Reviews

I Liked this drama. A journey to a happy ending (explained)

A revenge plot with a single inside man.
The drama narrates the story of Prince Jing He (MRJH) whose army was killed alongside 100.000 civilians in the Qinzhou Great arson. In order to take revenge, MRJH decides to train the female assassin, Mei Lin (ML). She will be tasked of the killing of MRJH.

For the readers, who wanted to watch the re-enactement of the novel : bad news. The drama diverges completely from the novel. MRJH does not rape Mei Lin and all the questionnable actions he did in the book wasn't included in the drama. In my opinion, this is a good thing because, this way MRJH is redeemable and can be loved by the viewers and acces a happy ending.

The pros :

- The violent encounter of 2 strong leads:
I liked that the story started with Prince Jing as an anti-hero paired with a strong female assassin. The first 3 episodes were breath taking. And that sadomasochistic scene in the pool was the climax of this encounter.
Because behind all the stabbing and the stranggeling, I could see Prince Jing's attraction for Mei Lin and her relentlessness.
The acting is that good, that LXY and WJY was able to convey two emotions at the same time; wrath and attraction.

- The character development psychologically believable :
I was even more seduced by the drama when I witnessed Prince Jing's development.
From a cold and frightening "master of shadow works " who had to supress his emotions to survive killing attempts.
He is now, slowly openning up his heart to love thanks to Mei Lin.
Love blooms without him knowing it. And that's marvellous and poetic.
From the moment the hidden message of his mother freed him from resentment. He started to open up his heart to love. And this is beautiful.

- The forshadowing of the happy ending during the all show :
I believe in an happy ending. The undying flower is a very important element of the plot. It is showcased in the opening credit several times. More than a symbol of resilience and strength. The leads talk about their next life all the time. More than that, MRJH and ML almost died several times during the show. This was done to prepare the viewers to see their next life via reincarnation. Now that we know that. It is not difficult to see that the last scenes of the drama, tell the viewers that they were reborn and meet again in a different time and space.

- The beautiful visuals :
The aesthetics of the show, it is just gorgeous. The colours, costumes, make-up. Everything is beautiful.

- Great acting and directing :
LXY (MRJH) and WJY (ML) are giving us such great performances. That those characters are alive thanks to their talents. The rest of the cast is great too. And the camera moves are very good.
BWJ (Prince YQ) was excellent. He managed to portray this cunning and tormented character amazingly. The audience either hated him or pitied him.
BC (Crown Prince MRXL) was excellent, at times I couldn't stand the sight of him. So brilliant.

- Flavor of a BL couple Su Muo and Yin Que:
YQ and Su Muo : One of the few times YQ was really patient and loving. I heard some people saying that they had the vibe of a BL couple. I did felt the kindness of each of them toward the other. I felt the genuine love and admiration Su Muo has for YQ. But, Su Muo still lost his life to make sure the love story of his master could leave the dream stage to become a reality. This couple has no status and no real "lovers" feelings. A marriage would be impossible. But the sweetness of their interaction lingers.

- The duality :
There is a duality between : what is seen as the truth on the surface, and what really happens behind closed doors.
MRJH has multiple personalities : "The playboy", "The Master of Shadow Works", and the mischievous MRJH.
All of these personalities are regarded as dark and hard to deal with. Whereas his quest is virteous and he acts for the greater good.
Prince YQ on the contrary is a dignified heir of Xiyan state, best friend of the emperor and benevolent before every one. Whereas, he colludes with CP Murong XuanLie and tries the frame MRJH from the multiple murder of 10 Xiyan beauties.

- Fighting scenes :
Mei Lin is such a badass. All her fighting scenes were amazing. I only regret not seeing more of Luo Mei's martial arts skills during the drama. Generally speaking all the battle was great. They even add CGI sometimes, and that's for the best.

- Yin Que, more of an antagonist than a Second Male Lead :
Yin Que was always cunning and he lied when is vowed to give to Mei Lin the freedom of choice. I spotted his dark personality from the very beginning and I was waiting for him to show his true colours.
He is not an average SML with an unrequited love for the FL.
He is cunning and evil. Moreover, Mei Lin doesn't even have a clue of his obsession for her. He is more of a powerful antagonist to me, who does all is misdeeds without anyone knowing it.

