Reviews

Really, Really Enjoyable

My new favorite among Chinese actors is definitely Ryan Cheng. This guy, without dialogue, screams emotions with his eyes and body movements. I wish there was an applause emoji I could add to this sentence because his acting deserves it.

I've always felt Song Yi was excellent at being understated in her characters, but she plays Li Shuang to perfection. With the two main leads, my chest ached while watching them convey emotional turmoil, love, and sometimes distance. Again, kisskh, please add applause emojis so I can liberally sprinkle them for these two actors playing off each other.

The only drawback is the overused plotline of the female general. In ancient times, the soldiers didn't play Nintendo on the side; they worked farms, etc., and used every muscle in their body as soon as they learned to walk. As a female, even in my very strongest years, there would have been no way to slay it out on the battlefield and save the day using a sword. Strategy—hands down, the female general could have outperformed. In combat and without superpowers, they would have been equals with their one-on-one counterparts, not taking on entire battalions. This is the second drama that I had to stretch my imagination to sink into the plot in that manner.

The chemistry between the two leads was sooo freaking good that I want to ship them in real life. When they share the screen, it sizzles, and there was definitely no pressing fast forward when these two had dialogue or screen time. They really made the drama a master class lesson in how to act.

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This is an understated legal drama that waxes more philosophical than most instead of maximizing super dramatic cases (although there are some of those here too). The pacing can be slow at times, and another season could flesh out the characters more (especially our main leads), but this was a great watch overall with an ultimately uplifting message about how law and our pursuit of happiness can work together.

Some of the storylines did not make the greatest impact or meld well with each other (e.g. the office politics were a bit weak overall), but the human stories (about the different kinds of relationships we have in society) were some of the best parts of the drama. Great use of an almost atmospheric soundtrack complements a very lyrically-written show, but the show could use more pop and a better climax if a second season were to be made.

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Just another review

Its not like this needs another review but I feel inclined to put in my 2 cents, since I did not feel this earned all the 10 stars its getting.

1st its good and definitely worth the watch, so dont skip it based on any reviews. Definitely give it a go (pass eps 5) to make your own judgment.

2nd while some people hate snakes and may avoid due to thier component, I actually am an avid snake lover and breeder (over 25 pet snakes currently)....so I have very different issues with the snakes than others. Breeding snakes is not like rabbits, its not just as easy as putting them together and getting clutches. Also the habitats WSW made were great but every other enclosure was wrong. Poor little jealous one living in that plastic box.

3rd all relationships are more complex than the writer suggest. I read from another review about the toxicity and general lack of knowledge/understanding of the writer about gay relationships.... and yes this story is very prejudiced and follows tons of misconceptions about gay relationships (predatory, aggressive, lacking consent, your either a top of bottom, if your attracted to the same sex you are gay and can not go back) and just misconceptions/misinformation about BDSM (heard this is worse in the book)

4th credit to the actors and production. It is a Chinese BL and china heavily censors so the things they pulled off and the ability to produce this on such a low budget and under such censorship is impressive. Also I did love all the actors. (I feel horrified by they way they are being treated by so called 'fans' after this dramas popularity has erupted)

5th I still kinda just felt the story was incomplete and had a few plot holes they could have fixed from the book. The ChiCheng and Chengyu sub plot. The Zheng brothers. The parents disdain (the text messages that suddenly stopped). WSW mothers passing. The random tax evasion.

So all in all a strong drama but maybe not the best ever.

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The Winning Try

I was intrigued to watch The Winning Try after seeing it climb up in reviews, and I honestly was not disappointed. The series was entertaining from the beginning to the end. While it necessarily didn’t exceed my expectations, it met the criteria of a well-thought-out and well-produced series. 

The plot was engaging and easy to follow. When it comes to political dramas, I sometimes have to go back and rewatch some parts because they went over my head the first time. This was not the case with The Winning Try. Even though I know nothing about sports, like rugby, shooting or aerobics, the technicalities were explained well to the viewer. I even learned something new! The pacing was just right and every episode left me counting days until the next would come out. Because the series followed both younger and older characters, it naturally explored all kinds of different themes from classical friendship and love to the anxiety that the uncertainty about their future caused to many of the characters, including I-ji, Seong-jun, Yeong-gwang, Tae-pung and U-jin.

I was overall very satisfied with the acting. Yoon Kye-sang's overly dramatic body language was perfect for the comedic scenes, but he knew how to tone it down for the emotional parts. With the older actors, I expected good results anyway, but I was positively surprised by the younger actors, too. They made me truly empathise with their characters. I just wanted to hug the whole rugby team and pinch their cheeks. They were so adorable, not to mention that Hwang Sung-bin even looked like a real rugby player.

