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Well-acted, Mature and Dark drama with a controversial Female Lead

At the writing of this review, its MDL rating is at 8.5. I am actually a little surprised that it’s so high. Not that I don’t like the drama, in fact, I really like it. But for the fact that with quite a controversial and flawed female lead, who has made some questionable decisions and said some mean words, I think some watchers might really be put off by her.

“Will Love in Spring” is definitely not a romantic comedy. Death is a central theme, and if this is one of your taboo subjects, do not watch this drama. There are some funny and sweet/fluffy moments. But for the most part, this is a mature, dark, healing drama. It’s a character-driven drama that focuses on our main leads' development and their relationships with family members and each other. This is a mature drama that makes you think.

Li Xian and Zhou Yu Tong have excellent chemistry from start to finish. Their romance is nicely developed from when they first met in high school, to reconnecting again as adults. They had a long and bumpy ride before they hit the final destination in the very last episode. Zhang Jie (FL) is an independent, feisty, outgoing professional woman who still struggles with low-esteem due to her disability. However, at one point, I do find her shenanigans a little repetitive. I also believe many viewers are mad at her during the New Year’s Eve episode (ep 15?). Her actions and words towards Chen Mai Dong (ML) were uncalled for and downright mean. But given what happened that night at home, her past trauma and what she’s gone through in life, I can understand her and choose to have faith in her. What was most disappointing to me is her decision in the last couple episodes. Not being honest with ML about her decision and plans until the very end is more unforgiving to me. They have always had an honest and open relationship from bickering to comforting each other. Why can’t she be honest now? But, I give props to the drama for not crashing and burning in the end. The final episode wraps out everything nicely and gives me closure to Chen Main Dong and Zhang Jie’s story. The conversation they had at the NanPing train station: FL’s realization of her actions and ML’s clear understanding of FL’s personality, strengths and weaknesses, and his explanation and forgiveness, brought me so much comfort and joy. In the end, they found love and learned to love. For romance lovers, let’s not forget to include the fact that this couple is very affectionate and not afraid to display their affections through kisses and hugs. Lastly, Chen Mai Dong is another green flag and only he can balance out Zhang Jie’s energy.

There are so many lovely side characters in this drama. I love the relationship of the siblings. Niao Niao (little sis) is played by the talented child actress, Zhang Xi Wei. What a little firecracker and smartass she is. She brings so much color to the drama. Wu Jun Ting plays the quirky and sweet younger brother, Zhuang Yan. Who has a pet goose and walks it like a dog?? Zhuang Yan! I haven’t seen Wu Jun Ting since “Time and Her are Just Right”. I loved him in that drama and remembered his nice deep voice. I also envy the friendship between Grandma Chen and Grandma Lin. They are the poster children for best-friend-forever friendship. I enjoy the sisterhood between FL and Wang Xi Xia. Wang Peng looks so pretty as the best friend. She looks so much more mature and sexy than in her previous roles. Last but not the least, FL’s mother. I bet she’s another character that many hate. She’s the typical loud Chinese mother, who can’t stop criticizing her children. She’s tolerable but at one point I also want to strangle her. Glad she got a lot better towards the last few episodes. I am not sure if it’s the actress or the character, but she always seems to talk and laugh with a fake smile.

I would love to see more of the funny romance between BFF Wang Xi Xia and the Doc. The Doc is so quirky and adorable at the same time. Their scenes give the drama a more light-hearted touch, as they are hilarious together. I just want more of them.

I am not familiar with the funeral industry or the role of an embalmer. So, I can’t comment on how realistic “Will Love in Spring” is portraying that. It’s not a profession that we see in dramas often, so I am glad to get a peek into ML’s job.

I would recommend this drama to those that love a realistic portrayal of life, struggles, and relationships. The characters in this drama are all flawed and they make decisions that we don’t always agree with. But life is not rosy and we are not perfect. If you don’t mind the topic of death, this is an excellently acted drama. I had a great time watching this, even if I had a roller coaster ride of emotions.



Completed: 5/4/2024 - Review #437

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Interesting general plot for a mini drama but with poor acting

Subjective Gut Rating - 7.75

The general plot of this mini web drama “Secrets of the Shadow Sect” is comparable to that of a bigger budget production. I find the story interesting with a FL lead who is not who she appears to be. We got a glimpse of her frivolous lifestyle and then dove right into the secret that she has. The plot continues on how her father wants that secret of hers, and expands to an evil stepmother wanting her son to be the Master of the Sect. On the other hand, we have our ML trying to get close to FL. His true intentions are slowly revealed but you won’t get the full story until the end.

All this is enough to be a full-length drama with at least 24 episodes. I think “Secrets of the Shadow Sect” did a pretty good job in consolidating all this into 3.5 hours, except for the last few episodes. The big reveal is not unexpected but could have benefited from a couple more episodes. The writing of the last episode doesn’t make sense and seems too rushed. The explanation from ML is so bad that I am sad to see it end on a low note, when I’ve enjoyed most of the episodes.

The weakest part of this drama is the acting. Both leads, Hu Yi Yao and Lin Ze Hui have appeared in quite a few mini dramas. Unfortunately, I find their acting below-average. Hu Yi Yao is so beautiful. When she plays a more seductive Ling Xuan in the early episodes, she is a lot better than in later scenes when she needs to do more subtle or emotional acting. She looks like a very pretty doll. On the other hand, Lin Ze Hui is worse. I do not think he looks handsome in this style (his profile pic on MDL is much better). His big eyes are not doing him any justice as he just widens them when he’s upset, surprised or happy. There’s no subtle microexpressions at all.

Ending on a positive note, for such a low budget drama, it does not look cheap. The sets, costumes, accessories, makeup and cinematography are not bad. Special props to the hairstylist and costume designer who did a fabulous job in dressing FL. She looks so much prettier than other female leads I’ve seen in recent period dramas.

Although the drama is quite predictable, the general story is still quite good and keeps me invested and entertained. It might not be on par with the likes of “The Killer is Also Romantic” or “A Familiar Stranger” but it’s better than most short mini dramas. If you have 3.5 hours to kill, it’s not bad.


Completed: 4/9142024 - Review #427

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Don't miss the scenes during and after the ending credits in the last episode!

