Ambitions and Aspirations

I enjoyed watching this drama from the get-go! I found this drama engaging and riveting. I wanted very much to "chase show".

What I liked very much:
- From the start when Chi Yan Nei appeared, I didn't dislike him. He was a petty person. He was a spoilt brat and wanted things his way. He was the "chaebol" in this drama too. He had lots of money to be the "mover and shaker". He and his gang were comic relief. Towards the later part of this drama, Chi Yan Nei became my favourite character and I would laugh out loud at this antics that were childish and yet, quite adorably hilarious. I really liked his character (towards the end) in this drama. I liked how he admitted his mistakes and how he tried to make amends by kowtowing four times to Zhao Pan Er in order to apologise for humiliating her for his own entertainment. I liked how he had so much money that he didn't mind wasting it on a restaurant simply because he wanted it and liked it. I liked his hedonistic insistence. I liked that he was authentic (in that he was not devious and not scheming on the whole). I liked that he was his petty self throughout and didn't try to hide his pettiness and his true self. He was humorously child-like.
- I liked Zhao Pan Er despite her flaws and Liu Yi Fei really brought this character to life. Zhao Pan Er wasn't perfect. She had her flaws and her pride. But, she was strong and intelligent. She had ambitions and aspirations which she tried hard to accomplish. She depended mainly on herself and not on others or a man to improve her own situation. I liked how she held her head high and tried her utmost despite her unfavourable circumstances. I liked how she was resourceful and shrewd. She was also a beauty who knew when and how to use her good looks to get her ways. I liked her feminine wiles.
- I liked the sisterhood. San Niang was another female character whom I liked a lot. She was not the best in terms of brains but she could cook! Song Yin Zhang was a pipa genius and with the power of the three women combined, they could overcome challenges and lift one another up. I liked that this drama shows that "with our powers combined, we can do great things together".
- I liked Gu Qian Fan as he was a man of his words. He was dependable and he loved as well as cared truly and deeply. I liked how he turned all "cute puppy" with his lady love and yet, he could be cold-hearted and brutal when dealing with crooks. Swoon! I liked Chen Lian because he seemed naughty and cheeky but oh boy, when "heavy-lifting" was required, he was manly and capable. Swoon too!
- I liked the chemistry of the two leads - Zhao Pan Er and Gu Qian Fan. They had chemistry as lovers and their romance was rather slow-burn yet realistic. I liked that Zhao Pan Er knocked some sense into him by telling him that he did not do anything that he had to feel sorry for as the bad deeds were done by the older generations - their fathers - and had nothing to do with them, the younger generation. They were free to love as long as they loved!
- I liked how wrongs were made right. For instance, Du Chang Feng was a horrific prig at the start of this drama. However, he later became more empathetic and more manly. His romance with San Niang felt warm and believable.
- The King was an intelligent man who wasn't overtly fearsome and power-hungry. He was a little bit of a joker at times. I liked how he truly loved and pampered the Queen and softened her heart and allayed her fears with his comforting words.
- I liked the stellar cast and their acting. Everyone played his/her part very well. I really enjoyed watching the cast showcase their fine acting chops!
- Crooks were dealt with and in general, there was a happy ending. :) Everything panned out well and there was closure.

What I didn't like that much:
- Oh, I detested Ouyang Xu. What a crook! He was a bad seed from the start and he just became worse and worse. There was no positive turning point. He sank deeper and deeper into "the dark side" and instead of being introspective, he blamed others like Zhao Pan Er for his awful fate (which he had actually brought upon himself with his terrible decision-making skills).
- I didn't like Song Yin Zhang that much. I think Jelly Lin suits modern day shows more and she seemed quite out of place in this drama. She became a "better watch" after she suffered more and learnt to depend on herself (and not on unreliable men with no morals). After she had more of a backbone and "found herself and her self-esteem", she was more tolerable.
- I disliked Ouyang Xu's butler. He was a bumbling idiot.
- I disliked San Niang's husband and son. Thankfully, later on, her son redeemed himself.
- I disliked how women were faulted simply for being women. (Still happening till today, sadly.) I disliked seeing how women were at a disadvantage simply for being women. I am all for female empowerment.
- It was torturous to watch Zhao Pan Er going around looking for money when Gu Qian Fan already gave her the money in the form of a bank (pawn) note. Well, there had to be drama (I guess) but it was painful to watch the misunderstanding and the suffering.

What could have been better:
- The happy ending would have been happier if Zhao Pan Er and Gu Qian Fan could have had their wedding too, just like San Niang and Du Chang Feng.
- Explain what happened to Song Yin Zhang's elder sister. Chi Yan Nei wanted to know and I wanted to know to.

