Similar with part 1 but much better

Before starting this series, I've read the synopsis back and forth - wondering whether I should give it a try or not. The answer is yes, I do give in. After watching the first episode, I didn't feel anything worthy and only watched ML's scene. Even I skipped lots of scenes involving the FL (she's a bit of hypocritical, I must say).

Other characters are not worthy to be mentioned. I just jump all of their scenes because they have a high amount of screentime.

Considering this is one of Jiu Lu Fei Xiang's works, it should be a breakout - but sadly, due to the bad script and supporting characters' high screentime, it falls short in every aspect.

Edit for part 2: The storyline is much better compared to the first part. I like the torturing part the best. Other than that, the ending does satisfy me. However, the others are meh.

If you want to watch something better, you can try The Legends, Love Between Fairy and Devil (although it's not my cup of tea), Back From the Brink, Love You Seven Times, The Legend of Shen Li (which will be airing next week).

Leggi di Più

Watch it only for the ML... and the rest... you can skip or fast forward

Before starting this series, I've read the synopsis back and forth - wondering whether I should give it a try or not. The answer is yes, I do give in. After watching the first episode, I didn't feel anything worthy and only watched ML's scene. Even I skipped lots of scenes involving the FL (she's a bit of hypocritical, I must say).

Other characters are not worthy to be mentioned. I just jump all of their scenes because they have a high amount of screentime.

Considering this is one of Jiu Lu Fei Xiang's works, it should be a breakout - but sadly, due to the bad script and supporting characters' high screentime, it falls short in every aspect.

If you want to watch something better, you can try The Legends, Love Between Fairy and Devil (although it's not my cup of tea), Back From the Brink, Love You Seven Times, The Legend of Shen Li (which will be airing next week).

Leggi di Più

An unexpected good watch

Firstly, I came here without any high expectation and only watched this to kill my time as there was nothing to watch back in January (after I dropped Sword and Fairy 6). I only find my time tonight to work on this review. So, this is a live adaptation based on 'Cream-Flavored Unrequited Love' by Zhu Yi who also writes Hidden Love, When I Fly Towards You, and First Frost.

The story is set in the college times of Lin Xichi (FL) and Xu Fang (ML). Both of them attend the same university but taking different majors. FL is a veterinary medicine majoring whereas ML enters the university with special admission due to him being an archer. The plot is a simple one, exploring the love life of the leads and how insecure they feel on the inside. You will expect all of the college drama tropes used here, so there's no surprise as this is a typical college drama. I love the bickering and banters of the main leads - also feel the superb chemistry and have butterflies in my stomach. (giggle... giggle...)

We have SML (Ye Shaowen) pursuing the FL and SFL (Xin Zhidan) doing the same to the ML. At first, they may come off toxic, but fortunately, the leads state that they only like each other and reject them outright. After getting rejected, they realize the truth and acknowledge and become supportive of their relationship. It solves pretty fast after 2 or 3 episodes - they're not annoying out of my hell, anyway.

Second couple (Jiang Zhengxu and Nie Yue) has a healthy relationship and support each other when one of them is in the darkest moment of his/her life. I'm moved by how Nie Yue defending Jiang Zhengxu from those debt collectors - it's just so, so heartwarming. Also like the way he proposes to Nie Yue before they graduate.

Third couple (Lin Xigeng and He Liyang) get off on the wrong foot when they first meet but slowly begin to attract each other. He's just so protective towards his girlfriend and his sister too. He's a good husband material. The girl is quite independent too, however after a motorbike crash, she will be a cripple, but that doesn't stop her from wanting to become a professional racer.

Annoying parents trope is played heavily if you notice the unstable relationship of the FL's dad and mom. I hate both of them and skip their scenes. Thank goodness, ML has more supportive parents and they immediately accept the FL without further ado.

This is one of the best college dramas I've ever seen even though the rating is kinda low in MDL. Happy watching and you can also check out Zhu Yi's other works (I will be waiting for First Frost - maybe until 2025 or longer than that TT).

