Reviews

A Drama Which Certainly Doesn’t Have A “ Shining” Charm…

‘ Shining Like You’ is one of those dramas which upon paper sounds brilliant. It isn’t particularly original concept of “female lead goes to art school behind her parents’ back” and the “potentially handsome love interests” but there was still a lot of unlimited ground to explore messages, character growth and social themes. However the end result of ‘ Shining Like You’ is a mixed bag of wasted screenwriting and character writing potential with poor-editing and a discordant buildup.

On a positive note the acting is decent enough ( aside from a few questionable line deliverances) and the drama is a fairly lighthearted watch. The premise isn’t overly complex and follows typically obsequious lead Lu Qi Yi ( Wang Xi Xuan) rebelling against the wishes of her parents to attend a course in foreign languages at university by instead enrolling in arts school. However due to her more timid nature Qi Yi soon finds herself an outcast by struggling to fit in amongst the more expressive and extroverted personalities on campus. After an initial awkward meeting Qi Yi soon attracts the attention of outgoing and popular art student Fang Yan ( Simon Gong).

So if the concept and the acting aren’t the drama’s major problems then what exactly lets down ‘ Shining Like You’? Ultimately the downfall for the show can be found through two main factors; character writing (one of the drama’s major cataclysmic letdowns) and of course plot coherency. To address the former issue it is important to establish that plot coherency is crucial within dramas for viewers to make sense often of a storyline or setup . Of course sometimes screenwriters can purposefully make plot coherency more enigmatic for viewers with the intention of reflecting themes or messages ( dependent on the plot or storyline ). However , in “ typical” romance dramas such as ‘ Shining Like You’’s plot coherency is nearly always quintessential to helping viewers root for certain characters, understand developments of relationships and keep us intrigued with events that are soon to follow .

Naturally ‘ Shining Like You’ isn’t devoid of a basic plot but its descent can be found as a consequence of a mismatched narrative and timeline as a consequence of sporadic subplots , arbitrary jump scenes and disjointed patchy editing. As a consequence a quintessential moment could suddenly be skipped by a sketch scene or an arbitrary moment, which became confusing for casual and devoted watchers alike to keep up.

This brings us onto the second dilemma of ‘ Shining Like You’; the characters. One of the biggest elephants in the room is evidently our female lead Qi Yi. Our main female lead is the epitome of a carte blanche female lead. She’s used by the screenwriter to move the plot along when necessary but she rarely has more definitive characteristics or traits to make her feel sentient. For example considering that it was one of the major focal points of the entire drama, there’s little explanation or depth given to her her goals or raison d’être for applying to the arts school in the first place . Arguably she does make a quick passing comment towards “chasing her dreams” yet it’s hard to really understand or relate to Qi Yi’s drive or exact motives for hiding her attendance from her parents, when the drama has rarely delved beyond the surface of her goals, past or exact motivations.

There’s naturally a big dilemma with the female lead’s “ personality” also. Qi Yi is intentionally supposed to be an “ introvert” but it often felt as though the series was never sure how to present her entire character persona. Introverted main characters can often be tackled in versatile ways by screenwriters from being simply “reserved” to “antisocial”, but opportunities for characters to grow, develop (or at least be explored in more depth) are often key to shaping out an introverted main character as an individual.

To some extent ‘ Shining Like You’ desperately tried to do this with Qi Yi and her “ difficultly to fit in” and “ reserved nature”. She’s supposed to be “shy and sweet” but it was hard to truly feel as though our female lead was seemingly struggling or suffering as a consequence of her personality. Qi Yi was often surrounded by allies or at least close acquaintances and therefore never really felt on the “ edge” of social exclusion ( as the series was desperately trying to make out in the beginning ), she was never really singled-out or excluded particularly by a greater majority of her peers( sans the cliche “ bully group” who picked upon more than just Qi Yi) and when she did exhibit “ antisocial” moments during the series her attitude was often petulant and childlike rather than moody or aggressive. Whilst the drama does try to offer a turn around by Qi Yi suddenly becoming “ prettier and more outgoing” , this was often ineffably unexplained.

