Reviews

Short, but sweet... and really good

I watched this one on Viki, and I noticed that it only had 8 episodes. Here in MDL, it shows 18 episodes, so I was worried that not all of them were available on Viki. I also found the show on iQiyi, and noticed it listed all 18 episodes. When I looked at the time length of the episodes, I realized what Viki did was combine episodes, so it makes it seem like there's less, when it's all there.

This was a really good show. The way that Ryan Cheng's character cared for his FL, reminded me of "The First Jasmine", after he opened up to her. I really liked their chemistry. I also like how his FL respected him and her position, despite begin worried about getting exposed for being a fake. This made me think of another cdrama "The Best Day of My Life". It had a similar element in that the FL was playing a fake role, but still respected her ML and didn't do anything to ruin his reputation.

It took me a minute to really grasp what was going on in the beginning stages of the story. I found myself getting confused with the names a lot, and also why the face swap happened in the first place.

The big take away for me is General Hansheng and Shi Qi's relationship. Seeing that pure and innocent love develop over the course of the show really drew me in, and had me rooting for them. I'm still confused about who's face was really who's at the end, but I'm glad it ended with her not having to do another face swap. It think, despite having feelings for her, it would've made the connection between Hansheng and Shi Qi a little awkward. At least I think it would have. The little girl was cute, but the thing that got to me at times was how babyish her voice sounded at times. You could tell she's a very intelligent little girl. I was hoping to hear a more matured tone from her before the show ended.

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Emptynes and dreams

This is an easy binge, with okay characters and okay leads. The pacing is very off....Build ups turn in to air, no build up turns in to explosions. Twists here and there that are either very predictable or make very little ence and contribute 0 to the plot or charter development.

Some characters are forgiven way to easily, others are just obsessed and there are so many characters in here that need to be sent to therapy or get locked up far, far away from society sp they can not hurt anyone again. And then we have the blame game gone wrong.

That said, locations are nice, second couple adorable. there are several interesting and sweet side characters that I would wanted to see more of and the main couple is full of forever love, fun and fluff but every now and then they make dessisions that just do not make any sense. At all.

They also seem to touch issues but just berley and never really get to actually deal with them.

An okay watch but not much more.

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A Fun Drama That Needed More Time

I would give the K-drama Spirit Fingers an 8.0 out of 10. Overall, I really enjoyed the drama because it had an interesting story, likeable characters, and a good balance of emotion, friendship, and personal growth. The characters were enjoyable to follow, and the drama had many moments that made me feel connected to their experiences.

However, I did not give it a higher rating because I felt that the story was sometimes rushed. Some parts of the plot moved too quickly, and I felt that certain storylines and character developments needed more time to be properly explored. I also found the ending quite forgettable. After everything that happened throughout the drama, I expected the ending to have a stronger impact and leave a more lasting impression.

Despite this, Spirit Fingers was still an enjoyable drama with a lot of potential. With a slower pace, more exploration of certain plot points, and a more memorable ending, I think it could have been even better. For me, an 8.0/10 is a fair rating because it was enjoyable, but some parts left me wanting more.

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They went deep in...Entertaining and deeper than expected

If at first the story made me think that the drama was more or less a smutty fanfic story put on screen (which is not a dig, I can appreciate a guilty pleasure kind of drama), it was definitely much more than that. There are layerS to the story as well as I think also an activist message and some important criticism of society regarding LGBTQ+ relationships and their depiction on screen. It does not go very deep on the later, but it is clearly there and the ending is quite a statement in itself, worth the watch for its finale scenes.

Regarding the acting, it was quite unbalanced. I was very surprised to see Ollie (that I had not seen since his Boys Planet participant day) in this assertive, very bossy lead, obsessed and demanding. Even if that was a lot to grasp at first (and that he definitely looked younger than the part would have required), he did amazing for a first drama role and totally ripped of his cutie teen idol image that I had of him. The other main actor Shu Yuan was a bit awkward at time and I wish I would have seen a bit more nuance from him portraying some scenes, even if I know the script did almost force him to act dialed up to 100% level of angst, leaving not a lot of room for range. It lacked something for me to fully get onboard with his way of portraying the role(s). If I liked overall the leads and their chemistry (carried a lot by Ollie), I also found the acting performance of the remainder of the cast average, with some over the top and exaggerated acting.

I also appreciated the overall filmmaking. They used smart visual tricks for the viewers to immediately get which level of the story they were looking at...And when the lines got blurry, the directing brought that convincingly to life. The soundtrack was also quite good and fitting in itself, even if probably not long lasting memory material.

