Don't trust the low ratings – this drama is worth seeing
I don't understand these low ratings. There are a lot of really poor dramas, but this one doesn't belong in that category.The plot is interesting. Since I was a child, I haven't watched any scary movies — horrors or thrillers. But "Love on the Turquoise Land" — I watched it over a few nights and I enjoyed it ;) The story is mysterious, complemented by a good soundtrack and sound effects. Di xiao (Earth Owls) were scary creatures, but I could stand watching them. There are also a lot of strange characters in this drama.
There's a romance, but it doesn't eclipse the main plot, although it is easy on the eye ;) Xingxu and Dilraba were foes, but after finding out that they have the same goal, they slowly started to build a real deal, working together and later... later everything boils over into stronger feelings. And you can see a well-shaped man's body, which is very satisfying :D
IMHO, this drama is really worth seeing.
Was this review helpful to you?
In the meantime, this drama can be found on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THiwRhHFJ4o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLpliJZSw-s
Was this review helpful to you?
Amazing Action-Packed Chinese Mythology Fantasy Drama!
I was doubtful to give this drama a try in the beginning because fantasy dramas can go wrong so easily, but I heard great things from a friend that finished it AND I AM SO GLAD I DID!This drama is fast paced with lots of spectacular action scenes and the CGI is just top tier! I haven't seen such good CGI in a drama in a long timee. I also love the Chinese mythology aspects in the story because I loved the Ne Zha animation movies so it was so fun to watch it in a spinoff like this. All the episodes also containing interesting stories and was super fun watching up to the big final sequence. The entire story is just a very unique twist on the Chinese mythology gods and spirits/ghosts world and just so fun and interesting. And if you know a bit about Ne Zha and you see those weapons, ugh it was just so good. If you know, you know. There is also a bit of comedy added in at just the right moments to prevent the story from feeling too heavy, which was great. The music was also just so good. That suona is just so well fitted for Ne Zha and really brings you into the heroes vs demons during fight scenes.
The acting is also superb! I watched the male lead in another Taiwanese movie but I didn't even realize it was him until I searched him up. His acting was just as good here and he just pulled off the character so well. He did the fight sequences so good and looked so charismatic and cool, especially with the BGM playing. The supporting roles were also amazing and did great at bringing their character to life.
I strongly recommend trying this drama if you love action, fantasy, and some mystery! Every episode keeps you glued to the screen and invested in the characters and story. The action scenes are done so well that you won't be able to turn away even for a second. You won't regret trying this one! Once you start, you won't be able to stop until you're done. I binged it all in one day :P
Was this review helpful to you?
Eternal Love
While the plot involving long-lost secrets and corrupt media moguls is gripping, the true heart of the show lies in the performance of Park Min-young and her legendary chemistry with Ji Chang-wook.
Young-shin isn't a damsel in distress. She is a brave, slightly quirky, and incredibly resilient tabloid reporter. Park Min-young brings an infectious energy to the role—her "happy dances" and singing when she’s nervous are iconic. Beyond the bubbly exterior, Young-shin carries deep trauma from her childhood. Park Min-young portrays this vulnerability with incredible subtlety. She doesn’t need loud sobbing scenes to show pain; you see it in the way her hands shake or the look of pure terror in her eyes during her panic attacks
Chemistry 100%
Unlike many dramas where the leads are shy about touching, Jung-hoo and Young-shin have a relationship built on physical and emotional solace. Whether it’s the famous "blindfold" scenes or the quiet moments of them just holding hands, their physical proximity feels natural and necessary. They are each other’s safe haven.
What makes their bond so strong is the lack of "noble idiocy." When things get tough, they don't push each other away to "save" the other. They lean on each other. Their chemistry is rooted in a deep, unwavering trust that makes the romance feel mature and earned.
Healer is a 10/10 classic. It manages to be thrilling without being dark, and romantic without being cheesy. Park Min-young’s radiant performance combined with the electric spark she shares with Ji Chang-wook makes this a "must-watch" that you will likely find yourself re-watching every few years.
Was this review helpful to you?
Easy binge, brain off mindless entertainment
This was a fun watch, a bit silly at times but mostly adorable with decent characters and one of dreamlands most adorable dogs.It is a brain off kind of drama, the type where you just sit back, enjoy the references to other dramas and kind of ignore the silly parts. The female lead is smart, fun, sweet and has an interesting storyas to tell as well as good character development. Her life mantra tells a lot a bout the way women often are forced to silence just to be able to make t through the day. This drama also shows the difference between surviving (barely) and living on ones own terms.