Leggi di Più

Great plot + dumb characters = A HOT MESS

I came across this drama when I was scrolling through an article last year, plus I'm Zhang Linghe's fan. Since then, I have been awaiting for this drama to release. At first, the story was rather promising, but it went downhill in the middle and the ending was... pretty bad enough.

The plot is nothing new in terms of xianxia dramas, considering that it is a demon-hunting-themed drama. I truly loved demon-hunting stuffs and even read the manhwa before starting this series so that I could understand much better when I watched it.

Also, the 2MLs (Hu Zi and Qi Xiaoxuan) had subtle bromance which I liked the most. I can really feel the chemistry between both of them - if it hadn't been the censorship, it could've been much better and perhaps turned into a BL series. LOL!!

The other main leads (Zhao Xintong and Wang Yuqian) were nice enough and added the depth of their friendship. Later, they faced a life-and-death situation and sacrificed their lives for the future of the human mankind. However, their deaths were totally unnecessary to me - I have been hoping to see the four of them to have an adventure across the world together - and... the way they died was a tad ridiculous. I didn't even shed tears when they were dying.

In the last episodes before the ending, there was a little plot twist about the main villain in the story. I was quite surprised to see the Qi's family ancestor was the culprit behind all these evil forces. Yi Mei only served as a secondary antagonist, if you ask me. Her arc wasn't even needed and everything would still be alright without her meddling around. And her reason for avenging her master was nonexistent. Her servant didn't help much too.

Special mentions to the elders of the Fulong Capital and QXX's dad and sister. They made an absolute hot mess in the story - I really wish I could knock some senses into their heads - all they cared about was power, money, and greed. Cheng Jinian was quite infuriating too - believing that his father was one of the elders, so that he could use his authority to manipulate people (but, he got a redemption arc, though).

Anyway, the opening OST is one of the best OSTs amongst the historical c-dramas. It evokes our spirit with its powerful instruments and nice vocal work by Faye Zhan.

Will I rewatch it again? NO and NEVER. I really regret watching this drama. If it hadn't been the fast-forward button, I would've dropped it a long time ago. If you're a fan of one of the leads, you can give it a try. If you find it boring, look elsewhere. Good luck!!!

Leggi di Più

When you mix an illogical story and a cliffhanger into one mess

Okay, I have to admit that I stumbled upon this show weeks ago just to kill time while waiting for Amidst A Snowstorm of Love's new episode.

The plot is nothing new for a xianxia drama and some scenes are rushed pretty quickly. I used fast forward and finished watching it under 2 hours.

The story focuses more on the FL and I feel that the ML got minimum screentime. There's no logic in the story and it follows typical xianxia tropes such as reincarnation, battle between immortals VS demons, and etc. The ending is a bit of cliffhanger and I wonder when will they start the second season.

The sets look quite nice plus the costumes and the headgears can be considered as decent (love the ML's hairstyle. It fits him so well). It's obviously a low-budget mini series, so don't expect too much of it.

It is an one-time watch so I don't think I will rewatch again soon.

Leggi di Più

The impossible heck with the most impossible main leads

Truth to be told, I've dropped this drama ages ago, but I just got my time to write a review due to tight schedule and exam. Thank god I get a lot of spare time today to start on this review.

As usual, I will delve into the plot and storyline to begin my review. The premise of chaebol family is one of my favorite tropes in K-drama. After looking through the synopsis, I myself predicted that this is gonna be a blockbuster hit. But, it's a big NO-NO. Not long after the fourth episode was released, the rating started to go downhill - I was too disheartened/discouraged and decided to no longer watch it before I regretted my decision. Now, let's get back to the business and I will explain to why this drama becomes a total flop.

The story revolved around 3 childhood friends - Han Tae Oh, Kang In Ha, and Na Hye Won. Each of them had difficult family background and bumped into each other in their college days. Basically, they were just using each other to get what they wanted and desired - all in all, they had a win-win situation which would benefit all of them. After graduating, Han Tae Oh crawled his way to become the secretary of the chairman of Kang Oh Group - Kang Joong Mo. In Ha didn't do much and still lazed around as usual whereas Hye Won started working at a reporter station. The three of them formed a friendship bond despite being aware of each other's motives. Now, their main mission was to usurp the throne of Kang Oh Group by overthrowing the current chairman and defeating In Ha's legitimate elder brothers. As how they will accomplish this risky mission, I didn't know any longer since I dropped it long ago.

