Tanky Toon

This drama and "What A Good Girl" should switch titles.

So is Ep 14 not out yet? It says May 16 is the last air date. But I can't find it

😂😂😂

Agree with you here. She has the right to put boundaries, BUT if this is the case then don't take the job where they require kissing.
But it's also the production company's fault who agreed to take her on despite knowing her no-kissing policy.

I'm okay with no kissing when the premise does not require it, like "One and Only" where Ren Jai Lun is the lead. The story and plot is about slow burn romance between master and disciple who can never be together, so it makes sense that there are no kissing scenes. But not when the title of the drama is "Be Passionate in Love," where people would expect PASSION, and justifiably so.

Agree with you here. She has the right to put boundaries, BUT if this is the case then don't take the job where they require kissing. It would be like me who hates driving but yet, I take on a sales job that requires a lot of travelling. Then when asked to do so, refuses and do a half ass version of "visiting" clients just by zooming in. So why even bother?
But it's also the production company's fault who agreed to take her on despite knowing her no-kissing policy.

I'm okay with no kissing when the premise does not require it, like "One and Only" does not have a kissing scene and casted Ren Jia Lun who also has a similar policy. The story and plot is about slow burn romance between master and disciple who can never be together, so it makes sense., But not when the title of the drama is "Be Passionate in Love," where people would expect PASSION, and justifiably so.

Yes, they could replace the FL with a tree and we probably wouldn't notice.

Exactly! What's the point? Not asking for salacious or gratuitous shots, not even requesting bed scenes or anything of the like. Might as well act in Crime dramas or melo dramas where romance/kissing is not required. Or just pair up with Ren Jia Lun.

The show title might as well "Be Lackluster in Love"

Apparently the reception for Kimi no Hana ni Naru was not positive mainly because of Honda's acting. Her performance was panned so much that it trended in Twitter Japan that she sucked.

https://www.j-cast.com/2022/11/06449491.html?p=all

Frankly I wasn't expecting Oscar worthy performances from a drama that is supposedly light and fluffy.
I actually enjoyed this show because of it's message and the songs are actually good.

8 versions????? Like 3 isn't enough ,,,😅😅😅

It's available iQiyi under "A Season For Love"
https://www.iq.com/share-short/zch5uc627s?isShort=1&lang=en_us&sh_pltf=4

The synopsis of this drama looked promising, so I watched it, not expecting much from a low-budget, short length drama.

While it started out hot and heavy, the show veered into a territory that is toxic for my taste. I enjoy noona romances if done well, but I dislike them when they show the couple’s incompatibility, particularly if the male lead is too immature for the older female. Don’t get me wrong: their chemistry is sizzling on screen, but that does not justify a union that lasts. Although the quick development of their relationship is due to the show’s short length, I’ve seen other dramas do it better in the same time frame.

Instead of open communication, they gaslight each other and play stupid mind games. Not one character here is likeable, and though I know humans are flawed and are not perfect, but there’s nothing savory about trying to control another by using dirty tactics. I think it’s unfair to criticize Jiang Nan’s ex-boyfriend for being obsessive and stalker-y, but excuse Shi Jie for behaving similarly just because he’s attractive and the main lead.

In my opinion, the fundamental issue here is cramming too many story arcs into a short drama, preventing proper character and plot development. A more effective approach would have been to focus on two or three key aspects and delve deeper into them.

Although Jiang Nan and Shi Jie might have redeemed themselves towards the end, it wasn’t enough for me to applaud them. Otherwise, this drama is mainly for the eye candy and gratuitous intrigue.

While this drama slowly started as a woman trying to shirk her filial duty into marrying into a noble family, it became so much more than this. Zhuo Hua rose from being an unrecognizable member of her large family, to becoming one of the highest-ranking officials in the land, through sheer effort and cunning capabilities.  

Early on, Zhuo Hua meets the formidable, unemotive general Liu Yan, who seemed old enough to be her father. While I was initially dubious about their pairing, their quirky interactions are adorable that I can’t stop smiling throughout their courtship. My initial worry that the ML would be controlling was unfounded as the show depicted him allowing the FL to grow independently.  

That worry later turned into fear when Liu Yan looks like he's at death’s door and would croak at any moment's notice. I wasn’t even sure if he will last another episode, so when he dies halfway through, I was resigned to the fact that he will stay dead. So with Liu Yan out of the way, I’d begun to root for Zhuo Hua and the Crown Prince, hoping they’d get together, though I knew that typical plot devices would likely prevent it. 

