sharreb
Story: Started off interesting and promising but slowly loosing traction, messy plotlines. I find i slowly dont care. On paper the plot should have worked but maybe not stretch out to 32 episodes and problem of execution?
Acting: Its a beautiful cast with surprise guest appearance of Angela Z. The acting was ok for me. But chemistry between the 2 leads was touch and go. I couldnt really tell when they start falling for each other. I didn't like Danson T's role either, abit too pitiful and some of his irked or surprise expression (widen eyes and mouth agap) was recycled from when i last saw him on Murphy's Law of love. Pity cause i do like him.
Rewatch value: Seeing as watching the first time round i had to force myself to finish.. safe to say i wont rewatch
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The plot: Heres the tricky part, for those watching without having seen other versions, they watch with fresh eyes and many have pointed plotholes, and/or discomfort with some scenes. Personally, I felt this adaptation tried to follow the manga closely but also changed the mood of it. This version is actually lighter, perhaps more palatable and digestable with reduced bullying. Even villanous characters were dialed down, case in point the person who spread the picture of San Chai..that among others were toned down. That said, its a pro and con at the same time because it isnt as intense.
The characters- F4 in this version is more approachable. They are your rich good looking guys but also worked hard for their academics and/or have their talents.
Male otp: Dao Ming Tse is the tough looking kid- that really resembled a porcupine with a soft belly. He's also with steadfast once (and it didnt take long) when he realised his feelings. On most parts he has a very direct approach in pursuing the girl who caught his attention and never much bat an eye at other girls. His character grew from likable to lovable as the drama progresses. His greatest attribute is how he supports Sanchai and encourages her. And you also see his growth towards the end, how even unspoken he reads, understand and provides understanding and security when Sanchai needs it.
Female otp: Dong San Chai is that petite firecracker. She seems that average girl but when push comes to shove and she stands up for her friends, she shines.. and caught the attention of our male lead. In many circumstances, shes slow in romance department and tends to be passive. She took her time in processing the changes in her feelings from hatred to friendly to something more when in comes to Ah Si.
Rest of F4: Like mention this bunch of F4 are more likable. Hua Ze Lei is the flower boy in terms of look, gaze and speech. Who became the realible rock and soulmate to SanChai. Mei Zuo and Xi men also get their arc in the drama. Personally i did not enjoy Mei Zuo's arc and the story of his love interest. Xi men and Xiao Yuo was likable and i did look forward to their part.
Others: SanChai's parents are nice loving parents. They are also less theatrical then J version. I also like Dao ming tse's housekeeper too.
Acting- This is the mix bag.
Dylan Wang He Di- a complete rookie with his first work was a surprise. I thk perhaps his own real life behaviour transcends into his character. He brings the playful and energy to Dao Ming Tse. There's obviously room for improvement but he sells the character well and you could overlook it.
Shen Yue- having seen her previous work in A love so beautiful, i did come in with expectations and she was adequate. She excelled in poignant scenes but her performance was also patchy. Playful and sweet scenes was dealt well between her and Dylan. 90% of their kiss scenes were stiff and at times awkward (perhaps they were shy or it was too cold during filming?) Darren was a bit stiff and sometimes too expressionless. I cant help remembering Hanazawa Rui and found him lacking. Connor was the worst of the bunch in my opinion, he was cringey and he made me skipped his parts. Caeser Wu fared slightly better but also patchy performance.
OST:
Ost can really lift up the drama. Some of the ost esp the old ones were really good and nostalgic. But some of the ones resang by F4, unfortunately i didnt enjoy their vocals. I thk J-version who had Utada Hikaru and the original TW version were a level better.
THE VERDICT:
The plot like mention above is diluted. As a breezy summer watch and as a sometimes fluffy and sometimes innocent youthful love story (if you dont take it too seriously) it was thoroughly enjoyable. They did give us fanservice scenes, happy moments between otp, their coutship, dating, breaking up and getting back together. There was friendship and there was family and there was a love that survived obstacles. It did drag a bit in parts but wanting to see DaoMingTse and DongSanChai get together was still a worth-watching journey. This version replaced the intensity with youthfulness and thats a tradeoff that can tip the scale depending on personal taste..
For all these reasons its still a solid 8.5 for me. Cause this version of Ah Si and SanChai was still cute and lovable as a pair.
Note: My review is influenced by my memory of the other adaptations, how i feel about the story, the characters, the acting, whether it was memorable and my feelings right after i finish the last episode.
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Highschool love breaking through the norms!
