Reviews

Beyond "Deserving" and "Blame"

I feel like "I Saw You In My Dream" moves past "possessive" tropes to offer a mature look at love, responsibility and persoanl dreams.

I liked the relationship between P'Yu and Ai, even P'Yus teasing. Having grown up too fast after his parents' death, Yu uses teasing as an emotional outlet. I also think that around Ai, he feels safe enough to be "childish" and it also shows a realistic realationship which often happens between "siblings" (which he feels like it is in the beginning).

I really appreciated the character dynamics in this series; the chemistry didn't just exist between the leads, but felt genuine across the entire friend group. While the pacing was a bit slower than other BLs, the connections kept me completely hooked. I was really drawn to the concept of the dream sequences and the wall of drawings in Ai’s room to visualize his dreams. Those sketches provided a fascinating look at his inner world, though I think the show could have dived even deeper into this (it got a bit lost). Overall, it was a beautifully grounded take on romantic relationships and the weight of destiny.

I personally also think Pan’s departure and reasoning was pretty realistic, it was a response to an industry that oftenimposes an "expiration date" (esp. for women) and the "shipping" culture". I persoanlly think (and I know this is maybe not the way most ppl see it) she had the courage to leave a so called "safe life and relationship, for a difficult dream". Had she stayed with Yu, no one would have been happy: Pan would have lived with the resentment of a stalled career, and Yu would have watched her light dim and maybe blamed himself and Ai would have realised his feelings for a someone who is already in a relationship. She realised that her dream was more importand to her, than the romantic relationship at the moment in her life, and I think that is completly fine.

I also like that Yu later treats her with dignity, not because of "love", but because he values human safety. While I also think he could have communicated this better to Ai initially. I think this can also be seen very well in the way Ai and his family rally around Pan (when her path became dangerous due to the actions of a third party). This challenges the "victim-blaming" narrative, showing that a person's past career choices or relationship history never justify harassment.

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A Comfort Drama I’ll Gladly Rewatch

10/10. Everyone Loves Me is one of those rare modern romances that genuinely feels right. What stood out to me most is how balanced and respectful the relationship is. Both leads are competent, emotionally grounded, and allowed to be their full selves. The female lead never loses her backbone, and the male lead grows without being idealized or put on a pedestal. Their chemistry feels natural and comfortable, not forced or exaggerated. The story transitions smoothly from campus to workplace, and the romance unfolds with warmth instead of unnecessary drama or misunderstandings. Episodes 17 and 19 were especially memorable and quickly became rewatch favorites for me. This drama is comforting, satisfying, and highly rewatchable — I’ve already watched it twice and enjoyed it just as much the second time. A well-earned 10/10.

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Mature love wins over misunderstandings.

I really enjoyed this romance story and the fact that it was so tightly bonded with workplace, money, success topics. It was also nice to see a rich x rich couple where they both had money and status from the beginning but it did not save them from having human lives, problems and experiences that helped them grow. Both main characters were really extraordinary, pretty people from the highest possible standing that met, fell in love and stayed true to themselves.

A really beautiful story that actually had a personal effect on me. The way the story shows growth and a difference between what a good relationship is versus bad was really well shown. The way the first man treated her, how she was authentically herself and later got scared and had to heal to come back to being her own loving self. It's very universal when you get a broken heart due to misunderstandings. This drama shows that mature love wins over misunderstandings and anxiety of unsure love.

I adored the way the ML was decisive and fought for the girl he wanted despite heavy burdens. Money, handsomeness and success are really nice but most women want the basics: a man who is 100% into them and will fight for the relationship because of his deep conviction. The ex - he didn't have that, he was unsure and made our FL really stressed out. It was clear for us watching but when you are in it...it's quite hard to notice. So here goes my personal advice: How to know you are in a good relationship? Trust your body. Trust your feelings. Trust your nervous system.

Absolutely lovely drama that gets 10/10 for me and has a huge potential for rewatches.

