Reviews

A little hidden gem of 2022

I've actually never written a review before and neither have I thought that I will one day, cz I just feel lazy to, but I felt obliged to write a review about this drama, since too many are missing out on it and the ratings aren't doing it justice.

I had a blast the last 3 days watching this little gem. If I was to come across this drama or someone recommended it to me, I don't think I would have watched it since I'm not a fan of musical genre. But I'm thankful for the autoplay of youtube that made me watch it ^^
From the acting, to the aesthetics and finishing by the music, everything was on point! Once you watch it , you can't tell it's a low budget drama. 24 episodes is the perfect number for this drama. It could have been even limited to 20 but I don't mind watching my beautiful couple for an extra 4 episodes XD
The Lead Couple did a great job, I was shocked when I knew that the FL is a 2002 liner, cz she nailed it! She looked so mature and well role fitting .AND So did the ML.Their chemistry is incredible.And their relationship is one of the mature,respectful and where mutual trust reigns relationships.There weren't any misunderstandings,nor cliché romance,nor obsessive love.In Short, my definition of a successful relationship.
The second couple was so adorable as well.My favorite roles are Xin'er and the ML servant XD theyre' the best! The comedy is so good.
This drama has the fantasy effect also since the FL is a pipa (chinese instrument) player of the 21 century who went back to the Sheng Dynasty in ancient China as a pipa player as well, where she got to meet our ML who is a talent recruiter and the master of on all girls' orchestra back then. The FL had to finish the girl's will in order to come back and so the beautiful journey begins.
Overall, who ever is looking for a sweet, delightful and stress-relieving short drama to watch I highly recommend this drama ^^ You won't regret it !
PS: even though the subtitles suck but you'll get the point :D

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My Two Bits:

It's not a tragedy. It's a story on
how to laugh your way through pain;
how age does matter but then again So What!
how to celebrate being Alive

It's funny, it's sexy, it's painful and it's thoroughly Satisfying. I left the room with a Happy Sigh.

Married people Shud behave like This and I want to have friends Like That!!!!

The rest is just your personal preference after you've invested in at least 4 - 5 episodes of your life.

1 from my many many Favorite Bits.... lets me make it 2:
So Nagging Can Be Sexy too :D
Check for the keys 1st :D :D

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Regrets and second chances

When we're young, we often picture our future exactly the way we want it to be. But what if one day you realize those dreams you've had never came true? Those chances you didn't take turned into regrets, and you feel like you've wasted most of your time waiting for the right moment? Well, usually that's the part where you might wanna consider therapy, but since we're in dramaland turning into your younger self sounds more like it. The premise is nothing groundbreaking, but I've a thing for time travel and second chances kind of stories. It's typically a story about personal growth and living your life to the fullest. It's an inspiring theme that has been used over and over since it gives us simple humans hope. Hope that in the end everything's going to be ok.

"Never Too Late" is a simple story with themes you can relate to no matter your own age. While the show might lack some complexity in its storytelling, it makes up for that with likeable characters and charming unlikely friendships. The first few episodes focus on each of our leads, taking enough time to establish their backstories. Personally, I think the show really benefitted from this approach, since the character development and friendships were the strongest aspect of it. While there is much to love about "Never Too Late" it does have its flaws. At the beginning of the story you might have to suspense your disbelief a bit and the storytelling feels slightly disjointed. Some episodes were oddly paced, giving insignificant and predictable scenes way too much screen time. Nonetheless, it was delightful to watch these characters grow together, and I appreciated how they balanced the different storylines.

The acting of the main cast was solid whether it was the younger or the older cast with View, Khaotung and Nanon delivering standout performances. Their acting was the most nuanced, and resembled their older counterparts. The support cast was a hit or miss, with certain acting being way too over the top, which took me out of some scenes. My personal favorites were Bomb, Phiphu and Noinae. Not only did I love these characters, I also really enjoyed the performances of the actors. 

"Never Too Late" is a light, fun and heartwarming second coming-of-age story. While not without flaws, the wonderful ensemble cast make it a worthwhile and fun take on the turning back time for a second chance in life formula. It's not a fairy tale, but life hardly ever is, and that's probably part of the reason I enjoyed it so much.

