2019 vs 2021

This review will be more of a comparison of the 2019 vs. 2021 version. There are going to be quite some biased comments as I enjoyed the 2019 version and I have already reviewed the 2019 ver based on the plot/generics itself. So, I didn't want to have to say the same things. I have not read the novel, but I probably will one of these days in my downtime. I tried to condense the review as much as possible; it was hard, as I made a lot of notes while I was watching. However, that doesn't mean I dislike this version any less as the storyline is still the same, and the characters were still true to how they were in the 2019 version. I did watch the last two episodes RAW, so I may have missed important dialogue as most of it was Luo Zhi narrating.

STORY
I want to say that if you don't like watching storylines/characters with the following, this drama isn't for you:
- unrequited love
- girls getting treated like crap in a relationship
- girls giving their all to someone who doesn't care for them
- dragging storyline due to constant misunderstandings

Those may throw you off to want to watch it, but there's something about unrequited love that makes people intrigued. It's probably because we all have had an unrequited love in some way or another. The unrequited love storyline gets exhausting because, for once, the title is true to the storyline. The female lead has been in love with our male lead for over ten years and continues to love him. She gets hurt by him but still foolishly loves him. It's this never-ending loop, but it somehow keeps drawing me to see how their story will turn out.

MUSIC
Almost all of the songs are good to throw onto my playlist. I enjoyed the opening song and think it's quite catchy (in my playlist and stuck in my head). However, I feel like the music and editing within the drama weren't great for me. There were times where I felt like the music overpowered the voiceovers/dialogue. Other times, I felt like the music wasn't fitting to the mood of the scene. Especially when they play the opening song, the music sounds upbeat (even though the lyrics are about unrequited love). It just makes it seem less serious/more of this high school crush where we're supposed to feel bubbly. But this isn't supposed to be the case for this drama. We are supposed to feel the anguish of unrequited love that Luo Zhi feels.

One thing I dislike is dramas dragging out scenes with no dialogue and the song playing. I don't mind it, but it feels like we're listening to the whole song, and I always skip it. This drama had a good amount of those (in the beginning and end). The only scene that was correct, in my opinion, was later in the show, somewhere after episode 30, where Luo Zhi was napping in the library and Huainan was staring at her.

RE-WATCH VALUE
I wouldn't re-watch this drama or version in particular. So far, I have enjoyed all adaptations, though. There were some instances where I feel like this version was dragged out, and there weren't particular scenes that stood out to me about memorable. I am waiting for the movie version and probably will watch it when it has subtitles and is available to watch.

=================OVERALL/2019 COMPARISON (major spoilers) ================

WHAT I LIKED - I knew from the get-go that there should be more depth to the supporting characters and story than the 2019 version, with this ver being 38 episodes. I'll mention the things I appreciated in the 2021 version of Unrequited Love.

1. I appreciated more depth to Ge Bi and Baili's story, especially Ge Bi's character. Ge Bi's character still stood true to how he was in the 2019 version; however, he had more conscious in this version. We can tell how this drama was directed that Ge Bi actually somewhat cared for Baili and didn't just see her go through everything for him but not appreciate it. We see some regret in Ge Bi and him missing her, even if it was selfishly.

2. This version of Huainan was a more likable male lead because there was more depth to him. We see more of his backstory and his feelings, so we could empathize with him more. For example, we see his thought process so we understand why he would ignore her. The writers literally made a whole debate competition on love and selfishness with his stance to explain why he initially felt off about Luo Zhi. In contrast, the 2019 ver focused more on Luo Zhi and her feelings rather than Huainan.

3. What this version does right is that we see them build their connection. It feels a lot stronger this time around. For example, the mutual connection they had with their conversations/texts, without Luo Zhi having to lie/pretend. It was satisfying to see them build their connection with nerdy texts and audio conversations. Which made sense to these two characters as they're supposed to be top students.

4. Huainan's family situation didn't involve an outdated family revenge trope. The writers decided to get rid of that, and it flows a lot better in that aspect. Huainan was more mature in the situation, though I still believed he could have given Luo Zhi a better closure. There was less drama involved after Huainan left school, and that was much appreciated after all that has happened in the drama.

WHAT I DISLIKED - Some of the following things made the drama feel less serious and more like an idol drama. These new additions/changes feel even more like most of the other typical modern-day young adult dramas out there.

1. I'm not too fond of the daydream parts that keep getting thrown in. It makes it less serious. I would much rather prefer a voiceover of Luo Zhi saying what she should have done/her self-conflicting thoughts. This didn't last long, as it was more towards the first half of the drama/before she got acquainted with him. Those long gazes with the theme song getting played make me skip them. It's probably because her gaze doesn't read longing to me. It looks like she's just staring off into the distance.

2. I liked that the aunt only showed up to help Huainan because Luo Zhi begged her to in the 2019 ver. In this version, the aunt felt bad for Luo Zhi's puppy love and came to explain to Huainan. She even acted as a middleman between the two. This is fine, but I think little moments like the 2019 version made it feel a lot more impactful.

3. MOST IMPORTANT! The impactful windowpane scene was relatively lackluster in the 2021 version. They had one conversation, and that was it. While in the 2019 version, it was a build-up of conversations that led to Huainan feeling a connection to Luo Zhi.

4. So, in episode 30, they are still at a point of having misunderstandings. This was one of the things I disliked the most about this version. Sure, more episodes allow more depth in other aspects, but in the wrong area at the same time. I enjoyed seeing an expansion of the supporting character's stories and their character progression, but seeing the main characters not progress in their relationship is so hard to sit through. With this many episodes, it didn't have a better closure either.

5. Luo Zhi in the 2021 ver came off quite selfish to me. While she knew that Gu Zhi Ye was not a good guy, she didn't try to stop Baili or Gu Zhi Ye. In the other ver, she confronted him after she confirmed that Gu Zhi Ye was up to no good. In this version, she knew right from the beginning that Gu Zhi Ye was sleazy and fishy, but she didn't help Baili.

6. Luo Zhi's "restart" from Huainan was lackluster in this one. She cuts her hair and then ignored Huainan… meh. It felt like any other time they had a misunderstanding. Then she was purposely ignoring him to tease him as suggested by the guy who looks like their professor. Does anyone remember from the 2019 ver where she allowed the security to take Huainan away as the thief? That was memorable.

7. The supporting characters that are pursuing Huainan are more aggressive in this one. Probably for more drama, but I don't enjoy that aspect of it. That means the drama will get dragged out/shifts the attention away from the main issue. For example, Zheng Wenrui was really obnoxious in this version. She threw herself onto Huainan and was LOUD. I didn't understand why they made her character like this in this version.

WHAT I MISSED FROM 2019 VER
1. I enjoyed Baili's character in the 2019 version. I thought I would like the Baili in this version more, but so far, I don't. I actually disliked how much she clung to Ge Bi even though he straight up told her to back off. It didn't make me feel hurt for her; it made me feel quite annoyed since it was him continually telling her that it was over. In the 2019 ver, Baili had a bit more self-respect. She knew when to back off when she wasn't needed, which made us feel the pain of her unrequited love story. Like Luo Zhi, the 2019 Baili, silently did things for Ge Bi. The 2019 version did justice to Baili by really trying to make her move away from Ge Bi.

2. The moods of these two dramas are REALLY different. The 2019 version was about a girl who would silently do everything for a boy. She silently loves him and silently decided to let go of him until they fatefully met again. We felt her pain of him not knowing who she is because they showed us all the things she did for him... SILENTLY. And she continues to do things for him in college. That is why we understood why she felt hurt when she was so close to him yet so far. It was easy to empathize with her.

This version of Luo Zhi felt a bit more immature and lacked the same feeling that I enjoyed from the 2019 version. While this is probably truer to how a young adult would act, we didn't feel the same pain from this Luo Zhi. Without seeing what she has done for Huainan, it didn't feel as genuine? (not sure if that's the right word to use) It felt like it lacked why she was so hurt on why he should know/remember her. Like she cried right on the spot after reading Huainan's text and other times as well. This Luo Zhi would be upset and couldn't mask herself well in front of Ming Rui. So far, we're trying to build their love story on the fact that he was a boy from her childhood.

In the 2019 version, we know that they somehow know each other from their childhood, even though it wasn't well written. But the main part was during high school, where the bulk of Luo Zhi's unrequited love started and it was so well done as we get flashbacks to all of the things that she has done for him. So, we understand why Luo Zhi is so hurt/upset at Huainan. The 2019 Luo Zhi has already been disappointed so many times before that she could just back up silently again.

For the 2019 version, we were able to see a glimpse of characters moving on or doing things, mainly through leads and especially through Luo Zhi's interaction with them. For me, that was all it needed to get the right closure for most of the characters and see how Luo Zhi grows as a person. Luo Zhi seems like a love expert to everyone except for her situation. Her aloof character and personality were felt through her interaction with the supporting characters. Even though she came off as aloof, we know that she has a warm heart because she is always helping someone else out. She usually speaks her mind and never hesitates. Her aura felt a lot more mature than her actual age.

