Because it was highly rated, I expected this drama to be amazing, which is a mistake on my part. It might have…
The premise of a badass female assassin, coupled with an equally formidable leader of the opposing nation -- this is a rivals-turned-lovers plot that is right up my alley. Initially, their relationship was captivating, a passionate, even aggressive game of cat and mouse, with Ru Yi claiming Yuan Zhou as the father of her unborn children. Talk about brash and bold, with a not-subtle hint of non-consent. Why the writers decide to ruin such a character with this character flaw is beyond me, but I guess this is her shortcoming. Otherwise, Ren Ru Yi is unbeatable.
For his part, Ning Yuan Zhou was supposedly indestructible as well, that is, until he succumbs to the offensive charms of Ru Yi. Trying to get away from a life in the court, did not last long as he had been called to task by the Prime Minister to go into basically a suicide mission. Because he had nothing better to do, Yuan Zhou complies and brings along his comrades who have been equally withering away due to the lack of exercise.
We see all the pomp and circumstance of dressing all of them in dashing blue uniforms, so women (or perhaps men, too) can have their pick. The drama regales us with their backstories, so we all can be emotionally attached when they venture into enemy territory, because their unworthy king’s ass needed to be saved.
Everything was going as well as it should, despite many setbacks. With a traitor, ten or more, an inexperienced prince, and a hidden assassin amongst them, it’s a miracle Wu’s delegation made it halfway without killing each other—internal conflict was inevitable.
Meanwhile, we see that the State of An has their own unsavory characters, beginning with the Emperor and his unruly sideburns, and of course, the man-child Li Tong Guang who has an obsession with his master and with a curling iron. One would expect that seeing Ru Yi and Yuan Zhou’s affection so often would discourage him, but it only intensifies his anger. Like dude, you have zero chance. How many times should they tell you? You want them to have sex in front of you? On second thought, Li Tong Guang might enjoy it. Scratch that.
While most of the secondary cast were adorable, there were some that were underutilized. For example, Chu Yue and her father; I really thought that they would be more prominent in the drama. Instead, the drama included insignificant quibbles of the An princes vying for the throne. The story would have benefited from a reduction of flashbacks about the dead Empress and more development of subsequent scenes.
By the show’s halfway mark, I found Ru Yi and Yuan Zhou’s romance unconvincing; their willingness to leave their comrades while going on dates felt contrived. The most ridiculous part was the pair lip-locking on the battlefield as if death and destruction weren’t around them. Meanwhile, the soldier’s on the field: “Hey guys, it’s rude to kill them while they’re making kissy-faces, so let’s just leave them alone.” Duh!
The only character development that I admired was that of Yang Ying's. From a vulnerable princess seeking marriage to her childhood crush, she grew into a strategic and benevolent ruler, bravely facing her enemies while caring for her subjects.
Because it was highly rated, I expected this drama to be amazing, which is a mistake on my part. It might have been better to watch the drama without preconceived notions. While I anticipated a casualty or two—Yuan Lu, whose illness meant he’d likely not live past 20, and potentially Sun Lang or Qian Zhao—on this journey. So many deaths happening in rapid sequence and so suddenly was completely unexpected. I prefer them all dying, or, failing that, at least Yi Shi San surviving to recount their heroic sacrifices to future generations. I think killing him off is the gravest sin of all.
Because it was highly rated, I expected this drama to be amazing, which is a mistake on my part. It might have been better to watch the drama without preconceived notions.
Review Summary:I was hesitant to watch this remake of a Chinese Drama that I watched and then dropped shortly…
The first half of the drama started out great. I was impressed by the performance of the child actors and their sweet disposition. Also, I appreciated the subtle gentleness Yun Jeong Jae showed as a father figure, and how the children who became his sons loved him dearly, despite the lack of legal adoption.
