Reviews

I have just finished watching this drama after 20 days of happiness I got from them. I have watched ever made me this addicted. What really made me first watch this drama was I did have love at first sight with Han ShangYan character in the PC Room. At first I thought this was going to be a typical drama with cutie girl and cold ass boy and girl that can never stand up for herself and needs the guy to protect her but it was totally different. It was beyond my expectation towards this drama.

STORY:
The plot follows your basic, this made the drama a lot more watchable because I wasn't constantly frustrated and think a lot with the characters and story. The story-line also progressed very smoothly and still in their pace without changing or adding character's point of view. I love how they chose the flashback and telling a story of Han ShangYan's past that made his emotions unstable. Nian Nian is a lovely girl who really damn smart and its really hard for her to not get in touch with someone she is really idolize the most. So we can feel the barrier of communication, feeling development and each moments of their relationship growing up beautiful together. I love how The actors were very convincing in their role and the chemistry was offcharts. The friendship bond between Nian Nian and her friends&family or Han ShangYan with K&K, family and Solo Team. Their friendship felt so real. It was simply gorgeous . Although we are ready knew the story ending but still this drama is full of surprises and still making us craving for curiosity about their romantic scenes and humors.

ACTING/CAST:
The characters have their own color and very much relatable. They have advantages and disadvantages that we dont have to mind since their advantages covered their disadvantages. There were many times when he was clueless about how to please her or what to do in a relationship, so he needed someone to tell him. I enjoyed the character development of each actors episode by episode.

MUSIC:
I love the BGM fresh and have a fighting mood since it is for a competition drama.

RE-WATCH VALUE:
I don't think I can re-watch the entire series from beginning to end, but I might re-watch some cute scenes

OVERALL: Overrated drama but Korean and Japanese drama cant beat Chinese simplicity drama with just a simple actor and acting .This drama was definitely a refresher for me in the abundance of dramas, that I can't seem to find interest so much, premiering nowadays. The storyline was simple yet beautiful and was one that guided the audience through the life of the main character's love story. honestly didn't have any problems with the storyline until the end and I enjoyed every episodes since the begining till end.


HANDS DOWN TO CHARMING HAN SHANGYAN.

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Visually stunning, Tragically beautiful.... Unsatisfying ending

If you a fan of mystery thrillers, then this is a must watch. It's got a similar feel to "13 years of Dust", "Bad Kids", "The Pavillion" so on....

Well directed & perfect casting! The synopsis already explains what the story is about, so I won't recap that.

What I loved:
Entire Cast:
1. Young Nan Ya matches the mature Nan Ya. I loved that they didn't use the same actress trying to play down. Obviously, you can't really fake youth and all that collagen. Young Na Ya had the innocence slowly lost.
Mature Na Ya is played by Tong Yao who to me has a 70% resemblance to Zhang Zi Yi's facial features, but she definitely has her unique beauty and acting style. Physically, the natural makeup, lighting, camera works captured her best angles & every curve. She's definitely got that mature beauty that younger boys can fantasize about. Acting, I think she nailed the character Nan Ya perfectly.
2. Zhang Xin Cheng playing Zhuo Luo. He's one of the few talented actors that can play young mature characters that tend to internalize all emotions and explode one day.
3. Ye Zu Xin playing the cop that returned to the town. Nan Ya was his first love and there are definitely regrets in his gaze.

Actual Story: Everyone is intertwined. There are secrets, jealously, lies, betrayal, love, lust, obsession, every human emotion possible. However, it's not for the faint of heart as there are some serious disturbing subjects.

Set/lighting/makeup/production quality: Visually stunning. The small-town feel is uniquely beautiful.
Poetry & Music: It's very artistic. The music elevates every emotional scene.

Decent pacing until ep 14 then felt slow. Ending...... Hate it....... A moment of "Did I just spent 28 x 53 min episodes for this kind of ending? ...... Tragic on its own.

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Dedication, Devotion & Sacrifice

This is a story of a dedicated friendship to an Emperor, a devoted love to a “shifu” (teacher) and the sacrifices of the main characters for the greater good. The romance is heart breaking and the bromance is heartwarming. Adapted from a novel which I haven’t read, some of the characters are said to have tamped down to make them less ruthless and more likeable according to some readers. All in all, this is a high quality production with recognizable actors and a beautiful storyline.

In recent months, there have been a few dramas with the theme of romance between teacher/shifu and student/disciple. This is one of them, and I can’t help thinking, “Is this a recent fad?” I don’t want to get into the morality of such a relationship and will leave discussions to the viewers. Without having read its plot in the novel, how the adaptation turns out here is very plausible and palatable for most viewers.

