Reviews

A great Kamen Rider to start out with!

I watched Kamen Rider ZEZTZ live from Tokusatsu's simulcast stream for the past year, which also happens to be my first Kamen Rider I've had the pleasure of watching live from beginning to end. Essentially, the show follows the main protagonist, clumsy and unlucky Baku Yorozu, who when he sleeps, can infiltrate dreams as his alter-ego, the sly secret agent Seven who works for the top secret agency known as CODE -- or at least, that's how the show begins. ZEZTZ plays fast and loose with not only morality, but with reality and trust. Even after the infamous mid-series reveal, there's almost always more secrets that are built up to be unraveled, and betrayals from every side.

Is it the best Kamen Rider? Probably not, but it's still really good. Is it the best Kamen Rider to start out with? There's definitely a case that can be made in favor for it.

Pros:
> Probably the best part about ZEZTZ is how it's shot. All of the fights are super creative and plays a lot with the camera angles in a way that feels both epic and surreal. Hands down, ZEZTZ definitely has some of the best fights in the series.
> All of the three main Riders are great. Baku/ZEZTZ is a compelling protagonist that is worth rooting for, especially with his split between his endearing "real" self and his alter-ego Seven. NOX, in my opinion, is a very well-crafted anti-hero/anti-villain Rider reminiscent of a lot of Heisei-era Riders with a good character arc (albeit one that could've benefitted from more time) and a super fun presence in part due to his sheer determination. The tertiary Rider, Dawn/Sieg, is probably one of the best characters in the show. Not only does he has one of the best arcs, but he also is the reason of some of the show's best scenes in general. Every scene with Dawn is a delight to watch.
> Sans a few moments of delivery that are particularly off, the acting is very good in this show.
> I liked the mid-series reveal. It's pretty contentious, but to me, it was perfect for kick-starting the second half of the series.
> The soundtrack, although a tad repetitive, is very very good. I really like the insert songs!
> ZEZTZ starts off strong and sticks the landing. All of the characters are resolved in a very satisfying way.
> ZEZTZ is very good at setting up and paying off, especially with the various mysteries that are set up throughout the show. It's a great show to binge!

Cons:
> Personally, I felt the plot started to fall off after Case 34 and especially after Case 38 -- not enough to hamper my enjoyment of the show, but enough to be noticeable. It does recover, although a bit too late for my liking.
> Most of the side-characters are fun, but they do run into some issues. A lot of their progress -- specifically, Fujimi and Nasuka's in particular -- often feels undermined, and while Nem is a good character, she could have done a lot more in the grand scheme of things.
> CODE, as a whole, feels a tad too underexplored for my liking, and the world-building around CODE, the Capsems, and the Nightmares could have been executed better -- especially considering how Capsems are the gimmick of this series.

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She Feared Him Most—Until He Became the One Who Protected Her with His Life.” ❤️‍?

Lost in the Midnight* was one of those short dramas where the ML completely held my attention. Lou Xiao is definitely not your typical sweet romantic lead. He is dangerous, unpredictable, intimidating, and honestly a walking red flag at times. Yet somehow, he also becomes the person I trusted the most to protect Si Yue.

Si Yue enters the Jian family under a false identity because she is desperately trying to save her brother, who is in a vegetative state. She is surrounded by people using her for their own purposes, and then she mistakenly believes the feared Lou Xiao is the man she is supposed to marry.

Talk about choosing the most dangerous man in the room. 😂

What I loved about Lou Xiao was that the drama never completely changed his personality just because he fell in love. He remained dangerous and intimidating. The difference was that his feelings for Si Yue slowly revealed another side of him.

At first, Si Yue is afraid of him—and she has every reason to be. But as the story progresses, the man she fears becomes the man who repeatedly stands between her and danger.

Lou Xiao knows Si Yue is hiding things from him. He knows she lies to him, and those lies hurt him because he wants to mean more to her than simply being someone she can use. Yet despite his anger and frustration, he continues protecting her.

That was what made his character interesting to me.

He doesn't suddenly become some gentle puppy because he falls in love. 😂 Lou Xiao loves intensely, possessively, and sometimes frighteningly. But when it truly matters, he is willing to put himself in danger for Si Yue.