The drama also offers quite a bit of insight to prejudice and friendship, pitty vs. thoughtfulness and a bunch of ways to depict family done pretty okay.
Our male lead is adorable in so many ways, well stiled a feast for the eye.
Pacing is also pretty okay, just mind the over the top misunderstandings and complete lack of logic and you will be fine.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
So boring that I struggle to remember enough to write this review
A run-of-the-mill cold CEO x headstrong employee drama. More comedy than romance.Honestly, I liked it more when the couple were enemies than when they became lovers. It became such a bore when they got together because the only thing interesting was when they were fighting each other. I grapple with the idea that it's even suppose to be a love story. They were more like siblings that always butt heads.
It was just BORING. All of the cliches but none of the chemistry to warrant it. They had the rom-com king and queen as the leads but forgot that the biggest part of a rom-com is the romance.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Cheesy historical gender-bent Cinderella retelling
Gender-bent romance that is basically a more fluffy and cute Cinderella retelling.Don't get me wrong, this drama is one of the better historical rom-coms wth many hilarious moments and a very cute romance between the crown prince & his eunuch. I really hate gender-bent romances but this trope was well done, though I wished the identity was revealed much earlier.
Great chemistry, it was like watching two puppies fall in love. The plot moved quick but it was layered well up until the ending. The curse of the last episode struck again. There was so much building up like Ra On's rebel father, the guard's hidden identity, and the court officials involvement in the Crown Prince mother's death yet everything was immediately solved. How can the stakes be high if it look less than 5 minutes of screen-time for it to be over with? I wish there were more episodes to flesh it out.
Overall, a fun watch with beautiful OSTs, heartfelt characters, and an incredibly adorable love story.
Was this review helpful to you?
Please support the lakorn with likes, reposts, tags, views, and comments. it really matters!
I really like this lakorn. Please support the actors and the team who took part in creating this future masterpiece. I wish NetJj and LatteKim success and recognition.As for the lakorn itself they’re all absolutely wonderful! I’m really happy to see “Klao” gradually accepting the situation and starting to adapt to life in that time; it’s such a pleasure to watch, truly charming.
Net and JJ are simply amazing, you can really feel the chemistry between them, and it’s impossible not to notice. Whenever they appear on screen together, it’s incredibly beautiful.
And of course, I’m really looking forward to the continuation!
Was this review helpful to you?
a family melodrama with a side of obsession
despite anything else the marketing may suggest, The Rise of Ning is at heart a family melodrama with a few side dishes. it is recognisably tropey but brings enough freshness to feel enjoyable while being surprisingly angst-lite.the titular Ning (Luo Yining) is introduced as the legitimate daughter of Luo Chengzhang, second son of the Luo family. she was brought up outside of the family home at a country estate after the death of her mother, the wife her father didn't want. this is the root of most of the Luo family's multitude of issues, sons who were pushed into supposedly suitable marriages that didn't suit them, breeding a hotbed of infighting between wives, concubines and various children.
our male lead is introduced as the unfavoured illegitimate third son of this same second son. you will never forget his rank as Luo Yining calls for him around 864 times per episode. as a person who finds Ren Min's voice attractive, this was no burden for me, and certainly didn't seem to be for san-ge himself.
since these two are our leads, it's clear that at least one of them is in fact entirely unrelated to their purported father. the transition in their relationship was handled surprisingly tastefully, although grandmother was certainly handing out a few sideeyes relatively early on. that said, her sideeye game was prolific and her love conditional so perhaps it was for some other infringement.
as is customary with this type of drama, the politics side dish took over a little towards the end and there were five or so episodes that, while necessary for resolution of some narrative issues, I didn't love. there was very little palace drama, which I appreciated. the emperor was just some distant person we heard about.
the positive relationships were mostly sweet and uncomplicated but there were still persistent melodramatics since we had not one but two couples with some, ahem, intricate familial relations.
the whitewashing of some problematic side characters without any real restitution was perhaps my least favourite theme. while it didn't detract from my enjoyment much, it was interesting how narrative reward and punishment was so random. some people die for their sins; others are rewarded with playing happy families.
but let's get to the real talk here. Luo Shenyuan is a male lead of the attractive benevolent stalker variety. he is thrilled that his girl is an independent, self-supporting queen but he is also the surveillance king because he wants to control the environment around her (for her safety, of course!) while broadly letting her do as she pleases within the guardrails he covertly sets up. think Sang Yan for those of you who have watched the 2025 drama The First Frost.
