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Most of it is due to the excellent cast. I knew Ueto Aya from Attention Please and loved her there: she was the reason why I watched that drama and the only reason why I completed it. There she was feisty and entertaining, here she plays the role of a disillusioned young woman, wary of men - who can blame her? - and in desperate need of warmth and a sense of belonging. Her acting is outstanding, one can't help falling in love with her fragility, her courage and beauty.
Takenouchi Yutaka is just as awesome. His character is that of an honest man who leads a simple life but is ready to go to any length in order to save his sister. He's so sedate throughout the whole drama, I expected him to burst out at some point. But he didn't, and I realize now this is what makes him into such an endearing character. He expresses a world of meaning via glances and silences: I loved it.
The encounter between Risa and Kengo is poignant and their interaction from that point on is always defined by a sedate fire. Nobody shouts, or desperately cries or have fits of anger, and yet the chemistry is powerful.
I don't think it's accidental that Matsuda Shota speaks in a very sedate and calm way too through the whole show. This is the imprint of Nagareboshi. Just like the beautiful jellyfishes that float around in the aquarium. I never thought I could come to consider jellyfishes such beautiful creatures.
The side cast is just as brilliant, mostly the women.
The photography deserves a mention too. There are some truly outstanding sceneries of Japan shown in this drama. I was captivated by the colours and the general atmosphere. I love it that Japanese can produce wonderful dramas without the pomp and the shine we have been accustomed to with the usual super stars sporting gorgeous outfits or your average hero under the shower. This is a simple yet complicated love story between two very average people. It could be us.
The music is beautiful, although not my genre. I usually prefer instrumental pieces in dramas, so I don't really care much for songs. But it suits the pace and the feel of the drama perfectly.
If you like well acted, slow developing stories without love triangles or squares, played on style more than actual happenings, this drama is for you. I suppose it's for mature viewers - and I'm not referring to age.
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This review may contain spoilers
MALE CEO WHO HATE LIES MEETS MISS LIE
Updated!! watching it in 2023. Romance 10/10 , annoying characters 10/10, last few episode dropped the rating from 9.5 to 8.5. Those side characters are way too annoying, and the fact that the male lead got mad at her...I enjoyed this drama for the most part, up until the end, the end kinda ended abrupt ( will talk about it later)
Story: Male CEO absolutely hates people to lie, so he insist on tell the truth all the time which sometimes truth can hurt. Female lead is the opposite, she likes to tell more white lies. ( male lead had an traumatic encounter with a lie and vow to never lie again) The two meet after the male lead exposed her cheating bf and also made her lose her job. She ends up applying to the male lead company. They start off on the wrong foot, because he is finding that she always lies. The female lead helps the male lead talk and try to get clients for his architect company. Slowly the two fall in love, and his truthfulness starts to change her, and her white lies start to change him. She also helps heal the male lead and second male lead's broken friendship.
The female lead doesn't lie to hurt people , but she does white lies because she doesn't want to hurt her family, but also because she is scared to face the truth. With the help of the male lead, he encourages her to be herself and not to be scared or think she is a small potato. Through her struggles , the male lead sees that not all lies are bad.
Romance: this was one pair that was oozing with chemistry. every kiss was very cute and passionate ;) The way the male lead expresses his love for her is a little too much for my heart to handle. ( heart flutters) Seriously loved all the scenes.
I kinda skipped over the second male/female pairing love story lol not at interesting to me .
Annoying character: there was one lol , the female partner who liked the male ceo. Doing too much tio try to ruin the leads relationship. Please dont be a b....
Ending: not going to spoil it, but i felt like it could of wrapped it up better. I felt there was some unnesscary/ didnt make sense plot development towards the end.
Overall: I really liked the meaning and messages behind the story. its not bad as other review said. Also cute female lead, hot male lead, nice chemistry too.
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STORY
Like I said before the plot is very typical for japanese dramas and the yankee or problematic kids it's a theme that's very present in japanese dramas or movies but this movie wasn't about a problematic child it was something more.
ACTING/CAST
Seriously the main actress Arimura Kasumi really impressed me because I watched strobe edege (movie that I hated...yeah I'm weird and don't kill me thanks) but this movie really proved me wrong and showed me that she's a great actress and that I should be checking more of her works.
Yoshida You was incredible as Sayaka's mom she made me cry at least 2 times, well actually I was a sea of tears maybe because I'm very sensitive lol she really stood out for me in this movie and I'll make sure to check out more of her movies or dramas.