Ye Hai Shi (Yang Mi) is rescued and adopted by Fang Jian Ming (Chen Wei Ting aka William Chen) when she is very young. Under adoption, she's disguised as a man and changes name to Fang Hai Shi. He teaches her everything from academics to combats. In the process, she admires and falls in love with him, and he is also attracted to her as she grows up. Whenever he detects danger, he always comes to her without fail, as she is precious to him. But he cannot be what she wants, a lover or a spouse, because he is a “baixi” for the Emperor, an invisible link whereby he would endure harm, pains and death for the Emperor. It is this type of love-and-pain relationship that propels the story and makes the characters lovable and the viewers empathize with them. Together with Zhuo Ying (Wang Sen), another Fang Jian Ming’s adopted disciple, they form a spy ring cum secret service for the Emperor.

I love the young actor who plays the juvenile Ye Hai Shi. She has an innocent face, and yet exudes a charisma of a boy - among others, strong, forward, fearless. Yang Mi plays the adult Ye Hai Shi / Fang Hai Shi with a different charisma, giving viewers a different feeling for the character. Here under her, Fang Hai Shi is still headstrong and valiant, at the same time, very feminine even when she dresses as a man. When leading her soldiers fighting the enemies, Yang Mi’s acting is passable but lacks the robustness of a male general. When facing her shifu, Yang Mi is like a little girl secretly admiring a lover, peeking at him under her lush eye lashes - that, she scores 100%. Many complaints of Yang Mi stem from her using her own voice in the dubbing. Though she has a very unique and nice voice, as a commanding general, her voice sounds too girly, and as a woman, she sounds too mechanical and lacks the spontaneity a woman normally possesses.

As a veteran actor, it’s not a coincidence that most of Yang Mi’s co-stars for her major works are not from mainland China. In this case, Chen Wei Ting is from Hong Kong. Though part of China, Hong Kong has its own movie industry and actors, and has very different values and styles. Very popular as an actor, however this is my first Chen Wei Ting’s work. I love the Fang Jian Ming character he plays here. I also love his styling though some viewers complain about his look as well as his acting. Despite not being 100%, I still like Chen Wei Ting’s portrayal as a calm, scheming, dedicated, strong fighter character with great physique cladding in white.

Xu Kai Cheng’s portrayal as the Emperor seems on and off. The strong friendship he has with Fang Jian Ming is heartwarming but at times, confusing due to the inconsistency in Xu Kai Cheng’s acting. Playing a supporting character Zhuo Ying, in fact, I’m most impressed by Wang Sen’s acting. I love the dynamics he has with Fang Hai Shi as siblings. I also love the devotion and commitment he has with his shifu and the Emperor, and not least, I love the undying love and dedication he has for a woman he secretly admires. Acting also as his cruel look-alike brother, Duo Luo who has a totally different personality and demeanor, Wang Sen aces in both characters he plays. I am particularly impressed by the scene when he has a hand-to-hand combat with his brother. The fighting is so real and heart-pounding that it is one of the best scenes in the drama.

There are multiple villains here, most are right there in the open with blatant disguises. Compared with the original version in the novel, these villains seem to have died of easy and quick deaths.

Perhaps what I love the most about this drama is how they have adapted for the fate of both the main characters, Fang Hai Shi and Fang Jian Ming. From the novel, the Emperor somehow develops feelings for Fang Hai Shi and forcefully takes her away from his best friend to become his consort. Such action does not go down well with today’s viewers. The adaptation is swift and brilliant such that, though Fang Hai Shi still becomes a consort, it is a plan by Fang Jian Ming to protect her by stashing her away with the Emperor for safe keeping. So in the end, both couples - the Emperor/Ti Lan (Chen Xiao Yun) and Fang Hai Shi/Fang Jian Ming - are still faithful to and for each other only. This is a big relief for all romance buffs.

I just wish the sub plots are more prominently told especially with the Zhuo Ying’s arc, instead of the scenes being played out in his communication with his shifu and Hai Shi. Zhuo Ying is indeed a very impressive character and his story captivating.

My Verdict
This is a fantasy story that involves supernatural beings like a talking mermaid (and a few others), and dark magic. The CGIs are very good with very convincing sceneries, people and fighting scenes. There is no need to watch other Novoland series before this one as they are not related. The pace is very fast especially with the wuxia fighting scenes executed with heart throbbing beating drum.

