Reviews

Goodbye is not goodbye.

First I would like to say; If slow burn fluffs aren't your thing then it may not be for you. That being said, I absolutely loved it. The story, the chemistry, the music; Everything about it. Jeff and Gameplay took their characters; Marwin and Tops and made me feel very connected to them through their internal struggles of finding their passion, finding their own path in life; Marwin with his music and Tops with his cooking. All while sharing a bond with Tops' recipes made especially for Marwin, who he has feelings for but is too afraid to say so, not realizing he feels the same and vice versa.

The Ost is so beautiful, Jeff's voice is so amazing. Definitely recommend checking on his covers on youtube.

The chemistry was amazing, I would always get butteflies with every stare and touch. I would also burst into tears at the emotional moments with the way they pour their hearts into what is being said.

Sad to see it go but happy with how it ended, wouldn't mind another season in the future though. After all, Tops needs to keep those cooking skills in practice and learn new recipes to keep his future customers happy; His current day one is already satisfied with his love alone but making music can tiring on an empty stomach hehe.

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I honestly picked up watching this after watching the cast on VS Arashi, and watching a different special on before it. I had to rewatch the first episode since I started on 2 but I knew I was hooked.

The premise is pretty simple, 'average' girl ends up living with three guys in pursuit of her dream as a pastry chief. Of course, shenanigans ensue. It's touching, it's dramatic, and it even got me to tear up a little bit.

I really enjoyed the chemistry between cast members. You could tell from VS Arashi they were all friends after filming, and during their scenes it was really impressive. Kento Yamazaki, and Kirie Mirai have absolutely stunning chemistry between them. And Nomura Shuhei is the perfect balance between serious moments and comic relief (without being a joke himself). Shuhei was even cast in the Taiwanese adaptation! The setting is in Enoshima, not too far away from Tokyo (closer to Yokohama though) which was a refreshing change of pace.

My friends and I agree that Chiaki's character development was rather sad, in comparison to the others. And there is a weird insert character whoose got no purpose or name but causes a lot of grief for the others, that we found rather boring and unneeded.

I've already recommended this drama to friends, and I watched it in Japan and with subs after leaving Japan. Not a top favorite of mine, and I won't be rewatching unless it's with friends/for nostalgia but it's a sweet drama worth watching.

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I pushed my way through the entire series because there were some sweet moments that made it really worth watching, yet I still feel like I'm writing this review to criticize more than compliment.

But let's start with a compliment:

I enjoyed the lead female character. This kind of nice, independent, no-nonsense lead female character has been a rare item in the Korean drama industry. I'm saying she's strong as in not TOO comically strong or bratty as well. Eun Hawon character is really likable, and it's the only part that makes sense why this kind of reverse harem plot works. The boys in the house genuinely like her, and I accept it. Most of the Korean dramas that go for either this generic reverse harem plot or the strong lead girl plot usually fail to deliver them naturally. I grew fond of her the most and her character made me stick around.

Another good point that somehow kept me around was the sweet moments and the chemistry between the lead characters. I could feel that they really care for each other. Nothing was forced. The love story wasn't rushed. I enjoyed it. Sometimes the sub plots dragged on for too long and their sweet moments would restore my faith for this show.

Now onto the bad part:

From the title: Cinderella and Four Knights, there are no four knights at all. They're trying to sell that this is a reverse harem kind of story, with one lead girl and four lead guys and such, but it only lasted probably up to the first few episodes. The first few episodes promised you a love triangle which was cliche but still entertaining.

From somewhere early in the series, however, out of *four* knights: 1) one of them loses complete interest in the lead female and goes back to the second lead female he ditched long ago for unexplained reasons, 2) one of them grows to like the lead female yet takes care of the second lead female to an unreasonable extent, 3) one of them likes the lead female genuinely but, of course, the plot won't allow them to even meet and talk properly, 4) and the last one of them leaves the *knight* title ever so quickly and branches out to his own super cliche sub plot although he has so much potential in everything from acting to his looks to his chemistry with the lead female.

It felt so much like the writers lured us into such F4 - Boys Over Flowers kind of settings, then ditched us to an extremely cliche plot that revolved more around the second lead female – who I have to use the word "annoyingly boring" to describe. I like Son Naeun as a member of A Pink, but I believe her acting is very bad – or this character does not shine a light on her as an actress at all. Her character is an "I-only-look-at-you" kind of pitiful(?) girl, but somehow the story (or her acting) made her evil. I thought she was going to grow into a likable second female lead because she was one of a few second leads that don't act evil towards the lead female character. However, her damsel-in-distress situations only turned her into a "I don't care if I look evil, I just want to own one of these rich guys" kind of character.

She has the looks and she's from a well-raised background. She was also incredibly stubborn for (literally) unsaid reasons while she could just go out and have a happy life while forgetting these main guys. Plus, her interest in fashion design seemed useless. It played no part in the plot, and I wish writers would stop stereotyping fashion design major as a "high class" thing. Beautiful barbie-like female characters don't need to like fashion to look sophisticated. Try harder.

Likewise, I didn't enjoy the stereotypes in this story at all. Jung Ilwoo's character (Kang Jiwoon) was built around a quiet, rebellious guy with a troubled past, so they gave him a street-racer persona while in the story it was just him fidgeting with his toy cars from time to time. It didn't look cool and rebellious. It looked pathetic.

