Reviews

In the show's defense, I'm not a fan of Romcom

I don't like rom-coms; I don't like the sound effects; I don't like the exaggerated overacting; and I'm not a fan of slapstick humor in any language. That said, I've been a huge fan of MaxNat since Two Worlds. I know they definitely had amazing chemistry...so I decided to watch...and it wasn't bad; they both did well. They pulled off their characters, but given what they've shown us, this type of drama feels like a step back for them. Technically, they've only been the main leads in 3 dramas, so I know they don't have many options and need to take what comes their way. I am sure they also had a fun time playing these characters. The characters were so absurd; who wouldn't have a blast with them? I'm just disappointed because I know their capabilities

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As Long as We Understand the Abuser, Who Cares About the Damage?

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☆I have decided not to continue this show, so naturally my original review will not be updated.
But what I said still stands as a stand alone thought piece ☆

Domundi had me in the first half, but as is the trend, Act 3 traded its psychological precision for emotional blackmail and noble idiocy.
Turning Nine’s exposed malice into a dramatic rooftop suicide threat, is not just a real world manipulation tactic, it's the ultimate power move.

"If you hold me accountable or leave me, I will destroy myself and it will be your fault."
And the chances of you getting a picture of a bloodied sharp object and/or injury is usually quite high along with a message like that.

​Forcing a hostage situation to demand forgiveness under pressure, rather than making Nine sit with actual accountability, is neither kindness, forgiveness, nor satisfying storytelling. Add in Wan preaching solutions that other characters literally spent the series proving that it made Nine worse, and the narrative completely collapses under its own logic.

If I start hoping the main pair, separate and never see each other again, finding love else where, then you have failed .... unless that was the point? But I doubt it.

Life is too short and time is too precious to continue upsetting myself with this any longer 💙☕️

☆☆☆
Original Review -

Deconstructing Narcissistic Abuse

Mr. Fanboy presents a chaotic mix of slapstick humor, showbiz commentary, and thai BL romance, but behind the pretty faces, Domundi has brought out a sharp and jagged knife.
This is a study in narcissistic and emotional abuse, control, and the messy reality of breaking free from it.

☆ The Anatomy of a Parasite

When you look at Nine’s behavior, it is the exact, textbook blueprint of how abuse starts. It always begins with emotional control, and if left unchecked, it blossoms into a full blown biohazard, spreading into other areas of your life.

I like to imagine self worth as a river; an ecosystem of give and take. But whenever that river runs dry (for whatever tragic backstory reason the writers are going to feed us later for Nine), that empty riverbed becomes a vacuum. To sustain the ego, it has to feed on other poor buggars like you and me.
They are the real world vampires, zombies, or parasitic lore of your choice. Pick whichever creature is native to your region and imagine that.

Success is actually a great mirror for your social circle. The people who actually care about you will be genuinely happy when you win. If they aren't? Good riddance 👋

For Nine, someone else succeeding cooks him alive because he treats it as a direct, personal theft of his survival. Connections to him aren't partnerships, they're chess pieces.

In school, Third was outperforming him. Nine lacks the emotional maturity, spine, or internal resources to work harder, so his only option to restore his fragile ego is to annihilate the person threatening it.

Abusers like Nine don't attack openly from the front gates. They infiltrate your perfectly beautiful mind castle and set up camp as an invited guest, making it much easier for you to internalize their actions as your own fault later.

Nine keeps Third shackled as his "best friend" precisely so he has an all access pass to Third's vulnerabilities, routines, and blind spots. Intimacy is a camouflage. You are useful only as long as you stay trailing at least 3 paces behind.

☆ The Toxic POS Handbook

When Nine’s ego gets so much as a scratch, his manipulation tactics proceed as follows:

1. Sabotage
Whether it's framing Third for cheating in school or trying to ruin Wan now, Nine’s instinct is pure destruction. He rigs the entire game so he never has to look at his own hollow mediocrity.
Nine having a full blown panic attack when the producer screamed in his face and reminded him that he was disposable is an example of this. The producer was rightfully angry at being lied to and reminded Nine not to use his trauma as a weapon. Nine slapped him. This lead to an explosive moment of rage where for once, Nine looked genuinely distraught. Whether or not he has a trauma remains to be seen, but what we as the audience saw, was his thoughts not focused on any abuse, but on his insecurity and fear of being replaced. The attack on his ego.

2. DARVO (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender) An actual manipulation tactic taught to me by a therapist.

The worst part of the flashback wasn't the framing. It was Nine playing the tragic victim afterward. He twisted reality so thoroughly that he convinced himself, and successfully Third, that his malice was justified, because Third had more of a chance than he did thanks to his mother. No self awareness, no empathy, no remorse, only a vacuum of how much it's all about him and how he's hurting.