Half-way through airing, the drama has a very low rating of 4.9 on Douban. It’s gone up slightly at the end of airing at 5.1. Many viewers do not like Yang Mi for various reasons - her look, her acting, her voice. Others don’t like Chen Wei Ting. Online criticism is ferocious. Don’t be disheartened by such poor ratings and negative comments because, flaws there maybe, this is still a wonderful and beautiful story with amazing characters, a lot of great scenes and commendable cinematography.

A great watch! Don’t miss it. Two Thumbs Up!

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More disappointing as expected and as overrated as expected

Cherry Magic (Thai) was bad enough, but it can get worse with this remake.
I don't get the forced comedy with it's stupid soundeffects and the over-acting. This series has the charm of a bulldozer. The most annoying thing was the overall childish acting in most scenes. There are only some scenes where you can think, this could have been a good show, but sadly it wasn't.

I don't need to compare to the japanese "original" verison, because on it's own merrit this show is not good, but fangirls are fangirls and they overrate as hell because of two actors they like. I also bet my review will be downrated, as it happened with Cherry Magic (Thai), but I could not care less.

Objectively this show is not good, the characters are mostly one-dimensional and childish. The actors had no script to work with which couldn't challenge them in their acting. Besides that, also the chemistry between the MLs was nothing to write home about. "My School President" had a good story, good acting, good chemistry and an grandious OST and all the other things a good BL should have. This series had only lot's of advertisments up your face (again). I don't get it, why they need to do that. Are the actors that expensive or are japanese rights much more expensive compared to thai novels? Even compared to Cherry Magic (Thai) the production quality was not top notch, so I guess it's just maximizing profits.

Other reviews will depict the show in more detail but I'm too lazy for that. It was a grand disappointment and I would wish the fangirls would objectively rate such shows, because as long it is upvoted that high, such crap will be produced again which is sad to the whole industry and unnecessarily lowers the quality of such shows. You should skip it and watch "Only Boo" instead which is not brilliant on the acting but makes up with cuteness and also a very good OST.

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At the time of watching, Cruel City was ranked #1 on MDL and I can see why. Cruel City is a visually stunning drama with a captivating plot that keeps you on your toes from the very first episode to the very end where you get to experience a world where the line between good and bad can start to become blurry. The cast did a great job, notably Jung Kyung Ho, whom I’m seeing for the first time because of this drama, in his mesmerizing portrayal as Doctor’s Son/Jung Shi Hyun. The OST was beautiful and fit the drama well as it intensified the viewer’s emotions. I’m glad I was able to experience Jung Shi Hyun’s world and the people in it, and would recommend Cruel City to anyone who loves noir dramas.

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First of all:
If the only thing that keeps you from watching this drama is the title, just ignore it. Give it a chance and you may be surprised by it. It's a story that tells about doctors who try to protect their ~romantic ideals and about doctors who yet have to come to their own ones as they grow with their difficult tasks day by day (and sometimes have to be pushed into the right direction). It's a story that shows what doctors can be like if society and power-ruling wouldn't interfere and darken single souls. Though this doesn't mean the drama is free from money-driven betrayals that go along with the main plot. It's still a k-drama thing.

Some of you may already know Han Seok Kyu and some of his works. If so, you might already belong to his fans. If not, this drama would be an excellent first try to get to know this wonderful, brilliant actor. His acting alone is worth a 10 and I have no doubt that he will also cast a spell over you - like he did with me some time ago.

His co-actors and co-actresses shouldn't be disregarded either. Though they might not yet reach the level of this acting senior, they did a very good job themselves in supporting the story. I liked many of the face to face dialogues as they gave special light to the respective characters and left quite the impact sometimes. But what I really loved and appreciated in this drama were all those small cases that happened all the time (and that helped keeping the pace and suspense of the story). Most times the guest actors were great with their short appearances and their stories really touched my heart. And I was pleased to see doctors deeply care for their patients in a way I imagine a doctor to be.

But although the drama itself was pretty good, I just had to take off a point. I got irritated every time an emergency occurred and they just stood there, arguing with themselves, arguing with others, having the whole staff watching them while nobody is actually working. I do get that doctors are humans, too, and they can have a bad day or feel bad or whatever. But the whole thing doesn't work when everyone plays along and nobody sees the actual emergency right in front of their eyes. A problem many medical dramas face and sadly, Romantic Doctor couldn't escape that cliché either. Although it's not as bad as I've already seen it in other dramas - this one is still bearable.

