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Summer's Desire
19 people found this review helpful
by Avon
Jul 1, 2018
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 8.0
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 7.5
"XiaMo, I am yours. and you are freedom's."

Just finished this and honestly, i don't regret watching this. I'm a fan of the original novel, i've read the manhua and watched both the drama and movie version of this. I wouldn't say this remake was amazing, but imo it did pretty well.

watch this if you like- alpha males, possessives male leads, love triangles, melodrama, boys over flowers+ soap opera feel
don't watch if you don't like- fake angle kisses& dead fish kisses (this irked me the most , melancholic female expressions, miscommunications, lack of trust

Story-
This started off really well, with a few scenes here and there changed, it stuck to the original story line; although they also added a business element to it.
Summer's Desire is a drama centred around its title- whata summer (XiaMo) wants. There are 3 main leads - XiaMo, Ouchen and Luoxi; you can't be certain of who she ends up with until the very end. For me, i rooted for her and Ouchen through all versions of this novel so this wasn't any different- despite the fact that watching this, realistically- i'd rather she not end up with anyone.
Anyway, back to the story. XiaMo and Ouchen are highschool sweethearts,dating, and Luoxi is someone who later ends up staying with her family. Ouchen is manipulative and alpha male possessive, while Luoxi is supposed to be secretive& bad boy dangerous. Luoxi then ends up falling for XiaMo so you can imagine the amount of melodramatic scenes in this.
With 36 episodes, a lot of details were included, and i particularly love the addition of the 2 brother-like friends they had added next to Ouchen. What i did not like about this story-line was the fact that they did not include much scenes of her and ouchen in their earlier years, nor the fact of how they met, that was pretty disappointing. I wanted so much more of her and Ouchen, as the later scene were so Luoxi infested. This also could have done away with some of the things that happened later in the epsiodes. The one scene that made me cry the most was the last episode when her brother was talking to her. I cried buckets.

Acting
Ouchen did not look like what i had expected but his acting made up for it. Qin Jun Jie really made the character Ouchen his own- out of all the versions ive watched, this is my favourite one. When he was happy, angry, mad, jealous, pained, etc. they were wonderfully executed out and that is one of the main reasons i rooted for him no matter what. As for XiaMo's character, there were times her acting was well done, then there were times when it was really plain, stoic and so melancholic. then we have luoxi, the fake and playful vibe were acted out really good, so were the pained expressions. i just didn't know how to feel when he really smiled lol.
Anyways, the acting for the rest of the casts are well done.

The music for this gets stuck the more you listen to it. I loved the opening songs, and they matched the songs well with happy/sad scenes.
Rewatch? Only for ouchen and xiamo parts;_;

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Completed
Demon Emperor's Little Matchmaker
19 people found this review helpful
Oct 14, 2022
30 of 30 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 4.0
Rewatch Value 4.0

Lighthearted and fun fantasy story

This is a funny and enjoyable mini-show. The storyline is simple but there are different layers to the story if you watch carefully.
I love ML who has been alienated all his childhood. Watching him open up and fall in love with FL is so heartwarming and touching.
FL is bubbly and kind. Even if she is a bit oblivious when it comes to her own feelings, once she realizes she’s in love, she goes all in.
Acting wise this was an ok show. It is kind of hard to say much more than that because the show was very lighthearted and borderline silly. That might be the reason there was sometimes dialogue and behavior that was silly.
Well, if you like something lighthearted and fun - with a little bit of food for thought and a happy ending - this is actually worth watching.

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Completed
Not Me
19 people found this review helpful
Nov 28, 2023
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 8.5

A true masterpiece

This is one of those BL's that you recommend to everyone, no matter what BL's that person usually watches this is a MUST watch..
So lets get into it !

Firstly: Chemistry
the chemistry here is pure perfection, the longing stares and little glances the characters share, the NC scenes are done really well. You can feel the yearning for each-other's body trough the screen.

