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Love in Space
12 people found this review helpful
by Rourou
Jun 9, 2012
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
1) The reason I watched this:

This film has been in one of my collections for over a year and I really have no idea why it was there. Anyway, I just decided to watch it having no idea what's its theme or main actors. At first, I thought it was a Korean film but when it started I realized that it was a Chinese film. I had second thoughts but I watched it anyway.

2) Storyline/Plot:

It's a multiple stories film; the sort of production that usually sound appealing to me because you would feel diversity and lack of blank moments.

Positive points:

*Three sisters, three love stories and three different places.
*The way all the three stories were combined together was pretty well done.
*Watching the three stories at the same time was fun since you would watching one while anticipating what will happen in the other one, that was sort of cool.
*Even though the three female leads belongs to the same family but there were great differences which was one of the positive points that counts for the storyline.

Negative points:

*It may feel rushed sometimes.
*One of the stories didn't feel as deep as the other ones: there was a little disorder there.
*I still don't agree with the title "love in space" because only one story happened in space while the rest was located on earth: it felt a little unfair.
*This is not a unique storyline so don't expect a lot of depth, just enjoy another typical rom-com.

Story: 6.5/10

3) Acting/Cast:

*Generally speaking the cast was pretty good considering the fact that I am only familiar with two actors here.
The chemistry was enjoyable and captivating.
The second sister was annoying as a character but the general acting was actually cool.

Cast: 7/10
Acting: 8/10

4) The ending:

Two stories were combined at the end; that was kind of cool .
The ending was nice, not intense, a little light.
It was a typical rom-com ending that anyone would love to see on screen.

The ending: 8/10

5) My impression (How did affect me):

*Considering the fact that I am not a fan of Chinese romantic comedies, this was pretty cool.
*It's not one of the best romantic comedies that I've seen but it was a decent way to pass time with since it was exempt from boring moments.

My impression: 7/10

6) Overall:

*If you're rom-com lover then you would like this.
*Don't expect much from the film's title.

Overall 7.5/10.

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Completed
Lost You Forever
16 people found this review helpful
by Anarya
Aug 16, 2023
39 of 39 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0
This review may contain spoilers

Melancholic, contemplative and sublime

RATING: 9.25/10

Lost You Forever was not one of my most highly anticipated shows this year. After all, four men after one woman didn’t sound like a convincing enough reason to watch a show. But thankfully, the trailer of this show really drew me in and I’m glad I went on this ride.

I have to admit - this is one of the best shows released so far this year. The first episode had me in tears, and logically there’s no reason to cry during the first episode of any show - because you don’t know characters well enough to care for them so much. But it was touching and mournful and it immediately felt like a special show.

What makes LYF really stand out is its contemplative approach. It is extremely slow, but never draggy. It builds a convincing world with interesting characters, all with their own stories and traumas. Our four leads have rich histories and have lived for hundreds of years. I like how this aspect is not brushed aside, but is actually fleshed out. For one, they feel mature and world-wise. In the case of Xiaoyao, the abandonment she experienced multiple times in life makes her hesitant to hope for things. Cang Xuan losing his parents tragically at such an early age forces him to grow up fast and pushes him to want to protect those he loves. Tushan Jing is the embodiment of forgiveness and kindness that in spite of suffering so much, he never seeks revenge. Xiang Liu is bound to his benefactor and has his own tragic backstory, but always cares for Xiaoyao secretly and from afar, without seeking rewards. Although it may seem like LYF is a romance show, it is not. Every character exists for things other than love, but love definitely connects everyone. This show has all forms of love present in it, which at many times transcend romantic and physical love.

These are some of the things I love on this show:

CASTING: I have to say that all actors are exceptionally talented and perfect for their roles. This was my first time watching Yang Zi in a full production (I’d only seen her for a short while on another show), but also my first time watching Zhang Wan Yi. I’ve seen both Deng Wei and Tan Jianci before (albeit in minor roles). Everyone has done a stellar job, including supporting actors. There’s no fault I can pick here and I look forward to watching all these actors in their future projects. It is because of their amazing performances here that it has been so easy to cry. I also need to mention the child actors who played Cang Xuan and Xiaoyao in the first episode - they were so amazing!

