Reviews

A perfect 10. Hit the play button!

I never thought I’d ever write a review for a vertical drama but here I am.

A feel good, sweet, cute, non toxic, green tea and misunderstandings free show. This was honestly perfection to me. I cried, I giggled and I laughed out loud so many times watching this. Honestly I don’t even know how to review this, I just want y’all to not hesitate to watch.

In my whole year plus of watching vertical dramas, I have never come across one with such great quality; story wise, acting and directing. I think the casting was perfect, especially the ML.

if you’re looking for steamy, this might not be for you. But if you’re looking for a well developed romantic drama, go ahead.

Finally, I wanna applaud the sound team, the song choices were amazing! And the little Easter egg (the rain scene) at the end, wasn’t expecting that haha.

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Vintage melodrama smooth and soft

Watched the first two episodes ,I can feel the tension and awkwardness between the two main characters seeing each other other again. There confusion but interest in each other, love how the two actors are conveying this reuniting.

I will say the loud music over there very intimate scenes is taking me out of it a bit, I almost feel like these moments would hit harder if there was no music or low music. Being able to hear the silence or tension that’s cutting the room between them

The younger verson leads are incredable so far their acting is very natura it's so refreshing
Wait for more episodes

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So far Excellent start

First, Welcome back Song Joong Ki for making a comeback of romance drama. It's been a while. I miss this kind of genre from him. SJK still has "romantic lead magic" that he can make you feel that way, even in these initial episodes. He's almost 40, but my goodness, he just looks like he's in his 20s to me.

So, the first two episodes seem to have had a strong start, laying the groundwork for a compelling, emotional, mature romance that looks back at the past and is a hopeful journey into the future. It's a second chance that delves into the idea of first loves never fading, of how these two characters, despite their different life paths,trying to find a chance for healing and a new beginning.

The chemistry of SJK and CWH seems filled with natural, understated tension and familiarity that makes their reunion feel authentic. The first 2 episodes strategically use flashback scenes to show the characters in their youth, which I think Nam Da-reum and Jeon So-young did a good job. These moments of their first love and innocent interactions during their youth contrast who they were then and who they are now.

With the groundwork of the story well-laid, I cannot wait to see the next episodes, where the story goes next.

I give it 10 out of 10 as I love the foundation of the story and the actors portrayal , plus it's an opening welcome gift rating to SJK's comeback romance drama. But I will definitely use my fair judgement and more critical later on, depending on how the portrayal and the story go.

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The most re watchable, emotional and fun drama to watch!!

I have never been one to rewatch dramas, especially not after I had just finished watching it. But with When destiny brings the demon I rewatched it almost immediately after finishing! I find the beginning 20 episodes really good, because Liao Tingyan is really fun and enjoyable, and also sweet but not too childish (or dumb as it happens with other cute-acting female leads in other dramas) . Of course Sima Jiao is absolutely breathtaking, and he’s a reasonable and logical character with complexities. The combination of her relaxed and unambitious attitude with his serious and suspicious character really makes them an engaging couple to watch. After episode 20 there are some character changes I didn’t like as much anymore, and the ending is also slightly rushed but overall I think it’s 10/10.

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THE WRITING WAS TERRIBLE. And you know what, even the best acting can't make poop smell like roses.

Listen, I'm writing this review because the drama does deserve support. So hear me out. This show had such high expectations that viewers were ready to be forgiving if it missed the mark in some regards. However, due to the biggest problem of the drama, it just left us viewers feeling very unforgiving to all its errors. That big problem -THE WRITING.

First off, let's address the acting. Liu Xui yi is a great actor and delivers a great and believable performance. I really like how he plays this character in this drama. Meng Ziyi does an okay job. Could she have done better? Yes, but her acting was fine and I did enjoy her in this role. I really like Gao Han as well and thought he did great with his character. Fan Jing Wen, who played the sister of Shen Zai Yi, also did a good job and I enjoyed her character as well. All the other actors actually were fine as well. There really wasn't any terrible acting. Just a lot of ridiculous story to act out.

Second, the sets and the costumes. Everything was truly beautiful and rich in colour and textures. The sets felt new and unique, so they created a fresh world to engage with. I can't remember the music. I think it was average, which is fine.

