Reviews

You watch this for ML's charisma and entertainment, not when you are looking for a profound plot!

This drama definitely had those classic Wattpad vibes, you know, where anything can happen and logic is more of a suggestion than a rule.
The plot felt like it was just stringing along a series of random events, all tied together by the ML's performance. It was almost like the drama existed solely to showcase his acting skills and without him, the whole thing would have been a lot harder to sit through.

One moment, a character’s making life-altering decisions, and the next, they are  casually falling into some completely unrealistic situation, yet somehow it all just kind of works in that “anything-can-happen” kind of way, we often get in those fanfiction stories where the rules of reality seem to bend.

The show had its fun moments, offering a mix of mystery and comedy, but that was pretty much all it had going for it.

The romance, in particular felt forced and unnecessary. While I don't dislike the FL's acting, I honestly believe her character could have been removed entirely without impacting the overall story. Her presence didn’t seem to add much to the plot and the romance felt more like an obligatory element than a meaningful part of the drama.
That said, I did enjoy their interactions and I am glad they didn't let the romance trope overpower the other.

The antagonists were another issue. Despite committing numerous crimes, they came off as quite foolish. They started off as mysterious, but then they just acted stupid. Their actions became predictable towards the end and their schemes were far too transparent. The stakes lowered as we progressed further.

What kept me going were the interactions between the ML and his "teddy team." Their chemistry was fun and added a bit of lightheartedness to an otherwise mediocre show. Those moments were the only real source of entertainment and kept my interest from completely waning.

Acting wise, I do not have any specific complaints. Seo Kang Joon was/ is an excellent actor and it showed throughout. He literally carried this whole drama on his shoulders.

Overall, I would recommend this to people who are fans of the Seo Kang Joon or anyone who is just looking for something light and easy to watch. It has a high entertaining value. If you don’t mind overlooking some weird plot choices and logic gaps for the sake of entertainment, then it’s worth a try.

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Love Rain had caught my attention before because of the great trailer it has. I loved the first part of the story but hard to say I really don't liked it that much at the 2nd part. The story at first was really heart melting especially if you'll put yourself into the situation of the main characters. The next half of the story was a disappointment for me because it's a really long and I think they did the story into circles.

What I love about this drama is the music that it has. The songs were really great and it suited the scenarios in the drama. The actors and actresses also did great but for me I won't try to watch it again.

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The Supernatural Died Before the Series Did

Your drama is brought to you by Volvo, Volvo, the heroes' vehicle!

Spooky in Love takes its inspiration from the 2011 film Spellbound, starring Son Ye-jin and Lee Min-ki. But that's where the similarities end. The trailers, the synopsis, and even the title we were presented with are misleading, because the supernatural aspect involving ghosts completely disappears within the first third of the series, giving way to a run-of-the-mill story that has been seen and done a hundred times before. For old hands who know the formula and the usual storytelling patterns, the problem isn't the accumulation of tropes and clichés, but how intelligently they are used within a well-constructed and engaging screenplay. For someone who doesn't watch many romantic K-dramas, or who is willing to let everything slide because the worse it gets, the more entertaining it becomes, why not. For everyone else, myself included, we came dangerously close to a complete shipwreck, because the writing turns out to be staggeringly poor. At first, it's a mix of Hotel del Luna, From Now On, Showtime! and The Judge from Hell across several themes; but unlike those series, not only will the main couple never reach the required romantic intensity, but worse still, emotion will have packed its bags because the tank will quickly run dry.

Cheon Yeo-Ri (Park Eun-bin) is the granddaughter of a chaebol family specializing in luxury hotels, and she herself runs a prestigious establishment. Competent, she nevertheless lives with a heavy burden following a boating accident she was involved in in the past: she can see ghosts who have not yet managed to move on to the afterlife. She therefore helps them, while also secretly resolving situations where the police have hit a dead end. Unfortunately, she cannot touch anyone without passing this "gift" on to them for a certain period of time. So she is alone. Her path crosses that of prosecutor Ma Gang-Uk (Yang Se-jong), a brilliant and upright man. Through a series of "coincidences" that aren't really coincidences, they are led to meet several times. After uncovering the mystery surrounding Yeo-Ri, and experiencing the consequences himself, their relationship develops and feelings begin to emerge. But between an envious and jealous family and the return of a former relationship, Kang Min-Hwan (Ong Seong-wu), Yeo-Ri will have to fight her way through the demons of her past.

