Reviews

Get past the first episode and it's wonderful

I nearly dropped this on the first episode as it was just so ridiculous, but after persevering because I like FLs so much it was really really great. There were some obvious loopholes and silly plots but the chemistry between the leads, particularly the younger leads, was just great. I wish they'd gone through more of a "romantic" phase instead of seemingly going straight into a long term couple, but it was still great and believable.

The internet blogger aspect was new to me and it was interesting and believable the way they weaved that through the story. The people you should hate were indeed hateable (if that ins't a word, it is now :) ). The younger ML was brilliant in his awkwardness and love for her :)

The biggest let down was the translation - which is no fault of the actors and storyline, but iQIYI have clearly just thrown this out to be viewed without any care whatsoever with the subtitles, for example they kept calling one FL purple soup and things like that! and He/She were always wrong, and i could go on and on, it didn't spoil it but would've been better to go in knowing they were going to be wrong. I felt bad for the actors that it hasn't been given any care or promotion by iQIYI because it is really a high production, well acted story.

The 1FL portrayed her mental health breakdown so realistically, you could feel her pain. The other FL was just as great and incredibly likeable.

All in all I gave it a 9.5/10 and would watch it again but probably not for a while.

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Stargazing in the Mountains

Looking back at A Tale of 1000 Stars, it is easy to see why this Thai BL gem remains an absolute masterpiece. From the very beginning, the chemistry between the leads is superb—and finding out later that they actually knew each other before the series completely explains that natural, effortless bond.
The story brilliantly contrasts Tian's harsh awakening to mountain life against his life as a rich, spoiled troublemaker. Watching him transform into a responsible, caring person is one of the most rewarding parts of the series, even if his complete disregard for his new heart (eating spicy food, drinking, and doing heavy manual labor!) had me constantly stressed for him. The local culture, beautiful sceneries, and heartwarming community traditions—like the welcoming blessing event—made it feel like I was right there on the mountain with them.

It's frustrating how situations are handled—especially when the truth is dragged out into the open and privacy is invaded—but it adds a raw, high-stakes emotional weight to the narrative.
I also like the slow-burn romance between Tian and Chief Phupha, it never feels forced or rushed. Their bond deepens as we get to know more about the series. And for the final episode, the pacing is just right; I love thetender cheek rub at the airport.

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Trigger warnings for bullying and implied rape

If this series had been given more time, and they had filled the montage moments with actual substance, then it could have actually been good. As it stands, the subject matter was too heavy, & both the plot and the characters felt underdeveloped. Xing Yao's social anxiety is debilitating & it felt like most of it was swept under the rug after a few words from our main love interest. It didn't feel resolved. It didn't feel like he overcame his trauma. It felt like we were getting to the end of the series, so we needed to resolve it quickly. The whole plot is about him overcoming his trauma to become a professional singer, & his childhood best-friend/crush helping him along the way. It sounded great, but the execution was weak and lacked substance. We also just weren't given enough time with the characters to care about them. I hate everything that Xing Yao went through, but that's not the same as me caring about him. This happens to me a lot when I watch Chinese & Korean BL dramas.

Other problems I had were:
* Too many montages with the same, like 3 songs playing.
* A lot of the background would just be blurred for whatever reason. Marketing maybe?
* Xing Yao has a nice voice, but it would have been nice to hear him sing more than the 1 song.
* The translators use the term "her" instead of him when referring to Xing Yao way too much. I let it go at first, but it started to get distracting.

Honestly, the only thing I liked about the series at all was the acting, which wasn't anything spectacular but wasn't bad, & the chemistry between our MLs, which by Chinese BL standards isn't that bad.

This is far, FAR from the worst thing I've seen, but it's also incredibly forgettable.

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When Lovers Are Forced to Become Enemies

Let me start with a bold statement: I like this one better than Fated Heart. There, I said it. 😂🙈

First of all, if you’re here for Chen Zhe Yuan, congratulations, because this man really knows how to command a screen. His emperor aura is there. My only beef is the dubbed voice. My only complaint is the dubbed voice. If you’re familiar with his real voice, the voice-over might take some time to get used to. And then we have Wu Jin Yan. She might not fit the typical Chinese beauty standard, and yes, you might find yourself distracted by her eyebrows. But having followed her from Story of Yanxi Palace to The Double and now Royal Betrothal, I’ve come to appreciate her particular charm and grown to appreciate her beauty. More importantly, she seems to have a knack for choosing strong, women-centric characters.

What makes Meng Ting Hui compelling is that the drama doesn't simply reward her because she is the emperor’s love interest. Life was never particularly kind to her, and somehow she keeps choosing the harder road. Being a female official during that period was nearly impossible, not to mention she had to constantly fight against a system that was more than happy to use her gender against her. The scene where she was almost assaulted by the thugs genuinely broke my heart because it showed just how easily her enemies could destroy everything she had built simply by attacking her reputation. Of course as the emperor's favoured one, she gets a lot of privileges. But she gets them because she is a capable minister, not because she is the emperor’s woman. She earns her place in court and becomes his blade.