Rating - 8.25

I remember back when Hikaru Utada’s song “First Love'' came out in 1999, many were obsessed with it, and I was one of them. I played this song many, many times. So when I heard a drama is coming out based on this song and starring the amazing Satoh Takeru, I have to watch it. The expectations were high and did the drama meet them? I am afraid not quite.

“First Love:Hatsukoi” is a beautifully made drama. Most of the drama was set in snowy Hokkaido and the cinematography was great. Even when it switches to Tokyo, the color palette fits the tone of the drama, especially when telling the story of our hard-working female lead. Because the drama was based on two songs, I was initially concerned that those songs would be overplayed. I am glad that wasn’t the case. It didn’t make me hate “First Love” (the song) but made me love it again. There are quite a few English songs in the drama, which I have hoped are Japanese instead. Maybe Netflix has something to do with it. It does give some sort of American feel to a supposedly very Japanese drama.

Acting is top notch. I am already a big fan of Satoh Takeru and his micro-expressions are no joke. It’s so nice to see him play a regular guy going through tough times. It’s fun to see him displaying a fun side when he’s a security guard joking with his co-worker. It’s a nice change from seeing him as a hotshot doctor, an over-the-top baker or a cold-blooded swordsman. I am glad to be introduced to Mitsushima Hikari. When she was first introduced in the drama, she was a hard-working but tired-looking taxi driver. But throughout the drama, you see different sides of Noguchi Yae, and Mitsushima Hikari does a beautiful job in portraying a young and naive wife, a young mother, a downtrodden divorcee and then a supportive mother to her teenage son. As amazing as these veteran actors are, the two young leads might have stolen their thunder a little bit. Yagi Rikako playing the younger Yae, and Kido Taisei as the younger Harumichi light up the screen. Their infectious smiles and bright sunny personalities make the drama so much fun to watch. Their story is more enjoyable and makes a bigger impression on me than the adult leads.

Not that the adult version of the love story is not memorable, it just lacks a certain gut punching feel. I was hoping for more angst, more heartbreaking moments between the adult Yae and Harumichi. I wanted more scenes between the two, more longing looks from Harumichi and more touching moments. I think the side story between Tsuzuru and Uta might have taken too much time from the main storyline. I don’t find this young romance too interesting, though the purpose of their romance is to remind the adults to pursue their dreams and loved ones. The pacing of the story is quite slow and I can certainly feel it when I am binge-watching this in a day.

I also have conflicting feelings in the use of flashbacks in the storytelling. I like how the different timelines are interwoven together, and how one timeline picks up the story of another timeline. But it did take me a quick second to get used to the transition. Viewers do need to pay close attention especially in the first episode to get used to the switches, especially when young Harumichi and Tsuzuru have very similar build and hairstyle. I think my biggest issue is how short these flashbacks could be, thus making the back-and-forth switches very abrupt.


Other Random Observations:
1. I love the wedding and the speech with sign language. I also love the blue color theme.
2. I remember those Titanic moments and it’s fun to see the young lovers re-enacting the famous scene.
3. I wonder how Harumichi becomes a security guard. Did I miss the explanation?
4. I like the bonding between Harumichi and Tsuzuru.
5. Don’t miss out on the scenes during and after the ending credits in the last episode!


Completed: 11/26/2022

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Only watch this for Xu Kai's handsomeness and Wang Yang's charisma

Completed - 8/22/2022

If you are not a fan of any of the actors, this might not be worth your time. For me it takes Xu Kai’s handsome face to get me through the first half of the drama, and then add on Wang Yang’s charisma to finish it.

I was quite excited about this drama in the first 1-2 episodes. I was pleasantly surprised that there were some decent fight scenes and creative fight choreography. I’ve already heard that the CGI and green scenes were horrible, and yes, they were indeed not good (running on rooftop and flying around with statues). The production value of this drama is quite low. Even so, a handsome Xu Kai + charismatic Wang Yang + Cool fight scenes = What I like. Unfortunately, my interest and excitement died in the next 10 episodes. All they did was talk talk talk about that stupid bone, with no action. No wonder so many people dropped the drama after the initial episodes. But if you are able to tolerate such boredom and poor plot with the help of Xu Kai’s handsomeness, the plot did get better in the second half of the drama with more action. But such a positive trajectory did not last until the very end. The last episode was rushed and we also have a poor redemption plot that was quite abrupt. The ending was a mystery. What the heck happened? Did we lose a full episode and jump right to the last 2 minutes? Is this due to censorship? (very likely).

Let’s talk about romance since it’s my favorite topic. The short review is: BLAND. Our leads started off as good friends and they are supposed to slowly develop feelings for each other. Well, I didn’t quite see this development. What I see is our FL suddenly really wants to marry ML not because of the bone, but because she is in love with him. I then see our ML never really showed much romantic interest in our FL, and then all of a sudden he is in love. If the friends-to-lovers trope is not done right in the beginning, then the latter part of the romance will become friends-to-lovers-with-no-chemistry. In the second half of the drama, the romance has gotten better once they are together. There’s enough decent skinship and I’ve always loved Xu Kai’s expressive beautiful eyes. But overall, the romance is lacking.

Our male lead, Ding Yun Qi, is a genius. He’s never wrong and is always steps ahead of others. He may not be the warmest person initially, but he’s not a cold tsundere either. He’s smart, loyal, caring, has the best martial arts skills, is a doctor, and also knows everything that the Heaven Official should know even though he left home for 6 years and really didn’t have a lot of time to learn. Well, basically he is perfect. Our female lead, Wu Shuang, is the opposite. She’s outgoing and friendly, curious and likes to fight. Luckily, she’s not dumb and can be quite smart in her own ways. Many dislike Wu Shuang, but I am ok with her. She is usually on the sidelines until the latter part of the drama.

The acting is decent and I don’t see anyone especially bad or cringey.. As much as I love Xu Kai (I bet by now you know I really like him), this is not his best acting. I think the acting all around is OK by the younger cast. The better acting is done by our veterans, Wang Yang as Luo Yun Song, and Morni Chang as Zhou Qiu Hai. These two never disappoint, no matter how bad the script is, you can trust their acting abilities. I also like that they use their own voices. I think I can recognize Wang Yang’s voice by now as he always dubs his own voice. Props to him! There are a couple interesting supporting characters that I quite enjoy - Meng A Sai as Sun San Xuan and Bao Bei Er as Luo Jiu Tian.