Perhaps it wouldn’t be too bad if the series had offered that Qi Yi’s immaturity at times was a byproduct of the way her parents have treated her or her upbringing . However instead of at least giving Qi Yi time to mature or explore her feelings, the female lead was treated in a similar manner to a rag doll ; an object of affection for the male leads , whilst happily obliging to having her emotions torn apart by not just her potential love interests, but not putting her foot down against a fake friend in plain sight also.

This also brings us naturally onto the discussion of side characters in the drama. On one note the show does really shine through at times with how more unlikely characters have difficult pasts or can prove themselves to be true friends in time of need. However like a lot of cliche romance dramas ‘ Shine Like You’ and the dreaded “ best friends formula” is torn apart from “ friends to enemies” with the creme de la creme of cliches; “the dreaded love triangle”.

This brings us onto one of the biggest flaws of the drama between the actual lacklustre romantic series between Qi Yi and Fang Yan. Respectfully the chemistry between Wang Xi Xuan and Simon Gong is hardly passionate, but it is not where the major flaw of the series lies .

Whilst trope-worthy, screenwriters and directors can often strike gold by using time and scenes to allow characters to know one another or feel conflicted with their feelings. In ‘ Shining Like You’ it’s hard to really define one particular moment where these two characters really develop their relationship beyond being classmates or having early impressions of one another. There’s the evident side argument about their gradual feelings and helping one another out when it was necessary for the exposition, but this rarely allowed for more definitive writing opportunities.

Consequently it was bitterly ironic that it is was easier to root for who we were supposed to “ dislike” (as viewers), second male lead Du Ang ( Zhou Cheng Ao) , as he had more initial interactions and chemistry with the female lead. Of course rather than using this as an opportunity for the series to allow the male lead to come to terms with his own feelings or develop interactions between the main love interests, the drama enjoys using this time to make Fang Yan the typical “ moody, short-tempered and jealous potential love interest”. The ending consequently felt disappointing by failing to wrap up some major plot points.

So what is the ultimate takeaway from ‘ Shining Like You’ and is it actually worth watching? ‘ Shining Like You’ tries hard to create a “ lovely and cutesy love story” between our main leads. To an extent the series flourishes with satisfactory performances by our main cast and some more insightful side characters having their own backgrounds and pasts. On the other hand the series has a patchwork approach to storytelling and narrative with a feeling of discordant coherency between characters and the actual storyline. Slow pacing and sporadic plot jumps lead to poor and lacklustre character building and interactions between our main leads. Ultimately whilst ‘ Shining Like You’ might not make a bad binge-watch drama, there are certainly more entertaining, well-written, engaging and classic love stories in dramas to watch than this one.

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for its genre, it's a really good drama

I feel like a lot of people dislike TB because they consider that it's cliché and that's it's been done before. Honestly I don't disagree, but that's just the thing: it's a high school drama about an insecure FL and a ML who helps her gain confidence...
I agree, it's been done before.
But frankly I feel like describing the drama this way doesn't really give credit to the execution.

I loved the main love story. My heart broke for Seojun, like everyone else's did, but I frankly didn't want him to end up with Jookyung. I agree that he practically carried the entire drama on his back and he's the reason why it became this popular, but I didn't mind him as the second lead, I just wish they had worked a little harder for him to have a happy ending. I feel like they used his pain to make the drama more interesting but I mean.. isn't this what writers are supposed to do? Make the story more dramatic? The ending hit hard because it made me wanna sob. That's the whole point.

So back to the main couple, i really loved them. I think they had chemistry and that their entire love story was well-written. At first I was scared they would drag out the whole "he doesn't know it's her" plot line but turns out he finds out rather quickly. People hate on Suho because they love Seojun but i just don't agree i think both characters deserves Jukyung just as much. Suho and her were just meant to be I guess. Suho went through so much and i didn't see him make one decision that was rude or out of line. I also feel like the pure, 100% love he had for Jukyung was exactly what she needed, whereas Seojun teased her too much. Although it's something, as viewers, we love, it might not be as fun for her who literally hates how she looks.