One of the strongest aspects of the series was the understanding that people stress about their future in all stages of their lives and that it is completely fine. It was also pleasant to watch healthy, supportive relationships between the students and the coaches. Every child deserves adults as dedicated to them as Ju Ga-ram, I-ji and Heung-nam. When the rugby team celebrated their victory over Daesang in the end, I grinned like a fool for a good minute or so.

This is for you, if you want to watch a sweet, feel-good series without too much drama or plotting. There is romance, but it’s not the main point which is something that some people prefer. I probably wouldn’t watch this again, but I could have watched a few more episodes. Overall, I’ll give The Winning Try four stars out of five for a better-than-average watching experience.

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Beyond the bar but not really

I liked the series overall because of the story it had a lot of compelling cases and they did a good job in showing them in each episode. I knew not much going in, but I kind of had the impression there would be a love story—I saw the chemistry between the leads. I was excited because I really liked Jung Chae-yeon from Family by Choice, she was the only reason I wanted to see this show and she did not disappoint—her character had such an interesting backstory I wished they’d spent more time. I think the show did a good job in slowly revealing parts of her character that’s what kept me interested—the overall story with her mom was heartwarming and knowing now that her mom separated her from her twin because of her hearing loss was a compelling arc for the mom too. At first I was hesitant to like the mom but they did a good job in concluding her arc in a resolution especially the final episode it was really heartwarming.
Definitely the best story was from the second leads, Heo Min Jeong and Lee Jin, they were so adorable and the story of Min Jeong and her backstory was really compelling and heartwarming I liked that the show focused on who she was to see her evolution to the present—especially because she is introduced as a stong, confident and fashionable. Again each episode introduces layers of all the characters although I think we spent the majority of the time focusing on the law firm’s politics which was a bit boring and out of sight at times—I would much rather spent times looking at the characters especially since they are a major part of the cases they take on. The politics of the law firm was like I said boring and it really didn’t make sense why it was introduced and why so much time was spent on it ughh it frustrated me so much.
Overall the drama had a lot of potential but I think there should have been more focus on the main characters and the cases instead of the politics of the law firm (AGAIN so boring). I also think they did a disservice to the supporting cast in the first 4 eps they introduced all of them well but then we kind of stopped thinking or showing them and then they just appeared again towards the end. To be honest I enjoyed the ride this show had, the cases where compelling and heartwarming at times it introduced new ideas and the characters shows very logical ways of thinking especially when it comes to laws, I think that’s why I like it because of the unique perspective the personalities were very direct. liked the show it was a fun watch!

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Sizzling Hot

Okay, now this… THIS was a well made drama. Congratulations to all that was involved in this production. Truly breathtaking. I’m a sucker for anything supernatural and lovers to enemies to lovers trope. I first saw Cheng Lei in My Journey to You. He was great there, but I only saw one side of his acting which was the cold part. Now here, he plays three characters. Someone made a comment on a video online saying it was unfair that Prince Annan only had a few episodes, and Prince Annan was better than Jin’an. What do you mean? He’s the same person. He just forgot Li Shuang for a bit, but the memories resurfaced, and that’s all it matters. I couldn’t imagine any other actor who would play this character. Cheng Lei nailed his parts. He was so sweet, funny, and caring as Jin’an, super badass as the man in black, and cold and ruthless Prince Annan. The scene where they fought outside the gate. OMG it was heartbreaking to see them fight. My heart was beating crazy, like I wanted to jump in the screen and shake some sense into Prince Annan. I wanted to yell STOP THAT IS YOUR WOMAN!! I’m just glad he treated her well while she was a prisoner under their Yao state. I loved how he slowly fell for her again, thanks to the memories. I loved every character here. The actors did a great job playing their parts. I’m glad the second ML did the right thing in the end when he tried to lure out Prince Annan. That was a risky move, though. He could’ve been ripped to shreds. I loved the ending with them spending some time together taking care of the orphaned kids. ML was just too cute whenever he talks to the FL. The music made me cry every time it came on. Everything was just pure excitement. There was only one slight mistake with the editing. It was when she was being strangled by the man in black up in the air, one scene had one dagger in her right hand, and next scene both of her hands were holding ML’s hands. Anyway, other than that, this drama is a perfect 10 for me. I loved everything about it. Looking forward for more Cheng Lei dramas. I highly recommend this drama.

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At times, frustrating ... but very good to great!

