Nice little watch

I quite enjoyed this drama. Had a solid, engaging story. I do understand why this is rated lower than an 8 on here. Several factors, 1) it's not an idol drama so it does not have the "pretty people" that boosts the idol drama ratings higher than they should be. Also, the ending definitely brings the drama down, thanks to the censorship about soul swapping, transmigrations, rebirth, etc (if you've watched these type of dramas then you know).

The Good

The plot was strong, especially if you enjoy soul swapping dramas. It's not a new concept but this one was definitely a fun watch because it had comedy, melodrama and romance well placed. It's a hidden gem for me especially among the high school dramas. The acting was rather good in this one, even from the supporting cast. Everyone played their roles very well and were convincing. Romance was definitely a strong factor here but didn't overshadow the story like most of these high school dramas do. It had more mature themes and plot to the show that made you care for the stories outside of the love connection. The final point I'll make is the high school setting was very nice, down to the outfits and even the attire of the kids outside of the school. This had a decent production value.

The Bad

I already mentioned that the ending brings this down and is why it's only getting an 8.5 from me. Could be higher if the censorship could remove that bit. There were some other aspects that didn't make logical sense in the story that I also wish the writers would not include it because it leaves one saying "yeah right, there is no way they would know that or that would not happen," but hey, it's a fantasy, fictional story so it gets somewhat of a pass.

Overall, I would still recommend this drama, especially for the more mature audiences because it's not necessarily a fluffy romance drama like many of those other high school dramas out there, if you are looking for that type of drama.

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Need more CDramas of this genre

Enjoyed I Am Nobody and excited to see part 2 to complete the rest of the story. One of the top series of 2023!

The Good

This was a very fun and exciting watch! The plot was very strong and had a great setup with world building and character setups. The comedy was well placed in this fantasy drama and balanced well with the seriousness of some of the situations. The CGI and VFX was done very well and showcased each person’s power really good. I especially enjoyed all the fight scenes because they didn’t only just rely on people standing there with CGI but had actual choreographed fighting as well. The acting was done so well with all the unique characters and each left me engaged and interested in their stories. I also appreciated the OST. Well placed songs throughout.


The Bad

Not too much negative but sometimes there were moments that were too silly and the scenes became a little sidetracked from the story and I wondered about the relevance and where it was going.

This is a high must watch! Would love to see more CDramas created in this genre.

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Hidden Gem

This was an amazing story and one I’d highly recommend for those looking for a coming of age story! First off, this isn’t a romance drama and not sure why MDL tagged it as such. I suspect that many who are looking for romance would be disappointed in this one. I would also say this is for more mature audiences. It’s heavy on the realism and does not contain fluff. It’s definitely not an idol drama.

The Good

The story was well written and had a strong execution. This was one of the best high school dramas I’ve seen and left a deep impression. There were many profound moments and life lessons portrayed in this drama. The female lead Luo Qiqi was an extremely relatable character and had me rethinking my youth, thoughts, actions and choices made during those times. Every character was very complex, not perfect and had their own interesting story to tell. There was so much character growth and development seen that it left a deep satisfaction at the end. In my opinion, this was Zhao Jin Mai’s best drama that I’ve seen from her lineup through 2024. It really showed her acting range. All the remaining cast also did an amazing job and portrayed their characters very well.

The Bad

It’s a slow drama and requires patience to sit through as it’s 30 episodes with 50 min runtime per episode. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. Though I enjoyed every episode and it kept me engaged, of course this drama still has the misunderstandings we’ve come to know in CDramas. The difference here is these are more realistic, relatable and understandable situations. It’s a basic production with a not memorable OST. The ending may leave some dissatisfied.

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Worth the wait

Season 2 wasn’t as strong as Season 1 but still an amazing story and I’m looking forward to Season 3.

The Good

The JOL is definitely a uniquely written story that keeps you on your toes. I found that there wasn’t much of any hiccups from the plot and acting from the long wait of the first season. The cast fell right back into place and delivered strong performances as expected. Even the change of Yan Bingyun’s character flowed nicely and he took the character to greater heights. Many twists and turns in the story and the action/plotting scenes definitely do not disappoint. The OST still remained relatively decent. The costumes and production quality were elevated and a welcome change in this season. I appreciated the pacing in this season as the story continues to unfold.

The Bad

Three things, I didn’t like the change in Ye Linger character as I feel as if they changed up her character arc. She seemed less independent and more tolerant than the first season and the same goes for Fan Xian. There were aspects of his character that changed in season 2 such as the constant bowing and being more tolerant to the royal family that made him more defiant and unique in the first season. I know it has to do with character growth but wished they could have maintained that throughout the show. Still didn’t care too much for the love story between Fan Xian and Lin Waner. It just doesn’t add much to the story but had a heavier focus this season. Still not sure how her character is considered a main character.