I would recommend this to people that enjoy layered toxic relationships and dark romance. If you don't mind a solid touch of angst and melodrama in your series, you need to try this one. If the scenario in its last arcs tired me with its repetitive and somewhat uninspired conflicts, the meta elements of the series, the shift in perspective, the way storylines were feeding and bleeding into each other and the way they smartly concluded won me over.

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Smile After Boredom!

Frankly, this series is inferior in every conceivable dimension imaginable. And we need to quit pretending that it is not. It is a confusing, disjointed story with undramatic if not dull acting with a very poor script followed by mediocre cinematography and frankly even pedestrian musical numbers. Sure, I was intrigued by the theme’s concept and initial plot but then after the first episode, it fell apart. If you are seeking dynamic, interesting personalities to entertain you, you best move on. These protagonists are some of the dullest creatures I have ever seen in a BL, if you want to call it that. What made them so uninteresting is that they had zero outstanding personality traits and even less emotional depths. In addition, their acting is simply a series of functionally sleep-induced and placid exercises. And boring. The stilted one-dimensional acting by all the protagonists also reflects a poor script and inadequate direction. Which leads to the major flaw of this series. No growth. None of the protagonists grow or mature. They all stagnate or wallow in what once was.

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Surprising Hidden Gem!!!

I was scrolling through Netflix when this show caught my eye.

I watched the trailed and got enthralled by it.

I wasn’t mistaken. This was such a great show to commit too.

It had so much comedic scenes I enjoyed watching it way more than I expected.

I love how the romance wasn’t rushed and how blunt and unhinged the main couple are. I also love how on top of the comedic romance, the plot also included a lifespan of tradegy filled life, heartfelt and money grubbing family and business drama, and showbiz endorser life. What a circus!

The show was such a hidden gem!

How they were able to weave such a great story from so many interweaving storylines is beyond me. But this was and is definitely a great show to watch.

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the aesthetically pleasing drama. from the camera angle, the choreography to where the actors move to the position of the camera. every frame is worth the screenshot. its perfect.

the representation of colors for each characters like red for oh-eaw, blue for teh and purple for tarn. a symbol for tarn's character as well, a hibiscus flower. i am blown and its cute.

in the later episodes where both characters were figuring out of their feelings, they wore each others colors and i cannot stop thinking about ever since.

they only kissed once but the sexual tension they have with each other when they were rubbing each others bodies. that was out of this world. it was cinema.

on the decision making of the characters? its so real like your life depends on that one decision but messed up so much. you thought your lifes done but it's not. you have to keep going, live, and learn from that. the stubborness and irresponsible decision makings. teh's character is an asshole, a flawed one but is real. you can't have it all figured out at 18. oh's character is making me cry like he's so precious. you have no choice but to root for him because he's the most beautiful soul that has no bad intentions just wants to be loved by his lover. the way he yearns for teh's touch in ep 4 it was heartbreaking.

i cannot stress enough the thoughts that i have right now because its scrambly and a mess but i can talk about this drama for hours and still not get bored. im sadden about what happened to the company. they should make more of this masterpiece.

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Sweet youth drama

The first episodes are a group of teenagers in high school. They live different experiences and then go on to university.
Plans change, life changes and everyone needs to adapt. Like many C-dramas the theme is reunion of the same group of teenagers who were together for many years. I found the story a bit repetitive from other C-dramas, but still good to watch.
The main lead at this stage plays a 15 year old while the actor in 2026 is actually 32 years old. I did find that they choose the wrong actors for this drama as playing a 15 year old teenager needs to look the part. The actor playing the older brother in this series is actually younger that both the main leads.

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Fluffy, Feel Good, Amazing + A Beautiful Storyline…

Helpppppppp!!! I am very very obsessed with this series. I just binged the first four episodes and i have no words to describe it 😭😭😭

Or wait, I actually do have words to describe it. SO GOOD! I enjoyed watching this and had moments where I was just laughing out loud. It’s such a fun watch OMG I’m surprised.

I didn’t read the synopsis or anything, just found it and decided to start it with little to no expectation and IT IMPRESSED ME.

Great acting, solid chemistry, interesting storyline, beautiful visuals, you name it.

Sorry I can’t keep writing because I’m off to rewatch the first four episodes all over again as I wait for the new episode.