He reversed the roles so aggressively that Third was left running after him, carrying the guilt for a crime Nine committed.

3. Enter Wan: The Uncontrollable Variable 🧝
When Wan was just a harmless fanboy worshipping from a stool in the back, Nine didn't give a damn. In fact, Nine created Wan's fanboy status. He knows Wan's account. He follows social media trends. He oversees everything that has his name on it, and how it benefits him, even if it's negative, as seen in ep. 1. Wan sat comfortably as a harmless little minion at the bottom of Nine's mental food chain.

When I look at Wan, I see a fluffy little loppy ear bunbun munching on his dandelion dreams but I think Nine might be imagining the rabbits from Monty Python 🤣 (consider that mental image officially shared with you all, you're welcome ☕️🌼).

The moment Wan begins to rise, gaining recognition and an emotional tether to Third (Nine's main food source) Nine's control mechanism starts cracking its little cogs. Wan doesn't play Nine's toxic little games, doesn't cower, and challenged him right to his face 🤭

And more dangerously, Wan offers Third a mirror reflecting healthy, actual affection, threatening to snap the trauma bond that has kept Third hooked for years.

When abusers can't control you, they will try to control how others see you. The moment Wan glimmered ever so slightly brighter than he was supposed to, Nine was at Third's front door having dinner with his biggest chess piece, Third's Mother, to remind and enforce the lie that he is control of Third, and Third has no agency of his own.

E.g Nine threatened to drown Wan, manipulates how others view and treat him, uses Third's tense dynanic with his mother against him.

☆ Third's POV: Trapped in the Middle

Third doesn't necessarily want to protect Nine. He’s trying to direct the flow of events because he knows his mother will override him and his choices anyway.

(It has been shown she has immense control over his decisions. How deeply this runs, is yet to be explored)

He’s conditioned to do what he’s told because what he wants has probably never mattered a day in his life. So he'll give Nine whatever he wants, no matter how evil the methods, just to keep his mother out of his hair. Third is trapped between two toxic powers who have total control of his life.

We've have seen him cope by shoving down all of his resentment, and it's been leaking out here and there in his mood swings.

BUTT! Now, along comes sweet, innocent Wan, who exists entirely outside of Third's personal hell. And in order to reach him, Third has to break his own cycle. And that's really hard.

Because by deleting that video, Third actively chose not to protect Wan. And there Wan was, wide eyed and gentle like a fluffy little bunny, asking him about his feelings, while Third was hit with the realization of who he had just chosen to protect instead.

Domundi is getting seriously serious with the abuse logic here. You have to get utterly, bone deep tired of your own bullshit before you finally make a move. It takes years because it's so deeply engrained in your 'normal' that every cell in your body is programmed to follow those habits built by your environment.

Something devastating will probably have to happen to Wan in order for Third to finally make a run for it. He’s going to have to WANT to fight for him, because right now he's hovering on the sidelines. That love needs to be stronger than his baseline survival instinct.

☆ My Endgame Guess & Chaotic Sideplots yet to be revealed .....

Underneath all of the cruelty and manipulation is absolute terror. Nine is just a scared little boy terrified of being exposed as an ordinary, flawed failure. When an abuser realizes they are losing their grip, they don't self reflect. They double down, bare their fangs, and try to burn the entire forest to the ground so their food source can't walk away easily.

Nine is absolutely not finished. He will just cast a bigger net next time because he's been shown over and over, by Third himself, that he will not hold him accountable. His grip is still tight and he is still in control.

☆☆☆

Meanwhile, those delightful little scamps, Renji and Time have their own plan 🐈‍🐈‍⬛ I don't think they really care about anyone else except each other, and they're about to bribe the producer with whatever secret stash of ammunition they've been hoarding 😂. And it's not hard to make copies of digital files 🤷‍♀️ but so far, I don't think there's enough of any kind of bond for them to want to protect Wan. I think they are fully self serving right now. There is still time for their intentions to change but that Renji went to his brother, to threaten and bribe with the footage, and not his own management who is now being threatened with legal action, is enough for me. Renji and Time currently, are working for their own interests and Wan took Time's role, which is a conflict of interest right now.

☆☆☆

Celebrity power dynamics run on narcissism and self interest. That is a brutal truth of the business. Of course, not everyone is an abuser and there are genuine artists out there but Domundi is doing a very good satrical job of showcasing this is in a very Thai BL manner.

