Reviews

The budget for this drama is very low. From the costumes and makeup to jewelry, everything screams mini budget. But surprisingly it's very entertaining and easy on the eyes. Maybe it's because unlike other historical dramas, there is not much talking but only killing 😂
I mean 5 minutes into the drama and the FL kills the 1st person who harmed her in her past life 😍

The visuals and acting was also on point specially the FL and the Grand Princess. The ML is always supporting FL no matter what she do. The plot was a bit fast paced and some things like retribution of the step brothers and sister was only said through dialogues and not shown actually. Overall, for a mini, rebirth trope drama, this one was very good

P. S the wigs of the step mother were hilarious. It looked so fake. They didn't even try to hide it😂

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Deep dive into the "behind the scene"

Without the cells, it would be a very mediocre romcom about two immature people. BOTH YUMI AND WOONG ARE PATHETIC. The cells make it funny.... and deep. We get to see how immature people think and operate.

Yeah it is very clear they will break up .... they are both soooo immature and do NOT communicate..... and YuMi's Intuition is exiled and all her cells are scared of listening to him... YUMI DOES NOT RESPECT THE DEEPEST PARTS OF HERSELF. ANd it is clearthat Sei Yi is a total total snake, and Woong is a total total immature clueless guy who has the Lustodinosaur... Perfect match for the SeiYi who is 100% skilled 100000% sociopath poisonous TOXIC snake... wow Sei Yi is something else, sooooo evil.... just like Ruby..... and Yu Mi is .... too.... immature and naive good girl - after she found out that Sei Yi picked the necklace and gave yuzu, she should have NOT called Woong, he had to come back crawling to her or else be dumped. It is clear he will cheat, eventually. That snake will snag him as soon as he lowers his guard even 1 milimetar.
And instead of setting clear communication and accountablility, that dumb starved girl runs to him and calls him upstairs... And he... does NOT talk.... the immature moron..... he cannot even say he needs to stop at the restroom. He is a total clutz
Woong goes to date with Sei Yi and hides it from YuMi

Well... she is starving after 3 years of abstinence, but ... at least she should know that he is just a little snack and not take him seriously.

One thing that is missing is how Woong decided to break up. We did not see his thinking at all. The money was not an issue anymore so he could have gotten married, but he decided not to.

I love how real this is, the triangle is 2 women on 1 guy. The real life is almost always like that. Unless the woman is somehow a s.x bomb and/or influential, and used just for mating and/or status.

Excellent acting by FL actress. MLs are decent but nothing special.

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season 1 is about ONE guy Woong. but BaBi is lurking in the background posing as YuMi's friend while he is breaking with his ex
Meanwhile Woong has a "second wife" an ex from the past that consistently and openly butts in to get him away from YuMi
finally Woong dumps YuMi and she accepts bc Woong went off the deep end with the bankruptcy of his company and did not say a word about it - Woong is a lame proud arrogant selfish he-man man-child AND a fun boy toy, and she keeps kissing his as# to keep the fun boy toy

season 2 is about BaBI taking over YuMi, genuinely loving her... and once in a blue moon, Woong trying to come back and bailing out fast every time.
But the whole thing is slimey as YuMi got with BaBi not out of love, but to use him as a happy pill and to have him treat her like a princess. So she essentially leeches off him. And as soon as she is far from him, he finds another chick who kisses HIS as# and genuinely loves him. And YuMi stops "loving him" as soon as it is clear he cannot be 100% perfectly serving her 100% of the time.

So the cells makes this interesting. The stories are about flawed ignorant unaware people, and the cells show how these people operate.
Season 2 is so cheesy cringe bc both Woong and BaBi stay single and loyal to Yumi FOREVER although she dumped them.

YuMi is like this worm that just chews through men, using them for s.x, attention, etc.


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Season 1 is interesting only bc of the Cells... bc it shows the typical hormone-driven relationships that fall apart, how immature people think, what operates them inside to create those stupid external behaviors - how mismatched immature ppl get together for the sake of s.x and fun and keep it going for a short while until the first problems.