HOWEVER I loved Seojun's character so much that I really hope they write a character like him again as a main lead. Cause i agree, he's amazing. His earrings and hair and personality and naturally smokey eyes are what made this drama what it is!!!!I'm tired of seeing similar ML, although I loved Suho.

I loved Soojin's character, because it allowed a female second lead to pick herself up. I feel like male second leads are always like seojun: jealous of the main couple but still supportive at the end. Whereas the female second lead is always so toxic and manipulative. And sure soojin is all of those things but there's much more than just her jealousy behind it. You can really feel the build-up of her anger and pain because of the abuse she goes through at home. Her acting was great too.

Oh and finally the OST?? chef's kiss. Whether it's how do you do, Missing you, starlight, or even those 1:30 mins of Seojun singing flower pot? I finished the drama a few weeks ago and i still listen to all of these all the time.

Overall, I feel like you need to remember this is a high school drama, okay? It's mostly about the vibe, the outfits, the OST, the love story. Yeah it's basic but i feel like the execution is great, and I rewatched the scenes a billion times. Watch iiit and keep and open mind.

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I pushed back watching this, cause I don't like immature stories/characters. But then I thought to myself, there must be a reason for all the hype, lets give this a try ... oh well, it was both good and bad, so let's get to it:

I'll write about the good parts first ( so that no one would get too angry at me! ^^) The first half of the drama was pretty good; it was very youthful, and quite unique. It's not easy to create youth, it usually has too much elements or too little, but this drama nailed it. It made me remember my high school, skipping classes, hating some subject/teachers and loving the others, obsessing over things, not worrying about time/health/future, and thinking that everything is possible, that I can become anything if I set my mind into it. The times that I didn't have to think too srsly nor had to take that much responsibility, since my parents were there to take care of it all. However, I liked it even more, because it wasn't all fun and games; it had some darker, deeper elements into it. The writers managed to explore these deeper part of the plot through the older characters i.e. the parents. I loved them so much, they were a joy to watch.

But then half way through the drama, as if the magic was gone, the characters lost their charisma and started to become flat. There was no character development anymore, and the plot itself became one dimensional, boring and in times very very annoying. Remember the darker, deeper parts of the plot that I was writing about in the previous paragraph ... well the writers decided to forget about it, which created a huge problem.

It was as if the writers didn't understand human psychology. They didn't put any effort into changing the characters- which was necessary due to the darker,deeper parts of the plot -. Let me elaborate here: if someone has a problem within themselves that is stoping them from achieving something they want, they have to first recognize that there is a problem and then solve it in order to be able to achieve what they desire. However, in this drama, the writers decided to skip the step of one looking deeper within oneself, pondering, changing and maturing. They went straight to the achieving part !!!!!! Yes, that's all fun and nice ... BUT the thing is, in real life, this couldn't have happened, they had to mature. - side note: maturing is not a bad thing, it's a natural process for humans to survive, and it doesn't mean one cannot keep their inner child, nor that they will be a completely different person -
So yeah, I had a problem with this drama being so unrealistic... and trust me the writers had more than enough time to manage and show some character development, I mean from 1997 to 2012 is not a short period of time.

The acting was very good, I really liked the cast - even though I didn't like half of the characters, I still enjoyed watching it because of their awesome acting & chemistry. Well, if you want to watch something youthful, and give a break to the realistic part of your brain, start watching this right now! You'll have lots of laughter and maybe some tears! enjoy!

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I watched this around 3 months ago,This is one of the most beautiful BL movie that i had never seen..

This movie has 2 part..first part of this series tells about Touji as the junior,who is popular as one-week man,dates with his senior,Yuzuru.Touji always accepts anyone who asks him to go date and will give answer 1 week after.Actually,he has crush on Shino.But as the time goes by,their relathionship getting serious...