Characterization that breakthroughs the stereotypes we tend to get with youth and school dramas. Refreshing!Here's a FL who isn't dumb/airhead or super intelligent. There's no unsightly hairstyle or dump-down clothes. In fact you get a pretty female with nice long hair that suits her and clothes that suit her age and is pretty to look at. Then that goddess image has a backstory too. For FL has come back from the city to her hometown and like a typical teenage she covets in wanting to be loved, admired and centre of attention instead of being a wallflower or side character. Then comes the character development.
ML isnt your typical one either- neither high cold or super sunny. He's your regular guy with good looks but has a secret identity nobody knew. Additionally he has a backstory regarding his family. When it comes to FL, they meet again after FL left for the city when young. ML still holds on to their childhood memories that meant a lot to him. There was a misunderstanding too that gets unraveled 1/3 into the drama.
The child actors are cute! I wait every episode to see flashbacks of the child versions.
The drama has a nice mix of 3 things.
1. Theme of finding oneself and being real - I really like how ML encourages FL to be herself, and not the act she has to put up to be perfect
2. Friendships and family - I love FL's friendship with her deskmate. I love FL's dad too
3. Romance - not only is it done well with limited cliche; im surprise how romantic it comes across- from language of mint, to the garden and the blue tears in the sea
Lastly, it's also peppered with reminded that its highschool and FL is a teenager- enters the visualisation of drama queen in almost all teenage girls- complete with black and white version talking in her head.
It's been a really easy breezy watch and you might be surprise with how much you like it.
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From episode 2 onwards this drama was so engaging and its charm and unique take along with a brilliant cast quickly becomes addictive. Initially you find plain Hae Young to be quite pitiful. You find Do Kyeong to be cold and even a little hateful. But as the story unfolds and the push pull between them as well as fate throwing them together you start to care about them as individuals learning to heal and then rooting them as a couple.
Hae Young goes down in K drama history as one of the best female character, not because shes strong or badass but because of her fearless and even shamelessly adorkable way she throws herself wholeheartedly in love. Despite being burn after being dumped a day before her wedding, she promised the next time she will love wholeheartedly. Needless to say wearing ones heart on the sleeves means embarrassment, sometimes disappointment and more heartache. But these are also the qualities that attracted Do Kyung who although initially guilt ridden becomes fascinated and even disarmed by Hae Young's frank and direct nature.
Along with this romance, we have bromance between Do Kyung and bestfriend Jin Sang, Do Kyung and brother Park Hoon and Do Kyung and his sound team workers. All generated good vibes and laughs. Then theres the family love of Hae Young and her wonderful parents who make you cry and feels the warmth of family like you've been hugged. Finally you get a second romance of noona Soo Kyung and Jin Sang. So this drama is full of heart.
What further separates this drama is the out of this world chemistry between Hyo Jin and Eric.They share shy smiles, lover's embrace and sweet to sizzling kisses. Most of all they look really comfortable and believable. I enjoy all the simple moments of them together like walks on the beach, cuddle in front of the tv watch movies and cooking for each other. Theres some cheesiness but it wasnt too bad.
By the end of this drama i still have the warm fuzzies. The biggest take away message is to live with no regrets, like today is your last day. The impeding death visions allowed Do Kyung to open up and learn to love. His character has the most growth.
Honestly after episode 11 and the extension decision, the drama did lose some of its groove and spark. But episode 17 and 18 really lifts it back up along with my spirits.
In terms of ost theres quite a few tracks that are memorable, touching and suit the scenes.
In terms of picture this drama had some of the most beautiful cinematography. Spring is captured in full beauty.
In terms of sound because Do Kyeong is a sound director (what an awesome job) it also makes me appreciate that element.
In terms of clothing, i thought Hae Young's wardrobe kept improving. And like she says love makes her prettier.
In terms of hair, finally Do kyung gel up his hair in the last scene. He looks hotter that way instead of bangs
Rewatch value is high and thats a big plus in my book since i seldom rewatch but theres too many wonderful scenes in this drama. The plot is not without flaws and the characters aren't perfect but then is life ever perfect. This drama just push alot of the right buttons for me. Its a matter of taste but to me theres really a good balance of many things but still emphasizing the beauty of love. Sometimes its that simple: make your loved ones happyn and you are happy.
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Watch for the cast, stayed for the story
This was my first airing C-drama in 2024 that I watch diligently live, waiting for new episodes with bated breath. That means theres sometging grippling about the plot that makes me come back for more.I thk I have a thg for female coroners. *Cue.. one of my favs: The imperial coroner. I like when FL have brains and wits in historical China. Then there's this face swap thg that reminded me of ..*Cue another great drama: A familiar stranger.
