This review may contain spoilers
First Impression: Connecting to You
Overall: I'm going to try to rate this against other comedies (even though I wish they had gone a bit more dramatic/serious with the tone). 12 episodes about 25 minutes each. Airing on Connecting to You YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA97yNFVRehg ; GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/8579/connecting-to-you-2026-e01 ; iQIYI https://www.iq.com/album/connecting-to-you-2026-2fbr7b78pud?lang=en_us ; Viki viki.com/tv/41629c-connecting-to-you ; Rakuten TV ; MyVideo and friDayContent Warnings: near suicide (ep 1 skip 2:30-5), bloody nose, child abuse (ep 3 skip 8:45-17:20), manipulation, fight
What I Liked
- unique premise
- different personalities
Room For Improvement
- exposition/world building dump to start
- some of the humor didn't work for me
- unprofessional professor
- hope we see more chemistry soon
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AI Girl Takes a Bold Swing at Love and AI
Me Mind Y took a major creative swing with AI Girl, asking audiences to invest in a romance between a human and a robot — and somehow, it worked. The series delivers standout performances, big questions about love, identity and autonomy, and an ending fans won’t soon forget. But did its storytelling fully match its ambition? Read our full review: https://bit.ly/4gAx5A0Was this review helpful to you?
It got better and better for me
Joy of Life is a much beloved older show (as I write this in 2026), but it actually took me quite a while to get through. I guess I just didn’t enjoy it as much as everyone else, though it grew on me by the end.The protagonist, Fan Xian, is cheeky, irreverent, and smart. He’s kind of a transmigrator except he comes in as a baby, so “born with modern memories” is more accurate. It’s actually all explained later- uncovering this mystery is not the only thing the show is about, but this background underpins a lot of the plot, and is interesting when it does come up. I was pleasantly surprised at how the show handles this “transmigration”, including the way it affects Fan Xian’s attitudes and worldviews.
The thing is, the first 10+ episodes are mostly about Fan Xian obsessing over a girl after meeting her once or twice. Fan Xian only wanting to live his own life, with no great aspirations (despite being in position for it), is kind of relatable- for all of us who can’t be heroes. But being so consumed over a girl he barely knows is something I absolutely cannot relate to. I didn’t even see what is so great about her- she might have been impressive if she were 12 years old, but she isn’t- and I didn’t understand why he thinks she can fill all his emotional voids after seeing her act cute a few times.
Luckily his love life becomes less important as the story progresses. A big part of the plot is about various schemes and counter-schemes, figuring out who is out to get Fan Xian and why. It’s alright to watch, but didn’t stand out to me from all the other shows about power struggles.
Then, in the last 10 or so episodes, I finally started to like the show. It’s still mostly about watching smart people be smart, but for whatever reason, I found the last Beiqi story arc more interesting as I followed the different entanglements. It also has some really touching moments and fascinating reveals which left a strong impression on me.
I also think Fan Xian’s character shines through more towards the end. He’s fairly likeable through the whole show, because in addition to being cheeky and smart, he also has decent levels of kindness and compassion. He doesn’t have a spotless record- still lies and tricks people, for instance- but I think it makes him all the more relatable, like he can’t pull off everything while being perfectly moral too.
But towards the end, we see more of his personal and existential struggles. The music is very good at setting a certain mood and highlighting how weighty events pass through our lives. A lot of scenes left me sighing. I especially love the existential tinge- separated from his love interest, but surrounded by new and interesting characters, Fan Xian is still struggling to define what he wants out of life. His super smartness is not relatable but a lot of his emotions- shown more than told- are. I liked him by the end, and even forgave him for being so obsessed with a random girl at the beginning.
The side characters are not bad; there’s nobody I really love, but some characters grew on me, especially from the last arc. The characters have some fun quirks and details (like Haitang Duoduo can’t be bothered to wear shoes properly) but overall they feel more like real people than a lot of other shows. This might partly be the way they look, though. I love this show’s lack of idol vibes, both in the overall style (eg not oversaturated colors) but also the people styling. People aren’t ugly, they just aren’t always gorgeous, and they’re not wearing overly heavy makeup. They look more like normal people.
The acting is also very good. The expressions really convey lots of meanings and I thought everyone does a great job, from Zhang Ruoyun to the supporting cast. Did I already say how much I like the non-idol vibes? They just all look so real.
The fighting and choreography is quite good, as is the soundtrack that accompanies the fights. Some of the scenery is very pretty, and looks real. For the music, OST/songs aren’t used much, but I really like the background music. It sets the moods very well.
