Ten Star Delight
Casting, Cinematography, Script, Location, Music and Pacing are 100% on point.This beautiful series is therapeutic to the soul. Every single member of this cast played their role perfectly. Granny and the four little kiddie crew members get my top nod though, they were fantastic and added so much to this drama.
I found the first episode very triggering to me, I lost someone close to me to cancer, and I just struggle to relive those scenes in the media, so I skipped most of it and right into episode 2. This is when our beautiful FL ventures out to Yunnan province to heal. What she discovers are a group of people who are equally imperfect and dealing with their own demons. Each of them drawn to one of the most stunning locations I’ve ever seen in a drama and made me want to pack my bags to China immediately!!!
There is so much growth for our FL in this show, and all those around her. This community is wonderful and supplies truth and healing in every interaction. There is so many moments that the dialogue along will provide therapy for you the viewer, with profound and wonderful advice for so many situations.
The friendships that develop along the way are enduring and from start to finish your heart will be warmed to the fullest.
The ML & FL of this show are wonderful. Finally a mature couple who act and dress their age, with a natural and organic love that develops at just the right pace. If you are here for a fast trip to love, go someplace else because you won’t find that here. The chemistry between these two is also fantastic. They are a couple you will root for and delight and smile in every single sweet moment between them. They are my favorite cdrama pairing.
Congratulations to everyone who played a part in the production of this drama. 100% the best cdrama of 2023.
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DROPPED WITHOUT REGRETS...TRIED MY BEST
Get ready to be pissed off by one of the most annoying sulky FL of all time... Probably of 2023!Because that's the most annoying part of this story.
I feel bad for this FL character because she was Just the worse part of this drama.
I already had a red flag when I saw her getting into the dumb student role of the master. and I was right... she kept getting worse. dumber, Dumber.. annoying.. clingy omg don't get me started because she was Just that terribly annoying!
A master and student relationship was supposed to be cute but she ruined it With her forced acting od cuteness. like gurl, you're cute! but don't keep pushing and forcing it with those stupid pouting and stupid talks and mentality! don't Force naiveness! You're being stupid!
And don't get me Started on how the plot development, situations given, and character line made her worse...Like...she was the perfect definition of a Stupid FL who would piss you off in every corner! Like she reminded me of those 3 min ep short mini modern drama series where FL always wore those baby cloths and pout all day long... That's not cute... that's disturbing..and annoying.
For the plot, TBH this plot had the potential but it already started off terrible already..The plot was heading toward the casual terribly executed xianxia..No..this drama wasn't an authentic xianxia. it Looked like a low budget plot mini xianxia drama. I was watching but nothing they did amused me..Their potray was just annoyingly funny and dumb!!
Acting was fair and some better..ML did well...But FL omg!! You're a Good actress but this role made you dumb TBH.
As someone who's a sucker for reverse harem...I feel this drama was pulling it well with that 6 love interest aspect..I liked that but FL omg you're Terrible at that ! stop forcing the cuteness omg
At a point i sat and thought... Wait..who wrote this character and their interactions?? is that how Human being act and interact? Because the FL writing must have been done by a 3 yr old.
Cringe... everything cringe once again because once leads appear,I skip as fast as anything because together they're cringe... especially FL
In all, This drama had the potential but went terribly south and I don't think anyone can see this.. unless you're mentally prepared to get annoyed because yeah.. it's that bad
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The premise: I dropped this drama 5 times before finally completing it. The reason why I picked it up again is the most shallow and childish you can think of: the crush on an actor. It embarrasses me no end, but what can I do?
I am the cause of my own suffering.
The reason why I didn't drop it a sixth time as every cell in my body screamed I should, is that when I reached episode 11 I was so bored and annoyed by this drama, the desire to write a review became stronger than the torture itself.
Also, I have let some time pass after the watch before I started writing, because I wanted to use my brain and not my stomach (or heart, in this case it's the same thing).
Let's go in order.
