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The comedic inserts and occasional fluffs between the main casts were extremely cathartic in contrast to the violent scenes necessary in this drama genre.
I, for one, am not really knee-deep into dramas with enough suspense that kept me in jitters until the release of the next episode. I actually prefer light-hearted dramas from japanese series or cringe-worthy dramas from korean series. BUT THIS DRAMA WAS ONE HECK OF A RIDE. And yes, in caps lock for emphasis. (Btw, I'm not shouting nor am I angry. I'm just pumped because I loved it!)
But, there were three things I did not like:
1. The computer graphics were not really well-done. I'm talking about some gun scenes, and some of it looked fake af. Maybe there were budget constraints?
2. There was a slump in the flow of the storyline. As a longtime viewer of dramas (almost 2 decades now), I definitely felt and saw it. There were fillers that were unnecessary, but they still fit in nicely. My advice for those into the drama but couldn't get past the first half: PLEASE do continue watching.
3. My goodness! William's hair and mustache! He's handsome and buff af, but his midpart brings me back to the hair of the 90s. Is that hairstyle coming back? I'm not 100% against it though.
Over-all, I liked almost everything from the main leads to the antagonist to the support cast. I also liked the music and dramas OST. I'll definitely rewatch this one soon.
P.S.1 All episodes are on Youtube now. Legally uploaded by Croton Megahit. English subtitles are also slowly added into the videos. Patience is key!
P.S.2. Please support Ma Sichun (Sandra Ma) and her future activities!
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could have been amazing...
Overall: I would have given it an 8 if they had ended this at ep 6, but I deducted a half point for ep 7. It could have been poignant with exploring more serious topics, but there were several missteps. Aired on Viki and GagaOOLala (depending on your country).Content Warnings: self harm, harassment/bullying, slaps, held against will, trauma/grief, vomiting, another major content warning that happens off screen in the past
What I Liked
- intro with the music and the animation/style of it
- archery integration and Da Yeol's plotline related to it was well done
- happy Tae Hyun told off his aunt but wanted to see more resolution
- Da Yeol's actions in episode 6/standing up for himself
- production value (but the too light make up and red eyeliner was not for me)
Room For Improvement
- struggled with their initial dynamic, it did get better though
- they tried to cover too much plot and as a result there was not enough resolution (aunt? dad? did Tae Hyun try to work on himself/go to therapy???)
- toilet humor and the comedy sound effects did not mesh well with the serious parts
- time jumps scream lazy writing to me, it should have been shorter and then not have episode 7 or saved that for a second season, speaking of....
- episode 7 was a huge letdown, these are 2 guys in their 20s, I think the production chickened out and catered to the minority of these idol actors' fans which was detrimental to the story/their characters, it felt so unrealistic that it took me out of the story
- the production also modified (unfortunately) that beginning scene in the nurses office from the source material (it was exactly what Da Yeol thought it was), it also made the "friend's" actions in the series kind of head scratching
- not clear how much time passed in the beginning episodes
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Khun Chai Ronnapee is the fifth and the last part of the Suparburoot Juthatep’s series. And it was such a fine closure. The younger brother was honestly my favourite; he has this cheerful sneaky playful character that makes you love him. Therefore, I was looking forward to his story and I wasn’t failed. Chai Pee’s character was able to show its existence ever since the four previous parts; he was always there to cool the air and to play the role of the mischievous brother.
The last story included an actress as the female lead but the showbiz element wasn’t as glamorous as it was supposed to be. The love story was alright, it had many turns but it ended up going in circles at some point. The most important thing is: the chemistry was pretty much the best in the Suparburoot Juthatep series; it obviously tops the other four stories even if all of them had good chemistry.
In this part, Chai Pee’s character was able to develop from the playful little brother to the responsible lover-boy who wants to take care of the woman he loves and her family. His solder side that he showed in the latter episodes was also a good side of his character as well. It was nice to see his transformation even if it was pretty much predictable. The side love stories were also fun and cute to follow, they turned pretty cheesy at some point but they added a good flavour to the drama.
Something else added great colours to this part: the presence of the four other couples throughout. I swear that made me add the half to my overall rating; it felt so wonderful to watch the other couples helping Chai Pee and showing their love for each other. The moment the brothers stand in one room holding their wives was precious; I really wish this was shown in other parts as well. Also, the bromance was seriously and deliciously present in the last story, the way they worried, cared and cried for their younger brother was amazing. That’s why; this part gets more points.
The acting was fine as the usual formula of lakorns; James was a newbie in this series so he deserves encouragement for what he did here. His female lead was a little better than him only because Mint belongs to the industry more than him. As for characters, they were pretty much watchable; but of course you would’ve guessed by now that the second female lead was evil as her sister in Chai Pat’s story if not more. Most second female leads in Thai lakorns are so overdone with their evil tricks that it becomes unbearable after a while.
Watch if:
-You liked any of the previous parts.
-You’re looking for a great chemistry.
Do not watch if:
-You’re expecting something impressive.
Khun Chai Ronnapee was a good closure of the Suparburoot Juthatep’s series. It had great chemistry and yummy bromance.
I will surely miss the five Gentlemen of Juthatep.
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Not worth a watch!
