Kind of Disappointed.

Story:
I gave it a 6/10 because I was honestly disappointed with the storyline overall and it was hard for me to watch everything so I ended up skipping many parts because I found it not interesting. Our two main characters are both interesting but the storyline didn't do them justice. For example, the same thing happens over and over, where a spy or bad person gets caught, but then they die and end up not revealing any information - or if they do reveal important information, it only helps the story move a little bit. There were sadly a lot of plot scenes that were basically just repeated and made it boring. The whole crime thing just wasn't interesting to me and didn't feel well thought out. Since this whole storyline as well as the main leads' story surrounds it, it became hard to watch since a lot of what happens just seemed to be repeating and some also felt cliche to me.

Also, I had a problem with Jiang YuoLou's anger problem and how they wanted to treat him. I think it just was a bit unrealistic at times (many times it works, but sometimes it's exaggerated and didn't make sense to me - and I was irked probably because I majored in psychology) with how angry he is even with his past, but this is just a fictional story soooo yeah, I get it. The only thing that kept me going was the relationship between the all of the characters and my wanting to see how this drama ends.
What I did like and surprised me a little about the plot is that I was kind of tricked into trusting the main villain, doubting him, and trusting him again. This was mainly due to his relationship with another guy, whose character I like a lot. The sad parts were also VERY sorrowful and added to the both male leads' drive and characters which I liked, though some was still predictable but I enjoyed it in the end.

Characters:
I have to say I love the relationship between the male leads and both did a great job in acting their parts. Their brotherhood is indestructible, which I love. They are soulmates, which can be proven over and over with how much they trust and understand each other. One of my favorite character of this whole series is YuZhe just because I like the qualities of his overall character as someone who is understanding, kind, and trusting.

What I found to be much more interesting than even the male leads' relationship is the relationship between Zhan Jun Bai and Yu Tang Jun. Part of this is due to the complexity of their characters and relationship. I also think they had a better chemistry between them.
----Major spoiler:
One of my favorite characters - in my top three for this series - is actually Zhan Jun Bai. That is simply because his character is somewhat contradictory. He says things and do things that are overall bad, but you can tell that he also has a conscience and a heart that contradicts his supposed villain self. For example, he had many chances to kill Jiang YueLou with his own hands becasue YueLou trusted him, but he did not kill him until he really had to. He also didn't actually kill YuZhe's sister and let YuZhe go with his sister in the end, keeping his promise after he thought YueLou was dead.
And even if he fell for Master Yu and didn't want to admit it and even humiliated Master Yu to keep him with him, Zhan Jun Bai still let him go in the end. I would have to say, his contradicting words and actions was what led to his downfall in the end. Like, if he was cruel and just killed all those he needed to, he would have won easily and this drama wouldn't be needed. His character was actually part of what drove me to keep watching because he called the shots.

---A character I came to like a lot lol
Chief Jin surprised me and honestly, having watched similar dramas in the past, I should have expected it haha. He's a character where you are first annoyed of because he seems like an antagonist, but in the end come to like because his annoyingness becomes a comedy and his good qualities overshadow his first impression.
Spoiler:
The only good thing that happened was him when everyone was literally dying towards the end.

Spoiler rant:
I understood why many of the characters died and I get it, but the death of Yu Zhe was TOTALLY unnecessary. The male leads went through so much together and I didn't watch it till episode 37 to see him die!!!! I was completely devastated because at this point, I think the director/scriptwriter just wants Jiang YueLou and us, the audience, to suffer. He lost so much and deserved so much better. Also, my boy Yu Zhe had to be shot twice in the heart! That's fricken painful! I had to watch his last scenes like three times before I realized this was how this drama was going to end. Like come on, I stayed for the main leads and this is what I get? I was sure YuZhe was sacrificed just so the drama could end tragically.... like just bc they wanted it to. Like bruh. I honestly wouldn't be so bummed if there was a more legit reason. Like the male leads are smart and they know their enemy is smart and escaped.... like I felt it could have been prevented. But whatever. Sigh. Idk why so many liked this ending when I was disappointed.

