Reviews

Zombie Apocalypse BL + Good Romantic Chemistry & Plot?!

And acting too?!!!! Hong Kong, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!!!

This is EXCELLENT!!!! Oh, it is such a good watch and a bit underrated??? Because why did it take me this long to watch it?

I remember starting it though, when it first aired but I wasn’t sure how I felt about it, so I put it aside, but decided to go back to it today! I’m so glad I did!!!

If you’re like me and you don’t know if you should give this a chance or not, PLEASE DO!

It’s the type of story I say I’ll watch even if it weren’t BL (there’s not much like this)

The story is SO GOOD! There’s just so much to look forward to. Each episode leaves you wanting for the next one.

And the romantic chemistry?!!! I usually don’t like “love in the time of war” tropes, but this one does the romance really well.

I can go on and on about how good this series is. But just to give you more perspective (I am sleep deprived) but this series still kept me up and I started around 11:00 pm, twelve episodes later, it’s 3:42 am right now. I stayed up binging the entire 12 episodes.

You get what I mean? DO NOT SLEEP ON THIS ONE.

Haha, pun unintended lol

As always, I’ll edit as I watch but I have a very good feeling about this series and I’m so happy we are getting 24 episodes!

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Female students who are both academically gifted and beautiful face harassment in China. You’re not allowed to have both ! Tian Xi Wei went through this, at least, that’s what she says in an interview, and I believe her. Is this C-drama sort of a form of revenge ?

A feel-good show in the best sense of the word. All the characters are endearing and do their best. They support one another. Way to go, math ! Cuteness personified. Not very realistic, then. Unfortunately, these positives aren’t enough to carry an entire series. The story is "dry" and uninspiring. I don’t think I'll finish this C-drama ; I've been watching the episodes very slowly, which is a bad sign.

Episode 5 : promoting positive thinking. That's just guilt-inducing 'self-help' nonsense.

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Simply an enemies-to-lovers story

This drama frustrated me, but in a good way, because so much of Shang Yiran and Xu Mubai's five-year marriage is built around one thing: **misunderstanding**.

From the beginning, the FL is brought into the family not because anyone truly cares about what she wants, but mainly because the marriage benefits the two families and their businesses. She becomes a piece in someone else's plan, while she and Xu Mubai are left dealing with the emotional consequences.

For five years, they live like enemies. Xu Mubai is cold, arrogant, and convinced he understands the woman he married, while Shang Yiran is strong and stubborn because she has learned to protect herself. Every argument adds another wall between them. The frustrating part is realizing that underneath all that anger are feelings neither one properly understands.

What kept me watching was slowly discovering how much of their hatred was created by things they believed rather than the complete truth. Had these two actually communicated instead of allowing family expectations, assumptions, and pride to control them, their marriage could have been completely different.

I especially felt for Shang Yiran because she was placed into this situation for the sake of business and then had to carry much of the emotional burden that followed.

This isn't simply an enemies-to-lovers story. It's about two married people discovering how badly misunderstanding can distort love.

Sometimes the person sleeping beside you isn't your enemy—you've simply never been given the chance to truly know them. ❤️

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sexy, but…

Forbidden love between an ambitious young woman and her boss. It’s a well-worn cliché, but for a reason. We’re not breaking any new ground here, and that’s fine. The leads have great chemistry, and for that reason alone, I enjoyed this drama.

However, as I’m sure many others have already mentioned, the ML is an emotionally abusive prick. This can translate into increased sexual tension on screen, but to quote Fanny Price from the 1999 film adaptation of Mansfield Park, these men “amuse more in literature than they do in life,” and having dated a few of them myself, I was honestly hoping they’d break up. The ML’s character arc feels unearned, and I wish the writers would have put more effort into it.

Also, the faith that this series has in capitalist meritocracy is practically propagandistic; and while Chinese dramas are free of product placement, I did definitely feel like I was being sold on China, as the leads jet around the country to one glittering, modern cityscape after another. Don’t even get me started on their romantic little day trip to “Tibet, China,” which felt icky.

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A Sharper, Faster Thriller That Stands on Its Own

The Thai adaptation of *SKY Castle* takes the iconic K-drama foundation and creates a version that feels much more grounded, direct, and accessible. Rather than being a scene-for-scene clone, this remake knows precisely where to streamline and innovate, resulting in a sleek suspense drama driven by secrets and high-stakes pressures.

While the original Korean drama relied heavily on satire and elaborate, exaggerated subplots, the Thai remake strips away the excess to focus intently on the core murder mystery. This gives the narrative a much tighter drive and makes the overall conflict feel significantly more relatable.

The adaptation makes bold structural and character choices throughout the series:

- **Character Arcs:** Characters undergo noticeable recalibration—most notably Yotch, who is written as an openly gay man, marking a distinct and welcome departure from his straight counterpart in the original.

- **Symbolism:** Key visual metaphors are adapted to fit the setting. For example, instead of the iconic giant triangle motif, the drama uses a tarpaulin hung outside the home of the main characters, Khwan, Non, Cherie, Chan, and Chon, giving the family dynamics a unique local flavor.