One of the worst BL'S I've ever seen! There was no real plot, the acting was subpar and it felt all over the place. Not really sure what this was. The kissing scenes were the only thing that looked realistic! The NC scenes were pretty bad; as if the actors were trying to force these scenes to look good, yet failing miserably. Where was the story behind this BL? I managed to get through the entire series somehow( dislike leaving things unfinished), yet I never should have started watching it in the first! It really was pretty awful.Was this review helpful to you?
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Wasted talent
I won’t lie , the first 3 episodes got me OBSESSED. The acting was so good, the chemistry was chemistrying so hard and the guys were so GORGEOUS that I was wondering where those guys came from and why didn’t I know of them because they weren’t even rookies , they acted in more stuff that I thought. Ok, the plot was basic and cliché, true, the setting was a simple house and a beautiful pier and the budget was what they had in their wallets but despite all this I was so entertained with their interactions … And then the bitchy female villain showed up (gee, what a surprise) and everything turned into a melodramatic soap opera with OTT acting, teary eyes and intense feelings after only knowing each other for 4 days. The kid suddenly wasn’t sassy, bold and cheeky but rather a dummy led by the nose by that woman and although he was paid to have baldie’s back he was actually voluntarily chased away by that woman’s sob story. Meanwhile baldie was acting like a dramatic heroine in a South American telenovela, walking around all teary-eyed and sad while waiting for the kid to come back and at the same time trying to convince the fiancé ’ from hell to go back to hell and let him live happily ever after. From a 9 rating to a 6 in just 2 episodes. The kisses were decent but something was still missing. It also had a censured explicit beginning of a sex scene. I know how it sounds but trust me, it’s a thing. Like, they kiss and touch and start to undress and you’re there all tense waiting to see some skin . And when they finally remove the shirts suddenly there’s a tank top underneath. So , you see, this is what I call a censured explicit sex scene Chinese style hehe. The scene was still beautiful though and more than I expected from a Chinese show, however I still feel that this was a bit of a waste of acting talent on a subpar and way too short script.Did I mention how beautiful those men are?
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KBS Drama Special 2012: My Prettiest Moments
25 people found this review helpful
But I would definitely not mind watching this again. :)
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This has a huge group of talented young people. If they are all truly playing the instruments and singing, then they deserve props for that. I'm not a big fan of high school dramas, but I have watched a few. This puts most of them to shame in the music department. The story is pretty typical for a high school drama...bullies, childhood traumas, first love,etc. However, it was directed like a musical and I enjoyed that. I can't post about the parts I liked, because we aren't supposed to post spoilers. Bummer!!! ;-)Ha Yeon Soo as Se Yi and Da Hee as NaNa were my favorites. However, I liked all the actors and I thought they all did an excellent job.
The music is outstanding!!! You should watch this drama for that alone.
I will probably rewatch this at some point.
I recommend this drama for all ages.
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1This review may contain spoilers
Dudu & His 3 Personalities were EVERYTHING
Is our Dudu collecting generals again? Yes and no, considering one of his personalities was one himself. 😉 CL has been on a roll this year with his dramas. This one by far the most versatile. His leading lady wasn't too shabby either. They played off each other very well. Hard to have a man with three personalities who were all equally sexy in their own way.Pros: Deciding which personality to choose is very hard, though at first the vampire with LYN's OST was awesome but ultimately when all three combined into one, that was the best and the fact that how they all complimented each other and you could tell when each one peeked out a little bit. I have to command CL on doing such a wonderful job. This really makes him a versatile actor to be able to play essentially an immortal, a cold ruthless general, and a guy who has amnesia and a puppy dog in love. SML did a pretty good job too from playing someone supposedly innocent to really showing his true colors and then turning into a narcissist sociopath that's obsessed with the FL and won't let go before reality hit him hard that now as emperor he had a whole country to rule not just force a woman who didn't love him to be his empress. The dichotomy of it all was interesting to watch.
Essentially the story is as it's told in the synopsis, ML who had like 5 names so I'll just stick to ML for him, is a general from the state opposing the FL's or LS's so there's constant wars where the common people suffer. He goes out to save his bro the emperor but is tricked by the brainless wannabe empress and the evil reject with black magic essentially losing the fight and gets turned into a vampire but escapes. He needs to drink blood in order to survive and because he escapes and somehow reverts to a child, he falls down a cliff where FL just happens to be fighting his soldiers; her blood ends up on a plant and somehow drips into his mouth and from that moment on they have a blood oath where it's only her blood and he must protect her and only her. His time as a kid was cute but he becomes an adult again very quickly as her scent strengthens him. So they spend the better half of the series falling in love and doing some silly things. Meanwhile in his country; it's chaotic as the fraud with black magic essentially bound the emperor to her and chained him up for what lasted a year. She faked the deaths of the emperor and his brother the ML and stuck her toddler son on the throne appointing herself his regent or fake empress.
Back at the border there are other characters that were important like the doctor friend or LX of LS, MY who was from the mountain that vampire making artifact came from also a doctor, a few fun generals one with a crush on LS who thankfully never went for it. Other great characters were LS' brother, though spoiled at first, grew up through the help of ML and LS, her father was a good man. The emperor bro of ML, the two subordinates of ML. Also the girls in LS' mansion especially Qiao whom we lost but she will always be remembered especially by the man who came to love her. What I really loved about LS was that she gave people second chances who she didn't think were evil like the bandits because they only did what they did because of their circumstances.