We have a strong cast but Liu Xue Yi's Pan Yue was bang on the money. He is so commanding on the screen, and brings so much to the character. It wouldnt be rash to say he's a great big part of why the drama is so popular. JJY's Yang Cai Wei was okay, she did remind me of some of her other period characters. Shes probably more memorable as the obsessed Shangguan zhi. The leads have chemistry and I enjoy the push pull in their relationship when the secret wasnt reveal yet. Li Ge Yang was a great casting too and he had lots of chemistry with 2FL Wu Jia Yi. I felt like I wanted her character to do more than just being there for 2ML.
For the reasons above i nearly rated this at 9 but rationally I thk an 8 is more deserving. The biggest reason being overly convenient and glaring plotholes. Evidence no1 both ML and 2ML are great in fighting but they stand around and let the resource person (imp on revealing the secrets they were trying to solve) to be killed right under their noses. Evidence no2 they make the leads a bit out of touch with the rest of the world. We were first shown ML and FL who upholds and values justice but the writing makes them brush past and move too fast from the deaths and sacrifices of ppl around them. This kind of writing is just careless imo. Because I've watched other C dramas execute this much better, I cant help penalising.
For rewatch I would only do so with clips and shorts. It has been a good enjoyable watch for 80% of the time and among the better historical dramas offered this year.
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Leads that liven up the story
A theme that could have been mundane but saved by weaving it seamlessly with the interaction and sparks between reunited village neighbours played by real life friends Song Yun and Xiao Bai.The objective of the story is meaningful and meant to highlight the plights of rural areas and villages and the need for the young generation to step up and make a change to drive the progress and economics for villagers and their livelihood. Again this type of story may not be everyone's cup of tea. However the direction and execution of the story makes it more palatable and interesting.
Personally i have waited for the leads' pairing. And they did not disappoint. In chinese I could say seeing them sparring or interacting is very 舒服.. very comforting to the eyes. It helps that Xiao Bai's character Xiao Dong is a little immature with quirks and full of personality. While Song Yun's Si Qi is mature, confident and decisive and loves to mess with Xiao Dong.
Given the length, do binge over a weekend. You wont be disappointed.
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Lonely enduring crush. Precious and painful. A bud that took a decade to bloom
Not your average story. Not your average female lead. Luo zi is a special character, you can say very intelligent and very silly. Both admirable and sad.Luo zi is a loner, who is indifferent to people around her and do not form attachment to people except her mom and cousin. Shes also proud and does not want pity. Holding on stubbornly to her crush, her like and eventually a love that she couldnt control. In her words, like being led on by the nose. In highschool she silently likes Sheng Huai Nan, watching his back figure, 7 steps behind. But he never sees her or notices her. Working hard to stand beside him, never materialise as fate wasnt by her side.
Years past meeting him again, the feelings hadnt gone away. The diary writing restarts, documenting her every moment, experience and feeling when she sees him. This time having interacted with her, Sheng Huai Nan found this girl peculiar and interesting and engaging. One whose brain and wit are both equally sharp. But he didnt understand why theres a wield anger and sometimes blatant ignorance towards him. Shes someone he couldnt see through, yet wanted to get close to understand. But when they got closer, his ex reappears to frame and smear her. The one who interupted their fate before has come once again to intervene.
Plotwise I would stop commenting and leave it for you to watch. I scored this high because of all the feelings it invoke, because Luozi is so relatable, because i believe love especially unrequited is both beautiful and painful. And its truly captured in this drama. Their dialogues are often intelligent, thought provoking and memorable. It is not your average sweet college love. Theres the frustration and real anger. Theres the confusion and uncertainty. Theres the pride and the fear. I also enjoy how multi dimensional both ML and FL are. Narcissism and sarcasm.
I watched this lastyear and recently rewatch after reading the novel. I urge you to watch. Both actors were unknown to me but they bring the characthers to life. Dont expect perfection, flawed characters and almost melancholy touch. Word of warning: It may illicit a lot of feelings and personal memories.
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I. All the things i like:
1. Characters that are not one dimensional and actually has development and growth as the drama proceeds
2. Female lead thats direct, bold, somtimes outrageous and flirty too without being obnoxious (great departure fr d usual).