Don't get me started at the main leads. I actually love morally gray characters, but the main leads just came off as more than gray characters - they were shockingly crazy and more than ordinary ambiguous. Especially the FL, Na Hye Won. Till this second, I still didn't know which side she took - Tae Oh's or In Ha's. At midnight, she often had secret meetings with Tae Oh. However, she suddenly kissed In Ha and said that she wanted to marry him badly. I was like... WTF had you done!!! You only tried to create chaotic atmosphere by playing along with the MLs. In the end, both MLs would fight for you and get jealous of each other. I also didn't feel the chemistry of the main leads. I know she wanted to get everything using her relationships with the MLs by any means. However, you would only break somebody else's heart when you decided to stop using him someday. The actress of the FL, Hong Su Zu, has that wooden facial expression in every scene she did. She really needed to improve herself. Lee Jae Wook and Lee Jun Young had a strong bromance at the start, but it slowly dissipated after FL entered their world. Supporting characters are no better. Other than Kang Hui Ju (In Ha's sister), everyone only acts as background/filter characters.

NO REWATCH VALUE AND DO NOT TRY THIS AT ANY COST. THE RATING OF 7.4 DID JUSTICE FOR THIS DRAMA. GO AND FIND SOMETHING ELSE TO WATCH. TT

Leggi di Più

Overly cringy, tons of cliche tropes, and illogical story

I've never expected much of this drama - and yes, my expectation is not worth it. I accidentally found this in a bunch of upcoming dramas of 2024, so I decided to give it a try. However, everything went as if the table had turned over.

The drama itself is a typical office rom-com with gaming as a side theme. There's nothing memorable about it. I feel the plot is dragging. It could've been better if it had been cut down to thirty-minute long per episode, considering this is a twenty-four-episode drama. In terms of China's censorship rules, it is quite a short drama, but forty-nine-minute long per episode is absolutely outrageous for this type of drama.

Plus, the acting is cringeworthy. I didn't like how the FL pretended to be dumb and naive when she wasn't one. If I were her, I would speak according to my personal views and be a straightforward person rather than dilly dallying my time. It stretched for 6 episodes until the FL found out that this method didn't work - I kinda think that her actions were forced and unnatural. I don't want to know what solution she might come up again as I'm afraid it will make her more obsessive towards her crush (ML). Her roommate needed to clear out so that the FL could make her own decision which will benefit her more. I was impressed by Zhou Ye's acting in Back From the Brink and Word of Honor - however, this is the second modern drama of her that I drop after Love Me, Love My Voice. I don't know why, but I just can't stand her acting as a cute naive girl. She will end up becoming a delulu if she's not careful.

I understand that the ML is an indifferent and cold type of guy, but could he just reject the FL gentler and nicer? In here, he was being overly rude and kept 'bullying' the FL for no reason. In YAMG, the FL was also rejected outright by the ML, but in a more polite way, so why couldn't they do the same? This is my first drama of Lin Yi, so I have nothing more to say except his acting is so-so.

The plot is a very, very ILLOGICAL one and I can't stand it anymore. Let me list it out. Firstly, the FL had a crush on the ML and the ML had a crush on his gaming partner, which was the FL. It is impossible to create this kind of relationship in the real life - there's nothing such as fate or coincidence - in fact, you may get the wrong person at the online platform. Secondly, the ML and his sidekick immediately became the manager of 9th business unit without further ado. In real life, at least we have to pass the internship and begin from 0% until we rise to the top position. How they were supposed to become lead managers when they hadn't even graduated from the university? Even if you have family connection inside the company, there's only 25%-50% you can reach the top. If HC Game were a start-up company, it would be more logical - but, in here, the company is already a prosperous and well-known one.

Edit: Someone pointed out that the plot isn't entirely illogical and I may have missed several key points of the story. So, the ML and his friend actually made a deal with the board directors - in 3 years' time, they will make an extraordinary machine which can enhance/boost the gameplay. It's no wonder why the directors appointed them as lead managers. I've never heard anything called triple-A game before - however, I'm pretty sure that it must be a complicated game and hard-developed. This idea seems to be the most sensible one, I think.