The Plot. There is a fantastic word in French to describe such a plot: a bric-a-brac. It is a fairy tale, which is fine, it's full of elements of fantasy, which is fine, but instead of following a cohesive narrative as required by any story, fantastic or real, it keeps on throwing in new explanations and solutions until nothing makes sense anymore, not even in a fantasy world. We have a Gumiho and suddenly we find out she was made out of the ashes/fire of a Goblin. A GOBLIN? You mean legendary little monsters with either green or red skin, pointed ears and tons of malice? That's not how the half ghost remembers her. Wait, this Goblin turned Gumiho turned half human also gave half of her "ki" (another element popped out of the blue on episode... 13 I think) to a human who gave up half of his life but also has half a ki and drank twice the bead and died and came back to life and then the eclipse...
Ok, I stop here before I turn as crazy as the plot. This story is utterly ridiculous, even when, I repeat, I let time pass and somehow digested it all.
Did I mention the cheese, the sugary dialogues, the repetition of lines, flashbacks, situations? Better not.
The characters.
Oh please kill me.
If you think Gumiho is a fox, you're mistaken: she's a dog. She goes from talking about cow meat every MINUTE of every single episode to the middle, to taking about her Dae Woong every minute of every episode till the end. She depends so much on him that even when the stakes get higher and she decides for a sacrifice in the name of love, it's not suspenseful anymore. It's irritating, predictable and humiliating. As a woman, I find her character insulting. Like a dog, she stays glued to him with a persistence and complete lack of reasoning which is the exact opposite of romantic.
She threatens to disappear at least 4 times, and every time she changes idea and we are back to square one.
Dae Woong has at least a little character development, but stays a bi-dimentional person anyway. His losing his parents when he was a kid is mentioned and never elaborated: why mentioning it, then? The zoo trauma is treated in such a superficial way it's ridiculous.
And the fact that he loves a woman who has the brain of a 4 year old child and the attitude of a loyal dog doesn't play much in his favour.
The "half ghost" Dong Joo passes his time watching an hourglass with one eye and his magic knife with another, repeating to himself the same sentences over and over and playing in his mind the same memory at least 12 times. I still have to understand whether his contribution to the plot is to be there and show his sexy emo haircut or add to the comedic.
The others aren't even worth mentioning: the usual, trite, spiteful, envious girl, the always oblivious friends, the silly grandfather, a farting aunt and the bad double of Chow Yun Fat. Oh yes, the dog (the real one) is wonderful.
The acting of the main leads is decent. The others are, once again, not worth mentioning.
The music is repetitive. Very much so. There is one nice song, but by the end I couldn't hear it anymore, so many times it was played.
I know this sounds harsh and I know I won't be received with sympathy. But given the number of good reviews this thing got, I don't feel like I'm doing any harm to it by stating my honest opinion.
If you want an overdose of cheese, watch this.
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The first few episodes felt forced, like the director was trying to make the scenes unique by switching rapidly between past, present, and imagination scenes. By the 4th episode, however, I was hooked. The editing became much more smooth and the transitions between the different scenes started to make more sense towards to plot. The double meaning of the title is true to the plot- b*tchy women and the 'must marry' woman. The story explores both themes.
Story: The whole revenge plot in the first half of the drama was refreshing and definitely something new to watch. It set up many misunderstandings that while on the surface seem to be obstacles for the sake of having obstacles (in other words, 'dragging'), the misunderstandings were very uniquely directed and slowly revealed the characters' inner thoughts/motives. The interactions between Huan Zhen (Alice) and Hao Meng (Roy) of calling each others bluff were hilarious and full of chemistry. I loved watching Huan Zhen and Hao Meng's journey of falling in love.
Alice Ke and Roy Chiu finally collaborate again and their chemistry is still spot on! I find it hard to compare Marry Me or Not to Office Girls because the characters they portray are completely different. If Office Girls had a more chaste and cute vibe, Marry Me or Not is like the mature and sizzling version. I think Alice's acting was more natural in Office Girls but her crying scenes have improved immensely in Marry me or Not. Roy Chiu hasn't changed a bit; his crying scenes still get to me. The directing and cinematography in this drama was gorgeous and the date/deep talk scenes were so different than the norm. No cliche stuff here in that regard!
