Reviews

So sweet that it'll get boring

Dropped on episode 25 when it was airing (2023) because it was just boring. Fast forward to now (2026)
I don't know why I decided to go back and complete it this year, but still feel the same way I did about it years ago lol.

FL and ML scenes are so sweet it gets to a point of "yeah, ok whatever that's enough."

Skipped when they're being too sweet together.
Skipped when everyone was teasing them.
Skipped even side characters storylines.

So basically 33 episodes of just this.
Talking. Eating. Napping. & Cooking.
It was boring! Don't get me wrong I like storylines that can be this calm, but why so long?

This one definitely could've ended around episode 20.. or even earlier then that.

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Dunk didn't deliver

The story was amazing! Loved the plot twist at the end, i didn't see that coming.
The explosions and burning house in the last episode were very badly done(fake!), GMMTV can do a lot better than that.
Visuals were great and the music good.

Almost all the actors did a great job.
I loved Sammy in a serious role, same with Marc and Ohm. These roles suit Marc and Ohm a lot better than comedy ones.
Don't like the acting of June, she is a very weak actress.
I love Joong and Dunk together, they have great cemistry and dynamics. And It looked like Dunk improved his kissing.
Unfortunatly Dunk's acting lacked in this drama, he didn't own the character and his acting felt very stiff. He isn't one of the best actors GMMTV has, but normaly his acting is good enough.

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The visuals!!

This drama has a lot of depth and equally important to me is that Lu Yu Xiao and Chen Xing Xu look so good together.

I cannot even begin to emphasize the importance of compatible visuals to me. A protagonist and antagonist can be good-looking/gorgeous but if they don’t match (to me), it takes minor points away from the drama.

I love the storyline of how they first met and then continued their acquaintance. The importance of the first world building is so consequential in understanding each main lead’s character so pay attention to this.

The equal push and pull between them when it comes to relationship time is also a great factor that chalked up extra points.

The conflicts don’t drag on for too long (just enough) and we also get to see a good amount of time spent on their relationship building.

I know this may not be too likely but would love to see LYX and CXX pair again for another drama or two. Great chemistry!

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Awesome debut

Some history first: originally OhmLeng were cast as leads for this miniseries; when that ship sunk, SurfJava were cast instead – and seized their opportunity fully. Another small reminder: this was shot before "Head 2 Head" (Surf mentioned it in a H2H special), making this a debut for the ship as well as a debut for Surf in a GMMTV production.

The script relies heavily on well-known plot points and elements of monomyth, but it does so in a very competent way. What we get is a "classic" enemies-to-lovers story featuring betrayal, redemption, forgiveness and a happy end. You’ve probably seen some of that (or all of that) before, but stories like this are timeless and don’t get old nor stale. The writing is concise, smart and focuses on the main character – Tum. This choice (like in MuTeLuv: "Hi" by My Luck) was correct, as with just 4 episodes it would be too difficult to properly script and present two mains. "Love Me if You Swear" is a proper rom-com, with the comedy staying above a certain level of maturity – which I was very thankful for.

Surf does an amazing job here and feels far more comfortable with the material than he was in H2H – which might be due to the generally lighter and more comedic tone of this show. He’s got a firm grip on the role and makes Tum a likeable, relatable character: not the brightest, but smart, honest and brave enough to realize he made some wrong (and silly) choices, recognize what really matters and pursue Oh like his life depended on it. Surf’s engagement in the role makes all of that believable, elevating the character – which is something I love to see. Furthermore, Surf infused his character with calm, quiet warmth - something I did not expect and was surprised by. Java – for the third or maybe even fourth time (since "A Boss and a Babe") – portrayed an outsider, witty and almost annoyingly independent, bit of a jerk, actually. Much like with H2H’s Van, there’s more to Oh than that – a shy, quiet, thoughtful person, hesitant to open up. Java’s perfect for a role like that: superficially nonchalant, with a mocking smile and mischievous eyes that can turn calm and sad when you’re not looking. And again – like in H2H – Java got to deliver some of the most serious lines in the show, explaining why Oh prayed in the shrine; for me the story of Oh’s grandma stroke almost too close to home.

You have two young, hot, horny guys in a motel room, sitting on the floor next to a bed they just used, talking about the importance of family, what friendship is about and how love works. They don’t use any big words, there’s no pathos and it all sounds as if someone IRL was telling you all this. That’s not the show’s funniest nor most enjoyable scene, but the show’s most important scene – and it works so well because of Surf and Java. The chemistry is there not just in cute or steamy scenes; first and foremost it’s there in heavier scenes – that’s a rare gift and reason enough to keep Java and Surf together. They already showed that they can carry a show on their own.

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Like the ending, Yang Luo Qian and Chen Zheng Yang delivers their role.

I watched this drama and surprisingly i liked this drama despite how infuriating the plot was. Yang Luo Qian loves this script since most of her dramas i watch are FL was being hurt by scumbag. But this drama showcase her acting more than her previous drama.

From FL's perspective, the story shows ML repeatedly abandoning her for SFL and their child.

Plot is about FL tries every means to get a divorce, ML always finds various excuses to disagree. FL discovers she's pregnant, but by then she's already given up on him, so she has an abortion and insists on a divorce (quite controversial but i prefer her to abort the baby, if she keep the baby ML would be manipulated her again). ML finally confesses to her that he and SFL are innocent, and that the child isn't his. However, the damage has already been done, and FL doesn't forgive him. ML realizes his mistakes and ultimately chooses to let go. It's a classic case of regret from scumbag. But the difference in this drama, there is no SML to 'heal' FL. FL is doing this alone by herself. Although FL is indeed deeply hurt and evokes sympathy, she remains clear-headed and resolute throughout, determined to get a divorce without any wavering, which is quite satisfying to watch.