3. Another thing I missed was the roommate bond they had in the 2019 ver. It felt more genuine and real than this one. Huainan came off as this god that was on a pedestal and his roommates were literally using him as a study tool in the 2021 version. Also, I missed the silly Ming Rui and his friendship with Luo Zhi. Apart from Ming Rui falling for Luo Zhi later, they were good friends who confided in each other. This one lacked the interactions between Ming Rui and Luo Zhi. Like, we barely see scenes of them together. :'( Ming Rui even told Luo Zhi that he did everything for her because of Huainan. It made me sad that their friendship didn't seem genuine/as close.

4. Gu Zhi Ye came across as someone more genuine in the 2019 ver, even though we found out that he was using her.

5. The beauty of Luo Zhi writing, "Luo Zhi loves Shen Huainan and no one knows about it" was that it was her little secret before college. She wrote it before going to college as a last reminder. It was her finally being able to show it to the world without really telling anyone. Luo Zhi wrote it in college in this version, and Huainan discovered her engraving (coincidently right by his favorite spot). She even attempted to hide it behind the bushes.

6. One nice touch to the 2019 ver was their dorm walls and how it had pictures and posters of what each character likes. Luo Zhi had anime, Huainan had basketball, and Baili had popular stars on hers. This version was just super bright and pink in the girl's dorm.

If you made it to the end, thank you for reading! If you watched both versions, let me know what you thought of each one! I know comparing both may sound negative but I actually enjoyed it enough to watch to the end!

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Decent Cross World Love Story Filled with Chemistry

Usually, while I watch dramas, I would take notes on what stood out to me as ridiculous, well done, etc. However, it's draining to feel like I'm tearing dramas apart instead of enjoying them for what they are. For this drama, I decided to just watch it for what it was. So, this review may sound like it's quite choppy.

Some warning notes for the drama:
- CHEMISTRY ALERT
- kisses overload in last half
- second lead syndrome

ACTING/CAST/CHARACTERS (contains some spoilers)
Marcus Chang's dramas have been on my to-watch list for the longest time. This was the first of his works for me and it was quite a delightful first peek of his acting. I think apart from the earring on Aoran and no earring on Tianxing, Marcus did great at depicting these two characters (or at least I felt the distinction between the two). Tianxing felt colder and closed off, while Aoran was more open.

This is my second time watching Vivian Sung. It's been a couple of years since Our Times and her acting doesn't disappoint. If I'm being honest, her character/Xiao En isn't quite likable in the first third of the drama. I can get past the whole drone stalking aspect, but Xiao En's response and actions in the novel weren't my cup of tea. I do enjoy that she's not a white lotus or a green tea one. That slap, MAD respect for Xiao En for doing that.

Simon Lian made me question where he's been during all of my drama binge-watch moments. Give this guy more lead roles! He's bound to steal more hearts! Qingfeng was so well written, except for that one moment towards the end of the novel. For a moment there, I thought he was selfish as in wanting someone to suffer with him and was going to turn evil. It was just me reading it wrong for a bit there, but the writers making him come off that way didn't vibe well with me. I do know that he is just trying for the sake of his own happiness, but it contradicts his character whom most of us have come to love.

MUSIC
I think the lyrics match the storyline of the drama. It may be a Taiwanese drama thing, or I'm just paying more attention to lyrics in dramas now. There were some scenes where the music was quite too loud for my liking, especially when there's a serious dialogue going on. If the music doesn't add to the dialogue or pauses of the speech, it would sound noisy, even if it matches the scene's mood. I do really enjoy the slow motions and certain scenes where the music gets inserted in at the perfect timing. That aspect kind of gave me "The Wolf" vibes, even one of the instrumental reminded me of it. Again, this could be Taiwanese-style editing.

RE-WATCH VALUE
This drama has a good re-watch value due to how entertaining it is. Personally, I probably wouldn't re-watch this again. While it was entertaining, there were quite some scenes where I wouldn't sit through again. This may have to do with personal preference and that I'm still not quite used to Taiwanese-style dramas.

STORY/OVERALL (contains spoilers)
There were some loopholes and aspects where it doesn't make sense. It was easy for me to overlook this because the bulk of the plot took place in the novel world. With that, I let most things slide. If you have read translated novels, it feels exactly like how they depicted the novel world in this drama, making it feel like a parody for me. You can tell that the writers thought it through connecting the two lifes/worlds to make sense. I've seen many plots where scriptwriters will write things and expect us to believe it/ignore the massive gap.

For me, this story only started to pick up at episode 9 when Qingfeng starts realizing his feelings for Xiao En. There were a lot of boring scenes and scenes I could have done without. For example, the real-life parts where we see He Tianxing's half-brother and sister plotting against one another was quite anti-climactic. I had to fast forward and sometimes skip all these parts to get back to the novel storyline.

To be honest, Situ Aoran's character is complete crap, and I was surprised that he is supposed to be the better half. I wouldn't fall for this guy and wouldn't even try to get him if I was in Xiao En's position. If it weren't for the fact that he looked like Tianxing, she probably wouldn't give him the time of day (at least I'm assuming she wouldn't have). Aoran only started to get on my good books after Xiao En got locked up in the bathroom.

The plot took on a crazy loop to finish the novel and continue to the real-life world. There was a lot of cringe-fest going on, on my end of the screen. I think the best part about this drama is the chemistry between the two leads. It was so good that I eventually stopped feeling sad for Qingfeng for being the second male lead. And it was so good that I forgot how much I disliked Situ Aoran at the beginning of the drama.

I can surely say that this is the first time in a long time that I've experienced a huge second lead syndrome. I can't really recall when the last time I had a second lead syndrome. However, not in a way that I wished Xiao En ended up with Qingfeng. I just purely enjoyed Qingfeng's character and rooted for his happiness in general. I am happy that he finally got his happy ending and is not wandering anymore. Would actually really love to see him in his own leading roles and will follow more of his works.

I enjoyed Chuntain and Xiao En's friendship with one another. When Chuntian told Xiao En, "I love you", I got teary at this line as well. We clearly saw and felt their strong bond through it all, even when we didn't see much of Chuntian. Even when the same actress was playing Qiutain, it wasn't the same bond and feelings.

Also, just a little note, if you watch the opening scene and the short intermission scenes, it spoils the plotline.

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Unsatisfying Slow Burn Drama

I started 2x speed at one point and then eventually fast-forwarded on 2x speed. I mean, the drama is passable as a slow burn kind of drama IF you want it to be, but there's barely any development anywhere. With these types of drama, you have to deliver it in either the workplace, family drama, or love line. I think it did terrible in all three aspects as it felt anti-climactic and unsatisfying. I wanted to enjoy it, but I didn't.

STORY-ACTING-REWATCH VALUE
I think it had an interesting start and premise. The acting wasn't bad either. I've seen a few of Sun Yi's work, she hasn't blown my mind, but she's doable. It was my first time watching Bai Jing Ting, and I would like to see more from him. I wouldn't recommend anyone to re-watch unless they enjoyed it. I barely finished, but I've made it a goal to try not to drop dramas this year and I was already knee-deep in this drama.

OVERALL RANT (major spoilers, proceed with caution)
More things happening to the protagonists and extra drama in the storyline doesn't make it more climatic and enjoyable to watch. It felt draining episode after episode to want certain things to develop, but they don't. Four example rants with SPOILERS:

1. Them overcoming their "sister-brother" relationship could have been a lot better. We waited for a good maybe 16 episodes for Luo Shu to realize his feelings for Chu Yao. Then in episode 19, Luo Shu confesses, but Chu Yao doesn't confess until episode 32. They're "together," but not really, and they finally get approval from their dad in episode 44. And honestly, I felt no chemistry between these two at all. Maybe because we already see them treating each other as mutual siblings, I didn't feel the chemistry. Like he always calls her 'big sister' and she calls him 'little brother.' They help each other out and always put each other first, but that's it. It's not a make my heart pound or go 'aww' kind of moments. They had a lot of head-on shoulder moments, but that was like the main skinship. Even in the last scene where Chu Yao had her head on Luo Shu's shoulder, their body was so distant, it looked so awkward to me.

2. So, why play it out like Luo Shu was doing so well in the business industry, in the beginning, to make him fail at every turn? He's this smart guy who dropped out of college and had a business idea/product that was at one point worth 10-12 million dollars. We see them building this business idea/product for so many episodes with the big corporations, investors, and competitors against them. The writers build it up so well that we expect them to prevail, as they're a small group who are smart and resilient. Then BAM! chaos hits, and he gave it all up for Chu Yao. What?! Of course, he starts over, but it's just not the same anymore, especially when he already invested so many episodes in his pivots and all. They never gave him a satisfying comeback.

