Reviews

Such potential

I started and was intrigued, I love a good idea can see ghost story. In the first episode we saw khem quietly save that kid because he could see the ghost, (for a second i thought he'd discover her body or something) this was an interesting little moment, but we don't really get anything else like this.
My main dislike of this drama I'm afraid was Khem's character. What they are obviously trying to push as a polite and kind personality comes off as almost bland and not really real feeling. And though I've no idea whether it was direction or the acting that make it like this it really got to me, and the same kinda facial expression all the time, felt really insincere. Plus if he really has been aware of the fact he'll die at 21, why live so halfhartedly? Surely you quit school and go all out exploring? Or the total opposite and become an absolute loner so as not to become attached, like it was so bland. Where was the extreme joy as a coping mechanism? Or indeed the depression? Also hated how useless he seemed all the time with ghosts like, jesus.
On top of that, the story dragged so much. Like we'd have so many scenes, not interesting but just to slow what you wanted to see. Like at least give interesting character development, or more insight into the ghosts. I struggled to get through episode 3 and 4, I glanced ahead and honestly it's just not for me evidently. Glad to see others like it but I'm not a fan.
Peem was attractive and I found his character interesting, not enough for me to deal with the rest.
The past lives thing I think could've been executed better, I didn't feel the weight as much as I wanted to but not really surprised at this point.

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The Road to Splendor has me on a Chokehold!

Just started this drama yesterday and immediately I was intrigued to the point...the beginning got me on a chokehold that I had to continue...One thing I want to tell you before you start this drama is that if you are not patient person , I genuinely wish that you don't start at all cause the way you will find yourself saying things that you didn't even think you will be saying will be WILD ( trust me, I understand cause yesterday I lost my mind)...But that doesn't mean the drama is bad, it is just if you like feeling those extreme type of emotions, then GO AHEAD...cause it is sooo good

Firstly, lemme just talk about the chemistry between Ding Yu xi and Ancy Deng, cause DAMN, they are so natural together, after watching their drama Melody of the Golden Age before, of course I had to have high expectations for them too cause that drama was an ABSOLUTE BANGER, and you know what they didn't disappoint at all....I am literally giggling over every single hearwarming romantic interactions they have been having....BLESS THEM TWO frfr

Their story here is of course brillant, i mean the title literally says The road to splendor, so ofcourse it is gonna be a from bottom to the very top type of thing. Ancy Deng plays the fl Fu Tingyun, who was a noblewoman, and was falsely accused and cast aside by her family, forcing her to flee with Ding Yu xi's character, Zhao Ling, a clever man from a humble background. As them two escape together, they become involved in a dangerous conspiracy surrounding corruption, the salt trade, and court politics. And as usual, while they both are working together to uncover various truths, they gradually fall in love and become each other's greatest support, making their way from bottom to top. and one thing to add is BOTH LEADS are equally smart, both in their own ways....

My favourite supporting characters so far are only Sen who is the ml child assistant and Zheng San Niang who is the fl maid, but friend as well...they literally bring so much joy to the screen especially San Niang, her reactions to some things in this drama is so MEEEEE...the ml other boys like his comrades too are also fun tooooo

And of course in this type of drama, there will always be villians: my top 2 hated character are Yu Jing Xiu and Fan Ya Ke, idc what anyone says, this horrible pair of lovers are literally trash, they are literally perfect for each other....Imbecile Idiots, playing the victim game, when it is their stupid insecurities, ego, and evil ambition that is playing apart on their face....I HATE THEM SO MUCH

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When Things Go Wrong at Every Turn

The story is really simple. Hwang Sukmi reigns in the women prison with her bulky built and fighting skills, but a rich girl who had just got incarcerated there decides to take over the helm by bribing the whole prison officers up to the warden and prosecutors using her dad’s money and influence. The rich girl had her goons plant poppy in the prison garden and plans to ship them off to China when the gender equality program ends. Hwang Sukmi then decides to investigate and foil her plan.

All I can say is the writer and director totally wasted Jung Youngju’s talent with this piece of crap. I mean I have seen her in lots of kdramas and she always catches my eye even as supporting character. Clicking this to expect another phenomenal performance led me to utmost disappointment instead. It’s not about the actors really, yeah well, some of them are really bad, but the writing, directing, editing and the technical dept did most of the work of beating this movie into a soggy blob of mess.