For a man everyone is supposed to fear, his biggest weakness becomes the woman who was originally terrified of him.

I also really enjoyed the chemistry between the ML and FL. Si Yue isn't completely helpless beside such a strong ML. She has her own reasons for lying and hiding her identity, and watching Lou Xiao slowly realize how much she means to him made their relationship even better.

The ending was good, and I was happy that after everything these two went through, we were given a tender and satisfying ending rather than another tragic short-drama finale.

**BUT... I still have questions!** 😂

The ending felt a little too quick considering everything that happened before it. I wanted more explanation about what happened afterward, especially with Si Yue's brother and the consequences for everyone involved. I also wanted more time with Lou Xiao and Si Yue after all the secrets were finally exposed.

Give me ten more minutes! That's all I'm asking! 😂

I wanted to see Lou Xiao finally living without constantly fighting everyone around him and Si Yue being able to love him without another secret or enemy waiting around the corner.

Still, Lou Xiao made this drama worth watching for me.

He started as the man Si Yue feared the most and ended as the man willing to protect her with his life.

**Sometimes the most dangerous man in the room is also the safest place to stand—at least when you're the woman he loves.** ❤️

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FL success story, medical version

I have watched a lot of shows about strong female leads who bulldoze their opposition to achieve resounding success. It’s a premise I like, though I find that my overall enjoyment depends a lot on how nuanced the show is and how relatable the main character is. It’s obviously harder, but not impossible, to achieve such things in a short drama.

Given all that, I find this show to be roughly middle of the pack. The FL, Rong Zelan, is not only a medical genius, but she’s also a smooth talker and really tough- a good portion of the show is her putting bullies in their place. She is on a mission to right a great injustice, get revenge, and break through the not-so-invisible (frosted?) glass ceiling, all things I was happy to root for.

Like most other shows in this genre, the FL is overpowered and confident, and there’s little suspense as to whether or not she’ll succeed. This always runs the risk of being boring, but here I’d say it wasn’t too bad (only slightly, maybe). Partly because it's a short show so her endless successes don't drag on too long, and partly because righteous indignation is always on her side, so I mostly just felt satisfied watching her win. Plus, the first episode is really rough on her and I felt so sorry for her, the momentum of that sympathy pretty much carried me through the entire show in wanting her to succeed.

There is also a ML who is her love interest, but the show isn’t that much about him or about their romance. He has his own mission which isn’t even shown. Mostly he just shows up regularly to help her out and/or subtly hit on her. Personally I liked that the romance isn’t too played up and the focus is on her.

The villains are fairly one-dimensional and nothing special, but at least they are easy to hate. The pacing is pretty good in terms of moving from one arc to the next, disposing of villains in good time and bringing in the next. There are almost no side characters of note. However, the emperor is one of the more annoying I’ve seen. He’s on the more extreme end of being a dumb and impulsive royal who faces no consequences- his arbitrary sentences are treated more like a force of nature than somebody’s decision.

It’s not that clear until more than halfway through the show, but gender issues play a big role. The limitations placed on women are tied to several of the conflicts, as well as the FL's grand goal of shattering that frosted glass ceiling. I really liked this and she makes a great speech on it, too.

My biggest complaint might be that the medical stuff is pretty loosey goosey, especially in the second half. Some of it got so nonsensical that I almost wasn’t even offended any more- clearly they weren’t even trying to be medically sound. The teenage FL is also way more skilled than she has any right to be. I get that this is part of the fun, so we can feel good seeing everyone be impressed. But I’m sorry, surgery takes practice and training. And how can she be so confident about conditions and procedures that- setting aside her total lack of experience- have some natural risk to begin with?

For the acting, I thought it’s pretty good. I believed all the characters, and the leads had some good expressions. The child actress at the beginning did great. I like that the FL is not super pretty- she’s not bad looking, she just has more distinct features, which makes her feel more real. I had some confusion, though, with characters of different generations looking approximately the same age.

Costumes, sets, props, are all decent. For the music, I noted some nice background music, especially the piece with the violins/strings.