I’m sure there is tons of discourse around this popular drama, but I haven’t read it, so here’s my unresearched opinion. Many of the things that make idol shows idol shows- the excessive focus on looking good at the expense of logic or realism, the heavy makeup and filters, the overdramatic scenes and developments, the posing- are actually things I don’t like. But when I check up recommendations for non-idol shows, I see a lot of gritty, realistic, depressing-looking stuff, while the idol shows offer imaginative settings and fun plots.
What I like most about Joy of Life is that it still has an imaginative plot but without those idol vibes. Add to that the touching moments, great reveals, and existential musings near the end, and I’m left with an overall positive impression of this show. But it might also be that it took me so long to finish that I’ve forgotten how annoyed I was at watching Fan Xian obsess over a random girl for 10+ episodes, and it is also true that I struggled to stay interested in a lot of the political scheming that forms the meat of the show.
ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS
It ends on a cliffhanger. I don’t think this show is standalone- even setting aside the new conflicts introduced at the end, there are still some parts of his backstory that I feel are unexplained (eg where his mom came from, and what's the deal with Wu Zhu). Season 2 took 5 years but is out now, so I guess I’ll head over there.
At the very end they pull out a layer to frame it all as a book with the ML as the author. I wonder why they did that. Personally for me it just created a little extra confusion and annoyance (on top of the annoyance of the cliffhanger).
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This review may contain spoilers
no they did not air this pre-production ass show.
fck watching the playback, am i right? the producers clearly did not give AF. fam, who the fck made this show? seriously.tell me why there was a timeskip after nearly every scene? why was proper transition from one scene to the next non-existent? we go from eating soup to playing basketball. from night time to night time the next day. one minute we are in one room, next we are in another with characters carrying random items they never had. what the f? WHO SIGNED OFF ON THIS?
the acting was okay but by episode five being stone-faced and the being timid gets old fast. the bei luqing character obviously cares but his way of showing it is terrible. he doesn't apologize. he barely speaks. he barely defended xiaofan. he let xiaofan think he moved on for TWO YEARS. he is just a red stadium full of flags. also, why was there even a two year timeskip? the average person's life changes drastically in half a year. their superficial ass "relationship" could not have lasted a two year no contact period 😭
there is AI usage. there are dogs constantly barking in several of the scenes. the intimacy was horrendous. there was rape. the main character is in a perpetual state of humiliation. nearly every scene had a goof. watching a daycare center full of children would have less screw ups 😭 it was like every scene was left on a climax. how tf sway? i have never seen any type of media directed like this. it was just sh't fragmented and then pasted one after the other. was i hallucinating? is this a stylistic choice? whatever it was, i hated it.
i am in the middle of watching this and i do not even know if i should finish it or not. this is horrible.
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weirdly charming, a little spooky, and actually pretty fun
spooky in love has a really fun setup with ghosts, romance and comedy, but what made it work for me was how naturally the characters reacted to the ridiculous situations around them. yeo-ri's life isn't exactly easy when she can see ghosts, and gang-wook getting pulled into that mess leads to some genuinely funny moments. it has a nice balance between the supernatural stuff and the more normal, everyday parts of their lives.the relationship between the leads was probably my favorite part. they don't suddenly become perfect for each other, and i liked watching them slowly get more comfortable and protective of one another. there are also some surprisingly emotional moments underneath all the comedy, which gave the story more heart.
pros:
-fun mix of romance, comedy and supernatural elements.
-the leads' relationship develops naturally.
-good balance between funny and emotional moments.
-yeo-ri's character has more depth than you'd expect.
-entertaining supporting characters.
cons:
-the ghost stories slowly take a backseat to the chaebol drama.
-the plot starts feeling a little stale and predictable.
-the past is revealed in frustrating little pieces.
-the present storyline gets messy and loses focus.
-some supernatural moments feel more like a setup than a real storyline.
overall, i still had a really good time with it because the leads are just so easy to root for, but i can't ignore how much the story started losing focus. the romance kept me watching, but i really wish the ghost storyline had been given the same attention as the chaebol drama.
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a second chance that had me feeling nostalgic
i went into dream to you expecting a cute second-chance romance, but it ended up being more about growing up, losing your dreams and trying to find yourself again. seeing yi jae go from such a passionate girl with big dreams to someone who's completely drained by her adult life was honestly pretty sad.what i liked most was the past and present storyline. their high school friendship and first love felt natural, and seeing how different they became years later made their reunion more interesting. i also liked su bin trying to bring back the version of yi jae who actually enjoyed making films. their chemistry was good, and the nostalgic moments were definitely some of my favorite parts.
pros:
-the story about losing your dreams and finding your passion again had a lot of heart.