Woong is an arrogant dude and he keeps his "second wife" bc she strokes his ego, and he stays around YuMi only while his ego is stroked and looking grand. So he and YuMi used each other, and YuMi was a lot more giving, in order to keep her fun boy toy.

Season 2 is a study in toxic relationships. YuMi does NOT love BaBi and she gets together with him for convenience, takes him as a happy pill, "loves" him when it is all perfect, and loses any interest as soon as he is less than perfect. He essentially cheated by emotionally attaching himself to another chick, who was kissing his as@ and who genuinely loved him from the start, which YuMi never did. YuMi and BaBi relationship was majorly slimey, and BaBi was a lot more giving. YuMi was there as long as she was THE PRINCESS, and BaBi had to keep kissing her as@ and taking care of her.

The key problem is that YuMi is totally oblivious to her Hunch Cell and her Deep Inner Cell and is fact scared of them, so she keeps operating out of limited / dumb Emotions, Reason, etc

Season 3 is about .... ? hopefully real love for who the people ARE and a real relationship where both give and take and LOVE equally.

But there could be 100000 seasons and NOTHING WILL WORK AS LONG AS THAT HUNCH CELL IS FEARED AND PUT TO LIVE ALONE IN THE DESERT, AND DEEP INNER CELL IS BURRIED IN AN UNDERGROUND PRISON

YuMi is an ordinary clueless ignorant person, living life on automatic pilot. The interesting part is the Cells, we get to see how that all works

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Season 2 was so soap...
Adult men moping after their woman for YEARS AND DECADES and unwilling and unable to have new relationships - and one woman having at least 2 great guys like that forever dedicated to her - wow what a super disgusting lie soapy cringe trope that shows up on most if not all dramas. So those moping men just do not have s.x all their adult life, or for so many years and decades?
WOW WE FOUND WHY S KOREA HAS THE LOWEST BIRTH RATE IN THE WORLD - and why hostess bars and prostitution are so normal in Asia.
The reality was shown by both Woong and Ba Bi. Woong was keeping his "second wife" at work, and Ba Bi found "second wife" as soon as he moved away. And both those "second wives" had NO problem butting in to steal the man from his official girlfriend. On the other hand, men who were told the girl is taken, backed off immediately. THAT IS THE TYPICAL REALITY

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Just watched Yumi's Cells season 1 bc of really great review on byrei.ink - indeed it is a great study on how immature ppl get together for fun and then quickly break up. THE CELLS ARE SOOOO EDUCATIONAL AND DEEP!!!! I rated that 10 bc of its uniqueness and insights. I just fast forwarded through the cringe parts showing the external behaviors of two really dumb immature ppl butting heads without any communication.

Season 1 was about puppy young love based on hormones.

Then I watched 14 episodes of Season 2. And I feel very upset after, because it was about two slimey adults. YuMi using BaBi as her happy pill, to have someone kiss her as# and take care of her ALL THE TIME like she was a princess, and YuMi lost any interest and bailed out as soon as the dude could not deliver that all the time. And BaBi - he needs someone to truly love him, and I guess he wants someone to kiss HIS as# too, so he essentially cheated by emotionally attaching to a chick like that - and probably would have proceeded to switch ships at one point, JUST LIKE he was switching ships and jumping on to YuMi while he was breaking up with his ex.

SO SEASON 2 IS A STUDY IN VERY SLIMEY TOXIC RELATIONSHIPS.

And then this cheesy idea of 2 guys being loyal forever to one woman who used them while it was fun and then dumped them... SO unreal soapy!!!!

There was real stuff... both guys had "second wives", women who openly catered to them and tried to take them away from the official girlfriend YuMi. That is soooo realistic.
YuMi's male suitors behaved in typical ways of real life and backed off as soon as she said she has a boyfriend.

Overall, YuMi is a very ignorant unaware person and also a coward in many ways because she keeps her Hunch away in the desert and is afraid to listen to him, and also DEep Inner Self is burried in an underground prison.