The SML or CP/emperor was a narcissistic sociopath. Obviously, starting with the trauma of what his brother did to him and then everything else after a while it’s all about him does not matter who gets hurt or how as long as his bacon is out of the fire he don’t care. An example is the rage killing of his brother, the rock, and then the multiple stab wounds. Than with LS, whom he claimed to love all his life; there's no love behind that none whatsoever it’s possession, obsession and she is the trophy that he must have. The fact that he was never crippled in the first place and literally hid it from everyone, including the woman he supposedly loved was a massive red flag. She only learns this much later when he again forces the whole marriage thing once he becomes emperor. How do you do that at such a young age to be able to hide such a secret from absolutely everyone? BWJ absolutely played that portion of his character to the hilt. Also, the fact that he literally betrayed her, betrayed the ML just to get what he wanted, but ended up being betrayed himself. He trusted the evil reject after meeting him only once which was ridiculous.
We then had the other arc where evil reject removes the jade artifact from ML through force, but he was the only one to do it because originally he'd put it in him using dark magic so he had to use dark magic to take it out. Once that was taken out of him, the ML started to forget what had happened to him the entire year and start to remember his actual life. So we had the arc of him remembering, forgetting her forgetting everything; It obviously wasn't the case once he comes back to his country fake empress is very afraid of him, but she still doesn't give up power. LS fights ML gets captured tortured a little bit, but then he saves her and puts her in a safe house. Long story short he eventually remembers with the help of the second couple (who also rescued the emperor who retakes his throne) and the sociopath gets a redemption arc, that country had no other ruler so they had to make him understand that he couldn't just be tunnel obsessed with her. He had a whole country to run, and he was good at it so while unfortunately, her father died; all of SMY's hypocritical ministers wanted her dead, he faked her death to draw out ML because he finally realized ML loved her more then him and he admitted defeat plus he he admitted he couldn't love her alone, he had the country and the people to run and now they had peace as the real emperor from the other state was restored to the throne.
Leads ran off together; every character was exited out appropriately at the end. The last episode was great. I loved it and especially when we got a chance to listen to LYN OST as our ML vampire crazy train took out half of SMY's team who were fake burying LS. But that ending was great with him and her and just literally exiting everybody out; the second couple talking about marriage, the leads talk about having a kid and the final kiss. Meanwhile, everyone thought she was dead, but she gave some pastries to her brother, so her brother knew she was alive, but he had joined her army and everyone was just basically doing their thing. The fake fraud was captured, but they couldn't kill her because she had done the Black voodoo on the emperor so if she died, he would die so they just stuck her in a cage, I loved the final message that LS gave her that you used all those dirty tricks to get someone to love you who never loved you; that nobody ever loved you because of how disgusting you are and how vile.
Honestly, the only real villain that I saw that played the villain part to the hilt was SML's brother. There was something mentally wrong with him. None of these apples fall far from the tree, but SMY ended up, turning his brain around and understanding facts later on. Costumes, locations, CGI, OST's all of that was on point especially LYN's OST that was really on point. I have to say my favorite scene was of ML and LS fighting troops in the forest and she tells him that she wants to kill someone so he puts his arm to the side. She jumps on it and they just hold still for maybe a second and a half and it is the most editorial and beautiful shot with him in his vampire outfit, mask, eyes everything and she in her red and black with the cool bow and arrow, and then he catapults her into the air. It's phenomenal like that shot was my absolute favorite.
Cons: OK let's start with fake empress and evil reject like those two yes, they were part of the story, but they absolute overdid it for her and the cackling and those fake long golden nails or whatever she wore and her facial expressions and she did not carry any power whatsoever no matter what she did even when it was sadistic and cruel it just looked stupid and overdone. And the evil reject again they cast this actor to be evil; he's always been cast as a protagonist, a comedian, someone funny someone smart, but this is the 2nd time they cast him as someone evil he can't do it he just does not hit the mark and it looks really bad.
The other thing it's a small one, but someone else mentioned it in the comments, and I agree with this person, but the fact that LS literally cried in almost every scene because she happy, angry, sad, whatever the emotion was instead of actually getting angry and yelling and screaming; you are a general! Nope, she just start crying. When it was sadness, sure. However, when it's anger or some other emotion that has nothing to do with tears and that's the result, it takes the emotion out of it and it just looks wrong. I'm not blaming the actress for this. I'm sure this was all the director wanting to show, but it shouldn't have happened. When she was a general and she was fighting she was badass absolutely badass a total power couple with the vampire ML. Even when she was ML's prisoner, she spoke to him like a petulant child instead of a POW. She should've spoken to him then the way she spoke to him when he was still with her maybe that would've helped. And it showed that he started to really get his memories when he saw the sketches of the cave drawings or if in her sleep, she would say that name that she gave him when it was actually something from the past that's what made him start to question what's going on. I mean, you cannot go a whole year with missing memories and not question what the hell happened.
Would I recommend it? Yes I would; it has so many layers to uncover, especially with ML's character. His is the most complex and you really have to see how the actor does it. I think the storyline was solid and it is great for any woman who likes sexy men.
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You don't have to be perfect to be worthy of love..
