Reviews

Romcom is back

The drama is it an easy watch, no heavy plots, twists, fillers, love triangles and it is not your typical enemies to lovers. Stars with quirky fantasy comedy, which wasn’t my thing but after episode 5, it blooms to a more human kind of drama, dealing with loneliness, fears, etc. You will find yourself laughing, crying and even screaming. SeoInGuk does more than an excellent job playing his character. The tone of his voice, his calmness, facial expressions, and the way he carries himself as a shy quiet guy is adorable and on point. . The chemistry with Jisoo is amazing. Exactly as the director said, SeoInGuk had to be the male lead, and i totally see why. SeoInGuk said jisoo was perfect for the character and she made it more lovely than the script, i can definitely see how this character really suits her. I really enjoyed it, as it’s one of those dramas that you can watch over and over again.

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Generation to Generation is not the kind of drama that tries to captivate its audience with spectacle, kisses, or elaborately choreographed fight scenes. Instead, it focuses on something deeper: how the wounds and choices of one generation continue to echo in the next.

The characters are generally well written—there are many of them, which might seem intimidating at first, but don’t worry: you won’t miss the essential ones.

YI RAN !
The true centerpiece of the series, however, is undoubtedly Yi Ran in his portrayal of Mu Qingyan. His performance carries a rare intensity: sometimes a single look is enough to convey an entire storm of emotions. His acting is remarkably precise—fragile yet strong, broken yet determined. The way his gaze shifts, the tension in his voice, those micro-expressions that communicate everything without a word… Yi Ran performs with almost dangerous precision. He doesn’t try to show emotion; he simply lets it exist. As a result, some scenes stay in your mind for a long time, and whenever he appears, you feel like replaying the scene at least three times.

In that sense, he joins what Luo Yunxi brought to the genre: a more sensitive, layered, and introspective way of portraying wuxia heroes. But Yi Ran is not imitating anyone—he offers his own tone, his own version of the anti-hero, more introspective and internalized.

Romance
The romance here is rather chaste—which makes sense considering the characters’ age. The drama beautifully captures the feeling of first love and first emotional experiences. There is no need for kisses; simple gestures like holding hands, or the speech near the end, create some of the most memorable moments I’ve experienced while watching a C-drama.

FL
The heroine fits her role well and delivers a natural performance. She is energetic and curious—at the beginning more practical than romantic—but she ultimately plays a crucial role in the hero’s redemption.

PLOT
Regarding the plot, the story explores the characters’ mistakes and their attempts to repair the past. This complexity makes the narrative very human. Each character seems to represent a different stage: some are still trapped by the past, while others try to break the cycle. What makes the story compelling is that their decisions are never simple. We witness their contradictions, their sacrifices, and their regrets.

Almost every character is haunted in some way by the legacy of Cai Ping Shu. His heritage leaves a different mark on each member of this so-called “orthodox” sect, shaping their motivations in unique ways.

On the demonic side, our hero is a man haunted by the past, driven by the desire to uncover the truth, avenge his loved ones, and ultimately bring peace among the clans.

PROD
From a directing standpoint, the series clearly offers more than just something commercially profitable. There are good artistic ideas here—new directions worth exploring. Some narrative threads could have been handled better, Yes, the editing could be smoother, especially at the beginning, and sometimes more dynamic later on but these imperfections are forgivable. Personally, I would rather support projects like this than PURELY commercial productions which is tailor-made to satisfy the fandom of the lead stars.

The director also delivers several visually beautiful scenes, particularly those set in water with floating flowers. Another positive point is the restrained use of music—there is no overwhelming musical overdose.

CAST
Finally, the supporting cast deserves recognition as well. Many of the younger actors show promising potential, and the couple representing the older generation is very convincing.

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Enjoyed watching the drama!!!

