no 1 dou zhao defender

A visually stunning drama with lots of "tea"! (pun intended)

I went into Glory with very high expectations and, as expected, I wasn’t disappointed. Recently, there seems to be a wave of strong dramas with “Glory” in the title, and I was kind of anticipating The Glory, Blossom or even Blossoms in Adversity - type of vibes. Surprisingly, this drama turned out to be very different.

First of all, this drama screams high budget!! The production value alone is impressive: every detail of the setting is beautifully crafted and clearly well thought out. The Ming-dynasty–inspired aesthetics, the costumes, and especially the tea plantations are absolutely stunning. I also really appreciated the historical tea facts shown at the end of the episodes. The OST is gorgeous too and adds a magical touch to many scenes ✨

Despite having noticeable flaws in both the story and the characters, the show somehow managed to put me in a chokehold. It’s addictive enough to keep me watching, constantly wanting to know what happens next. What a pain watching this while it's airing!

But that said, there are also some issues that could have been done better.
The first arc of the story, especially the husband-selection plot and the He Xingming / Yang Dingchen storyline, felt unnecessarily long, and I think it coul've been shortened. It took up a lot of time of the drama without contributing much to the overall progression. Story-wise it could've been a 10 for me, if this arc and the one in the last 4-6 episodes were excluded.
This is my first drama starring Gülnezer Bextiyar, so I can’t fully judge her acting yet. However, her facial expressions often felt a bit stiff. At times, it was difficult to tell whether her character was quietly scheming or genuinely surprised / upset. Nevertheless, her visuals suit the role 100% - she's got that sharp and cold “Ice Queen” aura.
Now on to the characters: Rong Shanbao is a mixed bag for me. I admire how she prioritizes family above all else and refuses to get dragged into internal power struggles. Considering her difficult upbringing, her composure and emotional restraint do make sense. However, I don't agree with how she treats Lu Jianglai. While it’s true that he betrayed her first, he later makes continuous efforts to redeem himself, especially by solving the case etc. Yet she keeps him at arm’s length, barely treating him differently from the earlier husband candidates. Her lack of communication and tendency to keep everything to herself becomes frustrating over time.
As for the sisters, it honestly surprised me that the Rong family managed to survive for so long given how disunited they were in the beginning. I’m glad Rong Yunyin and Rong Yunxi had character development though. Rong Yunyin’s growth felt more believable, while Rong Yunxi’s change felt abrupt, like a jump: Suddenly she trusts Rong Shanbao and even speaks up for her?
Also, I'm actually growing even more interested in Yunxi and An Cha's story than Shanbao and Fusheng's...
The grandmother is another frustrating, illogical character. Despite her experiencing many setbacks, she sticks to her old mentality - familial piety, strict rules - alwways disregarding her granddaughters’ wishes.

Despite these flaws, there are many more things I genuinely enjoyed.
The story, while sometimes stretched, was engaging because of the constant twists where I expect them the least; especially the second half kept me hooked. My jaw literally dropped every second. This is one of the best written stories, I've seen in a while!
And lastly, Rong Yunwan completely stole my heart. She’s adorable and easily one of the most lovable characters in the drama.

So imo, Glory is far from perfect, but it’s visually breathtaking and I loved how the story develops, so I rate it 9.5 despite the few flaws ❤️

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Iconic couple pairing and an enjoyable story!

As someone who hasn't been enjoying the Xuanhuan and Xianxia dramas that released recently, I really liked "Love in the Clouds" as it was a rather light-hearted watch with a beautiful cinematography! 💕

The storyline isn't anything unique or outstanding either, but what I especially like is the subtle comedy and most important of all, Hou Minghao and Lu Yuxiao's chemistry (which felt non-existent in the second half though 😭)! They are perfect as the main cast of LitC and I really hope to see them together again in future shows.

I loved Lu Yuxiao as the second female lead in MJTY, so I was very excited to see her in this show. And she's doing well again! Just wish, we could've seen more of her scenes as a Warrior Godess.
I wouldn't say that some of the supporting cast's acting is the very best, but that doesn't disrupt the viewing experience, like it usually does for me.
One thing I'm upset about though is Situ Ling's transition to Chao Yuan and finally his downfall as I thought he could've tried to let go of the past and his obsessions.

Something I don't pay attention to in most dramas like I did with this one is that it subtly touched on some conflicts in the real world which I found well done.