- The symbolism and foreshadowing of a married life :
This is role playing time at Jeinbei: MRJH is a lustful playboy and Mei Lin is a lethal "femme fatal".
In this white troubled water pool, after Mei Lin, (very seductress) told Prince Jing that she just wanted him.
The latter pierced her throat with her own hairpin. The same hairpin she wanted to use to assassinate him. Suddenly a drop of blood fell in the water.
Like the virginal blood falls on the « proof of virginity » on the wedding night.
We had there a hint (through this symbol) of the marriage between the two.
MRJH's hint is delicious :
« Bleeding should be on the wedding night in ZhaoJing »
This foreshadowing of their wedding amazed me :)

- Mei Lin Must not die, a promise to her moribund father :
While exfiltrating her from the fire, her father tells « Live, You must live well! »
This represent a promise done to her dying father and we know how important are moribund's last wish for the ones they left behind.
This is why Mei Lin kept repeating it. She respected her dying father's last wish. "She must live".

The con :

- The unfair death of Crown Prince Murong Xuanlie :
His death was too peaceful. CP was a criminal against humanity with more than 100.000 casualties. This is not fair that he died drinking wedding wine with Luo Mei, his wife-to-be. It is even annoying. Easthetically the scene is beautiful, but how annoying it is.
I was so pissed. But like in real life. People with higher mobility don't face the same justice *sigh*
And unfotunately, this is cast-iron truth.
Thinking about it, I think that, this is the message the writers wanted to convey.

- The disgusting romance between the Old Emperor and the Teenaged Consort Yan :
I know that it is historically accurate but I don't want to see it. They at least avoided the kisses and the two were never together in the same frame with longing glares at each other. I am thankful for that. At least they spared us.

- The destruction of a great Female General Luo Mei:
I was first amazed by the righteousness and the strength of Luo Mei. And I had high hopes for her character to bloom in this drama. Unfortunately, even if I understood that beeing rejected by the love of her life demolished her spirit. I was disappointed when I saw her willingly surrender to the so-called love of the main antagonist, the Crown Prince Murong XuanLie. It was almost inconsistent. How could she, out of the blue, fall so deeply in love with that murderer. Mystery o_O

- Not enough sexual tension :
I would have liked the sexual tension and the push and pull to last more that 3 episodes. Although I loved the chemistry of the Leads. The great sadomasochistic start fell short on that aspect. And that's unfortunate.

- Side stories :
The side stories are almost non existing. Too bad, this would add to the quality of the plot. Big guy could have had a story of his own. I would have liked to see his romance.

The ending :
On Episode 1 we saw that, as soon as Mei Lin appears asleeped and her father saves her, she wears the same outfit she wore in the happy ending sequence. We also see the Weibei army and Qingzhoun in fire.
Wich means that it is really their story that begins again in the ending of the show.

The drama ends with a happy ending. After all the hints about rebirth in the credit song, the allusion to their next life during the conversations of MRJH and ML. We see the Lead Couple together when snow starts to fall. And we know that the "Momai Poison" in them can be cured by the ''Snow dragon whisker seed" that blooms only in the snow. Now the snow is falling and the two of them are alive. We did not see anybody dying. This tells me that, they might have send people to harvest the Dragon Flower and cure themself.

Then jump in time. The color palette is yellow-ish. This indicates another reality. MRJH and ML are younger. There is no war in Qingzhou. They meet in a happy time when they are younger. And those who died in the previous paralell world are alive in this world.

This is the next life MRJH and ML spoke about so many time during the drama. They meet and fall in love on the spot. This is the happy ending.
Then the drama announces "The End"

Then jump to 15 years after that snowfall. MRJH is alone. And we understand that ML has died during this period. We don't know when. MRJH dies looking at the red fruit tree and dropping her hair pin. The color palette is blue-ish.
The maid servant refers to Mei Lin calling her the Empress. It means that Mei Lin survived at least 5 years until MRJH's coronation as Emperor. She was crowned Empress and received the decree while she was alive, because the only title that can be bestowed posthumously is the title of Dowager. So Mei Lin was alive at the Emperor's coronation. She might have died during MRJH's reign between 5 years to 15 years after the first snow. Consequently they lived a married life after their marriage for at least 5 years being Prince and Princess and then they became Emperor and Empress.