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Somebody left the writers keyboard in a baby's room.

I really wanted to enjoy this but......the writers lost me. So much was missing. They could have save this around episode 6 or 7. It just seemed like they really didn't want to make it worthy of us watching. I really hope they get better roles. Especially Sung hoon i hope thats correct ...the ML. Whoever suggested his last few roles must really hate him. 😒. His last few roles didn't fit him.
It was like watching a horrible accident in the making
All in all i was disappointed for the cast it got to a point were you know it must have been felt weird on set to finish.

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A movie about treasuring each day no matter what.

I hope I'm not too biased in writing this review just because I'm a fan of Micchi (Michieda Shunsuke) but I just think that this movie is really good. Even just from watching the trailer, it has greatly piqued my interest. At first, the plot reminded me of the series One Week Friends, where the girl also had amnesia, except her memories reset each week instead.

**SPOILERS**
The start of the movie greatly hints on what eventually happens later in the movie, which is something that I didn't really like but I guess that's what made me want to continue watching it even more. And with how Toru and Maori's relationship started, you'd think it's a typical "fake dating" trope, but in my opinion, it wasn't, their chemistry didn't feel forced and it really looked like they enjoyed each other's company. It was painful still, because for Maori, she was meeting this stranger for the first time everyday and she always had to put up a front. The part that I really liked was from the point when Toru found out about her illness, because at this point, Toru had actually fallen in love with Maori and despite knowing that she forgets him everyday, he was determined to make her everyday fun. One of my favorite lines in this movie was when Toru was talking to his sister about Maori, when he said "When there are fun things written in her diary, it would be nice if when she reads it, she'd be able to look forward to everyday, even if just for a bit.", my heart hurt a bit when I heard him say that but at the same time, I felt so much respect for this character.

I think all the characters in this movie was well-written, I also liked Maori's friend, Izumi, who is always there to help her no matter what, and she also eventually supported Toru and Maori's relationship so much. She was truly one of the important characters in the movie as she also played an important role towards the end of the film. Although one thing that I didn't quite understand was the relationship between Toru and his family, but I do think that showing this was necessary especially for the ending of the movie.

Overall, I recommend this movie if you just wanna cry and feel all kinds of emotions. I will not forget the dread I felt when I finished watching this, I couldn't stop thinking about it. It made me think "Ah, this is why this movie was so popular". At first, everything would seem slow but it will just hit you like a truck towards the end so I think it's a movie worth watching lol it will make you think about a lot of things in life.

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This show doesn't excuse stalking-

But it does aspire to redeem a stalker. I found this show fascinating and very enjoyable. As a dark romance book lover, I was fully prepared to overlook the stalking anyway (I'm not here to defend my book tastes so don't come for me 😂), however this show did not intend to let the viewer overlook this.

Nishina was very mentally unstable and unhealthy. He was suicidal and latched onto the person who saved him and this grew into obsession. His obsession lead to his delusion that what he was doing was just keeping her safe. We watch as he breaks down and comes to terms with his actions. Sakamoto sees that his intentions were well placed, but poorly executed. He stands firm that regardless of your intentions, how your actions affect someone else are what matters, therefore his actions were inexcusable. This hard truth really opens Nishina's eyes and crumbles the illusion before him. He realizes his actions are no different than Fujiko's workplace stalker and harasser.

The show doesn't excuse Nishina. He says, "but I didn't hurt her, I wasn't violent." because he only followed from a distance and took her picture. The message is non-negotiable that despite the intent, the trauma caused to Fujiko is the same. In his case, maybe worse because she truly fell for him. This is where he is redeemed. He truly did not realize his actions and takes the time to process and reflect. He realized the harm of listening to his inner voice rather than considering her feelings. He admitted he had been so in tune with his inner monolog, he was too far gone. He took his talk with Sakamoto to heart and began the process of actually changing.

