Reviews

This drama is really so heartwarming.
I’ve been following it since the booting ceremony.
After they dropped the very first episode, the OST really touched my heart. Day by day, I kept waiting for this drama.
Every cast member blended so well, and every part of the story was amazing.
The way SWL portrayed Ling Xiao’s mental illness really broke my heart. He Ziqiu really deserves happiness, and Li Jianjian, thank you for being the bright color in your brothers’ lives.
Papa Hai Chao was the most heartwarming person in this drama.
Mango executed it so well. This drama truly accompanied me during the COVID era, and I’ve been rewatching it over and over.

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All The fighting scenes are Chef Kiss.

After a long time a proper Action Movie which is beautifully Done even with a Cliff-Hanger ending. I mean they can even make a another Movie continuation of this storyline.A big applause for the Director and the writer.

The Story: Nailed every point of a revenge Plot.Very satisfying to see every punch.Boxing part choreographed brilliantly.

Acting : The casting is Top notch.Watching The ML playing as a Villain with this handsome face is scary.FL did her job wonderfully obviously she is a renowned actress.

Music: Nothing memorable. But not boring too.
Overall a Nice watch for a Movie point of view.

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Childhood best friends to lovers, you got me addicted to your love!

Secret Lover is your typical friends-to-lover BL that is easy to watch, great to binge and too sweet to give you diabetes, but all comes with a price, i.e, the questionable choices and their aftermaths.

✦ Storyline: It was just a basic one and predictable. One doesn't have to use their brain at all, just watch and enjoy what is happening on screen. If you judge their every step, you're going to have a hard time liking this.

✦ Acting: It was lowkey the reason we all liked it. The acting of the cast was not anything out of the world, but they delivered it as needed. The thing that made it more interesting to watch, was the MLs insaaaneee chemistry. It was just on fire, like their single touch, softness in voice while talking to each other, the lovesick glances they gave....just enough to make one swoon like a brainless zombie. The kids were the real MVP of the series. They were soo adorable and did their job very well. Lovely babies ><

✪ Now comes the problematic part. Even though it got many swoonworthy scenes, there lies some toxic, unhealthy and selfish desire to falter the fate of the MLs. If you watch it like me without nitpicking every single detail, you'll like it, but if you try to over-analyze this simple dumb plot, then you might not enjoy it as it is. It has positivity for every single negativity they show, as they complement each other in a way that feels wrong on the surface but works perfectly well at a deeper level. Certain scenes will infuriate you, but in the end you'll end up compromising with the plot, and just accept it for all wrong reasons.

Overall, it was a solid bingeable drama for a Sunday afternoon to indulge in the sweetness of the gooey lovebirds. It was nice but nothing new.

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A Warm,Light hearted watch

After a long time i watched Seo kang and He totally nailed his character. My +1 point is just for him.He literally carried the show although The villain also did the work for me.She is convincing as a villain.

This is one type of drama where writer left major plotholes but who noticed?? - when there is literally a Handsome face popping up everytime. hahaha!!
Plotholes like - How the Guard got his father notebook. Literally no one cared to explain thia major part.Why a NIS a agent is so weak and emotional (His teammate) that doesn't make any sense.The villains reasoning just to prove her a psychopathic character doesn't actually convince all the crime she did.Motive behind villains action should be more Gruesome or heavy.

The FL-Nothing special. But actually did well to play as a teacher.Forceful Childhood connection and romance just destroy my mood.but its ok

BGM was good specially for ML entry.

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Flag not so green but wins in comparison

I finished the show a month or two ago so I’m trying to rattle my brain for what stick in there after this time.

I’ll start from pros. The show has the most charming opening I’ve ever seen in a cdrama. Not once I wanted to skip it. The animation is cute and fits perfectly with the show’s theme and overall plot and I immediately added the song to my playlist.

I also loved the scenic shots, flowers especially. Xifan’s relationship with her parents felt real and relatable (especially how her mom kept things from her in order to “protect” her). He Suye’s relationship with his grandpa. Xifan’s two coworkers and how her previous relationship with her bf weighed on her. The use of traditional Chinese medicine was very interesting and refreshing.

Now, the rest. Seeing the drama has 28 episodes made me stop because it really felt like way longer than that. The show gets draggy once they get together. 1,5 episode is spent on the main CP arguing about who flirted with whom first.