I don’t think I can wholeheartedly recommend this drama, UNLESS you just want to look at Xu Kai’s handsome face and Xu Kai looking dashing in a variety of nice suits. There are too many other good dramas out there.

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Looking for Fun and don't mind over-the-top humor? This is the drama for you!

Subjective Gut Rating: 7.75

Before you watch “I’m the Most Beautiful Count”, you need to know that this is a period comedy with a lot of over-the-top humor, raunchy and sexual jokes, overdramatic acting and a male lead character that is feminine, sassy, flamboyant and super flirty. If you are OK with this, then you can try watching it. Otherwise, you will find this cringey and hard to digest.

This is usually not my type of drama and I avoided it when it first came out. But right now, I am in search of a happy drama that will de-stress and let me laugh my head off. “I’m the Most Beautiful Count” fits the bill.

Nut is the star of the show playing the main lead Prince/Woradet. This is my first time watching him and I really want to check out his other dramas where he’s acting more serious’. Nut plays this role so well. You cannot not keep your eyes on him from start to finish. It’s hard to be so overdramatic and not make me dislike him. I do feel that his exaggerated facial expressions could tone down a little. Prince/Woradet is a confident, self-assured trailblazer who is not afraid to be himself and speaks his mind. He stands up for injustices and bullying, and uses Prince’s modern day knowledge to help Woradet and Kosol achieve their dreams.

Ping, on the other hand, is not a very convincing Kosol. His acting compared to Nut is night and day. This is also my first time watching him, and I question whether his acting is due to playing a brute and aggressive warrior, or his acting is just not good. His character is already hard to love in the beginning, and his acting doesn’t help. Luckily Kosol is a character with growth. He is not afraid to apologize and learn from his mistakes, even getting into many hilarious and embarrassing moments, stepping out of his comfort zone in order to be a better man for Woradet.

Unfortunately, the romance between Nut and Kosol is lacking. Oh, the kisses are delicious and the sexy scenes are good. I just don’t feel much chemistry when they are not being intimate. I don’t see how Woradet falls in love with Kosol when he mistreats him in the beginning. On the other hand, I can totally see how Woradet might fall in love with the sweet and kind Banjong instead. Although the romance does take center stage in the drama, it is not a satisfying one for me.

When it comes to the political plot, it’s not executed very well either. I wish the villains were more comical, so that their characters could fit in this comedy. But having over-the-top comedy pairs with rebellions with boring villains don’t quite sit well with me.

On a positive note, the drama isn't shy in showing us nice muscular abs. I quite enjoy seeing Ping and Lee showing off their muscles quite regularly. I also like the period setting, costumes and traditional dwellings. It’s one of the Thai period dramas that doesn’t have the lakorn-style annoying slaves. All the characters are actually quite likable.

I would only recommend this drama if you are looking for something fun and not serious. Just enjoy, laugh with them and laugh at them. Even though this drama tries to have a more serious message of love and marriage equality, I feel that the message is not delivered/executed well.



Completed: 12/16/2025 Review #652

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Excellent chemistry and romances in a comfortable and predictable drama.

Subjective Gut Rating: 8.25

I am in the right mood and I am eating this all up. In search of a fun drama to make me happy, “Me and Who” fits the bill. This fantasy rom-com is super bingeable and I finished all 10 episodes in a day. It is by no means a perfect drama, nor one you have never seen before. In fact, we have seen similar transmigration themes, mind-reading and even how romance is developed. There are no surprises. But maybe because it’s a comfort watch that I am looking for, it all works out.

Let’s start with the biggest flaw: Totally abandoning trying to act like the old Apo. In the early episodes, Suriya was teaching Apo how to be the original Apo. From how to talk like Apo to dress like him and act like him. They even try to fake being in love to avoid the prying eyes of the hilarious Butler Francois. Yet, after those episodes of ‘training’, Apo never really makes the effort to fake it. All goes to chalking up that he lost his memory and his personality changed after the accident. I was hoping to see more ridiculous outfits! Although mind-reading is central to the plot, actually, it didn’t really create huge conflict or impact. In a way, if you are looking for an exciting mind-reading drama with all the suspense, you might be disappointed.

A minor complaint is the acting of Big (as Suriya) in comparison to Park’s Apo. Big appears a little more emotionless. Park has improved since I last saw him in “Monster Next Door”. I also want to see the original Apo more. He didn’t have too many scenes except for the very end. Park was great as the original Apo and I would have loved to see more of his sassy meanness, and strutting down the hallway like he’s on a catwalk. You can also say another minor criticism is the predictability of everything. You can tell how the romance will be developed. You can tell who the ‘villain’ is. You can tell the secret will be found out by someone someday. But as I said earlier, I am fine with all that, as I’m looking for a fun and happy drama.

Speaking of fun, there are many comedic moments and slightly over-the-top in the first part of the drama. I did laugh out loud a little and enjoyed these hilarious scenes. I was surprised by Park/Apo’s awesome and funny dance moves. I love Butler Francois as the spy and not-so-secretive shipper. I was in awe of Apo’s original sexy Chinese-style engagement outfit, the peacock and disco ball rituals. But these moments do die down toward the second half of the drama.

I love the romance storylines here. I am a big sucker for those does-he-like-me-or-not guessing games. Both couples have great chemistry and gave us sweet and cute couple scenes. I have to applaud the kiss scenes by Big and Park. Their kisses are passionate and romantic, not like they are eating someone’s face or dead fish kisses. I feel like a voyeur whenever they have their intimate times. The secondary romance is also very satisfying. They don’t take up too much screentime or the spotlight away from the main couple. Yet, I love seeing them together and just enough time is dedicated to them to give us a satisfying romance without feeling rushed.

If you could suspend belief a little and want something fun and sweet, I would recommend “Me And Who”. It was quite fun without being cringey. The leads have excellent chemistry and the romances are well-developed and executed. I had a great time binge-watching this drama. Things might have gotten a little more serious in the last few episodes, but it’s still a pretty light watch, especially with all the kisses I get to see.