Even the side couple is pure perfection !
The second couple goes trough so much mental health topics its amazing to watch. The scene where one draws the others naked body holds a special place in my heart. The character feeling comfortable enough to portray their helpless naked body and all the emotions you can feel trough their eyes is ... PERFECTION

The story: 9.5/10
I would give it a 10/10 but it got really confusing at some point.
The actual story is so well done, all the twists and action scenes are amazing,
I really liked watching characters develop into their own person, with their own story and life
The little parts in the story that say so little but show so much, if you watch it again you will realize that some parts are planed to not make sense, thats its charm !
Every part of the story will get resolved, you just need to wait !

Is this worth watching ? YES, absolutely

Is it in any part boring? NO

Is re-watching it better than watching it for the first time? Maybe, maybe not? It depends. I would sell my soul to watch it for the first time but I really enjoyed watching it again. You just realize more and understand better.

Will this stay (for me) as one of the best BL's ever made? YES!

Can I watch it even tho I don't usually watch action BL's ? YES, its a must watch !

If you want a fluffy story, with no action this might not be for you, but I think every BL watcher should watch this, this is and will forever stay as one of the best BL's ever made and if you don't watch this you will miss out on such a great BL - a literal piece of art

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May 15, 2020
4 of 4 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0

TONI STOLE MY HEART

This is a telenovela for mature audiences.

Right off the bat, I immediately loved the fast pacing and the backstory. In all four episodes you wont feel like shortcuts are taken and that they really gave a lot of thought into developing the total flow of the series and divided ithem perfectly nto these episodes.

The story is somewhat of a mixed bag for me, not because it doesnt happen in real life but because it is too melodramatic. This is the only short series that I couldnt watch in one seating. Each episode is a little bit too long it felt like i needed to take a bit of rest after each episode.

The cast is amazing, phenomenal even. Toni and Tao were just perfect for the roles - cute, masculine and both were just gorgeous. Special shoutout to the locker room scene when Toni slid into his undies - this man is just BEAUTIFUL. Even Bebe gave a good performance.

I want to give credit to the production design team for creating the spaces that doesnt look temporarily made for 4 episodes. The wedding and the housewarming are both believeable.

Overall this short series deserves an 8. Attention all other tv content creators - this is how you do a short series.

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Completed
Falling into Your Smile
60 people found this review helpful
Jul 17, 2021
31 of 31 episodes seen
Completed 9
Overall 4.5
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 5.5
Music 4.0
Rewatch Value 3.0
This review may contain spoilers

A Sugar-y Mess of a Drama

This drama was more about gaming scandals than the actual love of the game. I've never seen such an obsession with gaming players as if they are idols. It genuinely felt ridiculous but getting past that, this drama's focus is on the ML and FL. So with regards to that, this is where the drama survives and dies at the same time. The female lead character is so freaking stiff, unmoving, and non-expressive which really wastes the male lead's effort. She is completely reactionary without even showing a reaction. The production team should have found an actress instead of an idol to play the role. But it almost seems to me that this drama was supposed to be a self-interest thing anyway. However, to be fair, the Chinese web novel it is based on that vibe but the female lead character is a bit more active compared. Go figure, another drama where they strip the female lead character of autonomy and complex character.

As for the the male lead character, he is what keeps audiences interested half the time with his swoon-worthy moves. He is almost spot on to the novel character with the exception of the more "horny boy" moments that were obviously cut out to make this more cookie cutter.

The gaming parts of this drama had cooling effects but boring ultimately. I skipped over most of them because it felt like a waste of time.

The side characters with the exception of Jin Yang, Ai Jai, and Jian Yang were very one-note. Jin Yang and Ai Jai relationship felt more honest to the realities of dating a pro gramer and not being interested in the game. Jian Yang was pouring emotions as the second lead that made you wonder WHY the hell the female lead didn't give him a second chance. The flashbacks of the two also showed a more natural couple compared to the FL/ML interactions which were so stiff.

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Completed
Douluo Continent
60 people found this review helpful
Feb 23, 2021
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

Light, Light-Hearted, and Intriguing to Watch!

Overall + Plot:
Douluo Continent was a pleasant drama to watch. It's perfect if you're looking for an interesting enough and light-hearted drama that's NOT packed with gruesome violence, deaths, and betrayals.