I really wish Xifan had any sort of hobbies besides her work and later Suye. She felt a little one dimensional, just a girl ML has to save and fix.

I saw lots of reviews about HSY being the greenest flag ever. Not sure when exactly. When he kissed her for the first time while he knew she’s super drunk? Or when he was using manipulation to win arguments or look cuter in her eyes? Sure, when he stands next to her ex, he looks like a saint, but I still see what he’s doing. It is a straight cdrama after all, the bar for MLs is buried five feets under the ground.

I still think she let him off the hook for lying to her about her mom’s treatment way too easily. The ending was extremely cheesy but the propaganda encouraging youths to get married has to work.

Anyway, cute show if you are extremely bored and don’t want to watch anything too exciting or angsty. It’s not funny, it’s not brilliant. But it’s ok.

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Wouldn't have watched it if I knew about certain story parts beforehand

If I had known there would be a convincing rape allegation, I wouldn't have started to watch the series in the first place. Shortly after the alleged rape is uncovered, so many things happened that I truly got upset about.
Like how Mild is shocked and runs away and his best friends don't manage to gab him? Like...really? He isn't running at first, just walking absentmindedly, then he gets away, being in such a condition? Nope...
The Mild cannot be found for several days and instead of filing a missing person's report of some sort (don't know how such things are handled in Thailand), his friends and family just sit around and "worry" and do nothing?
Then Mild return to resume the rehearsals for the romantic theater project in which he has to play the main role together with the person he suspects of raping him? And all his friends just watch and let the alleged rapist be near him? What the heck is going on?
Then finally, Knight gets the chance to tell the story and what "really" happened the night of the alleged rape and apparently there was no rape? Mild even had a short flash of memory about the rape, just like he had suppressed the memory (which would totally be understandable after such a traumatic event). But when Knight tells him that there was no rape, he just believes him? I don't get it. At all! Also the way the (married) big brother told Mild that it was not his (the married big brother's) position to decide if a rape deserved foregiveness (Well no, but suggesting that Mild should consider forgiving the man the believes raped him....no, just get away from the rapist!!!) and that everything happens for a reason (that's victim blaming, it implies that Mild somehow deserved to be raped) and advises him to go back and hear Knight's explanation (if you really think that Knight raped your little brother, you wouldn't let him go back to such a person, just...no!). And then the big brother dares to say that the good thing is that Mild now knows that everyone loves and cares about him because they are worried about him. Like...what kind of friends and family are they if Mild didn't know up until then?

The plot twist about the attempted murder, I didn't see that coming, I have to admit. I thought that Mayo would be the fuel of some jealousy between Kan and Per to fill some more screentime. What a nice surprise!

No offense to the actors, I liked what their work, factoring out what they apparently had to depict. I also liked the filming. But the story was a complete fuck up.

It's a shame there were no tags warning about the alleged rape. I probably wouldn't have watched the series or would have been able to digest it better if I had known beforehand that the rape didn't actually happen.

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Mind Over Matter

A murder of NDT supervisor occured, with the suspect none other than his own temp worker a.k.a secret agent, Chen Duo - The Poison Saint. This directed the microscope over the rest of 6 other regions’ temp workers/secret agents whose position as such due to their mysterious backgrounds, hence endangers exposure of Feng Baobao’s identity. The highest management of NDT was leaning towards confining them indefinitely, but after further discussion, they decided to make the secret agents to track down and apprehend Chen Duo. For the first time, all agents from various regions was supposed to work together as a team and this made Zhang Chulan nervous about exposing Feng Baobao to them. The rest of the group wasnt keen about working together either, so none stepped up to plan anything with each other. But as they closed in on Chen Duo, they were forced to work together and inadvertently reached concensus to cooperate. Zhang Chulan began to calculate and devise a plan to protect Feng Baobao from pending danger that could lead to her identity exposure.

This second season moved at a much faster pace than season 1, with many new faces introduced which i suspect would be the key roles in future seasons. I dont get why people freak out about not seeing most characters from season 1. I mean come on, it’s an ongoing story, and with the incoming calamity that could doom the world, ML would definitely need more people at his disposal.

The comedy got toned down although still entertaining enough, but the action remained packed. Zhang Chulan became more calculative as he realized how important Feng Baobao is. In everything he does, it was always about FBB’s wellbeing and protection, although their relationship is a far cry from romantic. Since he keeps calling her erjie, and with her being maybe close to 100yo already, i never saw them as a lover couple but more to bro and sis. I’m fine with shows without romance, so i cant get why people keep yapping about their chemistry. I dont think theyre supposed to be lovers at all. And their chemistry as complementing partners is off the charts. I totally love this duo.