Of course we can't forget Ito Atsushi as that positive teacher that more of one we would have liked to have when we were in high school, he did a great job being this optimistic, kind and inspirational teacher, great job.
MUSIC
Actually I like some of the music here and there was a song by Masquerade that I really liked (and I know that because I searched it with shazam lol) the music fits pretty well with the movie and you may discover some good music
REWATCH VALUE
10/10 nothing more to say about it for me at least.
OVERALL
A great movie that you need to watch, it was a story that can happen in real life and shows you the importance of a good role model or you don't even need that just with someone that believes in you like Sayaka's mom, it really touched me. If you're sensitive like me maybe you'll cry but I cried and laughed with this amazing movie so after this long review YOU NEED TO WATCH THIS!
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This review may contain spoilers
Jyoou no Kyoushitsu is a drama which is intense,significant,educative and addictive. The main attraction of this drama is that it is an exception to the typical school dramas. All Japanese classroom dramas so far have been about the teacher saving the students from their own folly.On the other hand, Akutsu Maya-sensei is the teacher no one ever wants to have.She's Brilliant, manipulative, obsessive, and dead set on making sure that the students fall in line with her rules.
Another good point is unpredictability. The Queen's Classroom breaks from traditional drama with an apparently evil teacher who is out to prove that the world is a harsh place, and so is her classroom.She's a cunning and calculative teacher and systematically removes the parental and academic protection the children had enjoyed, and forces them to deal with their problems themselves.
The Queen's Classroom" is an astonishingly well elaborated and smart drama series, which points at the bad condition at Japanese schools or certain deficiencies in Japanese society in general, and does so in a very entertaining way. The show isn't just thought-provoking;it is also very touching, appealing and persuasive concerning its message.
Last but not least is the outstanding cast. Amami Yuki, the actress who plays Akutsu Maya, did exceptionally well in portraying such a devilish teacher. I think it's because She did so well that for the end credits of each episode, they decided to show her after a take and smiling, a facial expression only used when she does something particularly "evil "!!
Shida Mirai did an excellent job as the innocent-minded child. she's incredibly adorable and became my favorite teenage Japanese actress after this drama.
The two specials were indeed very special and did an awesome job in explaining the reasons why the characters acted the way they did.They reveal all they mysteries,answer all the questions and justify all the actions.
I can write so many things in praise of this drama!! But it’s very hard to continue without giving spoilers.
This is a drama which everybody should watch.If you believe that this is a show solely for teenagers or even children, only because almost all of the main actors aren't older than twelve and drop it half way then you are mistaken. It’s only if u watch it till the end then you would realize how ‘not-childish’ this drama is! This series suffers from minor defects in the story line but nothing is perfect and please don't give unnecessary importance to these occasional faults and belittle this great drama.
Although the atmosphere throughout the series is quite dark, Queen's Classroom is actually one hell of an entertaining show!Hope you'll enjoy this wonderful 'monogatari' as much as I did.
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"Sometimes, it's better to choose your own family."
(I deleted my previous review because it was too verbose)Understated yet touching, fantastic performances especially in the last half hour, perfect casting, great direction, a close look at economic disparity within a modern and developed nation, doesn't glamorise poverty, balances both hope and bleakness, fully deserving of Palme D'Or IMO. A testament to love transcending biological relations, proof that a complete puzzle of family can be formed out of leftover pieces.
You should watch this one twice.
10/10
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This review may contain spoilers
The reality of broken families and the impact on mental health.
An incredible representation of how a family environment can impact a child’s mental health. Perhaps it was because I could relate so well to this drama that made me love it so much. My first review ever because of this 11/10 show. Warning: long & a lot of spoilers.Main Characters:
It’s without a doubt that each family will go through their own troubles. Let’s talk about Ling Xiao first. The entire time I was just hoping that he truly receives proper therapy and releases his repressed feelings that he’s been harbouring since childhood. Firstly, he had to live through the trauma of seeing his younger sister die. Then he was blamed for it by his mother. (God, seeing how much blame he put on himself for his sister’s death…heartbreaking. You see it in his eyes. And she also throws out all of their photos together… I wonder if he still remembers how his little sister looks like.. ) Then he had to witness his parents go through a terrible relationship following it…. and then HE GETS ABANDONED BY HIS MOTHER.