I have the impression they gave viewer a happy ending followed by a bittersweet/ kind of happy ending to please everybody. So there is 2 endings.

Overall :

I really liked this drama. I was moved by the endearing relationship of the Leads.
From the violence of a dark encounter to the beauty of love after healing from the past. Moreover, the drama is very satisfaying visually. I recommend this drama if you understand the concept of past life and you want to follow the epic love story of this couple to there next life, this drama is for you.

PS : I know that some viewers felt discouraged by the lack of sadomasochistic and gore scenes in this drama.
But, let's just be honest. Do you really think a S+ drama would feature : BDSM, gore and the sadistic MRJH's actions like the novel did? .... Really

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This Drama is based off of Princess Princess, which, as an Anime, I really enjoyed. Sadly, the story of Princess Princess D isn't all that enjoyable. For one, it seems as though the budget for this Drama was really, really low. There are some good actors in it, but when there is supposed to be a crowd you only see about three people at a time, you never see any impressive overviews of crowds or buildings and the lighting is quite bad. There are a lot of scenes which don't make any sense (a lot of random dancing, for example) and the story makes strange and shaky progress. All in all I'd say the Drama, especially if you've either seen the Anime of Princess Princess or read the Manga, or both, is very disappointing.

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Dull Symphony

As a remake of one of the greatest musical dramas, i.e. Nodame Cantabile, this show was dismal. Instead of becoming the strongest point, music was the biggest downfall in this symphony. They changed the music into the lousy ones and there's practically no spark during music performances. These were actually very odd because both should become the highlight in this drama instead.

Basically this drama ONLY followed main plot points from the original source. Characters and focus were totally different. Say goodbye to quirky yet amusing traits we saw in Nodame Cantabile. Here, even main leads portrayal were lack of depth :(. The writer excessively toned down their unique personalities. Moreover, it often seemed like they were not main leads because too much time dedicated for developing side character's love stories. Some episodes even heavily focused on them.

Integrating wholly different characters into the original main plotlines evidently was a total disaster. Every turning point became flat while character's actions and decisions made no sense. Comedic parts were mostly removed, but there's no adequate plot to cover that. Neither serious nor comedic, just plain. So boring.

The way they shot scenes was weird. Cameras were shaking, zooming in and out rather randomly and sometimes shooting from odd angles. It's uncomfortable to watch. Transition from one scene to another was kinda rough. Same footages were always shown everytime location was changed.

Generally, the acting was rather tolerable, but during music performances was poor. The lead actress, unfortunately, had the least acting quality. Whether the writer really made a dull character for her or she just couldn't portray the character well, her performance was below standard. Acted as a dull character while looked appealing to viewers definitely was not easy, especially for rookie actors/actress without rich face expression or gesture.

All in all, if you have spare time, it's better to invest in other activities than watch this drama :)

Don't you think people should really consider to not remake any drama, especially the great ones, if they just have a half-baked idea?

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I watched the anime, but I didn't read the manga, so here is my review:

Story: 9
The story is really good, and people who watched the anime will not be disappointed. The ending (no spoilers) is a little different than the one in the anime, but still worth it. It's a story with good characters, and a envolving plot. I don't give it a 10 because there are some minor plot holes, but nothing that will affect the main story.

Cast: 8
Some of them were really good, and some didn't convince me. But it's still watchable.

Music: 10
The music is really good, it suited well with the series.

Rewatch Value: 10
Yeah, I would definitely watch it again.

I also want to say the photography and sceneries are amazing. They did a really good job! It's a good J-drama, it has been some time that I watched one so good.

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PLOT: Well-tied, albeit predictable and somewhat drawn out
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Let me start by saying that I liked the show. I never felt the need to fast-forward or even had to force myself to continue it (which has been happing with quite a number of shows, especially towards the second half).

Having said that, The Lies Within was simply "okay". The plot and execution were nothing extraordinary, but it's also way above average. The plot and characters were consistent, the leads were likable and the problems they faced were resolved in a believable and logical way.

This is one of the few shows which didn't weaken as we crossed into the second half and, even better, the writers provided a satisfying, well-thought-out ending.

Perhaps the biggest issue was the show's length. The plot had enough meat for a movie or an 8 episode drama (at most). Which, of course, means that characters took too long to make connections or find things, which slowed down the pace.