Generation to generation focuses on the matters of Jianghu, involving 2 generations, and how the 2nd generation solve the problems that come their way, while knowing their previous generation story.
The plot is quite interesting. Yeah, it feels confused and a bit boring in the first few episodes, but trust me, everything becomes interesting when the original identity of the male lead is discovered. And also, all the concepts introduced to us in the first episodes, later, become crucial points in unearthing many secrets. So, imho, the plot becomes very interesting after 6-7 episodes. And even gets better and kept me glued till the end.
Mu Qingyan, played by Zhou Yiran, is the most interesting, yet complicated, scheming, cunning male lead,with a heartbreaking tragic childhood.I really loved his character, and Zhou Yiran was splendid and phenomenal in his performance 💯🤗
Cai Zhao, played by Bao Shangen, imo, is very brave, smart, intelligent, knows well to draw lines between different matters and punishes the evil. I liked her character very much. Though in the earlier episodes she appears to be a free spirited heroine, she definitely has her sense of justice and righteousness and Bao Shangen was perfect for this role. Her character had shown a good development towards the end.👌
Song Yuzhi, Lord Song, Fan Xingjia, Xiaolan, the Cai's and their Luoying valley, Uncle Lei, You Guanyue, Shangguan, Xing were few other characters on the positive side.
All the actors were excellent in their performances.
The chemistry between the leads is very good and I liked how they unite to solve the mystery despite the sworn enemity between their sects and also differences in their opinions.
The music, sets, action scenes were good.
The only things that bothered me were costumes and too much usage of Cai Pingshu's reference in each and every episode and repetitive flashbacks, though she is the main key to the plot.
Otherwise its a VERY GOOD, WORTH WATCHING Wuxia drama. 👍
Despite its flaws,it can be given a try to watch and you will not be disappointed.
A enjoyable journey of Mu Qingyan and Cai Zhao👏🥰

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Cute moments but an unbalanced story

I enjoyed it overall, but I did feel a bit disappointed with how the story was balanced. The drama has a lot of charm and is still a pleasant watch. And honestly, the baby… our little star, our universe, was so incredibly cute that every scene with them instantly melted my heart. Moments like that added so much warmth to the story.
However, a lot of space was given to the second lead, sometimes so much that the main couple felt slightly overshadowed. I kept expecting more development and emotional growth between them, but their relationship didn’t evolve as much as I hoped. In the end, I still enjoyed it, I just wish the narrative had focused a bit more on the main couple and the beautiful little family they were building together.

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É uma obra de aquecer o coração

Muitas pessoas parecem não ter gostado por ser tão caricato, mas essa realmente é a essência da coisa, é algo acolhedor, que te faz sorrir de forma espontânea, também tem muitas reclamações de supostamente "não ser um bl", mas no decorrer dos episódios você claramente vê uma carta paixão sendo construída aos poucos, talvez isso seja por não ter vários beijos ou declarações mas ao meu ver realmente não é algo que afeta a história, e desde que se trata de um estudante menor de idade passando a ter interesse por um cara mais velho parece certo não haver nada até que ele ao menos esteja na universidade, enfim foi algo que realmente gostei de ver, vou estar esperando ansiosamente pelo ep especial, a atuação, trilha sonora e história foram espetaculares, realmente muito bom

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skip this, just watch "a river runs through it"

What should I say?
This is pretty formulaic drama: stuff happens, people are there, plot moves on but nothing is really resonating emotionally.

Plot: a pretty standard coming of age drama. Our protagonists are high schoolers facing normal high school problems and heading towards university.

There is nothing that really stands out on the contrary it feels pretty "robotic".

Cast: I cannot really say they terrible actors but they were handed a very bad script. Dialogues feel devoited of any emotion and the actors just they stand straight and deliver their lines.
Especially the music teacher is a good example of this robotic acting style.

My favourite ones are probably the main FL and her best friend. They feel like the most lively.

The "romance" aspect of the drama is really meh. We have 2 guys in love with the same girl but there is nothing there to talk about. Except for some gentle gesture there is not nothing romantic about it. Up until episode 12 at least nothing really happened between all of them.

Romantically? Nothing is happening.
Conflict wise? Nothing is happening.
School wise? Nothing is really happening.
There is no depth to anything.

If you are looking for something better definitely watch "a river runs through it".

This drama feels right for 13 years old. I feel they are the right audience.

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Split Personalities, Second Chance romance, Crushed Dreams and Realized Ones.