- **Acting:** Rather than attempting to mimic the original cast, the Thai actors provide fresh interpretations of their roles. While every performance feels re-engineered for this specific narrative, the standout is Noon Siraphan as Coach Pim (the Thai counterpart to Coach Kim). Noon delivers a masterclass in sinister charm, creating genuine tension every time she appears on screen. Her performance is both direct and theatrical, balancing quiet intimidation with dramatic flair.

- **Music:** The soundtrack enhances the emotional impact of the drama, particularly through its main theme song. The lyrics are beautifully crafted, utilizing poetic and metaphorical imagery that reflects the characters' unraveling lives, dark ambitions, and internal struggles.

- **Rewatch Value:** Highly recommended. If you found the original's satirical comedy slow or distracting, this version completely fixes that pacing. By eliminating the campier comedic subplots in favor of a fast-paced thriller, it becomes extremely binge-worthy and easy to rewatch.

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decent watch

i watched this bc of 이준영 ngl and it wasn’t a bad movie, just not something that blew my socks off. it had a solid message and theme, the fight scenes were satisfying, and the pacing was okay. however it didn’t feel movie quality to me, i fear it would’ve done better as a drama lol. even then, there have been other shows that portray the message better, and maybe bc i watched weak hero before this i expected the same level of intensity from a movie, however either way i wouldn’t tell someone not to watch this. long story short, fuck 수강, but i’d fuck 이준영 (pardon my french) lmao

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Familiar Scents and Déjà Vu

Eternal Fragrance is a fantasy drama packed with CGI, special effects, magic, demons, immortals and enough mysteries to keep you glued to the end. Its 7.6 rating feels a little low to me because the drama is actually rather well produced. Originality, however, is another matter. At times, I found myself thinking, “Haven’t I seen this somewhere before?”

The drama begins on a rather silly note, with Xiao Bang Chui — later renamed Jiang Li Fei — following her Shifu around scamming wealthy superstitious families. After her Shifu leaves her, she fights for a place at the prestigious Chufeng Academy, hoping to find his elder disciple. There she runs into Lei Xiu Yuan again — unfortunately, this time as her competitor.

They soon meet the highly talented Ji Tong Zhou, aka Prince Ying of the Yue Kingdom. The three become friends and allies and, as almost required by the laws of Chinese fantasy drama, both handsome men eventually fall for the same woman.

Several scenes gave me a strong sense of déjà vu. Li Fei's disastrous attempts to learn flying reminded me of The Journey of Flower. Chufeng Academy has a touch of Harry Potter's school of magic, while Li Fei being raised into the air as punishment and the mysterious seal within her reminded me of Legend of Fuyao. Perhaps Eternal Fragrance borrowed a little fragrance from several other productions. 😄

Still, the drama has enough hooks of its own. Who exactly are Xiu Yuan and Li Fei, and how are they connected by their past? More importantly, will Xiu Yuan become evil? Characters from his past keep trying to lure him back to his former ways, while his own inherited nature is hardly helping. Watching him struggle between darkness and goodness is one of the more compelling parts of the story.

Credit goes to Song Wei Long for convincingly switching between a menacing reincarnated figure and a gentle, almost docile lover.

I also find it interesting that demons in this drama — as in many Chinese fantasy dramas — are treated almost like another race. Some immortals fear and despise them, while others believe they should be allowed to coexist. And one lesson remains universal: obsessive lovers are scary, whether mortal, immortal or demonic.

Meanwhile, the immortals are busy fighting among themselves for power and control while a huge calamity approaches and an enemy is practically at their doorstep. Sound familiar? It is rather like a workplace or family crisis where everyone argues over what is right while the house is burning down.

My main disappointment is the ending. It works, but it could have been much more dramatic and moving. Since the Yecha clan was originally of divine origin, I would have preferred the Yecha Lord to sacrifice himself saving the world, be mourned, and eventually be resurrected as a deity. Now that would have been an ending!

I also felt sorry for Prince Ying. He began as such a promising righteous young man that I would rather have seen him awaken, redeem himself and go on to lead a worthwhile life - but for dramatising, this drama works.

One thing in period dramas always makes me smile: the unwavering one-man-one-woman devotion. Really? Ancient men were hardly famous for having only one woman, yet our heroes remain faithful through three lifetimes and a few thousand years! 😄 And why must the women cling to Choice No. 1 if he turns out to be a disaster?

It also kills the suspense—we already know who will choose whom. And the trailers often make it worse by revealing the winning couple before the romantic race has even begun!

Of course, like many Chinese fantasy dramas, this one comes with a generous helping of gobbledygook about divine cultivation, spiritual powers and mystical realms. And naturally, no one ever takes their medicine without first putting up a heroic fight against the poor person trying to feed it to them. Apparently, swallowing medicine willingly would ruin the drama.

Overall, Eternal Fragrance may not win prizes for originality, but it is entertaining, visually impressive and mysterious enough to keep you watching. Sometimes borrowing familiar ingredients still produces a pretty enjoyable dish.

Debating between 8.5 and 9, I settled on 8.5. It is very well produced and thoroughly entertaining, but the lack of originality cost it that extra half-point.

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