MUSIC: I have to give a special mention to the music in the series. The songs are beautiful and inserted at the right moments. I also did not expect Tan Jianci to sing so well, so that was a pleasant surprise. Other than that, the instrumental score is phenomenal and elevates the show and the emotional core of the show. I’ve been listening to the soundtrack on loop and it immediately transports me back to the show.

THE WORLD BUILDING: Because the show takes a very slow approach to storytelling, the world feels very well-fleshed out. It feels like an alternate universe with its own unique rules. At the same time, it feels lived-in and realistic. This is hard to achieve for many shows and I commend LYF for doing this so well. Can I also mention the cute fictional animals like feifei (poor thing), as well as Chubby and TSJ’s white fox - they’re all so adorable.

EMOTIONAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL DEPTH: I have lost count of how many tears I have shed watching this show. I think there are some very small, seemingly insignificant moments that are given so much emotional depth. Also, because characters are so well developed, it is easy to see the bonds between them and be emotionally invested. One of the aspects I appreciate most about the show is how the seemingly unimportant interactions between characters reveal so much about the characters themselves. It is quite difficult to achieve such a balance, but LYF nails this wonderfully. Furthermore, the show asks a lot of philosophical questions about life and the nature of existence. I really appreciate that approach.

All in all, I don’t have anything bad to say as such. I think seeing Xiaoliu/Xiaoyao being tortured many times during the first several episodes made the show very difficult to watch. Not my favourite bits. Similarly, Jing being trapped with Yiying because of a long-winded plan hatched by his grandmother, Yiying and Hou is not my favourite story arc. Jing’s grandmother, Yiying and Hou truly suck.

Now I’m waiting impatiently for Season 2 like everyone else.

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Completed
Pandora: Beneath the Paradise
16 people found this review helpful
by PHope
Jan 14, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 3.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 2.0

Not Good Enough

Korean Drama '' Pandora : Beneath the Paradise '' is a sci fi melodrama.

The drama is messy, using too many genres, but failing to deliver in any of the fronts it opens. From a boring melodrama, to an eye-rolling spy thriller, the drama didn't handle its twists well, and so the story ended up being hard to keep up and hard to believe, even for a makjang. It seemed like the drama wanted to explain things that got out of hand by using unbelievable technological achievements without explaining anything further. Also, there were a lot of plotlines that were left half baked or unfinished.

Finally, the performances were good enough, even though the script didn't aid them.

So, overall, three out of ten.

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Completed
Blueming
16 people found this review helpful
by Faimac
May 31, 2022
11 of 11 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 4.0
Story 4.0
Acting/Cast 4.0
Music 4.0
Rewatch Value 4.0

Not for me

I was really disappointed with this one, after hearing and reading on how good this drama was meant to be. I found this drama a little babyish and extremely childish to say the least.

The one good thing that I came away with after watching this drama, is that insecurities are real, and I did like how he overcame them and carried on moving forward, the down side for me was the mother, not understanding how he felt and she kept on saying how she did everything for her kids so that they don't feel the absence of the father, in a sense yes I agree single parenting is hard, but not understanding how he felt and the reason why he portrayed his feeling through a short film, showed how he was dealing with things.

I won't say i didn't like it, it's cute, but i found a lot of stereotypes in the character personality that made the drama unrealistic
and because of that you don' really empathize well with them. I also did not find the chemistry between the leads to be anything with a WOW factor they fitted each other but more on sympathy basis, the one was always left alone cuz the parents were producers so taking comfort from the insecurity classmate, I am not if there was love enough for that?

Overall: for me this drama is a NO, i am not sure the reason behind the high reviews, but this is my personal outcome, I might decide to rewatch it, to get a better sense of it.

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Completed
Sweetheart Service
16 people found this review helpful
by Jojo Big Brain Award3
Jul 31, 2025
13 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 7.0
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 7.0

Cuteness can't save everything!

