Reviews

OH MY GOSH! How come I only found out this drama today. I did a marathon session & have been on the computer for about 17 hours (only taking bathroom breaks).

This is one of the best dramas I have seen in a while. I watched every single minute of it (did not skip anything). The story was awesome & well written. The cast was just full of beautiful people. Eric is now one of my faves (I have to see more of his stuff). The romance, OH THE ROMANCE was just perfect (the Koreans are starting to really learn about kissing scenes). You will feel every emotion, glance, hug, kiss, anxiety, regret, tears along with the characters. I just could not have a favorite one because all of them where perfect.

The music was outstanding. The fashion & scenery could not be better or prettier. You just want the story to continue & continue & continue & continue.

I will be re-watching this drams many times.

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too ambitious

Overall: the intention was good, but the execution was not. 8 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on MFlow Entertainment's YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAvXrP4tNODXIJa-6x-4pJbVOcu2EeFHg&si=GUVOH4IsrBIzbMaT

Content Warnings: deaths/blood (in episode 6 but if you skip you'll miss a major plot point that explains things), episode 8 has flashing lights in the beginning to 2m10s and also has kidnapping

What I Liked
- sci-fi/fantasy aspect with the moon/necklace
- visuals

Room For Improvement
- was very confusing, even the end was confusing, it should not take until episode 6 of 8 for a story to kind of make sense
- Chen Shi was actually evil, he killed (according to the subtitles) millions of himself and then millions of the other guy
- never understood how the curse happened or how to break it
- a mystery god-like character refused to explain/answer questions until he suddenly did because the writers said so
- the finale was bizarre with a cartoonist antagonist

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Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned.

Let me come clean from the get go - this kind of drama is not my cup of tea. I watch dramas to escape, not to get embroiled in messy social themes around the aftermath of the disintegration of marriage and terminally sick children, But Left Right is written and shot by Hu Jin of The Bad Kids Fame, one of my favorite suspense dramas. I just love his visual composition style and how mercilessly his camera eye lays bare the multitude complexity of human emotions. And in that aspect, Left Right hits the ball out of the park and that is without doubt this drama's best feature.

The drama opens well with Fang Yinuo and Xiao Lu compatibly anticipating their first child with a mixture of happiness and small trepidation. They companionably joke about giving up spicy noodles, which Yinuo especially loves, for the duration of "their" pregnancy. Except Xiao Lu already wolfed down a bowl of spicy noodles before going home. Such a simple scene so brilliantly illustrates the manifold cracks in their relationship. She is overly controlling and demands that they suffer together. He is passive aggressive and rather than confront her, he goes around her. This dynamic is prevalent throughout their interactions. The dissolution of their marriage is inevitable and they both move on to become better partners in their next relationships. The drama peaks at that point and once the child gets sick, the narrative succumbs to melodramatic and increasingly unrealistic subplots with improbable twists and digresses into uninteresting and dislikable side characters. This would have been a much better drama with half the episodes. Towards the end all the excessive gouxue狗血(dog's blood) turned into goupi 狗屁(crap) to the point that I even stopped caring about the kid's fate.

This intense character drama with a melodramatic plot takes on too many heavy themes - the pressure of a newborn child, extended family conflicts, postpartum depression, the stigma of divorce, archaic child custody laws, inadequacies of the healthcare system, financial struggles, deadbeat dads and last but not least, women stripped down to their worst, meanest selves.

Ren Suxi's portrayal of Fang Yinuo is so evocative it pulls me into the scenes where I wrestle with the sweet temptation of punching her in the face. This woman is a nutcracker; there is no other way to put it. This cold fish with impossible standards is judgmental, selfish and unforgiving. She wallows in postpartum depression while enslaving her own mother and mother-in-law with her high standards and demands. But I have no sympathy when Yinuo lashes out at them because they are not likeable characters either. In fact, not likeable is the nicest way to describe practically all of the characters in this drama (besides the kid). Even though Yinuo meets her match in her new sister-in-law, I feel no sense of cosmic justice. By then my head hurt from the cacophony of high pitched, shrill and nasty bitching. Unyielding to the bitter end, Yinuo experiences very little growth and never quite owns up to her part in her failed marriage.

