Great and insane, this terrified me.

The story tries to dwell on the psychological impact of a person's surroundings. After a few episodes, you can't help but want to know how it all ends as the ML is continued to be harassed. Some said this was not for the fainthearted and coward that I am I should have believed them. I should not have let my bias for Lee Dong Wook get the better of me.

Almost everyone contributed to condition of the ML in the end. It was not just the people in that fatal apartment. It really showed the premise that hell is other people and it's up to a person to look out for himself. I never thought Lee Dong Wook could ever look that creepy. He was still handsome and sexy but in a scary way. I would never be able to see him as an absolute hunk as I did in the past. Im Siwan was totally believeable as the ML who was struggling to overcome his obstacles. If only he received the help that he needed when he needed it, he wouldn't have ended up in that condition.

The story has some loopholes and is too insane to happen IRL. I also would have wanted some backstory on Munjo so I've rated it only 7/10. But the acting and music used were perfect for what this drama was depicting, how scary humans can be. I don't think I would ever rewatch this again. Call me a coward but this was too terrifying.

Leia Mais

Whirlwind smutty romance

I was overwhelmed by how fast-paced the romance in this drama was. Just watch Episode 1 and you would know what I mean. It had everything that could have happened in 3-4 episodes in other dramas.

Even though this employs the cold mature man melted by a warm younger woman trope, the leads had a healthy relationship. The icy man also melted pretty quickly. Despite their large age gap, the ML never disrespected the FL once they established their relationship. Even though the ML was more experienced while the FL was still naive, you can feel that both are invested in making the relationship work. Though there were some jealousies, it never reached to the point of becoming a Great misunderstanding.

However, despite the seemingly great relationship, I can't help but feel some ick factor, it felt creepy somehow. Maybe it's just me but the ML was too overconfident and calculating, maybe he was just too experienced. To be honest, he never forced the FL to do anything she didn't want to, the FL just kept saying sorry for everything even when she had nothing to be sorry for. The ML finds this naivety super cute and when she says sorry you can be sure that he will kiss her or make love with her. So expect a lot of skinship scenes.

I also did not understand what happened in the last few episodes with the ML's stepmother. I didn't know what the conflict was or why the FL's solution resolved the conflict. I just know that everyone was happy.

Leia Mais

Decent enough, not just my cup of tea

Chemistry between the ML, FL and SML was apparent. I can see the FL with either guy. The other two CPs are cliched romances that felt like fillers.

The first half was enjoyable enough but the second half made me feel like I was also lied to by the ML. But still I tried to understand why the FL should give him a second chance. Then the drama revealed the twist about the prince and princess consort which was framed as a reincarnation story. It was understandable but I felt like I was lied to once again.

Maybe because I really don't like being lied to that I didn't fully enjoy this drama.

Leia Mais

Crazy but it's not too bad

One set of twins with different personalities. Two love stories. Yep this is again one of those stories where a twin pretends to be the other.

For about half the series, the shy twin (XiaoMu) needed to pretend to be the popular twin (YaoMengrui) who had an accident. The show then went ballistic upon the return of the popular twin. Audience now has to guess which twin is playing who. Though drama show that the twins clearly loved each other, misunderstandings made them doubt each other. It was only when all lies were finally exposed that they were able to have a better relationship and hope for better futures.

I particularly enjoyed the love stories of each twin. There were many times that both ML and SML seemed robotic in their acting but I can ignore all that because Zheng He Hui Zi had such great chemistries with both her leading men. I must be crazy because I found the popular twin's crazy love story more interesting. I also liked YaoMengrui more despite her dubious and calculating character. I know that she tried to harm XiaoMu but she believed that XiaoMu had hurt her first. She hides her insecurity behind confidence and aggressiveness but beneath her sarcasm and seeming indifference was her caring nature that's shown to only a few people.

I don't know why but despite it's cliches and almost predictable but still crazy story, I really loved this drama.

Leia Mais

Great side stories

A lot of issues were tackled in this drama. Toxic relationships, unwanted pregnancy, LGBTQ romance, etc. But the main plot and all subplots were satisfactorily concluded.

For the main CP of older FL/younger ML, I wished the ML had more drive. He pretty much hesitated in most of his decisions, letting situations control him, but it was very obvious how much he loves and protects the FL.