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Fun Actions, Turns Out Underwhelming

A fresh concept of a spy show: multiple enemies involved without being overly entangled. This show started really slow and heavy at the beginning. It then turned comedic with a little addition of romance and family. Although the story wasn't something masterpiece, it still offers a decent and enjoyable plot. I love how they formed allies between one another, holding their own grudges and agendas.

The casts of course did a great job here. They weren't a perfect agent, just a normal person after all. At some point, they showed their weakness and brittles perfectly.

The final episode of this show was a bit underwhelming, it felt rushed to fit just like 30 minutes of the last episode. I invested so much holding on the slow built up, got high expectations after seeing the middle part, then it busted. I didn't feel the villains got what they deserved. Yoo In Gu disappeared after being pushed away by Heaven Capital, sought for revenge, only to appear at the very end of the show and got jailed?? I also didn't understand what did Prosecutor Gang pull that she was able to survive from the higher ups? The final episode totally ignored the whole Yeongseon people. What was the point of adding them, the romance, the family, only to supress it at the end?

Overall, it's has lightweight and exciting actions and case, but the most enjoyable part is only the middle. The beginning feels too slow and the ending is underwhelming.

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Take Charge of My Heart: A Good Watch, But… ?

Finished Take Charge of My Heart! ❤️
I loved the chemistry, and I absolutely loved the cast.
Let’s jump straight to the main point.
I don’t know if anyone else felt this way, but I thought the first and second episodes were playing at 1.5x speed. 😭 Not 2x, but 1.5x. You know that feeling when everything seems fast-paced, but not so fast that you can barely keep up? I don’t know how to explain it properly, but I hope you get what I mean.
The scenes felt very cut-to-cut. Not complaining, though, because I do enjoy fast-paced dramas.
But from episodes 3 to 10, I think the pacing felt normal. At first, I thought they had intentionally rushed the first two episodes because the drama had only 10 episodes. I don’t know if anyone else felt the same way, though.
Now, about the ending…
This isn’t a revenge drama, so I wasn’t expecting some intense revenge storyline. But I still wanted a slightly more satisfying ending. You know how some dramas give you that extra moment where everything feels perfectly wrapped up? I wanted a little more of that here. 😭 Still, the ending was good enough overall, and I wasn’t disappointed by it.
I also wanted that chaebol flex moment where the male lead puts everyone in their place and reminds them exactly who they're dealing with. You know what I mean? 😂
Anyway, despite that, it's a good watch, especially if you're looking for something to watch without committing to a long drama. And it's definitely not a waste of time.
Apart from everything else, I have a lot of respect for the writer.
When I say there isn't a single bad line, I mean it. Not even one. And I'm not just talking about romantic dialogues. I'm talking about the writing for every character. The dialogues felt strong, and that's something I genuinely appreciate in a drama.
Also, can we talk about the second lead? 🥹 He was so understanding in this one. If you know, you know. ❤️
The story was good, the comedy hit at the right moments, and the romance? They definitely didn't lack in that department. I loved it!
My only real disappointment was that I wanted a slightly more satisfying ending and that satisfying chaebol moment where everyone gets put in their place.
But overall, I enjoyed it. The chemistry was there, the cast delivered, the writing was strong, and the romance was worth watching for.
Would I recommend it? Yes.
Just don't go in expecting a dramatic revenge storyline or a perfectly satisfying ending, because that's where I felt it could have done a little better. Still, it ended well enough, and I enjoyed the drama overall. ❤️

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All scheme, no spark

Unpopular opinion, perhaps, but Against the Current left me surprisingly unmoved. Despite its polished production and strong performances, this period drama never quite delivers the emotional punch its story promises. Betrayal, survival and forbidden romance are all on the menu; the problem is that the recipe feels all too familiar.

Following the massacre of a noble family, a young survivor is forced into servitude and must navigate the treacherous politics of a powerful household. Her eventual rise through its hierarchy is driven by necessity rather than ambition, yet her almost uncanny ability to outwit those around her occasionally strains credibility. With so little access to education or information, she seems less like a resourceful survivor and more like a political strategist with an exceptionally convenient talent for reading the room.

The household intrigues and central romance did little to win me over, either, although both leads deliver commendable performances. My real standout, however, was Zhao Xing Tang, the Lin family's First Madam. Betrayed by the man she believed loved her, she embodies the painful compromises women make to survive in a world determined to keep them powerless. Her decision to offer FL a chance at freedom becomes the drama's most affecting moment: a gesture of female solidarity that carries more emotional weight than the central romance ever managed.

The ending, meanwhile, feels unnecessarily drawn out, as though the drama is reluctant to let its characters leave the stage. We do not need a guided tour of their entire lives to understand that time has passed.