This one had the hallmark fake dating trope and it got off to a pretty good start, but it lost its footing in the middle and it was only partly redeemable in the end. 

The leads Yuha and Min U, had this awkward but cute chemistry that just worked. They weren’t over the top or too intense. Min U is the overthinker, always trying to keep things under control but clearly unsure of what he is doing half the time. Yuha also doesn't fall far from the tree either. He comes off as confident and charming, but he has his own battles to fight. It was fun watching these two emotionally stunted adults fake date their way and try to act unbothered while slowly unraveling.

But somewhere along the way, it got a little messy. Maybe it was the short runtime or just 1 episode per week that made it seem a bit incoherent or the fact that they tried to squeeze in too many tropes and unnecessary drama. Instead of exploring the characters more, the story leaned on tired cliches like throwing in a random female character to cause drama. We really don't need this in 2025 and especially when runtime is already pretty limited.

The second couple, Taeha and Jaemin had potential but didn’t get enough screen time to make their relationship feel believable. They were cute but it all felt rushed and surface level. It was all "blink and you will miss it" romance. I see them more as close friends or even if it was romantic, it was more from Jaemin's side.

On that note, I wasn’t a fan of Taeha’s character. He came off as manipulative and the whole "I did it out of love" excuse didn’t sit right with me at all. In my head if someone is like family to you, you just don’t lie to them and mess with their life in order to protect them, considering that person is an ADULT. The way it was glossed over and hugged out left a sour taste in my mouth.

Also there were too many beauty filters on actors faces. They were already handsome and charming, the plastic doll finish wasn't needed.

Overall, I did enjoy the first half, which makes me a little disappointed. It’s one of those "too many cooks and tropes destroys the soup" situation where everything is in there, but nothing gets enough time to shine.

That said, it’s still a light and a short watch. I would recommend it if you like fake dating tropes and aren’t looking for anything too deep. It’s fine for a one-time watch.

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Completed
The Art of Negotiation
16 people found this review helpful
Apr 17, 2025
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 6.0

In all forms of art, "The Art of Negotiation" is my new favorite!

Yoon Jun Ho, the face of a man who shows no fear, has nothing to lose.

The storyline was full of wonders and intricacy that kept me on my toes with all the political intrigues and calculated machinations by Yoon Jun Ho. The way the M&A team side-stepped attempts at their goals and thwarted their potential ruination was exciting to watch.

I have noticed that except for Yoon Jun Ho, all the M&A members ask questions a lot! Mr. lawyer, Sun Yeong, explained judicial terms and conditions and the financial advisor, Min Jeong, let the intern, Jin Su, know about the financial terms, problems and awareness in a way that you can't help but listen and try to understand every bit of it.

That intern was not there for no reason. He was there in every situation as a representative of the audience. Just like the viewers, he was also a newbie in this industry and learning things. So, whenever he questioned terms, he also questioned for normal people like us, and naturally, that's how we got our answers out of curiosity without wasting time in storyline.

They didn't do wish-whoosh-wash extravagant camera angles, stunt work and over-the-top pop bgm but they slowly but steadily built the plot with intricate details of how the corporate world works. This was a drama of great mindwork. Fighting with people not with fists but with knife-sharp brain skills.

The twists and turns had me open-mouthed and several times I found myself gasping in frustration and disbelief. Every time I thought "there's no way out of this situation", they proved me wrong in every episode, leaving me in awe of the characters as well as the plotline and how well it was written. I couldn't even imagine how it would end till the end of the episode. They made sure episodic problems were solved and characters from there were well-used when needed; what an intelligent move!

Just the way I like brainless shit comedies, I also like smart, clever, intriguing plots like this. Loved how the camera and storyline span from one character to another character seamlessly. The little, unnoticeable details they put in and made a bigger purpose out of it was brilliant!

Last but not least, the choice of soundtracks was also intriguing. They retained a suspenseful tension throughout the series.


When the mood got tense, the lyrics-

"The world is a deep, dark ocean

Of greed, loss, and betrayal

Hang onto your sweet emotions

'Cause money takes the heart

Money takes the heart"

-filled the air with utter satisfaction!