Overall this is a good show if you like the formula of strong FL kicking ass everywhere. I found it a casual and enjoyable watch but nothing too meaningful, and would probably have given it a 7 (“entertained but not a masterpiece”) if they hadn’t bungled some of the medical stuff so badly. It’s a show about medicine, they should at least try...

ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS





Happy ending, and the FL gets everything she wanted. The only slightly upsetting death is her friend partway through, though that’s not really made a big deal of. The show does remember to tie up the story with her family, though I had hoped to see more of it throughout since that was the source of my main emotional connection with the show and the FL.

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Intense, Action-Packed, Witty, Intelligent

If you want to watch justice being served—with the ML shooting a villain in the head right there and then, in public, with everyone watching—this is the drama to watch. No waiting. No fear. No hesitation. It’s so satisfying. The viewers cheer.
The story is set during the Ming dynasty, one of the most conservative periods in Chinese history, when Confucian values were followed to an extreme.

Women were confined to their homes like prisoners, while noble ladies were expected to marry suitable noblemen. Men could have mistresses and multiple wives, while women were barely allowed to be in the same room with unrelated men outside the household. This was also an era when innocent women could be killed over petty incidents or accusations.

This is the world Fu Tingyun grew up in, and the first few episodes do a thorough job of showing just how dark that world could be.

The story also incorporates real historical events from the Ming dynasty, particularly the salt trade and its reforms, as well as the real relationship between the emperor and his grandmother. These historical details make the story even more compelling.

I love both of the lead characters.

Fu Tingyun, later known as Xie Quanhui, portrayed by Deng Enxi (Ancy), is like a magnolia—elegant and beautiful, but also resilient.

She is well-educated, well-rounded, intelligent, and compassionate, despite growing up in a privileged noble family. She knows how to manipulate her villainous opponents' insecurities, greed, and lust to gain the upper hand, but she never uses those tricks on people who have done nothing to wrong her. She knows how to spot opportunities and, more importantly, how to hold on to them.

I love what she represents: "when your horse dies, you get off and start walking." I love her resilience. She'll do whatever it takes to survive, and she's willing to take risks.

Yet despite her own predicament, she remains upstanding and compassionate. She's never selfish. She starts as an innocent girl who has barely stepped outside her home or comfort zone, but she adapts quickly and learns. And grows into a person who is never the helpless girl again. She's tough, resourceful, and has a very strong survival instinct. Deng Enxi's portrayal is spot on, elegant, and convincing.

Zhao Ling, also known intimately as "Jiu Ye" (Master Nine—the head of the organization he hijacks, Jiuweijiao), portrayed by Ding Yu Xi, is basically a lowlife salt smuggler.

But he has integrity and valor. He's upstanding, has a strong moral code, and keeps his word. He's wanted by both his smuggling rivals and law enforcement, yet he's still a person of honor. He's chivalrous, streetwise, and magnanimous toward others.

He's not highly educated, but he's smart in the ways that matter. He's also a leader and something of a dark horse—an underdog who quietly becomes someone others can rely on.

Most importantly, he's fiercely protective of the people he loves. He's ruthless toward anyone who tries to hurt or wrong them. He has courage, wit, and integrity. He's someone you can trust completely.

I love how they style Jiu Ye, constantly putting him in a douli (a conical hat) that half-shadows his face whenever he tilts his head, giving him the mysterious aura of a wandering swordsman. His head is always slightly bowed, reflecting his lowly status, yet somehow, his charisma is impossible to hide.

And I have to say something about Ding Yu Xi.

He's not tall like Song Weilong or Zhang Linghe, and he doesn't have the kind of face that immediately screams "male lead" like Hou Minghao or Xiao Zhan.

Ding Yu Xi just looks... normal.

So normal that you can believe he's a real person.

And that's exactly why he's so good at playing characters like this. He doesn't come across as the shining hero everyone notices from the beginning—the prince, the general, the untouchable young master. He often plays the underdog. The guy no one is particularly chasing after. He just quietly goes about his own business.

Very normal.

But his charisma? Out of the ordinary.

And it's precisely this demeanor and aura that makes Jiu Ye feel like he belongs to Ding Yu Xi.