Honorable mention: crazy CGI & visual fx, had to be said!! The styling is so gorgeous too 😍 (dare I say, Hou Minghao looks even better here than in "Fangs of Fortune")

Note: This should have been 8.0 stars for me, but I'm giving it +0.5 because I am very very biased

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A surprisingly angsty yet refreshing transmigration drama

I went into How Dare You!? without having read the novel or watched the live-action or donghua adaptations, and this drama alone already makes me want to check them out. This drama delivered just the right amount of romance, comedy, and angst.

At first, I thought I was getting a light-hearted rom-com, but it turned out to be far more angsty than expected. What surprised me the most was how layered Xiahou Dan was. His early brutal actions, felt confusing at first, especially since he was also from the modern world. But once it was revealed that he transmigrated as a child, suffered countless hardships and survived alone in that world without knowing the novel's plot, his personality made much more sense. It explained why he became the so-called “incapable tyrant,” why he wasn't afraid to cross moral lines and acted so detached. His backstory genuinely broke my heart and I really did not expect this sub-plot. So, I will not tolerate any Zhang San slander (fight me) 😤
Even though the transmigration-into-a-novel trope is very common, this drama still felt like a breath of fresh air to me. It didn’t reinvent the trope, but the execution made it deeply engaging. So even though I was familiar with the usual structure of this type of story, I still found myself completely immersed while other similar shows didn't manage to catch my attention the same way.
Also, I actually really enjoyed the comedy. It genuinely felt like two 21st-century people trapped inside historical novel characters’ bodies, and their humor reflected that perfectly. Their jokes, their bickering, and modern mindset in a palace setting were very entertaining, especially scenes like them eating hotpot together or casually bickering like actual friends. This is what I'm going to miss most about the drama 💕
I also liked that the setting leaned more toward a palace drama, which felt refreshing since most transmigration dramas I’ve watched focus on nobles or commoners rather than palace life. So the consorts’ constant bickering added even more fun on top of that.
I also usually don’t go for the friends-to-lovers trope, but here it felt very natural. Xiahou Dan and Yu Wanyin genuinely came across as best friends first, and their relationship slowly developing into romance felt natural rather than forced. Cheng Lei and Wang Churan's chemistry was off the charts!!

As for what I could have been better, there were some inconsistencies in the writing. I often felt like certain pieces of information were missing, and as someone who hasn’t read the novel, I needed quite a few spoilers to fully understand the story. Because of that, I couldn’t rate it a full 10. However, since this drama wasn’t originally on my radar and I didn't go in with high expectations, I ended up enjoying it much more than anticipated. The “Zhang San’s diary” clips at the end of the episodes also clarified a lot, so I’m not too bothered by this issue.
Another tiny downside that upset me was the number of unnecessary deaths. So many precious characters were killed off in ways that felt more like plot devices than meaningful narrative choices, and I feel like some of them really didn't have to die in order for the plot to progress, like they do in other dramas 💔
The ending itself was beautiful and well-done, but the reunion of the main leads in the real world didn’t feel as impactful as it could have been. It follows the familiar open-ending-style reunion in most transmigration dramas, where they simply look at each other and smile (like ADWAD or WDBTD). Even though I understand the narrative limitations these kind of dramas have because of censorship and I didn't expect much more, the final emotional payoff still felt a little bit lackluster despite the ending being satisfying.

Overall, despite a few flaws, this drama still surprised me in the best way and ended up being a very heartfelt and memorable watch! Realistically a 9/10, but my enjoyment makes it a 9.5 :)

Edit: Thanks for the award, fyra! ❤️

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General female lead falling in love with the prince of her rival kingdom? Sign me up.

Shadow Love turned out to be one of those dramas that I just couldn’t stop watching. It’s full of clichés, familiar tropes, and some really cheesy romance with a perfectly timed soundtrack. But honestly, it’s exactly the kind of cheesiness that I enjoy. It's super cute and also has it's comedic moments which makes you giggle throughout the whole episode.

The story itself isn’t anything groundbreaking to me, and some villains can feel a bit cartoonish at times, and yet it completely had me hooked all the way to episode 38 because the story, the tropes and characters are "creative" in its own way and gave me completelydifferent feeling from other fantasy C-Dramas. The pacing felt a bit off at first and I wasn’t sure how the plot would progress since the writing felt a bit inconsistent. But in the second half it suddenly got much better with every episode.
Especially the last few episodes made me emotional and when a drama manages to make me cry even just a little, that says a lot 😭

I’ve watched almost all of Cheng Lei’s dramas where he plays a main role, and this is the one where I liked his character and his acting the most. He did an excellent job portraying three different personas in one role, and it really showcased his range better than his other characters.
Going in, I was actually hesitant about Song Yi. I didn’t enjoy her acting in Destined, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. But here, her performance felt more natural, and I found her acting pretty alright and fitting for the role.
The one thing that bothered me though was that tge main leads didn't have a lot of chrmistry.
Also: A big applause to the secondary couples, especially Lu Xin & Mo Yin (they were so adorable together), but also Qiao’er & Ouyang Jun, even though they didn’t get much screen time. At times, I actually found them even cuter than the main CP.