On that note, I'd like to give fair warning that this is a slow show, leaning more on the investigation and less into the action. So you'll need to be in the right mood to enjoy it. If you're tired and trying to watch late at night, you might just fall asleep to some episodes.

MAIN CHARACTERS: Good
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I think the ML and FL did a great job with what they were given. They felt like real people caught in a sticky situation but rising to the challenge regardless. They were both likable and had a strong moral compass, which made their team effort feel organic. However, it's precisely that sense of normality that results in the development of characters which we might not remember a few months from now.

SUPPORT CHARACTERS: Okay
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The support characters were okay. It took me quite a number of episodes to warm up to the female detective (the ML's sidekick) because, as one reviewer pointed out, she was incredibly immature and treated as the butt of a joke.

It would've been less jarring had there been another female detective in the team (or even in the department!), but there wasn't. So that part took some getting used to. By the end, though, I had grown to like her. Mostly because she showed that she could get serious and had an actual purpose outside of providing comic relief.

Still, I would've liked to have seen more female characters being integrated, since there were really only two involved in the plot.

OVERALL: Recommended as a one-time watch
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This isn't a unique or particularly strong drama, but it's a good watch nonetheless. There are aspects of the plots that are certainly memorable. Not to mention that the plot is well-thought-out, explained properly and the ending fits perfectly. The shifts in tone, few as they were, were also well-executed and the art direction was spot-on.

The only real flaw is the length of the show. Had it been shorter, the quicker pace would've made for a more dynamic show. And not drawing out certain parts of the investigation might've kept it from being predictable.

All in all, this is a good watch for crime lovers.

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This drama might have the same major plot with Queen Inhyun's Man but there's so much different in these two dramas and i really love them both.

The ending so many room for imagination that leaves me dreaming for more happy moments for these two.
The main character, Gong Min (played by Jing Bo Ran) is such a Dreamboat that i for sure would like to change this drama title to "My Dreamy Man From Another Century". He is such a great lover that i hope they show a little bit longer in the ending. The acting by the actress is a bit mediocre but its okay as long as the lead and the supporting actors are good. I cant help to have a crush on Han Yu Fei and Wang Mang eventhough i extremely love Gong Min. Huhu.
And lastly, almost all the scenes that have moments between Gong Min and Xiang Xiang is so sweet and i really love it. I can rewatch this drama again (as i already rewatch QIHM for 3 times already) just for their moments. Hey, i even cried when they broke up. Lol.

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If your criticism of a movie that STATES CLEARLY it's dark, adult, violent, is that it is dark, adult and violent, seriously learn how to read. I don't care about the four grade school children who got "offended" by the view of nude human bodies (THE HORROR) and I assure you neither are any of the actors or creators. I don't understand why you seek out such movies? So hypocritical. Anyway, moving on. I'm a total wreck right now because sure this is a gangster film some heartbreaking was expected but honestly when Korea does cinema right, it becomes PHENOMENAL. Obviously, this is an ADULT film so please don't watch if it's not your thing. If you're a well adjusted adult and these things don't offend you I would absolutely recommend this. The filming, the acting, the two main leads are both my favorite actors but what I love about this one is that Lee Minki isn't some desperate guy mulling over making a kill, fuck no, HE IS A KILLER. That was established in the very first scene. But he's the protagonist. So yes, I absolutely loved it

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Ano Toki Kiss Shite; Funny, Romantic And Heartbreaking…

The plot of " Ano Toki Kiss Shite" will not appeal to every viewer out there. Its bizarre premise of kind-hearted Nozomu Momochi ( Matsuzaka Tori) beginning to fall in love with the outgoing mangaka-artist Yuizuki Tomoe ( Aso Kumiko)-even in the body of cantankerous caretaker Tanaka Masao ( Iura Arata)-can be seen as oddly " risky” or " weird " in the eyes of some viewers.

However, anyone who has watched this drama beforehand will agree that these stereotypes are wrongly-placed. At the heart of Toki Kiss Shite is an oddly comical, yet heartwarming romance tale where selfless Nozomu Momochi learns the importance of self-love during his unconventional relationship with Yuizuki Tomoe.