What seems like an impossible union during that era becomes a formidable partnership.

She's the brain. He's the executioner.

I love how these two go through tribulations together. They're not even married, yet they treasure each other deeply. Each would do almost anything to help and protect the other.

And the Villains...

Don't even get me started on Yu Jingxiu (portrayed by Dong Zi Fan).

He's literally a beast in human clothes.

What an amazing portrayal of a villain.

Everything Yu Jingxiu does feels so realistic—not because we necessarily encounter someone exactly like him every day, but because the type of hypocrisy he represents is very real.

He's a complete ragebait character, but there really are people like this in the world. We just don't always notice them until we open our eyes and look around.

That's what makes him so believable.

In today's world, I honestly can't even count how many people like this have graduated from elite schools, collected impressive credentials, and yet have morals and ethics about as low as our villain here.

He thinks he's the most desirable man simply because he's the top scholar. He assumes every family and every woman is desperate for a man like him and would gladly accept whatever "largesse" he chooses to bestow upon them.

The hubris!

Final Thoughts
At its heart, this story is a game of wit.

It's a story about two people fighting to maintain their own sovereignty and determine their own fate, rather than allowing others to arrange their lives for them.

It's also a story about people starting from the lowest level and working their way up.

And I find it particularly comforting that the leads know when to stop. They don't become power-hungry or obsessed with wealth once they gain some influence, like so many oligarchs eventually do.

Everything about this drama is top-notch: the acting, the script, the costumes, the production. The costumes are immaculate, with beautiful and delicate embroidery. Everything looks carefully made and authentic. There are no cheap-looking props or shortcuts.

And, honestly, the recent toxic political environment has given a lot of people a lot of anger. This drama provides a rather satisfying outlet for that rage. Watching the ML execute these obnoxious villains—villains who sometimes feel eerily similar to people we see in the real world—is incredibly satisfying and, strangely, relieving.

Finally, I think the moral of the story is beautifully summed up by Quanhui's sister-in-law: filial piety doesn't mean blind obedience. It means understanding right and wrong. Righteousness isn't about making empty claims; sometimes it means having the courage to break old rules.

And perhaps the story is best summed up by Fan Yake:

"The wise delight in water, the virtuous delight in mountains; the wise are active, the virtuous are still; the wise find joy, the virtuous live long."

So, very roughly: Wisdom lets you navigate life; virtue lets you stand firm in life.

Fu Tingyun/Quanhui is very much the “water” type. She observes, adapts, learns, takes risks, and finds ways around obstacles. She's intelligent because she knows how to respond to circumstances rather than simply accepting them.

Zhao Ling/Jiu Ye is more “mountain.” He's steady, loyal, protective, and guided by a strong personal code. He doesn't have the education or social status of the people above him, but he knows what he considers right and wrong, and he doesn't easily compromise those principles.

It shows the two leads aren't identical. One is more adaptable and strategic; the other is more steadfast and principled. Together, they balance each other.

There is also a particularly nice irony given the Ming dynasty's rigid social rules: the quote isn't really telling people to blindly obey tradition. It's about cultivating wisdom and virtue—knowing when to adapt like water and when to stand firm like a mountain.

What a great gem! Absolute must-watch! Two thumbs up!

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Heavy but beautiful essay on life

Sometimes, life sucks and keeps throwing rocks at you. I can understand why this is difficult or not satisfying watch for a lot of people but I wouldn't want them to film it any other way.

I believe no show is for everyone and I deeply appreciate when instead of following trends and creating generic scenes, they try to go deeper, riskier, to get their unique vision across.
This drama to me personally feels like an essay on life and the loss in it. The beauty of people relying upon each other, the struggles of both reaching out to each other and being reached out to. One never knows what can happen and everyone's life can look completely different within span of few years if not months. The characters are mostly very real, I won't say the writing's quality is master class, yet the genuinity gets across.