The male/male couple really upgraded this show and was more interesting than the main CP. Their enemies to devoted lovers transition was 10/10. OuWen had the most emotive face among all the characters and Mark had the most growth.

Leia Mais

Honestly? Zzzzz

I watched this solely for Ryan Ding and though I liked his performance well enough, I was pretty much bored with this drama. Maybe it was just the mood I was in but this was like a little scheme here, a little misunderstanding there, then throw in a lot of cliches and viola you have a 24 episodes romcom.

Maybe the leads as a star actress and a successful surgeon were too perfect to be relatable. From an engaged couple who were like total strangers to serious lovers, their relationship growth felt forced and artificial. Though the kisses looked real, I didn't feel their chemistry. The second couple (ML's doctor friend and FL's agent) was no better. I did not understand their on and off relationship. They kept having petty reasons to not be together. The third CP (ML's sister and FL's former suitor) had the only believable romance and chemistry. Too bad they had very little screentime. All of the 3 CP storylines seemed disjointed with each other so I felt like I was watching a mashed up 3 romance stories.

I probably won't rewatch since anything this drama offers can be seen in others.

Leia Mais

With usual tropes but done right

Wow. I think I'll add Lu Zhao Hua (FL) to the actors I'm looking out for. She keeps on making dramas that are easy to like. I have already seen Zhang Yu Jian (ML) in other dramas, but this is the first time that I really loved his character.

The main premise of the story is that the ML time travelled to the first time they meet up, when the FL was being interviewed for his company, each time he goes through a vortex created by the comet.

The storytelling was nicely paced and even though the drama used a lot tropey scenarios such as ankle twists, these were done right. It is self-aware enough to call itself out when the lines were getting cheesy.

I really liked that the FL can fight back and knows how to handle the ML. Quarrels were easily but realistically resolved. The ML's change from a cold president to a hopelessly in love puppy felt gradual. During the first interview, he reluctantly hired her. In the second, he would have done everything NOT to hire her. In the third, he would have done everything JUST to hire her. Their chemistry actually surprised me because of the obvious age difference. I expected only a few kisses but drama proved me wrong. When the ML had accepted his feelings, he really went all out in his pursuit of the FL, kissing her when possible. When the FL accepted him, she did not shy away from initiating kisses. This resulted to a lot of kisses.

This is definitely rewatchable, maybe after a year or so.

Leia Mais

The shadows of the mains are the best characters in this drama

It was boring, then interesting, then boring again. Noble sacrifices were staples and ran rampant in this drama.

That I really hated the main villain of this drama and I loved the CP and their allies makes me feel that the actors were really good. Aside from the CP, I especially loved TianQi, Yuemi, FengRan, JingJian and YuanQi.

There are like 3 parts in the story:
Episode 1-mid16 ->The sacrifice of Sanggu and fall of the God realm
Episode mid16-42-> The new 3 realms and the story of QuingMu and Houchi
Episode 43-49-> The reign of BaiJue and the return of God realm

Part 1 started with an undisciplined Sanggu meeting her cold teacher BaiJue who can train her to become the chief god chaos. They fell in love not knowing that Sanggu needs to sacrifice herself to save the 3 realms. Before the sacrifice, they have spent a bittersweet day with each and so if not for wanting justice for Yuemi, I would have been content with just part 1. With Sanggu's death, it already gave that noble sacrifice but still with hope for the future feels. Part 2 with the QuingMu and Houchi love story who were in a way reincarnations of BaiJue and Sanggu was actually the only part I liked. They are so tragic that towards Episode 41, I was ugly crying. Part 3 wrapped up everything. It explained the motivations of BaiJue but I still think that he should have explained it to Houchi/Sanggu himself. I was also quite happy with his father and son outing with YanQi.

Zhou Dong Yu as Sanggu/Houchi was such as revelation. I wouldn't exactly call her beautiful, maybe just cute and pretty, but her microexpressions can really get you. Though having the same spirit, she was able to portray the differences between the two. Sanggu was born with a status as a chief god since she was destined to become the god of chaos. She was spoilt, entertainment-loving girl who needed some strict guidance. Her growth to becoming a noble god who can sacrifice was wonderful to see. Houchi was a girl nominally called a goddess but had weak power. She was often left by her father and was denied/unloved by her mother. She was somewhat insecure but still maintains an indomitable spirit. Her stand to be accepted as who she is and not as substitute to Sanggu really made my heart ache for her.