As for the men, beginning with Xiao Lu, they are all weak and useless characters. Xiao Lu is a people pleaser that lies to avoid conflict, which often exacerbates conflict. He enables his brother's weaknesses and his mother's vices because it is just too hard to fix them. Xiao Lu is as selfish as Yinuo in his own way and it is manifestly obvious that two such self absorbed people would never work out. They both become almost likeable when they are with other people but all too quickly it becomes obvious that Xie Tianhua and Dong Fan are so unrealistically written they'd be booted out of a Disney fairytale script. Nobody is that nice or understanding or tolerant. Tianhua in particular must be the doormat character of the century. Nie Yuan's acting in particular is clearly not on par with the rest of the main cast but I think the problem is poor character design more than anything else. Although Qin Hao's character is not as intense or as central as Ren Suxi's, I find his portrayal more believable and nuanced enough to make his Xiao Lu empathetic whereas Ren Suxi's portrayal is not empathetic to the bitter end. A small bit of humor could have humanised these characters and made them much more relatable. As for Su Jinwei and Lei Wen, their boring characterizations, uninspired portrayals and long winded filler sub-plots are the drama's weakest link.

This drama's message of atonement and redemption is drowned out by the deafening impression that heaven has no rage like love turned to hatred. In fact, just never piss off a woman. Whether she is your wife, your mother, your sister or your child, she will for sure make you suffer. Up to the point of Xiao Lu's mae culpa, the poor guy gets figuratively castrated by a vindictive, unforgiving woman that hates him to the bone even more than she loves her child. It made me so angry at Yinuo and angry at the drama for making me feel that way. Because in these matters, I am always, always biased towards the women. So how did I end up sympathizing with the men and not even caring about the child? I feel like I was tricked into watching a scorching indictment of women's worst traits. Despite this being such a technically and visually stunning and immersive production, this drama made me more angry than sad. I can only rate this 7.5/8.0

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My daughter has been encouraging me to see this movie for quite some time. I finally did so because she'd recently sent me a photo of herself with the love locks, very excited that she had been in the same spot as Matsujun (she lives in Japan). I know previous reviews most people liked it, even if somewhat reluctantly. I really liked it! No spoilers, but it is a sweet film and you will need some tissues. I am used to watching dramas, so the movies always seem so short to me. If you enjoy films with a romantic/soulmate theme, with a bit of a twist, you must watch this film.

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mini drama thats a cute love story but... the leads are like playing phone tag!!

This is a mini drama, about 9 mins for each ep with a total of 15 episode!
Didn't really have any expectation coming in. This drama was very cute and sweet but at the same time the leads kept playing phone tag lol missing each other. Why cant you just tell him or her that you like them?

The story definitely had many cute and sweet moments, but the storyline was not developed well. Up until the last episode is when the male lead finally ask female lead to be his girlfriend. Ummm... a little slow. They had too many misunderstanding between each other. The male lead had a crush on the female lead from high school , and vice versa with female lead. Female lead is not very confident about herself. She is cute, naive, dumb and has many scenes where she is talking to herself. ( its actually quite cute,) She has dialogue with her inner self. She tries to pursue the male lead, but the male lead is something hot and sometimes cold to her. Thus making her confuse if the male lead likes her or not. The male lead likes her but doesnt say it to her, he does other things but the female lead doesnt quite get it... This is the phone tag part... argh kinda frustrating at points because they would have a cute moment, then have a cold moment and put that on repeat lol

I like the pairing! The female lead does a good job to portray her innocent and naive/dumb character. I felt my tingle in my heart when the male lead gets jealous. They make a cute couple, with believable chemistry! not too many kisses, i think it was 2 ?

I probably wouldnt want to watch the draggy plot if this were a regular 45mins drama, but as a mini drama i can accept it! its not bad!

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Just okay

I watch many Thai dramas so I wasn’t expecting much maybe something cliche but this one was different. In the beginning you can feel the chemistry between the leads and you get excited about where things will lead but.........

the good:. It most certainly started out on an interesting note. The pacing is pretty good, the situation‘s are good and interesting as well. The leads seem to have really good chemistry.