3. Why did they never try to get help for the mom? Instead, they let her live a life of ignorance like that. The mom is probably the most fragile character ever as she needs to be protected in a bubble and cannot do anything or see anything. If they truly love the mom and Luo Shu, they would want him to have his identity and for their mom to recover. Luo Shu went through an identity crisis so often that it wasn't fair to him as an outsider. He had no responsibility to treat this family with so much thought and care. They never gave him an option to leave, and when he would leave, they would pull him back to appease the mom. Also, if they were to help the mom and reveal Chu Chen's death, Chu Chen would finally rest in peace. The family can now hold his death anniversary and visit his grave. However, this doesn't happen, so poor Chu Chen is just forgotten.

4. What's with this never-ending phase of antagonists and the world against them? Even Zhi Mo became the bad guy?! Did we need another reason to have another antagonist at that point of the drama? No, the writers could've just closed up loopholes and tied everything up to make it all good.

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Heart-Wrenching Effects of Suicide on Your Loved Ones

I do not watch a lot of these types of dramas where it deals with your psyche, death, suicide, etc. Anything that may just feel heavy, I can do in a 2-hour movie, but never in a drama. I do not know what compelled me to watch this drama, but it was such a beautiful drama. I have never cried like this since I watched Iljimae. Also, I watched this drama approximately 1.5 years ago, so the details and review may not be as accurate as what I recall or felt. I will try to spoil as little as possible since there are not many episodes.

STORY (spoilers from episode one)
As we know, this is about Tonmai seeing his dead sister who has committed suicide. From the get-go, we see Thannam commit suicide and Tonmai is born. 17 years later, Tonmai is a grown teenager and he has yet to celebrate his birthdays. At 17 years old, he finally gets to celebrate his first birthday. He has a loving mother and a father who is present but emotionally distant. With much thought from his dad, he receives his sister’s old room that has been locked up for 17 years. The story starts to unravel when Tonmai starts to see Thannam. When her story gets told, we start to see what led to her suicide and how suicide affected everyone around her. Through this supernatural experience, all the characters finally receive some sort of closure that they have been seeking.

Any form of relationships that you have created in life is an important steppingstone. Your friends, family, teachers, neighbors, etc. They are all involved with you and how your life can proceed in one way or another. I think a good takeaway from the drama is to love fully, let go of your grudges/negativity, and communicate efficiently so that you have no regrets.

ACTING/CAST/CHARACTERS (minor spoilers)
PLUEM as Tonmai was wonderful. This was the first of his work that I have seen him in. Tonmai was left out in the dark about the past and his father does not treat him with affection. Even though his mother loves him, he finally gets to experience a happy and loving relationship when Thannam shows up in his life. I loved the supernatural aspect of this show and how Thanam was able to use his body. It made me laugh and cry so much!

PUSH was phenomenal, as always. I admit I came into this show because of Push without expecting much from the plotline. We see his struggle getting over Thannam’s death and the plot twist on his character surprised me.

MILD was also a new actress for me. She is so cute, pretty, and her acting fits her role as the ball of sunshine so well. I was not surprised that she uses her smile to hide her depression and hardships. Her character was the most pitiful one for me. As a young girl, it must be so hard for her character to go through so much. She always felt like she was not wanted and so she went to the one place where she would be. I never understood why she would choose the lake (she did explain) but after experiencing Thailand myself, I found that the water is warm. She was seeking warmth and so she chooses to end her life in a place where she could feel the warmth. That just broke my heart even more.

Honorable mentions to the other casts and the characters they fulfilled: CHAYT, ORN, and UNCLE TAI

MUSIC
I do not recall the music being much of an add on to the drama. I was more focused on the storyline and the acting.

RE-WATCH VALUE
Yes, I would re-watch this. At one point in the drama, it felt a tad drawn out, like one episode drawn out. However, I think the storyline was well written and to the point.

OVERALL
If you are planning to watch this, get a box of tissues and your cry face ready! If you have already watched it, let me know what your favorite scenes were! I can still vividly recall all of my favorite scenes.

Before you leave, if you are in the United States and you or someone you know is suicidal, call National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255

If you just want someone to talk to about anything, you can feel free to send me a message. I am not an expert, but if you need a friend, then I am here! I am quite introverted, and I am not so good at talking, but I’m a great listener!

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Less Is More

My issue with some dramas is that they can't figure out how to set the scene for the story and what they want to show us. In this show, all eleven main and supporting characters have a decent screen time. Apart from our two leads, we have to see a backstory to each of the supporting characters, and some are longer than others. So, we get these weird chunks being awkwardly combined to tie it back to the original story because it's looping into its own side story now. This meant that we see less of our two main character's relationship develop and a messy plot trying to be coherent. It is okay to have all of that in one drama if you blend it well together to make it smooth. Writers have to understand that less is more.

The T4 arc sprinkles itself sporadically throughout the show and helps drive it into being an action-crime drama. Because this was our biggest conflict in the drama, it was tiring waiting for it to happen while we got filler scenes. We didn't get much suspense or that "big bang" from the sequence of events in the drama. It was not as engaging as an action drama should be.

The foreshadowing in the drama isn't subtle, and when the foreshadowing occurs, it's a dead giveaway that something soon will happen. Whether it's through words of caution from one character to another, items that get handed off, or actions that get taken, it's quite predictable.


ACTING/CAST/CHARACTERS
Johnny Huang isn't new to the world of action-military-crime-drama films or shows. We've seen him in Operation Red Sea (2018) and The Thunder (2019), and he has several future works within the realm of action. With his manly looks, figure, and acting skills, Johnny Huang can easily pass as Liang Mu Ze, the captain of the Thunder Commandos. Unfortunately, Liang Mu Ze's role in the show is to be Xia Chu's love interest. This makes his character dynamics fall quite flat, as there's not much going, except being a supporting figure to Xia Chu and fighting for his country.

"I hope you could win. I hope the past won't hurt you." While Liang Mu Ze's character is an emotional support system for Xia Chu, he does it perfectly. He will sit and listen to her rants and rambles about her problems. In some cases, he's present to listen to her problems. Other times, he would actively try to help her solve her problems. When he sees that she wants to make an impulse decision that she may regret, he deters her away from it and decides for her, knowing that it's what's in her heart and one where she won't regret. This reduces the number of external misunderstandings between the two of them.

Li Qin is known for her historical costume roles, and this time plays in a modern setting as a resident surgeon at a military hospital. I found that the drama mainly focused on Xia Chu and her journey. Similar to Liang Mu Ze, she didn't have any big character arc or goals. So, watching countless scenes of Xia Chu in the hospital felt meaningless as it did not do much to help move the plot or character forward. Some scenes should have helped add depth to Xia Chu's character but often fails to present it well. My favorite characteristic of Xia Chu is how she stays true to herself and her views. Xia Chu's actions and words justify itself to match her character.

"It's not because of him per se, but it's because of the memories." Our female lead, Xia Chu, draws a clear line of how she feels about Zhou Ran and is mature about it. She doesn't give off wishy-washy feelings based on her past. Nor does she throw shade at Mi Gu for having feelings towards Zhou Ran.

OVERALL
There were not many overarching themes in the drama. However, two that I found most prominent were dedication to one's career and love and sacrifice. When it came to dedication to one's career, it sometimes didn't feel like passion. There were several moments where the characters lacked the conviction to make use that they feel passionate about their career. The drama gave them to us through words instead of their actions. It wasn't until later on, when we would start to see the lengths that these characters would go through to help their patients or fight for their country, that I felt these characters were passionate about the career paths that they have chosen.

Love and sacrifice are one of the bigger themes in the drama. We would see the two leads often feel like they need to make sacrifices for their love to make it work or that they would have to give up their love life to pursue their career. Many scenes made it seem like you have to choose one or the other when you fall in love. It's either your career or your love life. For example, in one of Xia Chu's conversations with Xiao Xiao about love and sacrificing one's career, Xiao Xiao said, "Why am I the one to switch jobs? Why can't he?" I applauded Xiao Xiao for this answer, as women are often the ones who have to sacrifice their careers to make a relationship work.

Did I love it? Not really. Do I hate it? Not really. For me, the last 10 episodes were where the show really starts to pick up, probably to close up all the loose strings.

This drama is for you if you like:
-Military and doctor trope dramas
-Johnny Huang or Li Qin
-Slow burn romance

This drama isn't for you if you dislike:
-Clingy second male leads
-Best friend of female lead that isn't so smart
-A lot of focus on side stories of supporting casts

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Who Are You?

This short mini-series moves by really fast. You blink and you can miss the small details. This series can be really interesting with all the small detailing in the symbolism and trying to figure out the mystery in the mobile game OR may prevent you from enjoying the show. What I liked was that we viewers only know as much as Chen Zhenyu knows, but through the symbolism, it becomes a little mystery game for us to figure out the details and predict what may come next/hint at. So, the show becomes more engaging as you pay more attention and try to connect everything together. If you're like me, you'll find yourself re-watching each episode at least 3-4 times just to find some clues.