Oh man, the moral puzzle.. A lot of people are viewing the drama in very black and white terms.. All they seem to focus on is the intimacy, the toxic words exchanged and he is wrong, she is wrong, things like that.. While overlooking that the story itself is far more complex than that.. I understand that it is easier to just slot them into ' he is toxic, she is the victim ' or vice versa, but come on, the writing doesn't allow us to do that.. The writing, the script, honestly that is the backbone here.. Luan Nian and Shang Zhi Tao are not the perfect couple nor are they without their own issues.. One was arrogant and the other was insecure.. Both of them were not perfect.. And I think that is the entire point that keeps getting missed in the noise around this show..The writing is so good that every argument between them feels so well written that I feel they have pulled off something even better than an actual villain.. Because there is no real villain here.. Just two people with their own flaws, insecurities and baggage, slowly bringing out the worst in each other..
Calling the ML a red flag would actually be being nice to him.. He was such an arrogant prick.. In any other drama, this exact character would be the second lead who gets rejected by episode 14.. If he had just kept his mouth shut whenever he got angry or upset, half of their problems would have never existed..
I found that quite a lot of people are blaming the ML and rightly so.. He deserves all the criticism.. I am just surprised that people have already decided that he is the bad guy and she is the pure white angel.. But that’s not really the case is it?? As the relationship goes deeper, she gets so lost in her insecurities.. She too contributes heavily to the outcome of their relationship..
Look at their relationship.. 6 years?? She won't stay over, won't move in, meets only on weekends.. Keeps him at arm's length from her flatmates who are clearly like her family in every way that matters.. While he is just the boyfriend, contained to a very specific box in her life.. She doesn't tell him what's going on in her life, hides almost everything, lies and lies.. Alright, you don't want him in the same room as your friends and flatmates, but why would you not introduce him as your BF to your Ex?? She doesn't tell her Ex that she has moved on or that she has a BF.. If she had told him she had a BF, would he have stayed the night in her room?? She could have avoided that whole embarrassing situation..
The ML introduced her to his friends and I guess he expected her to do the same.. You can see that in all those years of being in a relationship, she never really considered him family.. I am not saying she didn't love him but for her, her flatmates were family, but not him.. That was pretty clear..
Why didn't she tell him about that Dony guy incident?? She had already planned to make it public and take him down, so why didn't she tell her BF, who was also her boss?? He could have helped her.. At the very least, why keep something that serious completely hidden from him when he literally asked her??
More importantly, why didn't she tell him about her friend's death?? Honestly, I can't think of a single reason for her not to tell him.. Not one..
These are not script issues, because the character writing here is peak.. It's showing you someone who loves someone but has never once let him all the way in.. Simply put, she never made room for him.. All the frustration and anger we feel is the script doing its job..
She says ' If the other person doesn't trust you, nothing you say will matter.. ' Girl, the irony is that you are the same too.. You never gave him a reason to trust you blindly.. You just do things, hide things, lie and expect him to be okay with it.. Like, she goes out with her ex for lunch, reminisces about their old times, hugs him, but when she hears that the ML is having dinner with his Ex (which he just made up) she is pissed..
And then, all of a sudden she goes to him and starts talking about marriage.. Not because she actually wants to get married or anything but because her friend is getting married.. And the idea of marriage sounded good to her.. How does that work?? You both are literally having problems, a cold war is going on and there are so many things you need to talk about.. Instead of actually having a conversation about what is going on between you two or resolving the issues you already have, you jump straight to marriage?? Again, she just expects him to like it, accept it and go along with whatever she wants.. You didn't even agree to live with him or introduce him to your ex or anyone for that matter and you expect him to just rush into marriage with you??
"I thought our fourth year being together would mean something deeper than when we first dated."
How can it be deeper when after all this time, he is still just a BF who exists within those four walls.. If you had introduced him to your ex that day, this whole thing might have been different.. The ML stated his concerns and wanted her to think it through, because all he sees is someone who loves him but for whatever reason, doesn't want to involve him in any other part of her life..
The ML here is much softer compared to the original novel.. Like they toned him down on purpose to make him more acceptable.. If they wanted the same effect as the novel, they shouldn't have done it, because here we are forced to look at her flaws too now.. Luke was always trying to be there for her.. There are a lot of things he did that showed us the effort he put in for her.. But when you look back, you don't really see her doing much for him.. The effort she put in and the effort he put in were entirely one sided.. Don't tell me that's the bare minimum, because that's not.. And even if it is, we don't see the bare minimum from her side, at all.. She never made him her priority..
The drama simply deserved more episodes.. 28-30 would have been perfect.. The Harbin arc was so rushed.. If there were more episodes, we could have seen quite a lot more.. I would have loved it even more if they hadn't cut his smoking scenes, it fits the character so well.. I also wish they had kept the part from the novel where she travels from Harbin to Beijing for him.. Now that was her effort and several of the things she did for him in the relationship were just cut.. That's disappointing..
I am not going to talk about anything else.. I don't want to make this any longer than it already is.. Here's the thing people keep missing when they try to crown one of them the villain.. Luke and Flora were never a perfect couple.. They both came in with their own baggage, their own insecurities and their own trust issues and there are entire stretches of this drama where both of them handle things badly.. They hurt each other.. They say things they shouldn't.. They make bad situations worse instead of better.. But that's also what makes this story so exciting.. Watching them navigate this not so perfect relationship, with all their flaws, mistakes and everything that comes with it..
I rated this 8.5.. 8 for the story and Jing Bo Ran and Sun Qian.. 0.5 for Luke, the Dog...
P.S. Let's not pretend that Luke would actually stand a chance with her without all this drama and Flora with a green flag?? Yeah, no.. Not her cup of tea..