Overall, if you are looking for a fast-paced business drama, it's definitely not for you, but if you're looking for an out-of-the-box thrilling ride of how negotiation in the business world works, then you're welcome to the world of betrayal, greed and revenge of "The Art of Negotiation".

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Completed
Breathless
15 people found this review helpful
by _Rosie
Apr 18, 2013
Completed 3
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
WARNING: this film is for adults it has a lot of swearing & violence.

OK now to the film itself it came on TV & I decided to record & watch later. I don't think I would have have heard of this movie on MDL etc. & got round to watching it thanks to FilmFour.

The story is about Sang Hoon, a debt collector & thug. On the face of it he is a vicious low life & a thoroughly unlikeable character....that is, until we get to know his back story and see glimpses of his vulnerability behind the tough guy façade. He meets a schoolgirl by a chance violent encounter and they form an unlikely friendship. She too is living a wretched and solitary existence and these two kindred spirits find solace with each other.

This film is an unrelenting, brutal and visceral tour de force. I would not recommend it to the faint hearted. The main actor, Yang Ik June, was simply outstanding in his role. I had seen him in a supporting role in Innocent Man, but in this he was so impressive, no hammy over acting like a lesser actor might have done. He played the role with a calm desperation, its like he became Sang Hoon.

There is very little music/OST in this film and I think that just adds to the gritty realism of this film.

My re-watch score is (as always) low this is not a reflection of the film but the fact that I rarely ever re-watch.

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Completed
Saving My Stupid Youth
16 people found this review helpful
by Neaa
Jan 21, 2015
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
Do you have regrets from the past? Things left unsaid or sorrys undelivered? This drama is all about that.
I really connected to the drama since I was in an all-girls school and the concept of uniting two schools into co-ed sounded fun to me. And the best part is that they made it fun. All the students were shown struggling with their own battles, and I really loved how they together with the teachers could sought them out. I loved how the teacher was more of a friend to the students. It was really touching to watch him struggle to atone for his mistakes by making sure that he could bring happiness to the school.
I am in love with Nishikido Ryo. He was adorable! I don't really fall for sissy characters but he totally won me over. The way he adapted into the role of an innocent teacher trying his best while carrying the weight of the past was commendable.
Amazing acting and perfectly executed script. Though in the beginning I thought it was slightly perverted, there wasn't a second that I got bored.
It had a lot of good things to learn but what I found best was: Stop carrying the baggage from your past. If you have to say sorry, say it soon. If you want to say i love you, say it soon. Because with time, others might forget your mistakes, but you won't. You will have to live with them every single day. So the sooner you let go, the better, and then you can happily spend the rest of the time making things right. I loved how Hara Sensei turned into this incredibly amazing person with a warm heart in order to make up for his mistakes but through out the series I wished he didn't have to suffer so much.

A must watch! Beautiful story. Beautiful Cast. Beautiful Acting. Beautiful emotions.

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Completed
Perfect Mismatch
16 people found this review helpful
by Bali
Feb 17, 2023
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 5
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers
This is a cute drama that could’ve been great if not for making the female lead incredibly smart sometimes, terribly annoying other times, and staggeringly ingenuous for the most part. Rain Lu, as Shi Hua Hua can do cute and innocent very well, but her romantic scenes were not the best. Luo Zheng, as Zhou Zhi Fei, did very well delivering his role, especially when his traumas brought anguish and characters changes to a very smart and seemingly collected CEO of a major corporation. Although there are a few antagonistic characters in the drama, especially related to corporation takeover attempts, the skeleton in the closet was not really Zhou Zhi Fei’s blood trauma but his brother, Zhou Zhi Ran (poorly played by Ye Hao Ran) which turned out to be an evil character with supposedly good intentions that suffered from psychopathic behavior that is difficult to justify. Overall, a nice romantic and lighthearted drama about a mismatched couple finding love was ruined by writers trying too hard to create a mysterious and evil plot line that didn’t fit the overall drama’s tone and atmosphere.