Lu Jiaxue, our antagonist, is no benevolent stalker. he is a lonely man turned groomer turned obsessive sociopath. there was much discussion when this aired centered around whether he was a more suitable partner for Yining than Luo Shenyuan, and I can't describe the absolute horror of watching this trainwreck of a man on my screen while reading this commentary because his archetype could not be more clear.
Luo Yining was caught in a perfect storm as a vulnerable child. she was unloved and neglected and found a friend in a young man who himself had been discarded. it's understandable that she develops a crush. indeed at this early stage, Lu Jiaxue is a sympathetic character and I understand why his backstory leads people to give him more leeway than he is entitled to.
but that is where this predator was created. as soon as he is secure in her affections, his mind seems to switch gears and you hear some utterly horrific things. there is a conversation I'd like to be able to bleach from my mind where it's clear that he has actively moved into grooming mode and is testing her boundaries when he is talking about things she should eat so she can get pregnant quickly after marriage.
later, when he meets the older Yining, his obsession is glaringly obvious to everyone. she is clearly terrified of him, having grown up and realised that this was not a healthy attachment, which would have likely occurred whether or not certain third parties had been absent, but he is still determined to own her. not the young adult she is now, with her family and business and now-developed personality, but the younger version with her tame childhood interests.
the clarity with which this character is written was impressive. he might appear one-dimensional or overdramatic but he is also solidly anchored in this deeply distorted fixation in a way that I've rarely seen represented in fiction.
all three of our leads did well enough in their roles. Ci Sha was probably the standout given the material he had to work with. Ren Min held a good line that kept her Luo Yining feeling young and light but also intelligent and thoughtful. I could see why she was well-liked even if she was unrealistically perfect. Zhang Wanyi felt a bit underpowered and I wished they'd let his brief vicious arc run a little earlier and longer because it was a nice change of pace from what otherwise looked like he was operating on easy mode.
all in all, this was a creditable if not groundbreaking drama. it avoids repetitive palace politics and focuses on the sweetness of its leads. while it could have been trimmed by a few episodes, it remains an easy, untaxing watch that accidentally (or perhaps purposefully) provides a masterclass in identifying the mechanics of a predator.
Was this review helpful to you?
A feel-good show without much real conflict
At its core, this is a feel-good story of a likable person winning at life. Before transmigration she was sad and lonely, so we feel extra good watching her find fulfillment and happiness in this unexpected second chance. She is loved and supported by kind people around her, and she in turn lifts them up while putting bullies and villains in their places, creating warm and fuzzy vibes all around.Xia Xiaolan pre-transmigration is in her mid 30s, so it’s nice that she has a little life experience, along with knowledge of a future world and the courage of a second chance, to back up some of her amazing abilities. She’s also genuine enough, and we get enough of her interior monologue, that she doesn’t feel pretentious or too unrelatable.
That said, even with all her advantages, Xiaolan really has no business being so successful. She wins at two very different career paths. Everything she attempts goes well and everything she predicts comes true. It’s not even a matter of abilities or future knowledge at that point- it seems to be more luck, coincidence, and other random plot armor that make things happen. And she’s so confident through it all that there really is no suspense.
It’s all pleasantly low-stress, just not really that interesting to watch. I was over it in less than 10 episodes. What kept me invested was this whole business with the transmigration. I love how it stays relevant throughout the entire show, as she worries about when her dream will end and how the people she leaves behind will cope. The transmigration framework is the real antagonist of the show, not any of those cartoonishly mean-spirited, woefully outmatched opponents she squashes along the way.
But this part of the story develops incredibly slowly. I basically blew through the show at 1.5X speed just to see how it would turn out. It comes up regularly but nothing really happens until the very end, and I wouldn’t say the resolution is that satisfactory, so I don’t think it’s a good reason to keep watching unless you’re enjoying the rest of the story.
There is a romance, but it’s not as much a focus as you might expect. Zhou Cheng is capable and supportive (“just her type” haha), but he’s only one part of her life. Sometimes, especially towards the beginning, it feels like she’s more important to him than he is to her. But that might be because the narrative focus is on her. I’ve seen this sort of thing in male-focused dramas before and it’s really nice to see the gender reversal here.