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This review may contain spoilers
This drama really did well at the beginning; there were romantic sparks between the main leads and there was a tantalizing mystery to be solved. I loved the back-and-forth between the CEO and his secretary, it was adorable from beginning to end. But my main problem with this drama is that, in my opinion, the conflict was resolved way too early. The mystery behind the kidnapping, and which brother was actually the victim, was wrapped up a little over half way through the drama; around episode 11 or 12. I thought that there was going to be a larger plot point involved, but once the truth was revealed, the trauma seemed to just disappear. They never dealt with it properly, it was just like "oh, everything is perfectly fine now that everybody knows what really happened".So I got bored with the last 4-5 episodes because next to nothing happened besides the main couple being cute with each other. It was somewhat enjoyable, but when there is no driving force to the story (aka "conflict") it just deflates. Sure, there were mini-issues, like getting acceptance/permission to marry from the secretary's family. But honestly, everyone knew how it was going to end by episode 12. The happy couple was going to get married, it just took them 4 episodes of not much happening besides a few couple quarrels to actually reach the wedding. I dunno, I just felt like the mystery could've had larger repercussions after the truth was out, instead of being swept under the rug.
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It didn't feel right
So I came out of this drama not too enthused, but my issues weren't with the main couple not ending up together. Because this was inspired by the song of the same name, it was pretty evident to anyone who made that connection that this would be the case and we knew from early on that BIJ and NHD wouldn't be endgame. There were a lot of other things about the ending, though, that made my feelings turn sour.At the start of the drama, I was engrossed. It had a lot of charm and magic to it that motivated me to do things after watching an episode. I looked forward to it as a sort of end-of-week comfort where I could watch these characters strive to connect and grow and find themselves. Usually, I don't like youth dramas. In fact, I almost didn't watch this drama because of the 'youth' descriptors it had when it started airing and only really gave it a shot because I had a spare hour and nothing else to watch. But I surprisingly liked it. I liked the characters and their personalities, and though I really didn't care for any of the scenes where fencing was highlighted, I had fun. The side couple was easily the best part of the series, and what I appreciated about BYJ and NHD's relationship was just how good they were for each other and how, unlike a lot of romances that have been airing in recent years, they felt like they deserved each other. They built each other up and were each other's strength and support, and you could tell how much they genuinely cared about each other. I felt that if the drama decided to derail the ending of the song, it would have been earned.
It was the last 4-5 episodes where the magic died for me. The comedy was still fun but as the characters moved on from high school, everything felt bleak and miserable, like their lives were over. The issue with KYR's family that lasted, what, almost en entire episode? It felt unnecessary like they were wasting time and just trying to use it to form a rift between the main couple right as they were just getting together. We don't really get to see many scenes of NHD and BYJ dating happily before or after that incident. It was as though the drama only wanted to get them together in order to break them up as the song dictated, and that was one of the things that soured the experience the most for me. We spent twice as long agonizing over their breakup and how their relationship wouldn't work out as we did with them actually being together, and we spent even longer than that running around, trying to get them together in the first place. In the end, that disproportionate focus made their development just feel like a big waste of time. On top of that, the way the characters spoke made it feel like they thought their lives were already over the moment that they graduated. We had present-day NHD constantly talking about how carefree and happy she was back then and how it felt like they had forever, as though being an adult and having additional responsibilities meant that she couldn't enjoy her time anymore, which is probably the bleakest message I've seen from a drama in a long time.
By this point, the drama just wasn't fun to watch anymore. I sat on the last episode for a week before finally getting up the will to finish it, and I want my time back. I didn't enjoy it, and they just focused on the breakup itself. Wouldn't it have made more sense to dedicate some time to show how they got their lives on track and moved on? We heard about NHD getting married and retiring, but we never saw her husband and don't even know his name. We didn't see her fall in love again, or how this new guy was a better match for her than BYJ. We just saw that, hey, they had a kid together. He's apparently overseas on a business trip. Convenient. For BYJ, we just know that he took over NHD's mother's job and got his family back together, but we never see him in the present-day, either (I'll presume because they didn't want to recast him). Did he ever move on from NHD and fall in love with someone else? Does he have a new family, kids? Or is he just working and doing absolutely nothing else with his life? We don't really get to see many friends of his other than the ones he shares with NHD and that one guy from work, which is depressing, so it just feels sad to think about where he ended up.
Speaking of the present, was any of it really necessary? I don't think so. the actress who played NHD in the present, while pretty, didn't really feel like NHD. She felt a bit generic and was boring to watch on film, and I don't think it's really her fault. She just didn't have much to do. Her daughter was literally just there to introduce the diaries and barely has a unique personality, and in the present, we don't get to see any of the other characters because, again, they probably didn't want to recast them. Or they didn't put much thought into what they were doing now, so many years later. So if we don't get anything out of it, why is it there? We don't see how things have changed or what's happened over the years, which would be the only reason to add those modern-day scenes. Instead of adding those, I wish they used the time they spend on the modern scenes to instead give us some of that middle-ground of their relationship working before it collapsed, or some closure as to what happened to them after that breakup.