Actually i'm a takumi-kun series hardcore (not series 1)..And after long time,this movie makes me get the same feeling when i watched takumi-kun <333


I hope this review will help you guys...don't forget to watch both of part of this movie ^^

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This is not a drama for everyone, especially not for ones like their dramas full of action and fast story development. This is a slow paced drama. However, this is a drama that I truly enjoyed. The story is controversial and many times I kept shouting this is wrong. Having said that I still kept on wanting to see more of it. It's a story of growth from emotional immaturity personality and character flaws. It's a story of love and sacrifice as well as overcoming weaknesses and self doubts; of wondering whether relationships are strong enough even when foundations seem to be breaking apart. I am so happy with the ending because it was not forced and all the characters were given a neat resolution.
The acting was very good and believable. UTW made me feel every pain he was going through without him having to overact. LSH's acting was spot on. His personality suited his role. LSY was able to show me how her character has changed and grown in the 20 episodes of this drama. The supporting actors were also all so good.
I liked the music because it did not take away from the drama but set the mood of the story.
It was a great drama but I probably will not watch it again in the near future because of the slow pace. Watching this drama however made me feel like reading a very good novel by a really brilliant story teller; like Like reading Hemingway.
I highly recommend to anyone interested in watching wonderful story unfolding slowly in 20 episodes.

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I loved the second couple

Overall: I absolutely adored Ai Di and ended up enjoying their dynamic/story more. Aired 13 episodes about 25 minutes each on iQIYI, GagaOOLala (not in Taiwan, Japan, Korea, or SEA), Viki & WeTV. Later aired on YouTube https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLk2gvyPpHLRfpyBmdMhePR2ntRNk3GqGs&si=hjJj5M5ZwqmJN7Rm Watch the post credit scene in episode 13.

Content Warnings: murder, attempted murder, blood, violence, past parental abuse, trauma, non con kiss, dub con sex*, blackmail, manhandling, held against will, 17 year old/22-25? year old** (also teacher/student), stalking, manipulation

What I Liked
- more unique premise
- clear timeline (first scene starts in the present then the rest is 4 years before)
- sweet/caring moments
- styling, especially Ai Di
- secondary couple's dynamic
- cameos of HIStory actors, Be Loved In House actors and Plus & Minus actors
- Bai Zong Yi's family, and liked how they knew about most things regarding his decision/actions
- intimacy/nsfw

Room For Improvement
- overall it felt rushed, this covered a long time span but didn't feel that long, they could have removed some parts like the cliche wannabe girlfriend and spent that time explaining things more/showing time passing
- the ending felt especially rushed with cliche plot points tossed in and one plot point left open ended
- comedy sound effects in the beginning didn't fit with the very serious scenes/tone
- villain should have been smoking a cigarette not sucking on a lollipop (it's explained in episode 9 which was too late for me)
- evil wannabe girlfriend cliche
- I got pretty lost with the the gang plot stuff but I also fast forwarded a bit
- not a fan of manipulation/stupid "plan" between romantic partners
- *with the main couple, one was super drunk/on sleeping pills but it was the fictional scenario where he was an active participant and then seemed sober
- **I really wanted them to have aged up Bai Zong Yi but it actually was important to the plot that he was 17 and I do think 17 year olds can be mature enough to enter into relationships with those over the age of 18 so in this instance it didn't bother me and I didn't take off points, though they could have removed the teacher/student element

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A weirdly pure love in an affair. Raw.

I never thought I'd watch a drama about adultery, but here I am. This drama had some of the best acting I have seen in a kdrama (looking at you, Jung Sang Hoon). I definitely cried watching it. This drama will stick with me, that's for sure.

It was poetic, a slow-burn, but hooked me; some might feel conflicted to rate this drama high due to the implications and subject matter, but just because you rate it high doesn't mean you approve of what the characters are doing. Just because I give this drama a 10 doesn't mean I approve of affairs or cheating. The reason why this drama is a 10 for me is because everything was perfect: the acting, storytelling, music, etc. You could FEEL the emotions and turmoil that the characters went through and see how their actions hurt them and the people around them. I thought it was perfect, and wish more dramas could be so beautiful to watch.

Also, side note, but DAMN episode 12. That episode...best of the show. Had my heart nearly bursting out of my chest from anxiety and pain. I would defnitely go back and rewatch that episode. Like I said, some of the best acting I've seen in a kdrama.

I have not seen the Japanese version of this, so I cannot compare the two, but I will just say that this drama is worth your time.