"Sugar & Lies" starring the very beloved mainleads Ke Chun & Yu Yin. They stole my heart in the Vertical "Save Myself" last year in 2025 so i eagerly awaited their next project and it came in the form of a Mini drama this time. What a pleasent surprise!
It starts with what you would assume is a angsty second chance love-story. But "Sugar & Lies" gives you so much more than that. It went far beyond my comprehension of what a trainwreck this complex story was gonna be. With very complex but extremely caring and loving characters. You would think the whole lot is shady and weird from the start. But then so many things start to make sense. Ke Chun`s character embodies the double personalities of Chen Aming and Yu Kin so well. Chen Aming is the broken lost boy who was afraid of the world and the pressures of poverty. Causing him to leave his heroine Ding Dang. To cope with his trauma he creates a techno App called "Keep Love" that is going to manufacture relationships and romances. He decides to erase his past pain involving Ding Dang, but the experiment backfires when another darker personality gets created by his pain- that is the more cold-blooded and manipulative YuKin.

Telling more of the story will only give more spoilers to how extremely hectic everything is and how truly shocking the climax is. It may not be everyone`s cup of tea because you are so confused the first 10 episodes. Having no idea what is going on but knowing that STUFF IS SHADY AS HECK. Nothing is as it seems, nothing! Ke Chun & YuYin and the rest of the cast did a splendid job.I mean, wow the chemistry and the intimacy between them. How they could make you laugh and smile with their hilarious flirty antics! The dark bittersweet angst. How neither could let the other go. We also have three constant set locations in the story , Ding Dang`s cafe "Suga Love", Chen Aming`s working app "Keep Love" and the bar where everyone usually gather "Utopia".

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WTF ? Super entertaining and unhinged !!! Worth it despite a flunked ending

This drama is simply a fever dream : a lot of ideas all meshed together in an unhinged way. If the last arc was a bit a downer, with the hero becoming too tame, all the road to get there was highly entertaining, and worth the wild ride the series take you on. Maybe the writer throw a bit too much on the paper for everything to stick, but it was for sure a memorable drama !!! I truly think that trying bold choices with sometimes mixed results is much better than producing a tepid and moderate already seen middle-of-the road show.

The romance was central to the bonker plot, with some hot and gripping moments between the leads and a great secondary romance. Both had moments that took my breath away as well as brought me a lot of emotions. Overall the cast did a good job, even if the main actress could have done better at portraying some of the most emotional scenes.

Production value was a mixed bag, I wished the main roles had better haircut and makeup, and that the edit was less all over the place. The drama had seemingly quite a pretty limited budget, with some scenes that were so poorly excecuted that it was (unwantedly) funny. However, it was overall good enough to depicts most of the crazy ideas featured in the script and even impressed me at times.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for an unhinged and deeply entertaining hot romance. It is crazy and never boring, even if its last arc does not hold a candle to the remaining of the series because of the way the main relationship evolves, making it less exciting. Despite the production doing a commendable job at executing the bonker plot, I wish that they had a bigger budget because I would have love to see a more fully fleshed making of some of their ideas. I would also have loved to see the core concept of the series with the Ren / Yin relationship even more explored because of how interesting it was.

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Exactly the Rom-Com I Needed

Exactly the kind of rom-com I’ve been wanting to watch lately. It has that light, feel-good energy that makes it really easy to enjoy from start to finish.

The premise feels a little different but still comfortingly familiar in the best way. Both Jisoo and Seo In Guk played their characters wonderfully. Their acting felt very natural and effortless, and at times it almost felt like their characters reflected a bit of their real-life personalities too, which made everything even more charming and believable.

Jisoo was especially so fun to watch. She brought a lot of warmth, humor, and personality to the role, and it made so many scenes feel lively and cute. Seo In Guk balanced that really well with his own charm, and their chemistry together made the story flow so nicely. [I don't get all comments about them having no chemistry...]

The pacing was also perfect. I always appreciate a drama that leaves me wanting more instead of making me think “why is this so long?” Every episode felt purposeful and the story never dragged, which made the whole series feel just the right length.

And I loved all the cameos too! They were such fun little surprises throughout the show. There were so many heart-fluttering moments that made me smile while watching. It's just a really sweet and enjoyable drama. A rom-com with no love-triangle, amnesia, misunderstandings that last forever.