-the high school flashbacks had a really nostalgic feeling.
-i liked the message about losing your dreams and finding yourself again.
-both leads had their own struggles, so it wasn't only about romance.
cons:
-some parts of the adult storyline felt unnecessarily slow.
-yi jae could be frustrating because she kept pushing people away instead of communicating.
-some parts of the romance felt predictable.
-a few storylines didn't have as much impact as i hoped they would.
overall, i liked dream to you, but it didn't completely blow me away. it had some genuinely emotional moments and a nice message about dreams, regret and second chances, but the slower pacing and predictable parts kept me from rating it higher. a sweet and nostalgic watch.
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I REALLY DIDN’T EXPECT TO LOVE THIS..
i honestly went into the apartment job without expecting much, but it ended up being such a fun surprise. what sounds like a pretty simple story quickly turns into a mess of residents, corruption, money problems and unexpected situations, and somehow i was actually invested in all of it.what i liked most was the characters. they slowly start feeling like this weird little found family, and i genuinely got attached to them. the comedy was also really fun and never felt too forced, but the drama knew when to get serious too. the mix of comedy, action and suspense worked surprisingly well.
the acting and chemistry were another big plus for me. i especially liked watching the characters slowly change as they got closer to each other. there is romance, and the leads have great chemistry, but don't go into this expecting a full romance drama because it's more of a side story.
my biggest issue was that some parts felt a little repetitive and predictable, and there were definitely moments where i was screaming at the characters to JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER 😭. but honestly, those problems didn't ruin the experience for me.
overall, this was way more entertaining than i expected. it has comedy, action, suspense, found family, corruption and a little romance, and somehow manages to balance most of it pretty well.
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So much Potential
This one gives “Ugly Betty” (US) vibes. The difference lies in the heart of the show America Ferrera is the heart of “Ugly Betty” and Kim Young-kwang is the heart of this one. He carried the entire show and is the reason I kept watching. The female lead is clearly a good actress but the writers gave her no real personality to work with outside of caretaker and secretary. And the comedic relief was given to the Veronica Park character so the FL was just there to move the ML’s story forward.Was this review helpful to you?
Well, I really liked it...
For me, this was a proper Rom-Com. Is it a masterpiece? Absolutely not! Is it a series that will make you smile? Most definitely! This series was fun and a visual treat.Why Our Sticky Love worked for me:
- The Supporting Cast: The S.E.S. ladies (Jang Hye-jin, Cha Cheong-hwa, and Kim Mi-hwa), halmeoni (Kim Young-ok), and coach Hong and his wife (Jeon Bae-soo and Seo Jung-yeon) were all amazing.
- The Cameos: I love a good cameo, and I knew there were going to be some, so I did not look at the cast list before watching the series. Oh, what lovely surprises they were.
- The Scenography: The set design with a carefully chosen color palette was stunning: the turquoise payphone, the colorful table umbrellas and chairs, the brightly colored altar, the tablecloths, the flowers, etc. The wardrobe choices for the ajummas, halmeoni, and all other characters complemented the set palette perfectly. The details in Jang Tae-ha's house gave it that safe and loving feeling that Go Eun-sae needed. The presentation of the food made the dishes very appetizing, but they were also in harmony with the colors in the background.
- The Cinematography: I was mesmerized by the use of beautiful light orbs and auras throughout all 12 episodes. The sunsets and sunrises evoked deep emotions. The oceans and fields were rich in color and serenity.
- The Conclusion: This series is a true Rom-Com, so I cannot spoil it by saying that it had the happiest of endings. It was well developed and full of the romantic and sweet fluff that I love in a proper Rom-Com.
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This review may contain spoilers
Sold, Silenced, and Stuck in a Cycle!!
I don’t really know what to say or where to start, honestly. There is so much to unpack here, but I’m struggling to put it all into the right words.First, let's talk about the setting. The story starts in the 90s and seems to end right before the 2000s. In China, same-sex relationships during that era should certainly not have been seen as normal or openly accepted, so I was quite confused by how casually it was sometimes treated.
They really should have shown us much more of the deep-seated conservativeness and close-mindedness of that period.
On the bright side, the music was great—I loved how it was used at just the right moments. As for the acting, I can't complain; I felt like the cast delivered well.
When it comes to Lu Xiao Fan's family, they are the textbook definition of parents who sacrifice their child's future for their own burdens. I hated the fact that they essentially sold Xiao Fan. At first, when his mother gave him that money before he went to Bei’s place, I thought she might still have a shot at redemption. But as the episodes progressed, I couldn't help but hate his whole family.