Chen Zheng Yang was really ultimate scumbag in here, i hated him in here. Even though ML really loves ML emotional infidelity was unacceptable. From the very beginning, when ML abandoned FL for the 'test' to pick up SFL FL refused to accept it. If FL had tolerated it this time, what awaited her was being morally blackmailed and forced to tolerate ML's behavior in every way. These low-down behaviors of the ML are no better than physical infidelity. The only redeeming point from ML, he is not abusing SFL and the child like another type of this drama. All the misunderstandings were his own doing, and ML deserves the consequences.

Overall only recommended for Hardcore fans

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This is more than just a beautiful love story

Love Story In The 1979s is a gem: from the script to the characters and their portrayal by the actors (the main leads especially), to the cinematography, styling, sets, OST…everything is perfection. Beneath the layers of a beautiful romance story, there is a realistic depiction of the absurdities and tragic life of people struggling to survive the Cultural Revolution in China. The darkness of those times is balanced with light moments of comedy and touching romance. And if you think that some characters and their actions are absurd, ridiculous or outrageous, I have one suggestion: don’t judge them by the standards of normal life. People and events like that exist in an oppressive society, suffocated by political ideology - and it was much, much worst then it’s depicted here. All in all, for me, this is (and I think it will remain) the best drama series of 2026.

(at the time of this review I have seen 22 out of the 29 episodes of this drama)

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This small town drama was a warm hug wrapped in a mug of the sweetest hot chocolate.

The male leads were so endearing; they were two of the nicest characters. Besides being attractive, they were also so lovable. Won Young in particular. When his lies caught up with him, he did everything he could to fix it and get Tae Joon back. I loved that about him; even when he was having a rough time at work, he never gave up on what he loved.

By now, you never expect much from the intimate scenes in a K-BL, it’s rare to get even a good kissing scene, and the kisses in ULS were almost non-existent, just two lips pressed together, not moving. Seriously, I’ve had better kisses with my boyband posters in my teenage bedroom lol – BUT, they shared some great hugs. Tae Joon is a great hug giver. And really, I didn’t even need the kissing, the fluffiest, paced show stood on its own merit and didn’t need NC scenes to carry it. And you know those hand holding moments will always be heart flutteringly good!

Having watched The Time of Fever first, I was excited to see Ho Tae and Dong Hui again, assuming they’d be a couple now because ULS was set some time after their prequel show ended, imagine my surprise that never happened! All we saw was sweet, adorable, clingy Ho Tae getting turned down or smacked around. I really felt for him. Seriously, if that doesn't warrant a whole new series to fix it, what does? Every time they were on screen together, I kept waiting for a sign that things would get better between them, but it just never happened. As a viewer/reader, I enjoy stories that conclude with a definite happy ending. Ambiguity leaves me feeling unsatisfied – so for the second ML’s, I did want more because they had great screen chemistry.

Overall, a beautiful show with a gorgeous backdrop scenery.

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Gmmtv can do it in 4 eps??

It's actually one of the best bl stories gmmtv made this year and it has just four eps. I didn't watch H2H but I read the reactions and saw the edits and the SurfJava part was pretty sunken. I was sceptical about this but they got my interest in Roommate chaos pilot and now they earned my heart in this 4 eps long arc. It wasn't that hard, was it, GmmTV? I'm happy their story didn't really focus on the bad luck and how to be lucky again but rather on their romance and how it naturally developed without any cringe stuff happening around them and unnecessary drama... (New Siwaj I'm looking at you) so I'm really happy about this part and since GmmTV does better shorter stories and the 12/10 eps long, I hope they'll do something like this again but with the same director or director who can convey the stories well in a few eps.

Now SurfJava took my breath away. I didn't even expect them to do so much here, even JanJingJing bed scene was cut but they went all the way and I liked how they cooked something from the incredible sexual tension between the characters and didn't just waste it like other series do that. It was natural, they didn't hesitate a bit about hooking up and it was spontaneous and consensual from both sides while none of them was drunk. Just how hard it is for some series? Well, it made this love story one of the best and I hope SurfJava won't get stuck on plain stories now when they showed their potential.

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Disappointed

I know this could have been a good show. The casts truly have good chemistry with each other.

But my goodness. The story was all over the place. There was no proper synchonization of the storyline and the characters. And Kang Si Yeols personality was soooo bland I just want to cry. I know Park Solomon is a versatile actor, so how they made him act in this drama is a travesty! Same goes for Hye Yoon too! These actors are great and can truly play with viewers emotions! Sadly, the bad storyline and dialogue really brought this show down. I’m so heartbroken and disappointed with it.

Plus, that ending! 😭😭😭 There really isn’t growth for Hye Yoons character… And the last few scenes of them together were too cringey to watch. I KNOW they have chemistry, it’s just that the way the scenes are written and the way the lines are thrown, it’s just really bad.

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A Must watch!

My Netflix recommended this drama last year and it's part of everyone watching this. I didn't have a time last year because i was watching multiple dramas. Yesterday i finally checked this drama out.
This series is a matched watched. The first you'll see Dr. Makino on his stage that he doesn't care . Until gradually a he evolved an outstanding doctor. Who cares for his patients.
All the cast in this series doing are fantastic job. I cried throughout the series 😭
Kohei Matsushita as Dr. Makino is amazing playing this character 👏.
Highly recommended!

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