The proof of his change is really highlighted by the scene where Fujiko says she loves him. He doesn't immediately abandon his dream and his journey for himself. He acknowledges that he does love her, but he has to change. These two demonstrate a healthy relationship foundation through supporting each other, even in times of distance.

Nishina definitely needed therapy. But I did appreciate this show demonstrating his commitment to becoming a better person. I think this was well done, well acted, and definitely worth the watch!

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Started this for Ji Chang Wook & Finished/Loved for Song Yoon Ah ❤️

I have known about this drama since it released in 2016 - but while the action scenes & chocolate abs of JCW were encouraging, the whole angle of romance & Yoona's acting was simply terrible that I did not pick this up. Finally in 2024, I relented and decided to give it a go. As expected - the best thing was JCW and all his action and solo scenes. But the biggest surprise and hooking factor was his electrifying chemistry with female antagonist/second lead - Choi Yoo Jin played by the talented - Song Yoon Ah. They redefined "frenemies" & left me wanting for more . . .

‪‪❤︎‬ LOVED:
➥ Je Ha (ML) & Yoo Jin (SFL):
I can understand why there are so many fanfictions and petitions hoping to have a spin-off to have them together as the leading romance pair. They are enemies-turned-allies in the show and every interaction is so well acted sometimes simply without words, that you just want them to rip each others clothes off and make steamy love that generations would write/read about. They were literally too hot to handle and this is without any actual romance between them. Both, in a single frame were just too mesmerizing, the chemistry off the charts - perhaps one of the best ever, and definitely the best between such roles.

➥ Action Scenes & JCW:
Those who are aware of his other works know what a great actor JCW is and the action sequences were directed well. They may/may not have gone with the plot, but it was entertaining to watch though gets repetitive over the latter part of the drama. Pure blockbuster effects, and with JCW executing it - it was flawless. The time that I delayed watching the show was compensated over the years by unhealthily rewatching the "bathhouse fight" and "shirt changing" scenes - and I am going to continue doing that on YouTube, without the need to rewatch the show.

❌ DISLIKES:
➥ The FL and Romance:
Yoona was completely useless - in terms of her character usage in the story, acting, chemistry with JCW - basically everything. JCW was carrying the romance, she was the stiff cardboard with no inputs - being used as a ragdoll. Personally - I would have liked this drama more if she was a minor character [e.g: just a young girl (aged 3-4)] and needed protection from JCW's character OR just done away with her character + romance altogether.

➥ The Plot:
It was too generic - not engaging or without unique twist/turns, with boring political talks/drama and of course the unnecessary romance. The acting of JCW, Yoon Ah, Sung Ha, Gab Soo and Dong Mi were the ones that carried the drama but they were caught in a mediocre storyline. It had a promising start but faltered from the middle.

➥ SUMMARY:
This is a delectable guilty pleasure drama - to be indulged for Ji Chang Wook's acting, action scenes and fan-service. He's one of my ultimate bias and he served. The soul of this show was Song Yoon Ah - her acting making me want to rip her mouth or feel pity for her character was flawless. And of course their sizzling chemistry was everything. This drama is over and I would not rewatch it except for their scenes, but am going to read the fanfictions about them, maybe even write one myself to satiate this unmet desire this drama has given me. They were THAT good.

So if you like all the above - with some blockbuster action, go ahead and give it a spin.

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I picked this one out of all 12 U-Prince stories because of the colorful main characters: the hippy and the geek.
The story is about how Mel Be, a science geek gets dumped by her boy friend who is also a science geek. His reason for his break up was that they were too much alike.
Hippy witnesses the break up and comes to talk to Mel Be and asks for her Beatles T-shirt as he's a fan of the band. After that Mel Be decides that she wants to prove whether her ex-boy friend was right about dating similar people by asking Hippy, a singer who is quite the opposite of her, to date her for five days in exchange of the shirt.

This is a great story about falling in love with the 'seemingly wrong guy' in college.
The five days are full of trips and stories that is full of fun and drama that just touches your heart.
And the way they meet and fall in love is believable and touching.

The songs were actually really written and produced by Kun the main actor in real life which makes them even more meaningful.

Loved it!