This drama centers around the connections between people, especially the one between the two male leads. They don't kiss or progress anywhere else with physical intimacy.
While part of me had hoped for something, by the end I really appreciated the way this show presented love. There's SO MANY scenes that show their love. As an audience we understand the depth of their bond, their care, and why they make the choices they do.
The tragedy in their lives had to do with a lot of other things, rather than picking anything specific, I'd say it seemed the weight of life was crushing everyone, gay or not, which is why to me it didn't seem like the typical trope of tragic BLs, just a story about life that happened to include some queerness.

I put rewatch value at 1/10 and it doesn't affect my final rating. I don't know why we're so obsessed with adding rewatch/replay value ratings to experiences like this (games included). I enjoyed it once and that's great enough for me.

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The Story Line

William Chan’s character fits very well and feels exactly like the role he played in The Mystic Nine. His portrayal is familiar and consistent, which I really enjoyed.

Joseph Zeng’s character is also interesting because his behaviour and mannerisms remind me a lot of his grandson, Wu Xie. However, this is where I started having problems with the story. The plot feels off and doesn’t seem to tally properly with the other stories in The Lost Tomb series.

The part that confused me most is Chen Pi A Si. His grudge with Er Yue Hong had already been settled in The Mystic Nine. Chen Pi was also the one whose actions led to Ya Tou’s death. On top of that, the story of how he became blind doesn’t seem to match the established storyline involving Xiao Ge (Zhang Qiling) and the treasure at Banai.

There are too many inconsistencies with the characters’ histories and the timeline.

Overall, the story is a mess. 😅 As someone who follows The Lost Tomb series, I find it difficult to connect this story with everything that was already established. The actors and characters may be enjoyable, but the storyline just doesn’t add up.

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When Love Becomes an Act of Rebellion

There is something inherently tragic about a character who has to spend their entire life pretending to be someone else. The King’s Affection takes that premise and turns it into a romantic historical drama about identity, duty, and a love that becomes increasingly dangerous the closer it gets to the truth.

At first glance, the drama seems to have all the familiar ingredients of a palace romance: secret identities, forbidden love, political conspiracies, ruthless royals and a handsome scholar who falls for the wrong person. But beneath that familiar structure lies a much more interesting question: what happens when the person everyone expects you to be becomes a prison?

Lee Hwi is forced to live as the crown prince after the death of her twin brother, hiding not only her true identity but also the fact that she was never supposed to inherit the throne. Park Eun-bin carries much of the drama’s emotional weight, and her performance is particularly effective because she doesn’t simply play someone pretending to be a man. She plays someone who has learned to suppress every visible trace of vulnerability because showing the slightest crack in the performance could mean death.

And then there is Jung Ji-woon, played by Rowoon, whose presence brings warmth to what could otherwise become an overwhelmingly bleak story. His relationship with Hwi is built around a delicious irony: he falls in love with someone without realizing that the person he loves is hiding an enormous secret from him.

The romance works best when the drama allows the two characters to simply exist together. Their stolen glances, restrained affection and constant proximity create a tension that is often more effective than grand declarations of love. There is something wonderfully frustrating about watching two people fall for each other while both are unaware of just how complicated their relationship actually is.

But The King’s Affection is not merely a romance with a gender-swapped twist. Its strongest theme is identity.

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An Ancient Love Song — Beautifully Complicated, But Not Easy to Follow

Some love stories begin with a meeting.
This one begins with an ending.

An Ancient Love Song follows Shen Buyan, a modern historical novelist who unexpectedly travels through time and encounters Lu Yuan, a woman remembered by history as a notorious “Enchantress.” What makes their story different is that their timelines move in opposite directions. The more Shen Buyan falls in love with her, the less she knows him—and the moments when Lu Yuan loves him deeply are moments when he has yet to understand who she is.

And that is where the drama gets both beautiful and confusing.

I actually liked the story.

The concept was clever, especially the way the drama slowly makes you realize that what you're watching isn't a conventional time-travel romance. The story deliberately presents their encounters out of chronological order, making you piece together their relationship from different points in their lives.

But for me, this was also the biggest challenge.

While watching, there were moments when it felt like the story was resetting itself every time Shen Buyan returned to the past. The characters would meet again, circumstances would change, and I had to constantly recalibrate where we were in the timeline. Eventually, I understood what the drama was trying to do, but I wouldn't say I always enjoyed the process of figuring it out.