Ahn Jaehyun's character (Kang Hyunmin) – the playboy successor of Haneul Group – can he be even more cliche than this? I mean, playboy chaebols are fun to have in a story, but this characteristic of him progressed to nowhere. He was out with random girls for only 2 or 3 episodes at the beginning. At the same time, he's a supposed successor of their family business, but I see him lazing around inside the mansion the *entire* series. In fact, he doesn't seem very aloof. He has a heart, but they didn't make use of it at all.

Lee Jungshin's character (Kang Seowoo) is a musician. Why? There's no back story to his characteristics. He's popular and is a good singer and he's very nice. Rich and romantic, yet he seemed the most unattached to the entire chaebol family. Again, there's nothing bad about this, I just feel like this musician character is very stereotypical. And again, for a chaebol grandson who's *finally* nice and decent, he's out of the picture from the first half of the series. He likes the main girl alone, feels sad alone, and lets her go alone. His music plays almost no part in putting his character together with the main girl or other guys, and despite that, there's no explanation in why he fails to convey his love to the main girl at all. (Oh, wait, why? Because the writer doesn't want that. Then WHY did they even make his character up at all?)

I still forced my way through the end purely because of the lead female character. She was the only decent one in the entire series. The "missions" and "part-time job" that put her in these guys' mansion made me cringe though. And although she's naturally kindhearted, genuinely wanting the boys to reunite as a family was a bit odd, given that she hasn't been raised in a warm *family* as well.

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Legend of Zang Hai isn’t the kind of drama you say you enjoyed, it’s more of an experience.. A story about revenge, it follows our ML who after witnessing the brutal slaughter of his parents, friends and family at the age of ten sets out for vengeance with the help of a mysterious group of people..

The script, direction and screenplay are just impeccable.. And the performances?? Absolutely out of this world.. Xiao Zhan’s portrayal of Zang Hai is unforgettable.. He fully embodies a boy shaped by trauma and driven by revenge, yet unable to let go of the softness he was born with.. There were so many scenes where he proves just how good his acting really is..

This drama might not be for everyone.. It doesn’t have your typical ML who goes around killing and beating people up in the name of revenge.. LOZH proves that not every hero needs to be a martial artist.. Instead, it dives deep into the emotional cost of vengeance and how destructive it can be.. The story makes us care about the characters so much that we are forced to question whether what Zang Hai is striving so hard for is truly worth it..

I absolutely love it when we have two main leads who can actually act and not just serve visuals.. And also the FL being the one with the physical strength and martial arts skills?? Always a treat.. There’s just something so fun about watching a badass FL protecting her man..

Zhang Jing Yi was extraordinary as usual.. Loved her chemistry with Xiao Zhan.. Even though this wasn’t a romance centered plot, it still gave us one of the best matched couples.. It was heartwarming to watch them fall in love and heal their broken hearts.. After he meets and falls for Antu, the story becomes more interesting.. Because now suddenly he wants to think about a life after revenge..

Absolutely loved the cinematography.. It was artistic and beautiful.. Zhen tower was just magnificent.. Scenes like the Empress Dowager’s funeral, the boat scene in ep 15, the Prince’s residence, the dinner fight at the Marquis’s home, and the rain fight, just to name a few were all stunning to watch..

Overall, Legend of Zang Hai is truly worthy of being called one of the if not the best CDrama of the year..

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Empowering Drama for Girls

I really love the female lead character in this drama - independent, unconventional, fearless, strong (good in fighting), forthright (doesn't hide anything - speaks her mind), intelligent, decisive, compassionate, confident, will not be manipulated, smart, at the same time, loves her family dearly and will protect everyone with her own life. Together with an eye-candy male lead, this drama is really an enjoyable and easy watch.

Ban Hua (Guan Xiao Tong aka Gabrielle Guan) has come from a bloodline of royalty. Her paternal grandmother is also the aunt of the Emperor who respects her greatly and grants the Ban family unlimited privileges and protection from the other noble families who constantly want to harm them and even want them dead.

Ban Hua doesn’t take orders from anyone, not even from the Emperor himself. Despite her high status, she’s being shunned by most eligible men in town because of her ‘bad luck’ reputation, her unabashed demeanor, and most of all, her being the best fighter around as she’s learned her skills from her grandfather who was a great general. She is fierce and forthright with her feelings, beats the shit out of men whom she finds intolerable, as she tells them “even the Lord of the Netherworld is scared of me”.

The Ban family is one of the most wonderful families I find in any historical dramas, with loving and open-minded parents who respect Ban Hua’s opinions and supportive of her, a little brother who is sweet and streetwise, and a couple of adorable maid servants who are like sisters to her. Despite the high status of the Ban family, none is well read. It is hilarious to see how they struggle to read a simple letter or poem flawlessly, and to make sense of it. The family dynamics are precious and it’s always a joy to watch them.

After an incident, Ban Hua is bestowed the ability to see her future in her dreams. However, most of these dreams are omens to the fate of herself and those she loves. She finds ways to change course of their fates. As one can imagine, the steps and processes she takes are hilarious. And as in her dream, she meets her true love, Rong Xia (Hou Ming Hao aka Neo Hou).