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An excellent drama

Ripe Town is a thoroughly watchable, neo-noir-style mystery thriller set in a prosperous rural area during the late Ming dynasty. The drama follows the investigation, by multiple official and semi-official actors, into what appears to be a ritualized serial killing spree. As the mystery plotline unfolds, so do multiple intricate backstories filled with bad behavior, conspiracy, outrageous social inequalities, and additional unsolved murders. We follow the action through a group of young sleuths (constables and their friends) connected to one of the murder victims, but other interesting characters (a brilliant but traumatized judge, prostitutes, local mobsters, well-to-do businessfolks with questionable backgrounds, and a seemingly inept magistrate) play critical roles in the action. The acting is excellent all around, and the mystery plotline is exceptionally logical, unfolds at a good pace, and is unveiled gradually so that the ultimate resolution is both eminently plausible and yet still a surprise.

It's impossible to review this drama without commenting on its superior production value, which greatly exceeds that I've seen in any comparable piece (and even that of larger-scope historical dramas). The sound, visuals, cinematography, and editing are all top-tier. It's also worth noting that this drama has a very unusual tone for a Chinese historical piece. It's very sober and ultimately quite bleak, but not oppressively so (there's a surprising amount of fairly dark but genuinely amusing humor, as well).

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1)The reason I watched this:

I’ve been meaning to watch this drama long time ago but obviously I forget about it (I have no idea why) then I found its thread in MDL and decided to give it a chance.

Note: I agree with most points mentioned in the two reviews below but I had to state my opinion.

2)Storyline/Plot:

*Generally speaking this is a smartly written storyline that revolves around the world of crime while having romance as the center of many plot changes.

Positive Points:

*Honestly speaking, twists are the most important part of the storyline since you can’t lose interest while watching; those unpredictable events are the reason that catches the audience attention (especially me).

*Main genres:

--->Crime/Thriller: This is not a detective drama hence don’t be scared by the intensive police meddling into the storyline; it had some crime elements into it but they weren’t that deep to be fully considered as a “Crime drama”.
Thriller was simply astonishing here; it had many great suspense moments which prohibit you from predicting anything. There were a lot of mind-blowing events that you can’t see it coming therefore I have to give writers credit for many “What? When did that happen?” Scenes.

---->Romance: Though it was a little annoying when it comes to changing the spoken language, this was a well written Japanese-Korean romantic story; there were magnificent cultural interactions within the romantic story which made it more and more fascinating.
Other than that, romance had many charming and dangerous turns thus it will never make lose interest while you’re following its events and development.

Negative Points:

*Even if there were some negative points, they didn’t ruin the story’s aspect; they’re acceptable overall.

Story: 9.5/10.

3)Acting/Cast:

*This is a Korean Japanese drama consequently there were actors from both sides which made it more interesting than any other Japanese drama cast.

*Takenouchi Yutaka was always a very respectable actor; he was brilliant as this drama’s lead male because the role matched him so well. As you watch his acting, you’d feel depth which makes you want to see more of him on screen.
I am not familiar with Choi Ji Woo but she made through; her acting was believable and full with feelings which made her completely fitting for this type of role.
The rest of actors were good but not too great; in general, they were up to standard.
*As for characters, Sho/Takumi wasn’t an unusual character (discovering the truth behind the death of his father) still it felt creative and very absorbing no matter what sort of events he went through; whether it was action, romance, suspense, the character conveyed many fascinating feelings.
Yuna was a typical character until unpredictable twists took over. On the whole, the character was appreciated mainly because it leaded an unusual path.

*Other characters were important for the story’s development; I couldn’t imagine this kind of story without their presence.

*Appreciated character: Kim Young Jae because he added a special taste to the storyline plus he was one of the most unpredictable characters out there: More mysterious, more fun!

*Relationships:

--->Romance: One of the most charming chemistries that I’ve seen so far; it’s one of those romantic stories that you want to see more of it on screen but no matter how much you see it, you feel that it’s not enough. The lead actors had a mesmerizing relationship indeed because every scene they have together was absolutely attractive.

