Reviews

Hard to Like a Drama with an Unlikeable Lead

I was disappointed initially that this wasn't a continuation of the original ML/FL from the first Soundtrack drama. This has lesser-known actors, but it was an improvement over the first drama, because it actually had a story (albeit, annoying) and some substance.

The drama suffered from having an unlikeable FL. She was rigid and unreasonable. I have to admit she reminded me of myself when I insist on doing things on my own, often to everyone's discomfort. It was baffling to me why the ML loved that sour, disagreeable face. I didn't like her: why did he? In true K-drama fashion, she flipped a switch and changed her personality in time for a happy ending. If only life worked like that. Give me some of what's she's drinking!

I liked both new-to-me actors. I hope to see them in something I enjoy more.

I added a half star for Steve Noh's jawline. So sharp, it could cut diamonds!

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Thai-centric, faithful but modernised adaptation of the manga

The manga is a classic. Most, if not all, adaptations of it have been hugely popular since the 2001 Taiwaness series. I have read the manga series a couple of time but I have not finish a single adaptation until this one. And...

1. The good:
- It's faithful. Many of the main plot points are well-kept. The portrayals are also straight up their manga counterparts.
- For me, Dew as Ren is the best Rui yet with good expressions and understanding of the character. Even his height and him being the tallest in the group add small but good details. I'm not sure about his voice though since I don't know Thai. Voice acting can play a significant part in characterisation. Somehow it feels somewhat lacking here?
- Akira is less prominent compared to the other F4. But his extra story has always stuck with me. So for this series to expand and place an importance on him as the "glue" of the group and the one who holds everyone together: seriously, good job! I remember MJ wearing moon brochure or some sort of jewel too, which is a nod to Akira being compared to the moon, gently watching over the whole group. I didn't watch the add-on story of him and the basketball girl, so no comment.
- It adapts. It isn't a play by play. It updates the story with modern youth problems and make it relevant not just to Thai society but broader.
- Compared to Yuuki in the manga and Gaeul in "Boys Over Flowers", I find the character of Kaning here adorable and much more likable. She actually puts efforts into helping Kavin and doesn't pine for him. Maybe it also helps that the actress is very pretty.
- I enjoy Tu's portrayal of Gorya. She is charming, cute and bubbly. I have read people complaining about her screaming on the rooftop. I didn't mind that one bit.
- I like the new addition of Gorya and Kaning working part-time and having fun with the uncle owner of the flower shop. The uncle is charming.
- I feel a bit bad about Lita's storyline though. I fell in love with her character here. Wish she had some more to play after her arc concluded. But if she stayed any longer, she would be too distracting to the main cast.
- The song "In the Wind" fits Ren and Ren/Gorya scenes to a tee.

2. The so-so:
- I didn't like Ki Bum's portrayal of Yi Jung or even Sojirou in the manga. But Kavin here is alright. The pairing of Kavin and Kaning also makes sense and cute.
- Thyme is stereotypically Tsukasa. Still pretty crazy and violent but caring and puppy-like. Better than Gu Jun Pyo. Okayish when it comes to manga Tsukasa.
- The parents are still annoying AF. But I guarantee, less than the manga...
- Tsukasa's sister and Shizuka receiving less attention here is a good thing. More focus on the main characters and stories. This series is only 16 episode, very compact.
- I have a love/hate feeling towards Thyme's mother. Cindy is stunning in person and ruthless in this role. She is better than any of the predecessors. She feels so right. But, the script snaps off her villain development. It didn't make sense. It wasted a good actress that if given better writing and development, her character might surpass even the manga's. As in, she has been a cunning and heartless businesswoman whose entire life has prioritised her family's empire above all, even her children, she can't possibly turn around with just Thyme suffering and lovesickness in the final episodes. He suffered so many times before, what makes this any different than the last? At least give some insights and explainations.
- Talay has a memorable arc and a fitting conclusion to the school bullying/violence reflection in society. I think his episode got the highest rating of the series. But it's a bit too dramatised the acting for me. Good intentions, could benefit from better execution from the whole production.