Takeaway from this drama:
* Everyone has different sides and not all sides are shown at all times. Some sides are shown only to selected people. Some sides are vulnerable while some sides are tough etc.
* Women should lift one another up and men play a huge part in helping women to achieve equality/ power.
* It is important to play up and play to our strengths. Everyone has different gifts to share with the world. Yin Zhang has her beautiful music while San Niang has her scrumptious cuisine. Zhao Pan Er has a smarts while Zhao Di is a hard worker... ... ... By working together, we can achieve even more than if we work solo.
* It is important to have self-esteem and dignity. It is important to have the will and perseverance to achieve one's goals. It is important to have resilience because life has down and we need to pull ourselves back up. It is important to be real to others for we are all flawed individuals. It is most important to grow and become better versions of ourselves.

I really liked this drama a lot! :)

My verdict: WATCH!! It's 40 episodes of engaging antics and drama and ups and downs and tears and laughter! :)

Leia Mais

Cute Couple!

I was surprised by how watchable this drama is. It popped up on my YouTube and I thought I’d give it a go! What a cute as well as entertaining short ride! :)

What I liked:
- The FL turned out to be cute and yet not annoying. This drama was the first time I saw her and I was pleasantly surprised by how adorable she was and how natural her interactions with ML was.
- ML seemed to be a newbie actor (I’m not sure) but he acted very well and was manly!
- FL and ML have good chemistry.
- I liked the shenanigans! FL constantly wanted to go to Cold Palace to the bewilderment of everyone else especially the ML.

It was a fast and entertaining ride! I liked it so much that I moved on to the second season. :)

Leia Mais

A very enjoyable short ride!

This drama is a very entertaining little filler drama of sorts. It’s very short at 4 episodes on YouTube and just about 50 minutes per episode.

I found this drama a fun joyride because:
- It was super fast-paced. I thought that I was watching the drama on 1.25 speed or even 1.5 speed at the rate the drama was unfolding and progressing.
- The FL and the ML had good chemistry. I liked that they liked each other from the time that they had set eyes on each other.
- It was fairly low on angst and it was more about laughs and feeling good.
- The plump fellow - Da Wan - was total comic relief and so funny. Very cute.
- Happy Ending. Sweet. :)

In short, this drama is a very easy watch. The actors and actresses seem quite green and so, aren’t the most polished but everyone has to start somewhere and through this drama, they showed their earnestness in acting. Watch this for a quick joyride! It’s pretty fun!

Leia Mais

the woman is so flawed (just like everyone else in real life I guess)

The rating for this drama is 8/10 which to me, means that this drama is good enough to be watched / enjoyed.

I felt that the drama was fairly good in that the plot moved along. Things wete pretty fast-paced. The storyline was watchable.

This is the first time I am watching the female lead act and while she’s a fairly good actress, I didn’t like her very much. She seemed very fake in her interactions with others. Her smile looked very artificial and was rather irksome to watch. She didn’t seem to have a very good eye for men and she didn’t seem to know what she wanted for herself and her life. Perhaps, the drama wanted to show us that we are quite like her—bungling through life. Most of us, perhaps all of us, don’t have our lives all sorted out and we make plenty, I repeat plenty, of mistakes.

Episodes 1-19 are quite good. Episode 20 was a ‘nothing’ episode in that it tried to tie up everything - that was about it.

Overall, decent drama to watch. O-K.

Leia Mais

3 BFFs

I chanced upon someone’s comment about this drama being very nice indeed and so, I decided that I’d give it a go. After all, it’s just 12 episodes and about 35 minutes per episode. I’m so glad I watched this!

What I liked:
- the 3 girls were crazy but still very relatable
- the tight friendship amongst the three where they could count on one another
- friendship where their individuality is recognized and they don’t have to pretend to be someone else
- every episode deals with one thing and every episode feels complete
- slice of life drama which shows that life has up ups and down downs
- leads who are easy on the eyes
- story is fast-paced and actually, rather moving and even meaningful at times
- I was drawn into the show and really wanted to go on from episode to the next

What I didn’t like:
- nothing much other than Choi Si Won’s awful beard - thank goodness he shaved clean later on

Overall, I highly recommend this drama. It’s a slice-of-life fun ride of sorts which, despite some episodes being heavy (about death and serious illness), is a great watch! Watch it!!

Leia Mais

Good acting and actors/ actresses.

I saw the rating (7.5 at that time) and read the reviews. Although the rating of 7.5 over 10 isn't high in my opinion, I thought I'd give this drama a go since the reviews were generally positive. Having completed the series, this is what I have to say.