--->Sisterhood: I appreciated the relationship between Yuna and her sister; it felt natural and special in many ways.

Cast: 8/10
Acting: 9.25/10.

4)The ending:

It may have fallen into Japanese detective style endings but I haven’t seen it coming no matter how much I think about it, I was thrilled to find out the out-coming of the story.

The ending: 8.5/10.

5)My impression:

*For me, this was a joy ride of pleasant events. I loved this drama simply because it was way too far from my predictable sense; it was really absorbing especially near the end.
*I’ve fallen in love with Yukata in this drama; aside from his astonishing look, I felt a great actor in here: I will definitely watch more of his dramas.
*I was bothered by the bilingual characters in here. Though, I stated that I liked the Korean Japanese interactions but I can’t say that I enjoyed changing the language because I watched this drama Raw which made me get a little lost when they spoke Korean, I can understand Japanese but Korean is just a no (My Korean lingual skills are far behind from my Japanese) but fortunately they translated some of them into Japanese.

*Is this drama memorable: Yes it is, simply because of its unpredictable twisty events that made me enjoy it to the extremes. Nonetheless, I don’t think this is the greatest drama out there since there are many others of the same genre that suppresses it.

My impression: 9/10.

6)Overall:

*If you like crime Japanese dramas with many twists then you will enjoy this.
*If you like great romantic chemistries then you would like this.


*Rondo is a great drama that’s full of enjoyable twists and great actors who knows how to deliver amazing feelings.

Overall: 9/10.

Note: If you were already spoiled, don’t watch this because it makes you lose the taste of its suspense. Another point, I hope you can find subs for this drama because I heard that there weren’t any; it’s a shame that this amazing drama doesn’t get the appropriate attention.

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Appreciable attempt...

The literal translation might be "shooting stars" but I still wanna call it "shitting stars" for 2 reasons: firstly, it has 똥:tong (poop) in its original title and the very fact that they've used asterisks (**) for the international title. So, even though many people say it's shooting, the intentions of the makers is very clear, huh!

Produced by "Mays Entertainment" and created by "Studio Dragon", "Sh**ting Stars (별똥별)" is a romcom plus idol-life drama. Written by Choi Young Woo and directed by Lee Soo Hyun, the show was originally broadcasted on tvN while iQIYI took charge of international distribution.

The show could be a romcom drama having the main couple at the center, surrounded by many other lovelines, but deep down, it portrays the life at Entertainment agencies, as personal managers of celebrities and members of a a PR team, all of whom are indulged in cleaning up the mess created by the stars, hence justifying the intended title.

Oh Han Byeol (Lee Sung Kyung) is the PR team Head at Starforce Ent. and a long-time close buddy to the topmost actor in Korea, Gong Tae Song (Kim Young Dae); both of them are like sworn enemies and the story mainly follows their story, as they develop feelings for each other. Kang Yu Sung (Yoon Jong Hoon) and Park Ho Young (Kim Yoon Hye) are two managers at the same agency, while Choi Ji Hoon (Ha Do Gwon) is the director. Cho Ki Ppeum (Park So Jin) works as an ent. reporter whereas Do Soo Hyuk (Lee Jung Shin) is the legal advisor to StarForce.

Other familiar faces in major roles are: Lee Seung Hyub (N. Flying), Jang Hee Ryung, Kim Dae Gon, JunQ (MyName), So Hee Jung, Choi Ji Woo and Jin Ho Eun. There are many rookie actors who did deliver well. Also, you'll see many guest roles including Kim Dong Wook, Lee Sang Yeob, Jang Ki Young, Song Ji Hyo, Moon Ga Young, Chae Jong Hyeop, Lee Ki Woo, Kang Gi Doong, Lee Sang Woo, Park Jung Min, Seo Yi Suk and Lee Joo Woon.