So Yumi's Cells can have 10000000000 episodes where YuMi keeps using men, chewing them up while they are useful to her and then spitting them out.

In Season 1, YuMi has to kiss as# of Woong, to keep her fun boy toy. He is a moody arrogant man-child and a great boy toy
In Season 2, BaBi has to kiss as# of YuMi and make her feel like a princess, or else she loses interest in him. She gets with him not out of love, but for health reasons, to be treated like a princess, and loses interest as soon as he cannot be that loyal doting SERVANT ALL THE TIME. BaBi sold his soul and then could not resist his need for someone who truly loves him and gives to him, so he essentially chated.
BaBi needs someone who gives to him as much as he gives. BaBi did not have a mother and his father is cement, so BaBi needs real love, to be the center of attention.

Yeah BaBi is slimey too... He jumps ships as soon as it is not productive for him to stay.... As soon as "his woman" is "away" - he starts jumping ships...

So Season 2 is just ... ugly toxic muck bc it is clear these ppl are adults adn SHOULD be thinking...
BASICALLY SEASON 2 SHOWS THAT NOTHING WAS LEARNED FROM SEASON 1
and season 3 looks like the same concept


Season 1 is cute bc it is "starter kit"
but Season 2 is infuriating bc there is no progress whatsoever
the story just repeats
And Season 3 looks the same repeat...

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To continue or not????

I used to like Park Min Young. But of late, I find her dramas boring. Her acting has become so one dimensional and predictable.
Don't even get me started on her looks..... She just seems way too thin to the point of looking gaunt.

The drama plot? seemed interesting at first but then WHJ seemingly starts to fall for her after being adamantly believing she is the culprit??? Not realistic at all. Is it believable for someone to be interested in the 140K payout after cancelling the policy??? (am i correct in understanding that for every policy cancelled there is this amount of payout? Amount is fairly small to commit murder)

So, those 2 points are my only gripes so far.

Am I contemplating finishing this? not sure.........

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Little Miss Sunshine

This drama should have been called "Little Miss Sunshine", because the FL spreads her mega smile, cheerfulness and dopamine wherever she went. This drama shows that family can be one your are born into, or one you make and that everyone deserves love and acceptance just as they are. Families can also be the source of stress and anxiety, but this drama faces those issues straight on and everything is resolved very nicely in the end.

Lovely romance and there was decent chemistry between the leads, but not enough fire for me. But it is still my most fav T-Drama that I have ever watched,. I do recommend this drama for it's humor, healing vibes, romance and of course the fab ladies of The Cage!

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Cute Little RomCom

I've been very lazy about writing actual reviews of the dramas I watch and instead just inserting the notes I take as I watch as a "review" (which is really just a play by play of random things that upset me. lol

I'm going to put my scattered notes at the end but I will say this was a cute drama. Anytime I start a new drama I have a bit of a hard time getting into the first and second episodes but this one really wasn't an issue for me.

I don't have much to say because yet again I didn't write this review immediately after finishing the show but I will say, looking back, it is very What's Wrong With Secretary Kim, and that is an absolute classic. Same type of dynamic between ML's role at work and FL's role at work. However, he's obviously far less grouchy than the ML in WWWSK. lol

Very cute drama. Could definitely see myself putting it back on down the road as a fun, uplifting watch.

NOTES:

I already love this. Him sticking up for the other guy and taking him with him. Amazing. Although I spun my "to watch" kdrama wheel and when it landed on this I was thinking it was the one with Lee Min Ho (King Eternal Monarch). I only realized it wasn't when he took the skydiving helmet off. lol

Oh wow. The boat guy runs a scheme with his mom right? Where there is "something wrong with the boat" and they're forced to go to his mom's crappy little hotel. Oh well there it is. lol

I really got lazy with keeping notes. Probably because thing's were going shockingly well for a k-drama. Every time I thought the issues were gonna kick off, there he was to fix it.

Now I'm on episode 13 and his sister has gone super b*tch and we're doing the bs lack of communication thing. She has to serve the meeting where his dad and Yu-Ri's dad discuss their marriage and he asks why she's there. Instead of saying that she was told he requested her there, of course she says some dumb stuff like, "I wonder that myself.". He clearly didn't request you.