I was surprised how great this series turned out to be. Watching the first episode, it didn't appear to be a serious, entertaining drama, especially when the main character, Issei was not likable at all. He was mean, self centered and really heartless ... but oh what a difference ten episodes make.
Gordon Meada does such a fantastic job at evolving and maturing his character. He does it in such an unbelievable form, turning into a caring, lovable person. Toward the end, you're rooting for him in every way possible.
The chemistry between the two main characters is always there, even though the troublesome age gap of ten years (only five years in real life) is apparent. The dancing around a 27 year old falling for a 17 year old seems to be made a bigger deal that it should have been, but nevertheless it is part of the main story.
The truly negative, frustrating part of this series for me, was the older brother with the real antagonist of this drama, Seigo & Akira. These are two genuinely annoying characters. I know every story needs the "bad guys", but Akira gets away with so much throughout the series, even to the point of giving her somewhat of a happy ending, it sort of diminishes the great parts of the main story. Attempting murder on two of the main characters, and still no repercussions from it. It's kind of bizarre accepting that outcome ... BUT, once I was able to get past that part of the story, I definitely found the rest to be great in many ways. It was an excellent drama with truly believable acting.
Extremely enjoyable overall.

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it’s really good

I’m really starting to love this Kdrama @hamham666x I really enjoy food stuff so watching this plus the comedy is really fun tonwatgg ch I love the reactions when people eat the food plus everytime I watch this I start to get hungry hahaha I’m really happy I get to watch this show and wait for a new episode it’s really exciting I’m really starting to love this Kdrama @hamham666x I really enjoy food stuff so watching this plus the comedy is really fun tonwatgg ch I love the reactions when people eat the food plus everytime I watch this I start to get hungry hahaha I’m really happy I get to watch this show and wait for a new episode it’s really exciting

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Generic but good

Most seem to agree Ter and Hill story was too slow for them and can come off as cringe. I came for North and Johan as well XD! I really saw a short about them being on variety show and noticed Bas and came running to watch it.

*What makes this story stand out?*
Certain elements of this drama is pretty generic like the engineer ML or doctor ML, college campus, part timers, one of the ML being rich, motorcycles, etc. However what stands out in this drama is really the unique characters personality and the relationship these folks have with each other. I expect nothing less from director New who directed until we meet again, the flow of the drama is very natural and the character seems like realistic people. And the actors really brought the characters to life with their acting, North had me crying of laughter so many times with his facial expressions.

Ter and Hill story was more on the generic side with oppositions and good first pair to start off to set the story. As hill himself seems to be at the center of the doc friend group. Most folks coming for romance will most likely get bored in the first couple of episodes. However what kept me through was really the friendship these folks had for each other. Whether it was north and ter , engineer group, or doctor group. Most importantly the attention to details, there was no plot holes ( maybe there was but I didn’t see any). What I find kind of hilarious is how when Johan gets rid of something or does something for North it’s just gets mentioned as passing, but it looks like no one realizes how insane it was that he even did that. Like the guy who fought with North in the beginning, it gets casually mentioned that he was forced to change school later on and some other things Johan did to protect North. He really cares a lot about north and does a lot to ensure that North is safe, happy, and blissfully unaware of the shady stuff. You can even argue that he hide it from us the viewers as well to not burst our clueless bubbles XD.

Moving on to North and Johan, the pairing that drew everyone in. North was hilariously funny and Bas acted him very well, can tell his acting has significantly improved from 2 moons. The way north acts can come off as cringe to some folks if not acted right, but Bas acted it well it enough that it makes people think he’s cute.

Now with Johan, my first time seeing Maxky, and he’s a very good actor. After seeing his real life videos, I couldn’t believe Johan and him are the same people. His acting is detail based where his slight eye directions/expression and body language shows the character. Johan can be considered as Red flag with his relentless stalking and very possessive nature. However at the same time he’s a green forest for the way he treats North. He’s a very complex character that can’t be explained with a few words and the drama did very well in showing his emotional progress as his relationship advances with North. He respects North and lets him do what he wants. There may be some moment where it’s kind of a grey area, but for a guy who waited 3 years for this one chance. He really wasn’t taking any chances of North getting away. His desperation really shows as the story progresses and then when he goes over his backstory with North, you can tell that where the desperation came from. He respected North to let him do what he wants, but his possessive nature leads him to do certain actions to ensure that North is within his vicinity of control, mostly for safety and ensuring North doesn’t run away.

Overall good watch!

It’s a good story plot, but with the explosion of BL dramas it’s makes this drama seem generic. However if this did come out a few years ago, this may have a been a hit. Say what you want about the plot, but the production of this drama is pretty high quality, it adapted from the novel pretty well and the procession of the story was natural with zero plot wholes. The cast was perfect for each role and the character building was natural, and enough context or background information for viewers to build their own understanding of each character. Definitely recommend as a good watch!