You would think that’s all he would go through. His heart and emotional stability gets stomped on again when the mother comes back, then is injured and he is expected to take care of her… and then suddenly he is needed again. And then she hates the people who truly gave him the love that he so desperately needed to fill the gap of being abandoned.
Although calling Xian Xian his “heart medicine” demonstrates some unhealthy reliance for someone to “fix him”, putting a lot of pressure on her, anyone can understand that. She was the positive light in his life ever since he met her. Her and Li father gave him so much warmth from the get-go, knowing that his family was broken. She accepted him at all costs, irregardless of his stoic and reserved attitude.
Jian jian and her father’s healthy relationship is truly the backbone of this entire drama. Time after time, you see the dependence on Jian jian from her friends and from her brothers for that love, positivity, and support. Same goes for the father - people go back to that restaurant and that home again and again to feel that love, to feel that care that he so generously gives. These two were the epitome of genuine, healthy, healing from their trauma.
Moving forward to Zi Qiu.. my baby. Oh, my sweet baby. The number of times I cried because of him. You can see that he takes a different approach to his anger - he regularly releases it, does things impulsively, and voices when he’s in pain. Tbh, I appreciated this a bit more.. I just wanted to hold him tight and close whenever I witnessed his breakdown. I knew from the beginning that his mother would never just leave without a proper reason.. and when the truth was revealed. Wow. Damn. I just wish she knew that her son would have forgiven her. How could he blame her? What could she have done? She did the right thing back then, but I wish Zi Qiu had known the truth. I believe that Zi Qiu would have a healthy recovery and that he would truly live life to the fullest again.
I also had a huge liking for the side characters, especially Jian jian’s besties. Ming Yue’s mother is that “tiger mom” that all us asians know of. The need to control her daughter’s life, “for her benefit” - man, we’d be dead drunk if we took a shot every time we heard “wei ta hao!”. Although they ended up with a warmer relationship at the end, I still don’t know if Ming Yue’s mother learned from the divorce and saw how much she put Ming Yue through. I think the releasing of the fishies in the trapped little tank had something to do with Ming Yue’s freedom though.
Tang Can’s mother was a bit like that too, but not so bad I would say. I liked that the primary focus for this character was her genuine, hardworking, and relentless desire to pursue her dream. She knew exactly what she wanted for herself, and struggled for so long to convince her mother (and all her friends) that this was what she was always meant to do. What she needed was that push. That trust and belief in her dream - and I am so glad that Zhuang Bei discovered how her eyes simply lit up as she talked about acting, and took that extra step to help her fulfill her dream. Incredible. I was rooting for her like crazy and was SO sad when she took up that museum job :(.
Another one I truly felt for was Little Orange. Xiao cheng zi, gah. She’s definitely lived through some brutal trauma... having her father die and then witnessing her mother’s crippling mental health, constant suicide attempts, and seeing how badly she treated her older brother. I genuinely hope she finds her way back to this loving bunch, and lives off their love. I could tell that she really enjoyed her time with them, and that she found a sense of security. I can also tell that she built a genuine relationship with Ling Xiao, despite all of the hurt that he was going through. During their time in Singapore and the reality of their mother’s situation… they needed one another.
I am so thankful for Li Ba. Tbh, Ling Ba was aight - I felt that there could have been more appearances of him in this drama or that he showed a bit more warmth. He always seem to appear ‘from work’. Towards the end he definitely showed more care towards Ling Xiao, but I think he just didn’t believe in himself as a father. Cue the self-deprecating comparisons to Li Ba and how he just isn’t the best father to talk to. Well… if you say it so candidly like that, then you simply won’t be the best father to talk to. I wish the conversation that they had in the last episode was like that for all of their previous conversations. But, I guess it shows how much character development Ling Ba went through and his epiphanies of how much damage the relationship he had with Ling Xiao’s mother caused Ling Xiao.
OK real talk though wow Chen Ting was so messed. She needed serious help. Her manipulation tactics were seriously on point. Threatening suicide and constantly flipping into victim mentality to get her son to stay. Yes, it is evident that she was suicidal and had little hope for life. But it’s one thing to get help and ask for support.. but it’s a whole different story if you are using it to blackmail someone to stay. Her loss of her child and her husband - she really did blame herself. But she took it out on others. I wish that she could have forgiven herself. I’m so glad that her final attempt didn’t go through. I know that she will eventually be okay.