As far as the cast is concerned, ”Ano Toki Kiss Shite" was fairly dynamic. Matsuzaka Tori was fairly brilliant as our softly-spoken and down-to-earth male lead Nozomu Momochi. The actor himself admitted that he was drawn to the role by the funny and unpredictable nature of the storyline especially for our male lead.

Momochi as a written character initially seemed to ring warning bells as the archetypical " easily-manipulated" male lead who would be drawn in as the scapegoat by Tomoe, however, Momochi undeniably has his own fair share of problems. Despite having a heart of gold, he does not believe that he should have greater ambitions due to his dead-end job at the supermarket. His one form of escapism is the work of Tomoe. Momochi’s meeting with the mangaka-artist leads him to developing an unusual relationship with the artist- not " romantic” in the beginning ( as Momochi tries to explain to his gossiping coworkers who believed he was having an affair with her), but soul-connecting.

Admittedly, it would have been more intriguing to have seen Momochi fleshed-out more with individuality. Whilst we find out a lot as viewers about Tomoe, her emotional struggle and her close relationship with her mother, our male lead felt too much of a blank slate. We rarely saw or hear him talk about family , his past or even simply react emotionally outside of the enforced " I love sensei” or a " new problem which makes me moody" routine. Arguably whilst this story is a romance tale about Tomoe and Momochi, it would have helped to deepen this soulmate relationship if we knew more about the second component and of course our main lead Nozomu Momochi.

That issue aside , this " soul-connecting" relationship provides to become more of a reality than truth during the surreal supernatural events of the series. Despite being mentioned briefly beforehand ( though without definitive spoilers towards the entirety of the circumstances) , Momochi finds himself in an awkward position when his idol claims to be possessing the body of Tanaka Masao. Naturally perturbed , Momochi finds himself slightly on edge due to the awkwardness of the situation.

However there is oddly something endearing about Momochi not straying from his original words of wanting to develop a soulful bond with Tomoe. In a more lighthearted scene of the series when visiting a bathhouse, he desperately attempts to protect Tomoe’s “dignity” as a woman surrounded by men ( despite Tomoe’s later fairly forthright comments).

Now, Tomoe is admittedly harder to assess due to respectfully played by a female and a male actor.Whilst Matsuzaka commented that Aso Kumiko was brilliant for the role, the actress herself admitted that she did find the role a little unrealistic, though enjoyably intriguing. On the other hand, Iuta Aruta confessed he was questioning whether to regret taking up the role when he was given the script, however, Aruta joked that there is a first time for everything-not least playing a female heroine for the first time.

Honestly, both actors were equally as brilliant as the other by imitating one another’s mannerisms . As a character, Tomoe is more straightforward. A talented and successful manga-artist of the popular series “SEIKA no Sora”, it would be easy to establish Kumiko as the " spoilt princess" archetype, however, Kumiko’s life has certainly not been entirely comprised of sunshine and rainbows.

Yet whilst talking about our female lead, it is impossible not to mention her complicated relationship with her editor Takamizawa Haruto ( Miura Shohei). Now, here is where mixed feelings will be generated for viewers. Takamizawa is what you’d expect of your " jealous-fuelled” second male lead; infatuated with Tomoe, and desperate to make Momochi’s life a living misery. On the other hand, it didn’t refreshingly make Takamizawa a " bad person” either. A backstory provided a deeper insight into his relationship with Tomoe as well as his later revelations with Momochi provide that out of all of his faults, he truly does love and care for Tomoe.

Perhaps the slightly annoying aspect of Takamizawa and Tomoe’s relationship is to do with the “ unrequited love” ideology. It’s understandable that Tomoe didn’t believe that Takamizawa didn’t have any feelings for him ( especially considering their current relationship), however, it’s hard to understand how Tomoe could remain so blasé at times about having or at least struggling with her feelings even once with Takamizawa. ( Bearing in mind their relationship prior to the events of the series.)