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review is way below, ive added my reaction to each ep first, feel free to skip since it is a mess

Ep 1 wahh this was a really good episode and I already have high hopes from this..
My first impression of the lawyer was that he's very stoic and shit but then later I realized he's too soft and funny AND CLUMSY oh my god (like talking to his plants and all)

i loveee the comedic timing of the dramas.. like him enjoying the view in the mtn and then suddenly it cuts to him being unable to put up a tent goshh too funny if this goes on, I might love it.

Now I am already feeling the chemistry between them. But but but i thought it was strange at first for 2 literal strangers to act like the best of friends.. I mean the way the guy went into the lawyers tent and like slept on his lap was not okay.. so at the beginning I was like I can't really digest that the plot is so convenient like 2 strangers being buddy buddy all of a sudden...but at the end of all clicked, he is actually a con artist, so it's normal for him to act like that w him, he doesn't mean it it's just play pretend so then it was all cleared up and I'm okay with it...

Also the funny comedic timing of his towel falling off
And the best best best thing is that the lawyer is continuously in every fucking frame, serving face.. wtff he is soooooo hottt mannnn.
Oh also I love that symbolism of the green liquid (probably poison) falling into the water which appears whenever the con artist tugs at the lawyer's heartstring...I love that symbolism woahh

Ep 2 1:13 ahhh he is sooooooo cuteee
2:00 fuckkk that facceeeee ahhh
6:53--7:45 soo funny "for the planet"
"Ahh" part a bit convenient but theek hai
9:28 ahhh fuck lawyer is soooo cute his head turn ahhhhh
Ohh my goddddd tht kast sceen altho it wasn't much, it has me soo excited and like ahhh ahh like i literally had to keep it aside and go to the washroom and calm myself down fuckk... An inwas like already? Like their romance era started kready? From the preview, the next ep is gonna be fluffy

Ep 3 beginning 1 minute: what the fuck was that?? " Nante ne" whattt I fucking thought it was real but what was that?
(Side note, I'm really into the lawyer not coz of his looks (altho he is handsome) but like he is so innocent kinda and cute, I don't want the con artist to like fuck him up like don't ruin his life man...and I don't like the con artist coz I don't know his motives and im scared he wd hurt the lawyer or smthin and ruin him)
12:53 ahhh I melted at the lawyer's smile
Ohh my godd that confession was COMPLETELY unexpected just like that outta the blue and lawyers reaction to it was soooo adorable shtttt I'm actually gonna fall for him at this rate... Oh and in the midst of all this fluff they added that potential angst/danger of the other lawyer working on haruto's case..like he sees harito in court mann...but seriously I'm liking this drama I hope it turns out to be well and good

Ep 4 3 07 how is this guy so cutely Dumb and a LAWYER? like he used the oldest trick in the book "it's for my friend"😂😂😂
Okay so this ep was a bit boring with the usual jealousy thing (except the part before the ost)
So he finally accepted he's in love


ep 5 yeah this ep was just okay? it was basivallly him realising that love is a poison and obstruction for him so he tells the con to leave and he does so at once and goes back to the underworld

ep 6 yeah i straight up did not like this episode i mean first of shiba was just too fucking awkward which looked funny but that can be excused coz thats his personality. However, wtf was thst gangster fight scene? fucking cringe. And honestly neither their confession nor the kiss felt like anything.
i have been saying since ep 1 that they have gr8 chemistry but here it didnt feel good at all

now im afraid i might drop this coz stating from now, they are in a relationship already and i usually don't like the aftermath of a couple in a relationship. but lets c.


ep 7 3:13 ahh he is so funny
6:51 haii sore wa kawaii
7:23 mr lawyer, what is that pose??? hahah

***REVIEW***
I have mixed feelings for this drama.
The first 3 episodes of this drama were adorable, intriguing and very good (to say the least)

Since ep 1 this drama was very entertaining. The way it introdced Shiba and the cut off ti the confession scene with a funny voiceover was very nice (mann talk about great comedic timing which was constant throughout the entirety of this series ESPECIALLY the first 3 episoddes)
The chemistry between the two leads was also very good and strong and i couldnt help but ship them.
(side note Ryouma Shiba is hot as fuck and cute as fuck, most of my personal timestamps are just me admiring his handsome-ness)
These eps were filled with cute fluffy moments but at the same time plot development was also going on with Haru being all mysterious.


however, after episode 4 it just went downhill.
i think i found it a little to cringe especially that part where Shiba somehow figured out where Haru is, ran to that place(a must scene in j-dramas), and completely made a fool of himself (not a big deal tho)

Since the first ep, i felt that there is strong chemistry between them but that confession scene did not cut it for me and the kiss?? well simply, no, not good.
I had high expectations from the NC scenes but it did not live upto it. "Maybe it was intentionally made like that due to Shiba's awkward personality." i just brushed it off thinking this but, i (had to) brush off and let go of a lot of things thinking "its just his personality" which i did not appreciate.

