Reviews

An exciting and captivating fantasy drama

When a person's fate, destiny, journey, everything is premeditated and planned beforehand itself,the consequences and aftereffects-be positive or negative, that follow in life, is what exactly about Whispers of Fate, in my thoughts.
Tang Lici, the main protagonist, is super cobfident, intelligent, charismatic yet kind person who encounters such a sinisterous plot in his lifetime, and whether he bows to fate or alters it, is exactly what the drama focuses on.
What I like about Tang Lici is that, he never gets his conpanions and friends get hurt, always plans ahead, is empathetic, tries to bring peace to the world.
His journey finally teaches him to let go of obsessions, know the true meaning of life and obtain enlightenment.
Chi Yun, the little brother and Shen Langhun, the perceptive friend are truly impressive. 👍
Sword sect lord Shao, is truly a mentor and a good friend of Tang Lici.
Zhong Chunji, though led astray by her obsessions, finally stood for good.
I liked the little and subtle romance of Tang Lici and Ashei, but it ended abruptly.
Xue Xianzi, Shui Duo Po, Gu Xitan, Cheng Yunpao, Wan Yue Yu Dan, are some other characters worth remembering.
All the antagonist batch are the most annoying and disgusting ones, one can come across.
The costumes were excellent combined with beautiful sets and excellent action sequences.
I think this drama is worth watching for these action scenes and costumes. 💯
All the actors were FANTASTIC in their performances. They really deserve an applause👏💯
Coming to cons, I think the plot could have been written better with much less focus on the flashbacks, though it forms the base of the story.
The characters could be written much better with a potential to develop emotions and relations which could have given this beautiful story a much better outcome. The charaters need not be ended abruptly.
Anyways, its just my opinion.
Finally, it is one of a kind of its drama, which may not be everyone's cup of tea, but surely can be given a chance to see for its emotional journey of the protagonist!!

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nothing

total beschissen es Ende.Lebenszeit Verschwendung 🙄Wer kommt bei der Verfilmung bitte auf so ein ende hätte man das nicht anpassen können? Zuschauer freundlicher . bei dem Ende kommt man sich ja total verarscht vor.wirkt als ob die Serie nicht gut genug ankam und man es schnell zu Ende bringen wollte . werde diese Serie bestimmt kein zweites Mal anschen.schade denn der cast war eigentlich nicht schlecht auch die Kostüme und die Gestaltung der Landschaft und Fantasy Elemente konnten sich durchaus sehen lassen.Aber mit dem Ende der Serie steht und fällt ziemlich viel.und das Ende war schlecht.von mir daher für cast und Design 5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Sterne Story /ende 0 Sterne💢

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The ost OMG???

horror plus bl....
absolute cinema! I had a bit of unresolved issue after pitbabe2 and that joke of a series they made but it seems like the company learnt their lessons. As a novel reader some adjustments were made but I am so loving these adjustments.... like the way I am sat waiting for episode 4 to drop😭😭😭
all I can say is the chemistry and acting leveled up... now this is what they call level up not that thrashy season 2...
anyways I am tuned as fck! I hope it maintains this momentum and I think i will get a kiss from thupsingha today🫣🫣🫣 i am shy...

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Nobody is flawless

People these days can't handle flawed characters, and that's why they hated this drama. From the moment it aired, people kept bashing it, so of course I was discouraged from watching it.

What a mistake would that be if I didn't give it a chance because I enjoyed it and absolutely loved it!

Both Qian xi, and Ying Tao are flawed characters. Qian Xi is selfish. Ying Tao is unhealthily obsessive.

The highschool years showed us how immature and childish they still were. They lived in this bubble, where they thought everything would went well after the grow up. But the college years showed us their development. Ying Tao found out that love isn't easy like in fairytales. Her roommate was a great example of that.