As far as the comedy is concerned, “ Ano Toki Kiss Shite" is a required taste. Some may enjoy the comical sketches between Matsuzaka Tori and Iura Arata , whilst others may feel offended or uncomfortable by the exaggerated actions of Tori and Arata’s "awkward situations " and the stereotype of the " foreigner” with Momochi’s coworker Li Shan Shan ( Uraji Nuno)’s “ misunderstandings” by still trying to grasp the Japanese language . However, against some of the more questionable comical moments of the series, ” Ano Toki Kiss Shite” hits hard with some intriguingly issues about Japanese society- Kumiko is revealed to have been a victim of Japan’s vicious problem of ageism and prejudice when she first applied her work to the publishing agency. In a male- dominated environment, she had to take up the male pseudonym “Kanikama Joe” for her work to succeed. Additionally Tanaka Yutaro ( Kubozuka Airu), Masao and Masao’s wife Tanaka Honami ( MEGUMI)’s familial relationship represent the problematic dysfunctional family in all its glory.

However, the one issue which did feel a little less addressed considering the nature of Momochi and Tomoe’s presented relationship was the missed issue of homosexuality and the LGBT community in Japan. Now, this is arguably where we do go down a bit of a slippery slope as it is undoubtable that Tomoe is still a woman. ( The affections of the pair are taken upon the devoted bond of a fan and mentor also.) However, to the outside world, Tomoe’s affections and closeness in the body of Masao to Momochi certainly presented a different story. Whilst arguably the series did address a certain awkwardness in Japanese society around the issue of same-sex relationships with Takamizawa seeing Tomoe ( evidently in Masao’s body) in the beginning, this felt like a bit of a missed opportunity to present more seriously also. ( Especially considering some of the other poignant themes of the drama.)

So, is “ Ano Toki Kiss Shite” worth watching? Whilst the comedy and plot premise may not be appealing to everyone, ” Ano Toki Kiss Shite" is fundamentally an awkward and heartfelt romance tale of a devoted fan learning to be selfish and pursue his own feelings for Tomoe with an eccentric yet heartwarming supernatural twist.

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A love story where two hearts becoming each other's comfort

Just finished the last episode and it delivers exactly what its title promises a warm love story that shines through with emotion and heartfelt moments. This slow burning romance between Lin Yusen and Nie Xiguang captivated me from start to finish, demonstrating how a patient and steady love story can be the most rewarding.

The story follows the cheerful and positive Nie Xiguang, a business school student whose journey begins with an unrequited crush. After graduation and some heartbreak, she joins Guangyu Photovoltaic where she meets Lin Yusen, a former top neurosurgeon quietly working at his family's solar company following a career changing accident. What unfolds is a beautiful tale of mutual healing, personal growth, and finding the love you truly deserve.

The first few episodes focus heavily on Xiguang’s college life which is a crucial setup of her character display and the base of the story. It allows her character to grow, move on from her past, and be ready for the mature and steady love that Lin Yusen offers. What makes this drama so special is the natural progression of their relationship. Lin Yusen is the definition of a green flag. His pursuit of Xiguang is refreshingly mature as he gives her the space she needs, shows up when she needs him most and loves her with patience and respect. Their chemistry feels authentic and comfortable like sunshine filtering through a gentle forest. Song Weilong and Zhao Jinmai bring these characters to life with such wonderful and convincing performances.

I particularly appreciated how the drama shows the contrast between a love that makes you doubt yourself and a love that helps you flourish. The way Xiguang feels at ease and confident with Yusen is a central theme. This also applies to her friendships contrasting the supportive environment at work with her less trustworthy college friends. The supporting characters add wonderful depth like Jiang Rui who is the hilariously protective cousin, and Xiguang's decisive mother and the entire warm work family at Guangyu.

My only minor wish was for more screen time dedicated to their life as an official couple as the 'getting together' phase takes up a large part of the story. However, the final episode showing their happy married life with their daughter was a perfect conclusion that many modern dramas fail to deliver.

Shine On Me proves that sometimes the most beautiful love stories are the quiet ones where two people simply bring out the best in each other and become each other's comfort and strength. A truly delightful drama that will leave you feeling warm long after watching.

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I really liked this drama, I recently re-watched this drama this past year (2013) and I enjoyed it just about as much as I did when I watched it the first time.
Obviously there is a switch of birth at the hospital by a nurse filled with revenge against the villain.