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Completed
Death's Game
16 people found this review helpful
by cc5
Jan 5, 2024
4 of 4 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 6.0
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

A storyline that tries hard to justify itself but fails to do so.

spoilers are there, read at your own risk.

As from synopsis, the story is basically about an ML who gave up on life due to unemployment and getting turned down from most jobs which leads him to feel useless and kills himself. In turn death punishes him, saying he will be transferred in bodies of people for twelve times and these bodies are someone fated to die soon and if he manages to survive in any of those twelve times, he can escape going to hell for sin of committing suicide. The whole plot is about death asking ML does he realize anything from the lives he lived, had he learnt anything and every time hero says I will beat you in this and survive against you.

Like so the hero goes to live in bodies of 12 lives who are destined to die soon. Now each episode is filled with star cast who acted those 12 lives, and it was really entertaining. It wasn't boring at all and all those lives are connected to each other in the storyline and the wrap of those lives to the whole plot made so much sense, even though these 12 lives people are strangers to each other character, yet they all are tied up together brilliantly to make sense. For that alone I gave this show 6.5 rating.

The only reason I'm disappointed is the that even to the end death punishing ML didn't justify in slightest sense. At the end hero realizes he made mistake by killing himself because he gave the people he loved to live with the pain of his death. Which is a very valid reason and I agree the ML is at fault to an extent because the only thing that put him down and depressed is his unemployment, he had other things that most people won't even have. He had a girlfriend who wasn't ashamed he couldn't find a job but was rather supportive and proud of him and was ready to take care of him always. He has a wonderful mother who didn't pressure him into finding a job. Most people who actually kill themselves are someone who is totally alone unlike ML. Maybe ML failed to recognize this and killed himself without realizing how it would impact his close lives. Which is something some of the depressed people who still have supporting families fail to realize and end lives. I agree they shouldn't do that, this is why awareness of seeking help for mental health is very important. but other half of depressed people are someone who are abandoned to live in agony.

Anyway, by my above paragraph you might think death was right punishing him because ML ended his life without thinking about loved ones, but here is the twist. As you have read, ML goes to live in 12 bodies, during this time death says she won't interfere and also says I don't kill people, people are bound to die by the fate that was written to them. All along she tells ML he committed a sin by killing himself instead of dying at the time the fate was written. She says one shouldn't choose death but should die at fate written by god.

Let me tell you, in all those 12 times ML got to live, he witness his girlfriend death who gets murdered tragically, his mother is also supposed to die in a hiking accident but got to live because ML finally won against the fate of surviving in at least one of the twelve times and last life is he possessed his mom's body. Which means ML if he didn't commit suicide, not only would have witnessed his GF death but also his mother death and still live in unemployment.

You might think if he didn't kill himself, he may have protected his gf and mom by being near them. But death clearly says their fates are destined like that. Whether any change can happen to their fates is like a roll of dice, and no body can know.

Not only that, all the ten lives ML lived, are mostly innocent lives who got killed except for two or three lives where ML entered into evil people bodies who actually deserve to die.

So in conclusion, the drama major reason of death giving punishment didn't make sense because even if ML lived he had to live in misery of losing loved one's, if he kills himself, he has to face punishment of death god and get's killed 12 times. For me, the whole series I agree ML is at fault for not thinking about his loved one's and dying, but death is the most evil person as she punishes ML whose fate is already cruel even if he doesn't kill himself and another evil is god who wrote fate of innocent people to die soon in most painful way.





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Completed
Extraordinary You
16 people found this review helpful
Nov 26, 2019
32 of 32 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 4.5
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers
It had a good start but eventually the drama became boring and nonsense. what a stupid ending, doesn't it mean that the story will repeat itself for ever and they will never be able to do anything against the will of the writer!!! even if they succeed to be together, they will start this suffering all over again once the story is ended!
It feels like a cliche tragedy reincarnation story, don't let the good start fouls you, don't believe that this drama is different because they made fun of other cliche dramas.
Honestly, it should have been a short web series instead of 32 episodes drama.
I'm disappointed :(

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Completed
The Blood of Youth
16 people found this review helpful
Feb 1, 2023
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0

A New Age Wuxia

Unlike wuxia by Jin Yong and his contemporaries, this is a nontraditional wuxia drama. Though still embodies the basic wuxia elements of chivalry in social and moral codes, its heavy use of CGI in depicting the exaggerated inner energy and superpower with people flying like birds, has rendered it more like, rather, feel like a xianxia drama. And that makes this drama stand out from the other wuxia dramas.