The plot was generally easy to follow — and not sure if this was just me lol, but it sometimes reminded me of Pokemon with all the battles, Soul Creature hunting, Soul Rings acquirement (these are for leveling up of power - similar Pokemons evolving), and ultimate tournament for the strongest Soul Master. There was just enough plot, mystery, and adventure to keep you intrigued, and not too much to confuse you. And a side note: I didn't find kisskh's plot summary for this drama to be entirely accurate because there was definitely not a lot of emphasis on imperial struggles in the drama, as the summary sort of implied. It was mostly just a journey of gaining strength for the main 7 characters.

I have seen some comments critiquing the romance between the main leads (that the romance wasn't enough or not well-developed), but I actually thought it was a refreshing take. From my understanding, this drama is only the beginning of Douluo Continent's novel and animation storyline. For this reason, the romance may start off slow, and the leads call each other "brother" and "sister" (these terms are pretty common in Cdramas of these genres and are rather indications of their closeness to each other, and not that they're actually siblings). On that note, their relationship with each other is strong and the romance was slow, but it felt more natural to watch.
_____________________
Acting/Cast:
Douluo Continent has a wonderful mix of good-natured, determined, and funny characters. The “7 Devils” (main group) all experienced personal growth and development. It was a rough start for them at first because each one of them had different personalities and backgrounds, but their team chemistry gradually solidified throughout the drama. For me, character growth and friendships are just so sweet to watch.

Their acting did not disappoint and the entire cast was very well-assimilated with their characters. I found it quite amusing how physically alike all the characters were to their Martial Souls (kind of like their animal spirits?). So whether it was the makeup team or cast, they did a great job of mimicking these Martial Souls, adding to the coherency of this drama. And for those of you who watched Arsenal Military Academy, I found it hilarious to see Li WenZhong here again. He really added a handful amount of humor and silliness to the drama!
_____________________
Other (tiny spoiler alert in the second paragraph of this section ):
The visual effects were so pretty and the computer-generated imagery was smoothly integrated with the scenes. I'm not an expert on music, but the music was always comfortable and suitable for the scenes.

Tiny spoiler alert ahead if you want to know the ending: Yes, the drama does end on a cliffhanger sort of thing, but as I mentioned before, Douluo Continent is only the beginning of the original storyline from the novel and animation, so the ending made sense. It wasn't a sad ending or one that would leave you grieving and miserable, it just keeps you hanging so you'll want to know what happens next.
_____________________
Last comments:
The lightness of the drama and its plot charmed me and I definitely would recommend it — especially if you want to take a break from heavy dramas with angst and misunderstandings and betrayals. I'm glad I watched this drama and did not regret watching it at all! It brought me a healthy amount of laughs and was aesthetic to watch too :)

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Completed
Idol I
60 people found this review helpful
Jan 28, 2026
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

Worth the watch

Idol I is a quiet, emotionally grounded drama that succeeds by choosing restraint over spectacle.

At its core, the story is less about idol glamour and more about vindication, trust, and identity. It strips fame down to its most fragile parts; solation, public judgment, and the way power distorts truth. Ra-ik’s journey is painful but human: a man forced to confront betrayal, loss, and the slow rebuilding of self-worth when the world decides he’s disposable.

Se-na is the drama’s emotional anchor. As both a fangirl and a lawyer, she could’ve easily fallen into cliché, but instead she’s written with integrity. Her belief in Ra-ik is never blind or performative; it’s principled. She chooses him not out of fantasy, but out of conviction, and that choice shapes the drama’s moral backbone.

The romance unfolds gently, built on quiet moments, shared silence, and emotional safety rather than grand declarations. When affection finally surfaces in a confession, a kiss and a compliment, it feels earned. Their relationship works because it grows alongside healing, not in spite of trauma.
What truly elevates Idol I is its refusal to simplify its characters. Even figures like Woo-seong are treated with nuance, while the reveal of Hye-joo as the killer delivers a chilling reminder that not all harm comes from misunderstanding and that some comes from entitlement without remorse.
Overall, Idol I is a slow-burn drama that rewards patience. It’s thoughtful, sincere, and emotionally resonant , a story about choosing truth, standing firm against power, and finding comfort in being truly seen.