Cast: I loved most of the characters, and hated a few too. My favorite was not the main lead (but he was the reason I watched this drama the first time lol) I fell in love with Park Hae Jin's character (this is actually the drama where I became a fan of Park Hae Jin) - he plays the good guys son raised by the villain - he has a lot of pain in his heart b/c he is good-natured but get's forced to do things at times that go against his conscience. He does what his "father" orders him to do and puts a seal on his heart in order to act it out. He will commit one MAJOR sin in this drama - but as the drama progresses you feel for him again and he wiggles his way into your heart. (I personally found him more attractive than the lead guy) and I liked his "love story" more than the lead guys too lol. Don't get me wrong though I still loved the lead guy ALOT and I loved his "love story" too (but his is more tragic - his pulls ALOT of tears out of your eyes *sniff *sniff)
The villains son - to be honest I liked him a bit at the beginning and then really started to detest him somewhere in the middle (believe me you probably will too - if you get emotionally attached to characters as I do).

Music: was AMAZING!!! I loved how the producers kind of gave each character their OWN song (if you read the lyrics you'll understand what I mean - reading the lyrics as you watch the drama is a true tear jerker)

Re-watch Value: Is a definite (since I have already re-watched this drama :D )

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Just okay for me....!

I was really loved very first episode and was hooked the concept was different and very unique. It was a great start but I didn't enjoyed the journey that much. Though the concept was new from my opinion they failed in the execution and it gradually became draggy and meaningless for me.

It really had much potential with a really great cast but poor writing was one the reasons why it wasn't impressive for me. They literally ruined both ML and FL's character to the point where I wasn't interested them in ending together. Why did they make ML such a immature and pathetic and FL cruel and unreasonable. I mean there might be ways to portray it in different way but at the end we didn't even get satisfied reason FL's actions. I really felt bad for him but don't you have any self-respect man? and those two other couples didn't got that screen time which I was expecting to be all would be focus of the drama.

So yeah it was okay for me. Not must watch, but do watch it if you are big fan of leads.

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A Mess

I really had to push myself to finish this one and with them delaying the *final* single episode by a couple of weeks just added more pain to the injury. Finished it today, nothing that would change my mind happened.

I went into this one not really knowing quite what to expect other than the premise sounded interesting - someone called Gaetal organises a vote for whether to execute a criminal that the justice system has failed to handle, and they'll happen regularly. Sounds super interesting.

First couple of episodes go by and i'm starting to build up a picture of where I think it's going - and i'm *really* getting hyped for it to go there. This is a bad thing to do, and leads to disappointment. Don't do that. In my view, they were setting the foundations for a really good discussion about vigilantism, why the system exists, that they'd move on to say that "Gaetal" was a concept rather than an individual and there isn't just one "bad guy" here and so forth. It really looked like it was kinda heading that way. Debate about "if you click yes, are you an accessory to murder" etc. What happens if they get it wrong etc. Lost of really interesting things to discuss here.

Then reality dawns and their goals are far less aspiring and much more plain. I mean it's not bad, it's watchable, but I just feel so let down by it and the potential it had. This had "squid game" level capability written all over it, I could see those dog masks becoming as iconic in modern culture as the masks of the guards on SG.

The ending... it's finished, it's a conclusion, but it leaves you with implications for what would happen next and... i'm sorry, it didn't earn enough credits with me to justify that. Had it been more bold it would have been absolutely ripe for it, and even a potential sequel or even series of series! :)

I guess i'm mostly grumpy that it just feels like so much potential lost, a real opportunity to have a challenging discussion.

Is it watchable and entertaining? Yes. If you like your crime dramas then you will probably get into this. But don't get swept up in the incredible hype set out in the first two or three episodes and you will probably enjoy it more :)

Cast are fantastic - some really great crew here no complaints there at all. Music I don't recall at all (so, not good not bad :) ).

Bah humbug. Etc. :)

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No concept of consent and a wasted storyline opportunity Type's character

English isn't my first language but I hope you can understand.
This show has no idea what consent is, seriously.
The only reason it's popular it's because the main leads are handsome and there's more than 1 sex scene.

The way they treated Type's character is really sad, his relationship with Tharn is SOOOO toxic and the plot should have never been about them getting together.

