I have watched all 3 dramas on firefighters this year and I think that Bright Eyes in The Dark surpasses the other 2. Although I am a fan of Yang Yang, Fireworks of my Heart disappointed with its weak FL character, Bright Eyes in the Dark is more than a romance - it shows the dedication of a team of firefighters to their work and the conflicts it imposes on them and their families,. The camaraderie and support amongst the team members is always heart warming and the lighter moments allievate the tragic events that befall the team. But of course Bright Eyes in The Dark is also a love story - a story of a love that is selfless and not imposing. Lin Luxiao and Nanchu love with maturity, giving each other support and complete understanding. The ending is sad and not what I would have like to see but it is well executed with implied meaning instead of literal story telling. The cast performed well and Johnny Huang portrayed the role of Lin Luxiao with just the right touch, portraying a man who is knowing but who knows when to hold back. All in all - a great drama to watch but one that leaves you feeling pensive at the end.

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A very watchable drama that combines stories of the tenacity of the heroine to achieve her dreams and the slow romance that builds between the leads. Tan Song Yun once again pulls off her role - this time as a dogged female pilot in the male-dominated world of pilots. She has to overcome many challenges along the way but each time keeps to her core values of what is right. Wang Kai is also excellent as a very strict and principled pilot and leader ; he is able to portray his feelings through minute facial expressions. Even though the romance was slow but the many events in the drama kept me glued and there was never a dull moment. Overall a great drama to watch and be entertained by. I highly recommend it!

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This drama is a moving romance set against the backdrop of sweeping majestic landscapes with soulful and emotive music playing. You cannot help but be swept along with the love between Lu Chen and Gu Xiao through their years of separation and through the angst that both unavoidably created for the other. I have read criticisms that the drama is slow but to me, the pace of the show, the words that are unspoken but conveyed through expressions are a powerful way to convey the story. The final episode, although initially a bit of a let-down but on further reflection, is a different way of ending a story by letting the ML tell his part of the story. I am definitely going to rewatch to breakdown the nuances that I missed the first time round!

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Some dramas have you hooked from the first episode and this is one of them. This is a drama where everything comes together. The storyline and setting are ambitious and brings one from the 1970s through some 30-40 years and along the way, we see the growth of the characters together with the growth of China. There is a place for each of the character in the story and each character is well developed. The directing and the filming portray what I imagined were the realistic settings in the 70s. Xiao Zhan plays the admirable Xiao Chunsheng who is generous and forgiving to those he considers his friends and family. Li Qin is Tong Xiaomei who is unselfish and gives love unconditionally. You can understand why these two are so suited for each other in the midst of people who get carried away by greed, selfishness and jealousy. Xiao Chunsheng and Tong Xiaomei do not give up hope even when they are betrayed and when misfortune strikes. I only wish that more of their love story was shown instead of the excessive screen time given to the second FL in the earlier episodes. This is truly a story that moves you but it would be difficult to rewatch as some of the stories are heartwrenching.

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I started watching this because I was impressed with Tan SongYun's performances in Go Ahead and Road Home. She is able to portray such spunky characters that her natural personality must surely be similar. Likewise in Master of My Own, she moves from being a nerdy but spirited secretary to a confident and dedicated investor who is more interested in helping entrepreneurs achieve their dreams than the money that comes with success. This is yet another absorbing performance from Tan SongYun.
This was my first time watching Lin GengXin and I am also impressed with how he moved from portraying an arrogant and self-absorbed boss to one who becomes humbled by his experiences. However I do think that the later Lu JiMing should have maintained a bit of the swagger of his earlier self - the transformation was a bit drastic and unbelievable.
Despite the lack of romance described by many reviewers, the storyline was captivating enough to keep me watching. I will suggest you give this a go!