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Completed
Minato's Laundromat
60 people found this review helpful
by Kate
Sep 14, 2022
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 18
Overall 7.0
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 7.5

In a circle we run, away from a cheeky teenager.

If you are ready for a whole lot of frustration, running in a circle, kids being scary straightforward and adults acting like shy teenagers - this is a perfect watch for you.

Here’s the thing - it was so exciting, fun and enjoyable at first. Being more or less the same age as Minato, I could easily understand his panic about starting to have feelings for a high schooler. Even the idea is scary. That said, I feel like they failed with Minato writing wise, since he just... existed and everything was happening around him. The guy did not try to process it at all and it left the viewers with repetitive scenes and plots, since nothing was changing character wise.

Shin was saving grace with his pro flirting, honesty and undying motivation to make Minato his. He was far more dynamic of a character, actually showing some change in his behavior depending on the situation and the circumstances.

There were also a few nice side characters like Sakurako and Asuka who added some wholesome platonic moments to this romance driven show.

Plot wise, we've got whole side plot of Sakuma Takayuki which was stretched so bad, taking too much screen time and becoming quite an annoying addition to the drama. The teacher might have been the sweetest dude ever, but that plot should have been resolved in 2 episodes max.

Performance wise I do not have any complaints. Kusakawa Takuya did his best with Akira - the character was just not it writing wise. Nishigaki Sho truly impressed me. He did quite well with some more subtle emotions and perfectly presented the angst related to the first big teenage love.

Production wise, it gave a high budget since of life webdrama vibes - which personally I truly love.

Overall, I am honestly not sure how I feel about it. On paper it works, but when I watched it, I was getting either frustrated or bored, and I was wishing for the show to finally end. I don’t regret watching, but I’m also not sure if I would recommend it for others to check out. I also crave second season or at least a special episode, because the payoff after all the running away was quite short-lived.

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Completed
Love Game in Eastern Fantasy
60 people found this review helpful
by ace
Nov 18, 2024
32 of 32 episodes seen
Completed 3
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

Had a promising start, but was disappointed

I loved the beginning of it, but as the drama progressed towards the end, I felt disappointed with the plot. I ended up skipping the last couple of episodes. I thought that the beginning captured me, and then it didn't make sense after a while. It feels like Chinese dramas have a hard time with endings.
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Completed
Again My Life
60 people found this review helpful
May 28, 2022
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.0

All about second chances.

Even with my excitement for Lee Joon Gi's comeback, due to recent trend in dramas, I wasn't really expecting too much and came here to only check out, thanking at least an average drama will be resulted. However, by the interval of the show, I found myself captivated and occupied by the entire thing and the pace with which everything was going on. It was difficult to get bored in any single instance and I was constantly absorbed by the quality of the show.

Created by 'Studio S' & 'Viu' and produced by 'Samhwa Networks' & 'Kross Pictures', "Again My Life (어게인 마이 라이프)" is the 16 episodes live-action adaptation of the Kakao web novel with the same title authored by Lee Hae Nal, which was also turned into a webtoon, as well. Both written and directed by 2 pool persons each, the show is 5% fantasy, 80% politico-legal and 15% action thriller, which was originally broadcasted on SBS.

Kim Hee Woo (Lee Joon Gi), a rightful & passionate prosecutor gets murdered for trying to bring down a popular yet corrupted assemblyman, Cho Tae Sub (Lee Kyung Young), who with the facade of being a stain-free personality, controls the entire nation. Miraculously, Hee Woo gets resurrected into his past life with a second chance to prepare himself well in order to showcase the power of truth and laws to those who abuse it for their gains. The story follows the journey of him strategizing a revenge for years, along with people who have come to believe him in the course of time.

I must inform you that the show is not an "one man army" plot-device, rather, a "together we can" spirit, that makes it unique. There are plenty of supporting characters, each given a fair share of emphasis in the story with perfect screen share. The other familiar faces in the drama playing major characters are Kim Ji Eun, Kim Jae Kyung Jung Sang Hoon, Choi Kwang Il, Hong Bi Ra, Kim Hyung Mook, Kim Jin Woo, Ji Chan, Cha Joo Young, etc. Lee Soon Jae, Jeon Gook Hwan, Yoo Dong Geun, Lee Kyung Min, Kim Chul Ki, Kim Young Jo, Hyun Bong Sik, Hyun Woo Sang, Joo Woo, Park Chul Min, Kim Hee Chul, etc.are more like guest characters but appeared frequently in the show.