So, overall a great show worth watching - either you get bothered by the flaws mentioned above or you just ignore them. Your choice on missing out this wonderful drama or not ;)

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This Is One Of The Best Dramas I Ever Watched.The Plot, Story, Characters, Chemistry, Acting, Music Was Perfect.It's A Beautiful Epic Love Story Between Two People Who Never Thought They Would Fall In Love.I Have Watched Alot Of Dramas And I Love All Of Them But This Is The First Review I'm Writing For One Cause I Think This Is Extremily Underated.This Story Really Touched My Heart, It Has Something Unique To It.I Think It's One Of The Most Realistic Dramas That I've Watched,I'm Sure Alot Of People Could Relate To Bo Ra's Feelings In It,And I Could Really Understand Tae Woong's Guilt To A Certain Amount,I Definitely Reccomend Anyone Who Loves A Heartwarming Love Story To Make Them Cry And Smile.I Definitely Gave This A 10 Out Of 10.Snow Queen Is Beautiful,Warm,Sad,Sometimes Funny,Touching,Amazing Story.And There Is A Deep Meaning In It Too Which Is To Live On,That Living Is Better Than Death,To Just Live On Even When The Person You Love Most In The World Is Gone,Just Live And Be Happy While Missing Them.After You Watch It,It Will Have You Wanting To Find Your True Love,The Person To Change Your Life And Make The Coldness And Loneliness In Your Heart To Melt Away :)



Watch It!!!!!.

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Geometry, abs and lots and lots of people who need to learn about boundaries.

Watching this drama is like watching a collection of more or less every trope available for a c-drama but without the Rio and the cruel grown ups as I am sure you could fill a whole game brick of cliches and stuff you have seen before. The use of water in this show is as overwhelmingly beautiful as the use of abs as the show has a variety of umbrellas, drowning and people caught in the rain, the scenes themselves are not really special but the umbrellas are innovative, gorgeous and given the love they deserve, caught in slow mo and what not.

The male lead is more or less he typical god with a one track mind and complete lack of understanding of the word consent as he forces his kisses on the female lead more than once as well as pretty much stalkes her both online and IRL just to be near her (without the whole imagining stuff and violent tendencies) as this guy is very much aware of her not wanting him to get close to her. The guy does however do all from stalking her online, follow her from behind and go wherever she goes and collect mementoes of their interactions... Lovely to watch but so many red flags mayday in china seems flaggless... Still the guy does have a pure heart and good intentions that will make you forget all that... Oh and his voice sounds like a 45 year olds...

That and the second male lead is even worse when it comes to boundaries, respect and reading the room... it seems his job in this drama is to show off his abs (yes he shows them in about 80% of his scenes). And is there to annoy the audience and make us forget all the flags shown by the male lead, as chances of getting SLS in this show are slim to none. I am sure the writer loved abs as she wrote in a whole lot of scenes where the potential love threats, friends and whoever could got their abs shot from a bunch of angles and close up (including the male leads) . In short the writer seemed to love abs, geometry, and water...

The ML roommates are dumb and dumber, annoying most of the time and only there to prolong the show. The FL roommates are kind of meeh but the friendships over all in this are nice, especially the female friendships who have few traces of jealousy and seem more supportive than the typical C.

The female lead is mostly cool and pretty decent, she is not super stupid, and is rater a girl who with the right help from the ml can do anything,,, she does however seem a tad oblivious, defensive and while she keeps telling people she is not that vulnerable, people seem to treat her as someone in need of constant protection ... Which feels a bit (a lot) out dated.

The second couples female is called persistent... I would call her lacking boundaries, needs to learn about consent and how to take a no... The guy here is however pretty good looking, and the type who seemingly needs that type of girl... yes very out dated indeed...

Annoying characters: A lot
Consent:What is that?
Trust: What is that?
Communication: What is that?
Abs: 999999
Water:99999
Bingabilaty: 9

All this said, it was pretty entertaining most of the time so it gets 8 for entertainment and abs...

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a solid rom com

Overall: this was an enjoyable rom com and with a few changes I would have given it a 10/10. If Mek annoys you the first episode, please keep watching. Watched on YouTube.

