I Would Like to Hate But....

This is one drama that I would like to hate, from the OST to the story and stuff in between, BUT there were a few sparks of potential that kept me engaged in the latter half of the series and the main leads did good with the material given. The first 15 episodes was literally the FL in a zombie like trance most of the time reeling from broken heart over her ex, the ex insisting on getting back together and the ML acting almost like a pervy stalker, add many coincidental meetings ... shake, stir and repeat. In the second half of the series everything perked up- from our leads, to the supporting cast, the ex dropped off the face of dramaland until the ending episodes but was replaced by another ex to stir the pot again. Even so, this was where this dramas potential should have been harnessed and released but no, the second leads romance got a lot of screen time. Nothing wrong with some second lead romance on the side but the main leads romance got half the screen time, thankfully there were some satisfying fluffy moments between the leads. Also, one thing going for the leads was their maturity, sure they still felt insecure about their relationship but they did not do any drastic immature moves, no annoying miscommunications in this drama. It was a happy ending but felt rushed, considering a lot time was wasted in unnecessary boring stuff I wish they had just done a wedding or a bit of married life instead. With all that, watch if you are tired of good dramas or want a change of pace for something cliche, this is okay.

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Almost Perfect BOF/MG Version

This was the almost perfect Boys Over Flowers/Meteor Garden version I have watched so far. I especially liked that this version is not merely a rich guy poor girl drama, the ending theme of the younger generation seeking social justice humanity above money/material was nicely weaved into the story for the audience. There is no shortage of funny, flirty and emotional moments all spiced up like a truly modern lakorn. Cinematography and locations are beautiful. The entire cast acted spectacularly well. I was surprised almost everyone superbly delivered their crying/emotional scenes. I just wished our ML could be more emotional in his crying scenes but then he was still awesome portraying Thyme overall, can't imagine anyone else for the role. Meteor Garden 2018, even with all it's many flaws, has been my favorite and this version I like as much so now it's a tie for me. This version is shorter than MG2018 so the writers and director had a chance to smoothly condense the story into meaningful episodes which the team did amazingly well. For anyone thinking "oh no, not another BOF/MG", give it a chance, this drama is still a highly recommended watch on my list.

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Enjoyable and Worth Watching

This is a nice easy to watch romcom about a contract marriage. I've seen a few Simon Gong dramas to notice that his acting has improved a lot and he has shown versatility in tackling a more mature role as Dr. Ling Rui in this drama. My first time watching the FL, I think she did a good job playing the role of successful domineering CEO Lu Fang Ning. A strong female lead is very encouraging. Another surprise here is Garvey Jin's good comedic performance as Simon. I liked how some of the second leads started as antagonists then ended up as good guys. It was fun to see how Lu Fang Ning and Tang Ping Ping evolved from being enemies to close friends and how straight-faced cold Simon loosened up to pursue Cai Si Yu. The other supporting cast were also likable and who can forget the adorable Lu You You! I admit there were some draggy parts, for me it was somewhere in the middle before leading up to the time skip. I quite enjoyed the rest of the episodes post time skip, they were more light hearted. I liked the cinematography, editing, locations, wardrobes though I deducted some rating points for little things like make up style which I'm not a fan of and few forgivable plot holes. I found this drama refreshing having some unique spin on common storylines and tropes. Overall, enjoyable and worth watching.

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If you like romantic comedies this one is for you. The story is not unique and complicated the but series of events were nicely put together. This drama has a good mix of romance, comedy, a dash of mystery and some courtroom drama. Somehow the law office characters gives off The Office (US sitcom) vibes in a Korean way. The entire cast did an amazing job. Main leads LDW and YIN had great chemistry. Notable acting for murder suspect Park Soo Myeongs character who managed to make me cry. Actors who played the law firm CEO and his cousin talent agency CEO, lawyer Choi, lawyer Dan and Yoon Seos manager were all funny and entertaining. Cinematography was excellent along with the OST. Overall This drama is highly recommended for those looking for something lighthearted and easy to watch.

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This drama is worth the hype and high rating. Although I really don’t like harem plots this one was an exception. I admit that the first 20 episodes or so did not impress me but after a point (I forgot when) the episodes became exciting and I thoroughly enjoyed the rest. I like how Wei Lingyou’s character is smart and witty and that she is not a saint, she can punish and fight back when needed. The chemistry between the main leads was good even though the romantic scenes were limited and mostly implied this should not deter one from watching. Just the anticipation of when Wei Lingyou would show her love to the Emperor and how the Emperor would show his devotion to WL is enough as romance. Most of the cast did a wonderful job acting although some bits of overacting didn’t affect the drama as a whole. Cinematography was excellent. Locations, sets and costumes were high quality. My only complaint about this drama is the length. Even though the span of the story is about 25 years I think they could have shortened while keeping the span. I would have given this drama a perfect 10 if it was kept at 60 episodes or less. I love the happy ending between Wei Lingyou and the Emperor that they truly loved each other and also the promise of Wei Lingyou to protect/be together with Fuheng in her next life. Overall, this is one of my all time favorite historical dramas and I highly recommend.