Rong Xia is the most handsome man in the world. Not only is he handsome, he is also the most intelligent man. In contrast to the Bans, Rong Xia is very well read and gentle. He is also the Emperor’s most treasured strategist who holds important official post. Together with Ban Hua, they resolve multiple conspiracies hand in hand, saving each other time and time again from death.

Guan Xiao Tong is very beautiful with great acting skills. As Ban Hua, she brings out the fierceness in her, at the same time, not losing her elegance as an anointed princess. Dressed in her unconventional outfits purportedly designed by Ban Hua herself, Guan Xiao Tong brings Ban Hua to life. I really love her stylish outfits with bold colors and designs.

Hou Ming Hao is one of the most handsome actors around. He looks amazing in his scholastic outfit with a fan, he also looks so good in his somber court official uniform, and he looks mysteriously wonderful in his dark martial arts clothing. His acting is good too in bringing alive the gentle Rong Xia who viewers come to love so much.

My Verdict
I really love Ban Hua’s kickass demeanor and her beautiful stylish outfits, the handsome face of Rong Xia, the wonderful dynamics of the Ban family, Ban Hua’s and the second prince’s hostile relationship, the hilarious rivalry between Marquis Xie and Ban Hua’s father, the lovable side couples, among others.

This is a wonderful and happy drama not to be missed. The badass female lead alone would make any viewers love this production. Together with a very smart and good-looking male lead, this drama indeed is a great entertainment for all to enjoy.

Recommended!

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how am i supposed to live, laugh, love in these conditions?

I went into this show knowing of the intense controversy surrounding it, but my rule of thumb is that the more controversial a show is, the more I want to watch it. All press is good press, as they say. It is not for me to say whether the show should have used the ’87 elections as a backdrop to the show, so instead I will speak on everything else in the show, what I liked, what I hated, what I loved and what I rolled my eyes at.

Overviewing opinion of the show:

I LOVE good star-crossed enemies to lovers and this show certainly delivered and they did not water it down. Love borne from ignorance and innocence that becomes corrupted by beliefs and ideology but eventually overcomes these difficulties, the show really tugged at my heartstrings with how beautiful and poignant it is.

There were points that lagged and lacked, points I rolled my eyes and skipped forward (looking at you, three wives of those three idiots) and the show did suffer from bad pacing when you spend like, what? 5/6 whole episodes trapped in the one place with the same thing happening time and time again? But even then, it’s a ticking time bomb – this pace is like a frog in water that is being brought to a boil. You don’t even notice what’s happening until it’s too late and everything has come down around you and the show explodes into action. Everything is falling into place and you can’t even breathe as you feel the helplessness and frustration of the people trapped inside of the University – who to trust? Who to turn to? Who is an ally and who is an enemy? These frustrations peak and the deteriorating situation literally leaves you having to watch the next episode after the last left you with bated breath because you don’t know what’s going to happen, who’s going to turn and who is going to betray.

The love story of the show is its backbone, its main star and attraction.

Yeong-ro is young and innocent and you watch her fall in love, just as helpless as the viewer. And then when the truth explodes, you can feel her anger and hurt and how betrayed she feels: betrayal for being lied to, betrayed by her own feelings that make it impossible to truly hate Soo-ho. She pulls back as Soo-ho reaches for her because she’s not some hapless teen in love: she’s smart, intuitive, she’s allowed to feel all those feelings of hurt and anger towards him before they lull and teeter off into forgiveness. You can even feel her being partly disgusted for having had those feelings, and partly disgusted for still having them.

Soo-ho, on the other hand, is less than innocent and he looks at Yeong-ro like she’s the only source of warmth in the cold light of his life that has been cast since he was a child. He knows he cannot love her, he knows he should not love her but he DOES. Even when he tries not to, it’s so painfully obvious he does and he’s caught between the rock and hard place of his love for her and his loyalty to his sister and country. He’s pulled in every single direction and spread too thin because no matter what he does, he knows someone is going to get hurt. Perhaps it was fate, perhaps it was destiny, perhaps it was life’s cruel joke to have him find a love and to be loved but cannot be, but he does and while the world is deadset on killing him and Yeong-ro, the two fall into this peaceful inbetween of taking the little time that they have together and seizing it with their hands.

ACTORS AND THEIR CHARACTERS:

I had no idea that it was BLACKPINK’s Jisoo as the main female lead as I’m not a BLACKPINK fan but I remember scratching my head for the first episode because I KNEW I had seen her somewhere and imagine my surprise! I’ve seen a lot of hate towards Jisoo’s acting, and I think a LOT of it is unfounded. For a first major lead as a rookie actress, Jisoo really holds her own against more seasoned actors and puts so much heart and emotion into Yeong-ro. Yeong-ro is young, she’s innocent without being naïve, unknowing without being ignorant – she’s truly a kind soul and a young woman on the cusp of being an adult in the real world and she still has this innocence about her that makes you want to protect her. And you can tell there’s something wanting in her – with a dead mother, a brother on the front lines and an apathetic, absent father, there’s a void inside of her that seems like it can never be filled in. Jisoo’s acting, my God, the girl can ACT and I know for a fact she can get even better with time. I loved seeing her onscreen and she really held her own against Jung Hae-in, especially when the truth comes out and you can feel how she is reeling with betrayal, hurt and how she wants to hate him but CAN’T. I did feel like the chemistry did dissipate slightly towards the end of the series before it was reignited again, but I suppose that is partially due to the fact that Soo-ho really becomes the main character from episode 10 onwards and the storyline shifts almost entirely away from the romance before dragging it back to the love story. Her characterisation flipflops a bit and there are times she does feel like only a plot device for Soo-ho's own character growth because Yeong-ro does not change as a person; suffering through tragedy and trauma is not character growth, not when she's left in the ruins alone after the fact. I liked Jisoo's acting and I know she has great potential for the future and I very much look forward to any future projects Jisoo has in store!