The gaming graphics are sucking too - even FreeFire has better graphics than this. Why should they make the setting in rainbow-ish color? I feel as if my screen is oily or something - and it's not a wonderful experience.

The OSTs and sound effects are perfect and I will play the OSTs when I have the chance to. Kudos to the singer for such wonderful OSTs.

So, if you want to watch this drama, you will have to think twice before giving it a try. Afterall, this drama kills the logic and tons of unnecessary things will happen in the future, who knows? This drama also happens to chip-chop from other gaming-themed dramas - for instance, Falling Into Your Smile, The King's Avatar, You Are My Glory, Love 020, and etc. I won't rewatch in the future. Guess I will have to wait for another dramas releasing this year. Good luck and have a good watch.

P.S.
This is just my POV. So, don't get disheartened by my review and I'm not having any hate towards the actors/actresses. Perhaps, it's not my cup of tea. I apologize if my review is offensive in some ways. Don't say I don't remind you, though. I have a lesson learned from this drama - NEVER believe in online romance as it tends to leave us heartbroken. Who knows if the person behind the screen is a love scammer?

Leggi di Più

Watch it for the gaming aspect

Even though I'm not an avid gamer, I'm still mesmerized by the e-sports world. I stumbled upon this drama when I was scrolling through Xu Kai's profile. I binge-watched it every day and loved the e-sports theme although its premise is nothing new in C-drama land, considering the success of previous e-sports dramas - The King's Avatar, Love 020, Gank Your Heart, and more.

The first half of the drama is quite engaging due to the gaming, but sadly the second half starts dragging and stresses in the relationship between the leads. The Onmyoji Arena game nearly resembles ML (Mobile Legends) but with different heroes- and that's the sole reason I continue to watch until got stuck in EP 19.

The other thing that I love the most from this drama is the brotherhood of the ZGDX team. Their funny and comedic banters are nice to watch and nothing cringy.

The chemistry between Lu Sicheng (Xu Kai) and Tong Yao (Cheng Xiao) is a hot and sizzling one - but, they lose it immediately after they got together. The FL and her ex-boyfriend's (Jian Yang portrayed by Zhai Xiaowen) arc aren't that necessary, thank goodness she didn't accept his apology and went on her own. There are other noteworthy annoying characters, so let me list them out. For instance, ML's mother, ML's blind date, and his little brother (I think he's a bit of a stalker).

The second couple is a fresh breeze to me. Chen Jin Yang (Rachel Wang) and Ai Jia (Zhou Yiran) did pretty well in their roles as a couple and the friends of the FL. Unfortunately, they had limited screentime. I wish they had focused on the second couple more.

If you're a fan of e-sports world, this might suit you, but beware of the second half of the drama. If you come here only for the romance, you can skip the gaming parts if it's too boring for you. I personally didn't find it boring, instead it was the romance which made me bored. The cinematography and the graphic of the game is mesmerizing and fabulous, so kudos to the CGI team. This is a good drama that shows the pressure faced by a professional gamer and delves into the depth of it. I wish I could complete it, but I decided to drop halfway. Anyway, there are many e-sports drama scattering outside. Best regards and happy watching (Don't take my review seriously. This is just my point of view of how this drama developed).

Leggi di Più

Rating makes me drop this show

It's going to be a rather short review since I've got nothing to say at all. I'm really, really sorry and have no intention to bash out at this show. But, the rating tempted me to drop this show. I've never stand low rating before - 7.8, that too outrageous for a high-budget drama.

The story itself is pretty complex to me and people said that there was no single villain/antagonist, so don't expect one - as usual, everyone was driven by their own greed and dignity that they decided to do anything possible so as to achieve their selfish goals. I actually love the friendship of the 6 main characters - Yue Jinzhao, Yue Qi, Luo Zhaoyan, Xian Qing, Ming Xiu, and Ju Shifang. They have very contrast personality and yet they manage to deepen their bonds and becoming sworn friends through the lifetime.