The finale where Hwang Sukmi and another inmate was fighting off rich girl and the bribed prison director was ridiculously done with other prison guards and some top brass from dept of justice just standing around watching. The sound effects, especially of the gunshot, and the makeup of the fight injuries were so comical it felt like I was watching 80-90’s HK movie. The fight choreograph is one of the worst I’ve seen so far, they looked too rehearsed, awkward and stiff. Like seriously. Everything about this movie felt so wrong at every turn, leaving me in a total “what-did-i-just-watch” moment in the end.

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CRAZY CHEMISTRY!!! ??

The chemistry was so intense they didn’t even have to convince of whatever was going on between them!

Marshall: oh you’re quite handsome. now it makes sense why my son is obsessed with you
Yuan (the son): everyone I’ve ever cared about is gone bc of you

I have to admit I started watching this bc the cases seemed interesting but once I got a whiff of (b)romance.. naturally I had to stay. and all in ep1 was crazy.
I was having fun and giggling for 30+ episodes until the breakup… then it was tears and heartache… at least I got to ‘hehe’ as it ended

S2 when?

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THE WORST DRAMA OF 2026 Same old toxic, stupid, childish story's

Same toxic parents, behaviors. Nothing special. Old boring toxic korean stuff... FL character is unbearable to watch

I wonder if one day they will come with new stories, new perspective and inspirationla dramas... the writers, the actors in general they are not boring with the same toxic stories.

I really cant stand the asian parents... In some TV series, they are obsessed with getting their children into prestigious schools; in others, they are simply destructive—emotionally, physical and mentally abusive toward their children... I just don't know what to think of it—are all parents in Korea crazy and abusive?! And how they still like, forgive stay with their abusive parents.... this FHATER in my opinion should have been reported to the police... The pressure that teenagers have is outrageous... maybe this is why they behave like teenagers in their 30th old as they dont have any chilhood...

The drama has all the patterns that have existed in dramas. Dont like FL character... It doesn't really catch me, she is exaggerating in every move.. there's something so fake about it.

I wonder if people learn something from the dramas... for the better and harmonious relationship and life lessons.

Hwang InYoup I hope to see you in a good , unique drama one day. Hope the best script and director for you, for your look, for your voice, for your deep talent.

Sorry, but I dropped this one after 6th episode, I trie... so many romantic, comedy, disappointed series this year... I hope also koran dramas to become better, inspiring and magnetic ...

update:

I watched till the end... such a DISASTER, was a disaster from start to finish, messy script, wasted couples, useless subplots, and lazy execution. ... the good father has cancer and the bad one no consequence for his action.

I FEEL THIS DRAMA EMPOWERED THE BAD BEHAVIOR THE FALSE TOXIC FEMININE EMPOWERMENT THE ILNESS ALL THE BAD THINKS OF LIFE AS A GOOD THINK.

THE WORST DRAMA OF THE YEAR 2026.

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Period dramas with that sense of era are truly the most romantic

To be honest, the first 3 ep was quite boring—I actually dropped the drama at one point. But you just have to stick with it. After the first three episodes, it turns into a really interesting series.
As a Hongkonger, I especially appreciated how a production with an entirely mainland Chinese crew and cast put genuine effort into recreating the old Kowloon Walled City. The setting, the language, and the Cantonese music all felt carefully handled.
In the first half, I kept guessing who was the 1 and who was the 0. It stayed unpredictable the whole time and completely flipped the usual “hero saves the beauty” trope—here, it’s the beauty who saves the hero. The series also has a good number of cute, lighthearted moments.
I’m glad I picked it up again.

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Could have been shorter

I can only say this drama was a ....watchable drama : Not that great, not that bad either, i only wish it was shorter.

I enjoyed the first episodes, but the in the middle it started going down, and i had to fastforward ....

I don't know, i didn't like how they structured the drama, maybe it would have been better to complete the past arc before diving into the present arc. I get that they wanted to portray everything that happened for us to understand why they are in the situation they are now, but it started getting boring at some point....

I liked the acting though, i mean Daniel totally convinced me that he was Li Wu lol
This type of drama is not really my cup of tea, i would have given it a solid 8 if they hadn't dragged it up till 30 episodes, could have been shorter.

If you have time to kill, you can give it a shot, if not, it is also okay,

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Summerdaze is an amazing short.

This was such an amazing short film I lost words to even describe it. The shots were amazing and maybe it's the new Youtube feature but it had no voice for me and I actually loved that. This whole short is very understandable and you do not need any voice to understand.

