Reviews

Worth the Watch… But Not Without Skipping

The acting was solid, and the leads were convincing in their affection...but I couldn’t fully buy into their chemistry. The plot felt stretched out, especially with 56 episodes, and I skimmed through a lot of filler. The whole immortal-god-falling-for-someone-way-younger trope felt off to me, even if it’s fantasy. I wanted a stronger reason for their bond, beyond power or old debts. I also wasn’t thrilled that the female lead had to struggle so much. That said, curiosity kept me going, and while I didn’t love the drawn-out misunderstandings, it had enough romance to keep me hooked...just not as much as “Eternal Love.”

Read More

Melodramatic tale of love, honor, and betrayal

Twelve Deadly Coins was a melodramatic tale of honor, duty, betrayal, and love at first sight. A fairly typical 1960s wuxia with the exception of more buckets of rain-soaked melodrama than blood.

Chief Yu runs a successful escort service and is the famous Twelve Deadly Coins Master. His son, Yu Hua, is an overly entitled idiot who is often helped behind the scenes by poor born Chiao Mao. When Chief Yu gives Hua the job of escorting 200,000 taels of silver for the military, Chiao begs the Chief to let him help. Hua takes it as an insult and orders him not to show his face. Chiao follows to make sure the drive goes well, but the notorious one-eyed bandit Yuan Cheng Lieh and his band of thieves’ attack, leaving few alive and absconding with the loot. Chiao follows the bad guys to try and recover the silver, unaware that Hua is spreading the news that Chiao is a spy and caused the theft that ruined the family. No good deed goes unpunished…

This was one of Lo Lieh’s early films when he played the hero before being relegated to villain roles. Chiao Mao was overly earnest and duty bound, completely accepting of his low status. He and the adopted daughter of the Iron Thorns fell hopelessly in love during a heated moment in battle. Lo always gave a strong performance even when it bordered on treacle. Ching Li as Yuan Rung was the gorgeous swordswoman who fell in love with Chiao at a glance. The two young people suffered for their love and their clans’ hatred of each other.

Fang Mien and Tien Feng played the two warring masters with expert aplomb. Poor Fang had the worst and yet funniest prosthetic eye I’ve ever seen. A young Wu Ma played Red Hair Bear wearing a horrendous crimson wig. The martial arts directors got in on the fun as well. Tang Chia played one of the bandits and Lau Kar Leung was a quickly killed off Coin escort. The fight choreography was solid and typical of the late 60s. There was copious use of low-tech wires and trampolines. Aside from the airborne coins and iron thorns, most of the fighting involved swords and other pointy weapons.

Twelve Deadly Coins was entertaining despite the ham-fisted melodrama and deadly misunderstandings. Pretty sure it had one of the longest death speeches I’ve ever heard. Are we sure he’s dying? The sets and scenery helped sell the story though the minute I saw the long set of stairs I wondered who would be tumbling down them. The noble honor idiocy was laid on as thick as a mason’s mortar which lowered my score. Though I almost bumped it back up when one character that was annoyingly wearisome received his due. I was actually pleased about the hero who literally walked off into the sunset. Only for fans of old martial arts films and as always, I rate them on a curve.

2 March 2026
Trigger warnings: One person was un-handed. The body count was high with people dying from a wide variety of bloody wounds though no Chang Cheh blood spewing wounds. Attempted sexual assault.

Read More

On the edge of my seat every two episodes.

While I have my own critique about the decisions of the last round of, probably ten last episodes, when it comes to the script's timeline, I have to say that last scene saved it with the meaning of a great journey. Sometimes stories are for the characters themselves, and Zang Hai's journey deserved that change of pacing in his own life.

A taste of happiness, and melancholy, an usual feeling in cdramas, that I personally vibe with.
A series that had me on the edge of my seat every two episodes, it's not something that usually happens.