Plot development is average yet decent and likable. The pilot episodes and the follow-up didn't create any impression, ngl. But it suddenly became interesting from the 4th episode, idk why. The furtherance is smooth, with so many up & downs and several peak moments, accompanied by twists and revelations. Except for the first few episodes, I didn't really see it going down or dragged or exaggerated. Imo, the 13th & 14th were the ones where the show was at peak throughout, and everything is put to rest by the end, opening a smooth path for the finale week. Thr ending sequence and the finale ended in a grand way. So overally, it might not be very good in sum development, but it was nice and decent with minimum flaw and damage.

The show as an usual romcom, that too in 2022 did not require immense talent to create, however, maintaining the decent quality throughout is what should matter the most. In my opinion, the writers have been able to achieve so to a great extent, if not entirely. And provided that the writers are both debutants, they should be appreciated and encouraged for this was able to be acknowledged by a huge number of audience. It was a wise choice in their part to make it more about the "behind the scenes" workers than the stars, and also giving sufficient share to each of the couple development, adding the character goals to it.

Lee Soo Hyun PDnim who has debuted only 2 years back, has been able to create about 4 moderately acclaimed pieces and I believe this drama also belongs to the same category. His previous experiences surely has helped though this was his first romcom, unusual of his genre. The decent job in case of screenplay, screen-editing, sound editing, sequencing, etc. should be appreciated. Setup in modern urban vistas, there was no need of visual excellence, and everything has been kept simple. The extraordinary failure of cinematographic work in Africa should deduct a point from overall though.

There are 5 OSTs in total and all likable, perfectly blending to the drama and properly utilised throughout. "Shooting Star" by Nam Woo Hyun is alluring track with tranquil music describing how it feels to be in love. "How I Feel" with Kim Jae Hwan's captivating vocals has a jolly rhythm and a piece of confession. "My secret, My everything" by Sondia and Vincent Blue brings back the vibes of old K-romcom OSTs, I cry every time I listen; their harmony is everything. "Departure from a Country" by SuJu Kyuhyun is a melancholic yet alleviating song with stimulating lyrics. "Won't give up" by Choi Yuree is is a softcore track about assuring one about staying by their side and comforting for ever.

What I liked...

# Chemistry development between Tae Sung and Han Byeol was very fond, sweet and likable. Even though they get together sooner than expected, the follow-up journey was nice as well.

# The second couple (won't say who) were the cutest, I'll cry. I wish they had more screentime as couples or their prior development but I'm actually very happy that the couple existed. Let me cry again. The same goes for the third lead couple as well. Let me informq that there are 6 couples in total and each of them are uniquely heart-winning. Look forward to them.

# Park Ho Young, as a person was sweet and her acting is so adorable no matter the situation. The cheerful character she played, surely will remain in my memory.

# Kang Yu Sung, as a responsible and handsome manager did give me flutters throughout. The man is so charming, I will literally pluck stars for him. The character was well written.

# My Lee Jung Shin did shine in the show as well. Him in formal is paradise. The couple chemistry might have come very late but it was nice.

# The PR team, Manager team and the entire organization have been an amazing experience. I don't think such importance was given before? The office scenes were mixed bags of emotions, depicting various situations.

# Emphasizing mental health issues in idol dramas is common but this show did a good job in exposing variable sides of it and also throwing light upon the "behind-the-scene" efforts from the companies, which might not be entirely real.

# Dae Soo calling Yuna-yaaaa was so funny yet so pleasant, I swear. I will miss that for a while, hahahaha.

# There are more than one bromance in different forms though none of them is greatly emphasized, starting from co-stars to managers then between stars & manager and then stars and staffs, and what not. Each of them were fluffy.

# I love the very way the OSTs has been utilized in the show; not only they're good on their own, the appropriate use during the melodrama is actually well-handled. I don't usually see this as a specific point but this drama made me realize so.

What I didn't like...
# Kim Young Dae's acting was a bit off imo. Outstanding performance should be expected from a lead but I guess he was still not prepared to takeover the ML role. It wasn't bad actually, the thing is he needs more training and polishing, and definitely has the potential to become a good factor.

# Unnecessary crossovers did irritate me. The "Find Me In Your Memory" appearance was fine and relatable but the "Penthouse" one was annoyingly cringey and wasn't necessary. Def felt like a filler.

