Reviews

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

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

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Princess gambit is a mixture of 'The prisoner of beauty' with 'The double'.

Listen, I'm writing this review because the drama does deserve support. It actually has a lot of merit. So hear me out. This show had such high expectations that viewers were too ready to be unforgiving if it missed the mark in any way. The hype up has led viewers to be dismissive and disappointed easily. Then the other issue is, that even though the first 22 episodes or so are interesting and good, the story and writing begins to kind of get ridiculous, over the top or overdone.

First off, let's address the acting. Liu Xui Yi is a great actor and delivers a great and believable performance. He is always fantastic. I really like how he plays this character in this drama. Meng Ziyi does a good job. Could she have done better? Sure, any actor can. But she did actually do a good job and I did enjoy her in this role. All the other actors and their acting were fine as well. Most the characters were interesting. There really wasn't any terrible acting. Just that one ridiculous love affair which was just too ridiculous and gross for me.

Second, the sets and the costumes. Everything was truly beautiful and rich in colour and textures and it all really set a deep and emotional and thrilling vibe. The sets felt new and unique, so they created a fresh world to engage with. The first six or so episodes have been quite stunning and really got us excited for what could come.

I can't remember the music. I think it was average, which is fine.

So what are some of the biggest issues that played into viewers disliking the drama? For one, the main twist in the story which just seemed so over-the-top and random at the same time. I didn't really feel like there was too much filler or fluff. But there was enough clipped scenes which will make scenes seem abrupt or static because the editing seems to be clipping movements or space. I noticed this more with the fight scenes, so they don't feel flued. This is actually a failure to the actors because for viewers it makes it seem like an acting problem but its not necessarily. There are also some minor inconsistencies that occur throughout the drama, but we see this in almost every drama as well. Also some CGI issues here and there.

The story set up did give us interesting characters, some good plot points, and the story had the making for something great! Which is why the writing having fallen short for the end story is so disappointing. We always hope the story will become more interesting and engaging with the end story and when it isn't viewers will naturally blame and dismiss the whole series. Yes, there are a lot of overdone elements like being poisoned or fighting between princes or the revenge of our main ML. That's fine when the viewer still feels like the characters and world are different enough and I did. There are enough variations and directions that are unique to this story for it to not feel like 'this has been done before'. I truly was most disappointed with the last 10 episodes or so especially with the writing and story points they went with and felt the saying 'there is no bad script only bad actors' is not true. I just didn't like, and I think most viewers really didn't like the way things played out in the last 10 episodes or so.

I will say that the pacing was good. It didn't have a lot if dead weight gaps or too much back story-telling. Some minor storyboarding issues, but most dramas have a few. The episodes have good flow for the most part.

We don't need to tear down the actors or the drama. It definitely missed and I'm sure everybody is disappointed. But even still, we are all thankful for the hard work the actors and crew put in so we could have something to watch. This work is grueling, but it doesn't need to be thankless. They really work hard during these dramas whether it turns out to be good or popular or not and for us who sit on our butts doing nothing but watching to be so harsh is not cool.

Honestly, I have rewatched his drama three times now. I skip through the parts that are just ugh and enjoy what is decent. Most of it is actually great. Having now watched 'Love in the Clouds' and 'shadow love' I'm just like, oh sh*t this is actually better than I really gave it credit...because those two...those are bad...like really bad and disappointing.

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size matters

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

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Love is a battlefield, fr

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

Acting:

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

Writing:

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

Chemistry/Romance/Kissing:

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

Music/SFX:

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

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

Now, for some highlights from my notes:

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

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The FL finally gets a character in ep20

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Strong ending, but that's still not how anything works.

Fermat no Ryori is super silly. To be frank, I think it's mostly only worth watching for the Gaku/Kai dynamic or Kai's relationship with his sensei/dad, and if you like food, there are some glimmers of hope in there.