So let's talk about why this drama flopped. THE WRITING WAS TERRIBLE. And you know what, even the best acting can't make poop smell like roses. My biggest issue was the over-the-top plot points and the frivolous story filler. Even for scenes that are good, if you don't storyboard well then the scene will seem abrupt or too scripted for viewers and good acting can't fix that. There was a lot of this issue.

I mentioned in a comment on @scarfie's review that the story had great bones. The set up gave us interesting characters, some good plot points, and the story had the making for something great! Which is why the writing having fallen short is so disappointing. Yes, there are a lot of overdone elements like being poisoned or fighting between princes or the revenge of our main ML. That's fine, but that's why there has to be more that stands out. And the writers just went over the top to try to create something different and it ended up being ridiculous. The saying 'there is no bad script only bad actors' is not true.

I will say that the pacing was okay. It didn't have a lot if dead weight gaps or too much back story-telling.

We don't need to tear down the actors or the drama. It definitely missed and I'm sure everybody is disappointed. But even still, we are all thankful for the hard work the actors and crew put in so we could have something to watch. Liu Xui yi, you are handsome and talented and you did a great job with what you had to work with. Meng Ziyi fighting! I hope you will grow and mature with your acting, I appreciate your effort.

Honestly, I have rewatched his drama twice now. I skip through the parts that are just ugh and enjoy what is decent.

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size matters

this series, more than anything, would benefit from being longer. the base plot here has the potential to be cdrama length. it needs to be fleshed out. i want to know more, i want to dig deeper.
a recast would help. the characters are generally likeable, although very one dimensional (re: need to be fleshed out) but the actors....
the main couple have the least chemistry i've ever seen an on screen couple have. i don't think you can even call it chemistry... algebra maybe. it was genuinely hard at some points to suspend disbelief enough to think these two people would date each other. dennis, both in character and acting, is a whole other can of worms in the worst way.
the ending upset me. deeply. the momentum was there. they threw the whole train off it's track. there was so many better ways to end this series other than basically saying "here, damn. now come up with the rest yourself." just dull and lazy.
despite my complaints, i actually did enjoy watching this series quite a bit. it's short and sweet. minimal commitment, medium reward.

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Love is a battlefield, fr

Do I love and adore dubcon? Not really. Do I pray for an infidelity trope? Absolutely not. But I love good story and this was a pretty damn good story.

Acting:

WOW. Everyone was absolutely amazing in this. Everything just felt so real. It was a pretty raw story that called for some seriously deep emotions and everyone delivered on that tenfold. I was blown away in general. No flaws to be found here in the acting. Just BRAVO.

Writing:

This was painfully real. Like, damn. With the exception of the over-the-top drama trope inclusions like the dubcon intro, the crash, and the attempted mugging, of course. The basic concept to this plot was just so well put together. I’m so surprised I ended up loving this. I honestly expected to hate everyone and call it a day, but this was very well written and executed. There were a couple little things besides the obvious drama tropes that were a bit iffy, but overall I really enjoyed this as a story.

Chemistry/Romance/Kissing:

The chemistry between these two dudes is SO GOOOD. They are amazing, 10/10. This was a surprisingly fantastic romance story. I don’t typically love a realistic fiction type romance (I love a wild tale) but this was very satisfying. The kissing was superb through and through. Loved it, they are fantastic at portraying love and desperation through kissing. BRAVO.

Music/SFX:

Some serious corny drama music in here. Not my favorite, but I can’t complain too much as it is a drama after all. SFX were good throughout.

I’m so happy I ended up giving this series a chance. It did not disappoint whatsoever.

Now, for some highlights from my notes:

- Ya’ll, I’m STRESSED about that #1 infidelity tag going into this, don’t piss me off
- So dub con from 2 minutes in, huh
- My poor baby just tryna get him the man of his dreams awwee
- *I'll be drunk again to feel a little love*
- This is TOXIC TOXIC
- JEEEESUS
- Awwee honey nooo that’s so awful
- NEIGHBORRRRRRSSS????????????
- This is MESSY MESSY
- We really dove right in no pretext, huh
- I already hate it here
- Don’t piss me off
- AHHHHHHHHHH MESSYY TOXIICCC
- Emotional staring contest
- *And I know that he knows I’m unfaithful and it kills him inside to know that I am happy with some other guy*
- *Hey jealousyyyy*
- *Johnny's daddy was takin' him fishin'. when he was eight years old*
- They are so cute, but this is SO MESSYY
- That is pretty tough pill to swallow but you also cheated so like…
- Baby is passive-aggressive posting lmao
- He’s not gonna do it, he’s a coward
- JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJUST BREAK UP YA’LL ARE A MESS
- Boy is a MESS
- Keep. Your. Word.
- COWARD, YOU ARE A COWARD
- *Baby really hurt me, crying in the taxi. He don't wanna know me. Says he made the big mistake of dancing in my storm. Says it was poison*
- Actions speak louder than words, brother
- Obligatory guitar serenade
- Manipulative little shit saying I love you like that
- BRO YOU GOTTA BERAK THINGS OFF OFFICIALLY WITH GIRLY
- I’ve got a bad feeling about this
- CALL BABY RIGHT NOW OR SO HELP ME
- CLEAR THIS UP
- CLEAR IT UP
- GO
- JUST SAY WHAT HAPPENED. WHY ARE WE NOT BLURTING OUT THE TRUTH SO DUMB
- Just. Explain. What. Happened.
- Okay, you got me, there are tears
- Alright, fine. You’re getting a playlist
- Ahh yes, a car crash. Classic.
- Someone literally anyone tell Mark what happened or I’m gonna snap
- That hurt me and Vee fr
- Wait, no… This hurts jesus christ
- I’M GONNA FUCKING LOSE IT TELL HIM OH MY GOD
- I get it, I drove a ‘98 little green Rav 4 in high school and college with a rusted frame that only passed inspection because I knew the auto shop owner personally
- Who is this tall dark and disgusting
- Ya’ll are NOT in the same weight class tho so…
- Bros gonna get Ko’d so quick
- Again, not the same weight class … Like not even close
- Bro thinks he’s Mignon
- How does one fuck up Som Tum tho lmao
- Mark the minxxx
- Lucky you didn't show up 15-30 minutes later, you would’ve gotten quite the show
- Bro is an engineering student, not an aspiring philosopher. Like, relax, he’ll do fine. Also, they both got into the same engineering program
- This went from a drama to a DRAMA real quick lmao
- This better be 30 minutes of fluff for this last episode
- Just tell him you have a job that isn’t odd
- A RIIIING YESSSSSS
- Not the after credits roleplay lmaooo

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The FL finally gets a character in ep20

Since the plot is about travelling back in time, I figured someone has to die in the end for her to return back. So as usual in the past realm its a sad ending but they reunite in the modern world. The plot for the first 20 episodes was really dragged on for very long. At times there were so many episodes of him going out to "work" and she just waits for him doing nothing all day. So its a morning scene and then immediately cut to night.

My understanding of the character is that she thinks she died and is living her afterlife so she is lazy and doesnt want to do anything. At the start it was funny and okay but dragging on the same character without much development for so long became a bit dry. Even after they got together, I was shocked she didnt want to train her powers in case she needed to protect him.

But then in the second half of the drama through a incident finally here character changes and is much more interesting. The ML to me was fine, I feel Chen Feiyu acted his character well as well.

Regarding the plot, it wasnt very interesting and I found myself mostly skipping parts of the villain. I enjoyed the demon era and mortal world realms but I feel like they should have introduced it earlier in the drama.

The CP romance was carrying the show(?) They had good chemistry and I liked some of the lines said by the ML.

Overall its a decent watch but could have been better in the development of characters!

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I take my hat off. Ten out of ten feels far too little. Brilliant.

Watching *This Thriving Land* feels like stepping out of a warm shower and plunging into the deep, cold waters of a lake.

So often we are immersed in the polished, ornamental worlds of most C- or K-dramas. Here, however, we are struck by the raw and unadorned presence of characters—beautiful in the plain fullness of life in an agricultural land of the 1920s and 1930s.

The story begins in 1986 with Madam Xiu Xiu, recalling a past that started in the fifteenth year of the Chinese Republic (1926). On what should have been the happiest day of her life—her marriage to her childhood sweetheart, Fei WenDian—Xiu Xiu, daughter of a wealthy farmer and landowner, is kidnapped by bandits. Her father, Ning Xue Xiang, unwilling to ransom her at the cost of his fields, offers his younger daughter in marriage to Fei WenDian, hoping to buy time.

Deceived by his sister-in-law, another wealthy landowner, and misled by his bride’s father who withholds the truth, Fei WenDian ends up marrying Su Su, for whom he has no affection.