The beginning looked promising because I expected to see an effective duo develop between Yeo-Ri, the wealthy heiress who does good around her, and the fearless and valiant prosecutor Kang-Wook. But the synopsis on most websites (false because they all copy one another like sheep) is misleading and deceptive: it gives the impression that we're going to follow a fantasy romance, with the supernatural at the heart of the story, whereas the drama ultimately uses this element in a much more superficial way, and it quickly disappears. The series seems determined to sell us an original and mysterious story, while a large part of its plot relies on much more conventional and artificial devices. There is therefore a disconnect between the initial promise and the final result, reinforcing the feeling that Spooky in Love never really knows what it wants to be: fantasy romance, family mystery, ghost story, or crime plot. The drama's main problem is its screenplay, which quickly gives the impression that events happen because the script needs them to, rather than because of the characters or their decisions. The writing becomes increasingly artificial, to the point where coincidences eventually replace genuine narrative construction.

The drama nevertheless has some directing qualities and a few good ideas, which makes its flaws all the more visible: there was enough material here to make something considerably better and more substantial. Some episodes feel as though they are circling around the same elements or artificially delaying revelations. The pacing therefore becomes uneven, with moments when the plot barely moves before suddenly accelerating, particularly toward the conclusion, where everything goes completely overboard and ridiculousness takes over from any sense of credibility. Characters are often pushed in a specific direction solely to allow the plot to move forward. This creates a "coincidence falling out of the sky" feeling: the script miraculously finds a solution to every problem, especially toward the end. It's all the more unfortunate because the drama could have made much smarter use of its past and its secrets. A revelation properly prepared with clues scattered throughout the story would have given the viewer the feeling of understanding, in retrospect, what had really happened. So the problem is less the revelation itself than the complete lack of preparation and its absolute convenience.

The romance suffers particularly from this mechanism: some emotional developments lack natural progression and give the impression that the characters evolve simply because the script has decided that it's time for them to do so. Park Eun-bin gives it her all as usual and strongly recalls IU in Hotel Del Luna with her prestigious wardrobe, albeit in a more understated version. But she is at the mercy of a screenplay that does her no favors. I found Yang Se-jong and Ong Seong-wu committed, but somewhat withdrawn. And as you will have understood, where there's romance, there must be a second man, because the story says he has to be there, like some kind of gimmick. Not only is it painfully predictable, but the whole thing is far too caricatural. The story lacks twists, intensity, but above all emotion and sincerity. Everything is pre-calculated, so nothing surprises us; it's far too smooth. The drama asks a lot from the viewer in terms of suspension of disbelief, but doesn't give enough in return for it to really work. Another problem is the lack of a secondary storyline that could have fleshed out the narrative and given it some momentum. The supporting characters are barely used, or used poorly. Overall, it's sweet and harmless, with a strong and interesting basic premise, but one that quickly gets bogged down in tiresome clichés.

The laziness of the writing, especially during the final two episodes, is staggering in its sheer convenience (the "cube syndrome"): the biggest waste is ultimately the supernatural element, which practically disappears just as the drama begins shifting toward its family and corporate storyline. What was supposed to be its distinguishing feature quickly becomes incidental, before almost disappearing entirely from the narrative. There is also a consistency problem in the way certain pieces of information are withheld or revealed. The final stretch should have been the point where all the different elements finally came together and made sense. Instead, it becomes the part where the screenplay exposes its strings most openly. Not everything is bad: there are a few lighthearted moments and some enjoyable comedic elements, but there are so few of them that they get buried in the overall mess. Spooky in Love wants to build a great mystery around the past, but when it comes time to solve it, it doesn't actually solve it: it finds miraculous evidence and providential coincidences that allow everything to be neatly put into place. As for the ghosts, we can simply thank them for stopping by at the beginning to say hello. Come on, I'll be lenient in the end, because even though it lacks surprises, it's still "cute."