PS that last episode and the family scenes were so good! Especially the morning scene when they are taking their respective cars to their respective workplaces?! DREAMY!

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This was an okay watch, but nothing special. It wasn’t ultra-boring or hard to sit through or anything, and the premise was fairly interesting, but I think it fell flat with the chemistry and relationship development. And I thought the show’s messaging about alcohol was flawed.

In terms of the overall storyline, I didn’t think the relationship development or the development of Kihoon’s views on alcohol made sense.

From the start, Kihoon agreed to serve Jiyoo food during the restaurant’s break hours, which was a rule he strictly upheld. It didn’t make sense given that he had no pre-existing relationship with Jiyoo and Jiyoo had only ever made a bad, extremely drunk impression on him.

But more than that, the turning point where Kihoon really started to like Jiyoo seemed to be when Jiyoo helped with a large party at the restaurant, but as part of that, he offered them alcohol. He did that despite knowing about Kihoon’s alcohol ban, but Kihoon wasn’t upset and actually ended up removing the alcohol ban as a result. That was totally out of character, given that he vehemently refused any type of alcohol to be served no matter how upset it made customers, and often got angry if he was challenged. He knew that alcohol would make customers happier from the start, so seeing that play out in front of him wouldn’t have been a surprise. Not enough to overcome his trauma and make him do a total 180 after strictly upholding his rules for so long, anyways.

For Kihoon to go from strictly banning alcohol in all forms to serving it in his restaurant, agreeing to partner with an alcohol company, and personally drinking alcohol, all within a span of a few weeks, just didn’t make sense. It seemed too abrupt.

And that brings me to my second point. I didn’t like that the show was about rehabbing Kihoon to be okay with alcohol instead of rehabbing or even acknowledging Jiyoo’s blatant alcoholic tendencies. Because it’s totally valid to not drink, to not want to serve alcohol, and to not want to be around alcohol, and those boundaries should be respected, not treated as unreasonable. Jiyoo was quite literally an alcoholic. He drank every day and with every meal - not just a drink or two, but actively getting shitfaced. He would show up at work hungover and smelling of alcohol. But his behavior was never acknowledged as problematic. Kihoon had trauma about his grandmother who drank daily, but in the end her drinking was framed in a positive light, with him saying that she was drinking to congratulate herself for raising him. So the show ended up normalizing alcoholism while framing sobriety as abnormal, and that didn’t sit well with me.

The chemistry was there, but died with 3 dead fish kisses and not a single proper one. The relationship only gets to the awkward beginning stage. They’ve only known each other for a few weeks by the end of the show, and haven’t even reached the “love” stage yet, so it didn’t feel like a deep everlasting HEA, which is the type of fantastical romance I prefer.

Also, the show opens with Jiyoo’s break up with his ex, which I felt was irrelevant and should have been excluded. Why unnecessarily put in ex-related stuff? I don’t even like it when they put in ex-related stuff that is relevant.

Good consent / boundaries for the most part. The only minor issue was when Jiyoo put his face really close to Kihoon’s and watched while he was passed out drunk.

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Without Lai WeiMing, I would have stopped watching because it's very boring

A promising cast, enticing trailers—I started watching SHINE ON ME without hesitation! Having never read the novel, I'd only managed to glean a few details from fans. From the very first episode, I fell under the spell of the second lead, and that might be what ruined my overall viewing experience…

Indeed, the first few episodes, being part of our FL's college years, gave a lot of screen time to the second lead and "their story," and that's where I noticed three fatal mistakes.

I discovered the actor Lai Weiming in Fang of Fortune, but for me, he truly shone in Shine On Me, thanks to his striking good looks and expressive stage presence.

Why cast such a cute second lead? That was my first mistake.

2) Second mistake: giving him so much screen time! There were parts where I felt like I saw him more than the lead, and since I already had a soft spot for the actor, it definitely didn't help me prefer Song WeiLong (I'm only talking about the actors for now, not the characters.