The bad: for a 16 episode romance drama, the mood was often somber. The the end of the series our leads are still going back and forth with their stance of commitment which was disappointing. Last but not least, the ending was less than enjoyable. It was vague and gives no closure. To sum it up, we have that famous until we meet again theme in the very last episode which ruined it for me.

I thing it’s okay to watch but definitely not a rewatch or one I’d recommend.

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I am totally in love with this drama!

The main characters interact great with each other and show good acting skills. They fight for there dreams from the beginning 'till the end and try to help each other and their friends as much as possible.
The other characters also have a great chemistry with everyone else. There are many different kind of persons so i think every viewer can find some character to compare themselves to. Even the more 'unlikeable' characters will grow to your heart for sure ;)

The storyline is sweet and shows how to chase after dreams and find friends and lovers. They also talk about relationships with familys eventhough they have a busy schedule training and helping their friends out. From narcisstic to shy characters, this drama has them all!
If i would have to choose some keywords for this show it would be: friendship, dream, past, trust and fun.

It also seems that they really worked hard to portrait the life of actual swimmers trying to become professional - they did a great job!

The music is one of the points i reaally loved in this drama too. Nice music and the main characters are singing some of the songs!^^

Totally recommend this drama, you won't waste your time for those 36 episodes:)

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Story: The story was serious, deep, and emotional, but it was so good. It raises awareness for topics that are still seen as Taboo in a lot of places. This is about establishing cause and effect. For every cause there is an effect, for every action there is a consequence. This is about the consequences of Keng’s actions. First you have Keng, that on the outside was this serious, hardworking but kind student that tried to help anyone that needed it. But on the inside because of a lack of love from his parents, he became (for lack of better words) controlling and a little psychotic. Then you have Shin, who is this kind, sweet kid who always tries his hardest with everything he does. Then there’s Shins 2 best friends Bright and Pramote who stood up for Shin, and were just 2 amazing friends. I rated this a 9.5 because the story brings up serious issues that aren’t spoken about a lot. The only thing that could have made this show better is for it to be longer, and to have some kind of closure instead of it ending the way it did, on a cliffhanger.

Acting/Cast:
James (Shin)- He was lovable and sweet. He played a perfect Shin and had the audience loving his character and personality. This meant that when he got hurt, the audience was just as upset, wanting to comfort him, and hated Keng for hurting him. It takes a really good actor to play to the audiences emotions like that.
—Oat (Keng)- Again, it takes a really good actor to play to the audiences emotions like that. He made us like him in the first episode, but as we saw a change in his character, the audiences attitudes towards him changed with it. Then when he did what he did at the end of episode 2, we hated him deeply for hurting Shin. He’s such a powerful and believable actor. I hope to see him again in other dramas.
—Yacht (Bright)- The cool, fun and quirky side of him made the show much better. It’s even better when you know the personality of Bright and Yacht, are the same, which made him perfect for the role.
—Topicorn (Pramote)- Like Oat, I really do hope to see Topicorn in future dramas. He was really sweet, but loyal to his friends. Although he often seemed quite serious, you could tell he cared for Bright and Shin a lot.

Music: Good effects, and background sounds, but nothing that memorable.

Rewatch value: I think this is a show you only need to watch once or twice. I can’t see myself rewatching this for a while.

Overall: I gave it a 9, because although the casts were perfect, the show could have been longer, and I wish it had better opening music. Also, while I’m happy it stuck to the novel, I really wish the ending had been different. Other than that I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a short, but hard hitting drama to watch.

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Dylan Wang's Performance

The show is a compelling addition to the fantasy drama genre, delivering a rollercoaster of emotions across its 40 episodes.Dylan's acting and accent fit Xu Qian perfectly, making him a standout in the series.The comedy can come off as a little too exaggerated for some viewers, making it a love-it-or-hate-it kind of show.While the drama isn't bad, certain character decisions were hard to watch.the series offers a unique blend of fantasy elements, time travel, and historical context.Dylan Wang's portrayal of his character, Xu Qian. bring's depth and charm to the role.