What I liked:
- I wanted to watch one episode after another to find out what was going to happen next. The plot was quite engaging.
- Acting was good. The actors and actresses were in character and suited their roles.
- Happy-ish plot where nasty stuff does not get dragged out for too long save for Ma Yong's fiasco and the parts with the two irritating gold-digging girls.
- Complex characters were engaging and fun to watch. For example, I enjoyed watching the relationship between Hou Zhi Rong and Qian Qian because it seemed so believable. Each had his or her concerns about the relationship and their concerns were real.
- Happy ending! Everything was wrapped up nicely.

What I didn't like:
- 40 episodes is rather long for this show. It could have been completed in 30 episodes. Some episodes were rather draggy.
- The male lead was seriously annoying in the beginning but I guess that was his role.
- The male lead and female lead have very little chemistry. There was nothing sizzling going on and the relationship did not seem very romantic or lovey-dovey.
- Music was forgettable.

On the whole, I'd say this drama is watchable because the actors and actresses did their job well. However, if you have other better options, you can skip this. If you don't have better options, this is a pretty good time-filler. It is a 7/10 to 7.5/10.

Leia Mais

Engaging! Intriguing!

I went with vibes for this drama - what I meant was that the vibes exuded by this drama were positive and the reviews were good too.

I highly recommend this drama!

Watch because:
- the show is fast-moving
- there are plenty of ‘solving problems’ parts which I find very engaging as it keeps me wondering how Ning Yi will solve the different problems that keep popping up
- Ning Yi isn’t tall and handsome like other male leads out there but he suits his role very well and is likable as the male lead (he is a complex character though)
- the female lead is very pretty and the other female actresses are good lookers too
- the plot is engaging on the whole
- the other four matrilocal husbands are cute in their own ways too and watchable

What I don’t like:
- Su Tan Er’s male cousin and uncle are Dumb and Dumber - so annoying
- putting women down as incapable and overlooking women’s skills and abilities (just because they are women is unreasonable and sexist) (good that women thrive and overcome the odds in the drama and are the ones who call the shots by marrying the men instead of men marrying them)
- some parts were a little confusing (to me)
- some characters were extremely annoying

But, the good overrides the bad by leaps and bounds. WATCH! It’s a fun ride!

Leia Mais

Ha Ji Won

I am not a fan of hospital / medical dramas because I get squirmy easily and I don’t want to feel disturbed during and after watching such dramas.

However, I chose to watch this show because of Ha Ji Won. I am a fan of this female actress as in my opinion, she doesn’t disappoint.

I enjoyed this drama even though there were heartbreaking moments. There were many lovey moments between the male lead and female lead. The whole cast acted well. The story was pretty good. There were tense moments. There were sweet moments.

I have rewatched the sweet moments because the female lead and the two hot male leads have good chemistry.

I’d say: watch this because it isn’t too heavy on the hospital / medical side. It’s more on the human / humane side if you get what I mean. Also, watch because of the leads.

Leia Mais

Good acting; Good plot.

After reading the reviews on dramalist as well as on other sites, I decided to give this ‘award-winning’ show a go.

From the start, it was intriguing. I am not a sporty person and know basically nothing about sports. However, not knowing anything about baseball did not get in the way of appreciating this drama. As you watch the show, you’ll learn a bit here and there about baseball and you’ll learn more about the sport via googling! LOL.

Watch because:
-acting is very good
-cast fits the show
-show moves fast enough on the whole
-it’s actually quite intriguing for non-sports people like myself because you learn about baseball
-refreshing that it’s not about love lines and skin ship
-heartening to see the players’ love and passion for baseball

The parts that I didn’t like:
-not many scenes in which they actually play baseball but I guess it’s because it’s the ‘hot stove league’
-the middle part became a little draggy imo
-the ‘trying to disband the baseball team’ plot got kind of tiring

Overall, watch this as it’s a nice change from the usual K dramas out there which focus on love lines / skin ship.

I liked it.

Leia Mais

For So Ji Sub

I know I’m late in that I just watched this show (in 2021) when it came out in 2018. This drama is pretty good but there are some things that I don’t really like about it.

Watch because:
-So Ji Sub. He really carried the show. He was very charming and manly.
-There are funny elements in the show that made me lol. Some parts are cute!
-The supporting cast is supportive of the female lead. No backstabbing from the best buddies. Best buddies were the stuff of dreams - supportive, helpful, funny.
-This drama is not too heavy in that it doesn’t leave the viewer feeling troubled, disturbed and perhaps, even frightened.
-There is suspense in the show and the show is quite fast-paced.
-Happy ending!

The stuff that I didn’t like:
-The female lead could be a different actress. I don’t think she fully suited the role. I don’t think she did a very good job.
-The female lead didn’t seem like a very good mother in the show.
-The two kids could be different too. They weren’t cute. They were annoying and I cringed whenever they appeared.
-Some parts of the plot weren’t well-linked / didn’t make full sense. (But well, drama is drama.)