I have no trouble with the acting. Surprisingly, Esther Yu's voice didn't bother me and I really adore her character. Xu Kai did excellent as usual - I'm impressed of how he managed to portray two characters at the same time. Kudos to the other actors/actresses as well.

OSTs are heartwarming and I begin to grow on the opening song - 奇迹 sung by JS.

Okay, it's time to end my review. I apologize if my review is offensive in some ways. Happy watching for those who haven't watched. Good luck.

Leggi di Più

A decent family drama blended with funny camaraderie of mother and son

While trudging on Fox Spirit Matchmaker, I accidentally found this show when I was looking on the main review section. I admitted that the casts looked average, and it might be a low-budget show. But it was the plot that made me glued to my seat as I skimmed through the whole 20 episodes.

The story revolves around the happy-go-lucky and cheerful Qi Yue, the stoic and no-nonsense top student Lu Xiao, and her grown-up yet childish son Qi Shuo, who claimed to have come to Qi Yue’s past time so that Qi Yue didn’t suffer in the future. Logically speaking, if you were Qi Yue and your son suddenly came out of nowhere, telling you that he came from the past using a time machine, would you be baffled? Nah, that was what happened to Qi Yue. Slowly, she started to acknowledge the existence of Qi Shuo. In order to avoid the misfortunes in the future, Qi Shuo became the matchmaker and persuaded her to pursue Lu Xiao as well as she could, because in his eyes, Lu Xiao was the best candidate for Qi Yue’s future husband.

The plot is actually nothing new in a generic family drama though there is a little element of sci-fi through the time travel trope. Fortunately, they don’t dwell very much on it and the plot picks up again where it leaves off. Another good aspect of this show is the bickering relationship between mother and son. You can see that they always argue for trivial matters every day lol. As noted by Lu Xiao, they have similar personalities too. Furthermore, there is no third wheeler which is a fresh air for everyone. All of Qi Yue’s friends are supportive of her and even help her to chase Lu Xiao. The ‘real’ future husband of Qi Yue, Xu Zhaoyang, also has a crush on her, but little does she know about his violent nature, and thus makes the wrong decision to marry him. After Qi Shuo convinces him, he decides to stop chasing Qi Yue and watches her being happy from afar. There is also Liang Yufei who is Lu Xiao’s close friend. She is indeed annoying, but after several episodes, she’ll also let go of Lu Xiao.

Though average the casts may be, they are able to pull off their characters seamlessly. Every arc is done perfectly though there are a few glaring plot holes. The ending is kinda of bittersweet, but I’m glad they make it this way. Personally, I find that Qi Yue has more chemistry with her son compared to Lu Xiao. I don’t know why, but I just can’t feel anything when Qi Yue and Lu Xiao are together (this is just a matter of taste, I suppose). The shooting locations, sets, and wardrobes are nice too.

If you want to watch something simple/short or a fan of bickering family drama, you can give this a shot and see if this is to your liking. Overall, a ten out of ten for this hidden gem. Good luck and happy watching!

Quote:
- Lu Xiao to Qi Yue
"Don't listen to what other people say. Just do what you think is right."

Leggi di Più

An amazing tomb raiding show with suspense and slight horror

Actually, I had done this drama last year while waiting for Neo Hou's new work which is 'Back from the Brink'. To my surprise, Cheng Yi also starred this drama, and I couldn't help but to get excited because two of my favorite actors actually collaborated together. Alright, I'll get straight to the plot and here we go...

The Lost Tomb 2 is the continuation of the previous story (The Lost Tomb) about Wu Xie and his group of tomb raiders. If I'm not mistaken, in previous one, they ventured through Seven Star King Lu Palace and found an artifact known as the Snake Eye Copper Fish. In this story, they went into a new adventure to the Underwater Tomb of Paracel Island to retrieve another Copper Fish. Aside from the Paracel Island, they also went to the Bronze Tree and a tomb that has been designated as a residence in the Republican era (that's all I remember, I'm too lazy for another rewatch). For your information, there will be a lot of flashbacks of Wu Sanxing's (Wu Xie's uncle) journey too. Thank goodness, they also sprinkled some humor here and there to ease the growing suspense of the plot.

