Reviews

This is the type of show you can only watch once

let's get this started this show is good but I believe that it not as sad as you would think it would be I feel as if it not as much as sad but horror you know if you know the story you know it deals with homophobia and hating's oneself I find the horrifying and you probably should to okay so to the story

the story's start was very confusing for me and the pacing was confusing for me to but at the end it all made sense it feels like some scenes where missing, but it wasn't it was as if he was just him telling his memories of birdy so that was what kind of made me start to understand the story a little bit more if you got confused, I'm 80 percent sure that's what was happening

Now to the story the story was good it felt kind of heart felt not in too much of a sad why but it was kind of scary if you have ever dealt with anything similar to his situation and I really liked how the story talked about real life matters that happen daily like homophobia, self-acceptance, and internalized homophobia where like big things in the show and the fact that it was set inside of a catholic school and a pastor/preacher I forgot as an important character added I lot of dept to this story and the fact that he was telling the paster this

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This is why time in filming is important

I don't know how long they filmed this but I hope the acting was better. I'm no expert of acting but as a viewer, we are the one watching their scenes and quite frankly I notice the lack of emotion when they act.

Like they are only saying their lines and not really feeling the emotion. There is a high chance of chemistry but they weren't able to execute it. Maybe because it was rushed or maybe the actors are not really feeling their lines and not yet comfortable with each other.

The kissing scenes....they shouldn't include one if the actors are not into it because it looks...dry. I've watched series with no kisses or lack thereof and they still managed because there is time given to build up their chemistry.

I feel the ending, and even all the episodes was always rushed and not really giving us any time to digest what happened. So, it's a little bit disappointing.

It's a great concept though, but I wouldn't rewatch it because there is no scene that really hook me up.

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It's okay... I think it could be a little better.

So far it's okay. I think what I don't like about this TV series is the the one that is called Little Jane. He gets on my nerves and if the only reason that I gave it the stars that I did! He gets on my last nerve. I'm not sure why but he he's just annoying! I have almost stopped watching this at every turn because Little Jane is annoying. The only reason why I keep watching this is because I do like Big Jane. Granted, at first I didn't like him much because I really thought that he was some sort of demon, especially when I saw the trailer for it and he had black demon wings coming out of his back; however, the more I watch it the more I see that that's not the case, but Little Jane...... He is just so freaking annoying. I can't stand him!! But I am going to finish watching this because I do want to know how this ends. Little Jane though is cringe-worthy. He gives me goosebumps and not in a good way. I am just so close to being through with him. I noticed so many people are giving it such high ratings and it's making me question if we're all watching the same series and if I'm the only one that finds Little Jane annoying!

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Fun fun fun if you don't think about it too deeply

peak enjoyment. rating purely on the joy factor. what this series sold was teeteepor and wowwowow did it sell the hell out of this couple. acting is very rough around the edges for everybody involved but at the same time, i don't think any other actor could've brough out the charm in duang like teetee did. read some of the novel, wow that was hot trash from the dumpster. canon duang was so fucking insufferable and icky. but onscreen duang love love love. qin is such a gorgeous gorgeous guy i'd fall for him and be weird af about it too duang. the plot is barely there but this is a campus couple flick, people expect too much. couples are cringe, duangqin are cringe bc theyre bringing real couple energy. when was the last time two men on screen actually look like they love each other i can't remember. but duangqin is literally that couple in the disney line all on top of each other. you hate them until you become them. for the other cast members, omg we need acting lessons boys. the duang gang bring enough comedy and charm for me to overlook their atrocious acting but omg i could not stand qin's friends. they barely added to the plot and they had no presence whatsoever. then i find out that they are models, that makes sense. p'bm you think you're slick for sliding in three of your kids into this series and thinking i won't notice. omg they stood out like a sore thumb. also like, pae just disappears randomly and it's never brought up again. like did all his scenes get cut,? don't add those parts in then what? i do wish i knew how they all became friends too bc why do they do so much for duang damn. jamiemarvis story was soooo nothingburger. i understand theyre a foil to the lover boy warrior contrast thing but they also brought nothinggg. i wanna say i wanted to see their story fleshed out more but i also did not enjoy them on my screen so. qin trauma was also resolved super hastily but yea that's to be expected from a fluff series that doesnt take itself too seriously. anyway plot was full of holes and the ship is sinking but omg ill sink with it what a fun ride thank you p'kla.