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The captivating script, the perfect cast, heart-stopping chemistry between the leads and the moving soundtrack make Lighter and Princess one of the top modern romance dramas. The storyline moves through several years and brings us into different phases of the leads' lives. The story is tight with enough tension, character development especially that of the main lead Li Xun and even that of the second lead Gao Jian Hong, enough heartbreak and of course, enough kisses between the leads that kept me hooked through the 36 episode. My only grouse is that the reconciliation only happened at the 2nd last episode - it would have been good to see the leads together for a longer time at the end. Chen Feiyu was perfectly cast as Li Xun, a character who is outwardly arrogant and blunt to the point of rudeness but deep down is a caring person who goes all out for the people he cares about. This care drives him to actions that seem incomprehensible and they are to his own detriment. Li Xun is an unyielding perfectionist and is very hard on himself. His love for Zhu Yun and the belief that she is better off without him drives him to break her heart and at the expense of his own heart. His words are often unbearably harsh but Zhu Yun continues to believe in him as she understands him well. Zhang Jing Yi too is correctly cast as Zhu Yun, someone who is optimistic and caring whilst also having the capacity to push herself to excellence. It was also very interesting to see Gao Jian Hong's development as a student who was initially like a 'puppy-dog' to Li Xun but ultimately, the darker side of him emerged after being unable to accept his inferiority to Li Xun.
There is never a dull moment through all the episodes and you finish the drama with a feeling of sadness that it is over. I enjoyed watching both leads and I will look out for more of their dramas.

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A Mesmerizing Drama

I did not start this drama on an expectant note as I had just finished watching You Are My Hero and thought that nothing could have surpassed that. Further more I was not taken by the first episode of YAMG as I thought the introduction song had such a comical background and JingJing seemed like a childish person. However the story developed and I was totally mesmerised. The pair of leads had amazing chemistry and YangYang portrayed Yu Tu's anguish so well that I could feel the heartache. Even though there are only 32 episodes and each episode is short, I felt that there were 2 subsequent sections to the drama - the gaming section which lead to a big built-up (very exciting) of the game and to the couple's interactions and the second section, the consummation of their relationship. The portrayal of the aerospace industry may seemed a little draggy but it is important to give the background to the work that drives Yu Tu. JingJing's seemingly childish character goes to show her sincerity and generosity. My initial lack of enthusiasm for the opening soundtrack changed as I now could relate to the dreamlike background to enforce the dreams that Yu Tu has of conquering the stars. Overall the drama is totally mesmerising and I can watch it all over again!

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The Road Not Taken

I am surprised to see the low ratings on myDramalist as I thought the premise of the drama was interesting and not your usual run-of-the-mill romance. The 'what if' of the road-not -taken is something that many people would have thought about sometime or other. This drama portrays the 2 different routes taken by Xiao Guo, the FL. Both routes are valid in their own light although I would say that Xiao Guo came to life in her Shanghai life. The story tells of how life seemed to result from missed opportunities and the opening up of new possibilities. A poignant moment is in Episode 19 when Xiao Guo and Yu Jian reconnects and each remembers the events that caused them to part.
Interestingly the actress Elaine Zhong seemed to have taken on roles of a strong and independent woman in her other dramas such as Born To Run and Rising With The Wind. I enjoyed watching her in these dramas as she characterises the modern woman carving a path for herself. In What If, she is able to portray the difference between the Xiao Guo of Leshan and Xiao Guo of Shanghai. This drama shows the issues that face women as they try to balance their career, motherhood, being in a relationship.
Altogether it was a good drama although I felt that 20 episodes could have been extended a bit more.

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I had read so much about this and was quite excited to watch it. I have to start by saying that although I have many criticisms about the drama, it managed to lure me to watching till the end. The main plot is interesting enough (girl from simple background meeting boys from another world) but the story gets so convoluted along the way. The leads went through one drama after another - from kidnapping, stabbing incident, lost in snowstorm, getting scammed, starvation antic etc etc - it is like the producers wanted to do multiple plots within one show. There was also an irrelevant side story (Terence and Caina) - what was that about? And the character of Dao Ming Si's mother - is it possible to have such a wicked mother who can turn around so abruptly at the end? I also didn't appreciate the dubbing - Dao Ming Si's voice sounded like a comic character. 50 episodes are too protracted and can be easily shortened as there were too many unnecessary scenes and flashbacks.