Content Warnings: non con video recording/posting, non con/dub con kisses (sleeping), blackmail, punch

What I Liked
- Mek's parents are adorable and the discussion of blended families and marriage equality line were absolutely amazing
- funny moments
- sweet and caring moments
- managed to balance four couples pretty well but I think if they had cut it to three it would have been even better
- an established couple
- some character growth with Mek but I did still get annoyed at him a few times in the final episodes
- the ending was lovely
- realistic and continuous physical affection (instead of 1 kiss at the very end)
- Jeff Satur's OST/singing

Room For Improvement
- the chancellor was stupid/not funny, I wish it had been the guys' idea like in the original pilot and they removed the chancellor character entirely
- the cliche drama point at the end with Mek/Kim
- Kim didn't grow as much as I had wished
- the sisters were involved a bit too much at the beginning but then they oddly vanished at the end
- unknown time passed in the time jumps

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Watched it at the local cinema just now. I watched it because of Gong Yoo and Ma Dong Seuk so I don't really care about that zombie storyline.

Turned out the storyline was good. The movie will catch your attention right from the start. The pace was nice, there are no moments that I found boring. The storyline is clear, it tells you what it wanted to tell, nothing requires critical thinking. You just ponder on what should they do to survive that zombie attack. Yes, there will be some scenes that are going to disturb your emotions. Sometimes you feel like you want some characters to die fast because they are plain annoying, even at some points Gong Yoo will annoy you. He delivered the selfish role right. Kim Soo An also delivered her role well, I am impressed. Ma Dong Seok is a sweetheart, I really like his role here.

No songs whatsoever have been used as the background except Soo An's singing and the ringtone. But then the sound effect that they are using are appropriate at the correct time. Typical of zombies movies to have that sudden shock effect on the viewers, so be alert all the time. You will never know when a zombie will appear.

Tho personally I think they can give a better ending, this is a good movie indeed. Maybe I will rewatch it again 5 years later, it still leaves quite an impression to me. Go watch it, it's worth your time.

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This is one of the best dramas I have ever watched! I can say a thousand positives things about it and I find hard to found any negative.
Reasons to recommend this drama:
- An amazing touching and unforgivable love story with perfect chemistry between the couple and true hot kisses that would makes your heart flutter like crazy.
- The original and thrilling plot with endless twists and surprises that would make you wonder what is going to happen next (and hardly you would even guess it right).
- Excitement, suspense and insatiable hunger for keep watching without stop. Highly addictive once you start.
- There are 20 episodes and you don't have enough. After finished you still thinking "What happened?" "What was all this about?" "Did I really understand the whole thing?" ; and when you believe to have understood all, then you just start to feel confuse again. Definitely need to be rewatched to enjoy of this details you didn't know at the beginning were important.
- Despite of many time-travel theme dramas out there this one from my opinion is the best.

Weak points in the drama:
- Perhaps for more experts in time-travel theories the plot might have some holes or inaccuracies but as a general viewer I didn't find huge mistakes as in other dramas with similar plots.
- The music fitted well to create the adequate atmosphere according to the scenes filmed at the time. However a good original selection of romantic songs would have helped in the enhancement of the romance.

At last, I would like to mention that I enjoyed very much of the acting setting and conclusion in this drama. Again and again, Lee Jin Wook and Jo Yoon Hee were brilliant together, you really wish their love would survive after all eventualities. I hope to see more great moments with Lee Jin Wook in the new drama "The Three Musketeers".

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Must watch.

This was surprisingly good. I really loved it. I was hesitant based on the synopsis but I’m glad that I watched it. It was very unique. The storyline was one that I’d never seen so I was definitely always wondering what would happen. I think the build up was good. There were few and short lived misunderstandings. Things were cleared up well and the ending was great.

Bold ML and a clever FL. The chemistry was one scene which made it even better.

You’ll get the obsessive person, the scheming person, the vengeful person, the deceiver, the lover, the chemistry, loyalty, brotherhood, good fight scenes and I do mean gooood. ML was a beast. Love, love, loved it.

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I loved this movie. It was amazing. The character progression was really good b/c there r so many elements that end up coming together. The love triangle was daring & lots of things were hard to understand in the beginning. B/c of the relationship b/t the 3 main characters it is hard to not be moved by this movie. There is a seceret that comes to light b/t the 3 leads, and it makes things even more difficult for every1 on some lvl. I really enjoyed watching this movie & suggest that others watch it as well. It will make u rethink love & the many ways it can be recieved.

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A Come From Behind Story

An all-around good sports story about a losing team who gets a boost from their coach with a scandalous past. The actors did a nice job with their roles. The characters are all likable, except the antagonists who were devilish in their deceit. The only downside was in the story's predictability. It's a typical come from behind sports story. There are a million of these out there. But it was still enjoyable. There are funny moments that carry the story. The seven-man rugby team were cute together and I wonder how many of their funny antics were scripted versus improvised.

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