Man am I glad he clocked her a** about the articles and fired her. However, I KNOW they are not about to try and make me feel bad for her. lmao That isn't gonna happen.

Why is grandma not losing her mind about him being the CEO's son? Wouldn't the article be the first time she learned that? Why is she not mentioning it? That's odd. I definitely would have imagined her hitting him and asking why he lied. But here we are with the townspeople being mental and grandma not really addressing it.

Him and his parents suck but I too would be enjoying them giving him hell for a change.

If she doesn't tell him what his dad said I'm gonna lose it. They've been so good about not doing the typical lack of communication non-sense.

Well, not a terrible drama in the end.

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A Gentle, Magical Start That Feels Both Refreshing and Emotional

After 1/4 of the year is gone, finally our first Taiwanese BL for 2026 did not disappoint. Wishing upon the Shooting Stars is already proving to be one of those series you just feel connected to from the very first episode. This series has completely drawn me in with its soft, emotional storytelling and unique concept.

The premise is honestly one of the most refreshing I have seen in a while. A simple wish turning into something so life changing adds this quiet magical layer to the story. Watching Xiang Yong live under a second identity as Zhong Xiao You is not just interesting, it feels deeply personal. It is less about fantasy and more about rediscovering yourself, your worth, and what you truly want in life.

What makes this even more special is the setting. No flashy city lights, no over the top luxury, just a peaceful hometown that feels warm and real. It is such a nice change from the usual BL settings, and it makes every moment feel more genuine and heartfelt.

And then we have the romance. The return of the high school crush already has me invested. There is something so soft and nostalgic about their dynamic, like unfinished feelings slowly finding their way back. It is subtle, but you can feel the chemistry building, and it makes you want to keep watching just to see how it all unfolds.

The acting so far has been really solid, especially in the quieter scenes where emotions speak louder than words. The music fits perfectly too, adding to that dreamy, slightly magical atmosphere without overpowering the story.

And we can we talk about episode 8 is my favourite episode so far. They cleared up their misunderstanding so quickly instead of dragging it out for a few episodes.
You can really tell how much they love each other during their NC scene. It was filmed so beautifully, one of the best Taiwanese NC scenes I’ve ever seen. I’m honestly speechless.

Unique plot, strong emotions, comforting vibes, and a romance that already has my heart.

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Damn, Yee is a little badass.

How many times is this poor family gonna have to deal with this damn ghost?!

While I felt like the story was completed perfectly with the second movie, it seems the cash cow has struck again.

Did I enjoy this movie? Yes, I very much did. But, it wasn't actually needed as the story of Yak and his siblings was finished, I felt, in the second movie.

The storyline wasn't bad, and it sorta fit with the previous movies. We get to see more of badass Yak and his delicious 6-pack, and we get to see happy, pregnant Yud. (I still think if the baby were a girl, she would have named it Yam, and since it's a boy, she will name it in honor of Sarge. If you know, you know)

I felt like the repetitiveness of a severely haunted forest was a little redundant since we got that in the second movie. The twist of the helper/revenge ghosts duo helping Yak and the others was a nice little surprise I almost missed. (Yes, it's very subtle.)

Yee is my new icon. She is such a little badass, and I loved her scenes.

Sarge's death hurt me deeply. I cried.

I didn't like how abrupt the ending was. One second, everyone is crying over Sarge, and the next, the ending credits are rolling. That quick post-credits scene was very confusing for me, and I had to look up what it meant. Looks like we are more than likely getting either another Death Whisperer movie or a spin-off featuring Sarge's daughter and possibly Yak. Do I smell a possible romance?

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If you can even then you shouldn't watch it.

The story revolves around Zhuang Man Ying, an orphaned heiress who is sent back in time to reset her mother's life trajectory. She aims to undo all the wrongs done to her mother and help her lead a happy life. In comes her adoptive uncle Qin Mo, who looks uncannily handsome in the 90's. Made me wish I had an adoptive uncle or two to make life just more complicated. Said uncle is rude and harsh in the present but was the love of her life in the 90's.

