Reviews

More plot twists, some expected reveals, and the chase for happiness

He is the Crown Prince Wenxi! I knew it! 😏😊 And all the respect to him for how he refused to just choose between the token and Jiayu. He might as well be her happiness, you know? 🥹❤️The way they worked together to clear her name, how Wuyi made the Empress Dowager agree to his conditions, and how they opened Jiayu's shop for her crafts was perfect. That made this episode especially satisfying. 🤗👍But they are not stopping at that, and every single episode keeps dropping these bombshells... This time, it's Jiayu's words that she's not a lady of a noble family and was just taken in by her mother and father... Which might only mean one thing — her mother is not her real mother! 😲 So, who are her parents then? 🤨The way Wuyi looked at Jiayu when she just put her arms around his arm while they walked the street.... His heart was probably leaping! 🤭P.S. I know this is a very risky and thin line to express joy over the romance between the leads, because of all the discussions around the lead actress's age, but I still wanted to do it for the story's sake.

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Little acts of service, hidden feelings, and the mystery of the Wenxi Imperial family

Oooh, we got some backstory on the Wenxi Imperial family! I think I might be even more sure now that Wuyi is the prince. 😏 Perhaps because the Empress Wenxi had to save her son, she entrusted him as an infant to the Xiao family... Could that be what happened? 🤔But then, how did Jiayu's mother get the Token? Because I am pretty sure that's what she was holding in her arms when Empress Wenxi's senior maid stopped her carriage on the road... OR — could the prince actually be a princess, and that's Jiayu? 😲 That could also be possible if the Grand Tutor is not her biological father... Right? 🤨Even if she doesn't notice it herself, Jiayu has started to care for Wuyi. 🥰 It's so sweet how she baked cakes for everyone, him included (I wonder if they were sourer than the rest), covered him with a blanket while he was sleeping, and—best of all—worried about him worrying about his reputation. She hid those wishes so no one would see that his other "wives" love other men, and that Ziqi isn't even his child... awww, Jiayu. 🥺❤️He, however, made me a little sad. He really likes her, and the only person he confessed that to, in a way, was some beggar he gave his cakes to... Oh, Wuyi! 😭🫂And what's that mysterious illness he has? And how did he get it? Did he get it from the night he was almost killed at the very beginning of ep1, or is that something that he's been dealing with for a way longer time? 😟

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The Results Satisfied Me, But Votes Alone Shouldn't Decide Everything

It was a bit predictable, especially for Team Rhythm. I'm not saying they didn't deserve the votes—it just would have felt more objective if the rankings had also been based on professional judges, alongside the on-site and global votes. A combination of judges + on-site votes + global votes would have been much fairer.That said, even if professional judges were added, I can confidently say that JL, Park Han, Cha Woongki, Steven, and Park Juwon would still have made the lineup. To me, these five are the pillars of AHOF.I'm just not as sure about Chi En and Seo Jeongwoo. They're both talented, but I feel that their popularity played a huge role, especially in Jeongwoo's case. He was still relatively inexperienced, and throughout the show, I didn't really see a standout skill that truly amazed me (I actually noticed that even Changsub never seemed impressed with him—or is it just me?).As for Shuaibo, he's a bit different. He's both talented and popular, but aside from his facial expressions, I'm still trying to figure out what his defining strength is—the one skill that puts him on the same level as the five I mentioned. For example: Han for vocals, Juwon for dance, Steven for rap, and JL for overall stage presence.Anyway, I feel sad for the trainees who remained in the locker room. They all deserved a chance to debut. I wonder if some of them have debuted elsewhere or found success in other paths. Regardless, they were all amazing.One thing that disappointed me was that the directors didn't scout Li Zhinuo, especially Yugyeom and EL CAPITXN. I could understand TenYang and Changsub since they already had a pool of talented and popular trainees to choose from. Zhinuo is incredibly talented and one of the all-rounders of Team Rhythm. He caught my eye as early as Episode 3, and after "Prison," he became one of my favorites. This guy never made a single mistake throughout the performances despite the language barrier. He sang and rapped with incredible stability, and his dance skills were top-notch. I still can't believe he received a yellow card.I also found out later that Zhinuo was actually quite popular. He wasn't at first, but I think viewers gradually realized how strong a performer he was. He ranked 9th overall, higher than Jeongwoo and every Team Groove player except Park Han. I think what held him back was his lack of screen time and star factor.Looking at the final lineup, it was already obvious who would dominate the stage. Even before I became an AHOF fan, the outcome felt quite predictable.Personally, I think the evaluation criteria should have been:- Professional judges (vocals, rap, and performance)- On-site audience votes- Global online votesRelying too heavily on votes alone can easily turn the competition into a popularity contest. Fortunately, most of the popular contestants in Universe League were genuinely strong performers. That's probably why I still consider it one of the survival shows with the strongest pool of contestants. The finalists weren't chosen based on visuals or popularity alone—they had the talent to back it up.

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Team Beat Dominated!!!