Oh my. The amount of tears I shed in this drama. The chemistry between the characters, the love in these families, wow. I kinda was hoping for a wedding, but I guess the little family portrait was good too. Perfectly wrapped up.
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Kimchi Family is a real family drama with an extremely well written mystery and lovely little romance wrapped up inside. Every episode highlights a recipe for a type of Kimchi or on some occasions, a traditional Korean dish. Every type of kimchi and how it is prepared is mixed with a lesson about family, forgiveness, friendship, love, trust and on and on. The writing and acting are extremely well done. The way the plot advances and moves toward its conclusion is not rushed and no story line is left hanging. The pacing is perfect. This is a rare thing, even for the best Kdrama.
The thing that struck me about this drama is it's mix of corny and wise, silly and serious, tender and real. The well played out mysteries are what ended up surprising me. There were actually two! Ki Ho Tae and his search for his roots and another, slightly darker mystery that I won't spoil here. The great thing about how they were written is the subtlety and rationale of the characters. Each actors' dialog and reactions weren't over melodramatic and maudlin and yet still emotional and moving. I was excited to see how they would be solved.
I also loved how every episode was all about food, it's preparation, it's healing qualities for body and soul and it's ability to bring family together; both blood family and the family you choose with your heart.
Song Il Gook and Park Jin Hee were great. Their romance was sweet and their chemistry was lovely. Every actor did a great job. I have not one complaint.
The cinematography and lighting, the set designs were all so well done. I'm almost sad it's over now because I'm going to miss Earth and Man Restaurant.
The music was great! There is one song in particular that I absolutely loved. I don't know the name but it was a mix of traditional Korean, modern pop and rap! It was so catchy that I was actually bummed when an episode passed and it wasn't played.
I gave the re-watch value a 10 because even though I might not watch this again, it certainly is as far from a 1 (pathetic) as you could get.
I recommend this highly for anyone who is looking for an original (yes, original!) story and one that is maturely written and very well told.
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Enemies at the Beginning, Lovers at the End.
I started Lie to Love on a whim. It basically went like this, “Ooh, Cheng Xiao and Luo Yunxi? Cool, I’ll watch.” I wasn’t looking for much, I admit I went into this drama for the visuals. I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw. I’m going to get this out of the way, if you’re looking for Cdramas similar to A Love So Beautiful or My Little Happiness, don’t dilly-dally here because Lie to Love isn’t your best option for Next Fluffy Cdrama Rom-Com. BUT of course, the audience is provided with plenty of sweet scenes that makes you yearn for more.The story begins with an amazing scene of ‘bad-ass’ Su Xieyi (Cheng Xiao) on some under-cover mission…and she has amnesia? The drama isn’t as tropey as it seems to be in the beginning. It does have amnesia, the concept of Enemies to Lovers, but instead, the flower blooms into a drama full of secrets and investigation, with a huge shocking moment that either makes you want to hate the story or feel even more compelled. In my case, these twists and turns caught my attention, and like the characters in the drama, I was always on my toes for the next scenes and episodes. Again, side characters do pose some problems in the leads getting their Happily Ever After, however, the difficulty is more directed towards power struggle rather than the leads losing their trust towards one another. Like many dramas, Lie to Love is like a story in a fantasy world, the details in this drama are not going to happen in real life. This is what makes the plot intriguing. The investigation aspect is the bright cherry on top of an ice cream scoop.
Acting/Cast - 9.0
The actors’ eyes say everything, they paint love, worry, desperation, shock. This was especially evident in Luo Yunxi. Li Zeliang (ML) could be standing on the concrete sidewalk, and you would still be able to see the emotion pouring from his eyes. As for the character himself, he has his setbacks, but he proved himself worthy of standing amongst the top leaders of the hotel business industry. His moves weren’t unpredictable, but rather deserving of applause. Luo Yunxi brought a new aura into any room or scene he was in. Besides his refined looks and dazzling smile, his confident and intelligent image enhanced his character.
On the other hand, while Cheng Xiao can still be a newbie in the drama industry, she had been improving endlessly. As opposed to her character in the popular drama Falling Into Your Smile, Su Xieyi (FL) carries a stronger air of dominance. She, unfortunately, wove some disappointment into my intrigued soul, however, this feeling was quickly wiped away. The small loss in her Strong FL spark was replenished as Su Xieyi made her solid decisions. This was more of a small bump in the plot roller coaster rather than Cheng Xiao’s acting, which she did wonderfully in fulfilling. Su Xieyi isn’t a very complex character, however, the audience received a mixture of determination and care from her.