3) And finally, the last mistake: creating all this mood around their story only to turn him into an immature guy, bordering on a red flag, by giving him unpleasant lines, incomprehensible reactions, and an alcohol addiction?? Why??? In my opinion, they sabotaged him. I would have much preferred him to be the best friend and have his own romance.

The protagonists: why didn't I feel anything? Well, because of the second lead, I had a lot of trouble connecting with the main romance despite their solid performances and Song WeiLong, whom I absolutely adore outside of dramas. Firstly, I didn't think the actress's chemistry was her best (I found her more at ease in Our Generation). Secondly, Song Weilong was too stiff and flat at times, with poorly tailored costumes. Aside from his good looks and haircut, I didn't think he was really showcased in them. And finally, the kisses took forever to appear!

Overall, without the second lead, there were two choices: either I would have been more invested in the protagonist, but again, I found their romance too bland, or I would have stopped watching this drama altogether because, overall, the story offers absolutely nothing innovative or addictive. It's cute, that's for sure, but it's also sometimes long, very long…especially with the family storylines that take up so much space in the second half.

Would I recommend SHINE ON ME? Yes and no. YES: because it's still a romance that follows all the hallmarks of a "green flag" romance, ending happily with attractive protagonists, but NO: if you prefer more developed and intense romances, and especially if you have a crush on the second lead, you're going to suffer terribly, both from the episodes and from people's comments about him. So, in the end, a mixed review, leaning more towards the negative than the positive! 4.5/10

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Nothing Happens, Vibes Occur - Sponsored by Photovoltaic Panels.

Nothing happens, but it’s still somehow interesting. That's a long story short of how I would describe the drama. It just flows in an even pace filled with either fun, lovely and heartwarming interactions, or rage inducing ones. But the plot is barely there. It’s mostly about characters and their interactions - vibes fueled. And the characters were not even that outstanding.

Starting with our male lead - Lin Yu Sen who was so perfect it was kind of boring. I am extremely grateful for that initial light pity party he was having and a tiny bit of mischievousness from him towards the female lead. That said, I don’t really have issues with him having less presence than the female lead. For me no matter the drama, one of the leads will always be more of the focus. I just wish he was a bit more than a supportive boyfriend. Even his own personal struggles seemed more like a way of showing how inspiring and encouraging Xi Guang is. Uplift women in dramas, yes. But you don't have to leave men behind.

Nie Xi Guang on the other hand was actually a well written female lead with solid, but realistic character development focused on finding her own path, drive and goal in life. She slowly learned how to stand up for herself and speak honestly about her grievances - she was never a doormat, but she for sure gained more sass with every episode. As for the flaws - questionable taste in men at least in her younger age. I do think she was a bit too old for this level of fascination over the second male lead and how long it took her to move on. Especially taking into consideration how he treated her.

And here comes the cherry on top of the dama: Zhuang Xu, so annoying he became my favorite character. Yes, I hated him to the core, but at the same time when they kept him hidden for a few episodes I missed him. Mr. Audacity Wood stole the show for me and both the external conflict/misunderstanding and his internal issues were the most interesting aspects of the plot. Honestly though - where did the audacity come from? So little self confidence, so much self-doubt and victim complex, yet the audacity unmatched by the rich cold CEOs.

For more supporting characters we had the initial friend group which was rather basic. We did manage to get one amazing scene showing that at least one of the girls was truly Xi Guang’s friend, but overall they were there to fill the shots.

Work colleagues were better personality wise, but even they slowly vanished and lost their individuality. This drama never had friendship in its focus and that’s slightly sad. Out of all the relationships outside of the leads, one that was the best developed and shined the brightest was Xi Guang and her little brother.

We also got the standard family drama. On Yu Sen side the “competent male lead versus incompetent rest of the family” shenanigans. Glad it never developed into anything more than a side story that made a comeback every few episodes for a few minutes. On the female lead side we had the dad with too much unfounded pride and his evil (and also incompetent) girlfriend with a daughter (who was also incompetent - as you can see everyone, but the leads and the people they liked were incompetent).