Overall, this show is watchable. It’s just 32 episodes at half hour each or 16 episodes at one hour each. It’s much better than a lot of rubbish that’s out there. If you are searching for a drama and don’t mind an ‘old’ drama while waiting for this year’s releases, you can try this drama.

Leia Mais

Watchable because... Ryan Ding

I decided to watch this because of Ryan Ding and well, no regrets.

Story is fast-paced as there are only 5 episodes. The cast is actually quite a ‘big’ cast as it features Jerry Yan and Wang Da Lu too.

What I liked:
-Ryan Ding is a charmer and a good guy in the show
-Female antagonist aka bitch gets her just deserts and gets it fast
-Story moved so fast
-Only 5 episodes so it’s perfect for those who want something light and easy to watch

The MEH:
-Don’t know who this female lead is - she’s very ordinary
-Female antagonist aka bitch is ugly
-Songs disappeared/ were cut from the streamed video
-Things moved a little too fast and so there is little plot or character development

Can watch. Don’t expect too much.

Leia Mais

Cute enough lead couple

I did some research and after reading the reviews written by fellow viewers, I decided to give it a go. Pretty pleased with this drama but in my opinion, this drama has very little rewatch value.

Watch because:
- male lead is handsome enough
- male lead is truly and sincerely in love which is nice to see as I personally hate players in real life or reel life
- female lead is decent
- plenty of kiss scenes
- true love between lead couple
- quirky doctor Ye Zhi Han is funny and cute to watch on screen
- story moves fairly quickly and has some suspense
- story has happy ending

What I didn’t like:
- fake pregnancy plot line kept on going when it should have ended long time ago
- fake pregnancy plot was annoying to me because I found it draggy and pointless
- the antagonist- Dai Ru Er- was such a foolish woman and I cringed whenever she came on the screen as she was painful to watch
- the silly girl-Song Qin- was immature and painful to watch too
- lead couple took forever to ‘yuan fang’ like why?!

I’d say that this drama should be given a try as it is pretty good actually.
However, rewatch value is negligible.

Leia Mais

Wonderful female leads!

I really enjoyed watching this show and I thank those who have given good reviews about this show as they encouraged me to watch it.

Watch because:
- good-looking female leads
- feisty female leads
- great acting from the entire cast which left me very impressed
- plot moves fast enough and is realistic
- slice of life show that portrays what women from different walks of life face
- emotions portrayed come alive on the screen

I’d highly recommend this drama. It’s like watching the lives of your neighbors or the people/ women around you come alive. Watch this!

Leia Mais

Puppy Love that’s Sincere & True

I really love this drama. It’s relatable, fast-paced, interesting and moving. The boys in this drama are, on the whole, tall and adorable. The girls are watchable too.

Watch because:
- Ryan Ding - I loved him in Intense Love and so, I decided to watch this drama. He’s such a cute and handsome young man. He acted well and made me wish to have my own protector and ‘lover’ / sweetheart called He Xin Liang! His character in the drama is such a sweet guy who genuinely loves the girl. He does so much for her without asking for anything in return. Swoon.
- the actor who plays Ji Xiao is tall and cute too
- the actor who plays Yan Hai is funny and very relatable
- the teachers in this show made me wish that I had teachers like them in my youth - the teachers are good people
- plot is interesting and well-linked
- 31 eps at about 30 mins makes this drama very watchable
- happy ending! :)
- there are several words of wisdom in this drama too - meaningful. Eg: Learning how to be hardworking / diligent is more important than studying hard. This is because the good trait of being hardworking / diligent will stay with us for life.

I don’t talk about the girls as I don’t think they left deep impressions on me. Only the female lead, called Yan Zhe, is good enough to be mentioned and given an okay. The rest of the actresses are quite average.

He Xin Liang (Ryan Ding) really stands out in this drama though. Watch! For him! :)

Leia Mais

Two Cute Couples

I really enjoyed watching this show. I did some research before embarking on it and I felt that the reviews from other viewers were fairly accurate.

It’s a show that’s at times funny, at times moving, at times serious, at times contemplative ... there are layers to this show.

Watch because:
- the acting is good
- cast is well-cast
- I personally like Janice Wu - she’s not super pretty but she is quite cute and acts well, very natural
- the plot moves along fairly fast
- things are explained to viewers so that viewers don’t feel lost or feel that there’s a strange gap in the plot
- characters in the show grow up and change
- realistic show
- happy endings are my thing
- good vibes on the whole

I recommend! Watch!

Leia Mais