The shorter format definitely helped. With only 14 episodes of roughly 30 minutes each, the story doesn't drag and wastes very little time.

What I appreciated most was Lu Yuan.

She isn't simply a tragic woman waiting to be saved. She has her own convictions, responsibilities, and understanding of what she has to do—even when Shen Buyan desperately wants to change the fate he has learned from history.

And that makes their romance particularly heartbreaking.

This isn't a love story about two people simply trying to be together.

It's about two people who keep reaching for each other at the wrong point in time.

The drama also does something interesting with the idea of fate versus narrative. We know Lu Yuan's historical reputation from the beginning, but as Shen Buyan discovers what actually happened, the difference between history and truth becomes increasingly important. Several reviewers also praised the drama for turning a seemingly familiar time-travel premise into a reverse-timeline love story.

What worked for me:
• Unique reverse-timeline concept
• Short and tightly paced
• A strong and memorable female lead
• Romance that feels tragic without relying entirely on melodrama
• The mystery of Lu Yuan's true history keeps the story moving
• The ending gives the earlier episodes a different meaning

What didn't work as well for me:
• The timeline can be genuinely confusing
• Some transitions feel like you're watching another “reset”
• It requires paying close attention to understand the chronology
• The emotional impact didn't completely hit me the way it seems to have affected other viewers
And perhaps that's the biggest difference between appreciating this drama and completely falling in love with it.

I can recognize what makes An Ancient Love Song special.

I can appreciate how carefully the story is constructed.

But personally, I wasn't as emotionally devastated by it as some viewers were.

Still, for a 14-episode mini drama, it manages to tell a surprisingly ambitious story with very little room to waste.

It's not a perfect watch for me, but it's definitely one of those dramas where the concept stays with you after the ending.

Final verdict:
An Ancient Love Song is a beautifully constructed reverse-timeline romance that asks you to experience a love story backwards. It may leave you confused along the way, but once the pieces begin falling into place, you understand why the story had to be told this way.

A love that keeps moving through time—
even when the two people in it never seem to arrive at the same moment.

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Fairly Fiery

While not my ultimate favorite of the 4 Elements series, this drama did snuggle its way into my heart with its loud charm.

The setting of The Fire wasn't as warm as The Earth, as solid as The Water, or as grand and encompassing as The Air, but did provide some unique opportunities for peril, daring rescues, bickering, and making amends.

What it lacked in scale, it made up for with its FLs with serious personality! These two could argue like nobody's business, and I was there for every entertaining minute of it! And when actual kindness/wooing came into play, it was even more hilarious to watch them struggle to play it off/naturally put on the charm.

Yet again, though, I was let down by the way they chose to wrap up years of family conflicts with a pretty bow. As if parental neglect was something to be acknowledged but not truly reflected on, and obsessive love, while unhealthy, required baby gloves and personal sacrifice before they saw the error of their own ways.

But, overall, this was a fairly charming and passionate/tender enemies-to-lovers.

With this final installment to the series, I am left feeling a little sad it's over. Complaints as I did have and nothing managing to match, let alone top The Earth, I really did enjoy myself as a whole. One of the highlights across all the elements definitely being the relationship between the cousins. Twas iconic!

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Misunderstanding

This drama was heartbreaking, and for me, the most interesting character was the ML, Fu Zheng. He is definitely not an innocent character, and I cannot excuse the pain he caused Wen Liang. But I also don't believe he never loved her. His biggest problem was that he didn't understand how to love her until he had already destroyed the relationship.

Fu Zheng spent so much time being cold, stubborn, and allowing misunderstandings to control his marriage. Wen Liang loved him for years and continued hoping that one day he would finally see her heart. Instead of protecting that love, he repeatedly hurt her.

That is what makes his later regret so painful.

Once Fu Zheng finally understands what Wen Liang meant to him, he desperately wants to undo everything. But some wounds cannot simply disappear because someone finally says, "I love you."

I actually appreciated that the drama didn't make Wen Liang immediately forgive him just because he regretted his actions. She had reached the point where loving Fu Zheng was hurting her more than leaving him.