MY BEST PERFORMANCE:1. Don't Hit the Brakes (Team Rhythm) / On & On (Team Beat)2. Butterfly (Team Groove)I'm actually so torn between Team Rhythm and Team Beat, I felt like they both performed so well I couldn't even choose one!!It was unbelievable for me to see how many on-site votes 'Don't Hit the Brakes' got. It was way better than their 'Roller Coaster'. But I think it made sense since Team Beat just really did well that the other on-site voters voted for them.Personally, my top group in this mission is Team Beat. Both 'My, My, My' and On & On' were their best performances so far. International votes just changed everything. Both on-site and global votes felt a bit unfair. How I wish there were actual professionals who could actually judge the performances. Votes could only reflect popularity, not the actual performance result.On the other hand, I think global votes made it better than just having on-site votes because the ones who should be recognized for their ability were really recognized here, like Park Han. It frustrated me how he was only in the 6th or 7th place before. Xenophobia was also avoided because of this.I just didn't understand why Ten and YangYang chose to scout Seo Jeongwoo. Was it because of his popularity? I honestly wished they had brought back Sirin or Heejun instead. Based on their facial expressions, it seemed like they also wanted to return to Team Rhythm. But anyway, I'll wait and see how Jeongwoo fits into Team Rhythm. He's not a bad choice at all, and his popularity could definitely be an advantage for the team. Nonetheless, I'm so happy that Juwon is back with Team Rhythm. My power trio is complete again: JL, Steven, Juwon. And I also found my vocal trio: JL, Zen Zen, and Li Zhinuo.BEST PERFORMERS:Team Butterfly: Park Han (Sirin and Kenta did so well, too!)Team Beat: Kairi (almost all of their members have improved a lot, so proud of them!! At least, Woongki did not have to carry the whole team alone)Team Rhythm: Steven (I was amazed with Zen Zen and Li Zhinuo, they were the only players who were able to keep up with the strongest players in TR—they even supported JL in vocal and dance)

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LOOKS FAMILIAR, FEELS LESS SO

This is giving: the planned next series for PPW got cancelled and they needed something on the board that would take little to no effort and still bring in the money ... enter Thee and Me Part Deux!Peach and Me - 4 episodesFor such a short series, they spent a lot of epi 1 beating us over the head with what was already made clear in Season 1: Thee is obsessed with Peach! We got it the first time. They didn't need more than 5 minutes establishing that they are enjoying their honeymoon, but Peach is getting restless and wants some "me" time and to return to work. That time could have been better spent on Rome taking over the company and what that means for both him and Thee, or expanding Ran/Tawan at the restaurant. Instead, they add Mira/Pan, and for a four episode series, it feels like too much. What made the first season work was Thee's originality and his over-the-top devotion, he was charming/fresh. But now that we've already seen this dynamic he feels less endearing, tiresome, and borderline annoying at times. TheePeach say all the right things, but their passionate moments feel stiff and forced. Mok and Rome have more natural heat, but with so little screen time they remain unexplored. The bigger issue is that these characters actually don't feel like they had more to say. There's no real emotional territory left to explore, so the conflicts feel manufactured rather than something that naturally comes from the characters. Normally, I would give a series until epi 4 or 5 to find its footing, but with only four episodes total and 25% already gone, I don't know that there is enough time left to make this feel like anything more than a money grab.

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Preparing for peace treaty challenge

Mao found himself in a bad strait with protesting students. Before things got more out of hand WuYi’s people took care of the situation by punishing the students. When they complained at the harshness of 20 strikes, they were told military punishment was death. Tutor Xie show’s up reminding them of all his admonishments to study inside and stay out of politics He then goes to JiaYu trying to play the interested dad when he’s really trying to gather intel about his ex. He poisons her thoughts with speculation about what will happen to her friend to make peace treaty successful. He then wants her to sabotage WuYi as payment for his help. He is just so ..😡🤬 The northern general is itching for a fight and his insult resulted in scholars protesting. He has upped the anti with WuYi and making an archery challenge. It is funny how WuYi keeps calling his boss little emperor. 😝He accepts the challenge and comes back to find stirrup changes on all the horses. Instead of trying them out he jumps to conclusions about sabotage. He and JiaYu do at least brutally hash it out where he makes it clear he doesn’t want to doom her friend to marriage of alliance but that if things don’t go well the powers that be could make that happen no matter his thoughts about it. Mao and sis are tired of the palace. Tutor Xie’s ambition has done nothing to benefit his children’s well being. Right when JiaYu has blown up the gate and making her escape she runs into someone saying he will accept her as an apprentice. Their mannerisms are similar so wondering if this is her dad or relative?🧐She does much better with grenades but he was better structural designer for the stirrups. He pointed out the flaws and how to better connect them for unwavering support. Right when he says that if used as they are it is dangerous to the rider. They all run out to find WuYi who relented his meanness and was trying out her design for his brother. Disaster happens and he is tossed from the horse and his head hits hard on stone. It also looks like the frightened horse is getting ready to trample him. This episode tests loyalties because all is on the line with this contest. They are fighting for 3 precincts and bragging rights in a winner take all competition. It is also assured the northern general and saboteurs from home will try to injure or kill the competitors.Wu Yi never told his brother who was really keeping him off a horse and in military. By not tattling, much resentment has brewed with his older brother. I am hoping the mom will fess up and ease some of the tension she is personally responsible for. It is not a good place to stop, but it never really is.

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