Qian Xi went from the highest top, to the lowest one. His was selfish for telling Ying Tao "Don't forget me." when he knew, he wouldn't see her again. But I believe he wanted at least one person to think of him in his hardest time. I understand that he had a pride, that he didn't want her to see him like this. His mother always wanted him to be perfect, and when you spend years in this illusion, you cannot simply get out of it.

You'll always think, you have to be perfect in order for people to like you, to love you. Otherwise, you're not worthy of them.

Their relationship is toxic, but beautiful. This drama is the proof of it.

Their love surpassed everything bad, and left only the good in their relationship.

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A different kind of review...

I will be focusing on the look and feel of the set + visual concept and voice actors. I will lightly touch on plot + actors. Oh, and of course, the music.

Oh, before I start, this drama grabs you from episode 1. It might very well be the only drama I will finish for 2025. It's good.

Costume design:
The designer is the same person who has done many recent fantasy/historical dramas. You can easily recognize her handiwork in other dramas (Love Between Fairy and Devil, The Princess and the Werewolf, Coroner's Diary, Moonlight Mystique, among many others...). What I like is her attention to detail and the amazing embroidery! The colors are vibrant. Visual impact is amazing, truly a feast for the eyes.

Regarding makeup...there are times I look at Chen Zhe Yuan's eye makeup and it just screams Dylan Wang from Love Between Fairy and Devil. The eyeliner and eye shadow does something all together different to the eyes. Makeup alone makes these male leads complex, haha. Definitely not the "clean boy next door" type.

When this costume designer (Yi Xiao Ya) is involved, you know the expectations and quality of the drama are high.

Art direction:
The art director (Liu Shi Yun) works well with the costume designer. They've collaborated on a two dramas, and both are rated about 8.5. Again, visually amazing. I especially like the use of flowers in the palaces. Many times when I watch the historical dramas, there are a lot of silk screens, hanging silk fabrics, panels, but not a lot of flowers. In some of the shots, there are flowers everywhere! It really adds to the visual impact of the scenes. Again, all the dramas with this art director are well rated (8.1 or higher).

Voice actors:
While some people might look down on dubbing, in Chinese dramas, it is practically a necessity. Most filming takes place in cities that were built to be movie and drama sets. Building an entire set for one drama is not cost effective. Filming on site at historical palaces is not cost effect. Therefore, several dramas are filming literally side by side. It is a city of sets, and these sets are reused. Sometimes they're used at the same time, just in different corners.

There is way too much noise NOT to dub. Thus, actors even dub themselves, like Chen Zhe Yuan. The FL is dubbed by someone else. I heard the FL's original voice. It is a bit to high in pitch. Rest assured, she memorized and said all her lines well! That's why it could then be dubbed well. It is clear what she is saying, so then the voice actor can match her easily.

WU TAO. Wu Tao is one of my favorite voice actors. In the radio drama community, he's better known as Unlucky Death. He plays Gu Fei in Sa Ye, Yu Fan in Wait For Me After School, Gu Jiu Si in the audio drama version of Destined, and so many other characters. Wu Tao dubs for Chen He Yi (Xia Jing Shi)!!! I kept finding myself drawn toward this character, knowing he's one of the antagonists. Why? Why??? Why????? So I looked at the complete list of cast and crew and realized his voice was drawing me in. I'm a bit of a voice con, heh heh heh. Anyway, so now whenever Xia Jing Shi has lines, I find myself closing my eyes just to listen to the voice alone. Sad, cuz Chen He Yi is quite handsome, haha. But, Wu Tao's voice needs no visuals.

Here's a plug for other voice actors that I like: Wen Sen (seriously, listening to him talk is pure ASMR), Yuan Ming Zhe (and this guy has an amazing singing voice too!!!!!! *whimper*), Ling Fei (he has the most amazing deep voice! The timbre is just...sigh. Paired with a good BGM, my mind drifts into fantasy land), Ma Zheng Yang (this guy is so prolific! He has this clarity to his voice that commands attention)

Drama vs. the book:
The drama and the book are at best remotely related, lol. Okay, I'm on chapter 17 of the book and so far, other than names being the same, practically everything is different. Everything. The book feels like it's going down the route of Taming of the Shrew. There is practically nothing to like about Fu Yi Xiao for the first 17 chapters. And where's the amnesia???? It is so central to the plot of the drama but completely absent from the book, lol. I read almost 30 chapters and then dropped it. Not worth my time, would not recommend it.