While Li Xian plays different characters, the writer did a good job at giving them distinct character traits to differentiate his different selves. Note: the one single and distinct outfits for each character helps as well. Instead of thinking of it as "another Li Xian," I've come to connect names to those characters instead. So credit goes to Li Xian's portrayal here as well.

The cinematography was done beautifully from the sets that showcased the symbols to how they remind me of HK-style films. I like that despite it being filmed in a boxed set (pawnshop), warehouses, or narrow alleyways, the director used all the space and interesting angles he can with the movement of the camera to capture the scenes.

There are a few plotholes and there's much more left to explore because it's so short but it seems like there's a possibility for a second season. Another setback was the lack of subs for the text messages that could make you lost if you don't know what missions/messages were being sent but a quick Google translate can easily fix that.

Bonus: As this was set in 2026, I loved the electronic hip-hop and rap soundtracks in here!

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Be the Main Lead of Your Own Story

I came out of the drama having so much on my mind and to say. Now that I'm typing, I don't know where to start and I probably won't say much. So, where do I start with this drama? It was a pleasant watch that took me by surprise. The coloring of the drama matched the mood of it so well. This drama has a more mellow love story, which you'll find me using the term a lot to describe this drama. It was mellow but in a good way.

What I disliked about the drama was the idea of a love that was still so strong after 10 years. Would that still be considered love anymore? Because it was just a crush that seemed like a missed opportunity that felt like an obsession in a way. Another dislike I had was seeing all these failed love aside from the main love story. Why does the author/writer have to depict love like it's sad and hopeless? I understand that they were trying to paint a picture that love isn't always beautiful and pretty. You can be stuck in a relationship where you don't love the person but try to make it work. You might fall in love unexpectedly with someone else who doesn't love you. You might hold onto your first love hoping that they would choose you; however, love isn't always like that. With watching all these failed relationships, it felt kind of draining for a moment. There were quite a few loopholes that weren't really made clear with the supporting characters and the whole family backstory.

What I loved about this drama was how mature the characters were and how they went about experiencing love. Obviously, the characters are not love experts, but we can tell that they try so hard to make it work. When it doesn't work, they eventually know when to pull back, and we, as viewers, don't get stuck in a tiring loop watching them run around like headless chickens just for the drama to have drama. The drama's writing fell a bit flat towards the last few episodes, but I think it wrapped it up nicely for all of the characters.

STORY
The story is about a girl who silently loves the main guy. They went to the same high school together and now they're attending the same college. One day she is given a chance to talk to him. From that moment on, they start to establish their relationship and find out about their intertwined past. It's nothing new and special but it's the way that the writers and director unfolded the story to us that made it more unique. Most of it was told through Luo Zhi's perspective and it made it so easy for us to empathize with her.

CAST/CHARACTERS
These are all new actors and actresses to me. I was highly impressed with the actress who played Luo Zhi. Her expressions were so on point to me. I'm sad that she does not have many main roles under her belt. I would love to see more of her in the future. The main lead was kind of "meh" to me the whole time. His thought process on how he deals with things was not main lead material to me. I enjoyed the actor and actress who played Baili and Ming Rui so much. They are definitely on my to-watch list now!

MUSIC
The piano soundtrack in here is so beautiful and so beautifully intertwined into the scenes. It can be played in sad scenes and make you feel sad with the characters. Then the same song would be played in a different setting and create a different mood. The mood becomes soft and mellow. The scene then becomes a moment where it slows down like it should be engraved in your mind. I don't know if that makes sense, but that's the best way I can describe it.

RE-WATCH VALUE
I don't think I would re-watch this, but it indeed was a good one time watch. However, I might watch the other version with Hu Yi Tian or spinoffs. I think if they can capture the same feelings for me, I wouldn't mind. I don't know how I feel about longer episodes and more episodes though. The 30-minute length and 24 episodes felt like a perfect length for me. I feel like if it's any longer, it would just drag out, and I hate dramas that drag.

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Bittersweet Angsty Psychologically Tiring Love Story

Just wanted to put my running thoughts here as my heart still feels bittersweet and empty. It’s weird for a drama to make me feel this way, especially one like The Wolf. I don’t know if it was 3 years of waiting for it to air, but there’s this feeling of non-fulfillment. It was probably because I wanted to like it, I saw potential, and loved certain characters. Despite the flaws, I felt emotionally attached to the characters and drama.

8 out of 10 comments talks about how ridiculous the plot was, the number of misunderstandings, and the lack of character development. 2 out of 10 talks about how this was the best drama of 2020 with the best plot. I can agree with both of these arguments. I understand that we all have our differences in opinions but sometimes I feel like drama viewers these days are too judgmental on the way that a story gets presented to us. Certain shows are not serious enough for me to take it seriously, so I enjoy it for the entertainment it should be giving me. Other shows try so hard to be great and it falls short and then I start mentally judging them. However, when I am presented with something new, I always try to go about it pretty open-minded. Dramas and movies help illustrate the flaws in relationships and everyday lives. In this sense, we see a lot of different relationships that could have been relevant to those back in the days or even today.

STORY
The plotline was a whirlwind of “I’m here already?” because things happened so fast, like the first 20 episodes. Then the rest of the show just kind of fell into a slump and this probably must be due to lack of character/story development. The writer’s decision to make the characters do a certain thing or act a certain way makes me question the plotline. This makes me curious if the postproduction and 3-year wait messed up the flow of the drama. If so, by how much or did it even matter. I feel like there were quite a few plot holes in the drama that never got addressed. I know that they cut off some episodes during postproduction.

ACTING/CAST/CHARACTERS (CONTAINS SPOILERS)
To be honest, I am biased towards the main cast. I was introduced to Darren Wang in “Our Times” and so far, I’ve enjoyed his works (that I have seen). Li Qin was discovered in “Princess Agents” and Xiao Zhan in “Oh! My Emperor”. In my opinion, they all did great in their roles.

Darren Wang as Lord Bo/Wolfie was spectacular! At the beginning where he displays the innocent side of the wolf who sees beauty in everything contrasted to his stoic face and anger that he portrayed later in the show. He did great at showing his struggle between Wolfie and Lord Bo. Such as the anguish he felt when he was put in a difficult decision. For most of Darren’s past roles, he has been playing the tough/bad guy. I was hoping for more of him as Wolfie and not Lord Bo, especially since Darren is supposed to depict two personalities as Lord Bo and Wolfie. I feel the drama should have presented the plot/characters to us in a way where we as viewers should instantly recognize him as Lord Bo or Wolfie, as Ma Zhai Xing claims she can.

I understand that this drama has more of a “dark” and “angst” theme and the writer wants to establish Lord Bo’s character as someone ruthless like a wolf. However, there are countless ways to go about making him seem ruthless than the amount of sexual assault he has inflicted on Ma Zhai Xing.

So, we know that Lord Bo grew up with wolves, which I hoped we would have gotten to see in the drama. That didn’t happen nor did they give Wolfie/Lord Bo a proper background. How he grew up with wolves, his family, or even his real name. We only saw the two leads playing around in the forest. He had a questionable amount of power for some reason, we know he was a test subject for the king but that shouldn’t make him invincible/stronger.

It is mentioned he wanted his revenge. What I never understood is as a smart character himself, how did he get so stuck in the king’s lies. It made me realize that no matter how awful the king was, Lord Bo saw him as a father figure that he never had. He craved that fatherly love and that’s why another scene that made me sad was when the King of Jin was talking to Wolfie about his sons and how they have dinner together and how Wolfie could come and find him to talk and treat the place as his home. He who was pretty much demoted and living in the shabby area with the other ex-slaves finally found a “home” or at least a place that would welcome him (even if it’s to use him for war purposes). I love how even though he is Lord Bo, he values his relationships. He treats his brothers/family/friends nicely or at least tries to.

LI QIN does a great job at acting all flustered and shy, however, I do not find her crying scenes as sad as they should be. As a character who cries a lot, especially in recalling painful moments as we have seen her gone through, we should be crying with her. I didn’t feel sad most of the time when I saw her cry through her trials, probably because I felt like it should have been a cry of anguish and not pity or hoping that Lord Bo would react to her.

There were quite some complaints about Ma Zhai Xing and how she kept trying to make it work with Lord Bo, even though she kept getting hurt. I just want to say that all Ma Zhai Xing ever had was taken away from her. The one thing that was left and was beautiful was Wolfie, which she fought so terribly hard for. It’s like having a beautiful memory that you don’t want to tarnish, so you try so hard to protect and keep it alive. I think she does a wonderful job portraying this character. It’s not healthy and it’s ugly but it’s so well done. Her character isn’t new to us, as I’m sure we know or heard of people like her character.