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The main focal point of this movie is the sheer devotion the male lead Suzuki Yori has for his love interest. Usually, when characters are obsessed with their love interest they become really creepy. This wasn't the case with this movie. His dedication is heartwarming. Everything he does is for her. Another main focus of this movie is how the male lead looks like a nerd but he's actually a super hot guy. Kind of like an ugly betty type deal. I think the casting was great for this film. Everyone played their roles so nicely. Also a little side note that I noticed while translating was that the Kanji character for Yori means reliance. Which encompasses a huge part the male lead Suzuki Yori. Please give this movie a watch guys. It's really good. ;)

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Penthouse was a really peculiar experience for me, something that I haven't encountered in my journey through dramaland yet. A full blown makjang extraordinaire, the closest thing to grotesque, truly faithful to its baroque provenance - extreme, excessive, contradictory and uncomfortable to watch. So, fortunately, it completely fits my preferences, but generally speaking it's not the easiest thing to swallow.

The writers of this drama don't want to spare their audience, they don't play easy. This is a show full of twists and turns, exaggerated acting, hilariously absurd scenes and plot resolutions, irony and overall over-the-topness. Classical music playing in the distance while the red wine is tossed around the table and the characters slap each other. You're gonna either retreat in disgust seeing that combination or you'll end up loving every second of this on-screen madness spectacle.

On the surface it's all about the glam and gore, but it's not completely shallow as it might seem. It's a well known story about the destructive nature of greed and a satire on classism and the invincible regime of The Rich™. We have the class of bad bourgeoisie, corrupted and rotten to the core, with Joo Dan Tae in the lead. He's more of an idea, the personification of Evil that rules in this big Moloch-like castle that is Hera Palace. The building itself is very symbolic too, it rules over the city as the highest and the most luxurious/desireable residential building in the city, but its nothing more than a devilish machine that devours its residents and transform them into greedy and inhumane versions of themselves . They're all a part of the system of injustice that either destroy the poor and weak (Min Seol A) or corrupt their mind too (Oh Yoon Hee). Every character in this show is more or less despicable and we truly love to hate on them all. From the evil mastermind Dan Tae, witchy Seo Jin and her Lady Macbeth-esque descent into madness to naive and easily manipulated Yoon Hee. Even the audience's sweetheart Su Ryeon is not completely flawless. And the sad conclusion that's left at the end of the show is that in the end there is no escape from the creepling evilness. You can try, you can fight and the skies will eventually side with the rich. But for how long? Well, we will see in the next seasons!

What I truly loved about this show were the little bits of absolutely random comedic scenes. They were surreal and hilarious (with the lucha libre kidnapping being my absolute favorite), but somehow fit the mood of the entire show. And I felt like it was a reminder that this show is not 100% serious and should be treated that way. We love a self-aware makjang!

The only thing that bothered me was the entire subplot of kids. Well, it wasn't a subplot per se, as the kids played a major role in the whole plot (as a catalyst of Min Seol A tragedy, their parents weakness and kind of a deterministic effect of their parent's flawed parenting), but I felt like it stood out from the main plot that took place in the "adult world". Especially interactions between the kids themselves, it felt like a separate story. And the writing in this part was really weak. Some characters didn't make sense (Ro Na especially), so it was hard to watch.

Writing was kinda bumpy for me in general. The beginning was fantastic, really well connected events, logical (even for this drama!) consequences and reactions from the characters. But the ending felt really flat with too much information given in the last minute and too convenient plot resolutions. Also (please, don't kill me for that hot take!) I feel like some actors went a little overboard with their exaggerated acting. Yes, it fits this type of show, but I felt like they relied too much on screams, evil smirks and wide opened eyes. Even when the seamless transitions between these expressions were truly outstanding (Kim So Yeon), it really loose its impact when it's repeated few times .

Overaly it's such a fun show. If you're willing to abandon logic and embrace the madness of this drama, it's gonna be a time well spent. But beware, it's really addictive!