3. The bad:
- Thyme turning from a playboy (as in he plays around a lot, not fooling around with women) to a successful young businessman after a year? Was he a CEO? VP? Habits die hard. People need years. No investors or board members would bat an eye at the sight of a pampered rich kid. It's their money, capitals and profits. Without good explanation, it's just pure fantasy.
- Decline in quality in the last arc of the story aka Gorya running away, Thyme gave up, Thyme suffering memory loss, etc.
- I don't buy any of that rich kids trying to change the world. Most likely, a gloss-over and oversimplification for younger audience.
- I still don't buy the troupes of "I can change him" or "with you in my life, I've changed". It's still contrived.

4. The fun:
- Plenty of comedy.
- The blatant commercials and product placements LOL.

Conclusion: Actually good and proper adaptation that falters somewhat towards the end. But still good.

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Time waste

Starting is good plot is good goes downhill and romance is random and looks forced from FML at 15 she suddenly confess him ? girls you dislike him as bf from 1st eps keep denying now suddenly confess? FML is really dumb chases childhood friend gets betrayed and still talks to the friend who did that ? and ml is so good boy is trying from 1st ep to get her like him she keeps rejecting him for no reason? she's dumb enough to like the friend but not like ml ? ml did so much but she won't budge she will keep rejecting him, avoid him ? I'm bored of this it's already half of the eps and nothing happened and ml and his friends literally all dumb they give only bad ideas to him, watched because of her but dropping because of her

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Глубоко

«Когда жизнь даёт тебе мандарины» — это та дорама, после которой не хочется сразу включать что-то новое. Не потому что она идеальная, а потому что она как будто немного выбивает из привычного режима «посмотрел — забыл».

Сначала кажется, что ничего особенного не происходит. Всё развивается медленно, почти упрямо медленно. Нет ощущения, что тебя развлекают. Скорее ощущение, что тебе просто показывают жизнь — без попытки её приукрасить или ускорить. И в какой-то момент это начинает работать сильнее, чем любые сюжетные повороты.

История сама по себе простая: люди живут, взрослеют, ошибаются, любят, терпят. Но за счёт того, как это показано, ты начинаешь цепляться за мелочи. За взгляды, за паузы, за какие-то бытовые сцены, которые обычно вообще не воспринимаешь как что-то важное. И вот из этих мелочей складывается ощущение настоящей жизни, а не сценария.

Отношения между героями — отдельная тема. Здесь нет ощущения «идеальной любви». Скорее наоборот: любовь здесь — это что-то тихое, упрямое, иногда неудобное. Люди не всегда понимают друг друга, иногда делают неправильные выборы, иногда молчат, когда нужно говорить. Но при этом между ними есть что-то, что держит их рядом. Без громких слов, без красивых жестов.

Эмоционально дорама бьёт неожиданно. Не в лоб, а постепенно. Сначала ты просто смотришь, потом начинаешь узнавать какие-то вещи, а потом ловишь себя на том, что тебе уже некомфортно, потому что слишком близко к реальности. Особенно темы, связанные с упущенными возможностями, семейными обязанностями и тем, как жизнь не всегда идёт по плану.

Визуально всё очень спокойно, почти медитативно. Много воздуха, света, каких-то простых сцен, которые выглядят как воспоминания. И это усиливает ощущение, что ты не смотришь историю, а как будто проживаешь чью-то жизнь вместе с персонажами.

Актёрская игра тоже без лишнего. Никто не переигрывает, нет попытки выжать эмоции из зрителя. Всё держится на деталях — интонациях, взглядах, паузах. И за счёт этого верится почти во всё.

Но честно: это не дорама для всех. Если хочется динамики, постоянного движения и событий, здесь будет тяжело. Она требует терпения и вовлечённости. Это не тот формат, который можно смотреть фоном.