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I maybe the first one to give this a lower score but in all honesty as much as I want to give it a 10, I couldn't. I give this a solid 8.

This had all the recipe that I look for in a drama. it is dark, moody, raw and sad.I got hyped when I found out that it was the same director as MISAENG and SIGNAL and especially when I checked that it beat SIGNAL as the top rated drama here in MDL. But it wasn't depressing enough for me. Yes there were scenes that made me tear up but it was just like a scratch, I want it to be skin deep just like what MISAENG, DEAR MY FRIENDS and LIVE did where scene after scene it kept piercing my heart all the way through. Although that wake scene at the last episode made me cried buckets of tears, that's what I've been missing throughout the drama, give me more of that emotional-punch-to-your-soul scenes.

The major hold back in this drama for me is the love story of his brother and that actress, to me it was lackluster and took too much screen time, it was like my tears are about to fall from the leads'scenes and then it gets cut by their lousy romance story. it was well acted though but TBH it was unnecessary to highlight their story in which I wished that they could've put the spotlight more on Jang Ki Yong's story.

Jang Ki Yong's character's story was the big miss. To me his story is much more interesting than the two brothers honestly. his inner conflicts within himself is so captivating to watch. The way his character developed and gradually finding out why he is living that way was not stretched enough. I wanted more from him.

But man what a departure this is for IU from her previous roles. I think this type of character suits her personality more that's why she was able to pull off a stunning performance. And can we talk about Mr. ahjussi for a moment, why does he always get cheated on by his wives? first on MY WIFE IS HAVING AN AFFAIR THIS WEEK and now this, poor thing.

p.s. that OST is golden! I would recommend y'all to listen to every song, it just breaks my heart.

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Day is not a likeable character

Many won't like me because of my review, but I'll be honest. When I started watching this series I really liked it. But, after a few chapters, I started to find it difficult to understand the character Day. I completely understand the fact that he is angry about losing his vision. I would possibly be even angrier than he was. Even so, I think the script created a very inconsistent character. It is very difficult to understand the character's way of thinking and motivations. Let me explain.
Not long after they meet, Day becomes interested in Mhok and we can see this in the way Day interacts with his caretaker. The series clearly demonstrates that the interest was MUTUAL from the beginning. However, without a convincing explanation, Day rejects Mhok when Mhok confesses his love to him, saying that he likes more affectionate men. It didn't make any sense since Mhok was always kind and affectionate to him all the time.
After they start dating, things seem to be going well, but Day decides to break up with Mhok because Mhok lied about his job. This breakup and his motivation were quite unconvincing. Day has the right to be upset, but ending everything just because of that seemed like an exaggeration. So Mhok is not worthy anymore for just one mistake? He lied for being overprotecting, he was not committing genocide for the God sake! The fact that Day cannot forgive Mhok makes him a bit childish.
Actually, I think Day's character didn't treat Mhok and Night well for most of the series. I hate stories where one of the characters tries everything he can to make the relationship works, while the other just complains and doesn't help at all. Mhok did everything for Day but Day didn't reciprocate in the same way. Day, by the way, never apologized for anything. He treated his brother Night like trash without a justifiable reason (Night wasn't responsible for the car accident) and Did not apologize for that. He broke up with Mhok for a stupid reason and did not apologize also. When Mhok comes back and tries to renew the relationship, he rejects him again as if Mhok was a monster who had made a terrible mistake. How much drama! Then all it took was for his mother to say a few self-help phrases for him to completely change his mind and accept Mhok again. Sorry, but all of Day's fickle attitudes were not justified by what the series showed to us. Day was poorly written.

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Interesting topics but are they realistically portrayed?

Now, I'll say this show is a mess in so many ways so, I always find it funny when people make drastic comments like this is the best show on Earth or people who hate every single little detail of it.
I say this show is a mess because it is unusually long for a BL series that normally have 6, 8, 10 or 12 episodes... so reaching 20 episodes was something rare. And now, don't get me wrong, the fact that it had 20 episodes is not what makes this show a mess... it is the way the 20 episodes were handled. Having 4 stories lasting 5 episodes each would have been innovative if it was done properly. Instead, we have characters appearing in the first story that never appeared in the other stories. Can you honestly remember most of what happened on episodes 1-5 at this point? Probably not.