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In the last couple of months these Chinese dramas really are my cup of tea, I find them to be so appealing and interesting especially their historical ones. Also I love their approach to romance, in all these historical dramas couples are so natural, realistic with real kisses and hot scenes, spontaneous hugging, touching, biting, kisses all over the place and it looks so great. It's not that I find that the most important but when you have those moments between couples I want to see them as more realistic as possible. :P

Anyway apart from that I always loved Chinese historical movies the most so it's logical that I enjoy in Chinese dramas too. Lan Ling was easily one of the best historical dramas I've seen and I could gladly give even the higher score but those episodes from 20 to 26 or 27 I think, were too draggy and unnecessary with many illogical turn of events and I found the reactions some of the characters too unbelievable. Except for that everything else was FANTASTIC. LITERALLY. I think that the acting was outstanding and that even the side characters were brilliant and shined in some moments more than the leads.

Ariel as Xue Wu was perfect, she became my fav. female from historical dramas, so witty, smart, caring, funny, cool, brave and strong full of love to give to her man and all her friends, it's so rare to see a woman like her. I loved how she was such a support to Lan Ling and a true wise woman who deserved to be treated as a Queen, without her Lan Ling wouldn't succeed in anything, she was so psychically strong and in some scenes I loved how she showed balls like a real man. :P
William as Lan Ling- beautiful, wonderful, so freaking hot and grandiose man, a true leader who loved his people more than anything, who was willing to sacrifice himself in order to save the woman he loved and to save his soldiers and his country, I enjoyed in watching his brotherly love with Fifth Prince and how they shared their deepest thoughts together. And when he was a masked warrior oh well I was so in love with him, that role was even more suited for him. ;)
Yu Wen Yong-the way Chan Daniel has portrayed him was just magnificent, his expressions, gestures, his ability to be such a great Emperor and grand man, how he fell in love with Xue Wu and loved her until his last breath and who fought for her but to the point when it was possible, how he respected her, I enjoyed so much in their scenes together, I think they had incredible chemistry, they should make some other drama as a couple for real. ;) He broke my heart several times, I really fell hard for him and once more I had that second lead syndrome.

Amongst them all, there was one character I literally loved the most, it was Wei Qian Xiang as Xiao Dong, that guy was freaking brilliant and I have to say that without him, his helping and solving some things, nothing would be possible, he was of the crucial help for Xue Wu, Lan Ling and Yu Wen Yong. So spontaneous, free spirited, in love with life, a rebel who was by each step side by side with her, who supported and believed in her no matter what, who was also the most intelligent one- he saw before everyone else threats, who was evil and who's not, reminded me so much of Moon Jae Shin in SS which was fantastic. Above that he had so great chemistry with Ariel, both of them were such a splendid sight for the eyes, their scenes were the most funny and interesting ones. ;)

This drama also has such a great villains, the most hateful ones. I really found in Lan Ling the character I hate the most but really hate, she climbed up to my number one and most definitely she well deserves that place. Zheng Er- you who have seen this drama know why I'm saying this, you who haven't- go and watch. I've never seen some woman to be this evil to the core, to the tiniest bone in her body, twisted, nasty, terrible, disgusting, obsessively jealous, her smile is the most creepy one, I have goosebumps every time I think of her. The actress deserves and award for such a brilliant performance.

Music was beautiful and so wonderful, I like all the ballads, especially from Della &amp;amp;quot;Shou Zhang Xin&amp;amp;quot;, it brought tears to my eyes.

I liked fighting scenes, cinematography was great, costumes astonishing, sceneries breathtaking, and the chemistry between the leads one of the best I've seen if not the very best one. They became one of my fav. couples in the whole world, their chemistry was too great, moments they shared were priceless, kisses, conversations, hugs, teasing, even fights were great, intimacy- one of the best I've seen, mindblowing for sure.

Every vivid fan of historical dramas should see Lan Ling, every fan of the actors in it should see Lan Ling, every fan of intelligent script should see Lan Ling and every fan of real passionate love and intimacy should see Lan Ling.
The bottom line is- Lan Ling is a great drama with its own flaws, holes and boring moments like almost every drama but hell it was worth watching every moment of it. And it has the most perfect ending. At least I found it to be so appropriate and logically wonderful.