Xu Kai as BaiJue/Boxuan/QuingMu was also great. I was really amazed at how quickly he can change his expressions, a heartless bastard one second then a longing lover the next. His eyes speaks. There were too few scenes of him as Boxuan, but I have no doubt that given the same situation BaiJue would do the same things as QuingMu for the woman he loves, seeing how much he was willing to sacrifice for Sanggu and basically he's same person. Maybe I just found the things he did as QuingMu to be more sweet. He even had a puppy dog expression when he was begging GuJun to let him marry Houchi. But it was QuingMu's expression as he was getting integrated to BaiJue that struck me. It was full of pleading and pathos as he accepted his fate.

So I guess even if it's a happy ending for Sanggu and BaiJue and in essence they are QuingMu and Houchi, I am still sad that QuingMu and Houchi did not disappear together.

Leia Mais

Gender reversed childhood friends turned lovers story

If you exchange the genders of the leads, this is the typical childhood friends turned into lovers trope.

Their parents were best friends and neighbors. They promised each other that if their children had the same sex they'll be sworn siblings and if different let them marry. The catch? FL was born seven years before the ML. So by now you can guess that the main conflict in the drama is a society that looked down on older female-much younger male relationships.

I really liked that drama showed us flashbacks of the leads' childhood. The FL took care of the ML when their parents were busy, saved him when she thought he was bullied, basically treating him as just a younger brother. The ML on the other hand, worshipped the FL, obeyed her in everything and considered all her words to know how to please her.

The FL kept failing in relationships while the ML just looked on waiting until she finally notices him but she never did. He then went on to study abroad to become more competent and attractive. When he returned the virginal ML kept seducing the FL until she finally gave in. I really can imagine this as if their roles were reversed. A big brother taking care of his so-called sister who in turn is very obedient and tried to become attractive, then because she had a crush on him, pretended to be helpless and seduced him. See? Typical.

The real conflict in this drama is that the FL felt like she was a cradle snatcher if she will have a relationship with the ML. Once she got over this thinking, their relationship stayed strong amidst worried. I was satisfied to see that the main CP has enough people who are close to them supportive of their relationship. The people who matters.

I could not give this a perfect rating because I would have liked to see more growth in the leads, more reasons to see that they are an OTP but overall this is a fun watch which though typical was not that cliched.

Leia Mais

Anyone can give up immortality for a love like this

If you like antiheroes, you are gonna love this. I have watched 40 episodes and I want to watch it again. 'Gege' has definitely replaced 'oppa' in my vocabulary.

I have seen other works of both Zhao Lusi and Li Hongyi but I felt like they really showed their emotions in this one than in their other works. Their chemistry in this was combustible (yep, I now ship them because of this). Li Hongyi was just so beautiful and sexy as the unpredictable antihero QY. His mesmerizing eyes gave off a dangerous, tempting vibe. He was so manipulative but I couldn't hate him. His love for ChunHua was worth giving immortality up. Zhao Lusi showed Chunhua's growth from a naughty and innocent girl to a slightly skeptical one, but through it all you can see that she was really just searching for that one true love. She kept denying to herself that she was already falling for QY because she though he was not her Mr Right.

June Wu as XiaoBai as the SML was also a great. He was able to portray a handsome, nice, respectful unromantic guy who was slowly falling for Chunhua's flirting. In the end you can see that he truly loved ChunHua, it just wasn't meant to be.

The time travel element is unimportant, it is better to just treat it as a xanxia. The ending actually felt kinda rushed. Events like what happened after QY and XB made their difficult decision were told by another character instead of actually being shown. I also wanted some scenes showing how the leads lived after their reunion. This does not mean I want a season 2, because I already love this drama as it is, but I would definitely look out for another collaboration of the two lead actors.

I don't usually care about OSTs but I really liked Zhao Lusi's campy opening song and Li Hongyi's emotional ending song. That they used Li Hongyi's song in the most romantic scenes gave it that oomph factor that melts you into a puddle.

Would definitely rewatch especially the sweet scenes between CH and QY.

Leia Mais

Amazing. Certainly worth a rewatch.