Not like the first time Lee Joon Gi went for a legal thriller but what makes this particular drama stand out is better performance, the revenge plot, the execution and not to forget his action scenes and sense of humour.

Plot development was amazing. The pilot episode wasn't very impressive and felt like it'll be another politico-legal thriller with cliché elements. However the next few episodes turned out to ve good, as the writer attempts to incorporate base-level strategy making skilla into the character. The accumulation of power and will by Hee Woo was constantly alleviating to watch. His initial efforts to save things dear to him, followed by his endeavour to prepare himself bettee with a goal in mind, everything was awfully alleviating. As the real fight begins from the 2nd quarter of the show, it starts to become ingesting. Every time, the viewers feel like Hee Woo would go for his main target, he surprises by trying to weaken another angle of the villain, thus moving one step closer towards his quarry. It became even more compelling in the last 6 episodes as we knew what's coming soon. The last 2 episodes were the real game and the ending sequences was as enthralling, however, that's where they messed up. It definitely became rushed towards the ending of 15th episode and the entire 16th episode was on some other level, which was the biggest flaw. I must admit the very ending left us confused hinting the possibility of another season, but I guess we can assume the aftermath and let it go. Finally, I didn't like the sacrifice part bcs that's what I had correctly guess and I think that could have been easily avoided by the writer.

Lee Byung Hun jakkanim with the experience of working as both the director and screenwriter in both K movies and dramas is assisted by two debutant writers J & Kim Yool, for this drama. Focusing on the national politics, the show has been a constant reminder that, no matter how crazy the headlines might seem, things could always get worse, especially beyond the surface. The utilization of elements like, corruption, bribery, power struggle, etc. throughout was congenial and appealing. The base establishment, the furtherance, the unveiling of facts, the flashback to future (you know why 'future' 😂), the character arcs and most importantly the way of making strategy have been very well drawn.

Han Chul Jin PDnim with more than 2 decades experience and the number of contemporary hits works here the debutant Kim Young Min PDnim, and the both have been able to pull off such a stupendous urban thriller story with nonexistent flaws. The direction radiates the scope for several subplots and maintains the quality of the show throughout. The art of criticizing politics directly is overt in influence and the messages and takeaway notes are more palatable through the lens of entertainment. The screenplay management, scenario setup, screen-editing, choice of location, etc. have been well handled. With less utilization of vfx and editing, the modern urban vistas of Seoul are mostly eye-pleasing and maintains dark era for most of the parts.

Composed by Kim Jong Chun (Philstring), the drama has a total of 7 OSTs, but honestly, some are good and proved suitable for the show's essence, while others weren't. "What the Ggang?" By Yoon Do Hyun ia a impulsive hardcore track depicting open challenge to the evil. "Bring It On" is an adrenaline-inducing track reminding one of it's strength, fiercely sung by Sonnet and has an amazing chorus. "Burn" by Park Do Joon is a jolly track aspiring for a better day and a good life through self-determination. In the mesmerizing vocals of Yu Sang Eun, is "Till The End" which is a quest for truth. Other tracks were "Alone" by GB9, "Shadow" by Hanhae & Kissxs and "Tragedy" by Sondia; I didn't really like these.

What I liked...

# The plot development is beyond likable. The viewers receive intrigue, excitement, action and danger, all wrapped in, and intertwined with, a political plot, accompanied with legal components.

# Performance from all the casts, particularly from Joon Gi and Kyung Young-nim has been highly pleasing. KY-nim's dialogue delivery and way of phrasing sentences is always amazing but here we get to watch a more refined vocabs of him; his character was intriguing despite being the antagonist, ngl.

# Action scenes, mostly involving modern self-defense as well as professional ring techniques were quite agreeable, particular the ones when Hee Woo clashed with Doctor K.

