Reviews

This drama is incomplete.

The most important thing to know about this drama:
They never finished it. Midway through season 2 I had a feeling that there was going to need to be a season 3, but I checked MDL and it says 1 season with 24 episodes. So I carried on to S2E12 thinking this was going to be a garbage ending. I kept stopping to check the time remaining, thinking how much they were going to smush into the last 10, 8, 6 minutes...and then that was it. This was not just a dumb ending- it was clearly meant to be the cliffhanger between seasons, they just didn't make the last season. I cannot understand why iQIYI would offer a drama that was unfinished, but I think it is tasteless of them to do so.

The other things I have to say about this drama:
I started this as a filler between more...intense...dramas, and it definitly fit that category. The story was mediocre, and came with a sci-fi twist that I wasn't expecting. Most of the acting was generic, but there were two standouts- Liu Dong Qin and Wang Man Yu. Wang Man Yu's character is the ONLY girl-pretending-to-be-boy character I have seen that has had a grain of realism. Ithought she played her part masterfully (except for that one weird backstage scene). Liu Dong Qin really impressed me with his range, moving from arrogant to sweet to playful to serious and all that's in between. His emotional scenes felt very sincere, and pulled me in to a story I was otherwise just coasting with. I will definitly be looking up both of these actors. The only other actor that drew my attention was Zhou Yan Chen- and that was because the whole time I couldn't get over how much he reminded me of SHINee's Key.
For a story centered on dance, it was pretty polarized for me. Once again, Liu Dong Qin drew my attention, this time with his dance. He either has a gift, or has dedicated a lot of time to master his craft. I thought his dancing in the tunnel scene was very skilled(?) but also very natural. And the dance-off between his character and Yan Chen's was insane! Zhou Yan Chen also danced very well. But the rest provided some of my least favorite dancing to date. The trainees and the diva just looked like they were showing off their bodies, and the FL just looked awkward.

To sum up, I was surprised by this series offering more than I expected and disappointed to not have closure. I cannot recommend it to anyone because of the fatal flaw of fragmentation, which is a disservice to the effort put in by the two standout actors.

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Perfect Comedy and Romance

Its have been a soo long for me since watching a perfect ROMCOM which actually Romcomed. I never watched pondphuwin stuff before this but they are actually soo good in this series they portrayed the characters so well. THEE is kinda character who might be too much if not performed well but pond did such a fantastic job in bringing that character alive it doesn't feel too much. peach is also soo patient with Thee in everything soo far I'm soo much loving this. if you are looking for a GOOD LAUGH and soft romance this is perfect series for you. also can some suggest me pondphuwin other series..

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A compelling age-gap drama.

I'm a big fan of age-gap noona romances, so I was excited to watch this drama. After now completing it, I would say that I found it an enjoyable but flawed drama. In my judgement, it deserves a higher MDL score than what it currently has (7.8), but it certainly isn't the masterpiece that some reviewers suggest that it is.
I found the story to be quite compelling and I really wanted to know where it was heading. I found the character of Ogawa Manami to be entirely believable, but the character of Takamori Taiga less so. Some of the support characters were just walking stereotypes - especially Manami's father (the evil mysoginistic psychologically abusive parent) and her fiancé (the cheating manipulative scheming controlling partner). The later transitions of these two characters from pieces of shit to supportive, upstanding citizens was far too sudden and consequently not really believable. Also, neither of them "earned" their redemptions - they just decided to stop being evil. For some reason, writers struggle to write compelling and emotionally rewarding redemption arcs for characters, which is a shame.
The production was generally of a high standard, but the editing was weird. At times it seemed like random scenes were just shown one after the other, separated by an annoyingly long blackscreen trying to soften the jarring caused by the editing decisions.
One thing that Japanese dramas often get wrong in my opinion is the balance between angst and feel good moments, and this drama suffered from that imbalance. Too much angst, and too few happy, feel-good moments for my taste.
The ending was much less satisying that it could have been. It seemed rushed, and it was disappointing that the writers chose to have Taiga regress so much after we watched such character growth from him. After watching him physically throw Manami out of his room, my advice to her is to leave him. He's immature and volatile. He's also indifferent to her feelings, something that she should be warey of after seeing her sexist father belittle and ignore her mother for years. I love Noona romances, but I NEED the younger male to have (or develop) the maturity to deserve to be with the older woman. In my judgement, Taiga didn't do this and unless he grows up a LOT and quickly, their relationship has little chance of lasting.
My score: 8.5/10

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Coming of age drama with lots of hidden messages. A fun, easy watch.