I'd also like to comment a bit on the breakup itself. As someone who was in a long-distance relationship for several years with someone who lived halfway across the world (and is now married to that someone), while I do understand their struggles, the scenes between them while they were apart and the slow-building frustration they had left me a bit... I don't know, exhausted? Separation like that is something that a lot of couples have to deal with, even more so now in today's day and age. I will concede that these days it's significantly easier to spend time with people across the world and long-distance relationships aren't as difficult as they would have been in 2001. But those issues being brought up in such extenuating circumstances as the aftermath of the 9/11 attack felt a bit... off, or cheap, or exploitative. Not being able to be with your SO because their work takes them all around the world is one thing, and I get being bitter about a relationship because of that, but in circumstances like that, knowing what BYJ was dealing with, I wasn't fond of the way NHD handled it the moment that he got back. I feel like relationship troubles should be put on the back burner when a tragedy like that is involved.
Do I disagree with them breaking up? No, not really. If she wasn't able to be supportive in that situation, then it's probably for the best. If he couldn't trust her with what he was going through and open up, then they weren't good for each other. But that's what feels so wrong to me. They WERE that supportive earlier on in their relationship before they ever started dating. They opened up to each other and were each other's strengths, and even when BYJ disappeared without a word to anyone, NHD still waited for him. So of all the ways for them to end their relationship, this way felt wrong. It didn't feel like them. If they realized they wanted different things out of a relationship and out of life and separated on good terms, that would suit this couple. But, I don't know... maybe it's just me. When the problems they encountered were so similar to what they overcame before, it soured the experience.
Overall, the last few episodes aren't really worth watching. They're not enjoyable and I found myself checking the clock multiple times, waiting for each one to end. They were too long and lost the spirit that the show started out with. Would I recommend the first 12 or so episodes? Yeah, definitely. But I wouldn't recommend the rest unless you don't have much else to do.
It had a lot of promise and spark, but I'm just not happy with it, and the issues I highlighted above soured the earlier episodes for me, so I don't think I'll ever pick it up for a re-watch. There are just too many good shows out there to spend time on one that didn't feel satisfying.
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Avoid… a complete disaster.
What a deception! I rarely rate a drama 1 but here we are…Facts: Princess Agents (PA) incorporated supernatural elements. Rebirth featured fabricated events and storylines. PA was supposed to have a second season and not end on a bittersweet note. Rebirth was intended to be the sequel but became a completely different story from the novel and certainly not a logical follow-up to PA. Rebirth failed to satisfy in the romance department and concluded with a sad, unsatisfying ending that killed both FL and ML.
I never have preconceived notions before watching a drama. I was even excited. I didn’t care about the age gap but wondered how they would shoot the happy ending with a couple very much in love without physical interactions, but why not? I was open-minded; I’ve seen how prude Chinese directors can be and happy endings nonetheless. I never watch FL Tiantian on screen, and most of the others, except, of course, ML. I was curious—the same curiosity I had when Joy of Life S2 aired. Mostly because both stories are my favorite novels and dramas.
Well... that was a major slap in the face. This drama was a complete mess. It felt like the cast was just out of school, reciting lines without conviction or trying too hard. Rebirth’s first episode started with a cliff of corpses (uh?). My eyes rolled so much that I had to grab a bottle of XX (#sarcasm)
They completely missed the mark with the rebirth project—wrong casting, wrong scriptwriter, wrong director, wrong narrative. The PA audience expected logical continuity after the lake ending, with romance, a happy ending, and genuine chemistry between the leads. Instead, they cast a 17-year-old and a lead who is a decade older. She was praised for her knowledge and experience after being cast in PA… She was around 10 and shot only a few scenes as a young teen in PA, probably in just two days. What knowledge? What experience? Was she even allowed to read this novel, since there are references to sex encounters? Their choice wasn't based on her talent but rather her connection to Zhao Lying and PA. ML was hired for his popularity, and Yan Xun was cast based on his looks. There was absolutely zero chemistry between them.
Rebirth was announced as the sequel to Princess Agents. However, what they failed to mention was that all the unresolved questions—such as the supernatural spider-ice power, her origins, her difficult, complex love story with Zhuge Yue, Li Ce's unrequited love, and Yan Xun's complicated first and obsessive love—were entirely ignored. Rebirth took the story in a different direction, with no romance. The forty-episode run ended on a disappointing, sad note, with both ML and FL dead. I am not sure why they chose to kill the main leads… definitive closure for this TV drama? Trying to gain more tears from the audience to end it dramatically?
They fail. Big time. In every major aspect. Casting, script, directing.
I am undecided about the martial arts since some scenes looked like toddlers playing with sticks. Absolutely not convincing.
The only positive aspects are the beautiful visuals and some supporting cast members, although I'm not even sure since most actors and actresses are dubbed… (sidenote: I am so happy the elephant in the room is out in the open, and decades of lies are over, and the voice actors are now recognized and behind big famous names too).
Many fans believe there is a popularity rivalry between Princess Agents and Rebirth. They are mistaken. Comparison is inevitable. Princess Agents was not a huge success when it aired, mainly because the novel's author was dealing with plagiarism issues. However, the cast, script, director, and OST were outstanding. The story was engaging from episode 1. The only issue was the final episode, which, as we know, ended on a bittersweet note with no resolution. It was not meant to have a different ending because season 2 was supposed to follow. Unfortunately, Season 2 never aired for various reasons, and the fans expressed their frustration loudly.
I compare this drama to someone expecting a luxurious meal and getting a sandwich instead… not worth it to watch.
I encourage you to watch Princess Agents and read the novel. Both have different narratives, but both are very addictive. Rebirth? What rebirth? It is certainly not a Phoenix but ashes.