Spoiler warning:
1- Type being raped when young is used as an excuse to make this an 'enemies to lovers' and only taken 'seriously' in 2 scenes.
2- Tharn abuses his position as roomate to touch Type, every night, while asleep. Even after he knows about Type's reasoning to being homophobic (him being raped as an 11 yrs old)
3- There's honestly no reason for them liking each other, other than sexual appeal. They just have a crush on each other out of nowhere.
4- They start their sexual relationship with Tharn sexually abusing Type. That bj scene, Tharn was NEVER given consent; and they had sex because Type owed Tharn. There's also other scenes where Tharn uses force against Type (him forcing himself after Type fllirted with some girls)
5- Tar being gang raped is also used as a side story to make TharnType relationship a bit harder (although it was treated in a better way than Type's)
6- For some reason they tried to excuse Lhongs (Tharns best friend) actions.

They should of used Type's, and Tar's, stories to actually talk about male rape survivors. How the media doesn't care about victims but only sees them as income (it was briefly mentioned by Type but it should of have been WAY MORE IMPORTANT). How Type was raped by a man, but latter discovers he likes men, and how that affects him.

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This is the sequel and prequel to the Legend of Zu Mountain (2015). Before I start my review, let me state that I am not a fan of the 2015 series. In my opinion, it was a great disappointment. Hence, I was very very reluctant to watch this sequel/prequel to the 2015 series. Can a second installment of the series beat the first? You know how the second and subsequent ones tend to perform worst than the first in most series? In the case of the Legend of Zu Mountain, it is the opposite! Imagine my joy at finding that this second installment is waaaaaay better than its predecessor! I finished it last week but needed some time to digest it before writing a review.

Story: The start sets the story. A young woman fell from the sky out of nowhere. A young man dived into the lake to save her, disregarding his own life. She woke up without any memory of her past. But she was blessed with a mother and an older brother who seemed to dote on her. This young woman is Ying Nan, the female protagonist of this story. Her older brother is Ying Qi - a man born to be sacrificed so that his clan can survive. Ever since her near death experience which caused her to lose her memories, Ying Nan was plagued with a mysterious dream. In her dream, she saw the silhouette of a man. This man felt familiar. She was convinced that her dream man is the man who saved her. Nevertheless, Ying Nan led a free and happy life until one day, Ying Nan got lost in a forest while searching for her family. In this forest, she met the man who will forever change her destiny - Bai Gu Yi. He saved her from an attack and she fell in love with him; convinced that he's her dream man. Following Ying Qi in his quest to save his clan, Ying Nan ended up joining the Zu Mountain sect. What will happen when she realized that Ying Qi is not her birth brother? What will happen when the survival of the world is once again threatened and the only people standing between world annihilation and survival are the very ones who may well destroy it? Who is Ying Nan? Where did she come from? Will Ying Qi survive after sacrificing his life for his clan? Who will Ying Nan end up with - Ying Qi or Bai Gu Yi? This is a prequel in that this story happened 60 years before the events of Legend of Zu Mountain (2015). This is also a sequel because this story started and ended after the events of the 2015 series.

I love the story in this 2018 installment! There is some time traveling involved, but the 'time loop' makes sense. The story ends where it started. The love triangle (or should I say square since there were 4 people involved in it?) was nicely done. You'll find yourself either in camp Ying Qi or camp Bai Gu Yi. I also love it that a writer is brave enough to include an imperfect personality (or should I say partially evil?) as one of the main male character. I love that there's character development throughout the story. The ending was just perfect! It wasn't rushed and all events and characters explained. This is one drama where the ending created a strong and unforgettable impact. Watch it till the end and let me know if you are not emotionally affected by it!

Acting/Cast: A mix of young and experienced cast. Despite the lack of experience, young age and lack of star power (unlike the 2015 installment with well-known superstars William Chan and Zhao Li Ying), the cast did an excellent job! Special mention to Nie Zi Hao (as Bai Gu Yi).....I've noticed this young man since The Journey and The Journey 2. I look forward to see more of his work!

Music: Let me gush about another aspect of this series that I absolutely love - the music! All of the OSTs are amazing! I've saved them and am enjoying them now.

Rewatch value: I re-watched this almost immediately after finishing it. Like less than 24 hours later! Partly because I was downloading the episodes to save them into my external drive but also for re-watching some important scenes in this series that became so much more meaningful because of the ending. This is a good example of how having an unforgettable ending increases the value of the entire drama. Boy am I glad that they didn't muck up the ending!...... and yes, Bai Gu Yi, I agree.....this is the best ending!

Overall: I give this drama a rating of 9.0/10.0. Amazing story, cast and music. Enough said. Go watch it!

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