Completed: 12/7/2025 Review #651

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When Reality crushes your Dreams, Values and Romance

I’m glad that “Rabbit on the Moon” is on Viki now, so that more viewers can watch it. It’s not a perfect drama, but one that I quite enjoy. Reading the synopsis, it sounds like a rom-com (it’s not a rom-com) of two individuals from very different backgrounds met while on vacation, had a short fling and then disappeared from each other’s lives. Of course, they met again and a lot of things happened between them and prevented them from being together. From ML’s profession, to an obsessive and high-powered 2FL and of course, a FL where you really could hate her for her decisions for 70% of the drama.


Plot/Pacing
The drama started out with a bang, aka, a sexy scene. It immediately hooked you in, if you are a romance lover. We saw flashbacks of their little fling here and there. But the drama actually focuses on after they’re back in Bangkok when business is mixed with romance. Compared to other Thai dramas or lakorns, there really aren't too many characters you want to strangle. Well, there is the annoying sister and mother who mistreated FL in the name of love, but more because of reputation, saving face and wanting to look perfect. The women in this drama, female lead Phitcha included, are selfish and manipulative. That’s why it could be difficult to fall in love with Phitcha early on and not drop the drama. But I do think the drama does a pretty good job in showing us the internal conflict and the reason why she makes decisions at the expense of ML, Jira/Jay. When your self-esteem is low and being looked down on by your family, your passion for your career is the only thing that can keep you afloat.. There are comments/complaints on why Jira decided to lose his morals and ‘sell’ himself halfway through the drama. I don’t see him as losing his morals, but a way to show his love for his family and Phitcha, and to plan for the future. It’s not a decision made lightly but it did cross that bottom line he’s been defending all his career. This is a drama with many flawed characters who made decisions you might not agree with. It also shows that life is hard and not rosy. Tough sacrifices and compromises have to be made, and romance might have to take a backseat. With 16 episodes at about 45 minutes each, the pacing is good. I was engaged throughout and there’s enough going on to keep me entertained. I do wish the obsessive 2FL, Annita, didn’t last that long. She took up so many episodes and I would have loved more scenes of Jira and Phitcha. There’s some business talk here and there, mainly about land sales and redevelopment. This also gives the drama a chance to leave the busy city life and takes us to the rural part of Thailand.

Acting
The acting is pretty good all-around, except maybe Phitcha’s dad and Jira’s grandma. There’s no overly dramatic and lakornish acting. Bright (as Jira) and Kao (as Phticha) did a great job. I’ve seen Kao in a few other dramas before and her acting has always been good. I noticed she has a habit with side-eyeing or eye-rolling, which annoyed me just a little bit. As an actress, she can always deliver the emotions and those tears. I’m glad to finally see her in a drama that I like. This is my first drama of Bright, and I’m an instant fan. I’ve put a few more of his dramas on my PTW after watching him here. He’s charming and adorable, handsome and charismatic. You can see how he carries himself very differently when he’s with different people - comfortable with his family and friends, loving and puppy-eyed when with Phitcha, charismatic and sexy when he’s the host. Bee (as Annita) is fabulous as well. What a beautiful and powerful woman! She oozes an energy that sucks up the air in the room when she walks in, and then you see her as this obsessive woman trying too hard to hold onto Jira.

Romance
Great chemistry between Bright and Kao. I would have loved to see a little more lovey-dovey scenes between them and more kisses and hand-holding. We only have a few scenes of the dream-like world they were in on the island when they could truly be themselves and be happy. There’s just too much going on between them that life doesn’t allow them to have too many happy times. Despite what I mentioned earlier that Phitcha could be selfish and takes Jira for granted, I do think she really never outright lies to him. She might have some internal conflicts going on for a little bit, but eventually, she shares what she's going through and the tough choices she is asking Jira to make. Ultimately, Jira is the one that agrees to the deals. Jira is just a lovely male lead. How can you not love a guy who takes care of family and a non-blood related aunty, a pro’s pro in his line of work, and also does things he might not completely want to do but for the sake of his woman? Fine, he could have dialed down on that last kiss with Annita in the last episode, but I am going to interpret that as a final gift to someone who has been nice to him. Think of it as a little final fantasy, because he’s a professional. I really enjoyed Jira and Phitcha’s heart-to-heart honest conversation in episode 8 before Jira leaves. The other romance is a contrast. It’s uncomplicated and cute. Initially, I was worried Ker might turn out to be a very different character. I enjoy the few scenes of him and Maprang. They are just adorable and provided some lightheartedness in the romance department. There are also a few other side plots of the (lack of) romances. Cheating is quite a theme in this drama as well. There aren’t too many funny and comedic moments in this drama. I do enjoy the funny conversation that Jira has with his friends about his relationship questions.

Production
Nothing looks cheap here. The ladies are beautiful and well-dressed. The offices and houses all look grand and modern. The rural scenery is not bad, though I can’t tell from the screen if Jira’s land is really as attractive as they say. Jira has the most varied wardrobe from handsome attire as a host, to casual comfy sweatshirts and pants, to rural t-shirts and flip flops. Well, Bright looks good in anything. But, maybe towards the last quarter of the drama, they realize they needed money, thus, product placements increase! I really don’t need to see a maid cleaning the floor with a smile for 5 seconds a few times, or Eurocake so prominently displayed as snacks.


Overall, I had a pretty good time watching “Rabbit on the Moon”. Having a current MDL rating of 7.3 is way too long, even by non-Thai BL standards. Overall, I think this is a pretty balanced series. There’s enough drama but not super angsty or melo or lakornish, enough romance throughout the drama, with a splash of family drama and business talk. It is by no means a perfect drama and it’s definitely for a more mature audience who can appreciate flawed characters making decisions we don’t agree with.



Completed: 11/16/2025 Review #642

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A Fantasy Romance that romances for a little too long.....but there's Ryan Cheng x 3

Another day, another female general paired up with Ryan Cheng. At the heels of “Legend of the Female General” (LOTFG), “Shadow Love” fights for the attention of viewers, and hopes to do better than the other drama. I also finished LOTFG not too long ago, and it’s hard not to compare the two.

LOTFG is a political war drama first, and then romance takes over. “Shadow Love” is without a doubt a fantasy romance, and then politics. Aside from having Ryan as the ML and having a female general, these two dramas are quite different. If you want more romance, then “Shadow Love” should be your option.