The director, Lu Hao Ji Ji, also helms The Double. He tends to favor sad endings, often resulting in the death of either the female lead or the male lead, or both. Keep his name in mind, as I will, before watching a drama. For those like me who prefer happy endings, I will definitely avoid any drama if he is involved.
Sidenote… On Douban (general rate 2.9), 91% of reviewers rated this drama 1 or 2 stars. They disliked or hated it. MDL rated it 7.5 up to mid-series then dropped to 6… with ratings on both platforms consistently declining each day.
Conclusion: a major failure.
***
Main Characters:
Novel:
All the events in PA and Rebirth are inspired by the novel, reflecting common practice. They borrow elements and adapt them for each celebrity cast in the dramas. What they notably failed to do in Rebirth was to show how emotionally broken Chu Qiao was when she left Yan Xun for good. She loved him as her first love, remained faithful and loyal, but after they escaped to Yanbei, he lost his humanity and turned his genuine love into possession. He also became jealous when she gained popularity and respect within his army (except among his close lieutenants, who had an agenda). The more he pushed her away with his actions and jealousy, the more he became a selfish tyrant. He was a broken man. He never recovered from her departure. He loved her, but his love was twisted.
Zhuge Yue fell for her because she was his favorite main servant. In the novel, he never taught her martial arts, but they later fell in love. When she left his house, she was about 9 or 10. She stayed confined with Yan Xun for 8 years, then they escaped to Yanbei. That age difference makes both dramas quite different, as Zhuge Yue waited 10 years before confessing his love. It took many years before she could finally admit she loved him.
Li Ce's love for her was never known to her while he was alive. She understood how much he protected her and loved her unconditionally only after his death. He definitely had many concubines, but he loved only two women in his life: one was dead, and Chu Qiao. He gave her everything, but he knew she didn't love him as a man, so he kept his love silent. When he was assassinated, she took over his empire and united it again. She saved his two children, fulfilling one of his last wishes and requests to her. I admit that I cried like a baby reading the chapters
Endings:
Novel: (very) happy
Princess Agent: bittersweet
Rebirth: sad
Novel:
Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue become the king and queen of a northern kingdom, likely Mongolia, although it’s never explicitly mentioned. Their kingdom has no slavery. They have two children and an adopted child from Li Ce. Li Ce's second child is raised to be the future emperor, with strong support from Chu Qiao. After the lake, when Chu Qiao thought he had died, he remained hidden for a couple of years. She remained almost alone for 2 years in the middle of nowhere, managing an inn. It is during this period that Chu Qiao went to the Li Ci Empire for a couple of years. They were separated many times. It takes some time before they live together, and they marry after they become a couple, meaning they had sex before marriage. Their sex life is very happy (lol), and Zhuge Yue never takes a concubine or another wife. The ending focuses on all their grown-up children. It leaves room for a new story, but it never gets concretized. So, indeed, a happy ending for them.
Yan Xun does not die and remains alone in his vast palace. He's an emperor. He married and has an empress he doesn't care about at all, and he also has hundreds of concubines, many of whom look very much like Chu Qiao physically (sleep with them once and discard them). He ends up lonely, filled with mixed feelings for his choices that drove Chu Qiao away, but he also understands that his desire for power, revenge, and jealousy took precedence. He never loved anyone else but her. His love was selfish and possessive. He placed her on a pedestal. In his eyes, no other woman could ever replace her. He remained a virgin a long time (maybe around 30?) until the day his spies told him that she was a real couple with Zhuge Yue. Then he took 2 high prostitutes into his bed, and the long list of concubines and mistresses started. They only ever shared one memorable, unique kiss—no sex. Some see it as obsessive, but I see it differently. I saw a man who lost his soul after the slaughter of his family, and only Chu Qiao was his anchor. His lieutenants, jealous of Chu Qiao, fed him lies, and his jealousy took over… pushing her away. She lived alone in Yanbei for 2 years, and when her own army was in trouble because of Yan Xun, she left and never returned. After that, he met her in person once, but it was brief—mostly just looking into each other's eyes. Both understood it would be the last time they'd see each other. When he realized she loved Zhuge Yue, he tried to kill her on the battlefield—not by himself—by sending groups. If she couldn't love him, nobody would. Of course, he failed. Yan Xun achieved his goal of becoming the emperor of Yanbei and killed thousands of enemies, until the last option to keep the Yanbei empire alive was to sign a peace treaty. Everyone feared him; nobody loved him. He was utterly alone, missing her and thinking of her.
Do not expect love declarations in the novel. This is NOT a romance. However, the three men fell madly in love with her. She was not mentally wired to understand their love. Extremely loyal. yes. Extremely committed, yes. Extremely fierce to protect, yes. For her, love had many faces.
***
The novel has under 300 chapters, and many full translations are available—some of okay quality, others less so. Dissatisfied with what I found, I decided to proofread and edit it myself, but it isn't complete yet. I am also working on other novels like Joy of Life, Word of Honor (BL), and other romances, as well as Xianxia. As a human editor, not relying on AI, I update slowly but consistently. *The link to my blog is in my profile* 😉
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The story had your typical marriage-contract trope - which I'm a big fan of.^^ It was cute and really funny but later took a drastical turn and got really emotional. And because the acting -and the portraying of some situations in general- were pretty realistic, it was sometimes really hard to bear for my poor heart. xD There were even lot's of twists in the story! :) But the story is somehow better explained through the characters, since they were the strongest part of the drama._______________________
CHARACTERS
▸Moei (FL): At first she seemed like those naive, love-driven, standard-FL's. Even a little crazy/delusional. Her behaviour at the beginning even resembled those crazy SFL's. But actually underneath, she was aware the whole time that ML didn't like her. She had a pretty serious side and just swallowed everything what ML said to her. And she was intelligent and strong. Sometimes I couldn't understand some of her decisions tho. She was super interesting for me. She gave, without actually expecting something in return. Such a beautiful person. <3 And she started flirting first. hehe.