It’s also the first show that I saw about the growth of a hero that did not plant the ML at the centre of its universe. In here, the FL seemed to be a more prominent character where the ML did everything in his power to pave the way for her safety because her origin and role is greater than his.

More questions arise in this season, as to the origin of the people manipulating the antagonist became the highlight. What was their purpose? How is it connected to Feng Baobao? What other calamity will occur? Is Wu Gensheng still alive and where is he now? I wouldnt say these as plotholes since it would be the continuance to the next seasons, but it just irks me out that it would take so long to unravel.

All in all, this season definitely did not disappoint. The action is more packed than Season 1, but i can’t help but feel it was just too short. Only 13 episodes? Whyy? And i heard another production house has bought the rights to the next season adaptation, it’s just too bad cuz the casts might change.

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Dissappointing all over

The show started off strong, with an interesting concept and a few promising plotlines. But it was so poorly executed that it became downright frustrating to watch.

The characters felt like cardboard cutouts, full of contradictions. How can someone who survived the assassination of her entire family show so little grief? Min Jae, a woman of high status, suddenly has to work as a low-ranking eunuch, yet she barely seems affected by it. Early on, we see how much she looks forward to marrying her General—what happened to all those emotions? There's no conflict when she falls for someone else, even though her fiancé is still searching and pining for her. She’s nearly strangled to death by a guard—surely that would provoke some anger? But Min Jae shows no emotion, even when the Crown Prince (who is in love with her at the time) says he understands why his friend tried to strangle her. Jeez… it drove me crazy.

And then there's the Crown Prince, who hides the fact that Min Jae is still alive from his best friend, falls in love with her, and shows no real inner conflict about it either? All of this is glossed over with just a few lines—no meaningful dialogue.

I’m sure the actors struggled to convey emotional depth due to the weak screenwriting, but they could have at least tried to use more facial expressions. And Min Jae’s way of speaking—with what sounded like a forced low voice—was completely flat, lacking any intonation regardless of the situation.

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Good, but irrelevant and unnecessary

the games are top tier! Games were peak in this season, i think. If given a few more eps, games would've been SO much better. HOWEVER, The story itself was irrelevant, and how it started was pointless too. They aimed to reveal more about the borderland, but to no avail. They also missed a plot hole from s1, where a bunch of employees were watching & *betting* on the games.

TBH, this is a great watch but better considered as a spinoff/special. It literally added NOTHING to the lore thats alr in the first 2 seasons. The last part of the games with the old man be tried to be philosophical, but ended to be just a bunch of nothing burger. This season was good, but better left off at S2. IF you watch this season, just don't expect much exploration of the lore. Just enjoy the games, it was a good watch because of the games.

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The Maid Cleans House – One Enemy at a Time

By now I know one thing for sure: if Deng Kai is in a mini drama, it’s going to be a ride — and The Maid didn’t disappoint.

This is a revenge story at its core, nothing groundbreaking, but the execution is what makes it worth watching. The FL doesn’t just lash out; she orchestrates her revenge in smart, indirect ways, and watching her eliminate her enemies one by one is deeply satisfying.

What really surprised me here was the romantic chemistry. Deng Kai is usually great at intensity but doesn’t often spark that kind of romantic vibe with his co-stars. This time, though, it worked. Their relationship felt mature, understanding, and believable — a refreshing balance to all the revenge drama swirling around them.

Visually, the costumes are stunning, especially for the FL. The color choices flatter her perfectly, and she carries herself with elegance and grace. I haven’t seen much of this actress before, but her performance was pretty good. As for Deng Kai — classic him: looks like he’d kill you, but underneath he’s a spicy cinnamon roll who’ll still take you down if needed.

The drama starts off a bit brutal, but tbh I've seen worse, and once the FL has nothing left to lose, that’s when the fun really begins. Sure, there are flaws and the usual mini-drama pacing quirks — but it still delivers. And with a proper happy ending (which I honestly didn’t expect), this drama is definitely worth your time.

Verdict: A stylish, entertaining revenge tale with rare romantic chemistry from Deng Kai and a satisfying payoff.
It’s not here to make you ponder the universe — just to entertain you for a few hours, and it does that well.

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