Ultimately, ATC is well acted but frustratingly familiar. I want my period dramas to surprise me, break my heart or leave me thinking about them long after the credits roll. This one gave me a memorable supporting character, a few fine performances and very little else to dwell on.

Polished enough to watch, but not compelling enough to remember.

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WOAH. THIS WAS A ROLLER COASTER. I went into this drama thinking I knew what I was getting myself into, and then it kept throwing things at me. The banter between the leads??? CHEF'S KISS. I love it when the leads can actually talk to each other, tease each other, and have that kind of chemistry where even their conversations are entertaining. Like, please, give me MORE of this. I was having a wonderful time watching them.

And the female lead swapping souls with a general's daughter and getting a chance to live a different life? I love that her journey wasn't simply about revenge. GIRL WAS TRYING TO LIVE. And honestly, I respect that. Sometimes, after everything a character has been through, I don't want to see them spend their entire life plotting revenge. I want to see them find happiness, make their own choices, and actually enjoy being alive for once.

BUT THEN WE HAVE THE FIRST HUSBAND. EXCUSE ME??? He genuinely loved her even though their families were at odds, and now I am sitting here wondering about the life they could've had if circumstances had been different. I WISH WE COULD'VE SEEN THEM FALL IN LOVE. Give me the beginning of their relationship. Give me the little moments, the slow realization, the falling in love despite everything standing between them. AND GIVE ME AN ALTERNATIVE ENDING WHILE YOU'RE AT IT. Directors, please take notes. I am not asking for much. I just want to see what could've been. Why introduce a relationship with that much emotional potential if you're not going to let me explore every possible outcome in my head for the next three business days?

Thankfully, the crown prince did NOT disappoint me. That man was wonderful. He loved her from the beginning, and his feelings didn't suddenly disappear when things became difficult. What got me was how, even when he was facing death, he still made sure the female lead and his child would be able to live well. SIR????? You were literally thinking about their future until the very end. That's the kind of love that gets me. Not just saying you love someone, but making sure they'll be okay even when you might not be there to see it yourself. I WAS NOT EMOTIONALLY PREPARED. And thank GOD he came back because I don't think I could've handled the alternative. The directors already put me through enough; they did not need to take him away from me permanently.

BUT THE SECOND LEAD COUPLE. THE DUDE, YOU GUYS. THIS POOR MAN WAS OUT HERE HAVING A WHOLE HEART ATTACK THINKING HE WAS GAY, AND I WAS JUST WATCHING HIM LIKE, BABY, PLEASE BREATHE. I understand the female lead's concerns, I really do, but MY HEART WAS ACHING FOR THEM. There was so much conflict surrounding their feelings, and the forbidden nature of their relationship made everything hurt even more. You could understand why she was worried while still wanting them to find a way to be together. THAT IS THE WORST KIND OF SITUATION: when you understand the obstacles, but your heart refuses to accept them.
And honestly, the second lead really got me. I went in enjoying the main couple, but somehow this man managed to steal a whole section of my heart. I wanted things to work out for him so badly. The yearning! The confusion! The circumstances working against them! SIR, CAN YOU PLEASE HAVE ONE PEACEFUL DAY?

Directors, if you're reading this, please give us the extra episodes, the deleted scenes, the alternate timelines, and the special episode where everyone gets to be happy. I HAVE REQUESTS. MANY, MANY REQUESTS.

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I had hopes for this drama, I really did. Maybe my expectations were just TOO HIGH, because by the time I finished watching, I was left thinking, “Hmm... that's it?”

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad. An 8/10 is still a good rating, and there were things I enjoyed. But you know that feeling when you start a drama expecting to be completely obsessed with it, only to realize that it isn't hitting quite the way you imagined?
YEAH. THAT. I wanted more. I expected more. And maybe that's on me for getting my hopes up so high in the first place.
But let's put the main couple aside for a moment. And the second lead, too.

Because do you know WHO actually caught my attention???
THE VILLAIN. HER EX-FIANCÉ.
I'M SORRY??? THE IRONY.
You're telling me I came here expecting to be invested in the main romance, and somehow the villain and her former fiancé are the ones who got me looking up from my screen???

WHAT IS THIS PLOT TWIST IN MY OWN VIEWING EXPERIENCE???
Because honestly, sometimes the most interesting characters aren't the ones the drama expects you to root for. Sometimes, the characters who are supposed to be causing problems end up being the ones you want to know MORE about.
And that's exactly what happened here.
There's something about a villain with a complicated past that makes me curious. I want to understand what happened, what shaped them, what they wanted, and how things went so wrong. I don't necessarily need to agree with their actions to find them interesting.