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Waited 2 years and it was worth the wait (for me at least hahaha)

Honestly, I have been waiting for 2 years for this show, and all of a sudden it just airs! I was so happy to watch another Allen Ren drama.

Plot:
The story plot is a normal undercover police drama you would watch. It is about an undercover police officer who tries to dismantle a drug ring from the inside. The plot was very consistent with Mu Qing slowly dismantling the drug ring by taking out each of the members in the "shi da jing gan". This slowly leads to his identity being exposed, but he isn't ready to give up! (not gonna explain more, but this is where I am now) :)

[SPOILER] We find out that Ou Kexin is not actually the real Ou Kexin, she is actually Mu Qing/Yuan Wen's ex-wife who did not actually die in the explosion, she just underwent face surgery and took on the role of Ou Kexin and is another undercover police in the drug ring in Yun Gang. [SPOILER]

Ending: They left us at a cliffhanger... I am soooo CONFUSED!!!!

Cast:

I really liked the cast, each played their character very well. Allen Ren who played Mu Qing/Yuan Wen was amazing as usual. His eye contact was totally everything, even though his contract states that he isn't doing any kissing scenes, his actions say enough, and it's worth it! Additionally, Allen ren had some really good fight scenes and he was able to express his emotions very well.

Ou Kexin, played by Janine Chang was also good, however, I think they overdubbed her a little too much. I thought her actual voice would've suited the drama much better. But overall, she was great and I loved seeing those two as a pair :)

The side characters either from the 84 team or the members in the drug ring all did a good job playing their roles. I thought that the "84 team" didn't get enough screen time (especially for Rong Yao to tell them who their undercover agents were like we completely didn't get to see that which I believed was important). Overall, the cast did amazing.

Music:
10/10 - music fit the mood throughout the drama

Rewatch Value:
8/10 - for police, action, and undercover-related dramas I believe that rewatching is not worth it because you already know what's going to happen, however, there are certain episodes I would go back and watch just for Allen Ren hahaha!

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One of the best costume dramas in 2023

For me, this is one of the best costume dramas in 2023. Below are my points of view about the drama:

Pros:
* Great acting. Ma Tian Yu, Angelababy and other cast are all good choice for their roles. They portrayed their roles very well. Especially, Ma Tian Yu used to successfully play a similar complex character like Ji Rou Chen so he is perfect in playing his role in this drama.
* Great story, exciting plots, no dragging scenes with unnecessary characters or details.
* Wonderful chemistry between the two main leads, lovely and passionate romantic scenes.

Cons:
* Not a high budget invested drama so the CGI, costumes and cinematography are not as good as high budget dramas.
* The male lead, Ji Rou Chen, is an anti-routine character so the audience can easily misunderstand him as a bad character in the beginning. Patient and non-judgment/bias are needed to watch and enjoy this drama till the end.

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Short, to the point, still a slow burn, no toxicity

While Strongberry struggled with it's last series, GND did it mostly right. This a lovely friends to lovers story. While a short one (6 ep around 10 minutes), it's still a slow burn. On the other hand there are no misunderstandings or toxicity. The only negative is that we had to wait for each episode for a week which does not make much sense. I would have prefered if they just released it as an movie - which they will do not so far in the future if I think about their last production "My Damn Business". This should be binge-watched!

The characters are not super complex but they are well enough written, they avoided classic BL clicheś with a love triangle from the friends but inserted a sunbea in the later half of the series. This forces Ju Do to act, to take the courage to confess and leave his angst behind him. They even left an open end for his friend because sunbea may have an interest in him too. The third friend is surprised but supportive and understandingwithout any drama introduced.

Production was more eleborate compared to Sukfilms series, so this feels more organic even when they have only four characters in the whole series. The school could have been more livelier but they had some extras at the basketball court. I also wished they had some extras in the cafe but of course they had little budget to expand the scope of the production. The chemistry was nice and acting wise there is nothing I could complain about.

Overall it was really heartwarming to watch and this is a show you should not miss!

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