▸P'Thien (ML): He was the kinda mean ML, at least he seemed like that. He was turning down the FL. On the one hand you could feel exactly when he fell in love. And especially in the later ep's he had his character development.
▸The friend trio of the ML was hella funny! xD
▸ The evil SL's were sometimes hard to watch but bearable.
▸ AND we got a lesbian couple! :)
_______________________
CAST/ACTING
As I already mentioned the acting was pretty realistic, especially towards the end. But it was great in general! The cast was amazing. Mark sure is hot and omg, Mew is such a beautiful woman! ^0^ Their styles here really matched them well! They looked so good and natural. :3
_______________________
MUSIC
Oh my lord. Amazing! They used Slot Machine's "Yesterday" and Mark even covered it. And I love this song soo much! If anyone asks, what kind of music I like - it's this. But the other OST's were great too. Specially the opening. :)
__________________________
ALL IN ALL
Great drama! Sure it had it's flaws. A few things even didn't make sense to me (only few). But I could overlook them all since I was amazed by the overall. For me it was unique in it's ways :) Loved it. I wish we could see more dramas like that. I enjoyed watching it. And we got a very beautiful ending. (*^▽^*)
Watch it! Enjoy! ^-^
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I Still Like This Drama Despite The Annoying Things
I've seen my fair share of firefighting theme dramas and while this one isn't perfect and has a lot of annoying and frustrating moments for me, this is probably the better one I've seen compared to the others. To summarize my ratings, the story was good for about 25 episodes. Then fell flat the rest of the 11 episodes. Main characters were great but it's the FL's childhood best friend, the jealous reporter, & the good to bad intern were the reason the acting/cast category lost points. Lots of pointless characters or lack of character growth/progression. The music osts were pretty good overall. A lot of rescue/firefighter theme dramas tend to have good songs. Not a guarantee rewatch but I may come back to certain episodes that I enjoyed.What I like about this drama:
* The ML's character Jin Shi Chuan & the FL's character Xu Lai both have a story that was focus on and both had a conclusion. It was a healing process for both of them.
* Main couple relationship was adorable and cute once they got together. Girl chases guy for a while but there was also a small moment where the guy had to chase the girl.
* Secondary couple also had a story (more of the SFL than the SML and I also enjoy the screen time of them together. Guy chases girl which also heals her and for a small moment, girl chases guy to help heal him.
* Love the brotherhood of the firefighters. I like how they are so relaxing with each other and love to talk among each other when it came to Capitan Jin.
* I enjoy the episodes when they introduce the dogs to the firefighters and trained with them
* The music osts were great. I enjoyed listen to every intro and ending ost when watching an episode.
What annoyed me about this drama:
* Xu Lai seemed a bit stalkerish in the beginning and made the first several episodes hard to watch. She wasn't much different from her childhood best friend who had a crush on her.
* The love rival for Shi Chuan aka Xu Lai's childhood best friend Huo being delusional thinking he has a chance with her despite Xu Lai specifically stating she doesn't seem him as someone she could fall in love with but just as a bro. Bad writing on this character since the writers stalled his progression until around Ep 29.
* Breakup of the main couple that lasted 3 episodes. The old, I don't want to be a burden to you so that's why I'm breaking up with you cliche.
* The failure of the 3rd couple featuring Huo due to the lack of growth and progression in his character and not moving on from the crush he had on Xu Lai after being rejected.
* Stupid jealous witch reporter: A minor villain who served no purpose in this drama other than to annoy the viewers. You can easily take her out of the drama and this drama wouldn't be affected. A case of bad writing and adding nonsense to a drama that wasn't needed.
* The anger from the camera man intern: What was the point of this? He all of the sudden gets bad at Xu Lai, who he was interning under, for something that's beyond her control? This is another case of stupid writing because his character wasn't even significant enough to be shown he had a problem.
* Another case of wedding not fully being complete because of a sudden call for an emergency. Seriously? Why do Chinese writers keep putting this scenario towards the end of the drama?
* Story plot stalled. Repetitive things happening once the main issues for Shin Chuan & Xu Lai were resolved. It almost seemed like the writers ran out of ideas and started to repeat things towards the last several episodes. Examples: Stupid jealous reporter returning to cause trouble, Huo not giving up on Xu Lai, etc.
The problem I have with rescue or firefighter themes drama is there's seemed to never be enough rescue missions. The writers did a good job showing it in the beginning only to rarely show it in the middle and towards the end. I did like the episodes where the firefighter rescue squad met and train with their dogs, but even then, there wasn't much mission with the dogs as well. That's a bit disappointing considering there's a dog on the drama poster. I kind of wanted more involvement with the dogs but it is what it is.
Despite all of that, I still enjoyed it, mostly because of the main couple, secondary couple, and the firefighters. Their cute & silly moments are the reason why I manage to continue this drama despite all of the other frustrations. The ending could've been better but at least it's a good ending.
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