And when there's an ex-fiancé involved??? OH, NOW YOU HAVE MY ATTENTION.
Because the history between two people can tell you SO MUCH about their charaters. There's the question of what they were like together, what went wrong, what feelings might still be there, and whether their past has anything to do with who they've become now.
AND YOU KNOW I'M GOING TO BE CURIOUS.

Meanwhile, the main couple is supposed to be the centre of the story, and I'm over here watching the villain like: “Okay, but can we go back to HIM for a second?”
I DID NOT EXPECT THIS.
I came for one thing and got distracted by something else entirely. And that's probably the most ironic part of this whole experience. The drama has its main couple, its second lead, and all the elements you'd expect to keep viewers invested in the central romance. Yet the character who ended up catching my eye was the one I was probably supposed to be judging.
THE VILLAIN'S EX-FIANCÉ GOT MORE OF MY ATTENTION THAN I EXPECTED, AND NOW I HAVE QUESTIONS.

I also think this is why expectations can be such a dangerous thing when starting a drama. Sometimes you build up an idea of what you're going to love, only for the story to take you in a completely different direction. You might not connect with the main romance as much as you expected, but then a side character appears and suddenly you're paying attention to every scene they're in.
And honestly? I don't hate that. I just wish the rest of the drama had managed to hold my attention in the same way.

Because imagine how much more invested I could've been if the main storyline had hit me as strongly as the characters who unexpectedly caught my eye. I wanted that feeling of being completely hooked, of needing to know what happened next, of finishing an episode and immediately wanting another one. Instead, I was left appreciating the drama while also thinking about what it could have done better.

Still, an 8/10 isn't a bad score at all. There was enough here for me to enjoy, even if it didn't completely live up to the expectations I'd built up beforehand.

But the villain? HER EX-FIANCÉ?
THE WAY THEY ENDED UP BEING THE ONES WHO CAUGHT MY ATTENTION???
Ironic doesn't even begin to cover it.

I had high hopes. Maybe TOO high.
The main couple? Let's move on.
The second lead? Also, let's move on.
THE VILLAIN AND HER EX-FIANCÉ?
EXCUSE ME, WHY AM I MORE INTERESTED IN YOU TWO???

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Spoiler for Ending. Don't read until you finished watching

SPOILERS AHEAD.

I am leaving this review because I loved this drama so much. As a longtime fan of mythology, it’s rare to see Japanese supernatural lore depicted in a global drama series. Most mainstream shows lean toward Chinese or Western mythologies. This show was right up my alley, and the OST was incredible.

The ending leaves some room for interpretation, so I wanted to capture my thoughts here. If future me ever stumbles back onto this drama, I will remember the emotional rollercoaster this ending put me through. And hopefully this spoiler will also help those who wonder about the ending

1. The Lore of "Kotodowatashi" (事戸渡し)

In the series, erasing a god’s divine memories via the ritual (kotodowatashi) only makes them live as an ordinary human. A deity is only completely extinguished (vanishing into thin air / kamikakushi) if their physical human body is killed while their divine memories are gone. When Amano enacted kotodowatashi on herself to protect Okitama’s true identity from Hiruko, she gave up her divine consciousness and agency to protect him, but she was not killed. Her soul and body remained alive in the world.

2. Why She Can Still Become / Exist as a God

Because she was never killed in that amnesiac state, her divine existence was never permanently destroyed:

a) The God Within Her Survived: A deity who simply loses their memories remains a dormant vessel until their divine nature is reawakened (as happened earlier in the series when Amano gradually remembered who she was).
b) Okitama’s Lifted Finger: When Okitama performed the final ritual at the end, lifting his finger ensured that the severance was incomplete. He did not strip her soul away or seal her permanently; he left the thread intact.
c) The Final Bell (Kagura Suzu): A normal human with no divine spark cannot wield or activate sacred divine tools (shingi). The moment she draws the ritual bell and rings it on the street, it confirms she is not just an ordinary mortal whose godhood vanished into nothingness.

The Verdict
She did not suffer permanent extinction. She is living out this current human life as Amano Koyume, but because her divine core was preserved, Ame-no-Uzume lives on in her and will continue the cycle of reincarnation as a god in future lives, just as the other deities do.

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URGHHHH!!! FINALLY, MY MAN GOT HER. I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS.