And finally, the OST: Absolutely spellbinding! It has become one of my favorite drama soundtracks of all time and really makes me wanna rewatch the entire drama all over again.

So, while Shadow Love is predictable most of the time and does drag occasionally, it’s still exciting, emotional, and incredibly addictive and I really like how it is unique in its own way. It managed to stand out among the dramas I’ve watched recently, and I fully admit that I’m biased, so the final score is... 9.5/10!

Special thanks to @Kasia Krakowianka for the recommendation! I enjoyed this drama through and through 💕

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My all-time favorite C-Drama!

I’m finally writing a review for "Blossom", after rewatching it three times, and it only came out like 10 months ago!! I’ve never rewatched any other show this many times before.

Initially, I even dropped the drama a few episodes after the main leads’ wedding (Ep. 18) because I felt the story was starting to drag. But I’m so glad I picked it up again, because "Blossom" has proven itself to be my absolute favorite C-drama! Definitely recommend 💕

First of all, Meng Ziyi and Li Yunrui’s chemistry is simply unmatched. The way their characters supported each other, those subtle, knowing gazes, and the quiet tenderness between them: Every time they appeared on screen together, my heart melted. 😭 I’ve never felt this kind of warmth watching any other on-screen couple before. Dou Zhao and Song Mo were truly made for each other, total green flags! It was so beautiful to watch how their relationship developed. I absolutely love it when we get smart, capable leads who bring out the best in each other. I genuinely don’t think I’ll ever get over them, and now I can't wait for "Tigers Sniff the Rose" haha! 🎉🎉

The acting throughout felt so natural, and the story was beautifully executed. I especially loved how the revenge plot unfolded slowly yet so satisfyingly. Every character, even the supporting ones, was well-developed and had their own meaningful story. Although I initially thought Song Han’s switch-up was too much, his arc ended up adding so much depth, not just to him, but also to Miao Ansu and the overall story.
(Spoiler warning: I’m still heartbroken that Dou Ming had to die in this lifetime though. Honestly, words can’t express how much I despise Wei Tingyu and his sister after everything they did omg.)

And on top of all that, the cinematography, color grading and overall production were absolutely stunning. Truly a work of art - the production team ate!!

P.S.: Out of all the C-drama generals I’ve seen, Song Mo remains my favorite, hands down! And of course, Dou Zhao is one of my favorite female leads! Her character was beautifully written. Something about her patience and her inner resilience that moved me.

So, farewell to my beloved Zhao Zhao Mo Mo, love them 朝朝暮暮, forever, day and night 🥹

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Heartfelt youth drama about a teenager's personal journey and struggles!

It’s honestly been so long since a K-Drama hit me like this! Although there are a few overused tropes (those typical high school bullies, 2nd leads' romance arc and the list goes on ...), Spirit Fingers feels so refreshing. Loved the concept of the art club as the backdrop for the characters’ stories.

It’s cute and a little silly, but also surprisingly relatable. I forgot when I last actually enjoyed a youth drama this much. The characters actually feel real, especially Song Uyeon with her insecurities, her low self-esteem and familial struggles hit me so hard. It was beautiful to see how she grows and learns to love herself more throughout the series.

And then there’s Nam Gijeong… the complete opposite of her! He’s loud, goofy, and totally shameless in how much he likes her. They balance each other out so perfectly. I only started watching this because of him (I’m weak for the lovesick fool type haha 😭), but I stayed because they’re just so cute together. That confession scene which basically was a proposal? I was screaming, was so unexpectedly hilarious. Love how his friends support his delusions too.

Also really liked how Uyeon’s relationship with her best friends at school developed. On the other hand, there was so much potential for emotional growth with her mom. I was hoping we would get some heartfelt mother-daughter moments later on. While we do get some closure, the conclusion of these storylines (her mother's character development and the family struggles, especially the father) felt a bit rushed and resolved too quickly.

But I still realy enjoyed the watch. If you're in for a light and quick watch, do try it!

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