Their relationship is very healthy and steady, so much so that I actually found myself enjoying its few hiccups. There is just so little drama or suspense in the entire story. My favorite character is Du Zhaohui who actually evolves some depth (and whose cheeky, Cantonese-accented snark gets more and more endearing). There are other good things about this show- some well-spoken life truths and reflections, good humor that makes you cackle, a really lovely mother-daughter relationship- I’d say it’s all things to make you feel good, though not enough to keep you riveted.
Acting-wise, I always like Zhou Ye. Here she brings a down-to-earth energy that keeps me liking her character, despite all her confidence and successes. I thought everyone else did a pretty good job too, but it’s hard for me to judge since I watched it all sped up.
I also really love the music, from the lovely background music to the 1980s Cantopop to the OST itself. The songs play to celebrate things like family togetherness, optimism for the future, and nostalgic life moments, which gives sweet and heartwarming vibes.
As for the setting... this show is set in 1980s-90s China, which made me a bit wary of CCP propaganda. I think it’s there but ignorable. The show isn’t exactly historical; the cities (eg Shengcheng) are fictional, and important Chinese political developments are not mentioned. Instead, it seems to just be trying to capture and celebrate the excitement of rapid development in that phase of China’s history. It’s all portrayed very positively, as are police and law, and the value of hard work... so take that how you will.
To be honest, a lot of the values may not resonate with all audiences in today’s day and age. I cringed a bit at the gross consumerism, shameless capitalism, and predatory marketing tactics she celebrates, and her environmentally destructive luxury real estate development rubbed me the wrong way too (as a millennial who can’t afford a house). But I do think they were a big part of China's culture at the time, and it’s fair to put out a show reflecting that.
It is still fun to see the development of technologies, lifestyles, and the city itself, over the 10+ years. Fashion too- Xiaolan’s village girl outfits at the beginning are cute, but she quickly gets very stylish. Throughout the show she parades an impressive wardrobe of fantabulous outfits, and it is fun to see them evolving with fashion trends.
Overall, I don’t want to give a harsh rating to this sweet little show, but I also don’t think I should give more than a 6 or so to something I had to watch at 1.5X speed. It’s just not that interesting and the conflicts are too easy; for most of it, I felt like I was simply trying to get through to see the ending. At the same time, this is a show that makes you feel good, and that’s worth a lot too. It’s impossible not to smile as you watch Xiaolan celebrate the joyful moments of her life and reflect on her happiness. I didn’t fully appreciate this warm glow until the show ended and it disappeared. So +1 points for making me feel good, even if I was also a little bored.
ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS
This is a happy but not exactly satisfying ending, as the tie-in to her modern life that I waited the entire show for only gets 10-15 minutes at the end.
The 1980s-90s storyline is in a pretty good place by the time Xiaolan suddenly disappears, so I was satisfied there. She wakes in the modern world again, but her experiences in the “dream” have given her courage and insight, so she is able now to fix her problems and turn her life around.
Throughout the show there are hints of Zhou Cheng’s maybe-presence all through her modern life, but they never come back to this idea. Instead, she passes by him at the end and they recognize each other. There is no explanation for it (perhaps they dreamed the same dream?) and no view of what happens afterwards. It probably has something to do with the censorship around transmigration, but I couldn't find anything online about a book ending or anything like that.
Was this review helpful to you?
Esther Yu acting was absolutely terrible.
This drama was completely carried by the male characters— ML and 2ML, and 3ML - the black dragon, and the villain, each with a clear and well-written motivation.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
The drama is very drawn out. There's too much ML, he is often shown in slow motion, which feels weird, like you're stuck loading.The plot involving their childhood is too hackneyed, especially given their age difference. It's as if it needed to be added into the series, and the creators did.
The detective cases are very boring, the 2nd characters are bland and forgettable.
Was this review helpful to you?
The ML is unrealistically lonely, despite being handsome, athletic, and a good guy.
FL is completely undeveloped; she's a shell of a woman with no personality.
The second couple is awful and simply wastes screen time.
The plot ades from the second half.
However, the chemistry between the characters is good, and the drama itself perfectly captures the winter atmosphere.
Was this review helpful to you?
Through a series of circumstances, each sister experiences firsthand what it means to be the other sister, the other person, and learns to solve problems and view life in a new way.
The ML here is wonderful—handsome, kind, understanding, and always ready to lend a shoulder to cry on. The supporting characters are also all great — each has a personality, motivation, unique image, and a place in the main characters' story. The cast is 10000/10
Was this review helpful to you?