PLOT & PACING
As a fantasy drama, the plot is interesting. Love plays a central role in this drama, whether it’s about our leads, or the villains. If you don’t treat this as a serious historical drama, some of the unrealistic aspects of the plot or actions could be forgiven (if you are the forgiving type). But it’s hard for me to look at FL shooting arrows in battles instead of using a sword. How could you carry so many arrows in a war? In that sense, LOTFG did a much better job with strong fight choreography and close combat battles with different weapons. Well, unfortunately, in both dramas, the FL seem to need saving from ML quite a bit. I may not be the biggest fan of the amnesia trope but I like this amnesia + forbidden romance + enemies-to-lovers. Having said that, and being a lover of romance, the Jin An plot and amnesia lasted way too long. The drama could have cut down 3-5 episodes in the first half, and then focus more on Prince Annan, the angst between the leads and the politics in both kingdoms. I also would have liked to see a little more of Prince Annan before the amnesia. I want to get to know him better, so that I can compare his re-emergence in the latter half. If you are not a romance lover, you would have hated this drama. I am glad the drama wraps everything nicely in the end, and does give us a proper closure for all parties.

ROMANCE
Song Yi and Ryan Cheng have great chemistry. We don’t see a lot of the ‘enemies’ part, but the blossoming love is cute to witness. It brews slowly in the first 10+ episodes. Not sizzling with passion, but slow and steady, calm and reassuring until the sweetness overloads with a very smitten Jin An. As I mentioned earlier, some of these episodes could be reduced. But who doesn’t want a handsome ML who is your loverboy, your secret weapon and protector, and then your arch enemies who can’t forget about you? If you are a Ryan fan, this is perfect for you. Lots of skin and muscles. The kisses are not bad either. The leads are communicative, trusting and supportive. They are intelligent and observant of each other’s needs. It’s lovely to see. The love triangle is there, and not super annoying compared to others I’ve seen. The secondary romance doesn’t take up too much screen time and only happens towards the second half of the drama. They are cute but I think it could have developed more. Oh, I forgot how pretty Darren Chen is. His eyes sparkle like jewels!

ACTING
Song Yi and Ryan Cheng are both excellent in this drama. Both have emotional scenes that make me teared up. Yet their playful and serious moments are just as believable. I have to say, Ryan shows his range in this drama playing 3 different roles. This is probably his best acting yet, even though I also like him in LOTFG. But I do think that Ryan’s eyes are better suited at shooting arrows than hearts. Song Yi’s acting is generally good. But one might question if she’s casted well as the female general when she’s so skinny. It also doesn’t help when she has a naturally high-pitched voice, and her shouting commands are not entirely pleasant. I haven’t seen Bi Wen Jun in a while and I was excited to see him play a different character than his previous roles. I never thought he was a bad actor before, but when acting alongside Song Yi and Ryan Cheng, he was at a disadvantage. It’s also lovely to see Darren Chen again and his beautiful eyes can convey so much. There are also many guest stars in this drama. They never show up for long and eventually they all get killed off. LOL

PRODUCTION QUALITY
The first thing I noticed is the beautiful costumes, hair design and accessories. I was not anticipating that but I really love Song Yi’s long pony tail when she’s in her armour. The look is not too girly, and she does not need to fit in the male soldier look, like in LOTFG. Her other more feminine costumes are just as beautiful. Ryan looks dashing as Prince Annan, and the cool superhero look. But his Jin An look is not the best, and he’s has that look for the longest. What a shame! The Queen and Emperor’s robes are gorgeous and elaborate. Cinematography is OK, not the best nor the worst. A few fight scenes are well done, but they are not as good as those in LOTFG. There are also fewer big war battles in “Shadow Love” than in LOTFG. The OST is not bad and I don’t feel that the songs are overplayed. As mentioned earlier, Song Yi’s voice might have put off many. I can tolerate that because I’ve heard of her real voice and I appreciate her dubbing herself. I also like listening to Song Yi’s Chinese. I feel that she enunciates her words very well. I just wish Ryan was not dubbed, and Bi Wen Jun spoke his lines as well as Song Yi.


Overall, I had a pretty good time watching this. I did not have very high expectations, especially after finishing the other female general drama 3 weeks ago. I would only recommend this if you are a Ryan fan or a romance lover who can look past some unrealistic plot holes. Remember, this is a fantasy romance first and foremost.


Completed: 9/16/2025 Review #625


My review of “Legend of the Female General” if you are interested:
https://kisskh.at/profile/virgievirgie/review/488124

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A war-focused movie which might be more enjoyable for fans who have background knowledge

Subjective Gut Rating: 8.25

“Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants” is my first movie of 2025 and I even watched this in the theater! This movie is an adaptation of the first book of the Condor Trilogy but focuses on a more mature Guo Jing and Huang Rong, and the war between Mongolia and the Jin and Song Dynasties. If you have not read the books or the many TV drama adaptations, this movie is just like any other big production war movie. Whether this is a good thing or not, it’s up to the viewer. Afterall, the movie is only 2.5 hours long and you can’t really fit everything into a movie.

Plot:
If you have not read the novel or watched the TV drama, the first 15-20 minutes gave a quick recap of everything that happened between Guo Jing and Huang Rong (romance and quick adventure), and how Guo Jing became the martial artist that he is. The rest of the drama is about how Guo Jing and Huang Rong try to find each other again, and the war development between Mongolia and the Jin Dynasty, with a side story of the Poison Master Ouyang Feng’s quest. Although I am understanding of the time limitation, I can’t help but feel a tiny bit disappointed when the focus is not on the martial arts world and on Guo Jing and Huang Rong. Their adventure together is the best part of the book. Because that part is missing, even when they found each other again, it’s missing that emotional ecstasy (but then, I am also a hopeless romantic).

Casting:
I was unsure about casting Xiao Zhan as the somewhat naive and ‘dumb’ Guo Jing. But since the movie focuses on a more mature version of Guo Jing, I think Xiao Zhan did a pretty good job. His big eyes are able to convey innocence, justice and strong beliefs, but not clueless as who Guo Jing once was in the drama adaptation, such as Yang Xu Wen’s version in 2017. Unfortunately, this version of a mature Huang Rong is missing the spark I’ve seen in Barbara Yung’s version in 1983, or Li Yi Tong’s version in 2017. Sabrina Zhuang is not doing a bad job, but something is missing in this intelligent yet still cunning version of Huang Rong. I’m happy to see the movie included Mongolian actors, in addition to a few from Hong Kong. Quite a bit of Mongolian is spoken in the movie but I have no way of knowing if they were done well. At least everything sounded believable. The rest of the supporting cast did fabulous. With some fabulous makeup, Tony Leung is an unrecognizable Ouyang Feng (especially the last scene) and I can’t say I wasn’t surprised to see Ada Choi played a mother figure (I feel so old seeing her).