As I've expected, the acting is wonderful from Neo Hou and Cheng Yi alongside the one who portrayed Pan Zi. They had a lot of bromances when they were together and even still had time to bicker how they were going to survive inside the tomb LOL. Credits for Li Man who pulled off the best version of Ah Ning that I've ever watched. Aside from the four main characters, I also like Xie Yuchen/Xiao Hua and Huo Xiuxiu (who were portrayed seamlessly by Liu Xueyi and Huang Yi).

Despite the good plot and nice character development, I stopped at ep 37 (somehow, they went to the Korean border by magic) and considered it as completed. If you're not into horror, you'd better avoid this one in case you're too frightened to continue (I once had a nightmare because of this drama LOL). If you like it, then this is for you. Good luck and happy watching!

Leggi di Più

When a lunatic psychopath and a former assassin form an unlikely duo

So, how am I going to start my review? For your information, I've dropped this on ep 5 before I picked up where I left off. As I continued further, the story became more and more interesting. So, let's just begin!!!

Alright, let me explain the plot first. It revolved around the former head of the Window of Heaven who stepped down from his position due to his own reasons - Zhou Zishu and the head of the Ghost Valley - Wen Kexing. As you can see, the both of them had very different personalities and it would be too UNLIKELY for the both of them becoming soul mates. After experiencing the ups and downs amidst the chaos in the martial arts world, they became more attached and decided to trust each other for this lifetime (just like those sworn brothers did, but I guess soul mates are on a more intense relationship, considering this is a censored BL).

I also want to specially mention a very important property which contributes to the story - the Glazed Armor. The Glazed Armor was made by the 5 righteous sects in the martial arts world. It was rumored to be keeping all sorts of martial arts techniques and manuals which have been hunted by lots of people. However, the actual KEY is the jade hairpin that Wen Kexing always wore - not the Glazed Armor.

I just can't help it, but I really root on Wen Kexing also known as the Lunatic Wen. He's a real psychopath and had deep hatred engraved in his heart. The last thing he wanted to do was to destroy the world and then pay for the sins he had committed. However, after he encountered Zhou Zishu, he changed his perspective and tried to cherish his life as possible.

Adding the depth of the story are Gu Xiang (Wen Kexing's loyal subordinate), Cao Weining (Gu Xiang's lover), and Zhang Chengling (an orphan who was defected by the Ghost Valley's ambush which killed his family in the process and also Zhou Zishu's beloved disciple). By the way, the sad ending for Gu Xiang and Cao Weining was unnecessary at all. Why should you kill them off and causing bloodshed again? That double-faced master of Cao Weining - he shouldn't have trusted him or this kind of accident wouldn't happen at all.

The acting is... WOW!!! Sometimes, I just can feel the main leads' bromance. I'm not a great fan of BL, but this drama has made into one. Shout out to Gong Jun who portrayed Wen Kexing flawlessly. I hope he will get more psychopathic roles in the future. Zhou Ye did marvellously too and it is where she showcased and utilized her full acting skills which helped her gaining popularity. Not a great fan of Zhang Zhehan, but his acting is commendable, I would say.

The set, CGI, and cinematography is quite nice to me. I don't understand why people said everything was fake and cheap-made. Overall, a ten out of ten and will probably rewatch when I'm in the drama slump.

Leggi di Più

My very first memorable c-drama

My adventure in the world of c-drama couldn't have happened if it wasn't for Love and Redemption. Looking from the synopsis, I have been hyped by this show and always wanted to watch it until I got the courage to.

In the first few episodes, everything was great especially the Hairpin Conference in which they had to catch a legendary monster in the wilderness. This conference also contributed to the first encounter of the ML and FL. Later, after 4 years old separation, they bumped into each other again, but ML seemed to stay away from the FL many, many times. As the story progressed, FL found out shocking evidences and the real identity of the ML. Then, they tried to heal each other and began spending more time together.

In my opinion, it could've been shorter, though. I skipped nearly all the scenes of the 'so-called self-righteous' sect leaders and the evil sect's scheme, crafted by the second lord of Lize Palace.