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I am surprised to see the low ratings given to this drama. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I think it is comparable to Yanxi Palace. The story kept me captivated with the many going-ons and mysteries behind the characters in the Forbidden City. There is sufficient suspense and twists throughout the drama although I must admit that it was difficult at times to understand the motivation behind each character.
I like the way the stories behind the food are woven into the story and it is quite a visual feast looking at the depiction of the many dishes. In this respect, I think Royal Feast wins over Yanxi Palace as it has this added dimension.
Wu Jin Yan gives a spunky portrayal Yao Zi Jin; one would say that it is an almost similar character to Wei Ying Luo of Yanxi Palace. In Royal Feast, Xu Kai has a more substantial role compared to in Yanxi Palace and he pulls off his portrayal of the honorable prince and emperor Zhu Zhan Ji.
Overall an entertaining watch!

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Initially I wasn't sure about watching this drama as I did not like Gina Jin's character in You Are My Glory and was prejudiced against watching her again. However after watching Forever Love , I was convinced that I had to watch this for the sake of seeing Wang An Yu again. This show has changed my mind about Gina Jin as I enjoyed watching her portrayal of Luo Na. Another prejudice I had earlier was of the large age gap between the two mains but the chemistry between both leads blew away my doubts. The leads did not hold back on their intimate scenes and this is much welcomed after many dramas with stilted kisses. This drama has my favourite elements - a love relationship, a story abut striving for dreams and competition. All elements came together well. My only complaint is that the last 2 episodes were a bit rushed, as if the screenwriter ran out of steam. I think they could have stretched these 2 episodes to 4. Another factor that made me like this drama so much is that there wasn't any irritating second couple. Much of the drama focussed on the main couple with the other cast playing their supporting roles well. Altogether a wonderful drama, worthy of rewatching.

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Suspense and Intrigue all the way!

I am impressed with the storyline, production and acting skills in this drama. The story has multiple twists and turns and kept me in suspense for a lot of the time. The dedication of the narcotics officers to their work is not undermined but sometimes come into conflict with feelings of trust and loyalty amongst family and friends.

Wang Yibo surpassed himself in this drama. He conveyed the steadfastness of his character, Chen Yu but yet managed to unleash the feelings of despair and pain when his loved ones and colleagues are overwhelmed by their tasks. There was a memorable scene of Chen Yu breaking down alongside his superior Lin De Zan. The acting skills of the supporting actors, both heroes and villains, are no less commendable!

I will recommend that you watch this!

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Did not meet expectations

I was looking forward to this drama after reading the positive reviews. However I am sad to say that it did not meet my expectations. Overall plot was simplistic and the characters of the FL, Jiang Jun and ML, Yuan Shuai were bland. The second ML, Du Lei was more interesting with more depth in his character development. In fact I was rooting for him to get the FL instead of Yuan Shuai. The FL's allergy to tears formed the basis of the story but this sounds bizarre and I am not sure that it is medically correct. The first part of the drama was focussed on the relationship between the ML and FL but the scenes were mainly of them fighting each other and there was little sense of chemistry between the both. Although many reviewers mentioned the chemistry between the FL and ML , I did not get much sense of this. The second part of the drama was more interesting as it moved beyond the romance to the politics in business. Like mentioned by some reviewers, the drama could have successfully stopped at episode 30. The subsequent episodes 31-36 where the second ML reverted to being a villain seemed to counter the good effects of the earlier episodes.
Overall, the drama is watchable but it is nowhere comparable to some others which I have recently watched eg You are My Glory or Dine With Love.

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A Gripping Drama

I have just watched this and am blown away by the story line, the acting and the music. I am not familiar with the game of ping pong (nor any other sports) but this show has ignited my interest in it. Through the episodes, I am kept on edge during the games and am constantly rooting for the players (actors). However this is not just a show about ping pong. It is about the perseverance and passion of these characters and the hardship they endure to achieve success. If the show is remotely accurate, it gives an insight into how the Chinese athletes train and looking at the kind of discipline and training they are put through, I am not surprised that they are world leaders in these games. The acting is excellent especially the lead actor Xu Tan who is played by Bai Jingting. Through skilled acting, Bai Jingting shows how a young and physically weak teenager develops both physically and mentally into a world class champion. Each character in the show contributes to the richness of the story.
Through excellent filming, the excitement of the games is captured. I love the slow-motion capture of the balls.
The show sound tracks captures the mood of the show well and I can listen to these sound tracks over and over again.
Overall an excellent show and I will give it top ratings!

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