On the verge of disgrace, Xiu Xiu is rescued by DaJiao, a childhood friend who, unknown to her, has long harbored a quiet love. Shattered by her father’s betrayal and abandoned by relatives and her former fiancé’s family, Xiu Xiu consents to a hastily arranged marriage with DaJiao. She cuts all ties with her family and vows never to forgive her father’s lack of love.

So begins her saga of life in the countryside. Coming from wealth, she now faces poverty, hardship, and the harshness of tenant farming. Yet in this unforgiving world of hunger and toil, she also discovers the strength of friendship, the gentleness of a companion, and the profound love for the land itself.

Some viewers may find the story slow at times. But the richness of detail, the careful construction of the characters, and the depth of their intertwined lives deserved to be told fully. To shorten it would have been to diminish its power.

Across more than fifty years of reminiscences, Xiu Xiu carries us through China’s cultural and political transformation—from the Republican era to a Communist society.

Through economic crises, the Japanese invasion, cultural clashes, generational conflicts, personal sacrifices, hunger, grief, and natural disasters, the drama reveals countless changes. Minds shift, forgiveness takes root, lives are born and lost, and the cycle continues.

Among the countless Chinese dramas produced every year, *This Thriving Land* stands out. For me, it is a strong contender for the 2025 awards, meeting every requirement with ease.

A cohesive script, strong direction, brilliant performances, magnificent cinematography, and flawless makeup. The entire cast was excellent, but my special admiration goes to the senior actors—Ni Da Hong as Ning Xue Xiang, Xiu Xiu’s father, and Lin Yong Jian as Feng Er, DaJiao’s father—both of whom were extraordinary.

This is a drama filled with emotion, with a powerful beginning, a compelling middle, and a transformative ending. It moved me deeply at every step.

I discovered it almost by chance, while reading about another show, and learned that *This Thriving Land* was the most-watched drama in China. I found it fascinating that some stories can be so beloved at home and yet remain almost unpublicized abroad. Perhaps some works are so intimately woven into the fabric of a people that they are kept close, like a treasure of the heart.

Still, the world deserves to see this other side of China.

I must admit, my own perspective changed. I carry a new kind of affection after watching it.

It is not a casual drama, nor is it for everyone. But it is necessary for life. It gives new meaning to everything.

I take my hat off. Ten out of ten feels far too little. Brilliant.

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That's not how anything works.

Edit: The only reason to watch this show is Kai/Gaku, lol. around ~34m in episode 7... wow!

This is peak silly. Why is the rating so high? Go watch Nobunaga no Chef instead. Or Shokugeki no Souma. Jesus christ. Like it's utterly nonsensical. Why on earth would the temperature of the fork matter? Or the doorknob??? It's sooooo silly. Kai drums up the Maillard reaction like he's talking about something high-level and complicated... when it's literally just standard browning. "He doesn't even know about it and he did it!" YEAH... SO DOES EVERYONE? SOBBING

Now ep. 6. Why is Ranna's dish supposedly out because it gets worse after time, but Gaku's doesn't? lol. his uses meat. that also gets worse over time. worse, it has custard, so that also makes things soggy, unless he expects everyone to do the three-parter right before they eat (??) which is logistically a ?--it doesn't really make sense. I'm lolling at the faint at the end. The acting is so cheese ham. That's not what a panic attack looks like.

Hirose's diet... he would die only eating gummy bears and supplements, lol.

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A Rare Combo

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

It is very rare to find a BL series that is both super cute and very mature. This script did an incredible job at combining both elements together. Although it’s not perfect, the script was very endearing and addressed some important issues. It’s always very refreshing to watch adult characters act like adults and talk to each other about their problems. This also did a great job slowly giving us the backstory of the main characters. Overall, the relationship development between the main characters had a good pacing with the exception of episode 9. This cast did an incredible job. Although the main leads were cute together, the was one negative aspect that bugged me. The use of cinematography to distinguish Kanade’s negative and positive memories in episode 10 was amazing.

Random Note:

It may not be completely realistic, but it was nice to see very supportive co-workers and family members.


******Potential Spoiler Alert******

The pacing went to a ridiculous speed in episode 9 with Mashiro mentioning they should live together to actually moving in together.

Only exception were the kissing scenes. It is often very common that we get the typical dead fish lip kiss once or maybe twice. However, this series has multiple kissing scenes with this which does not make sense. At least Korean BL series only force the leads to kiss once or twice.

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