Luo Yunxi and Cheng Xiao’s pairing was satisfying. Their chemistry was not ‘The Bomb’, however, it was powerful but also cute. (The eye candy as well!) The sweet scenes were especially fun to watch, as Zeliang and Xieyi is such a lovable couple. Of course, I think it’s safe to say that a big portion of the audience was demanding more fluffy sides to the story.
With only a few important side characters, it was fun watching character progressions, whether it be the playful musician Oscar or the talented and poised Shi Chuchu. As much as side characters are often disregarded under the spotlight of the main leads, these supporting characters play a major role in the progression of the plot. Of course, some of their actions were in the wrong, but these were the steps to achieving a rolling plot. In the end, I was more than satisfied with many of the characters’ endings, especially with those who ‘grew up’, who became better people than before.
Music - 9.0
It’s not rare to see me vibing to fun and cute Cdrama songs, and even more so with the addition of Lie to Love’s OST. Nothing much to say about the soundtrack besides the fact that I love it. Another surprise? Luo Yunxi sings a song! (It’s beautiful.)
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Overall, Lie to Love was a fun and enthralling watch with a blend of both sweet romance and captivating mystery. Characters had secretive pasts and unspeakable confessions, however, they were all given the endings they deserved. Production was high-budget, which was clearly evident in costumes and props. Lie to Love was a breath of fresh air among the cutesy rom-coms that I’ve watched.
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Recipe for Farewell
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1This review may contain spoilers
A true enrichment for the KDrama Orbit.
"Recipe for Farewell" is about food for body and soul. About the health-promoting function of food. A meal prepared with care and love may have this function - even in the paradoxical situation where eating is actually no longer possible: in the final stage of cancer in the gastrointestinal tract.As the story is also about cancer, surprising enough this KDrama is not primarily about dramatically approaching the inevitable death. Eventually, sorrow, fear and decay are not neglected, yet the focus is on joy and pleasure in sensual enjoyment of a freshly and carefully prepared meal. It is about the time you share over a meal. About this deliberately sensory, genuine here and now time together. A good, unforgettable time.
In this KDrama two quite opposing moods harmoniously go hand in hand. Death, pain and farewell may hang about. However, life and the joy of it are not overshadowed by impending death. In fact, "Recipe for Farewell" is not gloomy or heavy. Rather, it emits somehow velvety-silky, comfortably warm rays of light whenever it threatens to get dark and in spite of sadness.
In KDrama there is always eating and drinking at some point. Now that's not special. But in "Recipe for Farewell" everything to do with (Korean) food is intelligently, sensitively, carefully, sensually and lovingly mixed in a stylish way. Eating becomes an explicit topic - from the carefully chosen recipe, mindful purchase and loving preparation to conscious consumption. Each episode is named after a Korean dish. You can learn a lot if you like. In any case it is enjoyable to watch - aesthetic, stimulating, inspiring.
Apart from recipes and the preparation of the dishes, the story draws attention to the essence of food: to the radiance that passes from food to soul. To the joy of being alive. To the gift of being part of this eternal process of transformation that is life: From seed to flower, fruit, leaf, root, color, smell, touch, taste, temperature, liquefaction, finally compost, gases... and dissolved into air.
The story is based on an autobiography of the same name. In it, author Kang Chang-Rae describes how by cooking for his terminally ill wife he actually started cooking from scratch. And that triggered quite a bit - within himself and people around him, too. "Recipe for Farewell" doesn´t aim for your heart. It goes even deeper and reaches out to your gut. This is about ´true and sound´. The characteristic gaze of the protagonist, who is deliberately focused on his job as a chef in the home kitchen, is rather simple and objective. Eventually, by unpretentiously doing his job, their flows dynamic new life within the relationships with his ex-wife and his son, too.
Eating together - the meal - becomes the symbol of the truce of all worldly disturbing topics and opens the way to community -> connection -> bonding -> closeness ... by sharing space, time and the (eating) joy, to be alive (= to be able to see, smell, taste and digest).
The original idea is based on an impulse, that came from his ex-wife, when she actively asked him to cook for her during this last few months - and thus be and remain there for their son (who lives with her) when she can no longer. She wishes for peace between father and son, at the latest when she is gone.