Funny, romantic and has a satisfying ending too. Watch this if you want a self-aware drama that makes fun of itself and have a fresh take on romance tropes. Other popular dramas especially kdramas were referenced and spoofed a lot too. The kiss scenes and level of skinship were the stuff of fantasies.

Episode 1 was just a background setup to show how impossible it is for the leads to meet in the real world. It was only in Episode 2 that the fun really started, when XiaoEn meets Situ Aoran in the novel world.

Not to be too spoilery, the story started like this: XiaoEn, a romance novel editor dreams to have her own romance and secretly admires He Tianxing, an inspiring CEO from a neighboring office. One day after waking up from a fever, she ran into HT, who now seems to be more overbearing and was told his name was Situ Aoran. Realizing that she was in the novel that she was editing, and that she was a bad character who bullies Chuchu, the FL in the novel, she decided to change her fate and instead become the novel's FL by preventing situations that can develop the Chuchu-SA relationship.

The storytelling goes back and forth between the real world where both HT and XE were in coma and the novel world where SA and XE were falling in love. I liked that the novel world have that reddish, vibrant hue (maybe to tell us us that fantasies are usually seen through rose colored glasses, hahaha) and the real world had grayish tones (does this mean reality sucks?). Things that are happening to HT became SA's dreams. Though I didn't really like that there are many scenes on power struggle for the Tiangling Group, it showed how toxic the real world was for HT. I particularly did not like it when when a sweet love scene in the novel is immediately followed by a suspense scene in the real world.

The pacing of the series was just right at 20 episodes, half of which were devoted to XE and SA falling in love, 1/4 growing their relationship, 1/4 being in the real world.

Actually, I was quite concerned that this would be messy like other parallel world dramas but it wasn't. Though 5 characters (SA, Chuchu, Moran, Susan and Quitian) in the novel world are played by the same actor in the real world, their personalities and backgrounds were different, so they may be treated as distinct from their counterparts. Characters did not go back and forth again and again from one world to another which might have resulted to story inconsistencies. Instead, there was a clear timeline, both leads are in the real world, then they both fell into comas and XE went in the novel, then they both woke up.

Some are questioning XE's hesitancy in the last quarter episodes to start a relationship with HT, but it is quite understandable because in her mind SA is another person, whom she was forcefully separated from. She also did not want to be disrespectful to HT by treating him as substitute. The resolution between SA and HT was logical and reasonable.

One scene mentioned that a wedding ending is irresponsible so this drama ending in a honeymoon felt intentional and satisfying.

Leia Mais

Cheesy but steamy

If you experienced Second Lead Syndrome in 'Good Morning Call' this might be the cure that you need. Be warned though because Sakurada Dori's character in this one is more possessive. But, he's still sweet and way hotter in this than in GMC. If you want character growth, you might want to watch another drama because there was hardly any.

Their relationship progressed so fast you won't have time to breathe, their lines were so cheesy that you know it's all a fantasy. The FL is so submissive that she's always apologizing even for something that is not her fault. The ML always try to reassure her and says that nothing can change his love. She thinks he's too wonderful. He thinks she's too cute and he can't help but kiss, hug and make love with her. In short, this is a tropey drama that does not require any brainpower. The title 'coffee and vanilla' suits this perfectly because it invokes the thought of affogato which was also shown in the drama, a decadent sweet dessert made of espresso coffee and vanilla ice cream. It's not nutritious nor can it fill you but it's still a treat.

Only watch if all you are interested in is romance fluff.

Leia Mais

Love is sweet and slightly naughty

This has been in my watchlist for so long. Now that I've finally finished it I can say that it might have been slightly overrated but I'd still recommend it for the steamy kiss scenes, strong FL, dreamy ML, and a fluffy story of success in both love and career.

The ML bullies the FL to make her mentally strong, so she will not cry easily in the future and trigger her tear allergies, this is his way of protecting her. He has been crushing on her for 10 years but she was oblivious and thinks he was just mean. After seeing that he is not a 'bad wolf' in the investment industry, she began to have feelings for him. When they got together, their love is truly sweet with lots and lots of kisses, and naughty times (especially in the office ?).

Another thing that I liked was that the SFL was very relatable. She can be jealous but she was not evil. One of my favorite scenes was when she caught the main CP in one of their moments and they had to pretend to be cleaning.