If they all believed the eldest son was the most important, they should have put the responsibility on him, not Xiao Fan! Life in the province is undeniably hard, and poverty doesn't help, but to the point of being completely shameless?
Xiao Fan's family is the absolute worst.
And what even happened to Xiao Ping's child? I bet the girl didn't receive any financial help from him—though honestly, that's probably better, since he wouldn't be a good father anyway if he doesn't change.
On the other side, Bei Lu Qing's family—we didn't see nearly enough of them, especially his mother. There are so many "what happened?" questions running through my mind. Like, what happened to Lu Qing's mother after he bought up all those shares (not entirely sure if that's what he did)?
If the Bei family has such massive reputation and power, couldn't they have just used someone of equal social status to step up as Lu Xin's husband?
And Lu Qing's friends? I really don't like them.
They're the type of people who look down on anyone they think doesn't fit their lifestyle. Zi Yang might be the closest to Lu Qing and occasionally helps him out (especially regarding Xiao Fan), but he still speaks ill.
Then there's Lu Qing. To be honest, I just don't understand him.
His character felt overly controlling at times, and I never really saw how he fell for Xiao Fan—was it just the soup?
Or Xiao Fan's inherent kindness?
Let's not forget: Xiao Fan was his sister's husband! Regardless of whether the marriage was just a paper arrangement, Lu Qing shouldn't have started anything with Xiao Fan, and neither should Xiao Fan.
And the total lack of communication? If Lu Qing had just shared all his master plans with Xiao Fan, everything could have worked out smoothly, and we might have actually seen him truly "folded" and devoted to Xiao Fan.
As for Xiao Fan, I couldn't seem to hate him, even when he slowly started reciprocating Lu Qing's kisses and feelings. In fact, I just pity him.
He was never even given the chance by his family to get a proper education. He was so used to being poor, and watching his miserable situation play out across 12 episodes made me feel so bad for him. There wasn't an episode where I didn't desperately hope he'd finally get the happiness he deserved.
He was belittled and shamed like he wasn't even a human being. He was kind-hearted and didn't want to trouble anyone, yet the people around him constantly troubled him to no end!
When the last episode showed that he planned a way out, I thought, Finally, true freedom for him to live the life he deserves. And sure, that might be his own soup shop now, but... did he do all of that just so Lu Qing could track him down?
At first, I couldn't understand why Zhen hung up when Xiao Fan called—I thought maybe they had a falling out. But looking back, maybe it was intentional so Lu Qing could find him, which is ultimately how they traced him.
Am I happy with the ending?
Not totally.
The wedding and them getting back together felt so rushed.
They should have given us at least one or two proper episodes of them actually being together after everything they went through.
And the wedding itself—is that even legally recognized back then? Plus, it seemed like he never even ended up going to France!
As for the chemistry, I'm honestly not sure about that either, because I was too focused on feeling sorry for Xiao Fan. They never really had deep, meaningful conversations—or at least, not any that I can remember.
Their routine felt like a repetitive cycle of kissing, watching each other, cooking, and eating. Maybe some real-world relationships are like that, but narrative-wise, they needed something substance-driven aside from just that.
Ultimately, I'm conflicted about whether I like this show or not. Maybe I was just hoping they'd give us an ending focused on the genuine individual and joint character development of the main leads. And the fact that the mother was casually mentioned right at the end? I literally rolled my eyes watching that scene!
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Very poor screenplay
From Episode 1 all the way to Episode 9, it is basically the same fight between Neen and Ranch’s mom. There is zero character development and almost no progression in the story. The screenplay feels unnecessarily dragged out.
The book has another part where Neen and Ranch reunite after a year and slowly find their way back to each other. That storyline could have added so much depth and emotional development. Instead, the drama has stretched one conflict across nine episodes without giving us much movement.
Honestly, who is going to keep watching a show that feels this stagnant? The writing is just so disappointing.
And Orm and Ling have zero chemistry. Even the kissing scenes feel awkward and unconvincing. Their relationship does not have the emotional connection needed to make those scenes work.
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THE SCRIPT IS TOO CRUEL
This script is too cruelDear X is so unnecessarily cruel with its characters.
What makes it worse is that the story keeps putting innocent people around Ah-jin in situations where they pay the price for her choices.
Exactly, what was the writer thinking, I guess we wanted a change but this is too cruel.
I think the writer was going for “let’s make the female lead morally complex instead of the usual innocent heroine.