The supporting cast was great, no complaints at all. The office cast was adorable but didn't really stand out to me. Sheng Nan (Joanne Tseng) and Hao Meng's (Roy Chiu) sibling love was done so well and I loved how their relationship was portrayed. Many viewers disliked Sheng Nan but honestly I don't know how I'll act if I was so in love like she was. She's the perfect example of love can make you blind and do stupid things. But because of that, her character was so real that you could relate to her and that made her character come to life. The parents of Hao Meng and Huan Zhen (Alice Ke) were stark contrasts. One was in an 'unloving' relationship while the other was very much in love. Their respective marriages were a form of symbolism for the different kinds of romantic love and the director used that to set up the main plot between Hao Meng and Huan Zhen. Now, the other male lead, Qian Yao (Harry Chang), is the most 'evil'; character in this drama. Nevertheless, I still liked him and Harry portrayed this faceted, flawed character well.
Amazingly, there were no seriously vindictive second leads at all in this drama. Rather, their worst enemy was themselves and their pride. For those of you out there that didn't like this drama as much as I did, I do think that connecting to the characters in a drama really helps the relatability of a drama. Unfortunately, there are still some family problems in this drama but it doesn't detract from the drama- it actually unveils more understanding. I think a huge part of this drama was understanding the different forms of love and also understanding yourself when you're in love. Honestly, this drama taught me so many life lessons and although there were a few bumps along the way plot-wise, I still think this drama showed a lot of heart. Dramas like this, with lots of inner monologues, are hard done well because they can get boring but not only does Marry Me or Not keep them interesting, but they add so much to the episodes. Seriously, I cried too many times.
Music: The soundtrack was well rounded. There are lively upbeat songs, and super emotionally wrecking songs. A little something for everyone. I loved this soundtrack, even for my high drama ost standards. My favorites are Lost Heartbeat and the song sang by Joanne Tseng, also known as Sheng Nan in the drama! I listened to the soundtrack so much that I started to notice the lyrics for many of the songs correspond with the plot perfectly and describe many of the characters really well.
This drama kind of reminded me of the famous T-drama, In Time With You, not just because Li Da Ren (Chen Bo Lin) cameoed for a small part but also because this drama is more about mature, thoughtful, retrospective, love, not innocent fluffy young love. The monologues and self reflection scenes were also very reminiscent of some In Time With You scenes, but definitely still different. I wholeheartedly recommend this drama even for those people who don't like T-dramas because this drama felt completely different from the usual T-dramas I watched. Since I already re-watched a few episodes, I would assume the re-watch value is high! I most definitely recommend this drama for those romantics out there (like me!) and those looking for a incredibly well done drama that feels very fresh and has fantastic acting all around. (10/9.5)
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a heads up though:
1. the show is really choppy and messy. even from the first season, the first half of each season would be based on their life in school. then it'll suddenly change to an alternate universe of some sort where they have magical powers. those parts seemed really draggy to me.
2.there isn't much romance. maybe a little tease here and there but there's literally barely any romance at all. literally, we only get that tease of romance in the last two episodes.
3. their audio dubbing is good, it sounds pretty fluent. but lip syncing? not so much. especially when the characters perform or sing. it's like the actors don't know what they're singing or performing. it's so out of sync, i thought they added a random audio clip over the scenes.
i really do like each character's personality and their backstories. this drama is more about friendship than anything else. the theme song is really good, it's upbeat and easy to understand. still, the best part of the entire drama are the comedic scenes.
personally would not watch this drama again.
if you're looking for a comedic highschool drama, give this a go.
but if you're looking for something with a solid plot and romance, this isn't for you.
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Like the synopsis, its about hacking and murder with hardly any romance and a speck of comedy here and there. But the suspence is so gripping you cant let go. It keeps you guessing and trying to figure whats going to happen next to the extent you just want to keep watching.
Im sure there are other similar ones, but this a first for me that had me so addicted (to a suspense drama)
The main pair is nice but the second lead pair is really cute, I enjoyed their scenes a lot.