How was the romance? Nice. And take it as a compliment. There was no ridiculous drama and angst between the main couple and even the initial misunderstanding did not lead to outrageous twists. Their whole relationship was based on both great communication and the underlying conflict based on misconception/misunderstanding - and it did make sense, somehow. There weren’t any massive ups and downs - this is for sure not a rollercoaster of emotions. More like a nice walk along the riverside accompanied by rustling trees, singing birds and the newest, most advanced, best in the world, innovative, groundbreaking and saving global climate Chinese photovoltaic panels.

So yeah, let’s all agree this drama is as much of a cute romance as it is an ad for a specific branch of the Chinese market (and just a tiny reminder that China also excels in neuroscience, in case anyone forgot). Maybe 20% of the business related scenes actually had an impact on the leads and their development in terms of their character and career, the rest was just long ass explanation how amazing PVs are, how China is going to be pioneers in that market, how it all works and what kind of profits and benefits it has. An ad. I skipped all these scenes and I’m not even sorry.

As for the production, I am convinced from episode 23 they changed people involved in filming and editing the show - the improvement of the quality was so obvious. The first 22 episodes were rather empty, simple and lacked depth and definition. From episode 23 be it use of light, framing scenes with forefront blurred objects, colors - everything was so much better, richer.

For the acting I mostly want to talk about Zhao Jin Mai since she stood out amongst her co-stars. The way you could feel everything Xi Guang was feeling. My favorite scenes were for sure the few confrontations she had with people in her life and how she firmly stood her ground, simply because there were so many emotions behind what she was saying. These were not just a “girlboss” badass moment. You could also feel all the disappointment, frustration, resignation, sadness and frustration. These scenes on one had made you proud of her, but also sad for how long she was keeping it all in not allowing herself to truly express her feelings.

Song Wei Long was fine. I guess that's a compliment. I feel like his acting is really reactionary - he acts on cue without being immersed in the character he is portraying.

Then we have Lai Wei Ming. I have no idea why he was so all over the place, since I know he can do better, but I lived for the sick pathetic vibe he gave me. It just added to the frustration and rage I was feeling when he was on screen. No idea what kind of tips the director gave him, but it did not work, but at the same time somehow worked. And that styling - dude looks like he was one foot in the grave the whole show. They did him dirty.

Overall, I feel like this is a drama you can enjoy in two cases: you truly adore the “nothing much happening, all we have are vibes, but these are good vibes” dramas, or when you are in a specific mood for a slow pace sweet romance with just enough plot to make you stay till the end.

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You just had to be there

I wasn't there, and I didn't get the hype at first, but now I do. This was pretty good, especially for 2016 in China. I would give it an 8 out of 10, and then I am going to say what I liked, what I didn't, and then do an episode overview.

THEY HAVE GOOD CHEMISTRY. Something must have been in the air, because I am impressed with how good their chemistry is. Also, both of the guys are great actors, holy shit. This was really good for what it was, like, actually. The characters were fun, and I really like that, actually. They had some cute moments, which I think really made the show. The romance building is mid, but more good than bad. I will give them that. The show is actually pretty good, I think I am just overly critical about everything for genuinely no reason. Okay, that's it.

It got repetitive and boring around episode 6, and then it picked back up, but because of that grey boring area, I left this show to rot for 9 months. I also 2x speeded the last couple of episodes, so I am sorry. RIP to season 2. Oh, and they are stepbrothers, which is a little weird. I wish they did more besides going home and going to school, but that's fine. I think that they could have done some better plot building, especially during the middle bit, instead of having them do the same thing over and over. I don't like how they lowkey phased the other two guys out at the end. They were really fun, and I wish we had done more with them. Very slow burn, considering it is only 15 episodes. GU HAI BODERLINE ABUSIVE LMAO, I CAN'T LIE, HE IS SO FUCKING AGGRESSIVE IT IS CRAZY. Too many one-dimensional irrelevant fucking characters in this. I think the pacing was a little off, and they could have spaced it out a little better and gotten better at plot writing, but that's fine. RANDOM KIDNAPING SCENE. And a half ass apology. BACK TO GU HAI, WHY DID HE KEEP FORCING HIMSELF ONTO THE OTHER GUY? WHY DID WE NEED THAT? JUST TO BE TOXIC? Apparently so. Okay, that is it.