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Let's start of by saying I biased toward rich ceo/poor girl type of romance type stories. That's being said, Out of all the dramas I've watched last year, I've finished this one the fastest. Before I knew it, I was already at the end. I watched it for the female lead and second male lead after seeing them in different drama production. The female lead retained her cuteness from "ever night" and became a modern day princess of cuteness. The storyline was just easy to watch and there were no annoy side storylines to drag out the plot. And this one of the most understanding second female lead ever. Just watch it if you like rich man saving the poor girl from poverty type story. They hate each other at first but end up falling for each other.

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SANA ALL!
(HOPEFULLY ALL!)
---

After watching Right or Wrong, this series comes the way but i didn't expect something from this series. I just see random screenshots from viewers and since i'm busy preparing for graduation requirements, i have this ample time to watch BL series.

Qiu Zi Xuan is a sleek and small pointed eye guy who captures my feeling for this series. I don't knokw, but since highschool days, I adore those guys with small and pointed yes(sleek eyes haha). He is serious to his studies, loves volleyball and just a quiet guy. Then his world stumble upon when Hsia Yu Hao came. He is so sexy and hot in every single way. He make the life of Zi Xuan more colorful. He is that guy that is tough on the outside but very soft and jolly on the inside. I thought he would be like that guy from Addicted but hell no, they are different!

When Yu Hao started showing his true colors, letting us see his perspective in life and being undenial of his feeling towards Zi Xuan, that really captures my heart! He is just being tru to himself, doing the things that will make him happy and make his love being reflected on Zi Xuan. He is unafraid, ignoring the rules of the world. He just focused on his love, his passionate intimacy toward Zi Xuan! Sana All!

I also love the brotherly love between the two guys. They reminded me of Addicted Gu HAi and Bai Lou Yin. Is this called incess afterall? Anyway, i stilll adore their love for each other.

The song and music choice all thoughout the series is perfect especially that song played on the last episode, on their confession scene, the magical kiss! I just wonder how did they doi it very professionally? It's perfect and really hot! The thrusting of their mouths, hahaha, sorry, it's very passionate and full of love and affection. (and they are both straight, gosh!)
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HIStory 2: Crossing The Line
10/10
032918

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The nerd in me loves this drama in its entirety.
The cast, the directing, the production, the storyline, the screenplay and even the multitude numbers of product placements which at one point simply became amusing...
I guess; it was very expensive to keep up with the Haute Couture fashion for the entire royal crew from the Kingdom of Corea. They needed those product placements.

Although I enjoy watching it to the very end; I feel rather unsatisfied with Lee Gon and Tae Eul‘s ending. Traveling into different parallel universes and time periods are all fun and game; however, I wanted to see a royal wedding, a royal queen coronation and a stable lifestyle... So to speak...
The scientist in me understands that it is against the rules to have both Luna as a detective and Tae Eul as the crowned queen living in the same universe.
Nonetheless, the irrational romantique in me wants Lee Gon and Tae Eul to be the royal couple that rules over the kingdom.

*All in all, both the scientist and the romantique in me adored this drama.

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How can i even review this marvelous story!

I had watched this drama with the title "THE ROSE IS POISONOUS" and totally got blowed away by the fantastic story and the two mainleads that totally put it on fire with their EXPLOSIVE chemistry! Its about redemption, survival and recovery. A quite cruel and heartbreaking story actually, what the poor heroine had to do to survive the hell she had endured for 10 years. Even the badass Male hero cried his heart out for her misery. Both of them had some Anti and villain characteristics that could be conisdered redflags-but they matched even more for that! The beautiful Male hero never wavered in his commitment and love for his heroine, every step of the freaking way!

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The inherent feminism of being a shrewd woman!

Agatha Christie meets Jane Austen in this riveting historical romance-mystery. This show was a surprise favorite for me. A diamond in the rough, a show with seriously feminist aspirations and an unapologetic stance on its radical and rebellious views. And the pièce de resistance? It’s an originally written story that avoids 99% of cdrama cliché pitfalls!