Then ending was amazing and they finished off the drama really well. I really have to praise the writers for that..(cant say for some of the others who mess up a real good drama with a messy ending eg bag guy, big)
Well guys if you want to see a drama that keeps you on the edge then go for it!!!you wont regret it even the romantic lovers like me
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I have seen many historical dramas, but I have to admit this one tops them all.
It is very well made and high quality, the plot is very strategic but believable
and the suspense is intense since you watch one ongoing plot all the time (there
is just a straight cut at the ending of each episodes, kind of when you just turn
off your movie in the middle of it).
The martial arts are great and (for Chinese standards) not so much over the top.
The actors are insanely good.
If I had anything to critisize, then it would be that I hoped for an itsy bitsy more romance
going on (just a tiny bit, too much would have destroyed the mood of this drama), at least
at the end.
And the ending itself could have been shown more. It is a final ending, you know what
happens, but still, I would have hoped to see it actually happening (but this is just my preference).
This drama is in its own league when it comes to historical dramas and you would be insane
to miss it if you like this genre.
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This review may contain spoilers
Honestly I don't know where to start with this. Maybe it's my fault, for having such high expectations after reading the synopsis. I waited a lot before starting it because I read a lot of negative comments about it, but I liked Won Jin Ha in Just between lovers and I was really looking forward to her next project.This drama felt so off in many aspects, primarily because it's not really clear what it wants to be: rom com? sci fi? thriller? comedy? Well, not that mixing genres is necessarily a bad thing, but it was like..."compartmentalized"? There are comedy scenes, romance scenes, sci-fi scenes but they don't blend together...it just jumps from a scene to another and you're left with the feeling you're watching 3 different dramas at the same time.
One thing I really disliked in Strong Woman Do Bong Soon (from the same writer) was the unnecessarily abuse of violence for "comedy" purposes. This time is Mi Ran's ex boyfriend that got beat up to a pulp several time. Was he a douche? Absolutely. But let me repeat myself: a woman who abuses a man is not different from a man abusing a woman. It's not a "strong woman" trait. It made me uncomfortable seeing the man getting abused in almost every scene.
Another thing that felt off was the way the two leads adjusted to their new life, there was some heartwarming sibling scene but I didn't feel any real grief from a guy who lost his father "yesterday" (knowing he died on a stroke while still searching desperately for him I don't know, I would have been devastated), somehow they adjust and beside of the "keep your temperature at 31° or you'll faint", it becomes an office rom com at some point. Even his ex was quickly left aside (well compared to those old dramas where the guy keeps wavering till last episode I suppose I prefer it this way LOL) I probably would have left out some of that unfunny comedy with the broadcasting staff and the ex to explore more the consequences occurred to them and their families.
I mean there was this premise earlier when we see some of their "99 life", where I felt this sadness slowly creating the atmosphere between both leads and their relatives, and when they reunited instead of a moment of pathos (with the only exception of when Nam Tae reunited with his sister) there is this chaotic scene with everyone screaming like crazy, crying loudly and objects falling noisily on the floor. Ruined to the core.
The romance was plain flat, they went to 0 to hero in half episode and it felt odd till the end: the first kiss was sudden and completely uncalled for, as for Dong Chan's reaction when he got jealous of the ex-boyfriend (in the police station, when Mi Ran hit him AGAIN - I cringed because they barely know each other, it was too soon for me). Just like that, to me there was no building, no climax and at some point I realized I didn't even cared about it much.
The mystery part was messed up and completely uninteresting, I found myself skipping a lot and I didn't even felt "lost" for doing so, the plot was too predictable.
In the end, I just finished it for the sake of the cast (Won Jin Ah mostly)
The idea wasn't bad, but was really wasted.
