Inconsistent Characters and Missed Potential in Are You The One

"Are You The One" had so much wasted potential to be a really great drama, but it is filled with inconsistencies and very typical historical drama tropes. Liu Miantang went from being a housewife to a mountain bandit and then back to being a housewife. Her personality and aspirations change in a split second, making her entire character hard to understand and illogical. Similarly, Ciu Xingzhou, a supposedly cold-hearted general, becomes a literal simp for a woman he originally planned to use and had no interest in. The second couple had little screen time, which is good—they weren't very interesting or relevant to the plot. I would say I enjoyed the latter half of the drama, as things became more eventful and moved a bit faster. The first half dragged a lot, and the drama is more slice-of-life-centered than anything else. Overall, this drama was a massive disappointment and is definitely skippable. After watching this, I'm not entirely sure I'm a big fan of Zhang Wanyi's acting. His articulation is very well-spoken, but after watching a few of his dramas, nothing really seems to have changed in his acting style. I would rate this a 7; it’s tolerable but not great.

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Season 2: A Gripping Continuation of Insect Detective

I watched Insect Detective Season 1 years ago and remember really enjoying it. Season 2 did not disappoint; it maintained the same mysterious and gripping storyline and was completely separate and easy to understand without watching the first season. The cases are all very intriguing, and the insect elements make this series unique.

The addition of Chai, or Vorarit, was absolutely fantastic. As a character, he brings humor and a quirky charm that's hard not to like. Despite the serious themes of this series, Vorarit really stands out and compensates for Tan Jin Tian's shallowness and almost 2D personality. Back in the first season, I found Jin Tian to lack depth, and not much has changed in this season. I also find his relationship with Jin Ling extremely awkward and lacking chemistry; I just don't see them together at all.

The amount of flashbacks in this series was another issue; scenes were repeated multiple times, and most of the time, they didn't add any extra detail from the audience's perspective, leading to skipped scenes. I loved the appearances of Nine as Der and Nene as Pee-suea! The ending felt slightly rushed, and it seems like the main cast is taking their sweet time while also fighting for time, all at once, lol.

I watched the Thai version, which was much better than the solely Chinese dub, but some sections of the dubbing were noticeably low quality. Overall, Season 2 can be watched as a standalone, but I recommend watching it from the start for the best experience. I rate this an 8/10!

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Lost You Forever Season 2: A Beautiful Yet Flawed Conclusion

I definitely have mixed feelings about the second season of Lost You Forever. It was emotional, angsty, and did not disappoint in terms of quality; however, everything just feels so brushed over. I understand that due to censorship, many things had to be changed, but I feel this is where LYF has lost its greatness. In the end, there was closure for most of the things we were wondering about in S1, but I feel like they didn't tie it off well enough, and they definitely could have added much more depth. Similar to S1, XY doesn't seem to know what she wants, and her actions are very questionable, with no logical reasoning. Ultimately, CX suffers the most, balancing between securing the kingdom and personal ambitions. In my opinion, TSJ was XY's worst option, as he was very selfish and, as CX said, a weak man. Both XL and CX made many personal sacrifices for XY's happiness and benefit, but TSJ was very static and unwilling to sacrifice himself for her benefit. Anyway, the OST was beautiful in S1, and it continues to be in S2 in a very reminiscent way. A-Nian had some insane character development, and I was rooting for her the whole time! Ru Shou was also one of my favourite characters. In the end, S2 wasn't bad, but it had a lot of missed potential. Most of the loose ends were tied, and LYF is definitely a memorable series.

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Blossoms in Adversity: A Triumph of Female Empowerment and Drama

I am so glad I didn’t skip watching Blossoms in Adversity—it’s truly one of the best dramas to air in 2024. The star of the show is our female lead, Hua Zhi (played by Zhang JingYi), who embodies female empowerment. In times of need, she stepped up and took on the role of head of the family, managing to make a living despite being faced with a dead end. Hua Zhi led her family’s prosperity and survival, making a significant impact.

The side characters also played notable roles. All of Hua Zhi’s family members contributed to restoring the Hua family’s reputation through hard work and dedication, overcoming their adversaries. The main couple, Hua Zhi and Gu YanXi, had a strong relationship based on mutual trust and belief in one another, despite the obstacles between them.

The supporting cast, including Caesar Wu (Shen Qi), Lu YuXiao (Shao Yao), and Bian Cheng (Shen Huan), was memorable. I felt Caesar Wu should have had more screen time, but the second couple was sweet, and I liked how they ended up. I also appreciate the OSTs, especially the powerful opening song, which represents the drama well.

At times, I did feel like Hua Zhi was being very unreasonable, especially considering her family’s situation and the temperament of the emperor, which she is aware of. I feel like she did bring some of the misfortune onto her family by not being able to keep her mouth shut in the name of 'justice'.

The drama never dragged, and the arcs were well-planned and spaced out. The ending wasn’t rushed, and I am very satisfied with it. Overall, this was a great drama, and I definitely recommend watching it. I rate it 9/10.

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"The Tale of Rose": A Meaningful Drama with Life Lessons

"The Tale of Rose" is a very meaningful drama that provides a realistic outlook on life and its challenges, including love. The biggest lesson I took away from this is that life goes on, and it is better to move on rather than dwell on the past. Rosie meets a range of different men: Zhuang GuoDong (her first love, marked by miscommunication and fights), Fang XieWen (her first marriage, primarily for stability), Fu JiaMing (her soulmate, with whom she cannot spend her life), and He Xi (a younger crush that felt completely random). Each relationship presents different struggles, and Rosie learns something each time, continuing to strive and move forward in her life.