There are a lot of firework displays in the fighting scenes with characters showcasing their powers and prowess, zipping through buildings and landscape, moving mountains and dividing seas. More serious wuxia buffs may not appreciate such exaggerations, but the story and the characters are captivating.

Like most wuxia stories, there are many characters here and together with their criss-crossing relationships, it can be confusing. Some characters can also have multiple shifus (teachers) with different skills. On top of that, some characters may appear at the beginning episodes, never reappear until at very much later episodes. Therefore, watching with a character map can help greatly if spoilers are acceptable, at the same time, take notes.

All the characters are complex, interesting and lovable, and the selection of actors is spot on. I love Li Hongyi’s indifferent demeanor which is just perfect for the role as Xiao Se who has lost all his strength and doesn't seem to care a bit even if the sky is falling. Liu Xueyi’s cheekiness and funny aura are ideal as the hilarious Wu Xin the monk who makes me laugh whenever he opens his mouth. Ao Ruipeng looks and acts like a big baby, and fits seamlessly as the innocent and chivalrous Lei Wujie who has a terrible sense of direction. Every other character matches its actor, giving viewers a convincing performance. The dialogs are unexpected but logical and humorous.

The story spans from the initial episodes of adventure, meeting people and making friends, to later episodes of intense palace politics with deadly scheming and assassinations. There are several characters whom I like a lot but they either die early or never appear again. Thanks goodness there's no romance between the main leads, though there is some subtle love interest.

My Verdict

Fast moving, intense, humorous, captivating, lovely characters, great acting, superb directing, editing and production. Indeed kudos to the new and refreshing way of telling a wuxia story.

A must-watch. Two thumbs up! BRAVO!

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Completed
Friend Zone 2: Dangerous Area
16 people found this review helpful
Jan 15, 2021
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 7.5
This review may contain spoilers

Open-Ended but Satisfying!!

I really wanted to post a lot about this series but that’s too long. Friendzone 2 is kinda open-ended but it really tackles things that makes our life choices better. I really love everyone’s ending, I just want a special episode of what happened to them. One thing I hate about this is Bew doesn’t appear that much and I want to know more about her. Sic and Boyo, I think they’re going to be good friends. Ugh! I can’t let go and I am pretty sure that I’m going miss this series much!!!
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Completed
My Only 12%
16 people found this review helpful
by Shiro
Nov 13, 2022
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 8.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 5.0

It is al about the dynamics and try not to mind the details

My only 12% is a sweet story about life, family, youth and friendship as we watch these two boys who grew up together figure out what they are for each other in a not overly dramatic more evolvement kind of way...

What I love about this show is the dynamics between all of the cast, the dialog the playfulness and the characters themselves as most of the characters are lovable, supportive and I guess human in a way. I will admit that there were 2 side characters that I could have done without and would have wished could have stayed out of the story, I was also really annoyed y the turn the drama took in the last 2 episodes, it was kind of predictable and the sole reason this is not a 9. The drama also deals with a bunch of issues facing young gay teens that are rarely shown this way. Including the importance of representation in media as well as the risk of being taken advantage of without letting those parts become too big of a deal and outshine the friendships, the family ties and the over all support that takes up most of the screen time in this drama.

If you are the type to pay attention to details, you will most probably be bothered by quite a lot as there are signs of the 2020s, oddly collected signs of the 90s here and there, plus a bunch of small details that just feel out of place. So you may want to accept them or laugh at them but if you are bothered by this, it may not fully be your cup of coffee/tea...

If you ara looking for some intense emotions, thrilling twists and drama you may want to skip this as it is more of a slice of life type of youth.