There's a scene of more or less ten minutes that barely had spoken words, with Zang Hai planning and plotting, focused in the Gui Seal, as a prior action scene. And I was thinking, if this series was a western production, instead of ten minutes, that scene would have lasted barely five seconds. So I can't stop thinking about how chinese series really put emphasis on the art, all that craft would've gone to waste in tv series that have no idea how to write nor to respect an audience. So I hope chinese productions always keep their craft chinese, and focused on the art of making, and always keep the craft above hegemonic hypes. Culture is beautiful when it's not invisible.

The cast, the craft, the direction, wonderful.

Read More

One of the best cdramas of that time

i started it without seeing anything about it i just found it on youtube while scrolling and decided to give it a try since evan is the male lead and i really liked him in Fall In Love, i also really wanted to try a wan peng cdrama but her as the female lead since i loved her in support roles , and IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT i have binge watched it in 2 days i couldnt stop wathcing it the first 17 episodes really felt like a blurr, from the first 3 episodes i knew it was gonna be one of my favourites. Though the story got messy in the middle i felt like it was necessary for them to go through that phase, since at first the relationship felt very very rushed they needed a step back it was good for both of them, only thing i have about this cdrama is that the ending WAS SO RUSHED it was extremely rushed none of the story wrap ups actually wrapped up well, the scene of her stomache ache really made no sense it didnt add anything to the plot . OSTS are one of the best osts ive heard in my life evan has such a great voice it matches very well with the vibes of this drama and 'meeting you' is by far in my TOP 5 Osts its very very sweet it will always remind me of them.

Read More

Don’t think too much just go watch it, promise you won’t regret it

Watching this after Head2head, i just fell in love more with surfjava’s acting and chemistry. In my opinion they are genuinely sooo good. It can sound a bit extra, but as someone that has watched many series with various actors,genres, plots, i believe that they are one of the best actors of these new actors generation and maybe even the future of gmmtv. Because i think that if they can pull of any role if they are given the chance. So gmmtv i beg you give them more roles also as main leads because they truly deserve it. I would reccomend this series to everybody. For me their part the best among the whole muteluv series so it easily becomes one of my favourite series. I hope everyone will watch this and support Surfjava in their upcoming projects💗💗

Read More

I always found it irritating when people wrote "my honest review" in the past. Before I knew BL series, lol. I thought, who would write a dishonest review? Well, now I know. I have seen many 10s and 1s for series who clearly didn't deserve it.

Love Alert was, I saw, not really well received, and I can understand why. Still, the question for me as reviewer has two be twofold: what did the creators aim for, and was I entertained? On a very basic level I have to answer to both: yes.

As to the details, it was a decent enough story. A red flag character breaks the heart of a green flag guy, with a surrounding cast. Now as a gay man I testify, people like Jimmy just exist - and I assume among straight people just as well. But then there were two important messages: first, we cannot command whom to love. That too I have seen, mostly ending bad. I have an ex who always fell in love with guys treating him bad with no happy ends. But is that life as it always is, and can stories not give us hope? Hope that bad people can change? And in grim times such as these, at least for my part it is a hope I do not wish to let go, call me naive. I never was in the shoes of these two, but I want to believe that a change can happen, and through what if not love? Jimmy did get his good share of suffering, and as the saying goes, mercy is given unearned, for if we have to earn it, it is not forgivance. And despite it all, my heart is not yet so hardend. As such I did overall enjoy the plot. For it gives me hope.

The acting was alright, it wasn't top acting or top looking actors, I am honest with that, though I think the bad guy turned good was good looking. Call the question of looks shallow, but in love stories made film I think that does matter. The changes of the behavior from all six people involved was interesting to see, and just because one was a red flag, I don't think it deserves to be hated as series, especially since I am usually relatively thin skinned to watch suffering, I did not feel it was so over the top. The kissing was a bit lacking, but then it often is, so I did not want to set the bar too high just for that. The NC was nice, not too much to be bored (I AM LOOKING AT YOU PEACH LOVER!), and sensitive enough to be nice. Each character was displayed with a clearly distinct character and a decent enough character development. Just from a gut feeling I had a good time with it, and ending with "Two- and a Half Couples" I felt well enough at the ending.
As such I give it

7.5/10
better than expected. 😉

Read More

A wuxia-ish Republican-era road trip with bold Tarantino vibes

It took me a while to organize my thoughts about this drama, just like it took me a while to watch it, despite despite being only 18 episodes long. But that doesn't mean the drama is bad, slow, or convoluted. On the contrary, maybe it's simply because Fearless Blood is an out-of-the-ordinary cdrama.