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12 Episodes That Felt Like A Hard Year

This show dragged the audience through an arduous mountain climb, then pushed us off a cliff at the end...

Let's start with the positives. The plot was original, with a thoughtful way to push the main leads into each others' orbits. The acting was good, including the "villains". Fan Fan's dad, for instance, was deplorable so the character was well acted.

The chemistry between the main leads was acceptable. It wasn’t amazing but it didn't distract me at all. I don't recall the music at all, which probably means it was also acceptable.

The enfing was so rushed. And while finding out that Fan Fan was actually a calculating genius was gratifying, it didn’t change that we had to watch him be a sniveling pushover for 11 episodes. And that was very hard to watch.
Same with Bei Lu Qing. It's great that he actually cared about and wanted to fight for Fan Fan. But we had to watch him be a cold @sshole for 11 episodes. And who we watched them be for 11 episodes is who they are to us. A narrated wrap up episode doesn’t change that.

And what about Bei Lu Xin? She seemed genuinely in love with her brother, and we never addressed that.

So anyways, the show was pretty good. Interesting moments, very annoying moments. I won't likely rewatch at all. But I'd recommend BL lovers to watch.

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I was so sad it ended!

This drama was absolutely amazing. The acting was fantastic, the plots and storylines were fantastic. I didn’t feel the need to binge it and I didn’t feel bored during any part of it. This may have been the first drama I’ve watched without skipping ANY scenes at all. that’s a pretty big feat considering how much filler there can be in some of these cdramas.
This drama is definitely very female-centric and the FMC is incredibly intelligent and a great fighter. MMC assists her and is also very knowledgeable but not a fighter. unlike typical cdrama dynamics, he’s more of a scholar. I loved how level headed and patient he was with her.
The focus of this drama is definitely not the romance. it focuses heavily on mysteries and building a fantastic plot and storyline. That being said, I loved the romance that we get little bits of. The biggest reason why I rated this 9/10 instead of a whole 10/10 is because towards the end, the leads treat each other in ways that we don’t see throughout the whole show. There’s some sudden romance that feels very jarring. Add to that the strange arguments and conflict and it felt a bit out of place.
Nevertheless, I loved this drama and can definitely see myself rewatching it!

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Inner palace scheming of just the right amount

Glory Back is an imperial harem story that focuses almost exclusively on struggles in the inner palace. The characters are mostly concubines and those in their orbit. Inner palace intrigues are not something I find particularly interesting; I consider them mostly just variations on a theme. But I thought this show did a pretty good job. The schemes are not groundbreaking but they’re intricate and interesting, and the show manages to build out characters and stories that I care for with just the right amount of runtime.

Feng Qing, the primary main character, is one of those smart and capable FLs who metes out justice while protecting those around her. I liked her. I thought she is written and acted perfectly to show how the attitude and abilities of a capable empress would transfer over to this new context of a maid. She has almost no adjustment period, and I did not miss it. She just slides into her new role and gets to work.

Feng Qing is calm, collected, and confident, and as schemes big and small twirl around her, there isn’t much suspense as to whether or not she’ll succeed. I’ve found other shows with overpowered main characters boring, but here I didn’t. I think this is partly because things still don’t always go her way- she panics, she has to improvise, she uses expediencies, and afterwards she has to scramble to undo the damage. And also partly because her inner thoughts are narrated- which goes a long way in humanizing an OP character, and also helps us feel closer to her as we understand what she’s thinking. In general we get many characters’ inner thoughts in this show, which I think smooths out the story a lot.