В итоге у меня осталось странное чувство. Не восторг и не «вау», а что-то более тихое и тяжёлое. Как будто посмотрел не историю, а кусок чьей-то жизни, который зачем-то очень хорошо понял.

И, наверное, самое точное ощущение — это не про то, что дорама понравилась. Это про то, что она задела. А это уже куда серьёзнее.

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Lost Romance: A Creative Twist on Your Standard Romance Drama

Lost Romance is a nice change of pace compared to other Taiwanese romance dramas. While I do like other T-dramas such as Just You, Bromance or Refresh Man, the plot of these romance dramas are very fantasy like and full of common romance tropes. Lost Romance avoids falling to these tropes by ironically doubling down on them. Since a majority of the plot takes place in the novel world, many of the "fated moments" or "chanced encounters" all make sense because in romance novels the plot is like that. The show makes fun of these tropes while also using them to drive the plot forward.

Story:
The main FL is hilarious and quirky and as a romance novel editor, is very quick to adapt when she wakes up in a novel of her own . I find her motives in the show very understandable, as she is a "corperate slave" in the real world, so she makes a strong effort to do as much as she can to live her perfect life in the novel world. Due to her self aware nature and knowledge of the genre, she is able to work towards her fairytale ending in the novel world with the main ML. This show has everything you could ask for in a romance drama; it has many funny interactions, full of plenty romantic/emotional scenes and the dramatic music every few minutes lol. Pacing wise it manages to take things slow with the main characters, while also giving plently of side characters a time to shine as well. The second ML is a very well written character, so much so that i found myself caring more about his plot sometimes lol. The novel world moments are so interesting and juicy, that you often forget that there is a plot going on in the real world at all. The plot in the real world is often an after thought(the whole sibling drama felt unessacary). The most important part of cutting back to the real world seems to be to remind us that the novel world may be more than "just a dream". While the pacing in the novel world part of the plot is good, the story does weaken in my opinion once both characters return to the real world. A lot of the events that takes place in the real world feel like they lack build up or almost feel unessacary. Still the story still manages to conncect both story lines together and lead to a satisfying ending .

Acting:
the acting was absolutely amazing. These actors pulled of a wide range of emotions, able to make me laugh feel sad or get mad at some of there actions. Vivian Sung(Main Fl) portrays this complex character so well, able to make me feel her emotions through the screen. Marcus Chang also delivers a good performace being able to play to diffrent characters, as well as many actors who do the same thing.

Music:
Although not the main attraction, was enjoyable to listen to and added to the dramatic effect haha

Rewatch Value:
Im not much to rewatch dramas, but i can see myself possibly watching this again in a few years

Overall:
Lost Romance is a new take on romance dramas and brings a new concept to a genre thats known for being repetitive and cliche, and while sometimes it may lean to hard the tropes to move the story forward, it manages to tell a heartwarming love story that is both familiar but unique.

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Watch because everyone is doing it glad i did

It’s been a while since I last watched a historical drama—the last one was back in 2020, titled *Blessed Girl*. It was actually my first historical drama, but I didn’t enjoy it much, so I stopped watching that genre altogether. It’s also been a long time since I watched a C-drama, and I was kind of skeptical about starting one again because I wasn’t sure if it would be worth my time.

Then suddenly, this series started showing up all over my FYP and it caught my interest. For the first time in years, I found myself wanting to watch this kind of drama again. There were definitely some parts that annoyed me, especially when certain characters reacted in ways that tested my radical side, but overall it was really good. It was also my first time watching Zhang Linghe, and I’m glad this was the first series I saw him in.

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What Happened

I’ve given this show enough grace, but I think enough is enough. There are so many plot holes in the story.

The executives at Tencent and iQiyi who gave the green light and budget to this show deserve to be fired. This is probably one of the worst storylines I’ve seen in a while.