Actors/characters:
Chen Zhe Yuan. Yeah, I wish I could be his godmother or something.
Chen He Yi is good looking in the drama.
Ding Jia Wen. I just want to pinch his cheeks, he's so cute!
The Princess of Susha is particularly annoying. She's actually more like Fu Yi Xiao in the book. Scary thought. Like I said, Fu Yi Xiao in the first 17 chapters of the book is super annoying. The princess, on the other hand, seems to have a better head on her shoulders.
Ling Xue Ying isn't even a doctor in the book. Lol! Her character in the drama is also much better than the book counterpart.

Music:
AMAZING!!! Lars Huang sings one of the songs (Surging Waves) and it's my new favorite song for now.

The other 3 songs are also very good and fitting. They add so much to the drama.

Okay, done!

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chasing the dream

So let's get this out of the way, Yes the age gap is considered against society. Yes it's a power imbalance and yes it's messed up.
But does the story make up for it?
Well...

The main problem with this show is the side romance is miles above the main story. Arimura does a fantastic job portraying the emotions that should be present... But the script and character moments do nothing to help out the situation. Honestly the chemistry between Suenaga and Kuroiwa was right from the beginning was nonsensical. Sudden young love happens in real life but this one felt like there was no real build up between both of them. It was just Akira mainly doing all the chasing with Suenaga only relenting after she realized she liked him too. But all we really had with those sorts of interactions were long stares and the occasional pull aways. It didn't feel like they were amounting to much of anything. I was actually kinda annoyed about how it played out.

When they got together, it felt really hollow. Like Suenaga really had no reason to like him other then him saying he liked her and him staring at her all the time. I just didn't feel the mutual romance. So then Suenaga comes off really poorly cause then it's like she only likes him because he showed interest. You can sort of tell there's a spark missing inside Hijiri but it's never expanded upon before anything happens.

It did not help that I didn't think Akira wasn't very well acted. I get he's supposed to be an awkward 15 year old. But every scene he was in, I couldn't believe him at all. It all felt so stinted and awkward. During scenes where he was chasing her and showing emotions, even then it felt like he was only at 20% of what he could probably do. Sometimes it was comically slow. Kawai her fiance as well was just not present. All I got from him was he was just trying to do the right thing but wouldn't listen. But again no chemistry to begin with. I guess that's the point but it certainly did not do him any favors. I think in all there was only one scene where I felt they were a couple and it was a character moment when they were walking down a street taking about how plain he is. Now the real star of this show however is Haraguchi and Kuroiwa San.

Haraguchi had a deeply nuanced performance. I thought everything about her was easily the better story. She was a strong archetype with many faults but owned up to them. Her love for Kawai was earnest and respectable. She had real good reasons for her love and for her inner feelings all fleshed out through the interactions she faced and it felt like a natural progression. She fell for his whole hearted reliability and unjudgemental attitude towards her. You feel super bad for her when she doesn't get reciprocated but you don't get that for the other characters. Her interactions with every meeting felt like they were important discussions where she was trying to get people to pursue things the right way. She just felt like a person who wanted the best for everyone despite her demeanor.

Kuroiwa San was also a stand out performance . Her feelings and emotions came out as genuine distress and it really carried her interactions. It felt as if she was the real Mom and was looking out for her son's best interest. She also had a great trauma backstory to tie together the characters faults and triumphs. The twist also made it better. You could tell her character arc was of redemption to right the wrongs of the past in her son. Then you get the generational trauma thing and it all fits together.

I also felt really bad for Iwasaki. She got pushed around so much. Yes, what she did was vindictive and also a like selfish but give her a break she's a young teen who had a crush on a boy who didn't reciprocate. There was no good ground for her character to move forward next to realizing she's lost to Suenaga. But the end thankfully she seemed to have moved forward.

The camerawork is really sorta simple. There's some alright compositions but they went crazy with the fisheye allegory. I'm assuming it was meant to show the emotional distance between characters but it was used so much it just became jarring. I'm wondering if the manga used these shots frequently and it was to imitate it? The soft ambient night lighting scenes were good. I liked those ones but daylight scenes needed work. I'm not sure if it was the restoration on Netflix's release but it started to look really green in scenes as if they applied a filter to counter act reddish or yellow tones?

The music was just ok. Uru's end theme is fantastic, but most of Uru's music is. The piano version that is sprinkled throughout was also easy to listen too and does the typical job of playing when something important happens lol. But either then that it wasn't really anything special to talk about.

The story takes a really big swerve in the middle. It was welcome change of pace. I would of liked that to have been the main story as the forbidden romance became less a thing and the aftermath became was much more interesting then the original plot. The Tachibana family story in particular
seemed to have taken over the majority of the second half. I was invested in that one. The blackmailing against Suenaga was an interesting topic to pull with the mother's backstory.

The second half of the series had a much better plot play out and fleshed out the motivations better.. however I still thought to myself that Hijiri's motivations and actions had no real logistical reasonings. Like her character arc was good, but it was very difficult to think of what actions that led her there. For being the main character I felt like we are made to feel bad for her. But there's no backstory to really put her there. She just sorta exists to be a plot device. By the end too they were just throwing in random swerves like the ending of episode 11 was so late in the show. That's where I feel this series lost me. I enjoyed the ending but it's hard for me to recommend this.

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A Lone Protector- Tang Lici

Whispers of Fate dives deep into the obsession and inner darkness that every character carries. This isn’t a story where the villain wants to destroy the world “just because.” Instead, it's a battlefield of brilliant manipulators—where both the hero and the villain have their own reasons, wounds, and justifications. The drama shows that in this world, everyone moves from their own darkness, and every emotion has its own truth.

Luo Yunxi once again proves he is unmatched when it comes to layered, morally complex roles. From Runyu to Li ci, he has shown he can embody characters torn between light and shadow—and here too, his expressions, costumes, and even the CGI-enhanced sequences elevate his entire performance. The Feng Liudian characters also stand out visually; their costumes are striking and meticulously designed.

Compared to the so-called Righteous Sword Alliance, Feng Liudian feels richer, clearer, and more honest—even in their evil. The alliance, in contrast, comes across as cowardly and hypocritical. Chi Yun brings a refreshing breath of life into the story with his gentle, pleasant personality, balancing the intensity around him. And everyone in this drama, almost without exception, is obsessed with something—driven to extremes by desire, revenge, ambition, or loyalty. Tang Lici is the perfect example of this consuming obsession.

In the end, the story leaves a quiet moral behind: sometimes, the only way to survive your own fate… is to learn to let go

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CRINGE AND THE CAPTAIN.......

KIND OF OVERRATED CRINGE DRAMA...

​I have a kind of mixed feeling about this drama. I neither liked nor disliked it. The team spirit was good, the romantic moments were cringe, and the games were breathtaking. Though I am not fond of playing video games, the way they played the games was compelling.

​The ML, as a captain of the team, performed well, but he was a clingy boyfriend. He did have good traits, such as being protective, supportive, unbiased, and a role model for the entire team.

​The FL was professionally strong but kind of emotionally weak. She was inspirational as she was the only female esports player.

​The ML and FL as a couple didn't stand out. I would rather prefer them as professional companions.

​I would love to appreciate their entire team. It was their interactions that kept the momentum till the end. They had their own struggles and some mishaps, but they never gave up as a team.

​This drama did point out cyberbullying. They showed how fans could boost up their morale but, at the same time, destroy them.

​The perks of being a popular player were well depicted. This drama didn't only show the pros of being a popular player but also the cons. It showed that the players have a life for themselves, too.


OVERALL: Esports Glory, Romance Failure...😶‍🌫️🚶‍♀️

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Weakest of the Trilogy...Lacks chemistry and execution in Romance and Bromance

Subjective Gut Rating: 7.75

I previously watched “Dashing Youth” until ep 29 a year ago before deciding to drop it. But after watching and loving “Blood River”, it inspired me to pick this back up again to follow the other side of the story. I am not sure if this is a good or bad thing.

Good: I gave “Dashing Youth” a second chance and rewatched it from ep 1.
Bad: I can’t help but compare the two dramas and “Dashing Youth’ failed in comparison (miserably).


Plot/Pacing
The general plot is actually pretty good. Two long lost best friends reunited and fought for their own future and recognition in the pugilistic world. They have different dreams, different backgrounds, different personalities and different paths. But, throughout their journeys, they remain true best friends who are loyal to each other till the end. Along the way, they meet new people who challenge them and/or help them grow. Sounds good right? Technically yes, but the execution was not great. If you have watched “The Blood of Youth”, you know that friendship and camaraderie is the drama’s biggest strength. Each of the main characters/youths has their unique and quirky personalities. I love that group. If you watched “Blood River”, the bromance and friendship between the two male leads, Changhe and Mu Yu, is their biggest selling point. They are always together and trusting each other. But what about “Dashing Youth”? Unfortunately, the first half of the drama focuses on Baili Dong Jun’s journey and the second half focuses on Ye Ding Zhi. They do not have many scenes together as they set off on their own personal journeys. Because of that, it was difficult for me to believe in their tight bond and the foundation is not strong enough for us viewers, to give me that emotional impact when their ideals collide. Additionally, the pacing is slow, especially in the second half. This is also an unfair comparison because I just finished watching “Blood River” and that drama is well-paced and action-packed. There’s too much talking and preachy lectures. The two female leads talk very slowly in the second half. When it came to ep 29, I realized why I dropped it the first time. The romances are not romancing, and I was bored.

Acting
The veterans are great in this drama. They totally outshine the younger crew. Neo Hou and He Yu did fine, but not amazing. Hu Lian Xin and Jiang Zhen Yu are beautiful but boring. My favorite actors are probably Zia Zhi Guang and Bai Shu. Their characters are my favorite. It says a lot when Xia Zhi Guang is in the same screen as Neo Hou and my eyes are on him. I love Bai Shu and his character Prince Lang Ya in this drama, as well as in “Blood River”. Wangyan Luo Rong (as Lei Meng Sha) and the little monk boy provided some comic relief. that little kid is hilarious and whoever dubbed his voice is just as funny. The rest of the young cast is fine. The lesser roles are average or below average, and this is a huge cast. Some of these characters showed up for a brief period of time and then came out again, and I have to think really hard to remember who they are.

Romance
I’ve come to the conclusion that either novelist Zhou Mu Nan sucks at writing romance storylines, or the screenwriters are bad in all 3 dramas of the trilogy. Chemistry is lacking, no matter how good they look together visually. Baili Dong Jun and Yue Yao are boring and have no chemistry. It was fun in the beginning when she was still in her fake identity and actually acts like a cool heroine. But I can’t tell when Baili Dong Jun actually fell in love with her. There’s barely any good romantic interaction except for a few slow-mo fake romantic moments. For the second half of the drama, Yue Yao acts as a sidekick or accessory to the male lead. Where’s the kickass girl in the earlier episodes? Does she have to dress, talk and act all princessy again? The romance between Ye Ding Zhi and Yi Wen Jun should be killing me with all that they have to go through. But all I get are childhood memories when they were soooo little that there could not be any romantic feelings at that age. Even when they reunite, they were together for such a brief period of time (and when Ye Ding Zhi’s identity is still a secret) when there shouldn’t be enough romantic feelings, or foundation built for me to believe the rest of what they had to go through. Having said that, I did cry a little in the last episode because their story is touching. It’s the chemistry and execution that didn’t work for me. Let’s not even talk about Sikong Chang Feng’s supposed romance. Barely there, even though he’s really adorable.

Production
If you are a wuxia fan and want to watch this trilogy, definitely start with “Dashing Youth”, not only because chronologically it makes sense, but because the action scenes are the worst. “Blood River” has far superior fight scenes with and without CGI. “Dashing Youth” relies solely on CGI fights and green screens. A true wuxia fan would be disappointed. But a CGI fan might love it. I do applaud Neo Hou to be the sole main character who uses his own voice. And Neo does that quite often. Is he excellent at it? Not really, but definitely better than Gong Jun in “Blood River”. The costumes and hairstyles are pretty good, but some of the accessories look really crappy. I saw quite a few fake broken swords here and there. Music is played quite often and loud. But I do like two sad songs, 《长风里》(Into the Wind) and《衍爱》(Love), and added that to my Spotify playlist.


I don’t regret taking this back out of my Dropped List and giving it a second chance. I had a fun time checking out the character/relationship maps of “Blood River”, “Dashing Youth” and “The Blood of Youth” from Baidu and figuring out who’s who. But if you are going to pick just one of the dramas to watch in this trilogy, “Dashing Youth” will not be my choice. I’ll pick “The Blood of Youth” for the fun group dynamics and friendship, or “Blood River” for the excellent plot/pacing and fight scenes. Just don’t have any hopes for anything good in the romance department.


Series Watch Order
1) Dashing Youth
2) Blood River
3) The Blood of Youth


Completed: 11/20/2025 Review #644

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A drama with superb chemistry between the leads

After a long time I felt I was hooked onto a drama which was light, romantic with great chemistry between the leads and of course lots of skinship(kisses I mean). The trope is contract marriage, which I love btw, which goes the usual way of FL having to marry to pay off the debt with a condition that she has to give birth to a child before a particular month. The ML has a GF so of course he does not want this marriage. The premise seems outrageous in the beginning but the cute scenes between the leads are too many and somehow I was able to overcome the outrageius idea of a girl ready to sleep with someone to kee p the promise she gave to the ML's Gradnma.
One of the most lovable characters in the drama was Khun Ya.She was cutest,naugtiest grandma I have ever seen. She plots multiple times to make FL and ML sleep with each other...and hits bulls eye at least twice LOL. The ML mother and grandmas relationship is so fuunny.

About the chemistry, the ML lead was like one adorable puppy after certain episode especially the scenes he s jealous. The FL is sucha great actor.Can't believe it is one her early lakorns. SHe has the potential to do very well.Also she s bold and has no qualms about kissing.The kisses were a little awkwaed to look at but very relatable

The SFL is anooying to say the least but felt sad for her at the end.

There is this second ML who is a deputy and friend of FL. He pops in everytime to blow the bonkers out of our ML. Those scenes were too good.

Felt that the director,writer always used "medicine applying" as the romanctic premise LOL.Usually it is like heroine falls etc. Here everytime they apply medicine to each other to become romantic with gazes while applying. The medicine location scenes moved from leg, shoulder, back,lip LOL. The "lip" scene makes them kiss.LOL.

Loved all the side character like Meng, Nui . They both were adorable. Loved the doc character. She was the most sensible of all.

Music..there s one song which keeps playing and it grows on you.
Loved the cornfield location. a lot and FLs house.It was beautiful. It is amazing of these ppl are in debt yet live in such big houses.

For me I would want rewatcha ll the romantic scenes again.

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A story that deserved to be told.

Cinderella Closet is a story that I feel deserved to be told in this day and age. I was drawn in by the progressive nature of its story-telling; I initially thought it would just be a straight romance story of a cliche girl that can win over her male crush with the aid of a transwoman, but I was glad it wasn't that. It IS a straight romance, but it went beyond stereotypical gender roles. I've never seen a straight romance between a woman and a cross-dressing man before, so I'm grateful I was able to watch it at least once even if it was short.

What I liked:
- Hikaru's actor is great in his role and I think they casted him perfectly as he is beautiful as both a man and woman. As a bisexual, I was being FED.
- Haruka's actress really did nail the role she was given. Whether or not I liked her expressive nature had nothing to do with the acting as the actress didn't once make me feel like I was watching a stilted performance. I'm certain she did her hardest to portray such an unrealistic personality to the best of her capability.
- The makeup was simple, but pretty.
- The ex coming back to town was not demonized nor a homewrecker.
- Breakup on good terms that wasn't caused by a trashy love interest.
- That the cross-dressing character wasn't pushed to the sidelines and was actually a major role in the story.
- Healthy main leads' relationship that still had a few realistic hiccups (slight jealousy, work taking up personal time, anxiety/awkwardness about getting sexual).
- Proposing with something original and not a generic ring.
- The show looked nice.
- Soundtrack was good.
- Hikaru's makeup and girly voice.
- Haruka's supportive mom.
- Treats femininity as a positive rather than a negative.
- Hikaru's straightforward nature.
- Non-judgmental protagonist.
- Creative mini-fashion show theme idea that I found realistic to win.
- Haruka not being a "traditional" female lead (tall, boy-cut hair, not girly).

What I disliked:
- An over-the-top protagonist that talked too loud.
- Central love interest's jealousy could be annoying at times.
- Prior love interest was going to give a tailored ring to their partner after dating for only a month.
- Time skips; especially near the end.
- Hikaru's family drama was never really addressed/resolved by the end.
- Didn't get to see the wedding scene.
- Not a lot of tension except for a fakeout scene in the last 7 minutes that everyone knew wasn't going to be real anyway.
- The prior love interest showing up again in an ugly suit that doesn't fit him well near the end to spark jealousy with main love interest.
- Leads fall in love super fast.
- Blandest kisses ever. Where was the passion?
- Hikaru is not shown to dress feminine after the relationship is established. Why couldn't he just swap between them?
- Hikaru's pushy co-worker/friend that couldn't stop pursuing him even after having been rejected multiple times.

I liked the central couple and how they didn't feel like a cliche romance pairing. There was something sweet and innocent about two inexperienced people with opposite personalities finding comfort in each other's company. I liked how they were good friends BEFORE they got together. I feel like a lot of romances tend to forget that your love can also be your best friend too. However, most likely due to the short episode length, the couple's love for each other developing as fast it did bothered me. I think there should have been more scenes of their friendship growing before they were visibly pining for each other. I can find it reasonable that they would eventually like each other based on their personalities, though. It makes sense that Haruka would like a person that is honest with her, supports her, and has the confident traits she admires. As for Hikaru, him liking a girl who is earnest and completely nonjudgmental towards him would open his soft heart he tries to deny. But when they got together I found their scenes to be a lot more lackluster compared to before they realized they liked each other. I know that isn't anything new in romance driven stories, but I feel there could have been a lot of content they could've written that just wasn't. I believe Hikaru meeting Haruka's family in their hometown would've been really cute, as well as them trying to mend his complicated relationship with his parents. Unfortunately, that is left unresolved by the end.

As for the cross-dressing element, I genuinely loved it. I loved how beautiful Hikaru was as a woman, and the way the story treated it with respect. Characters were generally accepting of him and he WAS regarded as gorgeous by practically everyone that saw him. He wasn't someone that needed to be "lose" his masculinity either; he is a man and is attracted to women. I loved how they didn't force him to be gay (not that there is anything wrong with gay men that cross-dress!), but rather made him being attracted to women seem normal. His character also related to a theme I loved about the story: being feminine is a POSITIVE trait. So many stories tend to demonize feminine characters (especially men), whilst promoting traditional masculinity. This story didn't resort to that. Haruka wanting to look good for her crush didn't diminish her having a personality that could still be found attractive and her crush didn't ONLY like her just because of her dressing girly. Haruka;s inexperience with makeup and dressing-up had nothing to do with her looking down upon those that do, nor the story trying to demonize the acts either. She was simply someone that never really had the initiative nor help to do so; something I myself can relate to. Women don't have to be on one extreme such as tomboy or ultra girly-girl; they can be in between. The only time I didn't like how they handled it was when they seemed to disregard Hikaru's cross-dressing the moment he started officially dating Haruka. It was lovely when he addressed it directly to Haruka out of fear she might be unattracted or embarrassed of him; to which, she asserted that she loves him regardless of how feminine or masculine he dresses. I just wish they would have shown him dressing up feminine again AFTER that scene at some point. It almost felt like they wanted him to appear more masculine so as not to make it look like a lesbian relationship. Though, everything before that was handled in an appropriate way, so I'll try to overlook it.

This show wasn't a masterpiece nor do I think it ever will be, but it deserved to be made at the time it was. It's shows like this one that I think will help promote diversity and acceptance of people breaking out of gender norms. Pairing an almost tomboy with a cross-dressing comfortable in his sexuality is not a pairing you see everyday, unfortunately. As such, I'm glad they decided to adapt this one and that I could be lucky enough to view it, regardless of any flaws it had. Even though it wasn't explicitly LGBTQ, it still felt like a show that is very welcoming of the community, and for that I appreciate it. So, would I recommend this show? Yes, but don't expect it to be a groundbreaking story that will blow you out of this world. It works best if you view it for what it is: a simple romance that breaks away from gender norms and is heartfelt through and through.

(｡・‧̫・｡).*＊♡

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My 9.5 + / 10 drama! DON'T MISS IT !!

Horror / Supernatural + Historic -- Wonderful Combo !!

As a fan of Horror, Supernatural n Historical genres, I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS DRAMA.

***
The Story is VERY INTERESTING from ep 1 itself.

No Moment of Boredom n No Repetitive content throughout the drama.
Pacing is Apt n Well Maintained.

Cinematography is Awesome.

Direction, Plot, Story Narration, Production, EVERYTHING IS GOOD & RIGHT IN EVERY CATEGORY.

The Horror, Supernatural & Historic elements -- Everything is Right to the Point n is in Right Proportions!

BGM n OST are Good.

The Suspense n Mystery of who the haunting spirit is, who the bad guys are n the Back story of the haunting spirit, are Well Written.
(Initially, suspected every character to be bad n to be helping the spirit, haha)

The scenes of confronting the haunting spirits are directed well.
The suspense n horror effects in these scenes are right to the point.

*** CHARACTERS & ACTORS:
Watched this for the Main lead actors (Kim Ji Hoon, Kim Young Kwang n Sung Jae) but fell in love with FL character n the actress Bo Na :)
Her acting is apt to her role.

The Trio - King, Imugi n Yeo Ri is the BEST n are FUN to watch :)

Bromance of King n Imugi is very Sweet.

Young Kwang as Imugi is very funny n even Sung Jae did well as Imugi.

Love triangle is good for a change, haha (Usually, I don't like love triangles)

Special Mention: Jihoon acted very well in emotional scenes, u can see his pain in his eyes (pain for his family n for the people in his kingdom as a King).

*** ENDING & RATING :
This drama got a Satisfied Ending n a good closure to this story.

Eps 11 to 13 are a bit slow n so My Rating is 9.5,
else could be 10 / 10!

Horror, Supernatural and Historic genre lovers will definitely love this!!

I miss the Trio! :)
Rewatch-worthy!

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