The most interesting thing about this drama for me, though, is its lovers-to-enemies romance. Destiny clearly had other plans for them, but what makes their relationship so fascinating is how unconventional it started. Because seriously, there is no universe where you willingly send the woman you love into the lion’s den, knowingly put her life at risk, and make her your weapon in court. Yet this man did exactly that. And the funniest part? We all knew he was already fascinated by her from the moment they met in that remote desert in the middle of nowhere.

I know the ending has been controversial, but I personally appreciated its realism. The emperor isn't simply a male lead who throws away his responsibilities because he is in love. He loves her, it's obvious, but he is still an emperor. You can see his sincerity in how far he goes to abolish an ancient law that discriminates against ministers. He is constantly forced to choose between his personal happiness and his responsibility as an emperor, and that conflict becomes especially painful during the final five episodes. Their love story may not provide the romantic satisfaction some viewers expect, but I think its lack of conventionality is precisely what makes it memorable. His attempts to balance love and duty are probably what made the ending work for me.

The drama also deserves credit for showing multiple forms of love. There is the tragedy of realizing too late that you loved the right person while spending years choosing the wrong one (Yes, pointing at Zhen Shi Li and the Right Chancellor disgusting romance arc). Then there’s my favorite, the warm and playful relationship between Shen Zi Shu and Yan Fu Zhi, whose love transcends appearance and wealth even though they never receive the grand wedding we were waiting for. And then there is tragic Huang Bo's story, a love that never gets the opportunity to bloom because life gets in the way. These stories suggest that love isn't always about just finding the right person. Sometimes it's about timing, choices, circumstances, and whether life allows two people to stay together.

But if there is one character I would give the biggest appreciation to, it has to be Yan Fu Zhi. Give this character an award. BEST. FRIEND. EVER. Her sisterhood with Meng Ting Hui is one of the strongest emotional elements of the drama. Her loyalty never wavers since episode 1. Fu Zhi believes in her Meng Meng. Even if Meng Ting Hui appears to betray Daning, Fu Zhi's first instinct isn't “she betrayed us.” It's “She must have had a reason.” That level of friendship? I’m weak 😭. The emperor's journey is also marked by the gradual loss of his loyal friends (Yes, only a few survived), which makes his story increasingly bittersweet. Shen Zi Shu's death genuinely broke me, and the whole revival era somehow made me even more emotional. I think the friendship and loyalty is the highlights of the entire drama.

Ultimately, this drama is interesting because it refuses to be typical. If you’re willing to step outside the usual drama formula, give this one a try. It might just expand your drama dictionary.

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Another good Namkoong Min show

I've seen Namkoong Min in "My Dearest", so I know he's had the ability to play a character that can fight really well. Granted, My Dearest is a period piece, so most of his fights there involved swordplay. Here in The Veil, I like the modern fighting using a mix of weapon tactics and hand-to-hand combat. I will say that I was really impressed by how much muscle he put on for this role. And the scar on his face also worked for him. I also felt like he did a really good job acting out a character struggling to regain his memories and dealing with different layers of PTSD.

It was interesting to see him teamed up with Kim Ji Eun again, because they seem to work pretty well together. I'm glad that they didn't try to force a romantic relationship between them. I preferred their professional relationship.

I struggled with the end of the show a bit. I felt like they added unnecessary twists and turns regarding who was behind which tragedy. I also found it difficult to believe that Yoo Je Yi and Baek Mo Sa were Father/Daughter. Even when we learned that he struggled with some type of dissociative identity disorder, in the moments when his true character tried to surface, I didn't really feel that familial connection. Even the death scene, where she was by his side as his light was dimming, his actual character never surfaced, showing the fatherly sentimental love towards his daughter.

Overall, the show was really good. I feel like it could've been 10 episodes instead of 12. They dragged the endgame story out a bit too long.

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SO GOOD I LEFT MY FIRST REVIEW ON THIS SITE (lol)

I simply had to because I found some of the negativity totally egregious LOL.

This genuinely had me kicking my feet and giggling practically the whole timeeeeee; I think this is especially because k-dramas recently haven’t been hitting right? This just had something- I don't know what it is/ how to put it into words but i really liked it. Some criticisms about chemistry had me a bit confused but then again these things are relative so I'd say give it a go if you like mix of comedy, action and adorableness (really liked the characterisation of the FL and the dynamics between her and the ML and just how they interacted with each other- they were so cute).

P.S: And this drama did very well with one of its major plot twists! Very much surprised (in a good way/ in a way that worked well) which is always nice!

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Loved almost every bit of it!

I love almost every part of the story, especially the INSANE chemistry between the two leads. I rated it 9/10 because I feel like something was missing in the last few episodes. I really wish they had shown the scene where Wei Shao returned to Yunjun after the war—especially how he would explain why he chose to save Pangyi instead of his own family.

I also wish they had shown more of ManMan’s devastation after her cousin’s death. Overall, though, the story was really, really good. It had my cortisol levels going up and down the entire time! 😂 I just wish they had shown more scenes of what happened immediately after the war. Those little details would have made the ending feel much more complete.