# Even though the drama feels like an "one man army" show, it's a matter of time to realise that Hee Woo is always at the centre of everything, controlling, regulating and manipulating the scenarios, but he had to benefit from a number of people, whom he loved, cherished and cared for, and was the recieved the same from others as well.

# Pacing and progression of the show is worthy of your time as it doesn't really have a mysterious plotz rather goal towards bringing down a particular being, and elimination of their strength one by one in the due course. It's again isn't a head-to-head clash between the prota- and anta- gonist, rather a mind game. Personally, I wasn't able to skip or fast forward at all and was constantly engaged.

# I am so happy there was no romance, really. From the beginning, it felt like the ML will have to go through the push & pull among multiple girls and possible admirations were hinted off initially as well, but everything boiled down to friendship though there is an indication of coupling at the end, as the original work.

# There is no definite bromance either, but Hee was admired by many men in the show, from old to young, because of his kindness and deeds, which was also good to see.

# Finally, i must inform that there is no ML FL here, there are only main characters, supported by others, that's it.

What I didn't like...
Not just the writer, everyone in the team of makers are at equal fault. Even if there were no original novel, this show actually had to be of 20 episodes or at least 2 more episodes were a must. But for the sake of meeting the standard 16 episode quota, they messed up things a bit. So, for the drama writer, it would have been wise to develope plot in a way that the events from the beginning were a lil faster hence minimizing the rush that we saw in the last episode.

Final Remarks... What a show! What a show! What a show about legal battle between the righteous and the corrupted plus powerful. The show was able to give away insights about one's greed and it's impact on the powerless and common man.The show is highly entertaining, engaging and enjoyable which allows you to stick to it throughout the end. I am not able to find a particular flaw tbh. So my overall ratings are based on the levels of uniqueness, execution and the final experiences about the outcomes, which has led me to give it a fair 8.0. We all must realize it was not the best or something very mind-blowing, but very good per se with high production and entertainment value. Must recommended, please watch.

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Completed
Unknown
36 people found this review helpful
by Kate Flower Award1
May 1, 2024
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 7
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.5

Everything stays in the family… kind of.

I’m not gonna sit here and pretend like both romances in the drama were not questionable, they were. I also have to give props to the director and writer for doing their best to deal with potential issues a story like that could present. Age gap, family relations, grooming, predatory behavior, lack of informed consent - all that could have been an issue, but somehow they managed to avoid shooting themselves in the foot - for most parts.

What we’ve got, rather than just a romance, was a found family trope drama. The bond between Wei Qiao and Wei Zhi Yuan was deep and meaningful, slowly transforming into a partnership. They knew each other's shortcomings, they understood each other’s pain, they found home in each other’s presence.

Whenever the drama did a good job transforming the brotherly bond into a romantic one is a matter of opinion, personally I was quite fine with it. Being an overanalyzer, I appreciate how the show made me reflect on their relationship, examine how much of the connection was form on shared trauma and how much was driven by pure love. I’m glad the writer, with how the plot and characters were written, kept reassuring me that what they had was more than just codependency. Do I think both of them should go to therapy? Of course, but they are not the first, nor the last BL couple to never truly address or deal with the trauma.

We witness a story of two people who were abandoned and who found peace and happiness with each other. They had to face a lot of setbacks, both external and internal, to finally admit to each other feelings and allow themselves to be loved and love the other. The journey was not easy, but with love stories like that, it shouldn’t be. For me to enjoy this type of romance I need to understand it first, I need to feel like the characters also understand their own feelings. That they thought about it, talked about it, that there is no misunderstanding. And Unknown managed to do just that.

What made it possible were obviously the performances. Chris Chiu made the confusion and the strong internal denial Wei Qian was facing so real and raw. The way we could see on his face what he wanted, and how it went against what he actually did. The constant regret and fear of the situation and the feelings he could not quite understand and accept. Then we have Kurt Huang as Wei Zhi Yuan - from a chaotic teen, to resigned young adult, to confident adult. We witnessed his growth, we saw his dedication and unwavering feelings. And it all seemed so real on the screen.

All that said, there was one aspect of the show I just simply could not comprehend. One directing and editing choice that ruined quite an important scene for me. And I just cannot understand who thought this was a good idea and how no one questioned that choice on all the steps of the production.