The plot of the whole series was to highlight or show people the worst issues, or the worst problems or the worst obstacles many actors, managers, producers and even companies have to face when doing a BL and it was a different concept from "Call It What You Want" and "Call It What You Want 2" as those series also wanted to showcase the worst issues inside the BL industry but the attempt started OK and then went to the toilet with poor directing choices in the plot and the storyline... This series wanted to bring different stories and get them their individual spotlight:

Episodes 1-5 had Billy and Seng acting as Nott and Pan almost immediately after we saw them in "Secret Crush On You". So, their previous characters were quite fresh in our memory and now each had a character that was the total opposite. That was good as we could see their acting skills, but sadly, this story was one of the weaker ones as the characters were not developed in a way I could fully understand their motivations to act the way they acted. From Pan being offered by his manager to one of the producers in order to get him commercials or a TV show or just money or him scrubbing himself quite harshly while taking a bath because he felt dirty or him not trusting Nott and his intentions of developing a real relationship, were just some of the plots that were never really fully developed. At some point I even thought this story will connect with the managers story and it kinda does but very marginally as Gus and Bew are the secondary couple in these episodes so nothing was completely handled plot-wise. This was probably the weirdest story of the 4 as Billy and Seng just appeared in these episodes and were not seen again until the final half of episode 20 despite having second credit after Lay and Muse (who also barely appeared throughout the show).

Episodes 6-10 had Gung and Korn acting as Gus and Bew... we saw this couple in "Y-Destiny" and they had good chemistry back then and they still do. That's probably their strongest point as their acting, especially Gung, remains a bit weak at times. They appeared in the first 5 episodes as the new BL couple trying to earn a spot in the industry but their main storyline focuses on their work and their managers. Now, I'm sure some managers do try to exploit or benefit from rookie actors who get poor advice from them but the way this was portrayed in these 5 episodes was quite exaggerated and 99% of the things we saw would merit some jail time for so many criminal acts. I hope that forcing one character to sleep with the other or to charm him so he could fall in love, sabotaging their own BL partner for their own benefit, hiring spies or having someone else spread rumors are things that happen in very few cases or this industry might be doomed already. I thing the plot twist of having Bew being the one who orchestrated most of the issues we saw, was good... but he is forgiven quite quickly by Gus and the two managers just go their marry way with another BL couple without really facing any type of consequences. And aside from some minor appearances in the first 5 episodes and being the main couple in these 5 episodes, Gung and Korn also disappear until the final part of episode 20.

Episodes 11-15 had Milk and Markpoom as Peak and Kla and I think if you want to really learn what happens inside an idol environment, you should just watch all the Korean singing reality shows where they train the young hopeful candidates in singing, dancing, rapping, and some physical conditioning. While that industry is also messed up in the way they value a cute face or a hot body and Korean idols have some quite insanely strict rules about their weight and their romantic life, the 5 episodes of Y-Idol were far too long. SoSatSeoulSay had a field day appearing on these episodes and having silly competitions with the trainees who then had to sing and dance in almost every episode (if we can call it that). War of Y wanted to highlight the obstacles some of the trainees (in this case, trainees for a BL series) might face like a bad or mismatched partner, a non-approving family, producers/networks who prefer a specific trainee over another, etc., but all these issues were poorly acted and not explored that much because of all the other drama they had to fabricate. Milk made his acting debut in this series and it showed because he was really one of the worst in terms of acting and I never really felt any chemistry between him and Markpoom.