She was pretty smart and strong at the beginning, solving the case to prove that Wolfie was innocent. However, that was before the fall of the Ma’s. She submitted to Lord Bo because she knew where her power stood with the death of her father. No matter how smart she is, she plays the role of a female and one who doesn’t know anything about leading a troop. Ma Zhai Xing was irrational when Yao Ji tricked her because revenge was a spark she couldn’t stop from flaming up. We have those moments where we can’t be rational or that it’s hard to be. Even Wolfie knows that if Ma Zhai Xing doesn’t get her revenge, she would never be able to let it go. This leads to his ultimate sacrifices. While it was only for a short moment, her fight scene was beautifully done, wished they would’ve given her more scenes like that than her falling off the horse.

XIAO ZHAN really surprised me here as I have yet to see “The Untamed”. He shows us so many sides to him during this drama as the ruthless bounty hunter, the playful/thoughtful Ji Cong, and the serious Prince of Jin. I’ve come to realize that his character was probably my favorite in the drama as my top moments were filled with him (see below).

Honorable mentions to the actor and actress who played Yao Ji and Wen Yan.

MUSIC
This is probably just my opinion, but there are not many dramas out there that can make me fall in love with the whole soundtrack. I think that the entrance/exits of some scenes could have been better in the show. There was a lot of slow-motion with dramatic music playing, which I love, especially when it is done right. I believe only one of the soundtracks (apart from Bo Na’s instrumental) is upbeat and happy. The rest of them gets me emotional and sounds moody (my type of vibe).

RE-WATCH VALUE
I don’t re-watch a lot of dramas. The number of dramas that I have re-watched is no more than 10. Even when I “re-watch” I only play my favorite scenes or after a certain part of the drama, if that even counts as re-watching. I don’t find myself in love with this drama to the point of a re-watch. There were so many repetitive issues being cycled through that I don’t think I can watch them again. I might just skim to find my favorite scenes.

!! THE FOLLOWING SECTION CONTAINS SCENES AND ENDING SPOILERS !!

LOVES
One of my favorite scenes was when Ji Cong eavesdropped on his father’s conversation with Ma Jin Xing. He finally understood why his father made the decisions that he had. While I have yet to experience parenthood, I know that there are sacrifices that parents like to make because they believe it would be best for the child. This doesn’t have to be true; it probably isn’t the best for the child, but I guess parental instincts feel like it would be so they make decisions for us when we can’t/don’t want to. What made this scene beautiful was when Ji Cong walked step by step with his father whilst on the roof. While they never talked it out, it was like they finally understood one another’s intention. It was like Ji Cong has forgiven his father.

The second scene that stuck out to me was when Ji Cong confronted Wolfie on Qi Mountain. It made Ji Cong’s character a lot more beautiful than he already was. While he learned about the truth of Wolfie’s decisions, he was willing to give up Ma Jin Xing to make her happy. He knew that Wolfie could make her happy and encouraged him to tell her. His next words were also one of my favorite lines from the show, if we didn’t fall for the same women, we could’ve been friends. While I loved those words, they were weird once you thought about it because Ji Cong had minor interactions with Wolfie, even as foes. If there was more bromance thrown in, it would have made this scene even more beautiful.

One of my favorite lines from the show was how they should have stayed on Wolf Mountain and never came down. How all the monsters were at the bottom of the mountain. This line we draw where it defines who the actual beasts were, it made me ponder on it a lot. I feel like we all have beasts, demons, or even monsters inside all of us. Whether it’s a physical appearance that makes us feel inferior or our mental beasts. While I know that people can be beautiful and the world could show me so many beautiful wonders, I’m often stuck in wanting to enclose myself elsewhere. It brings me back to what my brother once told me about the reason why America has no more forests. Before the westward expansion and I’m sure settlement in America, there were acres of forests. However, people were scared of the beasts and darkness that lurks in the forests, so they decided to chop them all down (I know this isn’t true as they wanted to utilize the land and the wood, however, I like my brother’s version more). As we grow older, we start to see that beasts (or wild animals) are just like people, they’re just trying to survive the best way that they can. They can get scared and hurt as well. So, it comes down to who is the real beast?

DISLIKES
I think the weirdest thing that no one pointed out was the fact that Ji Cong and Bo Na ended up together. She “disliked” him up until he decided to divorce Ma Jin Xing. I understand that she probably finally saw him in a different light when he was willing to let Ma Jin Xing go. She followed him once to the battalion under the guise of a soldier. They bicker for a bit and they eventually ended up together. While I love that Ji Cong finally found his source of happiness and freedom that he has always wanted, it came too unexpected within the last not even 10 episodes.

Eventually, it wasn’t misunderstandings anymore. It was about the lack of communication and doing what we think is best for the other person. If we learned something from this drama, don’t make decisions for other people. This loop of them going back and forth got tiring. I really thought she gave up and was willing to move on and I was happy for her. We all don’t like to see people suffer, so when she had something good going with someone good, I was happy.

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Bittersweet Short Drama on Letting People Go

I'll try to spoil as little as possible. I think for the type of storyline, length, and cast this was a good watch! Side note: I have to be honest and tell you guys I cried like a baby watching this. I watched this a few years back, but I remember the storyline and my feelings quite well. I think I cried a lot in this drama because I looked deeper into the drama theme of letting people go. I was probably at a point in my life where I needed to see this message, and it hit me good.

STORY
Yoo Tan is in a band with his childhood friends and girlfriend Moon Da In. They are not doing well as a band, and he's in a slump. He decides to join a music label. Once he gets into the label, he casts away his bandmates and girlfriend since he is tired of his old life and wants more. He soon finds that the new path he paved for himself isn't as luxurious as he wanted it to be. He goes back to his old life to finds out that it can never the same anymore.

It's a cliche plot of a boy casting aside a girl and then regrets it, with some fantasy elements thrown in. However, when one looks past the cliche, the deeper themes of the story that gets told is touching. I think everyone can relate to Yoo Tan and his journey with his music passion. When one works so hard for something to succeed and it doesn't go well, one will be stuck in a stage where we question the worth of our passion, how much time was spent on it, and if its worth pursuing. It is only then that we let our own desires make the call. Then we have our lead's relationship that's not as pretty that it once was. We see a relationship of a couple that started out sweet and how it dies out because of lack of care for the relationship. Then only through this time loop will we see the all the desperation that an individual is willing to do for what he/she desires. The theme of letting things go was well written. The regrets, the denial, and eventually the acceptance.


ACTING-CAST-CHARACTERS
Kim Myungsoo (aka L to our Inspirits) performed a lot better than I expected him to do. Especially during this time of his career. I've seen him in Shut up Flower Boy Band, and this felt like a massive step in performance. There were a few moments where I did feel awkward with his acting. However, it wasn't something that would sway me away from the story. I've seen Yoon So Hee in My Love Eun Dong, and I think she's a decent actress. I feel like they had good chemistry together as leads, and I definitely felt their emotions that they were trying to portray.

MUSIC
It's a drama about a band, so obviously, we get some music in here. The best one would have to be the main ost by Kim Myungsoo himself. The song embodies the whole drama and the stages of grief. The lyrics are a push and pull of how the protagonist feels.

RE-WATCH VALUE
I re-watched this at least twice already. It's eight episodes at 30 minutes each. It's a well-done storyline on a cliche trope that doesn't feel like it's getting dragged on. I'd recommend this to anyone who likes a lighter feel of time loop dramas, but one with more depth to it.

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Can We Change the Ending? - Miss You 3000

I just wanted to start out that I thoroughly enjoyed this. There were some flaws, but it was a good and quick binge-watch. I feel like it was one of the better crossing universe types of storylines. The beginning was quite slow to get to where we should be going, but it was doable. There will be major spoilers in the "Overall" section of my review since it's my ranting section. Skip that if you don't want spoilers.

This was a good take on crossing universes, the consequences of it, and the love story across parallel lives. I wanted to give it higher ratings all across but because I didn't feel as moved as I should be, I didn't. It's about this heart-wrenching story across two universes like they're meant to be but never meeting. I loved the storyline and concept but didn't feel it as much as I wanted to.

STORY
After losing her boyfriend, Wang Quan Sheng in an airplane crash, Huang Yu Xuan can't get over his death. It's been two years, and she is still hoping he would miraculously show up to their old spots. One day she is trying to find reasons to move on from Wang Quan Sheng and finds out that there are parts to him that are mysterious (after like 7 years together, she realized this).

After going to her boyfriend's empty casket funeral, she turns on the walkman she received from an unknown sender and plays the song. It was at this moment that she was transported into a parallel universe in 1998. Huang Yu Xuan became Chen Yun Ru, a girl who looks exactly like her and next to her was Li Zi Wei, a boy who looked exactly like Wang Quan Sheng, her ex-boyfriend. In 1998, Huang Yu Xuan has to figure out why she is now Chen Yun Ru and the connection between Li Zi Wei and Wang Quan Sheng.

