Reviews

The momentum slightly changed

All numbers card games are all cleared and the leaves the master face cards.
S1 is definitely more action packed and fast paced.

Now there are fewer games but take longer to complete the objective. Osmosis and Prison game being my favourite.
Prison as it kept you on your toes and shows who you can really trust.
Osmosis as it was another learning point for arisu on what life truly is.

I hated that they had ann trekking through the wood for half the season. He had the potential. He is intelligent and survival skills but wasted it finding civilisation.

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Waste of the Potential

I edited this review after watching the full series.

The concept is supposed to be good. The makeup and costumes are flawless—the cast looks amazing without trying too hard. They clearly invested a lot; the ML alone has at least five different wig styles, lol. But the execution just isn’t there yet. The romantic scenes aren’t sentimental, and the kissing scenes are awkward. Some episodes are so bad and some so good that it feels like they were made by two separate production teams.

The first 20 episodes bored me throughout, but it does get better—so much so that it feels like the second half was directed by a completely different director. But just when everything improves, the last 3 episodes become so horrible that I genuinely wanted to drop the show (after enduring so much already). I absolutely hated the last few episodes.

The biggest problem with the first 25 episodes is the cringiness. The fight choreography, flying capes, and dialogue are all extremely cringe. I couldn’t make myself watch the scene where Wei’s brothers’ wives performed that dance before leaving the house, lol.

It’s also very jumpy. There’s almost no emotional build-up. I don’t know if they were aiming for fast-paced storytelling, but it didn’t work—it still feels slow-burn, slow-paced, and boring, just more jumpy. Honestly, you could skip the first 20 episodes and not miss much. There is never any real emotional build-up. The whole “family doom” plot is supposed to be the main driving force for the leads, but the script barely uses it after a few episodes. After all the torture in jail, I expected some strong emotional development, but it just passes by without impact.

The ML seems to have a small crush on the FL at first, then suddenly—out of nowhere—he becomes madly in love and extremely persistent in just one episode. Him being crazily in love should have been enjoyable to watch, but I just didn’t feel any chemistry. DYX acted well—I was rooting for him. But the FL seems to have zero feelings for the ML, then suddenly at the fake wedding she admits she loves him too, even though they can’t be together. The director should have at least given us something—anything—to ship them before that moment. They had 20 episodes to show even a tiny spark.

The first half also has logic problems. Why does the FL have to be so secretive? Why is the ML so doubtful of her early on, when their parents were killed for the same reason? Shouldn’t they have cooperated easily? But later, they share their secrets about the rebels freely with random acquaintances without hesitation. Also, why did they even need a fake wedding? Did the editors cut explanations out?

Around episodes 29–30, the story becomes really good. The fighting scenes improve, the leads start feeling smart and strategic, and I became invested in their war plans. It becomes fast-paced, intelligent, and fairly realistic. Both leads are steadfast in love—they aren’t the self-sacrificing type. Even if it puts each other at risk, they take that risk together. I loved this part.

Then the last 3 episodes happen, and everything goes downhill. Not because the stupid and evil emperor tries to stop the ML and FL’s love, but because of more logic problems. All the strategies to “rescue” the princess are unnecessary—especially considering they can’t take her back anyway. At this point, Da Sui honestly feels like the villain. They mess up Bei Qi far worse than Bei Qi ever did to them, using dirty and pointless methods. I actually felt bad for Zhao Yue—he’s portrayed as evil, but he’s only “evil” because Da Sui screwed him over. If they truly wanted peace, the princess could have simply asked Zhao Yue to make peace and return the three cities; he was clearly willing to do anything for her. She could have stayed with him, been happy, and governed peacefully. Instead, they chose a path that killed many people. Da Sui’s emperor is way worse than Bei Qi’s. This made me stop rooting for the leads’ cause—they’re doing terrible, pointless things for a horrible emperor while trying to appear self-righteous.

If you’re not a DYX or VS fan and just want to root for the couple, go find a better series. If you still want to watch, skip the first 19 episodes.

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Two Men, One Storm: The Unexpected Pull of To My Shore

Appendix – After Episode 14

Watching up to episode fourteen, *To My Shore* stopped being just a beautifully filmed crush for me and started feeling like sitting with two very real, very damaged people who keep choosing each other in the worst possible ways.

At first, it was easy to float on the smoke and flirtation. Fan Xiao’s voice, the way he leans into Yu Shulang’s space, the pretend coincidences that feel like destiny – all of that still works on a visceral level. But the more the story unfolds, the more it becomes clear that what looked like fate was, in many moments, design. Fan Xiao isn’t just “drawn” to Yu Shulang. He plans, he tests, he interferes. Those dreamy meetings now carry the aftertaste of someone who has never been safely loved trying to build certainty by tightening his grip.

Yu Shulang, too, has shifted for me. In the beginning he read as almost impossibly composed – a man with clean edges and tidy morals. After fourteen episodes, he feels much more breakable. You can see how much of that calm is simply practice: an orphan who learned early that if you keep yourself small and steady enough, you can survive almost anything. Watching him slowly open up, only to realise how much of what he’s standing on was manufactured by Fan Xiao, hurts in a way the early romantic framing doesn’t prepare you for.

And yet, what keeps me invested is that the show never treats either of them as monsters. Fan Xiao is cruel, but his cruelty is legible: a child who watched love fail catastrophically, now terrified of being left behind again, building elaborate ways to make sure people can’t leave. Yu Shulang is kind, but his kindness is not saintly; it comes with tiredness, with anger, with that quiet, tired look of “I thought I was done suffering like this.” They are not tropes so much as two people whose worst habits happen to collide with each other’s softest spots.

By episode fourteen, the tension I once read as deliciously romantic has turned into something more complicated. When Fan Xiao looks at Yu Shulang now, I don’t just see longing. I see guilt, stubbornness, and a fear so old it doesn’t know how to do anything but hold tighter. When Yu Shulang looks back, there’s still that flicker of attraction, but it’s buried under the knowledge of exactly how much was a lie. The show sits in that discomfort and doesn’t rush to soothe it.

For me, that’s where *To My Shore* has quietly grown up. It’s still gorgeous. It still knows how to flirt. But by fourteen episodes in, it’s also honest about how love from wounded people can be selfish, clumsy, and deeply unfair. It’s no longer just a story about two men who “reroute” each other in a poetic sense. It’s about what it costs to change course when your whole survival has been built on never trusting anyone to stay.

As an appendix to my first review, I’d say this: the early episodes made me excited for episode three. Everything up to episode fourteen has made me nervous – in a good way – about how far the show is willing to let these two hurt each other before it dares to talk about healing. It’s still a romance. But now, it’s also a slow, painful study of how hard it is to unlearn the idea that the only way to keep someone is to never let them go.

……….

To My Shore starts like a quiet romance novel that suddenly discovers how to flirt. The first two episodes unfold with a slow, smoky elegance that pulls you in before you realize what’s happening. The dialogue is lush, almost musical, and Fan Xiao’s low, textured voice could convince anyone that gravity is optional. Honestly, half the show feels like a BL audio drama someone accidentally filmed.

The “coincidences” between Fan Xiao and You Shu Lang are anything but. They’re storybook encounters wrapped in fate, like two characters who keep drifting into the same chapter no matter how far apart they begin. Fan Xiao arrives with a teasing edge, poking at You Shu Lang’s overly saintlike calm. But somewhere in episode two, that teasing shifts. The tension turns softer. His gaze stops being a game and starts being a confession he hasn’t said out loud yet.

What makes it compelling is the transparency. Fan Xiao pretending to be lost is probably the least believable lie in the entire show. This man doesn’t lose his way. He chooses it. And what he’s really choosing is You Shu Lang. The directions are just an excuse to get close, to pull this orderly, gentle man into a world that runs on instinct and intensity.

And that contrast is exactly where the magic lives. You Shu Lang moves through life with clean moral lines. Fan Xiao moves like a beautiful storm that refuses to stay outside. When they meet, something shifts. Not dramatically, not loudly. Just a quiet, thrilling imbalance that hints at a love story waiting to tip over.

If these first two episodes are the foundation, then To My Shore is shaping up to be a story about two men who don’t just collide—they reroute each other. It’s about discovering that getting lost can sometimes lead you somewhere you were meant to find.

And yes, episode three cannot arrive fast enough.

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An arranged marriage in pre-war Japan — A Calm Sea… Until the Second Couple Saved the Day

Kind of cute if you can handle hyper extreme self-conscious ocd behaviour and overthinking to an insane degree (which I get was supposed to be comic)A cute, funny and heartwarming story of an arranged marriage in pre-war Japan, with an adorably awkward, reserved and innocent main couple, and an amusingly bantering and witty second couple.Watching them falling in love, bonding and supporting each other was a real pleasure to watch.


“A Calm Sea and Beautiful Days with You” opened with a promising first half that pulled me in with its gentle pacing and emotional setup. The early episodes had an engaging charm, and for a while, I genuinely thought the story would stay steady all the way through.

But as the drama moved into the second half, the momentum softened and the main storyline began to lose its grip. What truly kept me going—and ultimately helped me complete the drama—was the second couple. They brought warmth, chemistry, and a much-needed spark when the main narrative started drifting.

Their presence added life back into the show, and they became the emotional anchor that made the later episodes worth watching.

Overall, this drama had a beautiful start and a memorable supporting romance, even if the main arc couldn’t maintain its initial promise. It’s a calm watch with standout moments thanks to its second couple, who quietly stole the spotlight.

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Promising up to the Middle, Boring towards the End

A modern real estate self-proclaimed queen, Qu Xiao Tan found herself waking up into the body of a timid, constantly bullied illegitimate second daughter of Qu Family, Qu Tan’er, living in a strange land called Dongyue which Qu Xiaotan figured was a different realm and time than her own. After awhile, they found themselves taking turns possessing the physical body every time the other lies. While Qu Tan’er was forced into becoming a spy for the 1st prince who is also her ex-lover, Mo Yihuai, by her family by wedding the 8th prince, Mo Lian Cheng, Qu Xiao Tan was eager to escape the marriage and make a full run for it. Although Mo Liancheng was convinced that the wife he married was a spy for his elder brother, he was somehow interested in the vast difference of personality that his wife appeared to have. Soon enough, he realized he had fallen in love with the lively and strange Qu Xiaotan, and while manoeuvring the court politics together, they realized their souls were entangled in a deeper sense that they couldve ever imagined.

I was reeled into this series solely due to Xing Zhaolin cuz I loved his role as Yue Qi in Princess Agent. Although the story was somewhat interesting all throughout the 3rd quarter of the show, it somehow fell short and plummeted into oblivion of ridiculousness after the fight for the crown prince arc ended. Took me days to finish even an episode after ep 17 or 18. I could no longer handle the cheesiness and clingy, acting cutesy FL after Ep 23 (didnt even finish it). The FL character was doing great for most of the show, though i admit i was kinda of turned off when she started to get super clingy to 8th prince after they professed their love for each other. I realized this is supposed to be a love story, but it is the kind that i cannot really handle. I am more into tough, stubborn kind of female characters, not super clingy hyper cheesy kinds.

I think the FL needs to polish her acting skills too. She looks horrible when trying to portray the demure, soft-hearted Qu Tan’er, which i cant help but rate it as fake. If her version of acting demure means to act sickly, talk very slowly like a 1yo learning to speak, and fall and pass out every chance she gets, then her range of acting is somewhat limited. I can’t stand the weakling Qu Tan’er, and I definitely can’t handle the super clingy Qu Xiaotan even more. Like seriously, the clingy Xiaotan gives me the creeps. I liked the fiesty Xiaotan before she fell in love, too bad her screentime was pretty short.

I honestly felt that the lead actors had chemistry, it’s just that i couldnt handle how the FL was written to be after 3rd quarter of the show. Some might like it, but not me. Sorry Yue Qi, i couldnt finish this even for you. Your FL character just ticks me off every time she speaks when you guys arrived in Liancheng continent. The plot seems extremely ridiculous and riddled with plotholes too. It looks like the screenwriter was trying too hard to immitate love transcension across multiple lifetimes of the xianxia theme, and failed at it.

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Worst picture award

This drama is so stupid. It defies anything resembling common sense. How someone could write such nonsense and get away with it is beyond me. The acting is horrible, the storyline is nonsense and nothing about this is believable. I watched four episodes hoping for the best but I can't continue to torture myself. Good luck to anyone who feels differently. You are entitled to your opinion. Don't get me started on the police investigation. I've never seen such stupidity. It's an insult to the deductive skills detectives should have. How can you make them look so dumb and call that writing? If any one knows a good Philipine series please let me know. This was my first and it has left a bitter taste in my mouth.

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Masterful Tension and Heartfelt Depth

Flower of Evil is a brilliant, gripping thriller that goes beyond just its intricate plot twists. What really sets it apart is its exploration of the complexities of human nature, how love, guilt, and fear shape our decisions and relationships. The chemistry between the leads is electric, particularly in how they navigate the blurred lines between right and wrong. The tension is palpable, but it’s the deep, emotional undercurrent that makes it so compelling. It’s a show that keeps you on the edge of your seat, but also makes you reflect on the darker corners of the human psyche. Highly recommend!

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Plot hole Alarm

This might be the series with the highest amount of plot holes I ever watched and honestly, I don't even know how and why I finished it.

If you plan to watch this one, here are a few warnings for you:
First of all,there's a lot of violence going on in this drama including guns, riding crops and golf clubs in various situations.
Second, there's also a lot of non-consensual sexual stuff happening throughout the whole series.
Third: music choices and timing. Awkward as hell.

The so called plot is basically about two destined people that meet each other by accident without knowing their actual background, and it is filled with almost every trope you can imagine. But especially the last 10 episodes had so many twists and turns that left me speechless- I'm still wondering what (probably illegal) stuff the author was consuming o.O

That being said, no one can blame the actors for not being able to give their all here. Over all, with a noticeably better script and maybe slightly longer episodes,this could have been easily a good show.

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Can't wait for season 2

Honestly!! They should just compile this and release it in theatres — it’s that damn good. The ratings here do absolutely no justice to this drama. It’s a solid 8.5+ banger, one hundred percent. I literally sat in front of my TV and watched the entire thing in a single sitting.

Plot:
Fallen god/supreme immortal — not “fallen” fallen, but sent back to restart his cultivation from absolute zero in Zhou Feiyang’s mortal body, a body that doesn’t even have a dantian. During his time in the mortal realm, he gradually understands the fundamental flaws in his century-long cultivation.

Characters:
Zhou Xi Shao (in Zhou Feiyang’s body):
I loved this ML. His arrogance, aloofness, confidence, and that perfect “I-can’t-care-less” attitude—sprinkled with just the right amount of kindness. And of course, all of this comes from his top-level cultivation. He’s the kind of person you simply cannot ignore, even if he's standing in a crowd.

Chen Qiushui (Fiancée #1):
Airhead-genius, in my opinion. She’s obsessed with superficial talent and completely ignores a person’s genuine character.

Yanran (Fiancée #2):
Beautiful and sweet, but honestly… quite hypocritical.

Bai Zhi (Fiancée #3):
The only fiancée who liked him despite his low cultivation. Respect.

Xiao Ran:
ML’s romantic interest and my favorite FL. She helps him discover the core flaw in his cultivation—truly living up to her title of “Master.”

Pan Luyu absolutely killed it as the ML.

The CGI was amazing, the action scenes were crisp, and my favorite part? The OST. It’s literally stuck in my head on loop right now.

Amazing drama. Desperately waiting for Season 2💕💕💕💕

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This is my first ever review here. This drama was visually stunning, and it had some potential with the acting for the cast they got, the space premise itself is interesting, but the story and message is just... ew.

I could not make it through even the first 10 minutes of the 6th episode.

This drama really seemed promising at first but was ultimately disappointing, in terms of the plot/story/writing and the unrealistic-ness of Gong Ryung "falling in love" with Eve in such a short time. Also, some of the (un)ethical themes in this drama I just couldn't get behind, but maybe that's just my opinion.

The visuals and outerspace premise were the best part. It's sad that the story didn't quite hold up.

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