Also. If Mi Ran never actually even kissed Hwang Byung Shim, do they count as a couple?? To me is even a mystery how laws of attraction worked in this drama LOL
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This review may contain spoilers
WHY? Why is this not popular? I mean I know it is not a school drama which most people watch, but this drama is so satisfying to watch. First of all, the cinematography is extraordinary. I'm not even sugarcoating this or anything but this is one of the best cinematography in a drama (the other which is SKY Castle). This drama is set in Jeju Island which means we really get to see a peaceful and serene view of the ocean and landforms there. There were a lot of shots that were just the scenery of Jeju and it made me want to visit and do the same things they did!Story-wise, it was a cute drama about friendship and misunderstandings. I enjoyed this drama for the main reason that I will never be able to do this in my own country. Meeting friends unexpectedly and hanging out together? Way impossible lmao! Throughout the whole drama, I was just smiling at how cute the relationships developed. Also the few easter eggs of Love Playlist were so cute HEHEHE
Cast and Acting was on point. I especially found Jae-young's acting so good when it came to his backstory.
The music was so heavenly! I really love boramiyu's Like or Love so much!!! BOL4 also sang an OST for them which was really nice!
Overall this drama deserves a 10 from me. Sweet, short, and simple.
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Sigh
Who tf keeps letting mame make dogshit? First of all, i was debating whether to watch this or not bc i despised fiat in tharntype (and the show as a whole) but i ultimately decided i would give it a try. From the trailer i thought this was going to be about the struggles of being in a relationship with someone you've been friend with your whole like..NOPE..they struggled with that for .2 seconds and then they got into some other bs.Ja and first's acting is not that great for having the main roles, i was much more satisfied with smart and james' acting, especially the more emotional scenes between the two.
LeoFiat's sex scenes were awful, at times it was so strangely aggressive and stiff that i skipped them entirely.
The story is very lazy and basically a copy and paste of mame's other works...she is just not a good writer.
One thing i will give mame credit for, which is the bare minimum, was confirming that Leon was pansexual, ive honestly never seen pansexual representation in a bl before so it made me smile.
I really liked LeonPobphan, they had a really healthy relationship which is something we dont often see in mame's stuff.
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2Loved the introduction but lost interest halfway through
I had so much fun at first with the series but I unfortunately lost interest halfway through it. I feel there are a lot to love in the series regarding the webtoon vibe with the over-the-top fight scenes, the banger OST, the exciting colorful production and the likeable gallery of characters.Unfortunately, I found the story quite lacking. I found the overall narrative arc for the characters very expected with little to no surprises. The morale felt very one note with some redundant aspect inherent to the genre. Don't get me wrong, I found quite touching some of the storylines relating to the Study Group members but it is a shame it was often in spite of the main character Yun Ga Min. The latest was so much less interesting than all his companions that it was a bit of a shame.
This central role was played by Hwang Min Hyun, whom I feel has improved since his performance in Alchemy of Souls. He felt less bland but still it seemed a bit like a miscast for the part. He felt (like most of the Study Group members) too old to play a young high school student. This was a source of concern but not really that problematic in the grand scheme of all. However, what is an issue is that even if I fully recognize his acting has more range than what I have seen in the past, it was still a bit too robotic to my taste. Fortunately, I must say that I was much more convinced by the acting of the other cast members who appeared all throughout the series.
The production was very good. You need for sure total suspension of disbelief. It is part of the genre as it is an adaptation of a webtoon which does not aim to reach realism or very profound social criticism but rather to provide some exciting fighting scenes, hyping the hero and his friend with a lot of slow motion sequences. The OST was really nice : a lot of good raps, with an energizing opening song that I liked a lot.
I would recommend this to people that are looking for an action / shonen-like story within high school background. If you enjoyed series as The Uncanny Counter, I feel this could be a good series to test out. I had some real good laugh at first and I enjoyed some storylines. I just felt the hero arc was too predictable and remained relatively one-note which reduced my interest in the series as the story progressed.
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There's nothing to say much about the cast, they played their characters perfectly to the point where it was easy to get irritated, to laugh, cry along with them. Each and every actor brought their characters to life in style and color.
The Music was just a perfect match to each of the situation they were supposed to be matched with.
I would totally recommend this drama if you are looking for a well adjusted drama about life that's clean funny and relaxing. Even if you are not in your 40's this drama is written so beautifully that it's easy for anybody to actually relate to and be like "oh that could so totally be me."