Hae-in, oh boy, lord hath mercy – the man is a powerhouse of talent. I haven’t seen anything that he has been in before, though I do know the titles and have seen clips but this is the first show that I have sat down and watched all the way through and I need to remedy my earlier mistake of not seeing anything he’s been in. Hae-in creates a Soo-ho that is the epitome of a victim of his circumstances. He could not choose where he was born, he could not choose his parents, he could not choose his life, he could not choose his path, his job, his future. He’s like a leaf atop of a streaming river, carried by its current until the end. And prior to Yeong-ro, he lets himself be carried without fighting against the tide, then she manages to take a hold of his soul and heart and pull him back from drowning. You can feel the conflict alongside Soo-ho, the conflict of what he wants and what he needs to do, duty and love tearing him apart. He tries so desperately to reclaim the person he was but it’s too late – the love that he has for Yeong-ro has fundamentally changed him as a human being. You can see him trying to disconnect from his feelings for her during the hostage situation but he’s tied to his emotions and to her whether he likes it or not. He’s desperate and lost because this is the first time he’s ever made a choice for himself and Hae-in is amazing at portraying this, at Soo-ho’s constant internal battle. Just like Yeong-ro, there’s a void inside of him that is shaped like her and only together do they really make each other whole.

The rest of the cast are sublime, Jang Seung-jo as Kang-moo is amazing. He’s desperate and calculating, passionate, pragmatic, and vengeful. You look at him and you know he’s a ticking time bomb, but you never know when he’s going to go off. Jung Yoo-jin was less than stellar, but she does portray Han-na as being exactly the opposite to Kang-moo: she’s a bomb whose fuse goes off time and time again. I did get annoyed with her multiple times throughout the show but I can’t say I hate her. Yoon In-na, unfortunately, did not stand out to me but I suppose it’s just because of how her character is written: cold and detached, pragmatic beyond belief and cold. There is one instance that I did love was her seeing the broken minded Ms. Oh and you can see it in her eyes that she finally realises the future that awaits her: abandoned by the country she served and left to suffer the memories of all the atrocities she committed until it breaks her.

Kim Hye-yoon, woooo boy she did a great job of making me both hate Gye Bun-ok and pitying her. Because on one hand, Gye Bun-ok has every right to be the way she is and you can understand why she doesn’t want to join in on the scheme that is brewing in the university. She has first hand experience of what happens to those who turn against the government and to communism, and the consequences they face as she still suffers the consequences that her old sister made because of that. She’s a pitiful character that I don’t think I can say I even hate her, even though she really annoyed me. She is constantly bullied and looked down upon by the college girls and has been abused by her parents all her life, even while acting as the sole breadwinner. She has every right to not feel loyal to the people who mocked and bullied her constantly, who saw her as nothing more than an infection to the rest of the student body. But, man, you see her act out time and time again even knowing why she’s doing what she’s doing but you just want to wring her neck out. Also, what the hell was that weird thing that was implied going on between her and Gyeok-chan? It really grabbed my attention and was quite disappointed it didn't really go anywhere.

There aren’t many other characters that stood out to me but I will say this: I HAAATTTEEEDDD the storyline of the three wives, like I mean HATED. I did not watch a single scene of them without skipping forward because of how boring they were. I only enjoyed it when they were getting their comeuppance but other than that, nothing positive can be said about these characters whose names I didn’t even bother to remember.

Other comments:
- The music and cinematography of the show were [chefs kiss]. Honestly outstanding and out of this world, a treat to the eyes and a feast that kept on giving. The show was honestly just so beautiful to watch, if I didn’t even like the show I would have kept on watching because it was such a beautiful show to watch.
- Once again, the pacing really hindered the show from reaching full potential as the same things kept happening more than once as well as the fact they stretched out the hostage situation a bit longer than I would have liked. I also would have liked if they kept up the storyline of the girls hiding Soo-ho in the dorm a bit longer.
- Even knowing the politics of the 1987 elections, I do think the show didn’t really go into the nitty gritty of it too much. I partially agree with some of the backlash being towards the show’s narrative of having ANSP agents being the ones trying to end the corruption within the election, but at the same time, I don’t think the show tries to say, “this is the truth and only the truth of what happened”.
- Not enough weird 80s fashion, disappointing.
- Now I know that I said I didn’t like how the hostage situation dragged on longer than it needed, but I liked the fact it made the show feel claustrophobic, as if you’re trapped in the university alongside the bulk of the cast. I felt as trapped as the students and staff did, only able to watch what was happening and not being able to go anywhere or do anything. It really added to the whole atmosphere and made everything feel much more tense.
- I’m going to admit it: there were times that I did wish Soo-ho followed through with his threats during the hostage situation simply because I wanted something to happen. But perhaps, on the flipside, it added more tension for me because I was there, waiting with bated breath wondering if he’ll actually follow through and kill a student as he threatened he would.
- I honestly feel disappointed at people who are hating on Jisoo’s acting because I thought she was sublime, especially considering the fact this is her first major role, I believe. Though I admit there are times I did feel like she was lacking a bit and Hae-in had to carry the bulk of the chemistry between the two – her interactions with Soo-ho towards the last few episodes felt lacklustre especially with the lack of reciprocation towards Soo-ho’s displays of affection, but I’m also empathetic towards the fact romance probably isn’t on the forefront of her mind what with everything going on in her personal life and the situation at hand. I see people getting annoyed over the fact that Yeong-ro felt betrayed and hurt towards Soo-ho as if he didn’t just take all her friends captive and use her as a human shield? As if he didn’t lie to her and put her in this situation? Like, Yeong-ro’s reaction and behaviour is extremely believable and human. Why should she trust Soo-ho after he lied and did what he did, acted how he acted and said what he said? And Jisoo was amazing at portraying this hurt and anger beautifully because you can see the innocence in Yeong-ro leave her, that she’s forced to face the consequences of being young and being in love and realising that all really isn’t fair in love and war.