It's packed with such intensity, violence, and absurdity, right in line with Tarantino's best films, but it's also firmly rooted in its own Chinese tradition of wuxia and Republican dramas, so trying to sum it up was quite a struggle.

What’s it about? It tells the story of Xu Tian, a young man from Southeast Asia who goes north to Shanghai to support the revolutionary cause and get married. Along the way, he is helped by five distinctive, larger than life characters who structure the chapters or stages of the road trip, while Xu Tian experiences his transition from a naive young man into a fully grown adult.

Built around a road-journey structure set in the Republican era, it explores wuxia themes such as personal growth, obsessions, injustice, corruption, ambition, greed, rebellion, and bonds. Through the parallelism of the journey, that uses every possible means of transportation - from trains to animal-drawn carts, bicycles, and cars - the drama unfolds all kinds of relationships: father and son, frenemies, friendship, romantic love, marital companionship, colleagues, comrades, and enemies.

From the very beginning, nothing is allowed to unfold neatly. Chaos and anarchy run through the narrative via unexpected decisions, sudden turns, and characters who seem to exist solely to complicate plans. The humor is dark and absurd and, together with the storytelling, constantly reminded me of the spirit of Tarantino's films.

It is directed and written by Xu Bing, who was already among my top directors and screenwriters, and this drama only consolidates that position. His work remains bold, creative, and intellectually engaged, supported by solid production values and a star-studded, seasoned cast. In Fearless Blood, my favorites were many: Liao Fan (Old Sun), Zhang Jing Wei (Ma Tian Fang), Song Han Huan (Wu Da or Seven), and especially Wu Xiao Lian as the melancholic gambler Yu Zhou, whom I absolutely loved.

For sure, this is not a drama made for binge-watching; you’ll need breaks, despite wanting to know what will happen next. It’s a story to be savored slowly, from the first scene to the ending credits — and the same goes for the soundtrack. As Yu Yi Xiu, played by Edward Zhan, says: “Let me enjoy a bit longer”

To sum up, this show is violent, absurd, reflective, unapologetically dense, and gripping all at the same time. It won’t be for everyone, but for those willing to sit with its chaos, it offers a uniquely unsettling and rewarding experience in C-dramaland.

Read More

Most ridiculous nonsense ever

Total trainwreck! It appears the script has been written by high schoolers and directed by an amateur would be director. The storyline is ridiculous and complete nonsense. It supposed to be a rom com but instead it became a bad comedy in someone's nightmare. To be honest, the only reason I watched it is because Ryan Ren is one of my very favorite actors; however, unfortunately even he couldn't save this trainwreck. The FL character is a very unlikeable sociopath and compulsive liar who is ( according to the script writer geniuses) always in the right and everything is someone else's fault at all time. Let's not even talk about all the psychopathic criminals/relatives who will never get punished no matter what horrible crimes they commit. This is a perfect message to the wievers, i.e. "commit any crime you want as there will be no consequences or punishment at all" great message geniuses!!!
What a waste of time, monies and talent to throw away on this trainwreck.