Overall, it was less about finding a lover, and more about finding home. A partner that can understand and support you. One that you can rely on. One that always has your back. A partnership. Sharing the burden, sharing the happiness. A drama about finding a family and then working hard to keep it, in whatever form it might be.

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Completed
Begin Again
36 people found this review helpful
by cjy33
Dec 4, 2020
35 of 35 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

MUST WATCH! LOVE THE LEADS ESPECIALLY ZHOU YU TONG!!

I don't usually watch c-drama (I'm a k-drama fans), but I'm so lucky to have found this drama, though the story is cliché but it was well written & executed.
This drama spoiled us with such visual from the leads 😍😍😍 and throughout the series we were spoiled with so many lovey dovey scenes, their chemistry was off the charts. having watched their BTS scenes, they looked really comfortable with each other.
Zhou Yu Tong has became my fav c-actress, I found her playing LFN sooooo charming and I can't imagine any other actress to pull it off like her. While Simon Gong's visual is just so dreamy.
Hope they can reunite in other drama in the future or can we please get season 2

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Completed
The Ghost Bride
36 people found this review helpful
Jan 24, 2020
6 of 6 episodes seen
Completed 10
Overall 9.0
Story 10
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
i've never seen a Taiwanese drama like this before. it was fun and funny without taking anything away from the dark creepy bits. it's visually stunning while at the same time keeping you very grounded in reality. some of the effects were a little cheap looking which was disappointing compared to all of the things they pulled off wonderfully.

i love the female lead. She's smart and determined without resorting to over the top "strong female lead" tropes.

the acting is pretty good but there are moments where Lin Liu Di shows he's not as good as his co-stars. it throws off the vibe but not much and not for long.

i love Chris Wu but here he feels a touch miscast, or maybe it's just the direction or his performance. the character seems to have wanted to be animated and lively, but Wu's portrayal is muted and occasionally joyless.

still a great drama though.

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Completed
Love Begins in the World of If
36 people found this review helpful
Dec 25, 2025
6 of 6 episodes seen
Completed 7
Overall 9.0
Story 10
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 9.0
This review may contain spoilers

Different, interesting but lackluster finale & kissing....

This series plays out in two worlds, one the reality and one the perfect version of the same reality. But as it is with perfect versions, it may seem perfect at first, but life is not interesting when all is perfect.

The main character realizes this when thrown in the perfect world, everything is too easy, there are no challenges and there is no room to grow. So he reflects on himself, breaks out of his box of thinking and recognizes his own faults and misinterpretations. Storywise the series is perfect. But the finale lacks in the intimate scenes considerable. There is no real kissing and also the longing of Kano is not delivered in the way I wish they had.

Both actors did a great job to play out the characters but failed when intimacy was required. The production quality is also top notch with very nice cinematography and variety in the vibes of the show through the lighting. Still a very good show even when it's sometimes a slow burn, but with a downer in the end. Because the story is unique it is still on my recommanded list. Too bad such a good story could not have been executed perfectly.

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Completed
Sweet Home Season 3
36 people found this review helpful
by kara
Jul 19, 2024
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
This review may contain spoilers

underwhelming but better than s2

i start this review of by saying that i really hated subplots of season 2 so i sort of knew that i won't be enjoying this season completely. military centered story lines which started last season didn't peak my interest even back then. i continued watching for ah yi (who imo was the best addition from previous season), lee siblings and hyun soo.
good things about this season:
- no struggles with story spacing (major issue in s2)
- hyun soo seems to have decent amount of screentime compared to last season
- top notch cinematography
- great acting
bad things about this season:
- last season, writers brought in a lot of new characters to k!ll off (as i mentioned before besides s1 characters, i only liked ah yi for her mysterious aura and park chan young for his friendly non stereotypical military characteristics) . when most of them ended up dying, i didn't really care.
- i never read the books, but would've one romantic scene between CHS and LEY killed the writers? they already changed things in season 2
- the ending feels underwhelming because of the non existent built up for it. also, viewers deserved to see core 3 happy for one whole episode (i really hate when we don't get filler episodes when we need them)

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