My problems with the show started when Chu Qiao fell into the lake, and out of nowhere, Zhuge Yue shows up to save her. My question, How did he know she would be there? How did he even get there? The writers didn't even bother giving us flashbacks or any explanation they’re just making things up as the show goes along.

Let’s talk about Li Ce’s mother, the Empress. Why was she hating Li Ce so much when her other son was still alive? The writers made it seem like she hated her son and the emperor because her other son was dead.

The character assassinations of Li Ce and Li Yan were completely unnecessary. Li Ce cries like a little baby in front of the Empress grave the woman who never showed him any love or care, she wanted was to depose him as crown prince. And Li Yan, after his mother dies, turns into a villain wanting to avenge a woman who never cared for him. Very weak writing.

Zhuge Yue’s arc is also frustrating. He had opportunity to get antidote from that king but still negotiated to work for that mad king instead of forcing him to hand over the antidote. Another ridiculous moment was when Zhuge Yue went to ask for assistance from the Prince of Great Yong. He was there in disguise as a convoy guard why did the Prince of Great Yong agree to negotiate with someone hiding his identity? That was so ridiculous to me. And why was Zhuge hiding in the first place?

I don’t even want to start on Yan Xun’s obsession with Chu Qiao.

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I like this drama so muchhhhh
I also attached to the character this drama shows about parenting, friendship mainly relationship so good they explained it very well. I mainly attached to the character qin/chin because it representing me i think because i have problem i cann't express l feel also iam not good at words also so that i really love this drama became for the qin/chin want a person like duang. For me cann't find duang if i find person like himm or similar to himm i will fall for him like qin/chin did. Also the production, visual, comedies also so good also romance seen so good and hot 🫣 also por played very well also when qin/chin give a expression to duang, to me that expression means,come on to eat me its give me butterfly in stomach also about Teetee also played well so well i think he acted the character duang like him also its eyes expression gives me........ 🤭. Overall i liked this drama very muchhh. Must watch. But iam sad because duang with you going to end today(18.04.2026) iam going to cryy and please give us some special episodes plssss 🙏. Wishing many other good project come toward them also stay together also wish them best of luck alllll... Stay health and happy my teeteeepo 💗 I LIKE THIS DRAMA VERY MUCH AS INFINITY.....
. 💗💗 that why l rated 10/10......

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what a way to ruin the whole message with the last 20 minutes

what a way to cheapen the whole show with that ending.
This drama started out good, I believe everyone's favourite part must be their village life days, they built something together that felt grounded and very sincere.
I also want to mention Qi Min and Qian Qian, their dynamic was disturbing (but also their chemistryy! so good), but still interesting to watch because of how tragic and psychologically messy it was.

But i have to talk about the ending!
The “what-if” sequence completely undermined everything that came before. By removing her background, her struggles, and the circumstances that shaped her, it should turn her into a fundamentally different person. And yet, the drama still insists they would end up together anyway. It quite literally ruined the whole 40 episodes I just spent watching.
That’s the problem.
It changes the message from a very specific connection, built on who they were, how they met, and what they meant to each other in that moment of their lives to something much more generic: that they would have fallen in love regardless of any of it. ahh pisses me off.

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VOS did not disappoint

I have been here since the filming started and I have to say that it was an experience. It was the first time I have done so, and it was part of this journey for me.

VOS is not the kind of drama to watch casually. It demands rapt attention and thinking that will probably occupy your mind until the drama ends. It is the kind of plot that unravels slowly as the story goes. One of the most frequent words I saw around when watching this was 'confusion'. Yes, the drama doesn't give you all the answers as fast as we have the problems. But here, it is important to trust the plot and watch carefully, we do get all the answers to the confusions in due time. In that sense itself, it was a very interesting part of this drama. For me personally, it has been sometime since I encountered a plot like this, something that unravels slowly and carefully without rushing to give us the answers.