Feng Qing is not particularly interested in romance for awhile, and I likewise did not miss it until it showed up. But many people seem disturbed that the emperor, who is a love interest, has a harem and uses it too. Of course this is historically sound, but it can be hard for a modern audience to understand and accept. Unlike most other shows with harems, here the emperor’s relationship with the FL is built up into something you’re supposed to care about, with challenges and development. So you have to believe that somebody who sleeps around his harem is also capable of emotional depth, sincerity, and genuine attachment to our protagonist. His attitude towards his other consorts is rather ambiguous (does he care for them? Enjoy their company? Tolerate them? Treat them as his duty?) so depending on how you fill in that blank, you might find it more or less jarring.

Personally for me, I’d rather a show be more historically accurate than try to twist things to fit modern values (those so-devoted-they're-monogamous emperor MLs in other shows, for example, always felt a little forced to me). I still struggled with this relationship a little- cognitive dissonance and all- but ultimately I fell for it. I really enjoyed their scenes together and watching the rebuilding of their relationship.

But harem aside, I still felt the show could have done better with this aspect. The rear palace was never about love, so the late empress’s alluded-to love for the emperor is a bit out of place, and I never quite understood their former relationship. Also, the emperor is not as eloquent as Feng Qing, and a lot of his lines are wasted on generic vapidities. The show could have done a better job building out their past, twisting the knife of regret, and showing the relief of getting a second chance. Their setup has so much promise, and Feng QIng’s lingering resentment but sense of moving on is so well done, that it’s too bad the script doesn’t follow through.

On the villain side, the rear palace is a pit of vipers so mostly Feng Qing gets to clean up shop. The show's setting is a time and place with little mercy, but Feng Qing still has compassion and a conscience, so she does her best to only hurt those who deserve it. I was pretty happy with the villains and conflicts, although towards the end the final villain gets a bit cartoonish.

As for side characters, there are some that are likeable and/or interesting but nobody I was so attached to that I wish they got more screentime. It’s not a long show so there aren’t too many extra characters to keep track of.

The pacing of this show is quite good. It moves along at a decent clip without feeling disjointed, and is able to tell a complete story with many story arcs- didn’t feel like a short drama at all- while still not taking too long to watch. There is a little bit of wasted time here and there but only a minimum. The ending is also fine. I’ve gotten so used to speeding up shows, but I actually did a lot of rewinding in this one, mostly because some of Feng Qing’s lines are so good that I couldn’t resist watching them again.

The acting is quite good, with a solid performance by the lead actress as well as several others. The costumes are nice, the cinematography decent, and I also really liked the music, both OST and BGM. The only thing that feels kind of low budget is some of the SFX, like when they try to show a knife drawing blood.

Overall I quite like this show, with its easy-to-root-for FL, limited stress, and perfect length of runtime. I also do like the relationship- I think it’s unique that this show tries to do a “true love” thing with an emperor but without overturning the system, even though this is what bothered many people. And even though, within those confines, it still could have been done better.

ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS





This show has a happy ending. Things mostly work out for everyone you’d like. There are some people throughout the show that I felt sorry for and are killed, but again, it’s a time and place with little mercy. There are also some side characters who seem like they could have been more developed (like that prosecutor who is clearly a female masquerading as a male) but it’s not too big a deal.

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Cute...But Nothing Special

I'll be honest, it took me a LONG time to get throught this drama. I found the main character so aggrivating and childish and I just got intense second hand embarrassment from everything he did. I also found the acting a bit stilted in the beginning, and the weird sound effects drove me nuts. But literally everyone was raving about how amazing this show is. So I pushed through to finish. Obviously there must be something I was missing.

And honestly? No. Not really, in my opinion. The show is exactly what it tells you it is. There's nothing unique about it. It's not rewriting the BL landscape. It's a perfectly fine, perfectly cute, perfectly serviceable standard university BL. I do think the acting and character dynamics got a little bit better later into the story. But I never stopped finding Duang cringe.