Conclusion:

This show is not for people who like action packed, constant romance, fast paced, good guys v bad guys and characters who are more than three dimensional. You will feel fatigue watching it, but then it’s the end of an episode and you NEED to know what happens next. It’s a slow burn, an ember burning before it explodes into a fire. I will definitely be adding this to my very small list of shows I rewatch.

Final thoughts:
I wrote the bulk of this review when I was still waiting for episodes 15 and 16 to drop and much of it remains the same, but I am going to retract my last sentence in the conclusion. I do not think I will be able to mentally handle watching this show more than once. The tragedy and even the unfairness of this show remains consistent. I opened the review by saying this show was beautiful and poignant, but I forgot to say how tragic it is. I probably spent an entire hour sobbing hysterically after the finale to the point I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head.

To say I wanted everyone to live happily ever after would be a lie, but I wanted them to simply live a life they can be content with. No spoilers, but I think the tragedy of this show lies in the fact that some people will always be victims – victims to the government, victim to their regrets, their mistakes, to the corrupt people in power, and even to their own feelings. There is no spoonful of sugar to wash down the bitterness in this show. It is raw and burns you and I cannot remember the last time a show has managed to pull this depth of emotions from me before. The ending is unsatisfactory, it leaves you empty and numb and you wonder: "What was it all for? What's the point if this is what the end is?". There are so many unanswered questions, so many loose ends left to dangle untied and even when those who deserved their comeuppance, it's superficial, like sand in your stomach because it fills you up but you're still empty otherwise.

You feel a sense of helplessness and hopelessness and it hurts, by God does it hurt watching that finale. And part of me hates the show for it, and I was adamant that if I didn’t get a bittersweet ending this show was going to get a bad score from me but I can’t, I can’t not when this show has caused such deep, emotional reactions within me.

And you accept what Yeong-ro has come to learn: all is not fair in love and war, not in this life.

And the real tragedy of it all is that you were hoping for much more than what this show was able to deliver, perhaps it's naivety or foolishness, but I wanted, I hoped, I despaired. You watch that final scene and you know in that moment, you are Yeong-ro and you know the life that awaits her, more tragedy paving the path. It leads me to ask: is a life alone, having lost everyone you know and love, any better than dying?

I have a feeling it will be a question haunting Yeong-ro for the rest of her life, forced to carry on when everyone else has been left behind.

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I'm not even trying to be reasonable about this.

This is the kind of show you get so addicted to you don't even realize hours have passed since you first hit play. While some of these types of dramas leave me feeling sticky like I just indulged on too much sugar, this is one of the few cases I did not regret a minute of the rush. While the romance is captivating, this show doesn't sacrifice its main storyline or logic to keep the tension. Instead, we got a well established conflict that's in line with the characters personalities as well as the world building. At every moment of this show, I understood the motivations of each character and could sympathize with them. Never did it feel like they were stalling or creating unnecessary drama to fill the episodes.

Even though the story is your classic forbidden love tail, the way it was presented and how it incorporated its fantasy elements made it feel fresh and engaging. The world building is one of the things I really enjoyed about this show. Often Xianxias can feel overwhelming and incoherent since they just randomly dump information on you and don't even bother to explain the key points of the world they're set in. While it may not dive too deep into it's setting, it does utilize beautiful and detailed sets as well as costumes to highlight differences between the three realms and its respective residents. It creates an immersive experience which made it feel like these places were more than just pretty backdrops. Apart from the sets, I actually thought the visual effects were surprisingly good, resulting in exciting and impressive fight scenes. I've to quickly mention the OST at this point, which is hauntingly beautiful and still gives me goosebumps when I listen to it after finishing the drama.

Overall I enjoyed the performances of the cast and quite a few side characters won me over. They got developed enough to make me care about them, but I would not have minded if we got more of their stories as well. Fleshing out the other stories might have helped with some pacing issues and added more layers to the romance focused show. The selling point of this drama, though, are our two leads and their relationship. So let me highlight why I loved these two and what made their relationship so special for me.