Episodes 16-20 had Toru and First playing Most and Achi... we also saw this couple in "Y-Destiny" and in there they had some of the steamiest scenes on that mediocre series so everybody remembered them and anxiously waited for these episodes. They began appearing since the previous storyline as they were also part of the Y-Idol show. Once the producers manipulated the results, they were the winning couple and got their own BL series produced by Lay's character (P). In here, First had to carry most of the weight of the story as his character is involved with Toru's character for the series and also becomes romantically involved with Fern (played by Paper) a girl who is cast as an extra but who is secretly brought in to the series by P in order to spy on Most and Achi and make sure they don't break the "no dating" rule. This plot could have been the most interesting as First and Toru have a really good chemistry from their previous series and Paper's acting was quite good. The way her story was handled was quite disappointing as she is exposed as trans on episode 20 so P can save his production and Achi can keep his job... after a brief talk with Achi she doesn't appear again in the episode until the final seconds. We never got to see Achi's full background story which I think was key to establish his selfishness or his intentions. Most tells Achi in the last episode: "when you're cute, you're damn damn cute... but when you're bad, you're an evil person"... the lack of background on Achi made me wish would've gotten something more useful to understand why he acted the way he acted.

The last half of episode 20 has all the main actors returning for the Galaxy Awards and P magically wins the Greatest Y Award (using some of his scenes from "Y-Destiny") maybe related to the phone call he makes earlier in the episode to someone and to compensate the fact that the show he produced, lost (against the other 2 shows that ended up tying for the win) and his lead actor (Most) wins the Best Y Actor Award but he decides to quit acting to focus on music. Lay's character was a bit puzzling as he was supposed to be the senior Y actor looking over all the new rookies but ended up being like a leader of a mafia cartel but with zero background on his story and zero character development other than being a selfish jerk most of the time and having a Y series partner that appeared very few times and spoke even less.
The show ends with a silly montage of all the actors saying some things about the industry while holding the tiniest trophy ever given to what it's supposed to be the "Greatest Y Award".

I think this series had potential but the 4 stories felt quite disjointed despite having the main couple of episodes 6-10 appear in episodes 1-5 or the couples in episodes 11-15 also appear in episodes 16-20. I think Lay could have been the connecting factor in all stories but his role was quite narrow from being an "experienced" BL actor dealing with potential newcomers, to being a producer of a reality show, to being a producer of a BL series, to suddenly winning another acting award to remain relevant and also announcing that he wouldn't accept any more nominations so others can get the chance (hmmm... how generous of him!). Aside from that, each could have been a separate BL series on its own as most fit the current trend of just airing whatever mediocre product they can find as long as they cast good looking actors. One last annoying thing were all the social media posts that appeared on screen during the episodes as some were translated and some were not and the translations were placed alongside whatever the actors were saying, so it got very confusing and hard to follow all the text without having to pause the episode just to read half of the screen full of text.

The show ends with another of their polls asking if all the "War of Y" stories were true, would you believe it? I'll say that I would believe it but I hope the reality is not as exaggerated or as bleak as it looked in this series.

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I finally finished this excruciatingly long and boring drama that has more holes in the story than a sieve. From around episode 6 it is basically the same episode with slight variations until episode 15. I really don't want to take the time to go into all the problems with this drama. The reason I gave it a 4 instead of a 1 is the few funny, cute and sweet moments. At least the ending didn't suck.

I like the main actors, but even the best actors could not have saved this drama. I usually hate dramas with a lot of bi-stories and unnecessary actors, but this time they were actually the entertainment to me. The detective running around winking at people and the "other" girls chasing the male leads are too funny.

The music is fine.

I will never rewatch this.

I don't recommend this drama, but if you insist on watching it, then I suggest watching to episode 6 skipping to episode 15.

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Wow, I watched this just now and I am still speachless. I started watching it without knowing how long it was going to be. Maybe that would have shocked me off if I had known - I am glad I didn't.

As for the story, of course it is totally extreme, vulgar and shocking, but it was acted out incredibly good, without making fun of any of the really serious subjects and without being laughable.

The characters were thoroughly thought about and there were no stereotypes. There were no "good" and "bad" characters, either.
Of course the acting was great. You must be a great actor to pull off extreme scenes like there were so many in this movie. It must have been really, really hard.

I would recommend everyone who's old enough (well as said before, it IS kind of extreme) to watch this. It is definitely worth it and a masterpiece.

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Feel-good romance lacks distinctive voice and a real heart

I don't have much to say about this film except that it's cute, adorable and wholesome. Conversations are mostly backed up with whimsical music. I don't have a problem with this as the dialogues felt authentic and genuine at first. However, by the time we arrived in the second half the story became dragged and lacked the specifities I was hoping for.