The ending, however, completely broke my heart.

Fu Zheng ends up in a coma, and Wen Liang ultimately chooses to walk away. Normally, I want the ML and FL together at the end, especially when the ML genuinely realizes his mistakes. Part of me wanted Fu Zheng to wake up, apologize properly, and finally have the opportunity to love Wen Liang the way he should have from the beginning.

But that isn't the ending we get.

What made it even sadder for me was the feeling that somewhere inside his unconscious state, Fu Zheng understood that he had lost the right to ask her to stay.

He had spent so much of their relationship holding onto Wen Liang while simultaneously hurting her. In the end, his final expression of love was the opposite.

**He let her go.**

He didn't wake up and ask her to wait for him. He didn't force her to remain trapped beside a man who had already caused her so much pain. He remained in his coma while Wen Liang finally walked away and chose herself.

That ending stayed with me because Fu Zheng wasn't a man who never loved his wife.

He was a man who realized **too late** that love without trust, tenderness, and respect can become another form of pain.

I was happy that Wen Liang finally found the courage to leave, but I was also incredibly sad for Fu Zheng. His punishment wasn't simply losing her. His punishment was finally understanding exactly how much he loved her when there was no longer anything he could do to change the past.

Sometimes loving someone means fighting to keep them.

But sometimes, after you've hurt them too deeply, the last loving thing you can do is finally stop holding on.

Fu Zheng loved Wen Liang the wrong way for most of their marriage.

**In the end, letting her go may have been the first time he truly loved her the right way.** 💔

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Loved the mystery more than less

General Remarks

I love how the mystery made me click to the next episode as each episode ended.

I love how mysterious and concealed certain characters were. In my opinion, it created intrigue about certain characters, particularly the villain. I felt the villain was the most compelling character of them all. He got me thinking about his motives and goals in taking the main character's identity. It evoked sympathy, and I loved that he chose revenge instead of wallowing in agony over his lover's death. I loved how the show manipulated the audience using flashbacks from different characters' POV. This tells you that seeing isn't always believing
.
The start of this was strong; I believe that made many of us click for more as the episode went by. Ryu Jun Yeol really put in effort in portraying every bit of frustration, fear, and despair in his character Je Mun Jae. I love the close-up shots of him, hinting at his frustrations. He also portrayed another contrasting character, namely the mouse. It was a fantastic portrayal

Sul Kyung Gu's character, No Ja, has a menacing and dangerous look, like a thug, but deep down he has a kind soul, as he refuses to kill his enemy. Though it angered me that he couldn't kill them when he had beaten them down, I thought it shed more light on how he is moving away from being a thug. His kind heart also extends to helping Je Mun Jae.
It irked me at the way No Ja was begging his enemy not to bury him alive; LIKE THAT DOESN'T EVEN MATCH HIS CHARACTER. ARE YOU KIDDING ME. I thought some mysteries were better not shown, as some seemed too unrealistic for a non-fictional show,

I liked the friendship between No Ja and Je Mun Jae, although it came too fast. It was realistic, as No Ja never completely trusts him, as there was a seed of doubt in his mind that sprouts at any word that can make him easily distrust Je Mun Jae.
I didn't like the main character; why was he always hasty every time, and why did his panic disorder come at a critical moment?

I loved the open ending, as we can all make our theories and deductions (for season 2)

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Interesting, but wardrobe so bad it detracted.

Really wanted to like this, but the wardrobe was SO bad it was distracting. Didn't know what era it was cast in from scene to scene. Were we in a flash forward or what? Clothing from the 60's to 90's eras were just bad. Vhicles from the 50's and other items that were not yet invented in the 1930's. Would love to see a remake with greater attention to wardrobe and greater historical accuracy.
The trope of the strong woman who becomes weak and needs rescuing constantly didn't age well either. Women are the backbone of society. Need depictions of how the strength, tenacity, courage, devotion, love and just pure cussed grit of women has made civilization survive!

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A Rivals-to-Lovers Done Right

Even though the rivals-to-lovers trope is practically everywhere in the BL universe, this particular Japanese series holds a genuinely special place in my heart.