Another thing that was frequently heard was 'plot twist after plot twist'. Yes, there's a lot of plot twists. On this regard, what we have to remember is that this is about painted skins. No one is who they think they are or who we think they are. They are all wearing a disguise knowingly or unknowingly and those masks and identities get revealed in time, making us put all our efforts to understand who is who and who is who's who. So, patience and thinking are needed to understand this story.

With all those multiple different identities around and therefore multiple roles to handle for one person, the actors' remarkable talent should also be appreciated. The whole of the cast had compelling roles to play and each of them did justice to their characters. The main cast specifically should be commented about regarding how they handled their multiple roles and managed to portray each of them distinctly. I would like to appreciate Tian Jia Rui specifically here for how he handled his many roles. Each of them had distinct personalities and distinguishable qualities so that none of the two characters felt the same despite it being the same person doing all those characters. Ju Jingyi was also a pleasure to watch. I think in this drama she had one of the most challenging characters to portray as Lu Wu Yi and she did the character full justice. I believe that this must have been a breakthrough performance for her. A lover's reluctance, vulnerability, love and courage were portrayed by her in the most heart touching ways. This being a dual couple drama, I loved both the couples, but I would admit that I was touched by Ji Ling and Lu Wu Yi's love story the most. Personally, it is rare to see this kind of romance that is genuinely moving and compelling.

More episodes would have been better but considering the pace and the plot we had here, 29 episodes was the best. It was the perfect number of episodes to address everything and end everything cleanly. It is honestly kind of amazing that a story this complex could be said in this number of episodes. In VOS, GJM had done full justice to the theme of painted skins, for more than half of the story none of the characters came off as trustworthy as each of them had a side that we didn't know about, identities of themselves that at times not even they themselves knew about.

The costumes and makeup were also well done, with each character dressed and portrayed accordingly. Moreover, the costumes also played a special part in the drama for the way one dresses, and its connotations itself became another aspect addressed in the story. One's dress is part of their identity, an exterior element that reflects oneself to the others. It reflects who they are, how capable they are and how complex their lives are. So, pay attention to that as well.

Music was also a great aspect in VOS. I personally loved all the songs in the drama including the character songs. They added so much to the drama, reflecting character emotions and elevating scenes.

Overall, this is one of the best dramas I have watched. It lived up to my expectations and did a great job overall. I appreciate all the cast and the staff for bringing this masterpiece to us and also to the lovely fellow viewers that made this journey all the more special for me.

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An excellent, excellent Drama!!!!

the perfectly cast Kim Soo Hyun, Seo Yae Ji, and Oh Jung Se literally became Moon Gang Tae, Ko Min Young, and Moon Sang Tae respectively. The brother relationship between MGT and MST is the best I’ve seen after watching 150 +/- K-dramas. The tender moments and the fight scenes were worth every minute. KSH and SYJ had excellent chemistry. What began as Eye Candy to KMY and repulsiveness to MGT bloomed - through craziness - into a lovely romance. KMY did not have disassociative personality disorder. She needed to know what it felt like to be cared for, and loved for who she really was inside. MGT needed the same as he was slowly burning out emotionally.
I loved the way they all three became family. The three actors blended exceptionally well in every scene they were in together. it’s a toss up who dominated the screen between SYJ and OJS. they were equally great. It was KSH, though, who carried the whole drama from beginning to end so beautifully! His MGT character arc was critical to the arcs of KMY and MST and he nailed it. the breakdown scene in Episode 9 was a jaw dropper. I felt his emotions deep in my heart. all the supporting cast added depth and emotion to the entire drama.
The story itself was cleverly told; an unlikely romance told with the use of fairy tales in a mental health hospital - with great sensitivity in telling each person’s story.. The well earned ending for MGT, KMY, and MST was delightful and bittersweet at the same time. I didn’t want them to leave. I even teared up watching the last few minutes. the story did start to go over the top with the revelation of the villain which is why I rated the story itself a 9.
The art work and cinematography were excellent. the fields and colors were beautiful. the ocean view at the hospital was so peaceful. the cursed castle was creepy - as it was supposed to be. the OST was perfect. I’ve played it many times while working.
it’s rewatch value is a definite 10 - I’ve watched it probably 4 times already.
I loved this drama. it was probably my 10th K-drama.