The shots and cinematography could have been more creative to make it memorable. The story does not try to be groundbreaking either. This is just supposed to be a feel-good movie although I would have loved if there were more touching moments to evoke emotions considering the story revolves around deaf people.

The story starts with Yong Jun unsure of what he wants to do in life. He's surrounded with philosophy books but he doesn't know what job to apply for. By the time we get to the end, nothing has changed. He's the main character but we didn't get to know much about his thoughts and background except that he instantly fell for Yeo Reum when he saw her in the swimming pool. This is the moment where the puppy love story starts to unfold. The film also noticeably shifts it focus to Yeo Reum's point of view after this part. More or less, Yeo Reum is a more developed character than Yong Jun. We digged into Yeo Reum's background and personality but only to a certain extent and here is where my main issue lies. Her character lacks a distinctive voice and is not fleshed out as I want her to be.

The storyline is fairly simple and is quite the epitome of young love. Although, one would really expect that the film could have had more earnest and compelling scenes just to fully give us that warm, fuzzy feeling inside.

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Kinda actually a really good series!

I truly do not understand all the hate that this series got. The only thing that I saw that was unrealistic in the show was the support that the two ML's got from their friends and family, because that doesn't happen to the extent that was portrayed in the show. Support is often there, but rarely do people go to such lengths for someone else's happiness. At one point, Fah was talking about a side couple and (to paraphrase) he basically said --I know how they feel but it's not my business. They'll figure it out.-- That caught me completely off guard. I mean, it's a drama and you're not going to get involved?? But it worked with the character's personality. (Heh, my example may not sound like support, but in my opinion it was.)

The cast is all new actors, and honestly, they did a great job. The director kept the show moving and the writers didn't let us sit with scenes upon scenes of slow dialogue, as is often the case. Occasionally there were some pauses when the characters were talking, but it was more like natural conversation than a lot of BL's I've seen. The plot included the necessary drama, emotional growth of the characters, varying locations, and several different types of relationships. I've seen comments about the toxicity of the MLs relationship, but it seems to me that the toxicity was more self-induced than anything else.

I think the fact that they had to fight themselves as well as each other in order to find a happy middle ground for a relationship made this so much more realistic. Trust, love, jealousy, lust, passion, hope, disappointment, pain....it was all within these 12 episodes. It's nice when people can have a perfect relationship, but often it's a facade, hiding the truths and deceptions of one or more parties within that relationship. Having to work together towards an understanding of each other, through trials and tribulations, makes for a better bond than taking everything at face value. This leads to my favorite line of the whole series: "I'm trying."

I saw some comments about how bad the kissing was, and I can only assume that those people don't realize that not everyone kisses the same, and oftentimes you have to adapt to the kisses and physical touches of your partner. Personally I think it's refreshing to see people portray the intimate actions differently. And different moods call for different actions. For instance, being thrown into a wall and kissed hard can be thrilling and passionate at times. Other times, it can just hurt. LOL. I'm not trying to make excuses for the acting or directing. I actually liked the kisses. They were reactive, and not just dead fish lips.

There are very few dramas that I will rewatch, but I can guarantee that I will be revisiting this one. I let the comments sway me and waited, but I'm glad that I finally watched it. Although it does still have the effeminate 'I'm going to break them up' characters (which is a trope in itself) as well as the oh so recognizable fujoshi-type character, for the most part I enjoyed the side characters as much as the main leads. This show didn't leave me all in my feels and hugging myself in comfort or happiness; rather it left me more contemplative... but satisfied.

I do wish Tar would have had his happy ending though...

