This review may contain spoilers
SO MUCH LIGHT FUN
A few months ago, I put this on hold just after 4 episodes due to horrible Eng sub translation on YT. When it popped on IQIYI recently I was still curious (how could you not be when there is literally no plot for the first 50 episodes other than men from harem vying for Queens favor???) and, as expected, I enjoyed watching half naked male beauties bickering like hens among themselves, or steeling each other's best outfits for diligently serving the Queen, or flaunting themselves at the FL from all directions. And what makes it really enjoyable is the current excellent translation. I mean, how can you not love "my butt is perkier than yours" and countless one-liners that fit a perfectly staged and shot scene (two concubines in the blurry foreground having a pillow fight while the camera focuses on a slightly embarrassed FL who sits calmly watching with glee two idiots wrestle and then finally getting up with "I am leaving. Carry on" or one consort telling the other "where is your dignity, you think her majesty will like you dressed like a cheap whore")?People complained that the FL character is weak. True, but she has a consistent personality of a pushover dummy from the first life (who was manipulated by a man who hated her) to a reincarnated pushover dummy being sexily played by a man who worships her. How is that bad - particularly if we get to see abs galore, exposed legs and necks and some really skilled filming of what probably qualifies as Chinese version of a soft porn? 🤣🤣🤣
If you want an ambitious drama - look elsewhere. This is a straightforward eye feast for most hetero women who don't have to be strong as long as there is a fool in love who will remove all the obstacles from their lives and make love to them every turn while forsaking all other interests while we women still have other ahm... options available. It does not hurt to be loved by two handsome boys, right? Especially when they have been reborn with you and can band together to save you, perhaps even willing to share you? I giggled with abandon but was touched by Prince of Cang's dignity and self-sacrifice-a lovely detail.
But seriously, there are some turns of the plot here that will keep you glued to the screen in the end. Plus, the director created a solid, consistent look for this production with intimate feel in every scene which was done without theatrics and did not look cheap, regardless of the small budget (pay attention to things like the framing of the night talk with that old twisted tree trunk in ep 55 or the shadow theatre in the window in ep 12, or the stunning outfits of all parties- including three grooms on the wedding day). The 3 hours of the drama packed all the important things that are necessary for keeping your interest: conflict premise, opposing interests and views, scheming parties yet no single villain, catchy lovemaking scenes and seductive moves of various characters. Even flashbacks were incorporated seamlessly without the unnecessary refocusing. Add to it really good acting of fairly unknown actors (even though both Fl and ML have been each in over 30 micro/mini dramas since 2020) and excellent directing/edition and you get solid joyous experience of a S-drama in a nutshell.
The only thing that I personally did not like was lack of independently commissioned music - in QIYI version it was mostly borrowed from My Journey to You, One and Only, The Story of the Kunning Palace, and various other big budget dramas. While the use of these songs and BGM was very skilled and I loved the pieces in the original dramas, it was still distracting to hear them here: I dropped my rating one full point because of this. And I subtracted another point for lack of story/plot substance as there was not much empowerment or women's rights stuff here (a wasted opportunity if you ask me given the fact that the emperor is female guided by extremely powerful Dowager Empress). But still, what was once an incoherent seduction fest with really bad subs is now a reason to say that VD is alive and kicking in 2025 and still testing the boundaries of risqué and tongue in cheek fun.
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Deng Kai are you being forced to act against your will. If you need help, wear a yellow shirt.
Hello once again, sexy.I think many of you would agree, that a spiceless Deng Kai drama is a travesty of justice. Maybe some of you are not here for Deng Kai, you are here to watch something whimsical and cute. If so, then I love that for you, and maybe you should watch this.
But I am not here to watch something whimsical and cute. No. I am here because I watched Qi Min *literally chain his woman to himself*, and it fried my motherboard. I used to have a functioning brain. But not anymore. Maybe you think people with this level of brain damage should not be reviewing shows. Yet here we are.
I am not alone. Millions of us have Deng Kai brain damage. And if you also suffer from the same debilitating condition that I suffer from, then this review is for you.
Maybe you don't think it's reasonable to harbor deep-seated resentment and bitterness at a producer who, when blessed by the heavens for actually managing to book Deng Kai as the ML for your show, then proceeds to squander his talent and sexiness with goofy sound effects and poorly executed kiss scenes. But I do. And as such, I shall now channel that bitterness into mercilessly ripping apart this drama. Because this is NOT how you treat a gorgeous Deng Kai. It was blatant Deng Kai abuse. And I must vent my anger.