There’s a difference between a morally grey character and a character who keeps crossing increasingly horrific lines.
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12 episodes are 11 too many to struggle through Jung Hae-in's performance
I tried. I really tried. I was actually serious about trying to watch this drama. I gave up after 2–3 episodes, then for some reason decided to skim through until episode 10 just to see if it would eventually get interesting. Finally gave up for good.It's supposed to be a short 12-episode drama, yet somehow it felt way too draggy even with 12 episodes. But honestly, the pacing wasn't even the biggest problem. The acting from most of the cast was just so mediocre and predictable that it completely killed any interest in the story.
And Jung Hae-in stands out even more because, how are you supposed to be a badass gangster but somehow revert back to the same socially awkward and emotionally constipated character you always play??
The extreme silence and depressing vibes, that whole ‘I’m pathetic, I’m sorry’ feeling oozing out of him, and the same old tactics...
Silence, staring contests, eye contact that lasts for 10 business days, suddenly grabbing the female lead's hand and dragging her away instead of opening his mouth and communicating like a normal human being. 😂
WHAT IS YOUR MOUTH FOR IF NOT FOR SPEAKING YOUR MIND???
Like bro, you're supposed to be a gangster. Why are you acting like you've never spoken to another human being in your entire life? Where is the intimidation? Where is the confidence? Where is the actual personality??
Idk why so many people on here are bashing her, but the FL seemed like she was actually trying to portray genuine emotions. This direct contrast just made Jung Hae-in's stinky acting stick out like a sore thumb. Instead of feeling like a badass gangster who happens to fall in love, it felt like Jung Hae-in playing Jung Hae-in again, except this time somebody put him in gangster clothes. 😭
At that point I finally quit. Maybe the ending was actually good, who knows. I don't care enough to find out anymore. 😂
It's honestly disappointing when the premise had potential, but the combination of the draggy pacing, predictable performances, and especially Jung Hae-in falling right back into his usual “quiet, awkward, emotionally suffering little man” trope completely killed it for me. This trope, along with many other character/ plot tropes, is repeated throughout so many kdramas now. Kdramas really seem to have gotten way too bloated and way too polished for their own good. The entire industry can't help but release shows like this nowadays.
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Brother-in-lover
I have so many feelings. Firstly, the drama is a bit slow paced but there was enough happening to keep me from keeping it in 1.75x. They also had plenty of couple intimacy so that you can tolerate some annoying characters. If you like toxicity and don't mind miscommunication then you should like this show. It definitely kept me interested enough to binge it. Possibly used AI in some scenes.Chinese BLs have decided that not only are they going to catch up in this genre after decades of censorship but show us just how twisted they can get. The story is of a man from a village who didn't finish school. He is married off to a pregnant woman from a rich family. They pay the village guy's family money for this arrangement. He sets off to live in the city with his wife and her family. His wife has no interest in him but he catches the attention of his brother-in-law who starts crossing boundaries with him and eventually gets fully involved. Every step is problematic. This drama really went for the shock value.
We are introduced to several other characters in the story - the vilage man, Lu Xiao Fan's family (he has a caring mother, an extremely annoying money hungry older brother, an irritating father and a sister who disappears later in the show), as well as the rich brother-in-law, Bei Lu Qing's friends who deal with stocks. Every side character made up for the lack of emotions shown by the two leads.
XiaoFan is essentially acts like a trad wife for LuQing - cooking and bringing him his meals, hanging around him and always avaialable when he wants to have sex. LuQing provides for XiaoFan even though he refuses gifts. They manage to keep their relationship a secret from their families quite well. Also, they don't really communicate.
The drama was watchable and I would have given it a 7 until the end when it became super confusing. I think the subs weren't great. In any case, miscommunication was the highlight of the relationship issue so it was also annoying. But they wanted some drama. Some back story for Bei Lu Qing was also missing.
I wouldn't really recommend it but it can be amusing for the shock value.
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It’s just bitter, where’s the sweetness?
My review is only based on the first episode which I didn’t even finish because I was too annoyed to finish.I don’t like timid and weak characters. This kind of mc is my least favorite. I get he’s from a poor background and he thinks it’s an honor to marry into a rich family but why can’t he see that that family needed him just as much as he needed them? Why act like they are only doing him a favor when he helped them big time too by marrying their daughter?
This is definitely not my cup of tea
I can’t continue watching this
I can’t feel sorry for characters that are sad puppy, punching bags, just because the plot wants them to be so. I can watch a proper angst with a good story not this, whatever this is, it’s definitely not for me.
This is too bad that it makes double helix feel like a masterpiece.
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