Growing up as a trio, San Ha, Ju Won and Hae Jun’s closeness as pseudo-siblings were endearing, if they only stayed as such. What refrained me from giving this drama a perfect score is the contrived romance between San Ha and Ju Won, and to a lesser extent between Hae Jun and Park Dal. There’s no chemistry to speak of, and I would have been satisfied if they stayed as siblings. This drama is fundamentally about a chosen family and their dynamics, which is why it’s called “Family by Choice,” and not “Lovers by Coincidence”.
If there was any romance that needs to be explored here, is that between Ju Won’s father and Hae Jun’s mother. Their awkward shyness was fun to watch, especially when San Ha’s father was teasing them. Speaking of which, Dae Uk and Jeong Jae had more bromance chemistry between them than either of the main couple. But this would be too scandalous, so I get it. Despite everything, I was impressed by how these two men, despite their inexperience, raised resilient and kind children in the show.
While I was very proud of the men’s representation, the same couldn’t be said for the mothers. I almost had a coronary just watching these horrible mothers treat their sons as if they are disposable. I anticipated their dismissal in the latter part of the narrative, yet they reappeared and focused solely on self-gain.
Though wrong, Hae Jun’s mother’s decade-long silence was at least understandable, given her grievances. But San Ho’s mother takes the award for “Mothers Who Shouldn’t be Mothers”. She did not deserve any ounce of sympathy from her son when she accused him of something that clearly was her own fault (and the father’s too). Her gaslighting irked me to no end, and I felt frustrated by Han So’s misplaced sense of loyalty.
The character development in this drama was lackluster, and the closure was also weak. In fact, they doubled down on excusing San Ha’s mother’s actions as justifiable because of a traumatic past. The writers must have somehow forgotten that San Ha suffered too.
Not to say that the acting by the three main cast members were sub-par, but I probably enjoyed the personalities of their child version more; at least they had spunk, tenacity and an unadulterated innocence that would have fit a lot better in a narrative about familial bonds.
I was hesitant to watch this remake of a Chinese Drama that I watched and then dropped shortly after. I remembered I couldn’t stomach the emotional abuse that was going on during the first episodes of the OG, that I thought I wouldn’t have picked up this drama until I saw the teasers, which looked promising.
Having said that, I went into this drama without a source material so hopefully, I can be more objective and not be spending my time comparing it to the original.
Exactly! What's the point? Not asking for salacious or gratuitous shots, not even requesting bed scenes or anything…
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.
It's not her fault. Blame the production team instead. They chose to cast her despite knowing she has a no kiss…
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.
PLEASE can we all petition for a remake of this drama with the same ML but different FL. I love the plot n i hate…
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"
there is Love and Fortune and Meet Me After School on netflix
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.
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.
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.
Review Summary:While this drama slowly started as a woman trying to shirk her filial duty into marrying into a…
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.
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.
2 
Full review in the spoiler below:
For his part, Ning Yuan Zhou was supposedly indestructible as well, that is, until he succumbs to the offensive charms of Ru Yi. Trying to get away from a life in the court, did not last long as he had been called to task by the Prime Minister to go into basically a suicide mission. Because he had nothing better to do, Yuan Zhou complies and brings along his comrades who have been equally withering away due to the lack of exercise.
We see all the pomp and circumstance of dressing all of them in dashing blue uniforms, so women (or perhaps men, too) can have their pick. The drama regales us with their backstories, so we all can be emotionally attached when they venture into enemy territory, because their unworthy king’s ass needed to be saved.
Everything was going as well as it should, despite many setbacks. With a traitor, ten or more, an inexperienced prince, and a hidden assassin amongst them, it’s a miracle Wu’s delegation made it halfway without killing each other—internal conflict was inevitable.
Meanwhile, we see that the State of An has their own unsavory characters, beginning with the Emperor and his unruly sideburns, and of course, the man-child Li Tong Guang who has an obsession with his master and with a curling iron. One would expect that seeing Ru Yi and Yuan Zhou’s affection so often would discourage him, but it only intensifies his anger. Like dude, you have zero chance. How many times should they tell you? You want them to have sex in front of you? On second thought, Li Tong Guang might enjoy it. Scratch that.