ACTING/CAST/CHARACTERS
I haven't watched Taiwanese dramas in a long time. Maybe 5 years or so? I realized that I'm not used to their style of acting and camerawork anymore. It's not bad, but I'm not quite used to it. I'm not familiar with this group of actors and actresses, and I feel like the delivery could be a lot better in certain scenes.

Alice has a lot of crying scenes, and I didn't really feel her anguish and pain of losing Wang Quan Sheng. I felt the same for Greg as well. When he was crying over the loss of Mu Jun Jie, it felt awkward. Same with the scene where they were departing, the kiss was on the spot of a heartbreaking goodbye, but the crying just didn't nail it for me. Also, I didn't feel like the leads had great chemistry, but it was doable. They were cute together, and the scenes were well portrayed.

I will be keeping an eye out for more of their works. I'm quite surprised that Greg does not have more main roles under his belt, but I'm sure he will be taking more main roles soon.

MUSIC
There were probably 2 to 3 distinct songs in the drama for me. The first being the prominent "Last Dance", "Someday or One Day", and "Miss you 3000". "Miss you 3000" was probably the most impactful song for me throughout this show. There was this one scene, I don't quite remember which one, the orchestra instrumental of "Miss you 3000" came on and hit me hard. Once you watch it, the song will hit you harder than on the first couple of listens.

"What future high-tech is unable to simulate,
is the temperature of your hug.
If we travel to another dimension with another avatar
can we change the ending?

Missing you, desire to see you, from past to future,
I want to see you once more.
Crossing thousands of lifetimes
Stay closely among crowds.
Exhaust all my abilities of logic thinking,
to deduce the hardest mystery of love."

RE-WATCH
I would re-watch this again sometime in the future. It has 13 episodes, a gripping storyline with some romance, mystery, and a little thriller. The storyline was well written and overall didn't leave me feeling like I should expect more.

OVERALL (warning: spoilers overload)
I really enjoyed the realistic ending of this. It didn't make me feel upset over it because we knew that the "original" ending wasn't pretty. We knew that changing the past would have consequences for the future. So, I knew that I would be expecting an ending that wasn't going to be "fairy tale" like. Surprisingly, I wasn't left feeling bittersweet about this drama or empty. I just felt hopeful and content that this is the best way for everyone to be happy now.

If I seriously looked at the storyline, I wouldn't find moments that really moved me. There wasn't any particular moment in their parallel lives where I felt like it was so beautiful. I feel like it has to do with the fact that we already know that they are bound to fall in love. We expect that, so that beautiful moment is taken away from us. We don't get the experience of falling in love with them falling in love. Does that make sense? It would probably have to do with the way the story is written. We see them telling their love story and how they fell in love or how Wang Quan Sheng pursued Huan Yu Xuan. It wasn't painted for us.

I indeed felt that kind of puppy love "aw" moments when I see Li Zi Wei recognize his feelings for "Chen Yun Ru" and Wang Quan Sheng finding Huang Yu Xuan again.

However, I think I finally felt the beautiful love that transcends over parallel lives when Wang Quan Sheng was willing to get on that plane so that Huan Yu Xuan would fall in love with him. He could have made the selfish decision of not getting on the plane, but he knew that he would have never met her if he didn't.

I think it was only when Huang Yu Xuan lost Li Zi Wei did I really feel her pain of losing the one she loves. I didn't feel her pain of losing Wang Quan Sheng initially or throughout the show until now. The actual heartbreak of finally being reunited just to be ripped apart again. I felt like I was mourning with her. Thus, her going to her parallel self made more sense and was more heartbreaking than her just trying to figure out the mystery of Wang Quan Sheng.

One dislike that I have for the drama would be the jumps in parallel lives and years. We would be given a time jump/different parallel life and would have to connect it ourselves. For a bit there, I thought that Mo Jun Jie and Wang Quan Sheng were living in the same year, just parallel lives. I didn't understand why he didn't go find his best friend. I soon found out that they were showing scenes from different years and parallel lives simultaneously, making me think that they were living in the same year, just parallel lives.

I would have loved to see more interaction with Mo Jun Jie. I know that this drama is focused on Huang Yu Xuan and Li Zi Wei, but I felt like Mo Jun Jie had a really pivotal role in the story. It will have been more impactful if we see more of their friendship and strong bond.

I didn't like that when Huang Yu Xuan was Chen Yun Ru, she acted distant from the two friends. I understand that she has no connection to them, but she did spend a good few months as Chen Yun Ru with two friends who she confided in a lot. I am sure their friendship would have developed into more than just "two guys who are friends with Chen Yun Ru, and I don't want to damage that friendship, so I'll act like I feel indifferent about them."

I was also confused because Li Zi Wei was confused/surprised with Wang Quan Sheng gave him the ring when he should have known that he bought the ring in hopes of proposing to Huang Yu Xuan. Right? From my understanding, he woke back up in his original body, understanding the storyline. That was why his parallel self came to look for him at the airport because that parallel Wang Quan Sheng was him/Li Zi Wei. So why would he be surprised about the ring? Maybe it was because Li Zi Wei forgot about it, who knows. Yet, he mentions of Wang Quan Sheng being different than him/Li Zi Wei. So are they really in parallel lives or not?

As I see it, I feel like Chen Yun Ru and Wang Quan Sheng originally died before the "takeover." In the past, Li Zi Wei was able to take over Wang Quan Sheng's body to its full use. Huang Yu Xuan took over Chen Yun Ru till it's full use. This was used to move the storyline. If there were really parallel universes, it would have been great to see Mo Jun Jie and Chen Yun Ru's brother again. However, we can see Chen Yun Ru's uncle without seeing his other-self.

I feel like these parallel lives crossing could have been a bit more grounded, as in its rules. Why is it that some people have parallel selves and then others there is only one individual involved in both parallel lives? Eventually, the use of the walkman didn't seem to matter. It seemed like anyone could have just put it on and used it and would be able to go to a parallel universe.

Before we end this, major props to the opening scene. Once we get going, the opening scene makes so much sense. There is a lot of spoilers and symbolism in it! The little fast forward glitch with Li Zi Wei turning into Wang Quan Sheng. Then the backward glitch with Li Zi Wei bumping into Chen Yun Ru. We have the blue earphones that Wang Quan Sheng used. The red earphones that only Li Zi Wei and Huang Yu Xuan had in each ear. And many more once you finish, it's like, "this was all right in front of my face the whole time?" kind of deal. This was so well thought out, so serious chefs kiss!

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Mind-blowing - Lee Jun Ki's Best Drama Yet

So the tags on this drama are thriller, mystery, psychological, romance, crime, and melodrama. I may be biased, but I believe that this is one of the very few dramas that delivers on all tags and does it so well. It's hard when dramas try to do so much at once because then it veers off into one genre more than the other OR may feel offputting; however, Flower of Evil is unique. The crime, mystery, and thriller aspect of the drama was so well written that it kept me on my toes throughout the show. These three tags were the bulk of this drama, as we can tell from the synopsis and images. The writers bring in the psychological aspect that acts as the backbone for the characters. It's important to highlight that the romance didn't take away from the plot. Instead, it added a lot more to the characters' depth. Then the melodrama part just ties it together, creating that anguish of emotions.

The foreshadowing, symbolism, and themes were greatly weaved into the story. For example (spoiler), my favorite symbolic moment was when Do Hyun So and Cha Ji Won were standing hand in hand to meet Detective Choi. They both were wearing black. Do Hyun So in all black and Cha Ji Won in all black except her inner white shirt. However, the all-black Do Hyun So represented "evil" and all the things against the law. Cha Ji Won in black because she was supporting Hyun So and even helped him. However, her white shirt represented her strong sense of justice as an upholding law-abiding officer.

I appreciated this drama because the primary investigations were all correlated/connected into a bigger scheme. Example 1: A character made an appearance again later due to the results they closed from a prior case. Because of his second appearance, it leads to the investigation hotter to the potato. Can we just appreciate the thought that went into this?

ACTING/CAST/CHARACTER
So I'm Lee Jun Ki biased because he's a good crier. His roles that he takes on has always been quite similar, in my opinion. However, he does them so well, so I can't even complain. Do Hyun So is one of the better-written anti-heroes and has one of the best character developments I have seen in a while (probably because I'm only in rom-com land). He's always between this line of good and evil. You feel bad for him as you know his past, but you're not sure how evil his character may be due to how much we know about him.

Moon Chae Won as Cha Ji Won was such a great pick. I haven't seen Moon Chae Won's works in a while. She has surely improved as Cha Ji Won. I don't think her presence in the drama did not fall short of Lee Jun Ki as Do Hyun So. A strong female lead that was not a damsel in distress at all! She did the butt-kicking so many times for her husband. Her strength as a mom and a person was so well portrayed. She wasn't invincible, as we still see her inner turmoil as she struggled to do what was right and deal with her husband's deception.