Such a final farewell process may be painful for everyone. The disease itself may be painful. This is acknowledged by this KDrama. Yet, the focus is rather on the shared time together when the mother, father and son feel GOOD with one another. "Recipe for Farewell" truly presents a wonderful recipe for saying goodbye - loving, calm, grounded, with simple, three-dimensional sincerity and warmth. Leaving father, son and audience - although sad as it may be at times - with a positive, thankful outlook on life.
"Recipe for Farewell" runs on the South Korean streaming provider Watcha and is very popular there. The series may even trump the acclaimed production "Semantic Error". In any case, the number of paying subscribers noticeably increased during first week of broadcasting... And in the Watchapedia app, the KDrama is ranked 1st among 190 series from 2022 with 4.5 out of 5 possible points in the viewer rating. I agree. Pretty much everything is done right here. The actors are doing a fantastic job, too!
A true enrichment for the KDrama Orbit.
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Where do I even begin with the beautiful movie? I watched this movie in the cinemas without any idea what I was going to be watching, no trailer and no synopsis at all. But the movie captivated me from the beginning. On surface level, it seems like a light-hearted, slice of life type movie revolving around a loving father and his daughter, but little did I know it was so, so, so much more than that.
There’s so much to say about this movie, but I’ll start with entertainment factors. If you enjoy plotlines that are based of real-life stories, tackle the human experience, explore history and how they shaped the world today, all whilst mixed with comedy here and there, then this is for you. If you have no idea whether or not you like any of the just mentioned, then this movie essentially follows the experience of a normal human stuck in a political revolution. Now, some of you might hear politics and cringe instantly, but A Taxi Driver manages to convey the whole plotline and context effortlessly without delving deep into the political history at all, making it a foreigner friendly film if you don’t know much about Korean political history.
A Taxi Driver also really does an amazing job at capturing human emotion. There are parts of the movie that are just so raw, sometimes you hate the main character, sometimes you love him, but despite whatever his actions, we could still understand and sympathise. Of course some of the situations are probably dramatized for effect from the true story, but in terms of the overall context of protests and uprising, it definitely conveys the aspects involved in these parts of history.
I would definitely recommend a packet of tissues and some social justice warrior spirit to watch this. Overall I think it’s a very important film because it really sheds light on some issues that we take for granted today (e.g. a free media!). So if you’re not really into this type of entertainment, I would still suggest you watch this just to learn a little more about things like protests and democracy.
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This extra episode is a life saver for many Fangs of Fortune fans!
Although the drama ended on sad/open note, many fans felt that they needed more of a conclusion!So, in this episode, they showed us
💫 aftermath of the last few episodes of Fangs of Fortune.
💫how the journey of the team through out FOF left an impact on WX, ZYC and PSJ.
💫how everyone is coming to terms with the loses and affects of previous events.
💫 the contrast of human's view of the demons now in comparison to how they felt about them in the first episode.
💫how WX, ZYC and PSJ are applying the lessons learned from the FOF journey.
💫 the current endeavours of WX, ZYC and PSJ and what they plan to do in the future.
💫the glimmer of hope and relief whether the Most loved and missed Demon ZYZ can return to the ones who are missing him desperately. Clues are given as to how that will happen.
All in all I'm very grateful for this extra episode!!💕💖 it mended my heart by giving us bittersweet conclusion. FOF characters are so well played that fans start to love them dearly and get attached to their life and fate. So it was very important to give us (for those who needed it) more thorough ending!
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Fluffy and Sweet Slice of Life Romance That's Easy To Watch!
If you want a light watch without much drama, and focuses on character development and daily romance, this is a drama you might be interested in! Xing Yun has worked for her boss Xia Ke since their gaming company was a small startup, up to its growing success today. She doesn’t have any relationship experience at all, and as she ventures into dating and finding her true love, her boss somehow always keeps getting involved.I'd highly recommend having a watch if you like these tropes:
♡ Reserved on the Outside, Considerate on the Inside: I loved how our male lead was actually very kind and how his characterization is really refreshing. Xia Ke has a personality where he is hard to get familiar with, but he is incredibly caring, patient, and never tries to force his feelings on those he loves. He's not arrogant or tries to control Xing Yun - instead he waits after her and he tries to help her achieve her own goals, instead of doing them for her instead. He sometimes even holds back his own feelings and desires to make sure that Xing Yun is happy and to protect her. Xing Xiao Lin did a great job portraying Xia Ke as someone who is independent and ambitious, but also shows insecurities and even can defer to Xing Yun out of his love for her.
