Jade's Fateful Love (2024)

Why stop at second chances?

A light but enjoyable watch for me. Even though it was 40 minutes per episode like a regular drama, it felt like a web drama production. The plot moved at a good pace, and the issues were resolved quickly. Some silliness here and there but overall, the humor was good. It did come across as a lower-budget drama and the sets and props were not impressive. However, what the show lacked in budget, it made up with good fight scenes and lovely outfits, particularly notable in the dresses, accessories and hair-styles for the FL.

The story was interesting, and refreshingly unique. There has been a lot of "second chances" dramas lately but this one went beyond that with the opportunities to "do-over" in multiple episodes.

The romance was sweet and the leads looked good together, with the chemistry between them adding to the appeal. I liked the leads - both seemed pretty new and could certainly use more experience improving their acting. However, the potential is there, and they already have a good start with their good looks and charisma. Hankiz Omar is gorgeous, and Yan Xu Jia is attractive even though I think he could have been styled better, especially his wig.

The OST was nice, my favorite was the romantic song (不宣 - Bù Xuān: Unannounced by 司鴻博 - Si Hongbo) that came on during the poignant scenes between the leads.

The supporting cast felt mostly amateurish and certain characters were over-the-top annoying for the most part. However, the ending was good, wrapping things up, showing character development for most. Given how fast-paced the show was, the ending felt appropriate rather than rushed.

Overall, I would recommend this if you are looking for a light-hearted and engaging diversion.

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1001 Reincarnations

This was put on my list because of Hani Kezi as I had seen her in Ultimate Note and she impressed me. I wanted to see what she'd be like in other genres. I was unfamiliar with the rest of the cast. This was a different type of reincarnation story than what I have seen and it didn't have a "Final Destination" vibe which I don't like. It was 1001 Reincarnations and in each episode to boot.

Pros: I enjoyed HK's appearance here as Ashina Yueling or YL. The ML or SY who is quite new as he just graduated from the Beijing Drama Academy a few days ago, but he was able to handle both the soft and hard aspects of his character. The martial arts were on point and that was probably my favorite portion. How many times one died or they both did started from episode one but it evolved with not just them returning to life thwarting any assassination attempts but also gave them the ability to see the future. In the end though YL I think sacrificed her life unnecessarily when the emperor was in danger as there were a zillion soldiers standing around essentially forgetting there was still an enemy in the room, the no longer supposedly working jade pendant that had brought them to life with their life blood, now needed a tear from SY for its last act that brought her back to life. I really liked the tacit understanding between the two main brothers (SY and the emperor); stupid second brother finally understood family was more important than pride in the very end. The story developed nicely; he caught feelings first but she wasn't far behind. I also like how they incorporated HK's actual national heritage into the show. HE for 3 possibly 4 couples; one with kids and one pregnant. Though I liked YL's brother and SN; I felt he was too stupid for too long and she was the brains and pants in that relationship. The costumes and the few sets were nice as was the music.

Cons: Ultimately there were really two antagonists but they weren't really giving me the vibe of pure evil. The uncle cackled and of course you know how I feel about that. I rolled my eyes and waited for his death. The general who "killed" YL was an afterthought loser and I wish they hadn't brought him in. There of course had to be a gorilla glue character (whom I ffw'd as much as possible) that was obsessed over ML but ultimately because she was poisoned, when she recovered, she forgot who he was altogether. This script had a lot of cringey aspects and the ending felt kinda rushed and all over the place. They really didn't share much about the close relationship between the emperor and SY which would have been great but I understand they had to focus on the leads and their 1001 reincarnations thanks to fate bringing them together and their pendants that were always meant to be together. I do wish YL didn't misunderstand and pout as much, that's my only gripe with her.

Would I recommend it? This is a low budget, new faces drama but it's good for when you have nothing to watch. I'm perfectly ok with it; give it a chance.

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