Production:
You can’t deny this is a big budget production - the number of soldiers in the field, the great wars and battles, sets and costumes. Big fights are usually done with special effects, and these are not cheap special effects. But because the Condor Heroes to me is a wuxia trilogy more than a war trilogy, I can’t help but be a little disappointed in the lack of real fights. I want to see traditional martial arts fights with close contact combat. I might have gotten 2-3 scenes of good fights, but the rest is usually CGI-fighting or arrows shooting.

Would I recommend it? Yes. I would, especially if you are a fan of the novel/drama and a fan of Xiao Zhan. But if you don’t have some of the background, “Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants” is only just another war movie. If you don’t mind, it’s still very enjoyable given the good acting and excellent supporting cast. Lastly, I want to add that if you watched the old 1983 Hong Kong version, it really brought back memories when the theme song starts to play. Just a few notes and I immediately recognize it. I think the song was also used in the 2017 drama and again here as the background music in the 2025 movie. But the main theme song of the movie is a battle-themed song sung in Mongolian. That’s a nice touch!


Completed: 3/2/2025 - Review #549

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Despite a very common plot, there are many touching moments

Subjective Gut Rating: 8.25

I am reviewing “Breeze by the Sea” as a standalone drama, and not an adaptation of the Korean drama, “Top Star Yoo Baek”. Hey, this drama is directed by Peter Ho and got a small cameo and was quite funny. And he lost weight as he proclaimed!

“Breeze by the Sea” has a very common plot that we’ve seen in many other slice-of-life dramas before, about a city person moving or spending time in a rural area/village/island. You see the foreigner, in this case, superstar Bai Yin Mo, escaped to the island of Kinmen after a series of scandals and a botched reputation. Even though nothing is unique, there are many touching moments and I have shed quite a few tears.

Bai Yin Mo has a difficult personality and was coined by our female lead as a sea urchin: a spiky personality yet mushy and caring inside. Whether intentional or not, Bai Yin Mo becomes the catalyst and the main driving force in helping these islanders mend their broken relationships. While helping others and with the support of our strong and resilient starfish female lead, Li Hai Nuo, Yin Mo slowly put down his spikes and relaxed his difficult personality.

In dramas like this, there's a 50-50 chance that you will encounter villagers/islanders that might annoy the heck out of me because they are too loud or annoying. I’m glad we got a lovely bunch here. They were a little much in the first couple episodes, but toned down and became a found family for our ML. They actually aren’t that loud, which was a great relief for me. Their stories are touching and realistic, though not unique. The acting of the supporting cast is good, especially the veterans.

Speaking of veterans, we have a lovely grandmother! Each time there’s such an adorable, caring and perfect grandmother, I pray to the drama gods that they don’t kill her off (not saying this as a spoiler or not, just a general comment and wish). I love her relationship with her granddaughter Hai Nuo, but even more so is the precious friendship/found familial bond with Bai Yin Mo. She provides the family warmth that Yin Mo never had. I love the scenes of the three of them together.

We do have a love triangle here, but it’s not a bad one. It’s nice to have a second male lead who is genuinely a good guy and even become ‘bros’ with ML. It was hilarious at first when they were drunk and called each other ‘bros forever’ but afterwards, it’s just cringey when I heard the word ‘bro’ again and again.

Even though there’s a love triangle, romance is not a focus in this drama. Bai Yin Mo and Li Hai Nuo have many scenes together and they are fun with great chemistry. Their relationship is slow burn but developed naturally from disliking each other, to friends, to lovers. They support each other during tough times. Unfortunately, we only got two cute and fluffy scenes before life happens and derails them. I am especially disappointed in the last episode which I feel is a very rushed ending to their romance. I felt cheated like we skipped some scenes and they just showed us the conclusion. As much as I love all the cute illustrations (and they are SUPER cute), it feels like I am missing a full episode. Therefore, I docked 0.25-0.5 points from this drama. Arghhh….

Another negative surprise is the amount of product placement. I don’t think I’ve seen so many in a non-BL Taiwanese drama before, especially in the last quarter of the drama. Maybe they really need a lot of money to bring the whole cast to Kinmen to shoot this drama.

I would recommend this drama if you are a fan of and are craving island slice-of-life dramas. There are many touching and realistic moments that I love, but nothing you’ve never been before. “Breeze by the Sea” has solid acting, a nice small town feel of Kinmen and beautiful seaside shots. It’s heartwarming and healing.


Completed: 2/9/2025 - Review #542

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Is it ok to live your life like this?

J-dramas are great in highlighting interesting professions and “Tenshoku no Mao-sama” aka “Demon King of Job Changing” introduces us to the world of career change advisors.

The plot is very simple. Each episode showcases a job seeker who wants to change their job for different reasons. Our leads support them in digging deep into their heart to find out why they want/don’t want to change, and what jobs they really want. Once the job seekers know what they really want, our leads will find them the most suitable one to interview based on their criteria.

There’s a lot of self-discovery in this drama. Not only are the job seekers doing that, but our leads also have gone through a difficult time in the past, and have to learn to heal and move forward. ML has a total personality change after his injury and was forced to leave his dream job. FL crumbled under the stress of power harassment and had to pick herself back up as well. This dynamic duo is supporting and learning from each other as mentor/mentee. Their personalities are total opposite yet they complement each other so well, and they make great partners.

Do not watch this looking for romance. There might be some positive feelings between the leads, but they were never explicitly shared. There are some interesting characters and stories, and all of them are easy to digest. This is an easy watch with pretty good acting (not too much over-the-top anime-style acting). You might resonate with some of the stories.

To me, “Tenshoku no Mao-sama” is missing an emotional punch to give this a higher rating. I do enjoy watching the leads and follow their story of growth, and think they have good chemistry. If you are looking for a career change or a new job, this drama might offer some inspiration.