# The cinematography in 1st ep was disgusting, infact, very much overdone. No, seriously, Africa doesn't look like that irl.

# The less of the 2nd couple came to me as disappointing when I realized that even with the seemingly lees screentime, they outshined the lead couple.

Final Remarks... The pros definitely outweigh the cons: in simple, it was a good show to look forward to. Unlike a lot of people, I think it a fairly average drama with very few flaw, which makes it a decent one time watch, yet something that everyone should watch, provided that these days, old-styled romcom dramas with good production values. Go ahead.

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A MUST WATCH! Very wholesome drama that keeps me wanting for more!

This drama is that good that makes me decide to create an account to rate and give a review for it. A very wholesome drama that's filled with teamwork, friendship, romance and comedy! 🥰

If you're into esports romance, this one is for you!
This is a light, hilarious and sweet drama, if you're into that, this is for you! Love all the cps chemistry though! The music for this drama is so good, I can't help but keep it on repeat.

One thing about this drama was at first, the updates are really slow. Was really really looking forward to more episodes but we got to wait for it. This was the first-ever drama that made me anticipate future episodes. Sadly, this season has come to an end :( Hoping that there will be a second season for it!

Let's just say the teammates teasing of Lu Sicheng and Tong Yao was really funny af, it was one of the things that I look forward to more in the future episodes and let's say I'm not disappointed! Lu Sicheng keep teasing and being mean to Tong Yao those scenes are too sweet and funny at the same time, he is just one hard on the inside but a softie on the inside for Tong Yao!

Love that they did show more gameplay in the future episodes, I find the gameplay portions pretty interesting.
I would say that the story is really good, all scenarios in the drama happen for a reason which is to give characters developments. Love how there's no break-up with the main cp, most of the dramas I watched there will be break up and that's kind of clichés for me.

I like how this drama covered different life aspects like relationships, friendships and teamwork. There were some team conflicts but I liked how they tried to sort out their differences especially how Tong Yao made Cheng ge realized that they're all a team and even though he may be the leader, they can go through difficulties together as one. Love the way they showed the different friendships in the drama. This drama portrayed characters of different personalities of characters, passions of youths and also on the cruelty of the reality regarding online and fans toxic kind of behaviour which many celebrities faced in today's society.

Comedy wise, there are too many funny scenes in the drama. Too many puns, Fatty's reactions, ZGDX teammates reactions, Tong Yao and Lu Yue's immature bickering and Lu Sicheng and Tong Yao's bickering as well- I LOVE IT!

I don't get what's with the controversy with this drama and the 2.9 rating on the Chinese website Douban. Despite that, i think this is a really good drama. Even though there's much hate on the drama in china but at the end of the day it's a drama, don't take things too seriously is just for entertainment purposes. Not everyone has the same preferences in dramas, I may love this drama but some may not. But it's still a great journey for me with this drama, with the endless waiting and the anticipations for the new episodes. Hope y'all will give this drama much love, it deserved it!

Definitely strongly recommended to watch it! This is one drama that shows different things in life aspects like relationships, friendships and teamwork. This has become my top no.1 drama as for now, rewatch value is 10 for me.

Well, looks like see you next year <3 (HOPEFULLY!)

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Some comparisons between the novel and the drama

I don't hardly ever write reviews, but I really love this drama. So much so I went and read the novel (I can understand about 90%), and then watched the drama again (okay maybe even twice more!) Just wanted to point out a few things...

Beware lots and lots of spoilers so don't read on if you don't want to be spoiled.

- Lots of reviewers didn't like the second half of the drama because they like the ML's personality in the first half more. In fact I think his personality remains quite consistent, it's just how he actions his thoughts and feelings that had changed, and in fact the drama has stuck true to the novel. In the novel ML does become a lot more assertive and dominating in actions (in fact even more so in the novel than portrayed in the drama IMHO) Throughout the story ML is quit rigid and likes things a certain way (his autism traits), it's just that in the first half in the drama he was lacking in self confidence because of his challenged vision, preferring to withdraw and felt unable to assert himself. In the second half his business dealings (and in the drama his new ability to see) gave him the confidence to act on this thoughts and feelings. Even though his actions changed I felt he stayed true to character.