All the other characters fulfilled their roles really well and came off as convincing. For example, even the mom, who was not well-liked, struggled in doing what was right vs. wrong.

NEGATIVE (spoilers, proceed with caution)
While I loved everything else, there were still aspects that I disliked, which is pretty much the latter half of the show.

The awkward product placement scene at the station where they offered those little pouch drinks. It felt so awkward and threw off the whole scene for me.

Do Hyun So's sudden emotional overflow. While I understand it was a reveal of him realizing his feelings, it felt abrupt. Especially if I keep in mind that he has an anti-social personality disorder. Which he has had for his whole life, without proper treatment. I mean, I'm not claiming to be an expert, but I feel like it should've been slowly peeled to us. Again, personal opinion on this part. I think it's because we see such a stone-faced, manipulative, and evil character that it feels weird when it all of a sudden turned off like a light switch.

We waited for the antagonist forever. The whole show was built up for the big reveal. When we actually got to see the scenes from the past, the antagonist felt quite lackluster compared to Do Hyun So's dad. It made me question how this person was supposed to be our antagonist in the first place. When I saw his performance, he was seen as sloppy, and the setup felt really convenient for the antagonist to do what he wanted. I feel like I wanted to, I can justify this as this was the sole reason why he failed in the first place. But still, have to admit that I felt pretty disappointed.

Ending/the last episode seemed like lazy writing to me. I felt like the writer wanted a decent way to justify Hyun So as a manipulative and not mentally sound character, along with his ugly past. Instead of working something out for Hyun So for how he is, they decided to do away with everything but not his emotions, AKA making us sympathize with him. This was still done acceptably, especially within just one episode. We still see Hyun So's character development and relationship development with everyone around him. He does get the closure that he finally needed, even though it didn't give some viewers the proper satisfaction. I just feel like there could have been a better way of justifying Do Hyun So.

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Heart Warming Stories on Mental Health

I don't want to say much or spoil much so I'll continue with as little spoilers as possible. I hope that with this drama, mental health could be more accepted everywhere in the world where it can come off as a taboo topic.

OVERALL
I wished that I would have written this review right after I finished it, instead of waiting a couple of months. However, that would have been an even more biased review. This drama teared me up until the very last minute. I love how they didn’t try to make everything seem like it was okay and beautiful in the end. What made it beautiful was that they knew they could never get over it, but they can grow from it, move on, and be better. They spread their wings to leave what was always holding them back!

STORY
This is a drama that is told using fairy tales. Unlike other dramas where it uses one fairy tale, like “The Little Mermaid” to foreshadow the story, they made up their own for the show. All these stories that are read in the drama are as deep as the drama itself.

The concept of love in this drama was beautiful and so unique. It captivated me because it was not about romanticizing love stories and because it did not solely focus on the main lead’s love. It was a story of love stories. It showed different types of love and told the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of love. It showed that love came in different forms and can evolve in different ways. The writers allowed us to see the raw aspects of a relationship such as the baggage we carry and how the people that surround us are a part of it too. The story isn’t just focused on one person. It shows you the support system in a relationship and how it’s not always involving two people. They made all the supporting casts and minor characters’ relationships to be intermingled in a way that made sense and worthwhile to watch. We fall in love with all of them in different ways and they become more than just side characters.

It was an inspiring drama amidst the 2020 crap we were thrown. It was an inspiring drama that showed that we can overcome these psychological issues that have only started to come to light as of lately. It shows hope of finding yourself through the help of people around you. It speaks so much to those that fantasize about that light and not about the love story of finding that Mr. Right. Moon Young was just lucky to have found both.

ACTING/CAST/CHARACTERS
I have always enjoyed Seo Ye Ji’s acting and she is still able to blow me away as Ko Moon Young. Her character was hilarious at the beginning. I loved the little “psycho psycho” that was thrown in the background when she does something overboard. Sometimes I feel like Moon Young was the most “normal” one out of all of the characters. She has moments where she expresses weird habits and mood swings, but that was about it. I feel like they could have done more with her character or one that has a personality disorder, I don’t expect something dramatic, but I wished they showed more ways of how she treats it.

I have seen one of Kim Soo Hyun’s work, but as Moon Gang Tae, I am sold on the hype on this actor! Kim Soo Hyun is so good at crying. I cried at least 70% of the time that he cried on screen. The way he executes his scenes is so great. The way he breathes between words, how his eyes waver, and how he acts helpless and lost. All of it was delivered so well. He has improved, or this character allowed him to show his skills.

Oh Jung Se was phenomenal as Moon Sang Tae. He deserves so much attention was the lead in my heart for his performance and the way he moved me. Do I even need to say anything more? Without his character and the relationship of the brothers in here, it would not have held my attention for so long. So many of my favorite scenes involved the two brothers. I love how Sang Tae grew so much with the number of people that were willing to help him. It warmed my heart so much!

Honorable mentions to the directors, writers, all staff, casts, singers, and the special guest cast!

MUSIC
Guys… this had such a stud list of OST singers. Kim Feel, Park Won, Lee Suhyun, Sam Kim, Heize, and Cheeze. The timing of the soundtracks and when they came in really aid in the feel of the drama. For example, Kwak Dong Yeon showed up in episode 3 and was imagining himself as being so free from his true reality. The way he smiled and laughed and then Kim Feel’s Hallelujah came on. Such a fitting song for a fitting moment in the drama. I realized I got the most emotional whenever Kim Feel’s song came on. It was like a key to unlock my tears.

RE-WATCH VALUE
I would re-watch this if I have the time to in the future. I do feel like it was a few episodes dragged out/included unnecessary fillers. They could have utilized those few moments to explain more of the mom’s story or Moon Young’s. There were some loopholes but none that I was too stressed out on.

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Mediocre Best Friends Drama

OVERALL
I've wanted to watch similar stories like this one for a bit and decided to settle for Dear Missy. And trust me, we have a lot of stories that are similar to this one out there in Chinese dramaland right now. I guess I'll have to watch something else to fill what this drama lacked.

I don't mind the fact that we see so much of the side cast. I do care that we were given a synopsis that stated otherwise. I would have still watched this if this was about a group of friends who struggles in love, life, and work. I don't particularly appreciate how the characters were written to move the storyline line. Like things happen to them to make the plot continue moving. One example is people randomly showing up to plot against them. I could give more, but I won't.

This drama could be more resonant about old friendships, new friendships, different types of love, family, etc. It could have told a beautiful story. I think more than anything, I am sad that it didn't move me as much as I hope it would have. By the midway point, I knew that it wasn't going to be as I expect it to be.

STORY
The story is supposed to be about two girls who were best friends in high school and fell apart. Years later, they were brought back together because they both worked for a magazine company. They rekindled their friendship, and we see them work and grow together in their personal and work lives. However, we saw a lot of the side characters, and their story is incorporated into the drama. The actual storyline is about a group of friends who came together at different points in their lives. They grow together through love, friendship, and in the workplace.


CAST/ACTING/CHARACTERS (spoilers)
There is a pretty solid cast! I've seen plenty of Lu Yi Tong's work and am familiar with Jin Chen. So I have not complaints about the acting and cast choice. So, I'll move onto the characters and how they were written. I was not too fond of a lot of these characters and how they chose to act a certain way.

Honestly, Guan Yue was an annoying character to me. She would blame other people when it was her mistake and won't own up to it. Lu Ke fought for her, that Lu Ke jeopardized her duties and position. That was a personal matter because Guan Yue is her friend, it was not work-related, and she still called out Lu Ke for not taking her side. It's just childish to see. Guan Yue has it hard, and she never gives up, but she never sees that she's in the wrong whenever something happens. She's gone through so much that you would think her character would learn to be smarter at some point. I don't like these kinds of characters that never seem to grow. It's okay if she's stubborn, but there's a fine line with just being selfish. She's treated unfairly but, in a dog, eat dog world that she's experienced several times, she still thinks that there are justice and right. Which is okay, but her impulsiveness to say and do things doesn't make sense to me. Then the writer forces us to feel bad for her by her speeches as to why she acts a certain way. I just couldn't with her character. She was more bearable at the end because she stopped acting out. Yet she never really grew as a character, if you think about it.

Many people found Lu Ke's character boring, but I enjoyed her calm and rational side as a character. In which contrasted Shen Si Yi's spontaneous way to live life. I am assuming they were written like this to "balance" each other out as friends. I thought it'd be a bit more realistic on how people deal with issues in life. Lu Ke and Si Yi's scene in Japan where Lu Ke talked to Shen Si Yi calmly and told her it was okay to cry. That just felt more realistic and deeper as friends who have known each other their whole lives. I didn't like how Lu Ke's way to "console" Shen Si Yi was to yell at her, "freeze to death, see if I care," and then regret, turn around to goof around, and they're happy again. Sometimes a life crisis isn't just a let's be happy, smile, laugh, goof, and then it's all good again. You don't just yell at someone you're trying to console.