Completed: 11/16/2024 - Review #516

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Mature, Gloomy, Thought-Provoking

“Imperfect Us” is a mature, gloomy and thought-provoking drama. I wasn’t really expecting it to be so depressing. I don’t resonate with these characters, but I feel their pain, anger, frustration, and regret. One paper, this is a story about a love triangle - two women with the same birthday (not year), working in the same company and falling in love with the same man.

But “Imperfect Us” is so much more than that. Each character is imperfect and they make choices that make it easy for viewers to point their fingers at them and criticize. I have to be honest, I do not like Chien Ching Fen (played by Ariel Lin) very much in the first couple episodes. I find her pushy, calculating and annoying. I don’t like how she forces herself into Ho Re Chich’s life and schemes herself to be the favorite daughter-in-law.

As I follow Ching Fen’s obsession with Rebecca, the trio's background story slowly unveils. A wife who is unsure and not confident that her husband really loves her, drives herself insane with jealousy by prying into her the private life of her ‘enemy’ via social media posts. The grass always seems to be greener on the other side, from both female leads’ perspectives. But since I, as a viewer, isn’t really quite certain if the husband’s love for her wife is gratitude + responsibility or real love, I don’t really blame her for being paranoid and obsessed.

Poor Rebecca seems to be the unluckiest of all. Is she really enjoying her carefree, single lifestyle? Was her decision to leave based on selfish reasons, or selfless reasons? Episode 7 breaks my heart. It’s the most impactful episode to me. How desperate is she to lower herself and ask to be loved despite her flaws? How hopeless is she to bare it all and be vulnerable? Or is this all a selfish act so that the decision is made by someone else, and she can be pitiful and blame others?

All their complicated relationships are exposed in the last episode when the two female leads go head-to-head in chess playing. At first, I thought this episode was a filler episode because they really didn’t do much. But once you pay attention to what they are saying, you discover their conversations are full of hidden meanings, and each is trying to bait the others to reveal more.
Each move is calculating and setting up for the next turn.

I would only recommend this for those who like flawed characters with mature storylines. This is not a happy drama but one full of real life difficult decisions. It did take me a couple episodes to get into the groove, but the second half really hooked me in. The acting of the small cast is great, and each of the characters hit you differently. Actually, Ariel Lin just won the best leading actress award at the Asian film festival for her role in “Imperfect Us”.


Completed: 10/9/2024 - Review #497

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Great Chemistry and Interesting Romances but could be Shorter and Tighter

Subjective Gut Rating: 8.25

For some reason, a non-suffering Luo Yun Xi is not attracting a big crowd to watch “Follow Your Heart”. Don’t you want to see him not spit blood and be happy for once? LOL.

For the most part, “Follow Your Heart” is a really enjoyable drama. It is just a tad too long (like many C-dramas) and then plot holes start to happen when you’re unable to keep up with the writing. The first ⅔ of the drama is great, especially the dynamics between the two main leads before they are officially together. The side couples are sweet and there really aren't any annoying characters.


What I Like:

Jiang Xin Bai (ML) and Yan Nan Xing (FL)
Luo Yun Xi and Song Yi did an excellent job in portraying the two main characters. They are experienced not only in acting, but also in delivering lines without the use of voice actors. I really appreciate that very much. Jiang Xin Bai and Yan Nan Xing are both intelligent characters with fun banter and dynamics. The chemistry is great and I enjoy how they slowly develop from strangers to comrades to lovers. The romance develops slowly and naturally. They trust each other and have honest communication.

Ryan Cheng
It’s nice to see Ryan in a role where he’s not just cold after all his mini dramas and “My Journey to You”. In fact, he’s hot-headed and impulsive yet a little dumb and adorable when in love. It’s a different side of Ryan Cheng that I haven’t seen. Acting alongside Luo Yun Xi and other veterans, he holds his own.

Platonic Friendships
I love the found family trio of Yan Nan Xing, Tong Sai Er and Liu Ruo Qian. They are just three very different individuals who happen to all settle into Yan Nan Xing’s shop. They support and care for each other. It’s lovely to not see any romance developed, and yet they help each other out in the romance department. This trio brings a lot of joy to the story. On the other hand, I am also very glad to see another platonic friendship between Shang Bie Li and JIang Suo Luo. I guess they are united because of their hatred/animosity towards Jiang Xin Bai. But this pair is mature and supportive, and really look out for each other’s best interests in a non-judgmental way.

Supporting Romance
Oftentimes, the secondary and tertiary romances are not as fun as the main romance. But in this drama, I really enjoy all three pairs. Each pair has a unique story and I root for all of them to live happily ever after. It also helps that we don’t have an evil, jealous secondary female lead who won’t take no for an answer. In a way, this is refreshing and nice.

Production Quality
I think aside from two supporting characters, all actors use their own voices. There’s a mix of live recording and studio recording (and dubbed over). I am a big fan of actors using their own voice, even if some are doing it better than others. “Follow Your Heart” also has good and high quality-looking costumes and hairstyles, sets and accessories. Even though the everyday costumes are simple, they look nicely made and not cheap. There are quite a few weddings in this drama, and I admire all the wedding gowns and beautiful headdresses and fans. The OST was not overplayed with songs that suit the moods of the scenes. There are a few very well-choreographed fight scenes. I actually wish I could see more of them throughout the drama.



What I don’t like or have mixed feelings:

Length/Plot holes/Writing
My biggest criticism of the drama, as mentioned earlier, is the length of the drama. It takes forever for the real villain to be exposed (I did guess it might be that person). 30 episodes are probably enough to tell the whole story. There are a couple plot holes, especially in relation to FL’s secret. She kept that secret for so long, and all of a sudden towards the end, so many people knew about it. No one seems to take it to heart that it is a BIG secret and you might want to gossip with doors closed. ML’s secret, on the other hand, was exposed without much fanfare. How the drama deals with the revelation of both secrets was not written well and very anti-climatic. I was expecting more, especially when the writing was pretty good in the first half. The love triangle at the end started too late. It needed more depth but instead, it’s hard to believe the guy fell in love so quickly and deeply in such a short period of time, and made enormous sacrifices.

FL’s secret
The face change plot takes a backseat in the first quarter of the drama. The secret was introduced but it doesn’t really affect what’s happening that much. I wonder if this disappoints many viewers. Although I appreciate this secret is not exaggerated to be full-on comedy, the writing and the usage of the face change could have been better.