SO in clear if you are looking for a funny well adjusted and well written drama there you have it try this one just take a sit back and be charmed by all those oppas who are going to make you feel like life is just oh so well good ...
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This review may contain spoilers
that joyless place. I like to call; The last 11 episodes
"Whoa. Speculation reset. Just toss everything we thought we knew last week out" (2 months ago). My comment after episode 6 aired - where the line draws, and romance ends.Where, watchers thought maybe a great chemistry could climb out into the light toward freedom. A place, that hunted-young-couple would discover love and themselves in the process. But, that story-180, took our leads away from originality, and right back where they started.
Where, the rich can take your organs, ruin your life, kill your child, and force lust on you. While, clueless vengeance and misunderstandings loop repetitively. We all know that place, that joyless place. I like to call it; The last 11 episodes of this soap-opera.
That wonder of walking down a dirt road, in a crown of straw, with a pony-tailed man - With old nanny as witness to a wedding under a open sky. All fell to nothing, and in the end the house they built, meant even less. That couple; mundane, but rich; chemistry gone; wander the earth; to write five star hotel reviews in branded gear. What a difference, that time skip made.
There are better romances out there. This could have been something special, but, it isn't. Not recommended.
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Acting/Cast: All veteran actors and actresses. No complains in this department. Despite all his wacky styles, JGS is definitely a more solid actor that many idol actors in the industry. He just need to select his script more carefully and really test his strength in acting by moving away from the cliche type idol dramas. In Pretty Boy/Bel Ami, he somewhat redeemed himself after so many not so high ranking idol dramas since You're Beautiful. This is again, thanks to the change in drama direction halfway through towards a more melo type drama.
Rewatch value: I am not in a hurry to rewatch this. The story and acting is good but the drama has so many twists and revelation that watching it the second time will take away some of the impact of why it is good.
Overall: A solid 8/10. Definitely worth watching but if you are expecting something that will take your breath away and stick to you mind for years after that will turn you into a rewatch maniac, this is not it. Nevertheless, it stands out as a worthy entertainment amongst all the mediocre KDrama offerings from 2013.
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Circle of Dumb.
Okay. How do I even start with this one?After seeing the trainwreck of the trailer, I checked out the author and stumbled across another book of hers which is even more evil than this, so I guess it's entirely not the screenwriter's fault.
I have my University Exams going on right now, which might be partly why this drama pissed me off so much, cause out of the 10 minutes we get per episode (which is perfect for a short break), 80% of it is spent on twirling, BGM and 'look-at-my-aesthetics' camera work.
It's a waste not because of the actors, who are the ones carrying this drama and who actually have the skills.
The story itself is so... something that it made me double up.
A dude, Ling Xiao, finds an opportunity and overthrows a City Lord to avenge his mother; he later forcibly marries the deceased Lord's young daughter, Su Wan'er, who for once, is a female lead whom I absolutely adored.
If there is one reason for you to watch this drama, then do it for her cause she is definitely up there with Princess Xiao Feng when it comes to giving apt response to their husbands.
Throw in a female villain and voila! - we have all the elements for a plot that we will either enjoy as pulp fiction or want to burn to ashes.
Sadly, the ML is the most dumbest character I've watched on screen in a Chinese Drama. [It does not help that the last two dramas I've watched were In Blossom and Different Princess, both of which had smart characters.]
His biggest contribution to the drama was it's pivotal misunderstanding. [@phroggies70 from Reddit described him as a handsome brick.]
It's a shame because the actor has the ability to boot.
I've seen the Second ML in another evil drama, but he is truly a sunshine in this one. So, kudos to his character!
Even the leading and supporting actors were highly talented, considering that this was the script given to them.
Costumes were nice, albeit a bit cliché styled and the chemistry between the leading characters was also nice. Aesthetics were good. Sigh...
Atleast, it ended how I expected it to. I'd suggest this drama to anyone in search of a chokeworthy ML and a female lead who deserved better.
[6.5/10. Cause it was nice to look at and the actors and crew really worked hard.]
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