"I'm a beautiful fairy with a good heart." 
Well, if that isn't the most accurate self-description I've heard in a while. Orchid has to be one of my favorite female leads in recent Chinese dramas. She starts off as a bubbly and adorable fairy that is rather naive and timid. However, throughout the story she develops into a brave and determined person that never loses the essence of her character, which is her compassionate and selfless heart. She brings out the best in people with her unrelenting belief in them. I truly adored her, and Yu Shu Xin is one of those actresses that has something so likable about her, which was really fitting for this character. I know that some viewers were bothered by her voice, I was not one of them. In fact, she did a great job with the transition of her voice as the story progressed. At the begging of the story it's pretty high-pitched and childlike, which indicates Orchids innocence, however as she matures throughout the story her voice also changes and it was so nice to witness this change in her. She also uses a different voice during the body swap scenes, adding another layer to her performance. One of the things I loved the most about her journey was how she starts off seeing the world in black and white, but after meeting different people, she realizes the fairy realm might not be as perfect as it seems. She also learns there are more layers to a person than what you can see on the surface.

"No one ever taught me how to get close to others." This was my first Wang He Di drama, so I don't have anything to compare it to, however he embodied Dong Fang Qing Cang in a way that you can't even imagine anyone else playing this character. I was impressed by his nuanced portrayal, and I believed every gesture and every word he said. He was fierce and domineering as the Moon Supreme, while also showing subtle emotions and changes throughout the story without losing his personality in the process. His transformation felt authentic and genuine, and I especially enjoyed his performance in the more emotional later episodes. Moreover, he sold that body swap to me, which isn't something a lot of body swap shows manage to do. The way he adapted Yu Shu Xin´s body language and mannerism made me believe I was watching Orchid struggle in Dong Fang Qing Cang's body, which was amusing to watch. I also have to mention the voice actor here, because he was amazing and really helped bring this character to life. While watching Dong Fang Qing Cang slowly change and grow, you honestly can't help fall in love with him alongside Orchid. Wang He Di really went the extra mile in this one.

I often have this issue with romance dramas nowadays that I can't get invested in them because I feel somewhat disconnected to the characters and their relationship. This is mostly due to the fact that shows don't take their time establishing those first before they move on to the emotional scenes. Love Between Fairy and Devil does not have this issue. It managed to convincingly tell a romance where both parties felt equally strong about each other. This relationship evolved over time and helped both of them grow as characters. I truly appreciated that this show took the time to establish them individually while also developing their relationship before we got to the angst, since the emotional scenes had way more impact this way.

This show might not be for everyone, however I had a wonderful time watching it. The balance between romance, captivating story and fantastical elements just worked for me and had me hooked until the very last episode. It's one of those shows I'll get back to again and again.

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OKAY. THIS DRAMA IS CRAZY GOOD.

The characters, the story, and the relationships were all so well thought out! I loved all of the characters, and they all have really wonderful relationships with each other- that are REAL. They fight, bicker, annoy the hell out of each other, get seriously frustrated with each other, and they realize that they all have their own flaws. And the story stays realistic, (funnily enough to say about a drama based on mental disorders) showing the true struggles people in relationships (wife, mother, girlfriend, brother, daughter, etc.) with people with mental disorders have to face. It's really wonderful. The cast acted out everything brilliantly- the emotions were conveyed very well and wow, some of the best acting I've ever seen.

AND THE MUSIC. *BREATHES DEEPLY* I DON'T KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN TO Y'ALL HOW MUCH I LOVED THIS OST. LIKE... THESE SONGS. THEY'RE GREAT. THEY FIT IN SO WELL WITH THE SCENES AND I'VE DOWNLOADED A BUNCH OF THEM AND I NEVER GOT TIRED OF THEM (like I have with very many other songs in other dramas) AND WOW. A++++++++++++++++++ TO WHOEVER PICKED THESE SONGS. A FREAKING PLUS.

Anyways, I totally recommend this drama! It's probably one of my all time favorites now and I loved this drama from start to finish!

For a country still dealing with its own discrimination towards mental disorders, I thought this drama was just plain- WOW. Wonderful. Seriously, good job!!! (I'm in awe)

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Spoiler that shouldn't be a spoiler because it's a Trigger Warning

It's insanely rare and nothing short of a miracle to have anything LGBT+ related when it comes to China. It was enough reason for me to watch it so that we get more.

It didn't have a big budget, of course, but I liked it for the most part. I was going to give it a 7/10.

But, then . . . They went the route of Addicted. A.K.A. There was a forced scene.

I'm giving it a 6/10 trying to push that aside in my mind and act like it didn't happen. I shouldn't have to! Because why the hell did you guys have to do that? Why?

Things were going well. The group of friends was fun together, it was light-hearted, and the two MLs were sweet together.

You let about a minute of screen time taint an otherwise fine and enjoyable drama. What a waste.

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So...if I start this review by saying I'm giddy in love with Park Shi Hoo would you roll your eyes, call me a fangirl and stop reading? You would? Well, then I'm not going to say it! Hey! Stop hovering your mouse over that unhelpful button and keep reading! I've have lots more to say about this Amazing show.