Gu Zi Cheng (as Liu Ruo Qian)
Li Ruo Qian is a very likable character. He’s good-looking, smart, kind, sweet and a crowd pleaser. He’s a total green flag! However, there’s something about Gu Zi Cheng’s acting that doesn’t seem very genuine. When he smiles, that smile doesn’t always reach his eyes. He’s a handsome actor, but his acting does not seem natural. He’s not bad, but compared to solid actors like Luo Yun Xi and Ryang Cheng, he’s not quite up to that standard.



Overall, I had a good time watching this drama. The writing could have been better and tighter, but the overall acting and chemistry of the cast are really good. The veteran actors add a lot of flavor to the story, especially the multifaceted queen (ML’s mother).



Completed: 8/15/2024 - Review #471

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Awful over dramatic acting and boisterous characters that assault your senses.

First things first, is this drama worth watching? NO!!!!!!

If you are not in a hurry, continue reading to find out why. I was ‘gifted’ this drama as a challenge watch from a MDLer’s least favorite dramas collection. And there’s a reason why “Ohlala Couple” receives a MDL rating of 6.5 and my friends’ average rating of 3.0 at the time of this writing.

If it wasn’t for the challenge, I would have dropped this drama within the first 5 minutes (within 2 minutes of the introduction of the present-day ML). I am not sure if it’s the screenwriter or the two directors to be blamed for this disaster.

Soo Nam (ML) has my most hated male lead introduction ever in all 800+ dramas I’ve seen so far. Not only did he cheat on his wife, he is a narcissistic, sexist, self-centered, chauvinistic pig. Since he’s the male lead, it’s to be expected that there will be a redemption arc for him throughout the drama. Unfortunately, I am not sure how many watchers made it past the first episode to want to see him redeem himself.

Compounded with the worst male lead introduction ever, is the over dramatic acting of the WHOLE cast. Not just the male lead, but the female lead, their family members and hotel employees. When the annoyance level is exponentially multiplied, this becomes harassment and assault to my senses. There’s so much screaming and yelling, physical hitting and verbal insults. Is it because this is produced in 2012 and watching this in 2024 causes this intolerance of mine? I was never a fan of the overdramatic acting or boisterous characters, but “Ohlala Couple” wins the gold medal right here.

Luckily, the craziness and the annoyance settled down a bit once the body switch was over. I am so glad I didn’t have to wait till the end of the drama for that to happen. But at this point, I already lost interest in the drama and there’s no way in hell for me to love it.

The drama is also way too long with many illogical inconsistencies. You can just walk into the hospital or doctor’s office and expect to have a medical procedure done right there. Who in their right mind (even if you have never worked at a hotel) tells a VVIP customer off and calls her husband a cheating rapist? Who drives an ambulance so recklessly for just a liver transplant?

Let’s end on a positive note. It’s lovely and nostalgic to listen to some old English songs played in the background. I’m so glad we actually have two lovely secondary leads. The only thing you could fault about the 2FL is that she fell in love with someone’s husband. But as a person, she is kind and sweet, and really deserves to be loved by a great man. Her obsession with the male lead might have caused her clinginess and stalkerish behavior, and a few poor choices, but she was just craving love. And our secondary male lead definitely deserves someone better. He’s smart and just, kind and considerate. Aside from making a noble idiocy choice when he was young, he’s a perfect guy. I shed some tears for him in the last episode. Despite how I hated the acting of everyone, I have to give the actors props and salute their dedication to the craft. The amount of cringe and secondhand embarrassment is off the chart. Yet, the actors did what they were asked to do and performed. It’s all the directors and screewriter’s fault!

I am going to rate this as low as my least favorite, Love Syndrome III, with a grand rating of 2.5. I disliked these two dramas for very different reasons. Objectively, “Ohlala Couple” isn’t worse. But subjectively, it was a torture to watch, even when I was watching it at 1.3x speed the whole way. I can’t even laugh at the mediocrity like when I was watching LSIII.


Completed: 7/28/2024 - Review #467

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Not enough time to fully develop and tell the stories of an interesting plot.

Subjective Gut Rating: 7.75

I think my biggest criticism, or I can call it weakness, of “Koisuru Keigo 24 Ji” is the length of the drama. Being a J-drama, it’s not surprising that the episodes are short (less than 30 mins) and only 9 episodes long. For most rom-com and slice-of-life, this might be an acceptable runtime. However, “Koisuru Keigo 24 Ji” actually has a pretty interesting plot and individual stories about the ML and FL. Add romance to it, the drama feels rushed and unfinished.

I really like the plot of the drama. Rika (FL) is being threatened due to a lawsuit where she defended a big corporation and affected the livelihood of many normal citizens. Her boss hires a bodyguard to protect her. Tatsunoskuke (ML), the bodyguard primarily assigned to protect Rika, also has his own backstory and mystery to solve. The leads have good chemistry and I really enjoy all of their interaction together. Iwamoto Hikaru looks fit and handsome as the bodyguard. I love his cool deadpan face, and also his cute smile when he’s off duty. Shiraishi Mai looks beautiful and believable as the tough lawyer.

The supporting characters are a lovely bunch. The drama is easy to watch and the acting is good. Since this is not an anime or manga adaptation, we don’t see the usual Japanese, over dramatic acting and I am grateful for that. I also really enjoy the action scenes. I was very impressed with all the actors in taking down the siblings. The punches, wrestling and takedown are all realistic and believable. I would have loved to see more of these action scenes throughout the drama, since this is about a bodyguard and security.

With a great cast and a good setup, the time restraint prevents the stories from being told adequately. I want to see more of the security threats to Rika. The bodyguard storyline goes away after the first few episodes, then the focus switches to Tatsunosuke’s investigation. Although we get some flashbacks to the past, I don’t see what present-day Tatsunosuke has done to solve the mystery. Romance also takes a back seat in the latter episodes. The main leads’ relationship and rapport are nicely developed in the first half, but too little screen time is given in the second half. By the time Rika supported Tatsunosuke in a professional manner, I was not moved emotionally and the chemistry between them subsided..

Nevertheless, this is an easy and enjoyable watch. It just has so much more potential that I am disappointed. I would recommend this drama if you enjoy the bodyguard storyline with good-looking leads and a lovely supporting cast. However, if you are big into crime investigation, this might be lacking.

Completed: 7/20/2024 - Review #463

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