I honestly enjoyed this drama. It was an easy watch and it was fun watching all the SF members. The characters and acting in the drama were all entertaining. Overall, it was not bad at all!

Its not a romance heavy drama which I enjoyed. And it explored a lot about the main character, U Yeon, understanding herself and the people around her, and gaining confidence to speak up about her feelings and likes/dislikes. The drama starts off pretty simple and you would think that its just a simple, straightforward, cliche teen drama. However, there was a lot of hidden messages and the main characters actually had a lot of depth to them once the drama progresses. We see different sides of the characters and its honestly pretty refreshing to see how well the drama showcases it all.

I enjoyed watching the adult SF members and wished their characters were explored more but they did well for a 12 episode drama. It was entertaining to watch the different perspectives within the drama. That is, young highschool students, university students, and adults. I LOVED how this theme was explored within the drama. It was done so well and meticulously. Oh and I also particularly liked Nam Gi Jeong's character. He was fun to watch and idk he was just written very well. What a loverboy ahha.

Speaking of loverboy, Seon Ho and Geu Rin... THAT KISS IN THE LOUNGE ROOM (i think that's what it was called i don't exactly remember) WAS INSANE. It was SO unexpected. Like okay this is a teen romance drama calm down ToT. Anyway, I thought it was smart to have two different couples. The contrast was done really well. The other couples (or what could've been ig) were also portrayed really well. It made the drama a bit more realistic i.e. the difference in fights and misunderstandings between couples/people of different ages. Overall, the drama did really well in this aspect.

Okay, lastly, one thing I want to nitpick is the ending- hence the 7.5/10. It was so rushed. Like U Yeon's dad was FIRST shown in the end of ep 11 and he just stirs so many things up. And then in ep12, U Yeon introduces Gi Jeong to her parents, her dad chases after her and then what? Absolutely nothing. Her dad is shown to play such a big role in her family but its all just skipped and overlooked. I understand that showing U Yeon and her mom is more important since her mom is one of the main characters, but it just felt unfinished since we see no indication of how their family made up. Her dad also ends up doing a 180 and is doing housework?? Like its all just so random. And her brother? IDK there's just so many things I wished they added. Could've avoided all this by making it a 16 episode drama lol.

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Excellent drama👍story and view really good.
The main cast in this drama really good especially male lead and female lead really good chemistry.
For me So far this is the best drama for this year

Excellent drama👍story and view really good.
The main cast in this drama really good especially male lead and female lead really good chemistry.
For me So far this is the best drama for this year🥰

Excellent drama👍story and view really good.
The main cast in this drama really good especially male lead and female lead really good chemistry.
For me So far this is the best drama for this year🥰

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It was like reading the Novel itself in video form! An absolute master piece ❤️

Where do I start? Let's start by me saying that I pro longed completing this drama for the soul reason of, I didn't want it to end.... I purposely dragged this drama on through months just because I was so inlove with the storyline!
Are there any negatives in this review? Nope! There are things that I would change but nothing major, just little details here and there
Firstly Drama Rating: 1000/10 An Easy 5 Star Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
PLOT: This drama was adapted from a novel so let me just start by saying that watching this drama is like reading the pages of the novel in video format, each episode was so detailed and had so much action and romance in it, everything was well excuted.... Hats off to the writter of this Novel! It made for a beautiful Drama

ROMANCE: All couples have very strong chemistry and are all drop dead gorgeous both men and women! My goodness! Its like they took the most handsoms men and put them in this drama! Talk about eye candy? The men in this drama are nothing short of Tall, Asian, Big Bonned and Handsome!
Main lead couple are walking hopeless romantics! Their sweet words, their need to protect each other and the ones they love were just a joy to see... they often played music for each other which again added to the beautiful romance story between the leads...

MUSIC: One of the best OST I have ever had the pleasure of listening to in all my years of watching Chinese Traditional Dramas! The music in this makes you picture yourself in nature with the one you love, riding horses, playing by the lake, picking flowers in a meadow etc etc... its so calming and romantic! I absolutely love every single song from this drama! Absolutely Amazing! ❤️❤️

ACTING/ VISUAL EFFECTS:
Top tier acting! The fighting scenes were always so cinematic and dramatic leaving us viewers wanting more! The acting of the characters in the drama was phenomenal! A round of applause to them! They did a really great job!