So once again, we have a bad stylist who covered him in BB cream and face powder, and smeared purple eyeshadow under his eyes and gave him a dark berry shade of lip color. Don't get me wrong, I like the vampy vibes it gives. But come ON, stylist. Dear stylist. Are you really that disrespectful, that you made up one of the hottest stars in China without even looking at his other shows. ***Too much powder ages Deng Kai by 10 years on the screen!!!*** I thought we all knew this by now. You have to go LIGHT on his powder. His skin is flawless and delicate, and he works long hours. He needs to be hydrated and his skin's oil balance needs to be RESPECTED. And yet you caked him in powder, that's a desiccant! Why don't you just wrap him in parcel paper and sand between episodes while you're at it! At this point I don't understand why overpowdering Deng Kai is not an arrestable offense.
The kissing. Is just not there. Now on this one, I give it somewhat of a pass. Because it's nice to think that Deng Kai isn't some cheap thrill like Jesse Ren, or some playa like Yan Zi Xian, and he can't summon that fire energy for just any FL he happens to be in front of. So let's just say this FL is no Snow Kong, and leave it at that. But it was also a fail on the part of the producers who apparently were dead set on making this one of those "clown-honking, rubber ducky squeaking, cartoon sound effect" dramas. JUST WHY. And don't even get me started on the dubbing. Everyone on the sound team should have been pre-fired before the show even started filming. Is that on the sound team for being inept? NO, that's on the producer for not stopping it from happening.
The script. Are we REALLY turning this in the last episodes into Confession Followed By Random Fireworks, and Running Barefoot On The Beach Holding Hands And Laughing. Really. Oh, and you want kisses in the back half of the drama? Aaa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, that's a good one. Yeah no that's not happening. No, they just gonna continue to shove bad plot down your throat like dry toast with no butter.
Short-length supporting cast is short-length supporting cast. No surprises here. Nothing but mid as far as the eye can see. Great job, casting director, you've really outdone yourself.
But honestly... props to the evil father's mistress who still showed up to the set every day despite that nasty case of conjunctivitis.
And that's all I have to say about THAT.
6.5/10
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Watch this to feel good about life and love
This has been such a treat. If you are growing tired of dramas with very heavy themes i.e., revenge, switched at birth, love triangle, cheating etc., then this is for you!This is the first time I've seen such a realistic take on life and love for a Japanese drama. I love how the leads trust each other and believe in each other's dreams. Even their arguments make me smile everytime they make up/make amends, because we can clearly see that they communicate them well and not just assume/create scenarios inside of their heads.
I've been skipping this drama and out of boredom i finally watched it ~ totally worth it! ♡♡♡
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beyond expectation!
I watched this drama on a whim and didn't have good expectations at all. unexpectedly, it turns out that the drama story is interesting with interesting actors as well. a fun romantic comedy story that everyone should watch 😌The first thing that made me curious was how the story made them both fall in love with the background that was shown in the drama. although there are still some things that make me curious, but I am still satisfied with the storyline and the ending presented.
i wish the best for krystal jung actress career
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Really sweet
There's a small warning in the beginning, "This project started because we want to do it. There's no any other reason. There's no drama. There's only fun and confusion. We just want to do it, so don't expect a meaningful story. Even if you want to find it, you can't find it. But if you want to find our cuteness, you will definitely see it." This is so true. While there's no "meaningful story," as they put it, it's still super sweet and endearing to watch. Each episode is only ~5 minutes, and they're all small compilations of just cute, mundane moments between Team and Win. Honestly, it made my day to watch these, and I'll probably rewatch just before Between Us comes out in 2022 (and maybe in between if there's any drama that makes me cry, haha).Note: There was some body-shaming in the 3rd episode that I wasn't a huge fan of, but other than that I enjoyed these episodes!
Just watch it if you want pure sugar <3
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A Promising Cast, but a Miscast Lead
As a big fan of Choi Hyun-wook and his previous dramas, I had high hopes for this series. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a real disappointment.The drama follows classic, overused patterns, which isn’t necessarily a flaw, but when the story lacks credibility, it becomes a serious problem. And here, that’s exactly what happens.
Overall, the casting is decent. But why cast Choi Hyun-wook as a company CEO? From the start, it just doesn’t feel right. Some might say you eventually get used to it… I didn’t. He still looks like a high school student; seeing him as the head of a company simply isn’t believable. As a regular employee, maybe, but not as a boss.
On top of that, the soundtrack and the story are quite bland. Nothing really stands out. The "geek" side of the main character, which he awkwardly tries to hide, felt more cringey than endearing. There were so many better and deeper themes they could have explored.
In the end, I couldn’t even finish the series. And those are the reasons why.
