think he had always been fond of Rufei as a person, regardless of whether he believed Rufei was a man or a woman, and that affection just gradually evolved into romantic love.
Other than that tho, they were a bit boring with all the “women can do whatever they want” talk. It became repetitive and annoying, and honestly felt pretty forced. I also didn’t like what they did with Chu Zhao’s character. That was a major letdown.
That said, I did enjoy the romance between the ML and FL. It felt very steady and mature, and I thought their chemistry was strong in that sense. I also loved Cheng Lei’s portrayal of Prince Ding. He’s such a good actor!
As for notes and books, I saw that someone posted links for books below in the comments so you can check that out.
Translation of the notes from albums can also be found on twt/X I think.