Okay, let's look at my episode thoughts. "Hai, I think his name is, definitely already likes the other guy." Out of the gates. "No, wait, they are actually very cute together. I hope the world is nice to them." It wasn't. "Why is he cosplaying as poor?" "They both have natural chemistry together, but I think it's bc they are both good-looking. The plot is weird but fun." "The characters are fun, and I think they are well-written. The plot not so much. Cosplaying as poor and just doing random shit. I think I am confused about whose parents are who. Why do they sleep together, and why is the rich guy obsessed with him?" "There is nothing really happening in any of these episodes, but I guess that's fine." "Why are you mad at him bc YOU have a crush on him?" "This plot is lowkey dragging, but that's fine. They had sex, which was cool ig, if only he didnt come onto him." "WHY ARE WE GAMBLING AND NOT GETTING A JOB LMAO? He is very jealous. GU HAI WOULDN'T GIVE A FUCK IF YOU WERE A BIRD DUDE, HE'D STILL WANT YOU. Wait, when did the dad even have a lover?" "I did not know he actually liked him; they are so cute. I GUESS WE'LL NEVER KNOW. IN my mind, they are happy on some gay island. lmao."

Watch it, it's pretty short. Okay bye!

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Redemption arcs

Although the drama dealt with heavy topics, there were some light moments as well. Some characters received their due and were punished; some received significant redemption arcs reinforcing the theme of SLI, the company Saint and Ice have formed with their friends.

SPOILERS BELOW

Things I liked:
1. Despite feeling abandoned by his mother, Ice reconnects with her and becomes a part of her new family. The healing he gets from this is significant.
2. Saint standing up to his Dad, who is then forced to face his own demons and, through therapy, becomes the Dad Saint needs. Amazing redemption arc.
3. Broad overview as well as details on how LGBTQ+ youths are treated and suffer in society, which give rise to suicide and suicide ideation.
4. Mentioning mental health, therapy, the company Saint and Ice formed about artists with a past are positives that people can act on.
5. Ice and Saint finally communicating well to say what they needed to. Second Chance Love is one of my favorite tropes, and I thought it was executed here.

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Pain, Healing, and Choosing Each Other

The Love Never Sets was honestly something different. It hit hard right from the beginning and never really let go. Saint’s past, especially everything with his dad, was so important to the story and made his character feel real and painful in the best way. Ice’s past hurt just as much—seeing what he went through and how it shaped him made me understand his walls and his fear of love. What I loved most was how they didn’t give up on each other. No matter how heavy things got, they kept choosing each other, and that made the ending so satisfying and emotional. Watching them survive everything together made the whole series feel worth it. This story definitely stayed with me. 💔❤️

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Love this drama

May contain bit spoilers.

The acting within acting from Driver Kim is amazing. The husky voice he always does is amazing.
Actually the whole rainbow 5 crew is amazingly talented.

The story about human trafficking is very interesting and good.
Finally a drama that mention this and how horrific this is that it exists.
Also it’s very amazing they put everything that’s related to that in this season.
The scamming, trafficking, gambling etc.

Actor Lee Je-hoon is multi talented.
This series has shown it by the multiple characters he played during undercover missions.

….
I miss the oldtimer taxi where the Taxi Driver series started with. The second model (s2)was alright. But the new taxi is ugly and to modern. Doesn’t fit with the vibe and music and the series.

P.s. the English speaking cops/detectives are a misfit in the first episodes. But I understood he is from HongKong.
May explain it a bit.
But it doesn’t fit in the drama and the dialect is heavy.
There were moments they spoke Japanese and joked “so you do speak Japanese?!”😅

The ending was nerve wracking and the fight got me hooked to the screen.
It played with my heartstrings.