And before anyone comes for me, YES, I KNOW SOME PEOPLE MIGHT SAY THE ROMANCE WASN'T ROMANTIC ENOUGH OR THAT THERE WEREN'T ENOUGH ACTIONS BETWEEN THE LEADS. BUT I SAW IT. I DID.
Maybe I'm biased because I watched The Rise of Ning and already had a soft spot for HIM. Maybe I was emotionally invested before this drama even gave me a reason to be. MAYBE I WANTED THIS MAN TO WIN SO BADLY THAT I WAS WILLING TO DEFEND HIM.

BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?
SO WHAT IF I AM???
(HELP, WHY AM I PICKING A FIGHT WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVEN'T EVEN SAID ANYTHING TO ME YET?)

Because I genuinely felt bad for him in The Rise of Ning. That man was really in love with her, and you could see how much his circumstances and the environment around them affected things. It wasn't simply a matter of him not loving her enough. Sometimes, the people involved aren't the only problem; the world they're living in makes everything ten times harder.
And after watching all of that, seeing him finally get the chance to be with her here?
URGHHHH. FINALLY.
MY MAN GOT HIS GIRL.
I was happy for him because I already knew there was a history behind those feelings. I wasn't watching their relationship as two characters who had just met. I was watching it with all that previous emotional baggage in mind, and that made their moments together mean more to me.
So, yes, maybe someone who watched only A Splendid Match wouldn't feel the same way I did. Maybe they wanted more obvious romantic moments or more grand gestures. But I DON'T CARE.
Sometimes, the romance hits differently when you know what came before it. And I had already seen enough of Ning's story to appreciate what it meant for him to finally have a chance with her.
I WILL DEFEND MY MAN. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

Now, let's talk about the THREE MEN surrounding this woman.
HER COUSIN. HER FIRST LOVE. THE MALE LEAD.
THREE MEN, ONE WOMAN, AND ME SITTING HERE JUDGING EVERYONE'S DECISIONS.

First of all, THANK GOD they didn't push the cousin's feelings for her any further. Because WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL??? I SAW HIM AS HER BROTHER. HER BROTHER!!! I was not looking at him and thinking, “Oh, perhaps he's a potential romantic lead.”
NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT.
In my mind, he belonged in the family category, and I was perfectly happy keeping him there. I did NOT need the drama to make that relationship romantic. Please let some family relationships stay family relationships. Not every man who spends time with the female lead needs to fall in love with her. Sometimes, a man can simply be there as family or as someone who cares about her WITHOUT the writers turning it into a romance.
WE HAVE ENOUGH LOVE INTERESTS. THANK YOU.

And then there's her first love. I DON'T EVEN WANT TO TALK ABOUT HIM. Actually, no. Let me talk about him for a second. His morals were already questionable, but especially toward the end? SIR. WHAT ARE YOU DOING???I can understand a character having complicated feelings. I can understand someone making mistakes because of love, jealousy, or circumstances. Those things can make a character interesting. But there's a difference between having complicated feelings and making decisions that leave me staring at the screen wondering what is WRONG with you. And his actions toward the end really tested my patience. I'm not even going to get into everything because I could be here all day.

BUT I WILL SAY THIS: BOTH ACTORS DID A GREAT JOB. And I mean that. When an actor makes me genuinely dislike a character, I have to give them credit for doing their job well. The fact that I can be sitting there getting annoyed at someone's decisions is a testament to the performance. So, credit where credit is due. The actors did well, even when their characters had me questioning my sanity.

NOW, THE MALE LEAD.
MY MAN. FINALLY. I was genuinely happy to see him get his chance with her. And because I already had that emotional connection to Ning from The Rise of Ning, I was naturally rooting for him.

But I ALSO HAVE A COMPLAINT. DIRECTOR. WE NEED TO HAVE A TALK.
Because the beginning made me feel a little icky, and I cannot pretend I didn't notice it. He sees her around the time of her coming-of-age ceremony, when she's about FIFTEEN.
FIFTEEN, CHAT. FIFTEEN.
And then they get married roughly two years later, when she's around seventeen, if I'm remembering the timeline correctly. SEVENTEEN.
Meanwhile, this man seems to be around his late twenties, especially considering that he had a previous wife and spent a considerable amount of time mourning her.

DIRECTOR, PLEASE EXPLAIN YOURSELF.
I know this is a historical drama, and I understand that historical settings have different social customs and expectations. I'm not pretending that every historical romance has to follow modern dating conventions.
BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN I HAVE TO IGNORE THE AGE GAP OR PRETEND IT DOESN'T FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE.
I can enjoy the story, root for the pairing, and still question the way the relationship was introduced. TWO THINGS CAN BE TRUE AT ONCE.

I wanted HIM to get his happy ending, and I was happy that he finally got the girl. I ALSO WANTED TO ASK THE DIRECTOR WHY WE HAD TO START THINGS LIKE THAT. LET ME ENJOY MY DRAMA WITHOUT HAVING TO HOLD A MEETING WITH THE PRODUCTION TEAM.