Acting/Cast:
10/10. Overall, all actors acted well and had great chemistry with each other.
I have to say I love the relationship between the male leads and both did a great job in acting their parts. Their brotherhood is indestructible, which I love. They are soulmates, which can be proven over and over with how much they trust and understand each other.

Chu Ran's actress was great. I thinks she did an excellent job in portraying her character.

The other two actors I loved watching was the actors for Zhan Jun Bai and Master Yu. Their characters had so much complexity that it was a great joy to watch these two actors bring these characters to life so perfectly on screen. Also, I ended up liking these two more than the main leads in the end.

Rewatch Value: 6/10. Idk if I would watch it again with how disappointing the storyline was. I would probably only watch scenes between the characters because that's what motivated me to keep watching.

Overall:6.5/10
Again, great characters but disappointing storyline. Also, due to my spoiler rant above regarding the ending, it just dropped it from a 7 to a 6.5 for me.

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Hilarious and heartwarming.

WHAT IS SO GREAT ABOUT THIS DRAMA:
I didn't know what to expect from this drama since I checked it out at first because I was a fan of the main leads and I love dramas with a few hot guys. But this drama has surprised me by being better than I ever imagined.
1. How the four main characters go through different trials and overcome obstacles, forming a close brotherhood (yes, even with the main girl lol) among themselves was heartwarming and fun to watch because we actually get to explore what their characters would do in different situations, and also get to connect and empathize with them.
2. It was hilarious to watch. I love the interactions between all of the characters - it is especially funny when the four of the main characters are together and make fun of each other. The teachers also make a great comedy group. I love that even if most of it is hilarious and had me laughing out loud many times like a crazy person, I also like the times when it becomes serious as we get closer to the truth of the whole mystery in the story. Every main character is well thought out and has a purpose and connection to the whole mysterious backstory of the plot.
3. I also like that this story shows that people can change even if they didn't start out as the best character because many times, that is what it is like in real life. The character development throughout is great, which I greatly appreciate because we also get to see changes in relationships among characters. Everyone in here has some kind of character development that makes sense, which is why I rate it so high, because this makes it interesting.

The two main characters:
---The thing I was mostly surprised about was how casual the main girl was even when she had somehow admitted into an academy full of men. In the beginning, she definitely had a problem dealing with living with men, but as the story progresses, she carries herself well, like a normal human being. I actually have a lot of problems with some cross-dressing dramas sometimes because the girl makes it soooooo obvious that she is a girl.... like, come on, people aren't actually this stupid. And this may be due to the scriptwriting, who knows. But the main actress here didn't do that, which I appreciate. IDK. it might be her acting, or the scriptwriting, or directing, but it just felt different and more natural, like how an actual person who is smart would act like. She also shows that she is a smart person, smarter than many of the men there even if she is a woman.
---This drama also made my heart flutter because I fricken love the male lead's character. Like, he is smart, caring, and strict, and hella good looking, but he is completely clueless about the opposite gender since he's always only focused on his studies. When he finally realizes that he loves the main girl, omg, it was cute and hilarious. He's just a character you can't help liking because he treats the main girl so well because he sees great potential in her and also willing to admit his mistakes.

WHAT I DISLIKED:
1. I was really looking forward to when the villain was finally caught and put in jail, dies, etc, whatever. This was supposed to have been the climax, but it really fell short, which made me REALLY disappointed. Like, everything just felt like a flop. Sigh. The whole drama was great overall, but the story revolved around trying to find the villain, yet it was just- ok, he got caught, that's it - type of feeling, making me feel empty inside.
2. Also, I wanted more romance between the main leads!!!!! I actually like that the love in here wasn't too complicated because it was more about friendship and equality. But still!!! I just wanted a little bit more and I would have been satisfied! I felt like the drama ended a bit too abruptly, with the epilogue not being long enough, which may have also contributed to the flop of the climax when the villain was finally caught.

Anyway, because of the reasons above, I rate this drama overall an 8.5.

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