But from episode 1, it's peak silly and doesn't deserve its high rating on MDL whatsoever. You're better off going to watch Nobunaga no Chef or Bon Appetit, Your Majesty. Going off on the heating of the utensils or even doorknobs is absolutely nonsensical and has me cringing out of my skin in secondhand embarrassment. Why in god's name would the mild comfort of a warm utensil matter?? What if I prefer a cold spoon? How silly.

In the drama, the script for certain things is also completely nonsensical. In the drama, it talks about how Gaku used the Maillard reaction without even realizing it, but that is literally just standard browning. ("He doesn't even know about it and he did it!" YEAH... SO DOES EVERYONE? SOBBING) You sound like a complete idiot talking about it like it's a high-level technique of any sort. Whereas in the manga and anime, it was more about *how* Gaku used the Maillard reaction rather than *just* using the Maillard reaction, which is a lot less stupid, but I still think browning the ketchup separately still isn't going to save your Napolitan man. Bon Appetit also commits a similar crime in talking about Maillard reaction in a top-level culinary contest (why are you bringing baby balls to the shark tank?) but the rest of the show is extremely solid, whereas Fermat no Ryori insists on trying to incorporate math into cuisine in a way where the writer sounds like he has no idea what he's talking about. There are a lot of things that don't work whatsoever that if you knew anything about either cooking or math, you would go "......." The math doing *that* much to help his dishes doesn't make any sense nor does it work, lol. It's like far past the realm of believability. Even in the last dish, I was like 'uuhhh this looks incredibly mid and that doesn't sound like it would help enough'. By the end, they've at least wrote in far higher level technique in their dishes with terminology that works.

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

Around episode 7, 34 minutes in, is where Gaku and Kai's relationship dynamic really starts to shine.

The multicultural cast and how everyone eventually does work together to create the ultimate course is fantastic, but sorry chef, monkfish is disgusting 😭 who cares if you got rid of the aroma the texture and taste is still bad LOL (subjective)--the appetizer looked incredible though.

final edit: MASSIVE SPOILERS FOLLOW. Only read if you think you won't watch it! -----So I finished, and the ending was strong. The Kai/Gaku dynamic and story is lovely at the end especially. Gaku offering to make up for Kai's lost sense of taste and for them to cook with each other is so good. What they did at the very end together was--so. so adorable. (lmao do they also live upstairs together like some ridiculous couple? I mean, they were already sort of living together before so LOL...)

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A Rare Combo

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

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

Random Note:

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


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

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

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

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Editing a Mess, Wigs a Bigger Mess

the story itself isn't terrible, but the execution is a mess... the editing feels rookie, the structure is all over the place, and there are wayyyy too many random characters for such a short show. it legit feels like i got dropped straight into season 3 with zero buildup or character development...how am i supposed to care about anyone?

im on episode 6 and will finish it (it's not bad enough to drop), but what a wasted opportunity...

side note: Park Hyung Sik saved this for me, he fits his character well (and is also not too bad on the eyes😋). I think hes story alone would have worked better.... but I doubt we're getting a spin off now 😫

side side note: i really cant get over the wigs! awfullIII... do better lol

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The good parts were great the bad parts dragged

For me the 1st part and last part were the best, they both made me fall in love with our wonderful leads. Sima Jiao is the best and softest lover boy and Tingyan is so relatable and so devoted too. The whole demon realm arc felt like it contained several repeated plot points.
Sima Jiao almost died so many times that I wasn't really affected by all the close calls, it ruined my emotional investment in the drama. I was so sure that no one is ever gonna die because they kept being revived that the stakes never felt like they mattered, I feel robbed of a good cry.

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Great show but... Just want to reinforce what folks said about the ending - WHAT THE HECK?

Good story, check.
Great acting, check.
Decent music, check.
Epic fail ending, check.

What the heck??? I've seen Korean dramas limp to the finish line before, but this was just like getting hit on the head with a shot put ball.

Although this was a really, really good show, it is hard to recommend this given the ending. If they had stuck the landing, this would be a 10 rating drama. As it is I'm pretty bummed at giving it an 8. If they do a second season I'll almost certainly upgrade this to a 10.

Sorry for the dumb sports metaphors, they just kinda came out on their own.

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