3. Male lead that is strong but not invicible, smart, serious at times but also approachable amd charming (i like rather than typical stoic type)
4. Some supporting leads that have tbeir own story, depth and well crafted character that you get to know and have an afinity to
5. If you like time travel. This one is pretty solid. You actually see how the present her properly enter the ancient timeline. I like its tied to the blood moon (This phenomena actually happened 12hrs before i wrote)
6. Double identity secrecy for both leads gives double the story and intrigue
7. No useless damsel. But a female who is a survival and utilise her cooking skills
8. Hightlight gender inequality. And that females can have guy friends.
9. Some very quirky scenes, some that makes you smike and laughed aloud. Ofcourse some sweet, some tender and moving scenes that are memorable to me
9. Finally on the love line. She was initially charmed by his good looks, lol salivate over his bod. While she intriques him and fall for her over time. But its a love thats tested by circumstances, secrecy, lies, half truths, and people around them
10. Villains that arent villains. Some antiheroes that i form an attachment to.
II. Things i dont care
1. Some characters that are total plot device and a few evil women that i dislike way too much that i fastforwarded their scenes
2. Really quite a bit of misunderstanding of which a few took awhile to be resolved
3. Some evil peeps took way too long for their downfall
4. Female lead's costume, a few especially first half that wasnt tasteful and bit distracting
5. Ost was alright but nothing to write home about
6. Plot dragged a little before we hit the middle of the drama before regaining traction and then again slowed before finale
Overall this drama was a notch above quite a few historical C dramas and im glad to have randomly chose it to watch and end my drama drought.
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I can say the journey watching was worthwhile. Yet i felt a bit let down by the ending.
The other thing is both male leads and female leads are great actors. They both fit their roles. Female lead has a beautiful infectuous smile and adorable like the cat she could turn to. Male lead was nice to see him thaw and trust in female lead. Their affectionate scenes were great but the more intimate ones like kissing werent done well.. not sure if its a directing issue.
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I ponder quite awhile to decide a fair rating.If you love family dramas with good cast and dont mind meddlesome mom in law. This is a good cup of tea
If you love romantic dramas of the fluffy or light hearted type u need to reconsider.
I consider a long while whether to watch or not aft readin sypnopsis because i hated third party home wreckers. But i still gave in aft watching glimpses of the drama on tv. Stephy Qi's Du la la just really draws me in. A good actress and i love her character too. She's someone who found her love and committed to starting her marriage life with husband Wang wei and juggle her career in HR. She's respectful of her mom in law but try not to be a push over. I m sold on her chemistry with her onscreen husband. Their interactions are realistic. Husband and wife who are comfortable with each other, communicate, support each other and some good natured jabs too. Once in awhile Wang wei does something romantic too. Like a match made in heaven.
Trouble comes with his mum's student, also a long time family friend who insinuated herself into their lives. My tolerance for this "xiao san" aka third party, is really low and she had a lot of screen time. Because shes also La la's rival at work.
Honestly this drama i watch 30 to 35% of total running time because i couldnt stomach the mom in law and the 3rd party. Although i must say early on i admire how La la and Wang wei worked hard for their relationship. She had insticts and was frank with her husband on this. I also love that Wang wei never jump to conclusions when the ex boyfriend appear. He had a mature conversation asking for her explanation. Ep 38 when they sat down to address how to handle their problems were also very mature n nice.
#Small spoiler-
Their marriage to me was very realistic. Initially they can overcome the meddlesome mother but when the 3rd party purposefully drives a wedge in plus difficulties at work causes too much stress and eventually a rift and loss of trust.. The break up was eventual.
##
Love the ost played at the end of the episode. I thk its sung by Stephy Qi herself.
7.5 is my generous score because as usual like most C dramas it suffered mid series problem of dragging out problems and angst. Means i skip alot.
The ending *minor spoiler alert* although wrapped up well wasnt satisfying enough.. I felt the 2 otps need another 5mins of screentime together.
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A precious journey through youth
Plot:Have you thought how it would be to meet your mum in her youth? This is a precious opportunity the daughter who was miserable and lonely growing up with a single mom..gets to experience.
And through this she gets to experience the beauty of friendship and young love. And the important lesson that life in the end is made up of experiences good and bad. And that sometimes to live is to savor the moment, the now, the journey and not so much the ending.
This drama was a rare precious gem. That instead of the usual travel back time plot, the writer had a clear message to deliver. It manages to be warm amd endearing, sweet and touching, realistic if not poignant.
Acting:
The leads were all new to me. But a good script and in the hands of a good PD, they were all believable in their role. Amy Chen in particular was really good.
Verdict:
Dont sleep on this drama. It deserves to be watched. It had that nostalgic touch and the time spend with the teen mom- daughter duo Qin Tong and Jin Bu and their friends plus love interests was really worth it.