OVERALL: This drama was nothing short of a roller-coaster ride! But it was one hell of a ride and I did enjoy every moment of it... It was beautiful, sad, sweet, upsetting at times (But all that in love and war) its expected! The storyline of this drama flowed really well always leaving us wanting more! Each episode was a ride on its own and they really took their time to show us so many things.... I feel like we got alot of on screen time with main lead couple but besides that everything was paced properly... at times in the drama they would be on high alert for encountering danger and at other times we'd just get to enjoy endless moments of pure bliss and happiness between main lead couple and the main lead couples as well....
I thoroughly enjoyed this drama and I would definitely rewatch this a 100 times over! This is the best Chinese Traditional drama I have ever watched! I wished I could erase my memory and rewatch it again!
That pretty much sums up my review... thanks for taking the time to read ❤️❤️ Do enjoy watching if you're now about to start this drama for the first time.. ❤️❤️

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Weekend Binge Worthy

Wholesome,cute and lighthearted at the beggining and eventually eases you into the much more serious stuff over time.
A comedy gem with an original storyline and jokes.

All the characters are well written and full fledged and none of them are 2 dimensional, most showsgive the main character a deep personality but end up messing the others, but this show does an amazing job at giving each character their full personality without building them just for one purpose to add to the storyline.

Its a show with a really high rewatch value because eventhough the story might not be so unpredictable , the humour lands everytime you watch it and the plot points arent a huge mystery.(its something your average media consumer can figure out and predict)

The OST is amazing both versions of "when tommorow comes" and the other soundtracks are something that could stick in your head

Overall a good watch , HIGHLY reccomend

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A Belief in Safety Pins--To Mend

--Only lightly spoilery--

There's a certain *vibe* to Punks Triangle that makes it such a triumph. It's casual yet intimate.

Smoky nightlife filled with private chats with someone you admire but could never imagine having.

With damn fantastic cinematography and costuming, crazy chemistry and acting, it's a thrilling watch.

But the biggest draw and reason for its success (to me, at least): AE/Enaga.

Never have I truly bought a disguise/second identity before!

It wasn't the appearance so much that sold it. A large hat, wig, and baggy clothes can only do so much.

It was the thorough shift in attitude. Who could put together that their awe-inspiring model with a deadly walk and siren eyes, who knows what he's doing, is also the timid, slouching figure with a slow stride and clumsy hands sitting next to them in class?

And the crazy contrast between the identities of AE and Enaga led to many deeper conflicts and realizations within our leads. AE is as much Enaga as he is AE. As Enaga, he is out of his element away from the runway. He's earnest about making clothes but unconfident and inexperienced. But being AE, he has a spotlight on him wherever he goes. He can't get past the idolization to find something real. And he's afraid of disappointing the person he cares about. Becoming Enaga, he is allowed to be an approachable man. But while he's glad to have met someone who likes the other parts of him he shows in his other identity, he also finds himself jealous of Chiaki's fondness for him as Enaga, his softer side. "Do you like that version of me better?"

Becoming someone else to express other parts of you can be freeing as much as it is a burden. Or it can start as a way to hide; avoid unwanted attention, and then become a prison of your own making later on: I.E., how AE started experimenting with his style in school as a way to avoid being approached, and now all eyes are on him as a model.

I appreciated the conclusion having a subtle merging of AE and Enaga, leading to a flirty yet endearing wrap-up between our leads and an essential realization for Chiaki necessary for them to move forward: "My bias is just a person, after all."

My only real complaint about this drama is that deep down, I wanted an explosion of some kind in the finale! Something to send off all the edging of the audience with a high. A searing kiss or small switch-up of some sort would have sealed the deal perfectly!

But as it stands, I'm still left very satisfied and impressed.

Recommended!

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Not exactly a typical xianxia that you've watched