While I personally would have loved to see more of this drama, and follow the different characters longer, I found the two last episodes a bit rushed and as mentioned in a direction that just felt meeh to me... So i am hoping for a special episode or two or a spin off to get to see more of these characters and do reccomend it to all those who appreciate a friends to lovers slice of life drama with great dynamics...

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Completed
Revive
16 people found this review helpful
by Dounie
Aug 30, 2016
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 4
Overall 7.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
I'll be honest, I never thought I would enjoy this drama as much as I did, it proved to me to be a real surprise, I immediately got into the story and yet I had so many prejudices before starting it and assumed it would be boring and like one of those short and stupid Chinese dramas however I was so wrong :p Yes it stars Ma Ke and it was my real first time seeing him as the male lead so that might explain why I never imagined it could be to my liking and to say the truth he did a pretty good job, at least I didn't have to complain, not in the least ;D
So in my humble opinion the most enjoyable parts of the drama are the story and the friendship between our three main characters : Yun Xiu, Feng Jing and Liu Yi :

1. I really found the story interesting and quite intriguing, firstly the revenge part where our lead is reborn as a new man with a new face, then his path to become a popular and acclaimed actor not for his look but only for his acting and at the same time getting his revenge, secondly the other important element is about the entertainment industry and how it works; what the actors have to go through before being accepted in an agency, how they are selected for their first project, it also deals with the internal battles between agents and last but not least the harsh competitiveness between actors, I found all of that fairly well done and realistic except for one or two things but nothing can be perfect.

2. The intense friendship between our main characters, I found it so real, pure and honest. It's true Yun Xiu isn't without faults but he knows how to value friendship, he is such a loving and caring man. He always gives support to Feng Jing and Liu Yi in most difficult times and the fact that it is reciprocal for them was very beautiful to see. It was mostly hard for Yun Xiu and Feng Jing to trust again after what happened to them in the past but when they met they knew they were meant to be good friends and that they could trust each other unconditionally and yes those who love bromance I can tell it's one of the deepest I've seen, it kinda startled me at first ^^. The strongest point of this drama definitely and what I loved the most about Revive. Surely for me they were the only attractive characters of the drama but they were just purely amazing and made this drama 100% worth watching for me.

My mind was only focused on Ma Ke, Xu Joe and Zhang Viann's characters the other actors weren't enough interesting to me and didn't add any savor to the drama that's why I won't say anything about them, but I need to say the twin brothers (whom I already saw in The Journey of Flower) had important roles here and I appreciated they weren't there just to block the two male leads' way even though I wanted to know more about them but they were not boring villains at least for me, just too stubborn at times.
Ma Ke delivered his part very well and was very credible in these different roles, I couldn't tell it was the same actor playing those various personalities, he was such a delight for the eyes, really well done. Both Xu Joe and Zhang Viann did really great too and surprised me in a good way, I loved how Xu Joe made his character so cold, meticulous and yet very heartwarming and vulnerable. A guy full of inner charms and principles ^^
Zhang Viann what a radiant actress and wow her black hair *.*, I really had eyes only for her, she's so beautiful and lovely as Liu Yi, a very understanding person, her best trait.

The music wasn't impressive unfortunately and didn't leave a great impression on me, only two or three BGMs caught my attention, the songs were just boring and not so much present in the drama.

There are other bad points and things I didn't like such as the dubbing which was very bad and disturbed me all throughout the series, I never complain about that as I'm used to it but when it's bad it's simply bad! Secondly I found the other characters so bland and very unappealing, for most of them I didn't like their acting and they were very frustrating (cf: Amanda, Qin Chu, Zhu Feng, Xie Yi ...) to be frank Lin Xuan was useless as well. There are other flaws but I'm a little bit lazy so I will stop there for now ;p

I would still recommend it for those who wanna watch something short and addicting, actually that's how this drama made me feel. Just if like me you start this drama with some apprehension you might end up liking it!
As for the ending, it was fine like that, I personally don't need a second season and I even think it would be a waste of time, so no complaint from me.

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