Either way. Loved this story!

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Intriguing Story

This movie was quite enjoyable. There was some predictability in the storyline with some questionable moments that made me go “of course that would happen or wow what a shocker (sarcasm),” but overall I can understand the high praise for this movie.

The Good

It was filled with high action from beginning to end and the overall story moved at a fast pace so things never got boring. Although I’m not familiar with all of the Chinese lore, it was neat to see it portrayed in a large feature film centered around war. The overall acting was a highlight here as most of the cast did a pretty decent job. Overall production was good with attention to details from the costumes, settings, hair and makeup, etc. wasn’t low budget at all. I’m glad the run time was also a little longer to give time to actually tell the story without it feeling rushed or too incomplete for the first installment.

The Bad

Not much in the way of character and world building. Most of the movie was shot in 1 or 2 locations. Though there was a summarized backstory in the very beginning, would have like to see this go deeper and explain more of the war backstory and king’s backstory in more detail so we could connect more to the story and motivations. Again, as mentioned at the beginning, there was some predictability in the story that I wish would have been turned more into an interesting twist. The OST was okay but not very memorable.

I’d recommend a watch for this movie if you like high action and stories about Gods.

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Interesting twist

This one was interesting. I enjoyed the focus on mental health for the plot and how it was a story within a story.

The Good

ML has a distinctive look that made him perfect for this role. I’ve seen him in other dramas as supporting characters and he typically does well given his scripts. I hadn’t seen FL before but she was also decent and had good chemistry with the ML. The overall plot setup is what drew me in because it combined both a historical and modern drama into one and executed okay.

The Bad

The overall acting wasn’t necessarily the best from all the cast and I wouldn’t say this drama was amazing. Overall costumes, production and OST were mediocre.

It’s a good filler show to watch since it does have a different story but definitely a different take on the usual CDramas. I would still say overall there are still a lot of cliches and some predictability to it which makes it an average show.

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Not that great

This story was poorly written. The main problem I had with the overall plot was it was really bias. The Jixi people along with the Crown Prince were good and could do no wrong in the FL’s eyes and the Shendong people were bad and Xing Shi didn’t have a right to fight for their country. His feelings were invalidated by her. Doesn’t make for a very good story.

Otherwise, basic plot with nothing new to offer. The romance was more G Rated. This is definitely for the younger, teenage audience. Sound track was average. Costumes were okay but production value was definitely lower. The best acting from the main cast was probably the ML. I wouldn’t rewatch this.

More of a show to watch if you are bored with nothing else to watch but I really wouldn’t recommend it.

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Good for romance

This was a typical romance drama with a predictable plot. There are many full length dramas with similar themes that are done better (e.g. Romance of Tiger and Rose, Different Princess, Romance on the Farm, etc) but this was an entertaining watch.

The good

If you are looking for romance, this has it. Lots of kissing scenes and the main couple had good chemistry. Very heated, very electric. This drama played up the parody aspect which gave way to comedic relief. Lots of pretty people, if that’s what you are looking for.

The bad

Outside of the romance, it was a basic, recycled story and didn’t stand out or add anything new to the genre. The acting was mediocre, had bland characters and production was low budget with some editing mishaps.

I enjoy short length series as in between fillers to some of the larger productions and can sometimes find good stories with actors who have potential to make it big. This one has a lower rewatch value for me but was an okay one time watch.

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Resident Evil with a hint of The Walking Dead

This was a pretty good watch for me. It reminded me of the Resident Evil games and if the failed Resident Evil Netflix show was done right. It definitely has a slight hint of The Walking Dead with the story plot of you turn even when you die because it’s inside of them. I worry about Season 2 and that the story’s direction will change too drastically with the introduction of new characters and no real end in sight.

The Good

The acting was very good amongst the entire cast. No one person had to carry the rest. I also enjoyed the production value since they seemed to put some effort into the blood, gore and CGI creatures. Also, there was a lot of action even though it’s being filmed in one location. At times, it felt like they were in different locations because of how large the apartment complex was. They were never truly safe and it was all about survival.

The Bad

Too many characters. A lot of dramas of this nature suffer this same problem with too many characters and not enough time to focus on each. I would have loved more of backstory on some of the characters but with so few episodes, there wasn’t time for that. Also, Song Kang was the number one lead here but it’s hard to tell at times because he sometimes gets little screen time. More focus was placed on the rest of the leads. Not sure how many seasons this will be but there wasn’t much movement in the plot in this first season. Would have liked to see more on the creatures, motivations, potential cures, testing, etc.

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