♡ A Healthy Relationship and Love: Xia Ke and Xing Yun have a very sweet yet realistic relationship. From the first episode, you discover they have already worked with each other for a long time, and have a strong bond because they both deeply respect each other’s work ethic and care for each other. However, the drama also depicts how they eventually realize their feelings are romantic, and how Xing Yun’s “first love experiences” eventually lead her to her “final love” with Xia Ke.
♡ Office Romance: Xing Yun is an artistic developer, and the drama focuses on her and Xia Ke’s efforts to create an otome game (mobile dating-sim targeted at girls, the game in the drama seems to be modelled after the very popular Love and Producer: Mr. Love Queen’s Choice). This means that there are a lot of cute scenes in the working environment, and work also poses as both a catalyst and sometimes even as a problem in the drama’s storyline.
♡ Best Kiss Scenes: Without spoiling too much, I will say that this drama has some of the hottest and well-acted kiss scenes. They’re not small pecks or surface kisses, but instead filled with emotions and show both Xia Ke and Xing Yun’s true feelings for each other. These are meaningful and passionate kisses, and they were definitely one of the biggest highlights of the show.
♡ Drama-Lite: The drama overall doesn’t have any outlandish or heart-wrenching problems. It’s quite light on the angst and problems often reflect real life issues, such as work issues or relationship issues. There’s a lot of focus as well on character growth, and how our leads develop a lot both in love and in their careers. I will admit there are some situations (usually meant to drive plot) which may seem unrealistic, but overall the general atmosphere is that this is a romance that focuses on the daily lives and goals of its characters.
However, there are some things that you might not like:
♥ Side Characters: Some of the side characters really frustrated me because of how they were introduced, and also how sometimes they caused a lot of the bigger problems in the drama. The drama synopsis indicates that there are three pairings: #1) Xing Yun and Xia Ke are the main couple, #2) the storyline involving Xia Ke’s sister, her ex-husband, and Chu Nan, as well as the pairing involving #3) Xia Ke’s friend Ah Yu. However, the drama didn’t really treat the couples with equal attention, which made it difficult for me to be as invested in them as I was in our main couple. In the beginning Xia Ke's sister and Chu Nan played a very big role, but then completely dropped in the middle and barely showed up in the ending. On the other hand, Ah Yu becomes important in the middle of the drama, and gets more scenes up to the final episode. I would say that I probably was only emotionally invested in Xia Ke and Xing Yun, and found myself often skipping the parts involving the side characters.
♥ Chemistry: This is really my own personal preference, but I think that Bai Lu and Xing Xiao Lin were cute, but did not have an "intense" chemistry. This does not mean that they had no chemistry at all, but instead that I think they made a sweet couple that’s good for a light easy watch, but didn’t make me think about their romance after the drama or feel deeply attached to their pairing. This does not mean you shouldn’t watch the drama, because I know other viewers may not have this issue or find this a non-issue, and also because I admit being influenced under the chemistry that Bai Lu and Xing Xiao Lin had with their other co-actors in their previous works. However, it is to say that I may not choose to rewatch this and will just take this drama for being the lighthearted story that it is.
Overall, I would recommend this drama if you want something to take your mind off of the day, and to watch a romance that focuses on the daily life of our main couple. This is a relatively short and sweet drama that’s very watchable, and it’s great especially when you don’t want something too heavy or too angsty.
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Drama hangover
Like many reviews here, if you’re looking for something funny and light hearted. This is it. The plot is not too complicated. The romance between the leads is through the roof. And the actors were simply awesome.Personally, I really like YBY. I’ve watched Listening Snow Tower, Love and Redemption. I can say I’ve seen her improved with each drama. And in My Sassy Princess, she has exceeded my expectations and I’m so proud of her. Every glance, small smile, smirk, raised eyebrow, tear was on point. She captured Liu Ling’s emotions really well.
I’ve not watched many of ZYC’s shows but in this drama he is cute, so cute. The action scenes were really entertaining and smooth. I enjoyed every second of it. And his chemistry with YBY is very sweet. I’m all smiles whenever their scenes come up.
The downside was how some scenes were edited. It felt quite rushed and some parts didn’t make much sense. But this did not take the joy away of watching this drama.
And I just love how this drama can make me cry and laugh at the same time. All in all, a very entertaining piece. Looking forward to the actors future dramas!
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