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Ten years of rain in the jianghu… and a story drowned before it could rise.

The story could have been legendary, the concept more than compelling… if only the execution had cared.

This drama had everything I usually love: epic stakes, layered wuxia politics, forbidden romances, and tension that almost feels tangible. The opening episodes are gripping: the younger generation caught in the unresolved conflicts of the past, secrets simmering just below the surface, and emotional stakes that immediately pull you in. You can feel the drama itching to be something great.

And then… it starts losing its footing. The script and adaptation are messy: plot threads appear and vanish, pacing jumps around, and the structure feels fragmented. Scenes are rushed or abruptly cut, leaving motivations unclear, emotional transitions clunky, and moments that could have been heart-stopping completely underdeveloped. I read a joke somewhere that “scenes start late and end early” and in this case, that’s not far from the truth.

The direction and editing are arguably the biggest problem. Moments that should feel powerful or heartbreaking often fizzle out because the show rarely lets them breathe. Characters who should feel layered come off flatter than they should, subplots feel more like interruptions than explorations, and even the fight scenes, which could have elevated the drama, end up underwhelming.

Despite the frustration, there are moments to enjoy. The atmosphere is gorgeous, with flowing robes, misty landscapes, and emotional tug-of-war. The leads carry chemistry, and the emotional dynamics, when allowed to break through, are compelling. The story’s central premise, of past secrets shaping the present, might keep you invested, even as the messy execution trips it up.

In short, Generation to Generation is a drama of unrealized potential. The last few episodes improve and the pacing steadies, but for most of the series I found myself lamenting what could have been. In the end, I can only give it a 6.5/10 — a story that hints at depth and intensity yet repeatedly trips over its own delivery.

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Good bromance, messy writing : a lot of muscles, not so much brain power

This action drama is very Netflix thriller coded : it has a gritty and dark making, some good production value, and the episode all ends in some kind of cliffhanger, in order to entice the viewer to press play on the next episode.

However, I must admit that past a quite gripping while also pretty classic introduction, featuring gangsters, slush fund and good guys with heart wanting to save scammed poor people, I was not blown away by the story. Indeed, the scenario fell apart with a messy writing, characters having a lot muscles but not a lot of brain. The poor writing might also be explained by the way the female lead was awkwardly edited out of the series, which was a downer for sure.

The cast did a great job, with the bromance between the characters of Woo Do Hwan and Lee Sang Yi being the best part of the series. Huh Joon Ho, Park Sung Woong, Kim Sae Ron and overall the whole ensemble cast did a good job. All of them were pretty convincing in all the fight scenes.

I would recommend this to people looking for a quite classic action drama or that love Woo Do Hwan and Lee Sang Yi. Seeing them fighting shirtless and skillfully at multiple times did certainly improve my watching experience, which was tempered by the overall poor writing with characters making numerous bad decisions. I am still happy to have watched it and I might even give a try to season 2 because the characters and their dynamics have a lot of potential.

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A beautifully made drama with heart, charm, and a few uneven choices

Our Universe was, on the whole, a delight. The production values are genuinely impressive—clean visuals, thoughtful framing, and a gentle aesthetic that suits the story’s emotional tone. The show also shines in its world‑building: the food production company feels lived‑in and believable, and the photography elements are handled with a quiet, artistic confidence.

The relationships are where the drama really finds its warmth. The OTP is lovely—steady, emotionally grounded once established, and easy to root for. The mature photography couple adds a welcome layer of constancy, even if their presence fades more than I would’ve liked. And the caring apartment neighbours? A small but meaningful touch that gives the show a sense of community and softness.

The ML’s backstory is one of the drama’s strengths, offering depth and emotional texture, though its resolution does land a little too conveniently. The show also stumbles around Episode 5, drifting into overly sugary territory before recovering its balance. The final episode, however, pushes Woo Joo’s guardianship storyline so far over the top that I found myself fast‑forwarding through most of it.

Even with those bumps, Our Universe remains a warm, well‑crafted watch. When it leans into connection, craft, and the small constellations people form around each other, it truly shines.

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