Then we have Shen Si Yi, who does many things for Lu Ke without her consideration. She does that every time and regrets it or knows that Lu Ke won't agree to it. And still… she does it every single time and throughout the drama. Them wanting to fight each other battles doesn't seem sweet to me at all. Lu Ke helping Guan Yue and Shen Si Yi out didn't make me go "Wow, she's such a great friend" it made me go "Why does Lu Ke always have to fight their battles for them?"

I could be the only one who feels this way. I just expected a bit more from these characters. I am assuming they are in their mid-20s to 30s. We are not watching a teen drama or coming of age; it's about adults. I feel like the writers wanted to give us these characters that were "flawed" and not pretty and perfect. Kind of like saying, "Hey, they're human too". However, I can't seem to like them at all. I think it was due to that they don't try to learn and change. They go through so much by getting in fights and having curveballs thrown at them. They figure it out, and then they fall back again. They were just contempt with what they currently have, yet not really at the same time. Like we have Cheng Nan and Lu Ke, who both aren't in a perfect relationship. They were contempt with each other, but they weren't at the same time. They both want to make it work, but they don't try to make it work. I didn't feel anything with their love story, probably because they had no chemistry as well.

Why is it that when they want to break off a relationship in a Chinese drama, it has to be someone cheating, and if it's the main girl with a side character, it has to be the side character that cheats? It was "obvious" that they have their differences that they couldn't work out as a couple. Why couldn't they focus on the fact that there are people out there that break up because of issues? Or that they fall out of love? Why does it always have to be another person that is the deciding factor?

MUSIC
There were a lot of English songs on there that were played and a lot of jazz songs. There were probably really few Chinese songs. Even though there were many English songs, they were well incorporated into the drama. Like how Yao is a musician and likes jazz songs, he introduces Shen Si Yi to the club and music. I especially like this one piano song that was incorporated with a humming that played a lot when there was a sad scene. The music and humming made the mood even more somber.

RE-WATCH VALUE
I think I am good with just one sit through. To be honest, I didn't intensely watch this drama scene for scene. I put it on while I worked and only watched when something good was going on. I was just those kinds of dramas where I feel like I wouldn't miss out on much even if I don't know the language and wasn't reading the subtitles the whole time.

Let me know your own thoughts and what you felt! :)

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Okay but still Fun

A 'coming of age' movie about underdogs/misfits that didn't quite hit the spot for me. I like to indulge in youth-centered movies and dramas often because I feel like I know what to expect out of them. Not saying that this mold can't be broken, as there are various kinds of youth movies. However, this movie tried to evoke the same feelings as other shows but it couldn't really do the same. I wanted to like this one so much. I enjoyed the musical aspect of singing and dancing. The quirkiness of the characters and their interactions. Some of the cinematography was really nice for the moving dance scenes and drone shots - even the CGI looked good when it was incorporated. I actually liked the coloring in here as it was bright and fun. All of that was captivating but I didn't quite like the storytelling that was done in here.

The movie focuses on a girl who doesn't fit the mold to be a dancer on her high school dance team. She's not tall enough, not fair skin enough, and is even bullied by the dance teacher. Xiao Huang is resilient, always has a smile on her face, always being herself, but has an emotional flaw due to the lack of maternal love. She meets five men and coaches them to form their own team to join the dance competition. All of their reasons to participate were different given their own background but they had one thing in common of being the underdogs/misfits. So all of that sounds great so far and it started out great until we started to hit the themes of the movie.

The dance sequences and break-out into singing scenes were all fun. I'm not an expert in musicals nor have I seen many musicals, unless you count Disney. Despite all of that, I enjoyed it but some aspects of it don't make sense to me. I felt like the messages and themes were quite lost in the storytelling. With so many themes that should've evoked natural emotions in us, felt too contrived with what we received. Is it due to this being Xu En Yi's first acting role, the editing, or storytelling? I'd say a bit of it all. This is a movie that focuses on dancing yet I couldn't really feel the passion for dancing, despite what each of the main characters' reasons were to dance, I couldn't feel that burn to want that stage or to win. They oddly added the element of coming of age as the main theme in the end when it was not a focus of the movie apart from that they're seniors. The one thing where I felt like it was done quite decent was the theme of single-parent love and the lengths one would go to do well as one.

There were moments where I felt like it was too choppy when it came to the sequence of events, which I can easily overlook. Another thing I can overlook is how our main lead obviously does not look like someone who can be a high schooler/18-20. I can also forgive that his dancing does not look convincing because instead of seeing Old Dog as an expert in dancing, I just saw him as someone who wanted to learn how to dance. So his moves, though felt awkward, didn't deter from the story. My biggest dislike of the movie was how she was bullied and how it all got brushed resolved between the two groups without a good conclusion but through one dance scene. Also, this was one of the biggest conflicts of the show and a reason as to why she is where she's at and who she is. I just find it hard to accept as they're brushing it aside so easily when it's an actual societal issue and doesn't add any logic/depth to the movie to fix it with a mere dance.

You might enjoy it if you LIKE - musicals and underdog/misfits movies
You might want to SKIP if you're looking for - some sweet youth romance

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Badass Male Lead and Strong Female Lead

If you want to watch a lakorn with some romance, comedy, action, fantasy, and crime, this is the one! This lakorn is high on my lakorn re-watch list and probably one of my top 20 all-time favorite lakorn. I mean it's not something we haven't really seen before in lakorn world, but it's something that is done right. We got good vs. evil, nang rai, fighting for the top, forced marriage, every girl likes the main lead, twins separated at birth, rich twin vs poor twin, etc. That's all for vague spoilers. If you don't want specific plot spoilers, skip the ending section, "Overall" where it has my likes and dislikes.

STORY
Petch is engaged to the lieutenant, but she doesn't want her life to be tied down yet. She sneaks out to meet the lieutenant to ask him to break the engagement. On her journey, Petch gets entangled with Suer Pa, the infamous bandit. Suer Pa's is to competing with his brother to become the next village leader. Their mission was to rob the lieutenant's house and retrieve his most prized possession. As he believed that Petch's title as the lieutenant's fiancee had more value than physical goods, he kidnapped her. This starts their journey of a forced marriage filled with fun, laughter, action, some mystery, and romance. Watch the lakorn to see how Petch, the duchess, deals with a new environment. On the flip side, we get a look into the life of Suer Pa, an adopted bandit, who has more to him than meets the eye.

ACTING/CHARACTERS/CAST
Round of applause for the two main casts. Mike and Mook are definitely on my radar after this lakorn. I have never seen their other works before, and I think they did exceptional in here. Usually, when it's my first time watching an actor or actress, I get kind of skeptical of what I may be getting into. However, this wasn't one of those lakorns!

If you like a female lead that's not a damsel in distress all the time or really weak, Petch is one of them. While she wasn't a tough female lead, she still stood her ground and fought for what she believed in. This was the reason why she got stuck in her predicament in the first place. She tried to be scheming, but she could never outsmart Suer Pa. It was funny how she claims she can shoot a gun and all these other things, but we didn't get to see her in action.

The leading man cracked me up a lot more than I thought I would. I thought this was going to be a serious drama, but their little banters got me going. I was smiling like an idiot a lot. He is quite the gentleman, and my heart couldn't take it half of the time. From the beginning till the end, he was trying to do good for all and help her.

I've come to love some of the village's side characters a lot more than the second lead couple. In some ways, the second lead couple kind of bored me. Like it felt forced for them to become a couple for the sake of it because she liked him, and he is now fiancee-less. That or I didn't feel any chemistry between them.

MUSIC
Personally, the music in the lakorn did not stand out for me.

RE-WATCH VALUE
I don't tend to re-watch a lot of lakorns because lakorns are so lengthy already. I think it has re-watch elements such as good story development, the chemistry between leads, character development, and memorable moments.

OVERALL (contains spoilers)
No rape scene between the leads! At least from what I recalled, it was rape free. One important aspect to why I enjoyed this lakorn was how everything these characters faced, pushed them to question their duties, roles, and dreams/wants, and not just follow the rules. There was more to their actions than just what's written in the script and them acting according to the script with these lifeless characters. I think the whole magic thing was well intertwined into the lakorn without feeling out of place. Also, it didn't feel cringey to watch.

The lakorn didn't drag too much for me, and there weren't that many unnecessary fillers. I'd say the failure to take down evil did take a while to lead towards the climax. Even understanding why some aspects of the past took place didn't get explained till later. How the police force didn't succeed even with help was kind of ridiculous to me. However, I overlooked it because I wasn't pulling my hair over unnecessary scenes. It was a lakorn where I didn't drag the skip button because I couldn't sit through it.

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