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enjoyable romcom

Overall: it was a fun watch and I hope we get a sequel/see these actors in more series. 8 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI and YouTube (not in the U.S.) here is the first episode link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s27LxcQeg_0

Content Warnings: kidnapping/held against will, manipulation, coercion

What I Liked
- the supporting characters
- I did laugh several times, the comedy sound effects weren't excessive (I loved that security guard just watching them go at it like that wasn't part of his job lol), though the comedy did give way to angst at some points
- sweet and supportive moments (though Yang should have apologized verbally in episode 3)
- Tammy wasn't a cliche female character
- ep 6 NSFW scene was very well done

Room For Improvement
- plot holes/continuity errors/nonsense stuff (i.e. pretty sure that isn't how you find investors/partners, why didn't he just ask his wealthy parents???)
- Phojai's plan/timeline made no sense and that was a weak apology
- they lived in the same building, but this was not shown/explained and then sometimes Phumjai was at a different bedroom/house (his parents?)
- cliche plot point in ep 5 and other cliches (sick after being in the rain, accidental fall/catch, etc)
- ending was rushed, too much of the debt stuff (could have cut that whole plot out)
- several interrupted kisses in the final episode
- I didn't deduct points for the blatant product placement because it funded the series

Note: I am blown away that Offroad's character here is so different from Saint in Our Days, I have to keep looking to make sure it's the same actor

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A Love that was Meant to Be

What a drama! From the first few moments you will find yourself smiling. I did. It is so refreshing and nicely done. From the first episode, you are just captivated by the leading couple. They are both so well suited for each other, that you will find yourself just falling in love with them.

FL (Jiang Zhi Nan aka Xu Mu) is a planner for an Shangxin Advertising Company. She loves her job. The one thing missing in her life is a partner. This is due to certain expectation she has of meeting that certain someone that she feels is right and she wants to marry. Even though after six blind dates, and at the urging of her parents to change her viewpoint, she is not willing to do so. But surprises do come when you least expect them, and it did so with the arrival of ML (Zhang Jiong Min aka Xie Shi/Jiang Zhou) at a client meeting Xu Mu attended. Xie Shi unbeknownst to Xu Mu was the same boy who was her high school desk mate. Talk about surprises! Her life from that moment on changed dramatically. She was now about to find not only her partner who has always been in front of her but the true meaning of love.

Xu Mu when meeting Xie Shi finds him to be aloof and cold. She doesn’t recall much about him from their days at high school. But in a drunken state she finds out the next morning, that she has announced to everyone that Xie Shi is her boyfriend. This was great news for Xie Shi because he had loved Xu Mu since high school. He never knew how to express his feelings to her, so taking advantage of the situation, and seeing how everyone from her family and friends were congratulating her, Xie Shi suggested they become a contractual couple and live together. Xu Mu at first was hesitant but saw this could relieve them both of the pressure of endless blind dates and accepted the offer with a stipulation, if either has a crush on the other the contract would be null and void.

We also had Xu Mu bestie SFL (Yan Zhi Chao aka Song Nian Nian) and Xie Shi’s bestie (Wang Chuan aka Shen Yi). This was another adorable couple.

You will find that Xie Shi is a man of few words, but his expressions show more than what Xu Mu cares to either recognize or consider. He does always the slightest things to please her because he loves her. Cooking, driving her to work, helping make sure that she has everything that she could possibly need to feel secure in this “contractual relationship” which, he would hope would lead to more. But as they say the best laid plans.

Enter a rival for Xie Shi, Zhang Yao (Sheng Yi Chen) who was an artist that Xu Mu had over the years been texting as a friend. He is a famous painter that no one has ever met or had do an exhibit. Zhang Yao leaving a restaurant the same day as Xu Mu didn't have an umbrella. She kindly gives her his. As she smiles and goes, he overhears her colleague call her name, "Xu Mu." He then realized who Xu Mu was and texted her back to say he would do the exhibit. Zhang Yao immediately wanted to be with Xu Mu but found out that she was with Xie Shi. Ironically, he heard Xu Mu and Xie Shi both talking about their video chat with her mother and how well they performed which he then knew they weren’t a couple. Of course, he confronts Xie Shi about this and tells him that he will pursue her at this point. In the end, Xu Mu makes it clear that she only sees him as a friend. Heartbroken, Zhang Yao leaves.

Xu Mu thinks that Xie Shu likes Qiao Nan (Zhang Hao Yue) because of various misunderstandings one in particular was when there was an earthquake, and she saw Xie Shu helping her to a taxi for medical attention. Not realizing that he came there to check on her only to have someone say that she was in the room with Zhang Yao.