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SLOW, melo writing with insecure leads
There seems to be an ongoing trend of trio or quadruple women-centric stories in C dramaland. Comparisons have been made by many users with the recently finished Nothing but thirty and newly aired To Dear Myself.*What’s striking*
The four female leads are besties in the best sense. There are no misunderstandings or petty quarrel (like Twenty Your Live On, which was more coming of age). Here Yi He, Ding Ding, Karen and Ren Ran are very supportive of each other and spends time with each other- to an envious extent. The girls communicate over drinks, partying together, exercise sessions, heart to heart sessions, etc. Theres a running tagline that men can be gone after awhile but best friends are forever.
The four ladies friendship and their woes in love are the common ground. While all 4 are very different in character and background, you would come to realise half way through the drama that all of them are very insecure in their relationships. Most of this can be attributed to the current men in their lives.
Issues
The drama tries to project this as growth through navigating struggles in life and love, evident in the narration of every epilogue. However the writing of this drama drags alot, in a way it amplifies the problems in both the characters’ issue and their lack of resolve. This makes it too tiresome and the ladies to stay in a pitiful state for too long. Eg. YiHe (portrayed by Victoria Song) is happy, chatty and optimistic person but in love she hides her true self, stays in her bubble while constantly doubting her boyfriend who keeps a lot of secrets from her. She does not comfront and goes in circles in her love life for over 2/3 of the drama. When she finally admits she hates the person she becomes when she is with him..im like Sis, I’ve been waiting forever for you to see clearly. Similarly RenRan who appears the fiercest and hardiest, but this CEO is pinning over a man who cant prioritise her. Karen perhaps have the most poignant storyline, divorced, single-mother, ex-husband who is selfish, mother with terminal illness. She goes into a relationship with a limit, makes decisions on her own and resigned to never marrying again. DingDing, a rich second generation has a much more bland story that i find not as engaging.
Overall i would say the writing of this drama makes it a little too melo for too long and too many instances. I find it a shame that they didnt utilise more characters that had more oomph and more chemistry. YiHe and Chen Nan’s story should have developed better and sooner, so that their time later could be fledged out. The same with RenRan and YouTing. I can do with less scenes from Sam, Lu Hao, Ma Ke.. all these dudes don’t deserve their time OR MINE.
Acting wise Victoria Song and Frida Li stands out for me. They have some powerful scenes.
Music wise i didn’t pay much attention with the exception of the chorus of opening theme was nice.
In the end i used this as a filler drama for filling in my time waiting for new episodes from other currently airing dramas that I’m pursuing. Will not be rewatching either.
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Good premise & cast with many BUTS (disappointed)
The setup of overweight FL and her long time friend, ironically ML was real chubby when young n FL stood by him. Throw in Madhatter from Alice in wonderland and a potion that instead of growing tall/shrink is a magical slimming potion. All this is going really well until the 'BUT' starts:The leads have a good chemi but the story isnt exploring it in the right way. I want to enjoy their friendship and their blurry feelings for each other. Instead theres so much wasted footage on unimportant things.
SML is also a character that wasnt likeable. His personality is the opposite of his appearance. I get annoyed when he constantly fat shame bigger sized women. I did not enjoy them and also felt Xiao Xi wasted too much time on him.
Given that the leads wasted so much time. I thought the make-up would be good. I didnt mind the comedy bits here. Except the way it was wrapped up was very disappointing. I am left wanting, wanting a rewarding couple moment of Xiao Xi and Han Bin.
The appearance of the movie promises a sweet romance between 2 friends but it never delivers on that promise. And its a shame cause the actors were great but the plot and direction went awry.
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Dark, heart wrenching, visual treat
✅️ Fast-paced✅️ Aesthetics
✅️ Historical
✅️ Wuxia with fantasy elements
✅️ Intrique
✅️ Revenge and Retribution
This drama checked all the above. So if thats the genre and plots you prefer, this is the drama to watch.
Zhao Yi Qin continues his streak as a dark hero, this time equipped with S-tier level of sword fighting. Post betrayal and near death, the ML is also the antagonist. Seething with anger, the first few episodes are of him looking at the FL with thinly vieled disgust. Spoiler alert is some physical and verbal threats made to FL, that can be a red flag for some viewers.
As is part of the main plot, ML comes to know that the past happening was not as straightforward as he thought. FL who had amnesia also slowly faced with the happenings of the past. It can only be said that fate and the evil people are the reason to their suffering. Its starkly harsh and cruel.
If preference for sweet or vanilla romance, proceed with caution. This might not be for you.
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