What worked: The lead who looked gorgeous, it is their pairing that initially drew me to this drama.

What was wrong: Everything.

Let me clarify what was bad, the story line, even if one searched with CIA approved thermal heat binoculars one wouldn't be able to find it. The writer must be on some sort of kool aid when they decided to hash this haphazard regurgitated garbage. The production team then decided it wasn't enough that the story sucked so bad they topped it off with an equally low budget and appalling direction. Dai and Chen have proved their worth in far better productions and do not need to do such crappy dramas.

The misuse of a perfectly awesome genre, a perfect pairing and a dearth of proper kisses killed the drama for me. Extremely disappointed, please watch when the world is about to go off the map of the universe.

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Must watch Visual Feast

Storyline can divide into three arc
First arc-
Xigu Lane (Ep 1- Ep 20-Rating 12/10)

Second arc -
Wartime (Ep 21 to Ep 30- Rating 8.5/10)

Third arc-
Palace intrigued (Ep 31- Ep 40- Rating 9.5/10)

What's good
*ML and FL visual and eyes acting
*Very beautiful Cinematography
*Very nice bgm and OSTs
*can connect with every characters
*Decent fight sequence
*Overall plot motive and sum-up ending

What makes unsatisfied
*Fail to show war tactics and tension in second arc
*Lack of epic battle sequence for ML and lack of clean cut epic battle sequence of FL
*Reduce intensity of ML and FL scenes after half of the show
*Cut and shortened one and only ML and FL bed scene
*Glorify predator and victim relationship of second leads with explicit sex scenes, child abuse and two Epic Death Scenes

Highlights of the show

*ML ethereal beauty, feather-crown entry
*FL butcher to Honorable General journey with well executed Epic fight scenes
*Lin 'an town massacre

Overall

A Feeling good drama with very pleasing visual, plot pivotal of balance between love, duty, family and country.
Encourage to cherish peaceful time and showcase the glory of warriors and hell of war.

Have a nice day , Everyone.
Having very good collective viewing experience in this page.
Love you 🤟😘

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"Who's the monster?"

Having just finished Monster, I feel like a tsunami of emotions has washed through me. Some were easier to face and process than others.

The film is an enactment of the Rashomon effect, a series of the same events told from primarily three different viewpoints. Despite the genre and tag for this film being thriller and psychological thriller, that was not my experience. More like social commentary with high stakes. Several things happened that concerned two boys, Minato and Yori, and their teacher, Mr. Hori. When Saori, Minato’s mother, believes Mr. Hori and possibly others have bullied her son, she goes to the school in a take no prisoner’s mode. The teachers (all male) and the principal (female) placate her with insincere apologies, writing her off as a neurotic single mother. Refusing to back down, she is relentless in her pursuit of justice for her child. But all may not be as it seems…

It truly is best to go into this film with no preconceived notions or knowledge. I found the first 2/3’s of the film shown through the adults’ eyes rather bland on occasion. Adults thinking they had all the answers jumped to conclusions, failed to properly communicate, and set rigid societal and familial boundaries. Single mothers were vilified and treated with condescending attitudes. The school faculty and administration cared only about protecting themselves and the school. And for one little boy who was viciously abused by his alcoholic father, the school, the law, and society in general offered zero protection. The school, with all of its "caring" teachers just presented another venue to cause the innocent pain.

Repeatedly through the film, questions were asked. “What is normal?” “What is a monster?” “What does it mean to be a man?” For me, with bullying being so pervasive, why did the teachers leave little monsters alone to terrorize the weak? This film will break your heart and make you angry. Above all, children need protection and acceptance at home, in school, and in society. And in their own home they need love and affection as well. How I wanted to hug these little boys and tell them that they were perfect the way they were. Too often it’s the people advocating a “normal” life who are the monsters inflicting the most fear and harm. An easy recommendation, but not an easy watch.

26 March 2026

Trigger warnings: Child abuse.

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