The tension between Kai and Evan was insane. In the beginning it was just jealousy but when one of them made a move to kiss the other, everything turned upside down. The tension was so insane that I felt it through my screen. The slowed shots in the beginning are EVERYTHING and I feel like the jealously is really clear.

They have been planning a series for a long time, really hope that'll eventually happen but I doubt it. They've been talking about it but there's been no updates for like... 6 years already?? I really need a whole series I will start yearning like them other wise.

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A Wonderful Romance Drama

I’m usually impatient with child actors in the prologue of romance stories, but young Lin ZhiXia was irresistibly charming — and I missed her presence after just two episodes. Tian Xi Wei, who later portrayed Lin ZhiXia as a teenager and adult, has already impressed me in two romantic dramas （Genius Girlfriend and Pursuit of Jade）. Her wide, doe‑like eyes lend her characters a natural innocence and naivety that make her performances especially captivating.

Lin Ze Qiu, Lin ZhiXia’s brother, was another highlight. His understated acting was both comical and endearing, often stealing scenes with little dialogue but wonderfully expressive facial reactions. One of the funniest moments was when Shen, the doctor, grew frustrated upon realizing that Lin ZhiXia’s emotional imbalance was simply triggered by being near his love rival — while poor Lin ZhiXia, the nerdy girl, remained clueless during the clinic visit.

The leukemia patient Xiao Shui struck a deeply personal chord, reminding me of a close friend who also passed away from leukemia. Like Shui, my friend was vibrant and full of life until the illness took her away.

Among the most impactful scenes were those involving Jin BaiHui’s parents. They scolded her teacher for involving her in a song‑dance competition, then tore apart the novel gifted to her by Lin ZhiXia, insisting she return the pieces to sever their friendship. They declared that she didn’t need friends at school, only studies. Later, when Jin BaiHui visited Lin ZhiXia’s home and encountered Lin Ze Qiu, he pointed out she could have simply thrown the book away and pretended to comply. That moment made her realize her inability to defy her parents’ authority.

I truly enjoyed how the drama captured their camaraderie, Lin ZhiXia’s nerdiness, Jiang’s steadfast love, their personal growth, academic struggles, and eventual working lives — weaving humor, tenderness, and the bittersweet realities of youth into a story that lingers long after the final episode.

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Glad I read a detailed review

I don't usually place much stock in reviews, but I ran across a review for this drama a few days ago. I hadn't even heard of it, so obviously it wasn't on my radar, but since I haven't had much luck in the rom-com department recently, I decided to give it a try and I'm so glad I did. This was one that cause all of life and chores to cease - I finished it in two days! I'm not going to reiterate the story but just give my general impressions:
-ML and FL relationship was believable. They were in a contractual relationship, and we got to go along for the ride as they got to know one another. The development of the relationship and their feelings was believable. We could feel when they started to care for one another.
-Their relationship was also healthy. They supported one another and were there for each other.
-Lovely chemistry.
-There wasn't a lot of over-the-top acting.
-Loved the boss/assistant relationship. Lots of amusing things there.
-There was a lot of comedy in this. I think they tag things as comedies too often. You watch, expecting a rom-com, but are disappointed. I laughed out loud a lot. There was something that happened toward the end that surprised me so much, snorting occurred and I hit my head on the headboard. My husband came in to see if I was alright.
-Likeable characters, for the most part.
-Business talk was kept to a minimum. This was, thankfully, more romance than business. They could have probably cut it by a couple of episodes, but it wasn't too laggy.
-Sweet, happy ending.

Things I didn't care for:
-The second couple. She was a stalker, immature, and whiny. If she had changed in earlier episodes and become more mature, I would have been all in on this relationship. But it was too little, too late.

A good rom-com makes me feel good while watching it. A really good one keeps me smiling. This one kept me smiling.

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Captivating Romance and Top Tier Production

Pursuit of Jade is a visually elegant series with intriguing romantic chemistry across all three couples. The acting of the cast was natural and totally believable. While the narrative struggled with an overcomplicated plot; I fast forwarded parts, the gorgeous visuals and engaging relationship arcs make it a worthwhile watch.

The central romance and the two secondary couples provide excellent narrative support,

The political conspiracies and feuds are drawn out, and distract from the story.
Many parts were slow, non-essential subplots that failed to drive the main story forward. Could have been more tightly edited instead the series lacked the impact of its best moments.

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