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A gloomy, purplish masterpiece
Call it love. As the title suggests, we are invited to watch another drama revolving around LOVE. But what kind of love?This Drama is so typical; it is a melodramatic, slow-burn, revenge type of drama. If you have seen such a genre, then you won't be surprised, but this drama in essence is quite different from the rest.
Plot Summary:
Revenge, adultery, drama, and romance, all depict this drama. A very average, yet very vengeful girl is set out to avenge their shattered family after their father cheats on their mom and makes them homeless after 13 years. But who does she go after? The mistress's son who happens to be a CEO living a somewhat OK life. but that's the just surface. There is more to it. As the story goes, the leads get to know each other and yes Fall in love. The Love is slow-burn, with long gazes, and minimum physical contact, the type that makes you crave more. The leads are both very hurt and depressed, and you will get to see them crying a lot, but the romance is so deep that keeps you going.
Acting:
Both leads delivered a wonderful job. You get to feel their pain and growth as the series goes. Definitely one of those dramas that need an appraisal for the leads. Just look at their direct gazes and long silent walks. even their very short intimate scene was beautiful.
Even the villain exhibited proper character development and other actors/actresses delivered their respective roles decently.
Writing:
I'm not familiar with the writing team, but this drama is not without fault, however, most of the questions are answered in the end. There are no loopholes or over-complicated plots, yet the drama became slow in the last few episodes. Plus, the leads needed to have more skinship/intimate scenes for the audience to enjoy their relationship better, but that's how Kdramas are. Always trying to be artistic and different.
Production and cinematography:
One thing i heard a lot before starting this drama was that many said the drama has a purple theme. That's true and it can be annoying to some, yet i personally enjoyed it. Why? because the color itself could depict how the leads were in pain and how the story wasn't happy. it's actually a psychological effect and the writers used this deliberately to play with our minds. it can be irritating at first, but as the story continued, i felt more and more in sync with the color.
The locations used in this drama are SUPERB. Beautiful sceneries and aesthetics. are one of the great aspects of this drama, Again in sync with the characters and the story's gloomy theme.
Soundtrack:
Beautiful choice of songs. All convey the feelings of pain and love at the same time. Wish i could find the background music pieces by the composer, yet we only got the original songs so far. No theme songs.
Overall, it's a 10/10 for me personally, yet had i to deduct a point for the fact that the leads had very little skinship and in my honest opinion, romantic dramas need intimacy on-screen.
Highly recommended to those who want LOVE and ANGST at the same time. and the ending doesn't disappoint too :)
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This was one of my first doramas, and I remember being very indecisive about watching it, but I'm so glad I did. A year and so later, this is still the best dorama I've ever watched, and my absolute favourite. It's not even the plot per se, which could very well be seen as nothing special. It's... the characters? The friendship? The emotions? The stories? I wouldn't know.
I mean, if I think about it... Love Shuffle is not that special. It has characters who fall in love, get heartbroken, fall in love again, maybe even find a happy ending. And yet it's more than that. I came for the romance, but stayed for... anything but.
Yes, this has romance in it, the whole plot is driven by it. But. Is it your standard rom-com? Not a chance.
Admittedly, every pairing could actually work - with a couple of exceptions. You do figure out who's gonna end up with whom by the second round of shuffling (mid-way), but personally... I didn't care.
I mean, if you ever feel in doubt whether you should watch this dorama, just watch the first episode and then decide. The first 15 minutes are an absolute delight, and, looking back, I realise that's the moment I was hooked.
I am, of course, talking about the most amazing piece of television ever written: the elevator scene. How in the world can you take four characters who don't know each others, and of which the viewer doesn't know anything about and doesn't care for (yet), put them in an elevator, and still make the scene work and not feel unnecessarily long? I don't even know. If you figure out the answer, please leave a comment to let me know.
You can really rewatch this dorama as much as you like without getting bored: beware though, it's so good you'll wish you could rewatch it again the moment it ends.
The cast is phenomenal, with one exception - I didn't like Yukki (Daigo) very much, but I guess it's his voice. It's just so annoying. Uzze.
Shoutout to my Ojiro's (Matsuda Shota's) hair. Man, he can really rock that hairstyle.
The music is great! I still, to this day, adore the instrumental theme and listen to it very often. The main theme is Fantasy by Earth, Wind and Fire, so prepare yourself because it'll get stuck in your head. That, and Eternal Flame by Bangles. Seriously, it's a curse.
I have yet to find a dorama as good as this one, but in my heart I know that nothing can ever be like the gem that is Love Shuffle. Yay, Panda!
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I really want to continue already we are in 2018 cheering a lot for them to do. Incredible actors are to be congratulated.
Twisting here for everything to come back, I completely addicted myself to this cute, cute dorama.