Just for the SFL and chemistry of the main CP, I really wanted to give this a perfect score but sadly I can't because the tropes used felt contrived and manipulative. Maybe I am just not a fan of the idea that when you like someone, you can make decisions for their life for 'their own good' without their consent and characters in this drama does this a lot. There was also forced cohabitation and while this definitely drew the leads closer, drama conveniently forgot that the ML rented an apartment that he just kept empty. Also, when the issue about the FL's father's death was resolved, the vibe in the series changed and the next few episodes felt like fillers, an afterthought arc for the SML and mostly PDAs of the main CP. Frankly, I was like 'i know your relationship is good, get married already!'.

I actually felt kind of bad for the actor who played the SML because his character was just there for convenience. Need to increase the tension of the main CP through jealousy? Enter the hottie but bad SML. Need a villain who will sabotage the main CP's jobs? Enter the bad and sneaky SML. Need a helpmate for a ML to resolve the FL's trauma? Enter the reformed SML. Need to prove the relationship strength of the main CP for the filler episodes? Enter the jealous SML who became bad again! He reformed again but his ending felt lackluster. He was really not developed properly and there's no real development with his loveline with FL either. It was quite hard for me to accept that he loved the FL so much because their interactions were so few and not really that meaningful. His angst was not fully explored. It would have been much better if there were tropey scenes like the FL and the SML going to important places in the SML's childhood, or just anything that actually showed the FL helping the SML with his resentments.

The second CP also did not help this series as their interactions were boring and had no chemistry. You have to believe they're in love just because of some lighting changes and because they said so. Again I felt like the girl was forcing the guy to like her by doing all kinds of nice bordering on masochistic things for him. If I will rewatch this, I'll skip their scenes and just focus on the main CP.

Overall, this is a good watch if you have time to spare and want to see an adult relationship realistically portrayed.

Leia Mais

Typical romcom

This drama is a typical high school/college drama with the leads crushing on each other while overcoming setbacks.

What I really did not like were the scheming females who liked the guys that like the FL. They were too heartless for me, one used the death of FL's mom to hurt the FL while the other nearly killed the FL. I know that the makers only want everyone to have a happy ending but I wasn't satisfied with their arc resolutions and their change of hearts did not seem believable. The FL's diary was a major plot device and I was cringing every time characters used it to embarrass and hurt the FL.

The main leads were also too perfect and ideal. They are both loyal and can be good in everything if they decided to do it. The ML is smart, the FL is pure-hearted and courageous. I would have liked the ML to be more active in pursuing what he actually wants and the FL to think on what she actually wants and not base her decisions on the ML's preferences. There were wuxia parts that served as comedic breaks to the story.

Overall it is a nice and tropey drama but it can give you flutters and fun if you give it a chance.

Leia Mais

Have serious 'Gone with the wind' vibes

This is a series where you just can't seem to understand the FL nor sympathize with her but can't help but root for the ML.

If you don't like contemplative dialogues, you might find this boring but the details in the scenes and costumes were top class and immersed me in this drama world. Set in a time of war, this drama gives you a visual of the struggles people experienced and a love story that was full of misunderstandings. Expect a lot of deaths, some of which can really make you reach out for tissues.

There's mutual attraction the first time the leads set their eyes on each other and when they accidentally kissed but lack of communication and misunderstandings led to a toxic relationship. The FL was too headstrong and blind to the love the ML gave her, she also frequently blamed the ML for things he didn't do. She also said that she did not love him and thought of him as her brother when he confessed his feelings, when in truth, she was just unsure of her feelings. She also never explicitly said that she loved him. No wonder the ML was so insecure and thought she was hung up on the SML. The ML tried to make the relationship work but he was not perfect, he did some things I did not like, like the frequent shoulder grabs and smashing things during arguments. It was like he was forcing the FL to love him back. The SML was a pitiful character that imagined that the FL loved him and could not let go of his grudge against the ML, even going so far as betraying his own principles. The SFL was a typical scheming villain who thought she can have the ML if she can only get rid of the FL. The last few episodes showed how the leads finally resolved their issues and calmly TALKED about their past and realize that they care for each other and just wants the safety of their partner. Since this is a period piece, there were a lot of side characters but my favorite were the male friends of the ML. They were smart, loyal and brave. As for the ending, I liked that it was realistic but hopeful at the same time.

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