- I think Evan Lin actually did an amazing job as our ML. He conveyed the tortured emotions as well as the confused first love and then the dominating boyfriend all quite well without making it cliched. I could see the layers of emotions as the ML grew through the drama. I already feel the drama has toned down the ML"s character quite a bit to make it more palatable as a drama. In the novel he smoked and drank A LOT and was even more forceful. In fact at times the narrative called him a "Bo Guan" which is a term for "violent/forceful dictator" usually used for a king/emperor.

- The scene where ML steals a kiss from FL whilst she was asleep made quite a few viewers unhappy. In the novel he actually goes a bit further, tries to taker her top off but stops himself in time, which is why he stomps off and splashes cold water on his face whilst he admonishes himself for his bad actions in the bathroom.

-Ditto the scene where he comes out of the shower in a robe and they make jokes about it falling down. In the novel he was half naked only with a towel around his waist. Remember in the novel his is still visually impaired so he can't see his towel. They joke back and forth about the towel falling and the FL says "she has seen him in less" and embarasses his secretary.

- The resolution of FL's hallucinations of conversations with her friend was not very clear in the drama. In the novel the FL is quite heavily pregnant and is presumptively in premature labour , her waters burst and ML rushes her to hospital. (In the drama where she was getting tummy pains whilst ML's scandal broke) She becomes unconscious as she is wheeled into ? surgery. That's when she sees her friend who says good bye to her, that now FL has her husband and baby she won't be needed any more. FL asks if she will see her again and her friend answers "probably not" and FL wakes, which in the drama is where ML grabs her hand as she wakes up.

- The relationship with between the ML and his step mum is also only alluded to but not explicitly clarified in the drama. They were presumably in some sort of a relationship before she married his father. FL finds this out from her the senior braodcaster woman she works with at the station, who in the novel also likes the ML. This is one of the major factor that causes the ML and FL to break up. FL is really quite jealous of ML's step mum and is a big point that was stopping her from getting back with him, because she felt that she would always come second to her. The scene where she gets drunk and hugs the beer bottle like a baby, in the book she questions if ML likes "her" better, and the reason why she makes him say "you only love me". When the scandal broke about ML being the mysterious lyricist there were also rumours about him having an illicit affair with his step mum which is why they were swamped by journalists.

- On second watch of the drama you get to pick up little things that make you appreciate the production team even more. When he becomes the CEO, the ML always has one single white rose in a vase on his desk. This alludes to the one single white rose he gives the FL, even when she thinks he should be romantic and give her a large bouquet. The MP3 the ML listens to, with all the songs and memories of her reading to him, is an old style airpod, and in line with that it always has the wired headphones attached, whereas when he listens to her radio show on his phone he is shown to be wearing airpods. The lyrics to the songs ML writes are also perfect, especially the one he writes just after she leaves him.

Despite the differences I've pointed out the drama team did an amazing job sticking to the plot and feel of the drama. I found the secondary couple a bit boring and the FL's mum hard to watch sometimes, but this is the only drama I have ever given a 10 to on MDL. Thanks for reading!

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This drama would be great and much more enjoyable if it weren’t for the female main character. I have never seen such an unlikeable and annoying main female lead in all the dramas I can remember, so much so that I created an account just to vent my frustration. I have seen many dramas with spoilt rich main leads but they all had some sort of redeeming and enjoyable qualities about them. I do not understand why the writer had to ruin the series like that. The romance was just so forced in this drama. I wish these writers understood that not all series require romance. The female main character is spoilt but not cute, an annoying bully and does not think she is wrong, manipulative and has a ridiculously “everyone has to listen to me” kind of attitude. The writers were probably going for a spoilt but good vibe but it was just poorly done. And the scenes between female and male main characters were supposed to be funny but it was just awkward. The crime solving and two male leads were the only thing that kept me watching. The crime solving scenes and the way it plays out also become repetitive but I could still carry on, it is the female lead that made me want to throw my laptop!

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