As for Ryuji is beautiful as always has never failed to show his beauty and as a fan admire his work I make it a point to follow him on twitter,
the family has a wonderful man and a lovely voice as well.
I love you so much Ryuji <3
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Story: It is a simple story. Boy and girl grew up together. They are as close as close can be - BUT, they never fell for each other. Girl turn 30 and starts to mourn the lost of her youth. Suddenly, she realised what a waste her life had been - living with her mum and sister and writing stories that never get to see the light of the day. So, she made a life changing decision. She decided to move out of her home, but hold on..! She is too broke to afford a place of her own. At times like these, can't we all rely on our BFF for help? Likewise, she turned to her best bud - who happens to be a man with commitment issues. Due to a bad first relationship, the bloke lost faith in love. So, he spend his days flirting with women. When she approached him for help, he refused but later, due to some 'monetary issues', he allowed her to move in and live with him. Surely, there will be no harm - despite societal perception of a single man and a single woman living together.. right??? After all, in his eyes, she is a 'man' and she never regarded him as a man. How wrong!!! They fast learn that being BFF and knowing everything about each other does not equate to harmony in a live-in situation. Suddenly, there are things about each other they never knew - like what a pedantic clean freak he is and what a irresponsible sloth she is! Oh, sure... they knew about that long ago... but to live together and to endure such traits...God help us all! Soon, BFFs are turning against each other!
You may ask - how is it that this is a romance drama? This is for me to know and you to find out. *wink*
This drama reminds me a lot of the TDrama "In Time With You" and since this drama came out first, I am not surprised if In Time With You got its aspirations from this drama. The difference? In Time With You has a much serious tone to it while this one, despite its mature storyline, does contain some funny moments.
This is a very realistic drama and even the funny moments are realistic/natural. If you are tired of "highly processed and manufactured" idol-infested dramas with unrealistic storylines, this one will provide the relief needed and bring you back to what a solid romance drama should be like. Watch it and find out!
Acting/Cast: No complains. It is not an idol drama, hence no great lookers. Acting is top-notch!
Music: Not a highlight here. Appropriate music for appropriate moments.
Rewatch value: I do not usually rewatch dramas, so a 8/10 from me means this is a keeper for the times when the offerrings are meagre and you just want to indulge in dramas. Rewatch and re-live real love.
Even my husband likes it - him, a non-drama person. We will re-watch this together for a quiet evening with wine together. :)
Overall: Go watch it! A good one to teach youngsters what real relationships are like least they forget; what with all those highly 'manufactured' romance dramas out there nowadays!
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KBS Drama Special 2011: Princess Hwapyung's Weight Loss
10 people found this review helpful
I learned in this movie that, no one is a winner in getting revenge and so it's true about "If you plan to have a revenge, make two graves." And forgiveness is still the best thing to do.
I like this movie, it is very entertaining, especially the "rap song", those wacky acting of the female lead. I cried too at the climax of the movie where the princess confronted her estranged husband.
All in all, you can learn something from this. Some may not approve on the ending but, in real life, some are just forgiving and loving their someone significant that way.
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If you like artsy, slow paced movies that are open ended, this may be a good fit for you. I also recommend this movie for any Jang Hyuk fan.
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1Dark, Darker, Darkest...
This is the type of drama that will make you (or me) feel a lot of rage and kind of loose all hope for humanity... It is dark, bloody as... making me want to cover my eyes...The first couple of episodes had me feeling completely lost not knowing where this was going at all but as the plot unraveled, the twists became easier and easier to guess, it was still interesting well done and had me yelling what the ***** + why would you do such a thing!
It has some pretty interesting symbolism and bible references here and there, and does teach the audience a lesson or ten about all kinds of stuff that would be considered spoilers so I will let you figure those out on your own. This is not for the faint hearted but definitely worth a watch.
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Youth isn't always joyful
I usually barely write reviews, but this drama moved me so much I just had to express my thoughts here. This drama had a light typical romance in the beginning, and as the 1980 tragic events started occurring the drama became too sad. I cried so much and this drama showed a message that the tragic events of the Uprising must have scarred others just as painfully as Myeong Hee, and Hee Tae. The couple went through a lot together as the drama started getting into plot, and there were many traumatic events for what happened to the male lead, but a thing I liked about the male lead was that he was strong and was always there for others. His love for the female lead was undeniable, just as the female lead's love for his. So yes, the drama doesn't have the joyful satisfactory ending, but it was realistic and would be as what was expected in the Uprising in 1980. I cried a lot during this drama, and my mondays and tuesdays will feel empty now. So if you are considering a drama about hardships, youth, and love this may be one you should start considering.Was this review helpful to you?