Misunderstandings abound and so Xu Mu tells Xie Shi that their contractual relationship is over.

Of course, Xie Shi doesn’t know what to say but he agrees to what she wants. But again, fate intervenes for this couple who is fated to be together. Xu Mu’s mother tells her she has a blind date set up for her which turns out to be Xie Shi. He explains to her about Qian Nan, and she tells him they were a fake couple so there was no need to explain. The matchmaker told her that who she was meeting today was looking to get married. She asks him is he looking for another girl for a fake marriage. If he still wanting the fake thing, she won’t have enough time or energy. She had this blind date just to get a husband. To which she tells her that he is not acting. Tomorrow they can go and get married. Does she dare? She does! This beautiful couple gets married!

Xu Mu finally does understand that Xie Shi did love her for such a long time when she finds his high school book. He goes to explain so much to her which he confesses his love for her. That is what she was waiting from him to hear that he loved her. She then opens up and confessed her love for him.

Xie Shi did have a rough upbringing which Xu Mu found out when his father came asking for money and threaten him with getting rid of his mother’s bracelet. The only item that his father still had of hers. He gives him the money and his father gave him the bracelet. Xu Mu calls her aunt who explains how Xie Shi’s father beat his mother, but Xie Shi would intercede and ended up with learning to use his left hand because his father broke his wrist in one of those beatings, and it didn’t heal properly. This also happened at the same time his mother died.

The surprising part is that Xu Mu did meet Xie Shi's mother. On his birthday, his aunt and mother went to get him a cake. All of the stores were closed. Xu Mu happened to run into his aunt and mother when they ask where she bought the cake. Knowing that they would not make it, Xu Mu gave them the cake and told them to wish her son a happy birthday from her. Hearing this story and seeing her in the background of the photo her aunt took of his mother that day made Xie Shi happy to know that she had met his mother.

We get to see each couple happy six years later. Song Nian Nian and Shen Yi have a son, who takes after Xie Shi in math. Xie Shi and Xu Mu do not have any children but after having an in-depth conversation, they decide to have one -- Manman. So smart and so like Xu Mu. He loves how his parents are so loving, and he goes through their photo album showing us their meant to be love story. It was cute.

I really enjoyed this drama. I feel you will too. There are misunderstandings that don't last long. Both couples are nicely matched. This is one of these dramas that you can just sit and binge. You may even find yourself smiling and thinking about your high school love and how that sweet and carefree years of being young can transcend to being with that same enduring love as an adult.

Get yourself all ready. Cuddle up and enjoy this sweetly done drama.

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Talent wasted...

I will never befriend thai "brute force" comedy. What's even worse MaxNat get the worst scripts of them all (except 3rd party productions with DMD actors like ChermChey). Btw it was the same director for this and ChermChey. :) I don't know who shat this out of his behind and why they thought it would be a good idea to make it into a series.

All the talent they even "bought in" like Peterpan & Fluke are also wasted. It's cringe³, even the fake beard changed between scenes (Max had more beard during the nc-scene and lost some of it after which was extra weird), regardless the beard looked aweful. The whole series is so childish to infantile in a bad way. The music genres changed in scenes. Just because the music is dramatic did not produce a dramatic scene and don't forget the excessive use of soundeffects.

Production quality was good, except they could not keep out tourists in the background in the beginning. It's also no wonder that the actors had to advertise their series on the street because the viewrate was abysmal. Of course that generated some hype and they got more viewers, but I'm sorry for the viewers that they didn't get a good product. I believe the actors that they worked hard, but I'm sorry for them, that they get one crap script after the next. Cutie Pie were their best roles so far and since then it went downhill fast. I will never understand why people find such a series funny, because for me it's not. It's just a grand waste of time.

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This drama is really good. It gives off a mysterious aura and the set, outfits, and backgrounds are all well done and amazing. The little nuances are terrific - such as Zhang Yixing's character called "Er Yue Hong", he most wears red outfits because his name "Hong" means red.

The leading couples have really good chemistry, since Zhao liying and William chan have played leading roles together multiple times. This is possibly one of the first 'serious' dramas for Yixing and he plays his serious character exceptionally well.

Overall, really recommend this drama!

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