What makes it stand out so much is Zen’s consistent character development from their high school days all the way to their adult years working side-by-side. One thing I consistently admire about Japanese productions is their casting dedication: When a story spans decades, they actually cast younger actors who look convincingly like the adult versions, rather than keeping the exact same actors across a 20-year time jump like so many Thai dramas often do. That attention to detail paid off brilliantly here. The younger counterparts didn't just share an uncanny physical resemblance, they captured the exact mannerisms and soul of Ryo and Zen, making their transition into adulthood feel authentic, grounded, and thoroughly earned.

So why can't I give it a top-tier rating? There are still narrative flaws that hold it back from perfection. I haven't read the original manga, so I can't speak to how faithful an adaptation it is, but the writing around Futami felt noticeably weak. If Futami was supposed to be an established high school friend, the show really needed to introduce or foreshadow him earlier in the story. Instead, he just suddenly drops into the plot out of nowhere to trigger conflict that ultimately felt rushed and overly simplistic.

Despite those structural hiccups, the emotional core between the leads is undeniable. The chemistry, nuanced character dynamics, and grounded tone make this an easy contender for one of my favorite BL series of the year!

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A fun time with a couple of misses

A lighthearted watch with short, web-novel-like episodes that make it all the more bingeable. I recommend this to everyone into the BL genre, because it doesn't present the criticisms surrounding BL online media and culture at the expense of their creators and consumers. On the contrary, it humanises such people through a lovable MC like Euijoo.

And because I might be too deep in that BL shit... Was I the only person thinking the show was hinting at an actual romance between Mr. Ga and Mr. Yoon? There were a couple of scenes which I interpreted as foreshadowing a relationship between the two, but I dismissed such thoughts and the show, indeed, did not end up going in this direction.

Not that I didn't like the plot! But I wonder how the story would've been different if two of the teachers had been actually dating. For one, Euijoo's novel would've actually put a queer couple at risk of outing in front of the whole school. This would've added a whole new layer to the disciplinary committee scenes and the teachers' individual decisions regarding her punishment. On the other hand, I think it would've made Euijoo reflect on her interest in BL in a productive way. Her character obviously satirizes straight girls/women who fetishize gay men and self-insert in stories they write and consume among themselves. It would've been a nice touch to have an actual gay couple react to her novel, recognize the true feelings and dynamics that inspired it, but also how its existence could be harmful in not one or two ways. Basically, Euijoo could've been shown the reality of queer life and how it differs from the BL she is writing. I would've actually loved for the story to unfold this way, but for that I guess I would have to write my own fanfiction :D (Besides, that would've completely switched the focus and tone of the drama)

Other than that, I wasn't the biggest fan of Euijoo's dynamic with Mr. Ga, but I don't think I need to go into detail about that. I am happy the show made it (mostly) clear that he rejects her feelings, but it definitely had a couple of moments where I had to google whether there is teacher x student romance in the drama before continuing. Thankfully, that didn't ruin the overall experience all that much, and the show is still one of my favourite recent watches!

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Wasted Potential

Storytelling has so much potential that it’s frustrating to see how it hasn’t been fully utilized. All in all, the series itself isn’t that terrible, but there are some serious weak points. I find the parallel between peach and relationships interesting; however, at a certain point, besides feeling repetitive, the story of the two protagonists that accompanied it honestly didn’t make sense.

For example, when Po decides to take some time to reflect—okay, but what motivations led him to reach that decision? Not to mention how the reappearance of Sasom’s ex was presented with a sense of pathos that finally makes you think there will be some drama, and once again it falls completely flat.

Let’s talk about Sasom. The character and his role are completely disconnected. He’s an actor, he has a strict family that forces him to associate only with famous people, and he leads a double life as a porn star. THE POTENTIAL. In all of this, as we can see from his brother’s wedding, everyone already knows—yet we don’t even get a single episode where the truth comes out, the family finds out, or a scandal happens? His storyline is simply left to chance.

Don’t even get me started on the secondary couple—again, WASTED potential. A story with no sense or logical thread. Included just to fill time. Who is Inn? Who is Meen? We have no idea.

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