This is a drama released in a period when every other xianxia had similar troupes of sisters growing jealous or eventually hateful, mother's hating one of their children or at least their partner, all immortals being overly self righteous, one ultimate devil who's the mastermind of a big conspiracy etc.
Now this drama is pretty different from the xianxias released in 2023 or before and stands out even to this day. It has affectionate sisters who never misunderstand each other can can do anything to make the other safe. Generally when one child is favoured, he grows complacent and dislikes the other sibling and that sibling is jealous of the bias given to the other, however that's not the case here. YeTan and QingKui are lovely sisters who bear very different personalities but adore each and respect each other. Even though it's a xianxia, we have a lot of comedy which is another plus. We do not have any hateful lovers either.
YeTan was always mistreated since childhood but she's not resentful. She says she has always wanted to be the greatest Devil of the Void but her acts prove otherwise. She's mischievous but kind and such a character adds a lot of comic relief when paired with her beast friend Man. With both of them onscreen, there's not a single dull moment.
The immortal ml Youqin is not rigid and adapts well. His siblings are pure and do not harbour any jealousy towards him. They are supportive of him till the very end. Di Lanjue has always loved YeTan but he moves on when he has to and does not become hateful. Similarly Wudai loves QingKui but doesn't turn hateful.
QingKui adapts in the Void very well and everyone starts to like her. It was very brave of her to take the initiative of practicing medicine in such a place.
The concept of a blessing misunderstood as a curse is well projected. If a lot of people start to believe that something is very dangerous and can cause mass destruction, nobody can do much about it.
I find the void tyrant more flexible than the heavenly emperor.
The character I hated the most was the heavenly emperor's spy general.

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Fluffy And Cute with a touch of Trauma! Well worth your time! ❤️❤️

I recently finished watching this drama and it was such a beautiful watch.. I think the actors they choose for these roles were soo good.. I absolutely loved the fact that they showed the Single Dad's Pov in this show instead of the typical Single Mom.. this is the first time where I saw two single dad who both suffered the loss of their marriages and mates come together as neighbors and friends to create a family unit for their kids... raising them even though they were going through their own pain as well...
They showed how hard working they were and how much they sacrificed to ensure that these kids grew up lacking nothing...
I also loved the sibbling relationship between them.. there was no love triangle at all... loved this for the main lead couple... the other brother was very much uninterested in female lead and just loved her as a sister...

Male lead Hwang In Yeop is actually one of my favorite male leads to watch in Korean Dramas and he did the role well.. he has so much depth and emotions.. I love his personality in dramas... Their connection was so cute and their was no uncessary prolonging of anything... there were minimal issues in this drama and even the ones that it did have ( Family Stuff ) it wasn't pro longed..... the pacing of this drama was very good and I loved every minute of it....
If you're looking for a Comedy Romance with depth and good pacing... this is for you!
We got everything! Depth In Romance, Comedy, Family Trauma but it made all of them stronger, non biological brother and sister falling inlove is one of my favorite genres hehehe......

OVERALL: FIVE STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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hit or miss I guess

My overall opinion of it is very cringe. I don’t like that the actual reason behind Chiaki aesthetic was just to basically copy AE. That for some reason bugged the crap outta me. Then the fact he has his whole room decorated with AE, stares at this mans face allllll day and can’t put two and two together and see Enaga is AE. Just was very off putting to me. Honestly, I wouldn’t rewatch this and you personally could skip it and wouldn’t be missing out in my opinion. It’s definitely a hit or miss, I guess some love it. Just not my cup of tea. The ending was good tho and I think all the actors were wonderful.

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A culinary series about a coock woman's journey in the 1950s

PLOT: FL, 34, a hotel chef, agrees to marry ML, a 19-year-old student, in place of her sister to save the family's traditional restaurant. He will help her become the head chef there (against the prejudices and customs of the time) and do everything he can to save the restaurant.

+++ Excellent period recreation (sets, costumes, attitudes, etc.).
+++ Beautiful food scenes (with recipe summaries).

The two lead actors have a poker face, and the age gap is a bit difficult to overcome (FL acts almost like a mother).

### The development of feelings is implied, but the romance was never explicit.

=> It's still difficult being a woman, but in that era, it was even worse!!
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Série culinaire sur le parcours d'1 femme dans les années 50

PLOT: La FL, 34 ans, chef ds 1 hôtel, accepte d'épouser à la place de sa sœur, le ML, étudiant de 19 ans, pr sauver le restaurant traditionnel de sa famille. Il va l'aider à devenir Chef ds ce restaurant (contre les préjugés & habitudes de l'époque) et tout faire pr sauver les restau.
+++ Bonne reconstitution de l'époque (décors, costumes, mentalités, etc.).
+++ De belles images de cuisine (avec résumé des recettes)

Les 2 leads actors sont assez poker-face, et le age-gap est un peu difficile à surmonter (la FL se comporte presque comme une mère).
### La romance est sous-entendue, mais jamais rien d'explicite.

=> Cela reste difficile d'être une femme, mais à cette époque, c'était pire !!

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