It’s sad to see this series come to an end.
I’ve binged it from season 1-3 by rewatching season 1-2 after each other.
Good it’s now freezing and snowing outside.
Good excuse to stay inside in the evenings and weekends.

——
I would definitely rewatch it, but that will be after 5 or more years.
It’s to good to not rewatch it to soon and to often. To keep the good feelings about this series.

I’ll miss the rainbow 5 for sure.

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C-Drama with romance theme that has really good chemistry like

I just want to comment on the wardrobe team's choice of office attire for Nie Xiguang, which I find strange in some parts. Some of the clothes Xiguang wears look too much like "weak women" rather than "competent and strong career women." It's true that in those parts, Xiguang is in love, but her choice of clothing shouldn't be too "childish" 😅. But overall i really like this drama. Especially the chemistry between every actor and actress also with the all storyline really written so well. I think, this drama give me some memories back when I watched "you are my glory (played by Dilraba and Yang Yang). This drama is worth to watch again.

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A refreshing series about double crossdressing

PLOT: The FL is a woman disguised as a man to hold an official position at court. The ML, a general's son, is a fake girl (to escape the extermination of generals' sons, ordered by the previous emperor). The new emperor, trying to maintain a civil-military balance, orders the marriage of ML and FL. Both of them (plus the FL's brother, in charge of spies/intelligence) will help the emperor in his fight to eradicate corruption and maintain prosperity and peace on the borders.

+++ Good casting: ML and FL are androgynous enough to be believable crossdressers.
+++ The entire cast is convincing.
+++ Lively and effective direction, and the storytelling is coherent and intelligent.
+++ Great OSTs

### The budget is limited, there aren't any particularly spectacular scenes, and there are few extras (10-15 soldiers; about 20 evacuees, etc.).

=> A nice and enjoyable series, where ML (Liu Ye) particularly shines. I hope to see him again in longer dramas.

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A refreshing series about a dble cross dressing

PLOT: La FL est une femme déguisée en homme pr être officiel à la Cour. Le ML, fils de général, est une fake fille (pr échapper à l'exterminat° des fils de généraux, ordonnée par l'empereur précédent). Le nouvel empereur, qui essaie de garder l'équilibre civil-militaire, ordonne le mariage ML/FL. Ts les 2 (+ le frère de la FL, chargé des Espions/Renseignements) vont aider l'empereur ds sa lutte pr abattre la corrupt°, maintenir la prospérité et la paix aux frontières.

+++ Bon cast : ML et FL sont assez androgynes pr être des cross dressers crédibles.
+++ L'ensemble des acteurs est convaincant.
+++ Réalis° vive, efficace et la narration est cohérente et intelligente.
+++ Bons OSTs

### Le budget est limité, il n'y a pas de scènes très spectaculaires, peu de figurants (10-15 soldats ; une 20aine de personnes évacuées, etc.)

=> Série sympa et agréable, où le ML (Liu Ye) brille particulièrement. J'espère le revoir dans des dramas plus longs.

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impressive low budget school movie on the disturbing theme of bullying

an excellent compact low budget school action movie about bullying in korean schools 、
it makes its point in 80 minutes where similar movies or dramas take much longer。
it's main strength is its realism、 the low budget and noir filming actually contribute much to the realism I think、 as also how the bullying starts from seniors down、 the slight female and parent involvement is more true to life and it helps the actors actually look as though they are school boys not twenty or thirty year olds in school uniform。
it even manages to show the impotence of teachers in schools where adult discipline is absent and a law of the jungle where students substitute their own power structure and gangster discipline of survival of the strongest [interesting it includes a corporal punishment episode with seniors beating their juniors like the teachers previously did、 ironic students see this is needed where "enlightened" adults abolish it]。
the hesitation of the main protagonist to fight against students from stronger age group is convincing、 unlike some other fight dramas where the fighting skills of the heroes require much suspension of disbelief。

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