Read More

Desperately needed a throughline

I know that this series was meant to be a collection of short stories. However, because they all have a central theme, I kind of expected there to be SOME kind of overlap between the stories. In general, the stories are about using some kind of supernatural means to get what you want, and oftentimes these attempts backfire. Each story has its own characters, own director, and own themes that somehow relate to this. Still, I think it would have been WAY more fun if there were characters that popped back up, whether that be in the form of cameos or having the same fortune teller/temple/etc. come back into play. Instead, these are seven totally separate stories, some of which are not worth watching at all. Because this is technically one show, I'm only reviewing it here so here's the breakdown of what I would rate each storyline:

"Hi" by My Luck - 7/10
Not My Father! - 8/10
Diva Deva Mata - 1/10
Fist Foot Fusion - 1/10
Hello, Is This Luck? - 3/10
Love Lock - 7/10
Love Me If You Swear - 9/10

I'm sorry, but some of these could NOT keep my attention. In the case of Diva Deva Mata and Fist Foot Fusion, I could not bring myself to care about these characters nor their problems. It was too goofy, and not at all enjoyable for me. I know, I could have just skipped these storylines because again there is no real throughline here and I wouldn't miss anything; still, for completeness I did want to watch them all. If you're wanting to watch some of this show, PLEASE just pick the storylines that sound good to you - there is no reason to watch all of these, and you will not miss out on anything by skipping one (or multiple). Plus, whoever decided that this should air once a week for TWENTY-EIGHT weeks??? Come on now. You should've aired two eps a week minimum for something like this. I will say, the good ones are GOOD - I really enjoyed the cult plot of Not My Father! and REALLY loved Surf and Java as rival gang leaders in Love Me If You Swear. Unfortunately, the high highs were paired with some really low lows. I absolutely do not recommend watching this show in its entirety; read each storyline plot first and then decide if it's worth your time - some of them definitely are, and some are definitely not.

Read More

Biggest red flag FL

Premise was great, it had potential to become hit with simplistic story but deep message. Instead it went downhill fast.

FL is biggest red flag in kdrama land that i've seen this far. She makes promises she can't keep, she uses people and she is just bland as a character. She promises to take primary guardianship of the baby and as soon as hot man arrives, baby is forgotten to MLs care. She neglects baby multiple times and she really doesn't deserve guardianship at all. She doesn't deserve ML or the baby.

ML is classic green flag character who bends his back to prop up FL and FL throws it all to dumpster to date SML. At this point of the drama, i wish he would grow a spine and take the baby away from FL cause she doesn't really do anything to help anyways and start family of two.

SML is completely unnecessary character. He is epitome what death of creativity means in this business. He adds nothing and takes away importance from the great premise and destroys it with FL.

Conclusions:
This could've been superb unlikely family drama if it just did what the premise promised. Now it became another love triangle drama among the sea of them with nothing setting it a part. It is so shallow and disappointing.

Read More

FML quirky, but useless. while ML does everything.

I stopped watching this series because frankly I really thought that FML Tingyao would eventually be worthy as a partner for Sima Jiao. Instead, Tingyao ends up being the dum dum character that breaks everything down for the audience and while that character IS needed, it should not be the main character. Sima Jiao constantly bails her out of her poison, her memory loss, her thunder trials, etc. the plot was also not communicated well (ie she forgot her identity as Tingyao but remembered she’s transmigrated? Ontop of forgetting her Frost Fish identity? The orange peel they call a mask - who approved of this?! I dont get it.) The plot can be interesting at times but it did feel like a lot of the story is only moving because it’s the plot. It wouldnt make sense wen you actually pause and think about it. There is some cute romance and beautiful shots but I genuinely had to stop watching. I stopped ep 23. I would recommend watching this if… you’re into ML suffering everything for FML who also doesn’t have much of character or role in the story, from what I saw.

Read More

A movie that I'd watch on a date

To be honest I could say that about every romance🤷🏾‍♀️. But under the big onion has this kind of warm, fuzzy atmosphere (maybe because the bar/coffee shop seems sooo cozy) which made the movie so heartwarming. This movies combines penpal-plot like in "our secret diary" and ennemies to lovers plot.
My favourite moment was when they started to write each other and the song "Letter" by asmi started to play. It was *chief kiss*
I will rewatch it one day with a date 🫡
It's not a "high-level" movie with an original plot but I believe you might still have a great time watching it !

Read More