This drama started out with a lot of comparisons to Romeo and Juliet. It does have the element of two people who fall in love in spite of their family's bitter rivalry. But where the two part company is that in Mr. Shakespeare's original work you don't really get very much back story about why the Capulet's hate the Montague's. You simply know they hate each other and that the love between Romeo and Juliet is forbidden. In The Princess' Man you get a big sweeping story and you know exactly what odds are stacked against these two. They should have called this... "The Princess' Man and Her Father's Single Minded Drive to Be the King!"

The Princess' Man is packed full of action and revenge, sword fighting and battles to the death! What I'm saying is...This drama isn't just for women or those looking for a well told love story. If you are a person who prefers action, you need to know there is a perfect balance of badassery as well as a lovely and sweeping romance.

The acting in this show is stellar. I can't think of a single character in a single moment that had me cringing or thinking they were wrong for their part. Park Shi Hoo is wonderful and forgetting what I said up there...He is actually wonderful in everything he does so I wasn't surprised. Moon Chae Won is luminous as Sae Ryung. She pulls in a great performance. I loved her character's bravery and steadfastness. The plot kept me guessing until the very end and I love that I was never bored watching this show!

There is a lot going on, plot wise, and it is told to us by a writer with real story telling ability. I say that because I was also kept interested by the side character's stories as well. They were an intrinsic part of the tale, perfect satellites to the main characters and plot. I wanted to know their fates as well as the main couple's.

Let me sum up why you should watch this show in one sentence. The Princess' Man has an extremely well done and balanced combination of incredible acting, writing, directing and amazing cinematography.

I felt the music was a perfect fit for feel of the drama. There was only one song piece that felt a little overplayed. This show was so well crafted otherwise, I feel like I'm nitpicking but the music is my one 9 vote in a sea of 10's. I will watch this Lovely Show again. I can't recommend this highly enough!

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A very HeartFULL drama. You've read it right, it can give you all your heart has to offer: heart-touching, heartwarming, heart-wrenching yet very inspiring drama.

Story: Prepare for an emotional ride. From the first episode, I just can't let go. A real makjang drama at its finest, it made me shed tears by episode 3. The story will tell you about a guy with painful past, lost family, with nowhere to run, with absolutely nothing at his hand strives to find himself, his dreams and his newly-found family through the world of baking. The childhood part for me was greatly done, it's the family history that made me invest deep emotions; for the 2nd half of the drama were flashbacks has to be made, sad emotions run down and I cried. I lost count how many times I cried in this drama. Most of the lines coming from the teacher were really inspiring and will let you ponder about life in actuality.

The romance is unconventional. It's not I-know-already-who-end-up-who typical love story. It all ends up to a matter of choices. I did like the ending, it's open yet satisfying and will leave you a resting feeling.


Cast/ Acting: The child actors were definitely amazing in conveying heavy-toned drama in the first episodes. Yoon Shi Yoon maintained the well built TakGu character. He was very convincing and his expressions will make you understand what hardships he's going through that seeing them makes it painful. When he cried, I can't help but cry too. Shin Yu Kyung's character is complex and yes, she's also believable. I initially watched this because of Joo Won and I can say, he's also very good in here, the shifting from bad to good was portrayed well, I also did cry for him at the end. The two main antagonists were not a letdown, it seemed nothing can stop them in doing what they want at all cost until the very end.

Music: It simply matches the scenes it has to give enhancements of, and it has a lively yet inspiring feeling as well.

Rewatch Value: It's a heavy drama for me so I will find it hard to rewatch it for sure.

Overall: A great inspiring drama that will max-out your emotions( it is for me anyway) but in a good way! It will make you sad yet satisfied, this is one of those dramas that is hard to forget. :)

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This was supposed to be a hard pass

Netflix decided to constantly remind me about the release of this series. After reading the synopsis and watching a bit of the trailer, I was sure that this would be something I wouldn't enjoy. I was way too bored to give this a chance, if I am being honest.

After its release and its very low rating here on MDL I was even more reluctant (even though I know that most of the times non-Korean series are rated lower).

One tiktok video later, I thought I could just watch the first five minutes and then just drop it or skip through it, mostly to indulge my curiosity. Those first five minutes turned into the first four episodes that I ended up watching till four in the morning...

I tried to think of something not to give this a perfect score, but in the end, I actually had no complains. This is the definition of a binge-worthy series with great acting, good plot and high entertainment value that doesn't fail to offer some emotional moments.

Noteworthy things:

=> No awkwardness detected
This is a series focused on (sexual) relationships. It has a lot of sex scenes and many references to sex from conversations to table lambs. That being said, all actors had great chemistry with one another and I didn't feel awkward at all when watching it. There was no stiffness. Everything felt very natural.

=> No romantic music playing in the background while the two leads first fish kiss
This series focuses on sex, lust (and love) while also giving us some swoon worthy moments, without it feeling like the ''too good to be true'' moments we usually watch in series where all the main characters are perfect in every way, shape or form and where holding hands is the peak of their relationship.

=> Educational
I will say that this actually had many interesting facts when it comes to sex with the videos during the credits (don't miss them) being a great example.

=> Everyone was interesting
I have this problem with series with multiple couples. Most of the times, the main one gets the most screen time and is boring as hell, while all the others are great with almost zero screen time. There was nothing like that here. Every couple and every character was interesting. Everyone had their story to tell. Everyone had their own difficulties and definition of a relationship. Everyone was there for a reason. For once, I didn't roll my eyes every time they showed the mains or generally any of the characters.