I enjoyed it but the inflated rating is undeserved, in my opinion. It's fun, it's fine. It's pretty mid, if I'm honest.

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You only realise what you’ve lost when it’s gone

The world works in cruel ways and human nature is scary. If only they were grateful for what they had, maybe all this never would’ve happened. I do understand their reasons but at what cost? Only to realise what they had lost.
It’s been a while since I’ve watched a drama that has fully captivated me.

What I loved:
- Obviously a strong female lead! She’s doesn’t belong to anyone and she makes sure they know that.
- OST, beautiful right from the beginning
- PACE was perfect. It felt like something happened each episode. I never felt bored.
- The storyline was good. Although there were many characters I generally understood what was going on. There were a few like side quests they felt like. Like smaller plots but they all helped develop and build on the main storyline which personally kept me on my toes and interested.
- Acting was on point! Of course the leads lead the drama but all the supporting roles really brought it together. I’m so glad I got to see Zuo Ye as Murong Yao. After watching him in my journey to you I’m glad he got to play a bigger role. He did a very good job here and it was a surprise to see him play a cheerful brother one minute and then a villain! I also want to praise Qin Tian Yu, the emporer of Jinxiu. His acting was phenomenal. He honestly reminded me of another famous actor in china at the moment. Like the confusing red to green flags had me going crazy. I hope to see more of his acting in the future.
- Fight scenes were enjoyable with a shout out to the fight scene between Feng suige and Murong Yao. The ditching of the swords was truly a good shout. It made it so much more painful to watch and you really feel the emotions. Seeing them go from brothers to enemies was heartbreaking.
- The chemistry was nice between the leads. I personally didn’t think it was amazing but it was good. I think it got better towards the end for me. The chemistry between the princess and the emporer of Jinxiu was on another level though! I honestly would love to see them in a parallel universe. The only thing I hate is that Feng suige didn’t come fast enough to save both of them cause I really wanted to see them together. Also, I’m so glad Ning Fei and the physician got together! I knew there was something going on between them.
- The friendship theme was lovely to see. Some survived and some sadly lost. The story of the three generals was interesting and the development was good.

What I didn’t like:
- Why was the kingdom of Jinxiu not taking over by Susha at the end? And why only 10 years of peace between the two kingdoms. That’s way too small!
- The death of the Emporer of Jinxiu :( I get it, I really do but maybe they could’ve worked out 😭

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Drag on too long, but good

*Qing Shan Gui Yao Chu* (2025) is one of those Chinese short dramas where the emotional journey between the leads is more important than simply reaching the ending.

What stood out to me most was the relationship between the **ML and FL**. Their story isn't built on an easy romance where two people meet, fall in love, and everything magically works out. Their feelings are complicated by misunderstandings, choices, pride, pain, and circumstances that continually test their relationship.

The **FL** was especially enjoyable to watch because she isn't simply a character whose entire purpose is to love the ML. She has her own emotions and reasons behind the decisions she makes. Even when those decisions create distance between them, you can understand that there are feelings underneath that she doesn't always express openly.

The **ML**, on the other hand, is the type of character who sometimes makes you want to reach through the screen and shake some sense into him. 😂 His emotions are there, but understanding them—and understanding the FL—is another matter entirely.

That's also what makes his character development interesting. As the story moves forward, he is forced to look beyond what he assumes to be true and recognize what the FL actually means to him. Watching his emotions change through his actions rather than simply through words made their relationship more believable.

What I liked most is that the drama allows both characters' feelings to carry weight. Love isn't presented as something that automatically erases hurt or fixes every mistake. Their relationship has consequences, and both characters have to live with the choices they've made.