Also after ep 4 they had this whole "you are my best partner" "i will always stay by your side" stuff going on. Which (now this is due to my very personal (problematic) opinion and lack of love for people haha i hate myself for it too) is something i can never believe in or feel, or even think its possible, so it jst felt a bit off to me ad i didn't quite like it coz it was "unbelievable" for me.

Then the last few episodes were about this case which was closely connected to both of the lead's past which was meh(?). i meann the court trial itself was a very good scene (individually) bt apart from that everything was just happening too quickly like the pace of the events was too fast (i did watch the last few eps in 2x speed but thats not what we are talking abot here the pace of the events itself was too fast)
But im a bit glad that they wrapped it up quickly coz any longer and i would have dropped it.
Yeah the court case scene and the very last christmas scene of the last ep was nice.
But as i said in my notes from ep 1, it did not live upto my expectations.

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Clunky and heavy handed.

I really did not like the writing of this as much as everyone else. And the further into the drama we got the more obvious that became. From poorly fleshed out background characters who show up when needed and disappear again, to plot holes in the cases, to a disabled character being used as a plot device, to an ending that feels kind of lazy. I mean she literally voices the main theme of the drama like when you write an essay and repeat your topic sentence or whatever. We don't need the lead to tell us this was all about different types of love, we got that without you spelling it out for us. This was not a tightly written masterpiece for me. It felt clunky and relied heavily on making an emotional impact that just didn't resonate with me.

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Intense and Heartbreaking - A Short Chinese Drama That Truly Delivers

Overall Impression [+]

I cried so much while watching this series. It completely pulled me in with just 12 episodes. This short length is rare for a Chinese drama, but the storytelling was spot on. Super strong start. Nothing felt dragged out and it didn't feel cut short either. The pacing was just right. The story kept moving forward and I could hardly stop after I started. (I finished it in just two sittings.)

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Acting [+]

The leads did a great job, but I have to especially praise the FL. Just last week I finished watching her in When Destiny Brings Demon and honestly despised her acting. She was the weakest link in that series, so pretentious and unconvincing. But here... My gosh… is this the same actress? I have nothing to criticize at all. She might not be suited for naive, acting-cute roles like in WDBD, but when it comes to serious drama, she absolutely delivers. She intensified the scenes she was in. It was stressful and heartbreaking to watch her in Twelve Letters. The ML did well too, but it was really the FL who pushed everything over the top and carried most of the weight of the series. (The weakest link in this series is the FL's son.)

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Music [+]

Normally I just give an average score in this area since I don’t consider myself an expert, but the soundtrack here really stood out, especially the ending songs. Some episodes ended with songs that wrenched my heart even more, making me cry harder. The music elevated the emotions perfectly.

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Logic [~]

((spoiler))

As with any time-travel series, the logic is the trickiest part. This one isn’t perfect either. I still have questions about both the beginning and ending, like why and where Yu Zhiyong disappeared to from the post box? Why did Yu Nian still have memories about Shen Cheng? Why did Ye Haitang and Tang Yixun mention Yu Nian as family? How did they know that? These questions were never explained clearly. Still, there weren’t too many logical gaps, and while watching, I was so immersed in the emotional damage from bingeing the series that I was ready to overlook them.

*By the way, I saw some explanation about 4 timelines according to the numbers on the post boxes. That's amazing!

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Production [-]

What I have to criticize, and also the reason I lowered my score, is the unprofessionalism of the production team. In the early episodes, you’ll see the FL took some really dangerous falls. One time she landed on her back against the cement floor, another time her head/temple slammed into a stone step while she was holding a heavy jar, unable to use her arms to soften the impact. These falls looked terrifyingly real, so I searched on Baidu to find out that they were real accidents during filming. Knowing that made me even more uneasy. These kinds of mishaps can cause long-term harm, and the lack of proper safety measures shows how unprofessional the production team was. Any team that puts actors at such risk doesn’t deserve 100% of the actors' effort.

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Twelve Letters left me emotionally drained (= compliment.) It’s rare to find a drama that can deliver such intensity in such a short span and despite its flaws, it’s absolutely worth watching for the emotional impact and the incredible performance. I just don’t think it’s the kind of series that would score high on rewatch value, though, if the audience isn't masochistic enough.

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