And finally, my other problem: THE ENDING.
WHY DID EVERYTHING FEEL SO RUSHED TOWARD THE END???
I was enjoying the story, watching the relationships develop, and getting invested in what was happening, and then suddenly it felt like everything needed to wrap up RIGHT NOW.
HELLO??? WHO SAID WE WERE IN A HURRY???
If the drama was going to be short, then GIVE US MORE EPISODES. WE DO NOT MIND.
I would rather have a few more episodes that allow the story to breathe than have everything hurriedly packed into the final stretch. Let the characters have their moments. Let the relationships develop properly. Let us actually sit with what's happening instead of moving straight to the next plot point.
Especially when you've spent the entire drama getting people invested in these characters, you can't just rush through the final part and expect everyone to be satisfied.
I NEEDED MORE TIME. More development, more room for the ending to unfold, and more chances to enjoy the relationships I'd spent the drama getting attached to.

Was that too much to ask???

My final verdict? MY MAN GOT HER.
I'M HAPPY FOR YOU, MY GUY.

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Very addictive, can't stop watching

Great acting and great casting.

The male husband and the best friend he cheated with, both have such annoying and slappable face and personality, they really fit the role well and did well to be hated on.

Very well planned resolution and good build-up. Through the series, the female lead gains a group of supportive friends through helping them or clearing up previous misunderstandings. And they get together to talk, chat, and support each other in times of crisis.

After watching Deep Revenge, I have a greater amount of appreciation to what makes a good revenge show. This show has more cunning and no unncessary twist and turns to build up suspense. Instead, the twists are expected-ish and meaningful when revealed.

Maybe the shows with a source material that is from a novel instead of manga, have better story in general?

I sneaked a peek at the Korean one but I couldn't stomach it.

Also, adapting the Korean story to Japanese to involve a dagashi-ya shop is quite clever. I think kudos to the person who did the storyboarding and adaptation from Korean to Japanese.

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something very light

Although the series relies on clichés from the very beginning and is almost completely devoid of originality, I felt that the two leads had good chemistry, and the show initially seemed promising as a romantic drama. The first half is very enjoyable to watch and genuinely funny at times, but the second half completely falls apart.

The actress does a good job in her role: she is funny, natural, and sweet. At first, the actor portrays a charismatic, narcissistic character — the typical chaebol archetype — and it suits him quite well. However, around the second half of the series, his performance becomes inconsistent, and we suddenly find ourselves watching someone who feels like a completely different person, as though the character had been replaced.

In terms of direction and character portrayal, the male lead's visual image and acting style feel like an obvious imitation of Lee Min-ho's characters in "The King: Eternal Monarch" and "The Legend of the Blue Sea". As a result, there is very little originality in his portrayal. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Jung Jae-kwang also bears a resemblance to Chinese actor Cheng Lei. 😆

Anyway, you get the idea: this feels like an imitation project. The only character with genuine potential was Chae Soo-bin's. It's a shame that after around episode 6, the writers seemingly had absolutely nothing left for her to do.

That said, if you're simply looking for something light and enjoyable to watch, with attractive actors to look at, this series can certainly do the trick.

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An Open Engagement (as in Open Marriage)

To give this relationship between FL and ML a current contemporary definition: An Open Engagement (as in an Open Marriage)
It should fail as the guy is not open to it but the FL forced him to. So as he said, he's forced to explored.

Open Marriage concept: both partners AGREE (and WANT TO) to the terms and allowed to explore their feelings with others. She has feelings for another person. He DIDN'T but was told by her to explore. Look, just because some one is interested in you, doesn't mean you are interested in her! He should go out and date people he's interested in, NOT HIS SIDEKICK that he always treated like a sister! Instead, he follows her command - why because she's like his hero- he does whatever she wants him to do!

The appropriate ending to this is:
1) the guy should learn that open relationship is not for him
2) he should break up with the woman who forces him to be what he doesn't want to be - he said it himself that it's not much to be content with his career path but it's what he wants. Because of his background, he doesn't want much- he just wants a stable life.
3) He should not disrespect the girl who idolizes him and ask her to be in a relationship with him - it's the same way FL is disrespecting him!

Respect is the most important thing in a relationship. When that respect is broken, there is NO way out but divorce. It's the best for both people.

The 5 rating is for the acting and acting ALONE. Both FL and ML have acting skills.
The ML always dresses like he's a model - seriously the stylist needs to dress him more appropriately.