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Solido

Carino, solido. Devo dire che ho comunque preferito il precedente, però non male. Devo dire che mi è piaciuto rivedere gli attori di Love Sick (perché per me saranno sempre gli attori di Love Sick) in ruoli da protagonisti, dove la loro storia non è quindi sub-alternea a momenti deprimenti delle altre coppie (perché questo erano i loro personaggi in Love SIck). Mi sono piaciuti e li ho trovati molto validi come coppia, quindi kudos for that. Onestamenete non ho granché da dire, ma ci tenevo a scrivere una piccola recensione anche per questi sopratutto perché appunto mi piace molto vedere gli attori di tanti anni fa (diaciamo che appunto dopo Love Sick i due attori non aveva fatto granché) che finalmente hanno il loro break role. Spero che vengano mantenuti come coppia e di poterli rivedere sui grandi schermi.

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Watchable, but with problematic CP and plot

LBTG was still watchable despite the plot holes and some unrealistic elements of the characters/story.

Most of the actors filled their roles well. The story stayed focused on main characters, not too much on side stories. The costumes and CG looked awesome!!! 👏 🎉🎊

My very pleasant surprise was Dilraba making me like HeSimu a lot! I read a bit of the novel and didn’t like it much, so her performance exceeded all my expectations. 👍 👻 Thank you so much for the hard work! It truly showed, and as a fan, I’m proud of you! 👏 🎉🎊 Also, Hesimu looking breathtaking here was a BIG plus 🥳🤩

I was also taken by surprise by Hesimu/ Yanke dynamics. Such tension and twisted passion! This was the first time I saw WJM acting, so I was excited to see how well it had worked out! I also liked Hesimu and Chen Ying dynamics. They were so cute. Haha 😊

For the main couple, I tried to give it a chance for about 10+ episodes, but it just didn’t work for me. The unbalanced relationship was hard to pull off, but a solid acting from ml could have saved it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the case here. When I watched, I didn’t see DX’s thoughts, I saw the actor thinking of what to say next, when to tilt his head, when to smirk, etc. His postures seemed forced and awkward. Except ep. 8 where he had some cool moments, his overall acting was very jarring. It interrupted the flow of the scenes. At times, it even felt like they were not in the same TV series. 😵‍💫🎬

Another reason I felt that the romance didn’t work as well as it could be was how the writers seemed to be conflicting with their ideas. Hesimu yearned for tastes of life, but most of the time, she was just very lonely. She liked humans, but never suggested to become one. It was a little difficult to believe that their romance was THE great romance of her life by the way they portrayed her (cold, pragmatic, decisive). If he were her first love (or within the first 5 or so), then maybe. But 23rd??? This factor from the novel actually made it hard to believe that her love was deep enough to give up her inmortality for anyone. In the series, though he was her only curse bearer, they made it so that she stopped asking for the exchange, or she dropped him the moment she needed to run an errand. She surely loved him, but then the writers would reduce that feeling by making her leave him easily again. They tried to show her love by having her kill a human for DX, but it felt unconvincing because it was unnecessary at that particular moment. It seemed like it happen just to move the plot in certain direction. The writing confused me as an audience whether how romantic/unromantic this story was supposed to be. 😅

In the end, a huge relief for me was that they chose to end with Hesimu live on, still retaining her spirit powers. Without her powers, she would lose identity as a character. The alternate ending with a goddess showing up at the end seemed like a cheap way out of the problem.

I would still recommend this series to people who aren’t bothered by this pairing. If the actors were your favorites, then this would be a must to watch 🎬✌️

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