For a short drama, it manages to pack quite a bit of emotion into its limited runtime. There are moments of frustration, sadness, tenderness, and of course those scenes where you're sitting there thinking, **“If you two would just TALK to each other!”** 😂

Overall, *Qing Shan Gui Yao Chu* is an emotional relationship-driven drama that kept me invested in where the ML and FL would ultimately end up.

**Sometimes finding your way back to someone begins with finally understanding the person who was standing beside you all along.** ❤️

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Serendipity, Coincidence, and Chaos — It All Worked

I guessed the whodunnit the first time the person was introduced and I ended up being right. But it didn't spoil the fun for me. For this watch, it was about the dry, deadpan humor. Though I have to say I wish it only ran 14-16 episodes. The absurdism was awesome, but it started to feel a bit dragged out or repetitive for me once I hit episodes 15-16. And once that happened, the comedy started to lose some of its punch.

But overall, I enjoyed this watch. The villains couldn't villain, everything was based on serendipity and coincidence, and the offbeat plot choices and characters made me laugh.

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Cute and comfortable romance....but not enough time to go deep on other issues

Subjective Gut Rating: 7.75 (coz I want something simple)
Objective Rating: 7.0-7.5

“Dream to You” suffers from trying to do too much with only 12 episodes. However, if you are looking for something fast-paced, easy and cute, then this could be a very enjoyable watch. Even if you run to the kitchen to get a snack, you can come back and not miss anything important.

Having said that, I was looking for something light and easy in between my other dramas. The leads have decent chemistry and I like the two actors. I think they did a respectable job. I did laugh out loud at a few scenes and grinned like a silly girl when I saw Hwang In Youp’s smile. Their dynamic is fun and the romance is pretty fun for the most part. As characters, I like Ju I Jae (FL) and Woo Su Bin (ML). It did take a few episodes to get into I Jae’s personality but I have grown to really like her. She shines brightly despite all that she went through. When you are used to eating carrots despite not liking them, life has taken a toll on you, even when you have the choice to not eat carrots anymore. I like her strength, her tenacity and continued persistence to achieve her dream. Woo Su Bin has his ups and downs as a love interest. He comes on so strong that at times feels selfish (but not in a mean way). He’s grown throughout this relationship. One thing I really like is that both of them can act silly and childish with each other, but remain very professional at work.

However, as I mentioned, this drama is trying to do too much. It touches on a few important issues, such as family relations/dynamics, birth secrets, industry manipulation, abuse and assault, illness. Each of these really deserves more attention and development. There’s just not enough time for all of that. Additionally, you try to cram 3 romantic pairs in this drama, and something has got to give.

The secondary couple is cute but I wanted more. At least their professions allow them to explore romance a little further, but still not enough. The third couple could have potential in a more adult relationship. But then end up being an afterthought with bare minimal screen time. The dating reality show could be a great tool to develop the romance, but, of course we have no time for that.

I would only recommend it if you are looking for a drama to pass time and a quick watch. If you are a romance lover and only focus on the main romance, it might satisfy you. Fans of the leads should watch this as they are both lovable and cute and good-looking, while acting and chemistry aren’t bad. But if you are looking for a well-written and well-developed storyline, you might be disappointed. Based on my enjoyment level and that it satisfies what I am looking for, it deserves a 7.75. But judging objectively on the drama itself, probably a 7.0-7.5


Drama Completed: 8/22/2026 Review #716

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I'm mad at myself for watching 9 episodes

Tharn puts up with so much crap from Type and for what? Type is an asshole. He never stops being an asshole. He's a homophobe who ends up in a gay relationship with his gay roommate and still hates gays. I stopped watching in the middle of Episode 9 because I lost hope this show could redeem itself. Type hasn't learned anything at this point. He hasn't become a better boyfriend or, for that matter, a better human. Why do people put up with his shitty behavior? I mean, maybe, in the next episodes, he suddenly has an AH-HA moment where he realizes he's selfish, toxic, mean jerkface, but I doubt it. At this point, I don't care. I can't with these people.

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