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Disappointing story-telling, meant to be a casual watch

The story seems to be meant to surprise, with unexpected twists and turns.

I came in expecting a chess game of calculation and deceit, but towards some point it became all about "Surprise, I did this beforehand, you didn't see it coming!" and "Oh yeah, I got something better!"... There's no buildup to each move. For example, when the bomb was planted in the car, no clues that there was a bomb or why the character would think to plant the bomb. Or when things are caught on camera, there's no build-up to each character's thought process to placing a hidden camera, just suddenly "Oh, I've got footage of this and this happening, here's the evidence-".

I suppose it might have something to do with the source material being a manga. There's no writing to what each character plots that much, and more focused on the action.

The cariacature of each character is also overly done, for example the Mido boss, he is shown to be a very exaggerated character that only belongs in manga. The villain girl is an interesting baby-face villain, which I disagree with the other reviews that it can't be made to work, but the story feels lacking to show any more cunningness or plotting.

The acting I think was good by the main girl. The first episode also built up a lot of suspense, from the way the housekeeper was calm and composed yet seemed to be scheming something. But unfortunately, it gave way to a whole lot of nothing. All I do note is how she has a lot of time and measure to open up a freaking visualizer for a map of the character relationship diagram, but no serious planning or plotting being done, just for flair only.

Watchable for laughs, but not for a serious drama. Maybe it's actually a drama comedy in how they act so exaggeratedly.

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ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE

That's it, that's my review.
I have watched this as it aired, and I have not been able to stop thinking about it (I made this account just to review this drama but never did.)
When I tell you that I am obsessed, I mean that this show occupies around ten billion neurons in my brain leaving me just a few braincells for everyday life.
When I tell people I speak Chinese, I mean specifically parts of this show. I have watched it 97 times, not even kidding, to the point where I can pinpoint some very small details people do not even pay attention to.
I have no words to describe this except they had 5 dollars and a dream and somehow 4 of the 5 dollars went to costumes and wigs, and half a dollar for the actors and the last half for special effects and CGI (truly laughable, as a fan, I am allowed to say that). Yet, they created a fucking masterpiece that is one of the most influential dramas in the history of the world (it has more than 25 billion views since it aired. nothing hollywood ever made even comes close to that number, and literally only 5 other works surpass it. Incidentally, they're also cdramas)
Is this a BL? No, not in the strictest definition. It's a story of love and devotion, because BL carry a bit of a childish connotation. (I am a veteran BL watcher, even if my profile doesn't reflect it, I very rarely remember having this account but I was watching BL since 2015/2016 and had the pleasure of watching it evolve. )
It's above all a study in sociology and human nature and emotions. It's a work of art. It makes you think, cry, laugh, get angry and pissed off and takes you through the entire emotional spectrum humans are capable of. The actors, especially the main leads, carried this show. Xiao Zhan was asbolutely stunning and seeing him act in this and his other shows, I understand why he's regarded as one of the best in the world. Bro is a powerhouse on his own, and the cast around him were just as powerful as well. They gave some of the best portrayals I have been able to see, again, kudos to Xiao Zhan for his Wei Wuxian. I cannot think of a single actor who can play him like Xiao-ge did. He became the character, embodying him. He was not acting, I swear.
But what hooked me to this show is truly the music and filming locations. The OST is still my fav sound in the world, and whenever I feel sad, I watch the show again just to admire how beautiful Yunshen Buzichu was, or Lianhua Wu.
Everything about this show hooked me and never let me go. I absolutely love all the little historical nuggets they used to invade censorship, and the chemistry between the actors, special shout to Wang Yibo for being the best Lan Wangji one could ask for, my fav stony sassy bitchy jade young master, especially knowing how bubbly and excited and delightful IRL when they filmed this.
I loved how much care everyone on the team put in this, they gave it their all, with their 5 dollars and a dream, and I am so grateful for them because this show saved my life. I was in a fucked up place mentally and physically, and I have loved the books for years, so when I heard about adaptaion news, I decided to give it a chance, halfheartedly. Yet, I was blown away from the first episode.
Does it have flaws? Absolutely. Especially for the special effects and CGI because of budget. But acting was phenomenal, the story was strong, even if vastly different from the books ir originated from, which is understandable, it's an adaptation not a retelling.
Do I make everyone I know watch it? You bet you ass I do. I made my dad wtach it, all my friends, colleagues at work, random people on the internet looking for good shows, clients I spoke to at work....if there are two things I talk about that anyone who meets me knows about instantly is this show and the kpop band ATEEZ. I have their pins and photocards on my bag and explain both in depth, because they're genuinely my reasons to live.
So, y'all should watch this show, it will change your life.

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