The female lead (Rosie) is an inspiration; she's very free-spirited and never feels constrained in her ability to learn new things or love again. I also really liked the second couple, Su GengSheng and Huang ZhenHua, despite their struggles, as they come together well in the end. As for the OST, I would say it was alright, but my main criticism is that none of the men ever get over Rosie. In this sense, it fell short because the main message of the drama was only conveyed through Rosie rather than all the characters. Her past relationships tend to hang on to the idea of her potentially coming back, even years after they broke up. I also feel like the actors really brought this drama to its full potential, especially Lin GengXin and Liu YiFei. This drama is definitely not for everyone; it suits a specific demographic, but it's a beautiful story that I rate 7.5/10.

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Star-Studded Cast Fails to Save Disappointing Storyline in The Legend of AnLe

For a drama with sooo many big names, I found this to be quite disappointing. Personally, I think the storyline is boring and 40 episodes is such a drag. I don't think I have ever dislikes a male lead so much before. The SML was done so dirty, like he deserved justice which was not served. My favourite character was LingLan, of course she is cute and cool, and everything else BUT she's a ninja too. In The Legend of AnLe I felt like so many characters did not deserve their ending which was really unsatisfying. The only thing I liked was the OST, which was done beautifully. Overall, I would not recommend this drama, 7/10, only due to the actors in it.

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From Hope to Heartbreak: Reflecting on Angels Fall Sometimes

Angels Fall Sometimes is honestly unlike any other c-drama that I've watched before, despite it being really emotional it unfortunately failed to make me cry. This drama shows how unexpected life can be, and how sometimes everything won't be alright and that everything is not always smooth-sailing. I really like how their relationship took off almost immediately, like we have no time to waste, and almost everything went downhill once LinTuo got diagnosed with ASL. A highlight for this drama was definitely the main leads, LinYi and Li LanDi, they portrayed their roles so well that I have absolutely no complaints at all. Especially LinYi, who definitely has a very promising career with his skills and ability to adapt to characters so well! The side characters weren't anything that remarkable, at times the second leads were unbearable and the amount of second hand embarrassment they caused. However, their reactions to some things were justifiable. This drama really portrays reality so well, and seeing the frustration of Lin Tuo and how his body was slowly failing him really made me feel emotional. Overall, this drama is another not to miss drama of 2024, with only 24 episodes it is definitely worth your time.

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Unpredictable and Riveting: Why 19th Floor Deserves Your Attention

19th Floor is such an underrated show, and definitely a star among the released 2024 c-dramas. From the start, I was hooked with the interesting storyline, that for me was quite unpredictable. In each round of the game that they played, I was left surprised with the unfolding of the events which made me very invested and excited for each new episode. A highlight was the characters, I was very attached to all of them and I loved seeing all their character growth as they either solve their own problems or explore their past. Seeing them all support each other despite literally being pitted against each other in life or death situations gives a very warm sense of feeling. There is a good balance of thrilling, emotional and comedic moments throughout 19th Floor that are delivered by a set of very capable actors! Despite this, I found this drama to be quite unrealistic, especially how gullible the team is despite being done dirty so many time, and how they managed to sneak into a high tech facility multiple times without being caught? Having 30 episodes does make this drama tend to drag towards the end, and I think it could of been done with much fewer episodes. Overall, this is a drama you won't want to miss in 2024, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching it!

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For Science Enthusiasts: 'Three Body' Is a Must-Watch Drama

Three Body was unlike any drama that I have watched before, however I really enjoyed the technical aspect of the show including all the physics. If you've ever studied physics or have knowledge about it, this drama is really great as you're able to understand the contents a lot better compared to someone that hasn't. It's very interesting, and I really loved how the entire show was put together and I'm eager for the continuation. I did feel like it did drag a bit in terms of the length but I also do think its necessary to be able to properly explain everything, without glossing over important details and depth. Wang Miao and Shi Qiang made such a funny duo, I loved their scenes and interactions together as they're essentially stark opposites that compliment each other very well. For some reason, I really liked Xu Bing Bing, I found her to be a really cool and strong cop that made up Shi Qiang's entire force because that was all he needed because she was that great. Overall, I think in terms of recommendations, only a specific niche of people would thoroughly enjoy and understand the depth of this drama but it definitely deserves all the praise it has received.

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Unrequited Love, Friendship, and a Dash of Comedy: 'Let's Meet Now'

This is a fluffy romance drama which was what I was looking for! I'm a fan of Zhang ZiJian which is what compelled me to watch this. Let's Meet Now offers no plot but rather just fluffy romance scenes. There are multiple themes including friendship, unrequited love and romance (duh). There is a portion of comedy which is also really enjoyable. The OST however is really something, and it just needs to go. To me it sounds really cringe and I don't know yucky. The ending tied off really well for the main couple but I felt the side characters didn't get their justice. An ending of just a few scenes indicating what happened to the side characters was very vague and unsatisfying. It's not exactly an open ending but just leaves you grasping at straws. If you enjoy romance, then I'll recommend it but other than that 8/10.

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Thrills, Chills, and Forensic Genius: 'Under the Skin'

I really enjoyed this drama! And I think it's definetly a gem amound Chinese crime dramas and also the start of my mini obsession with Tan JianCi lol. The aspect that makes this stand out the most is the way they solve the cases, using forsenic science. The focus on forensic portrait drawing is so well done, and really exciting. In a way to see how ShenYi will solve the next case is always so fun and exhilarating. The drama consists of multiple cases with no filler episodes all leading to the overaching case which involes both leads ShenYi and DuCheng. The other side character are also pretty memorable within the drama. At times, ShenYi seems like an absolute god that can solve anything lol and the music fits really well with converying and influencing emotions. I also think that ShenYi is kinda hawt lol. This drama does contain various triggering topics so be warmed before watching this, I think it's funny how this kind of thing scared me but I still wait it. I rate this a solid 9/10.

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