While most of the secondary cast were adorable, there were some that were underutilized. For example, Chu Yue and her father; I really thought that they would be more prominent in the drama. Instead, the drama included insignificant quibbles of the An princes vying for the throne. The story would have benefited from a reduction of flashbacks about the dead Empress and more development of subsequent scenes.
By the show’s halfway mark, I found Ru Yi and Yuan Zhou’s romance unconvincing; their willingness to leave their comrades while going on dates felt contrived. The most ridiculous part was the pair lip-locking on the battlefield as if death and destruction weren’t around them. Meanwhile, the soldier’s on the field: “Hey guys, it’s rude to kill them while they’re making kissy-faces, so let’s just leave them alone.” Duh!
The only character development that I admired was that of Yang Ying's. From a vulnerable princess seeking marriage to her childhood crush, she grew into a strategic and benevolent ruler, bravely facing her enemies while caring for her subjects.
Because it was highly rated, I expected this drama to be amazing, which is a mistake on my part. It might have been better to watch the drama without preconceived notions. While I anticipated a casualty or two—Yuan Lu, whose illness meant he’d likely not live past 20, and potentially Sun Lang or Qian Zhao—on this journey. So many deaths happening in rapid sequence and so suddenly was completely unexpected. I prefer them all dying, or, failing that, at least Yi Shi San surviving to recount their heroic sacrifices to future generations. I think killing him off is the gravest sin of all.
Full review in the spoiler below:
Growing up as a trio, San Ha, Ju Won and Hae Jun’s closeness as pseudo-siblings were endearing, if they only stayed as such. What refrained me from giving this drama a perfect score is the contrived romance between San Ha and Ju Won, and to a lesser extent between Hae Jun and Park Dal. There’s no chemistry to speak of, and I would have been satisfied if they stayed as siblings. This drama is fundamentally about a chosen family and their dynamics, which is why it’s called “Family by Choice,” and not “Lovers by Coincidence”.
If there was any romance that needs to be explored here, is that between Ju Won’s father and Hae Jun’s mother. Their awkward shyness was fun to watch, especially when San Ha’s father was teasing them. Speaking of which, Dae Uk and Jeong Jae had more bromance chemistry between them than either of the main couple. But this would be too scandalous, so I get it. Despite everything, I was impressed by how these two men, despite their inexperience, raised resilient and kind children in the show.
While I was very proud of the men’s representation, the same couldn’t be said for the mothers. I almost had a coronary just watching these horrible mothers treat their sons as if they are disposable. I anticipated their dismissal in the latter part of the narrative, yet they reappeared and focused solely on self-gain.
Though wrong, Hae Jun’s mother’s decade-long silence was at least understandable, given her grievances. But San Ho’s mother takes the award for “Mothers Who Shouldn’t be Mothers”. She did not deserve any ounce of sympathy from her son when she accused him of something that clearly was her own fault (and the father’s too). Her gaslighting irked me to no end, and I felt frustrated by Han So’s misplaced sense of loyalty.
The character development in this drama was lackluster, and the closure was also weak. In fact, they doubled down on excusing San Ha’s mother’s actions as justifiable because of a traumatic past. The writers must have somehow forgotten that San Ha suffered too.
Not to say that the acting by the three main cast members were sub-par, but I probably enjoyed the personalities of their child version more; at least they had spunk, tenacity and an unadulterated innocence that would have fit a lot better in a narrative about familial bonds.
I was hesitant to watch this remake of a Chinese Drama that I watched and then dropped shortly after. I remembered I couldn’t stomach the emotional abuse that was going on during the first episodes of the OG, that I thought I wouldn’t have picked up this drama until I saw the teasers, which looked promising.
Having said that, I went into this drama without a source material so hopefully, I can be more objective and not be spending my time comparing it to the original.
Fully Summary in the Spoiler below:
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.
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.
The show title might as well "Be Lackluster in Love"
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.
https://www.iq.com/share-short/zch5uc627s?isShort=1&lang=en_us&sh_pltf=4
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.
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.
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: