Reviews

Unexpectedly sweet CP

I watched this drama because of Zhang Lei and quite skeptical about Lin Qiting since they look don't match at glance but it was pleasant surprise, they are quite have chemistry in this drama.

The plot of the daughter traveling back in time to find her parents is quite novel and funny. Actually ML and FL are playing a role-playing game but the daughter misinterpret and travels back to 10 years ago. At that time, FL is a domineering school beauty and ML is a poor, academically gifted but they had no relation at all. But after the daughter appears, they start pretending to be a loving couple SML and SFL were not traditional villain but they bring the comedy for the drama.

The cons is the daughter becomes merely a decorative element on later episode losing the core of the drama.

Still decent watch.

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This is more leans into political drama.

I watched this last year and had this drama on hold for some reason. Decided to watch back and it was decent despite the abrupt ending.

This drama really due gender reversal perfectly Woman Rules while Man obeys.

The logic and details are reasonable, the plot unfolds naturally, and the pacing is tight and smooth. FL is courageous and resourceful, strategizing meticulously, with interconnected schemes, utilizing all available resources, making no wrong moves, and ultimately achieving a successful comeback, not only avenging her family but also reaching the top. Moreover, this drama is not a pseudo-1vN story so there is no kissing or romantic moment between FL and 3 MLs-even though FL created her own harem.

Recommended to watch if you want to watch gender reverse political struggle.

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Exhilirating Ride into the Tombs

The storyline is rather typical where a group of tomb raiders got together to break into undiscovered tombs, each with their own personal agenda. Crisis breaks out when there was suspected snitch among them that served a different powerful authority of nearby population.

Where should I really start? I watched this quite a long time ago but Gao Wei Guang and Xin Zhilei left such a deep impression on me that I kept rummaging for their works. I totally loved Hong Gu Niang character that was a badass all throughout the show. Gao Wei Guang did not disappoint, which is why my eyes were set on him, especially when he has quite a unique face for a Chinese. It’s a wonder he rarely landed many main role projects cuz i really thought he had the full package, looks and talent. I guess it’s a tough world out there and the competition is harsh, where luck definitely plays a huge role.

I totally love the action mechanics of the show, all those cave-ins, bugs obstacles, tomb traps etc managed to keep me at the edge of my seat. The plot doesnt look ridiculous, the mystery is engaging and everyone performed exceptionally well. I have seen many tomb raiding installments but i must say this belongs in the top tier, where there hardly any boring/preachy scenes or awkward sloppy romance forced into the plot.

I was disappointed when the show reached the end - it was too dang short 😭 - and even more disappointed that Zhuge Shao wasnt the main character in any of the other candle in the tomb series. But anyway, it was a worthwhile time spent and honestly I dont mind a rewatch just for a dose of Zhuge Shao and Miss Hong.

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anime is better

I haven't read the manga, so I can't say whether it was a good adaptation or not.

I have however watched the anime, and it has very similar scenes to the anime – almost 1:1 for some, which I liked.

As I've seen the anime, to be honest, I skipped most of the hetero scenes. While I consider the anime to be one of my top 20 animes I've ever watched, since it captured the melancholy and loneliness of love well, which this live action did too, I was never much a fan of the hetero scenes portrayed. So, i did myself a favor and did not go through them again.

The GL scenes were disappointed, though. Much more bold in the anime, here it felt they had to censor most of it. Ecchan's actress was quite good, but Hanabi's actress felt lowkey uncomfortable during their intimate scenes. Which was sort of the point character-wise, but still quite differently portrayed than Hanabi in the anime.

They did show the hetero nude scenes quite a lot and had no problem doing so, so it couldn't be an age issue.
Perhaps it was the director. Akane was also much more bold in the anime, whereas here she seemed more shy.

But just like in the anime, and probably the manga too, I did like the ending. No spoilers, but it was very mature. Nothing I've seen yet in high school dramas.

Recommendation:
- If you want to go deeper into the melancholic vibe, have more boldness of the characters and their choices, and especially the same GL nudity as with the heteros, then watch the anime.
- If you'd rather prefer it to be more subtle, and more "private", then go with the live action drama.
I'd always recommend the anime more, though. (Maybe because of the GL, yes.)

~02.02.2026

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Driven By Chemistry, Heart, and Tropey Non-Tropes!

As a Kdrama watcher for 15 years, I can say that this drama as previous users have mentioned, had a ton of tropes, but despite that the show manages to remain engaging and fun throughout its run, while putting some new spins on classic things we've seen. It's fluffy goodness wrapped in a sizzling hot package of chemistry, and I ate this one up quickly. Jang Kiyong and Ahn Eunjin's acting, along with Ahn Eunjin's mom (Cha Mikyung) in the show were fantastic actors. I think having a basic storyline is okay as long as you're going to do it well---and I much prefer this over contrived uniqueness & completely misleading your viewers or failing at it at this point in my dramaland journey, honestly.

The Good:

Chemistry. Oozing from every scene since the start of the show to its finish. I usually don't like love triangles but somehow the one presented in the show early on made the show more compelling, probably because both male leads were caring human beings and were entertaining to watch in their own right. The angst was something that felt very 2000s and I was here for it.

The Jeju scenes early on were so memorable for me and gosh did they look breathtaking together.

Jang Kiyong's acting here is probably the best I've seen him--I truly felt his care for Go Darim, and his microexpressions whether it was hurt, disappointment, fear, anger--gah. He did them all exceptionally well.

Go Darim's moral compass. Yes there were some moments early on where she may have done morally questionable things, but given her circumstances I do think many people in her shoes would have done the same thing if not worse. And the fact that she felt guilt over it showed us she did have a conscious. Time and time again they showed viewers who GDR was through her actions, presenting them as reasons why Gong Jihyuk fell for her. It felt nostalgic that show had this strong of a moral compass, which many shows these days don't necessarily focus on.

I loved that they represented a SML who was a single dad, you don't often see that in kdrama land. It's usually a single mom FL, and it's the SML/ML that's pining after her. So to see them put a spin on this trope was refreshing and honestly every scene with Jun was adorable--and I don't even care for kids very often in dramas.

Side characters were all entertaining to watch. The ensemble felt cute and relatable. I also thought it was unique that they focused on babies and mothers--a demographic often forgotten in dramaland.

Tone of the show nearly the entire 14 episode run was lighthearted. Even during sad moments, or towards the end where 2 major "sad" events happened that in older dramas or even other contemporary dramas would take 1-2 episodes to resolve, show did within half an episode or less. That I appreciated even though I was annoyed they were added in the first place. I do agree with others that the last twist the writers wrote felt unfair to the audience, so for that I docked points from the story, but honestly the way they tied the story together overall I could accept, and the ending credits' scene was so remarkable and well done it sort of made up for the annoying twists they added in the end.

The Meh:

The villains in this story overall had pretty low-ish stakes considering the ML didn't even care that much about retaining his status in the company from the get-go anyway. Low stakes isn't necessarily a bad thing, I just thought it was funny that show wanted us to care so much about his retention in the company since they painted him to be more free-spirited and independent in the beginning, it just felt more like meddling than actual high stakes. Which is fine because show's tone overall was lighthearted anyway.

All the business stuff in show was kind of whatever, made some logical sense surprisingly, although they brushed past one of the incidents that posed a danger to our ML pretty quickly towards the end. I did like that they showed entrepreneurship and environmental engagement in a good light though--so props to show for that!

SFL took me some warming up to do. It also didn't make complete sense for her to pine after SML for so damn long and so persistently, but I guess homegirl was in love? I did eventually warm up to her and liked her scenes with Jun. But overall I feel like second couple's storyline left a little bit more to be desired towards the end but I'm thinking that was their point, and this "non-trope" actually felt more authentic to the show.

Overall:

This is an easy, breezy show that has intense moments of chemistry which really are its hook, line and sinker. It's not meant to be super deep or share something super new, but the spins it does display are tastefully done and shown in a positive light. This makes show feel like a warm cup of hot cocoa--perfect for its winter release. And sometimes that warm cup becomes hot!

Jang Kiyong's acting was probably the most enjoyable thing about the show, you could tell he had a fun time filming, as did Ahn Eunjin. I'd also love to see Kim Mujun's work in the future. I think he did a fantastic job holding his own against JKY despite being a newer face in the industry. I also would like to shout out Cha Mikyung for her earnest acting, she portrayed GDR's mother very convincingly, and also her takes to GDR's decision-making felt real.

9/10 for me due to the strong acting, tight pacing, and consistent light and warm tone throughout the show. Despite some missteps toward the end of the show, I think it still proves to be comforting and an extremely addicting watch! Would recommend.

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The only thing worthwhile is the FL's personality

The only thing got me hooked to this drama was the female lead's personality, it was so full of life and well written that made me expect what she would do in the next scene, the actress definitely needs a major drama casting, she’s gorgeous! but, as nothings perfect, the male lead in the other hand, insufferable, at some point couldn’t take him anymore, they portrayed him soo unreal that was cringe, I mean, I know they wanted to make a innocent lead and such, but come on.. they made him too weak and shy, at some point I was really pissed off of his choices (not gonna spoil it, but argh, just remembering makes my blood boil).

Anyways, it was a fun ride, definitely worth watch once!

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Moms Know Best

Bi Shennan is a ruthlessly controlling and serious mom, which is a vast contrast to her husband’s character who is carefree and easygoing. While she controls every aspect of her daughter’s life especially education, her husband became the refuge for their only child. Situation escalated when her daughter decided she has had enough, and to make it worse, an old girlfriend of the husband waltzed into the picture. With her marriage and family hanging by the thread, she came to a realization that letting go did not mean to get defeated.

Zhao Wei was my all time favourite actress during my teenage and young adult years and held quite a childhood memory to me, so I was over the moon when I found this last project of hers and it was a huge bonus when it was so dang good. And since i am also a tiger mom when I saw the show, i can totally relate to FL character and stayed rooted for her all the way to the end.

I totally ship ML and FL although their personalities hugely counter each other. The husband was so lovable and cute, which reminds me of Xiao Yanzi from Huanzhu GeGe, while FL was relentless and ruthless, basically she wears the pants in the house. Although she was strict with the child, she was never harsh to the point of being hateful, which was why i could totally relate. Although this might seem over the top in the eyes of a westerner, it is totally normal for asians.

Tong Da Wei was so good as Luo Su that i even looked him up for his past projects and went to look for them. He is definitely a good actor and had a great chemistry with Zhao Wei.

I cried during sad scenes and laughed in comedic ones, so I can say this show is a huge success to me as an audience. And of course i would totally rewatch for Zhao Wei.

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Something was off

Waiting this series felt like forever! It was such a good come back project by Change company. You could see how much attention they payed on details. The places they chose to film where so beautiful. Whoever took over the hunting of sceneries did a great job. Same goes for the prop and make up teams. The ghosts were the MVPs the whole time. I consider the ghost the main character of the show (hope they got payed good enough). She played the role amazingly. I even got some jump scares.

As for the plot, even though there was a story and the mystery over whos the "bad" guy, after all I felt mid season that it was getting a bit tiring and repetitive. Then the last eps got released and they got me hooked immediately. The plot twists shocked me to the point I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. Not having all the episodes available to binge watch the ending was a bit of a torture!

I actually didnt expect it to be focused THAT much on the horror/mystery genre and the romance getting subsided quite a lot (which im not complaining about). Especially from PoohPavel. Their dynamic wasn't the same this time. It felt like something was missing and I think it was the way Poohs character was written. Way too soft golden retriever vibes. I wanted to see him more confident. And pls whoever was on charge over how they made him stand on kissing scenes the result was sometimes cringe! The geometry a body creates is really important on the viewers eyes.

The second couple, MichaelTopten, had an amazing chemistry with a great story. For me, they were the main couple. Michael's visuals this time was top! The hair color (which i got sooo jealous of), the glasses, the outfits. Everything was on point!

My conclusion is that I perhaps would prefer it to maintain the horror title but keep the rest of the relationships in a bromance level. It just makes a bit more sense for me this way. Not all projects should have couples.

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Illogical, Fun, Twisty, Cheesy Romcom! Just Turn off Your Brain and Enjoy!

I'll start by saying that I don't compare any dramas ever especially if they're not in the same genre and their only similarities are the ML and SML being the same actors. I was wondering what this drama was going to be like but since I also go into each one without any expectations so knowing this was a comedy, I just jumped into it and boy, did I have a good time! It was an illogical, fun, twisty, cheesy romcom; just turn off your brain and enjoy!

Pros: So one of my pet peeve's is slapstick humor which I can't stand but here the comedy was as smooth as water on a quiet lake. A girl, our FL or LHE who is basically allergic to romance gets transmigrated into a 1999 vintage romance novel in the middle of her livestream broadcast being against anything love related. Now, what also makes this different from other transmigration series except ADWAD is that we also meet ML or GHM in the first episode and he seems to recognize her though she's got no clue who he is, she's busy bitching at her boss while he's there to buy the entire company. That gave us all room for pause because the entire premise of her going back in time and into a book is to win over a cold CEO and get and accept a marriage proposal from him while also falling in love with him. In the book, GHM has no idea who she is and she tries every trick in as she later called it her 2025 "romance playbook" to get him but he also needed her to get rid of an annoying chick and his toxic father's attempt to arrange a marriage for him. So they for a bit were using each other for their own purposes. She was given missions to grow GHM's fondness for her by some supernatural pager system that gave her rewards or punishments based on how she did but many times those rewards were cheesy as hell and you were just left cracking up and shaking your head. She couldn't reveal the plot of the book to the people in it or change the narrative. Nothing worked until as she summarized herself later upon returning back to 2025, that once she stopped with the tricks and started being sincere, is how she ultimately won his heart and she in turn fell for him. But because she started to care deeply not just for him but the friends around her, she started to not want him to propose so soon or she would have to return; her solitary, career-driven life in 2025, was no longer appealing.

GHM, for his character was great as a CEO because he actually worked hard as opposed to other characters out there in these roles that just walked in and out of rooms and strutted around like peacocks. He wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty so to speak and given the fact that the business he was in was feminine products and diapers, said a lot in 1999 China. He oozed sex appeal; whether he was cold, jealous, grumpy, polished, lazy at home, and especially when he was in love. I was a bit worried that since CXX and WYW had known each other for 16 years, their chemistry wouldn't be believable but I had nothing to worry about, it crackled especially episode 20 and when they did the deed and we got to see him take his shirt off to reveal a masculine body and not a stick figure as we know CXX works out so all the muscles were there without looking super buff with a six pack or anything extra; nice flat stomach works too.

What worked so well for this series is that you laughed at all of the ridiculous happenings because they were funny but in the last episodes when you knew she had to return and after another manipulation by the pager which I'll speak about in the cons, GHM and everyone that had ever seen them together forgot about her or that, as he regained his memories after a near drowning incident, started to put pieces together that she didn't belong in his world and had to leave soon with the proposal, there were a few moments when he cried and we cried too. So it was this rollercoaster of believable emotions. Another thing that worked was that when she returned back to her world, and he had also somehow come back or maybe he was there the whole time (many unanswered questions with this transmigration thing), was that on her way to meet him, she passed his assistant from the book as well as her two friends one who was killed in the book, but alive and well here with her book best friend happily together. So they properly exited out the important characters from the story. We didn't see her book father and sister but assume they should also be part of her world somewhere. Plus though the ending of them together was like two minutes; unlike a lot of these dramas, they got to hug, cry, and kiss. That was so important as opposed to just standing 5 feet apart smiling at each other and roll credits. Honestly, I ffw'd the 2nd couple for a bit but more towards the end they started to grow on me especially during everyone's memory loss, it broke up that whole thing up a bit.

Having been in High School in 1999-2000; a lot of the costumes, technology especially the phones and computers made it nostalgic and fun, though much of their wardrobe kind of reminded me of the late 80's/early 90s with shows like Saved By The Bell and Beverly Hills 90210 lol! But everything was pretty on point with OSTs, locations, sets it being a modern, etc.

Cons: I had a serious problem with the pager system for LHE; it created the unnecessary issues in the book. So LHE couldn't break certain rules or she'd get punished but the system could make her book gold digging ex kidnap her sister and harm GHM so GHM's fondness for her would grow faster. And I'm almost 100% sure the pager wanted to harm GHM by having him push her out of the way when the truck came through only to get hit himself; when he proposed on NYE of the millennium (neither of these scenarios were in the original novel; so why was the system allowed to rewrite the book published for 25 years but LHE would be punished for trying to do the same?) which is why she broke the "cardinal" rule and revealed that she was from the future and they were all just characters in a book after which all the memory of her were wiped. Also pretty sure the system was responsible for a random NPC to jump into the water and bystanders told GHM it was some girl drunk and on the phone and he assumed it was LHE because her phone had cut out just as they started yelling so even though he couldn't swim he jumped in, followed by LHE who was by then told the original girl was pulled out but XL (GHM's assistant) told LHE GHM had jumped and he can't swim which she knows is his trauma so the system created this outlandish way for him to get his memories back by her saving him.

After he got his memories back is when he started piecing together things about her not being from his world. And the system was at it again. First, it told her that she was only supposed to be in the book until the millennium and if she didn't secure a proposal and leave, GHM and his world would collapse. Now it's been at least a month past the millennium so the new deadline was 72 hours and the new threat was that everyone who she cared about, their worlds would collapse. It was ridiculous. But he agreed to her request for the 72 hour proposal because he knew by then she would leave. I really wish the 1999 him told her he loved her before she poofed.

Also how was it that in episode 1 it was February 28th and in episode 24 when she returned, it was the 16th? So she had also traveled back in her own timeline? Does that mean again now on the 28th, he will come to purchase her company now with her as his 2025 girlfriend or fiancée whichever? I have no idea if he had her pager or his own afterwards, because how was he able to see her in the future a few times? And the 2025 him, same guy as we saw in episode one, was this the same one from 1999 or were there two because while she was only able to bring back a note from him from the book, he was able to bring back the pager where it showed their moments on the carousel as well as multiple models of those airplanes. Also it seemed like all of their shots together were taken from a distance and by a third person when the 1999 GHM looked at his camera. I know the director said that the 4 episodes cut by censorship would have explained all of that, instead of someone typing words on a screen making it seem like the 2025 world was possibly a novel too or they were living in a wormhole of space. I wish we got an extra episode to at least explain some of that lol.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely! It makes you giggle and cry and just enjoy all the nostalgic moments. Don't compare apples to oranges but just enjoy each drama as a separate experience!

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Might be the odd one out, but I just really like this one.

This, and "My One and Only" are the two picks I regularly rewatch. IMO, no contest, the best of the adaptations. None of the casting was found wanting. Incredible performance by Yin Yibo ~ exceptional character nuance and detail. He really does about as much as possible with this character. Story is complete and flows so smoothly there's almost a dreamlike quality. Oh... The music gets a 10 for not being annoying.

A lot of subtle reveals amongst the obvious events. It's made clear that, with the marriage cancelled, Shen Nan Zhi's place in the family and social status is considered null. Jiang Jin Nian, the elder brother, is totally protective of that not happening. However, it's shown that he's always been aware of, and caring for Nanzhi; just respectful of roles and boundaries. Although claiming no foundation of feelings, he virtually leaps at the opportunity to marry her. He's returned from abroad, relocated the company headquarters, and embraces the marriage without giving any quarter.

The YouTube link I currently use: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vlejYSGorgk&pp=0gcJCTMBo7VqN5tD.

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I’ve watched a "power" drama that is actually a misery marathon of eating bitterness

I’ve survived watching the FL being beaten, humiliated, undocumented and harassed by another "waste of space" ex-husband while the Male Lead stands around like a statue for 32 episodes at approximately 45 minutes each.
Here is the honest truth: This show is a slow-burn slog of pure misery.
The Problem is the writers think "suffering = character depth." They’ve spent 32 episodes proving she can survive, but almost zero time showing her actually winning.
There is literally no payoff as we continually watch her struggling against those who face no consequences. Also like everybody else, I am a fan of the ML and FL from their time together in Gogo squid but we never get to see the Male Lead show any level of basic human empathy for her bruises and suffering and he remains a "cold strategist" for a massive chunk of the entire show.
The "misery porn" is why my fatigue has set in so early for this drama. Most people recommend Flourished Peony as an "empowerment" story, but they fail to mention that the writers use prolonged victimisation as their only way to create drama.
It is straight-up sadistic from a Western storytelling perspective. To me, it’s pretty demented and perverse. A complete waste of time; to the writers, it’s "character building." You are seeing the ugly side of a genre that fetishises the martyr complex..
it feels pretty disgusting that this show prioritises the virtue of suffering over the logic of survival.
The FL spends most of her time at the graveyard, burying her friends who are systematically killed one by one throughout the drama. Her mercy for these evil doers is not a virtue. It’s just plain stupid.

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