If you’re still not convinced that this show is worth a watch here are some more reasons:
1. Pride and Prejudice meets Mrs. Marple!
2. A headstrong, intelligent, and flawed female lead who had a steady personality and an unbreakable spirit
3. An intelligent, nuanced, and flawed male lead who grows and develops through the story with not a single jealous cell in his body…like WOW!
4. An actual good second male lead? With freaking personality and flaws?! Who isn’t a sticky gum and doesn’t scheme against the leads and doesn’t think he knows best for the FL, thus undermining her personhood whilst acting like he’s soooo nice?!?!?! Like...what?! He’s mine now! I have adopted him! He’s my child now, no one hurt this baby! He’s too pure for Cdramaland.
5. A villain who is not an idiot or a caricature who keeps the mains on their toes and is in return kept on his toes by the leads!
6. A truly enjoyable ensemble with interesting stories, arcs, and journeys.
7. A meta-commentary on women’s lives in the olden days
8. Actually good mystery cases
9. One of the best romances I have seen in historical dramas in a while
10. Enemies-to-lovers, slow burn, with “there was only one bed”!
11. Nice parents?!?!?!?! (Is this even a cdrama at this point? Where am I right now?)
12. And more!

Summary: Qiu Yan is the concubine-born daughter of the second master of Qiu family. Everyone in her family dislikes her except for her legal mother who loves her beyond anything. When Qiu Yan was young, she and her biological mother and brother are caught by bandits but a young man saves Qiu Yan and gives her a fan that becomes the symbol of Qiu Yan’s yearning to become educated and step above her station in her deeply misogynistic and biased society. The story follows Qiu Yan as she uses her wits, knowledge, street-savviness, and intelligence to survive and make her way in life. And the ML is Liang Yi. He's pretty cool, too!

Plot: I loved this show and mainly because it was so well-written. The characters make sense, the plot makes sense. The themes are clear and the writer knew exactly how they meant to explore them. No scene is unnecessary. Each character and event had a purpose. The tone is a good mix of romantic, comedic, emotional, and thought-provoking. It hardly has the usual stereotype pitfalls of historical dramas. I have to mention that the show has a very modern tone and the female lead’s opinions are beyond her era and time but the show somehow makes it work. On top of it all, the stories that are explored were stuff I had never seen in any other show which made this very refreshing for me. What was interesting was that I could recognize the plot as mentioned backstories in other shows but I had never seen a show that actually explored the plot, head-on. As for the romance, I loved it! The growth of their feelings felt natural and the progression of their relationship was super satisfying. No unnecessary misunderstandings or overly complicated melodrama.

Acting: I was very impressed by the leads. They had such amazing chemistry. Jeremy Tsui has an amazing voice and since everyone is using their own voice, the performances feel that much more real and authentic. I liked the supporting cast too. Minus one or two cannon fodders, I think everyone did a good job conveying their character and working together.

Music and Production: Music was okay; nothing too impressive. The production didn’t look expensive and it did leave some things to be desired. The cinematography was simple, the clothes and makeup were passable. Overall, this is the section the show might fall short but many of my favorite historical dramas have average or below average productions so I didn’t mind.

Rewatch: Right! Forgot about this! I never rewatch shows but this is a fun show so I would say it's worth it? Idk, watch new shows, why rewatch?!

Negative: There is a slight hiccup in storytelling in the very last episode. I have deduced that the reason is that the show did too good a job at closing all loose ends and just ended up with 20 extra minutes with nothing else happening there so they had to pull a last-minute twist to fill up the time. I didn’t care much for the twist but it didn’t affect the plot at all so I don’t care. What matters is that we got a happy ending and after watching such a good mystery show for 23 episodes, it was easy to see how the ending worked in the context of the whole show. (like I don't want to spoil but you could tell that the twist was super temporary)

Overall: I was expecting something like Jun Jiu Ling or Sword and the Brocade when I started this show but was pleasantly surprised when it turned out the way that it did. I almost dropped this! But I couldn't stop thinking about the characters so I went back and I am very happy with my decision. It was a joy for me to watch this. I laughed in every episode, I cheered for the main cast of characters to triumph and I was heartbroken for them when they suffered. This was one of the best watches I’ve had and though the show may not be perfect, the happiness it brought me made me decide to give it a 10. Because at the end of the day, we watch shows for enjoyment and that is what they should provide. The Autumn Ballad did just that. Highly recommended.

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