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Saint John when he should be John Wick

I was super hyped going into this drama. Unbridled justice with a side of controversy? Dope. Asian John Cena dishing out almost superhero levels of pain? Hell yeah. Put it in a school setting like Weak Hero Class or Study Group? You sonovabitch, I'm in!

And don't get me wrong, it was a hell of a ride. It definitely delivers in all those areas and then some. I think the issue is the contradictory messaging between the bulk of the kickassness and the end. Like... you spent 99% of the whole drama bypassing the constraints of the law while justice was out of reach. Filling whole emergency rooms with sieges of cathartic wrath. Then suddenly, at the end, you become Saint John? Where was your benevolence when you were hospitalizing the others? When you were turning the avenging up to 11 only to turn the dial all the way off at the climax. I get what they were going for, but the antagonist did way too much, only to get not even a fraction of the "justice" the other offenders received.

Imagine if John Wick, after all the wreckage and carnage, just lets off the guy who killed his dog. Or a soccer player about to score the winning goal, but he just picks up his ball and goes home. What an unsatisfying let-down.

But with all that said, I hope there is a season 2. Not just for all the badassery but also for a chance of a more fulfilling ending.

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Historically Important, Personally Just Okay

Taken on its own, without factoring in the cultural impact or the censorship controversy that followed, Addicted is a good-but-not-extraordinary drama for me.

The strongest part is the relationship between Gu Hai and Bai Luoyin. Their progression feels natural: they begin as antagonists constantly pranking and irritating each other, gradually become friends, then develop feelings, and eventually become lovers. The chemistry is less about flashy romantic moments and more about how believable they feel together. They often come across like two real people who have developed a genuine connection rather than two actors performing romance.

The story itself is very low-stakes for much of its runtime. Large portions are built around classroom antics, family issues, jealousy, and the slow evolution of their relationship. It is pleasant and easy to watch, and the relationship develops convincingly, but the plot rarely feels especially gripping.

Episode 15 is the major exception. Once Bai Luoyin fully accepts his feelings and actively chooses Gu Hai, the energy changes completely. His decision to initiate intimacy rather than continue resisting Gu Hai gives the relationship a level of confidence and heat that had been missing earlier. That episode finally made me understand why the drama caused such a reaction in 2016.

Watching it now, after seeing much more explicit and emotionally intense BL dramas, Addicted feels remarkably tame for most of its runtime. But understanding the historical context changes how I view it. This was a mainland Chinese drama openly presenting two masculine young men as romantically and sexually interested in each other without disguising the relationship as friendship or brotherhood. In that context, I understand why it became so important to BL audiences and why it still carries such a strong legacy.

As a drama alone, I would probably rate it around 8–8.5. It is well acted, the leads feel natural together, and the relationship develops convincingly, even if the story itself never completely pulled me in.

As a piece of BL history, however, I absolutely understand why Addicted became iconic.

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I Came for the Mafia, Stayed for Thee ?❤️

This drama surprised me honestly 😭

When I started **Peach and Me**, I thought it was going to be a heavy mafia drama. Since Thee comes from a mafia family, I was expecting more action, enemies, family problems, and mafia business. But instead, the drama focused more on the relationships, and I'm actually glad it did.

Thee is a really interesting character for real. At first, he looks like the typical powerful mafia guy, but the more you watch him, the more you realize he's actually funny, clingy, dramatic, and completely weak when it comes to Peach 😂. That's what makes him stand out from a lot of other BL characters.

I also liked Peach more in this season. He isn't just "Thee's husband." We get to see how he handles Thee's personality and how confident he is in their relationship. Their dynamic feels natural and entertaining to watch.

Another thing I really liked was that they didn't focus only on Thee and Peach. They also gave **Mok and Rome** more screen time. That was honestly one of the most interesting parts for me because we got to see a different side of them and understand their relationship better. Before this, they felt more like supporting characters, but here they had their own moments that made me care about them more.

I think that's why this drama worked for me. I went in expecting a mafia story, but what I got was a character-focused story. Instead of showing us mafia fights, it showed us what these couples are like after getting their happy ending.

Looking back, I think Thee's biggest weakness was never the mafia world. It was always Peach 😭❤️ And somehow that ended up being more interesting than any mafia storyline they could have given us.

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Ambiguous Ending

I think it took quite a long time for the illness to be revealed, afterwards, everything seemed really rushed. However, I enjoyed the series and the casting.

Shows that have someone being cruelly dog piled on are hard for me to stomach. That's basically the whole subplot of this series, which makes the rewatchability nil for me. (you have to chose between 1-10 to leave reviews) But I'm glad I watched it.

There were several WTF moments that had me yelling in my room, the metal thumb file scene, the ice scene, the "I'm thirsty" scene, the disinfecting the wound scene, and a few more.... had me horrified and cackling. Idk why they chose to do those things but it was provocative 🤣

The plot is a little choppy and nonsensical in places, but ignoring that worked well for me. 😅

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