The friendship between Yu Sifeng, Chu Xuanji, Chu Linglong, Zhong Minyan, Xiao Yinhua, and Ruo Yu is one of the great aspects of the show. Their cute banter in the beginning is very funny before the show got angsty.

I become a hardcore fan of the ML because of this drama, but not for the FL (who is banned for tax evasion).

I've rewatched this, perhaps, 4 times already. Yeah, it's a very amazing drama and I love it very much. But, I do remind you to only look for the couple's scenes and skipped those unnecessary stuffs.

Leggi di Più

A promising xuanhuan drama turned into a wrecked rollercoaster

As I'm writing this review, my head is going to explode any moment. Every time I think of Snow Eagle Lord, I can't help but getting furious. Even though it has good premise, good novel, good plot, it turns 180° and becomes a wrecked rollercoaster, aided by cheap sets and average special effects.

The plot is a simplistic. Why do I say this? Because it's about a hero trying to save his mother from her evil family. The hero made a lot of preparations, including buying a new weapon to enrolling a prestigious academy. Then, he came across fellow students and befriended them.

I don't understand why, but the script manoeuver 180° from the actual storyline. They've also added dumb and stupid elders, toxic rivals, and clever antagonists. I wish they could just clear off. But, nope. They only tried to make us infuriated with their stupid antics. That's why I can't stand it longer.

Xu Kai did well as usual, but he himself couldn't save this drama from becoming a mess. The FL (Gulnezer Bextiyar) didn't help much either, I feel that she always had those same expressions whenever she was laughing or crying. The leads barely had any chemistry. Thankfully, it's not a romance-oriented drama.
The second couple is decent enough whereas the third couple needs a slapping especially ML's little brother. To be honest, none of them has saving graces (only ML's spear choreography is worth mentioned).

Watch it at your own risk if you have the patience to withstand stupid characters and messy plot. Don't waste your time on this drama or you will regret it.

Leggi di Più

The best masterpiece of 2024

Honestly, I went here without any expectations plus I'm not a big fan of Wu Lei. However, I've watched Zhao Jinmai before and she has impressed me in 'Reset'. Months before this show aired, I've read the complete version of the novel so I will make my judgement based on what I watch and read.

The plot, in my opinion, is quite simple. The story basically tells us about two strangers bumping into each other in a bar on a rare snowstorm night. Then, the ML starts having a crush on the FL when they shared the same apartment days later. He also learns that she is a popular nine-ball player and it sparks more of his interest towards her. Because of her, he starts over his already-retired career as a snooker player and becomes a famous player once again.

I can say that the chemistry between the leads is swoon-worthy. I found myself constantly giggling in front of the screen for no reason. Wu Lei and Zhao Jinmai really nailed the role and fitted the description of Lin Yiyang and Yin Guo. I can't imagine any other leads being them. They were just too perfect in being a green-flag couple. Special mention to the supporting characters too, including Meng Xiaodong, Jiang Yang, Wu Wei, Chen An An, and Meng Xiaotian. I also love the master-disciple relationship between Lin Yiyang and Mr. He Wenfeng. I'm usually indifferent when it comes to the angst. However, I shed some tears in Mr. He's funeral scene.

OSTs are quite nice and adds more sweetness in the scene. I like nearly all of the OSTs in this drama. Usually, I would've skipped the OSTs, but this time I'm all ears for them.

I seldom rewatch dramas, so I think I will only watch some clips and try to rewatch it if I have spare time. Kudos to all the casts and the production team. All in all, this the best modern c-drama I've ever watched (the best gift for celebrating Lunar New Year). This is the end of my review. Enjoy your day and happy watching!!!

P.S.
The drama follows closely to the novel except they changed the shooting location from the USA to Finland (and France for a brief moment).

As for the ending, the novel ends after Lin Yiyang proposes to Yin Guo after singing a song. However, in the drama, 3 years later, they return to Finland and take Jiang Yang's son with them. In the last scene, they go back to Redfish (the bar where they met for the first time) and listen to 'Love and Shine' again. The final scene shows that they've left Redfish and walked together side by side. Nevertheless, it's a HE and you won't be disappointed.

Leggi di Più