Disregarding the plot, the cast delivers a respectable performance in this drama. Though she turns out to be a righteous villain, Wang Li Kun embodied the Princess Ruo Jia perfectly, that I could not even hate her when she veered off the path. It was such a satisfying watch seeing how everyone try to outwit each other to achieve their goals.  

The only thing that disappointed me is the loosely wrapped arcs of the other princes and Yun Yun’s, as if they faded into obscurity without getting their just deserts. But otherwise, this drama is an engaging watch if you don’t mind age-gap romance.

Review Summary:

While this drama slowly started as a woman trying to shirk her filial duty into marrying into a noble family, it became so much more than this. Zhuo Hua rose from being an unrecognizable member of her large family to becoming one of the highest-ranking officials in the land, through sheer effort and cunning capabilities.

Review Detail in the Spoiler below:

Harlequin/ M&Be were so addictive especially in the eyes of a sheltered teen not allowed to be consuming such scandalous material. ,😅😅😅

I watch these short ones in transition between long dramas. Though I prefer the longer, regular format more due to the world-building and intricate plot lines, these short dramas provide a break from long dramas when I need to wind down. And they are easy to binge. Like snacks between full meals.

I usually stay away from dramas where the Female chases the Male first, (thanks to the ISWAK series), but I forgot to check the tag this time. After all, it’s a delicate balance between the annoyingly aggressive FL reeking with desperation, versus the beguilingly belligerent FL filled with enthusiasm. Especially if the FL does not have a lot to offer, is clueless about her shortcomings, and is clingy to boot.

But this show escapes that trope by presenting the Female Lead as a go-getter, who despite her naivete with romance, puts her faith in a younger man whom she fell in love with because of his looks. She shows her innocence by taking guidance from her equally clueless secretary or from reading manga, surely abundant with sage advice.

Their intertwined business rivalry and familial connections illustrate the “small world” theme common in dramas. The overuse of a common trope to create a “fated destiny” romance unexpectedly worked for the main couple, but the secondary pairing failed to benefit from this approach. Despite having quirky interactions, the fate of the second couple seems doomed from the beginning.

Despite its low budget and short length, this drama’s production team made the most of their resources, and I was pleasantly surprised by the cast’s performance, particularly Yang Ze’s. So I would look forward to his other works.

To add, what I find disturbing is the portrayal of the child Mikoto wearing a similar outfit as the HS student Mikoto when they were doing flashbacks in the forest.

What was supposed to incite a "Fated Meeting" story became a "So It's not a Mere Coincidence" story. While it may look admirable on the outset, the child Mikoto saving Jin's life, it became an "I'm glad I Met You as a Child when you saved me, so I will save you when You Grow Up" type of deal. I would have liked the premise of the first season of Haiba Jin paying it forward a better excuse.

Although I enjoyed this drama, this did not quite pack the same punch as the first. It was a watered-down version of the original premise I loved, although no less significant. Here, we see the stronger individuals that the MCs have become, but they could still rely on each other.

I am quite unsure how I feel about the brother arc, though. I am not saying that it was an unnecessary addition to the plot, but I would have liked it expanded to include the parents’ role in Mikoto’s abandonment.

While the first season was very self-aware of the implications of presenting a taboo relationship, the second season pushed the envelope further by uncovering their past entanglement. During the first installment, we can excuse this as a mentor preventing a mentee from attempting suicide, as a life-changing lesson, but it is harder to prove the naysayers wrong with this problematic second season.

However, the drama is still very cognizant of the fact that this is a taboo relationship when Mikoto rejects all of Haiba Jin’s advances. She explicitly says she will wait until they are no longer in a teacher-student relationship before being intimate. To this end, we can say that the production is doing their due diligence by not showing any type of skin-ship between the two.

Having said the above, this drama is still a decent watch, although unnecessary. I would have been satisfied if the show had ended with the first season. This is more of a filler for the staunch fans of the pair.

Not sure if you are talking to me or Erebusrising, but if it's me, I just googled "androgynous anime character with blue hair" and this image is one of them that popped up. I used this to replace the Konata Izumi picture that I had for close to 20 years, because some people in MDL have implied that my previous profile pic looked predatory especially when used by a person who is "old" as if I was thirsting for a comic book character. SMH.

The romance is not as prominent as in Chugakusei Nikki (Meet Me after school) or Hajimete Koi wo Shita Hi ni Yomu Hanashi, it's more about encouraging the dreams of the band.