=> Nude scenes
Something that I found pretty interesting is the absence of nude scenes. Even though the series has lots of sex scenes, it doesn't really show that much nude.

=> Balance
This was the cherry on top. Everything felt ideal when it came to balance. There were the sad scenes, the funny scenes, the cute scenes, the ''oh my God I can't believe he did that'' scenes. I just felt very content watching this from beginning to end.

=> Different stages of life
We had like four main relationships, where the characters belonged in different age groups. Most of the times younger people are the focus on series about love/sex. Even though two of the mains belonged to younger age groups, we also had two other couples that were in a relationship for a very long time and belonged to different (and older) age groups. As a result we got insight in their life and how things can be after being with someone for a longer time.

=> This wasn't just a fun watch
The series deals with many issues without being over the top or too dramatic. Some of them involve homosexuality, loss of passion after marriage, love vs sex (and trauma), toxic relationships.

I am 100% sure this will be my answer at the end of the year in the ''which is the most underrated series of 2024'' question. This is a very well-made series that unfortunately doesn't get the attention it deserves and that is the main reason I am writing this review.

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When I watched the first two episodes of this drama, I fell in love. I believed it would end up being one of my favorites and I was really impressed with the characters. The first eight episodes were amazing, I dare say perfect. But after those episodes, I didn't like it as much as I liked it before. The first episodes made my expectations waayy too high and so that's why I must've felt disappointed. The plot became less engaging but it still continued as a good drama.

Story - Overall, it was pretty interesting. There were things that kept you wanting to know what happened even though the romance element was predictable at times. It wasn't draggy at all and that was a great thing for this drama. The pace wasn't too slow but not too fast either. Most of the twists in the drama were also well done, the fantasy was what wasn't predictable at all, I didn't see those twists coming. There were definitely some parts that felt out of place in the drama, like the beginning of the last episode was a little too surprising for me... can't spoil it though. ;D

Acting/Cast - When I first started this drama, I wasn't expecting much out of Lee Hong Ki. I thought it was odd he was playing a 29 year old man when he looked so young that I couldn't believe he was even 24! But I'm glad to say, it played out pretty well. A haircut and a change of makeup can do wonders to enhance your age! His acting was impressive and it exceeded my expectations by far. Yang Jin Sung was great too, before this drama, I had never heard of her before. I was surprised that this was her first leading role. The difference in personality was so clearly shown with Yi Kyung and Doo Rim. Not once (except maybe the ending) did I confuse them even though they were being played by the same actress. Lee Hong Ki and her had tons of chemistry, they did good kiss scenes LOL. Everyone else played their role well as well, I didn't see any flaws in the acting. (:

Characters - Kang Ju, who seemed cold and rude in the beginning naturally became softer and more understandable. I loved Doo Rim so much at first, I adore strong female leads. I like how at first she disliked Kang Ju but naturally began understanding him and liking him rather than clinging onto him annoyingly from the start without considering how he treated her. Doo Rim remained true to her character until she fell head over heels for Kang Ju... honestly, this is like the one of the things I really disliked about this drama and it bothered me a lot. Like, all of a sudden she was crazy about him and wanted to be with him for the rest of her life. The development felt unnatural to me. How the relationship started wasn't that realistic but after a while you forget about it and just enjoy the cute moments. After she admitted to her feelings, her tough character didn't show as much as the previous episodes which kind of disappointed me. At first I really hated how horrible the antagonists were. The very people she trusted were lying and deceiving her for their own gain and she was completely oblivious to it all. When she finally did find out, she hardly even cared. It was a good thing that the antagonists end up becoming better people and admitting their wrongs. Another thing that bothered me was Yi Hyun. It's weird how he falls for Doo Rim, who looks exactly like his half sister, Yi Kyung. I don't remember this ever being explained though... Roo Mi, who was initially the usual evil second lead actress, became so much better naturally. It wasn't at the very end where they go on about how they reflected on their actions but it was pretty early in the drama when she changed for the better. My favorite characters were the ghost and Doo Rim's grandmother. The ghost was a important part of the story and added mystery to the drama. I loved Doo Rim's grandmother because she was so adorable and so funny xD

Music - I loved the music in this drama. I never got tired of it and there was a nice variety. Lee Hong Ki has a really nice voice, I really liked the OST he sang for the drama ~

While there were some flaws in this drama, I liked it overall. I'm glad they didn't try to extend the drama because the fact that it's not draggy is really enjoyable. There are so many cute moments that will make you laugh too. A good length for this drama and if you want to watch it, I'd definitely recommend it.

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Don't miss it

The reason i created an MDL account is to tell everyone not to miss this gem. This is one of those dramas that you think you'll just overlook since you think you already watch far too many school dramas. And you thought you can start it because theres no other thing to do on your spare time.

But then you'll realize what a big mistake you've done because you havent start it sooner. The story of how you overcome challenges and see the world in a new light is what makes this drama so close to realty. The romance is not overbearing, its fluffy highschool love. Theres a strong sense of camaraderie and there are no unrealistic villains or unbelievable evil arc.

The OST is the best, i have not been impressed with cdrama OST since Go go squid until this one. And I know i will rewatch this again...

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