Stop reading reviews!!!! Join the watch train ASAP

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Fluff as Entertainment

Wu Jin Yan is delightful. She never fails to disappoint. She takes what is often a silly script and makes graceful and almost believeable. But there is much in this character that she's done in other shows so while it fits her talents, she's not given room to do more. Additionally, she's acting circles around her co-star Chen Zhe Yuan who is mostly broody and either over acts or is wooden. Either the directing or the difference in acting between leads causes a failure in romantic chemistry. Many of the plot elements are over done, tropey to the point of being silly. However, the costumeing and design is gorgeous. This isn't the worst show I've seen all year, but it could and should have been better.

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Expectations (Trailer) vs Reality (Entire drama)

I was excited for The Map of Truth (I had no idea this was the drama's English name because I watched its trailer with its Chinese name). I thought it would be supernatural stuff as depicted in the trailer, but I guess it really does fit its name, Map of Truth, where Bat Ping (Katy Kung) and crew often discover the truth behind supposed superstitions or 'funny' events happening. LMAOOO the music at the intro is so creepy

I almost teared up when I saw Man Ban (Karl Ting) seeing his mother's birthday wish to him after Master Chong (Wayne Lai) did his rituals. I'll admit that I did find Sau Yi (Carmen Ngai) annoying at the start because she was like being delulu or lovesick (or you know 恋爱脑), but she's grown on me after the subsequent episodes or rewatch. I think it was also partially because I was getting annoyed by Bat Ping's skepticism of Master Chong, and wanted to expose him each time.
I've rewatched this drama several times out of boredom, and I didn't want to start a new drama.

Firstly, The Map of Truth reminds me of Our Unwinding Ethos due to the same myths/stories of certain locations in Hong Kong (like the Bride's Pool or Seven Sisters Road). In Our Unwinding Ethos, Rosina Lam uncovers the mystery in the cases linked tog these places. I'd say I learnt some feng shui and science stuff from The Map of Truth HAHAHA and psychology (since Master Chong often used the latter in observing individuals).

This drama has several 'cases' throughout and the SHOW (aka the sequel to the drama that Man Ban likes a lot; I watched the drama in Chinese subtitles, so I have no idea what his fav show's called). I'd say I was confused at the beginning because I thought Hoi-Wing [Sherman Poon) -- who acted as both Hoi-Wing (one dead already, the other is just a lookalike with the same name)] was actually the late Sister Wing's daughter/child. Turns out she tricked everyone into thinking she's the child; it's actually her boyfriend (the guy with curly hair who introduced Man Ban to this show as an assistant director). I mean, it's just a drama, but I couldn't really fathom how the Curly Hair liked Hoi-Wing, who bore a resemblance to his late mother (if yknow what I mean). Good to see that Sister Tong (Chloe Nguyen) got put in jail. The story between Kam Jun-hei and Ms Tsui (aka Pitchaya -- sorry for the spelling error if there's any) was really sad omggg but I was so glad that Madam Kam actually decided not to proceed with the lawsuit. I thought she was gonna be one of the villians or something, thankfully she isn't. It was nice to see the relationship between Jun-hei and Madam Kam get better and I just realized Jun-hei's actor was in A House of Spirits which was why I found him sooooo familiar. Speaking of that, Han Kok-ho (the university ghost 'victim') was actually in Our Unwinding Ethos as a part-timer with Edwin Siu. Man Ban's family case was really so sad, and Master Long Gui (Andrew Yuen) was so evil omg, he literally went around scamming people, especially women -- including Man Ban's mother and slept with her. I rolled my eyes several times when Madam Kam was gonna break up with him but he managed to convince her otherwise (ohwells). It was nice to see Master Long get his karma when he lost everything, and the scene where he hit his head against Man Ban's late father's stone plaque + his head bleeding, which was a parallel to the state Man Ban's late father was in when he jumped. The fox demon/spirit case was kinda interesting. The saleslady (Irina Tang) from the suit shop that Long Gui endorses has 3 boyfriends simultaneously (like OMG bruh), I was so afraid she was gonna stick to Bat Ping's senior, Ms Fang (Lisa Ch'ng)'s husband , thankfully he still has feelings for his wife -- he had an affair because Ms Fang was tooo busy. I felt so bad for Ms Fang when she accidentally tore the only picture she had with her husband and was panicking because of it.
I'd say that I found Sister Sa very cool actually because she's protecting Sau Yi plus her fighting skills. Also, Sau Yi and Bat Ming are kinda cute together! He was willing to spend time with her -- i.e. accompany her to see the Rice lady to 'talk' to her mother or walking the dog together.
(At this point, I think I'll leave my review as it is as I can't really remember much about the drama since I havent rewatched it for the 7th time since june and I am currently fixating on Blossoms of Power heh)

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