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I started this drama without any high expectation and I was not disappointed. In fact, I really enjoyed this drama. The story is good just don’t expect it to be unique with clever plots. Yes, there will be plot holes since this drama is somewhat a mix of parody, slapstick and historical/xianxia romance. I like the FL acting, I’ve seen her in the drama I Hear You. Almost all of the male cast are from X-Nine boy band (I’m not from China so never heard of them before nor Sean Xiao being part of this group ) surprised that these guys can act decently.

Edit for Season2: I though the ending was good but it would have been better is the ML expressed more emotions in the “farewell” scene as the Emperor and more happiness when he meets FL in the modern world.

Still, I recommend this drama if you want something light, romantic, funny and easy to watch.

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I love light, fun and feel-good dramas and this is one of them! The story was well written, realistic and refreshing. No evil characters and crazy plots. This drama is about how two people fell in love despite their differences. It tackles tradition, family, friendships, forgiveness, and achieving ones dreams. Li Xian and Yang Zi plus the rest of the cast did an amazing job. Cinematography was nice and crisp. Great OST. I have re-watched twice and appreciate the story even more, in fact I have increased my previous rating. I really wanted to give this drama a perfect 10 but took half point because of the flashbacks (my solution-just fast forward through them) and some minor stuff. Highly recommended!

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Watch Only for Mark and/or Kim If You Really Want To

DISCLAIMER: I watched this lakorn solely to see Mark Prin's early acting ability so my rating is likely a tad higher due to this bias.

Positives: I enjoyed seeing Marks early work here- as playful, caring and secretly in-love Kob. This is my first Mark-Kim drama and I really like their chemistry, they look so natural and cute together. No wonder there is a hype. The main plot of the story is really simple and common- childhood best friends realizing that they have fallen in love with each other at different points in time. Mark's acting is not as polished as now but you can already see that he is such a natural actor overflowing with potential. Kim did well as perky workaholic Bua, she kept me engaged in her scenes, I have no complaints. The supporting cast did well too even the villain roles. It was endearing and funny to watch Kob and Buas bickering parents. Sean as Tin was also good, I had SLS in many of his scenes.

Negatives: The script itself- plot and characters. There were too many villains ranging from annoying to downright vile. Several unbelievable scenarios. ML was made to be naive/gullible and in some scenes. I hated Jane character the most not just with her interaction with the ML but also with the support characters- just unnecessary. Of course who could stand the usual tropes, they have them all here- jealous SFL, sweet SML, SLS-inducing love triangle, kidnapping, attempted rape, scheming gold digger, unfaithful side characters and goon fights resulting to ML ending up with a gunshot and of course a rushed happy ending. The icing- you get rewarded with one forehead kiss for watching the entire series.

In conclusion, only watch if you really would like to see Mark and/or Kim, otherwise it's a pass- don't waste your time.

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Visually Stunning

The one huge thing for me is that this drama is visually stunning, from the make-up, costumes, sets and cinematography. Everything else was decent even though there were a lot of draggy parts and over the top scenes- I can't fault the acting with the way the scenes were written and set up but some acting could have been done a bit better for some of the cast. I also appreciate that the history aspect was straightforward in this drama, I learned a few things about the Chinese Republican era, oh no! :) It was a happy ending so this drama still gets my rec worth a one-time watch.

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Starting this review with a warning for anyone expecting this to be a romance drama, it is not. Yes, there is romance but somehow the overall feel is more of a melodrama. Fair Xing and Allen Ren did well. Fair Xing continues to show depth in acting. Allen did well even though the character he portrayed had a limited range of emotions. The second leads were okay along with the rest of the cast. I am not a fan of the story as I couldn't really get into the concept of a mechanical heart so I got bored sometimes and dragging on to 36 episodes did not help. Also, some blatant product placements were annoying. The ending, although a happy one, having a 3 year time jump to wrap things up was rushed for my taste. On the positive side, I absolutely loved the cinematography on this one. Shots were crisp and well framed. Locations were pretty. No annoying dubbing. The OST is nice. I admit being a bit disappointed with this drama but on my fault having unrealistic and high expectations coming from my enjoyment of My Little Happiness which is a different genre in my opinion. Overall, watch this if you don't mind melodrama.

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Well-Deserved High Rating

At first I thought, oh well, just another youth drama but still put this drama on my list to check out Wang An Yu as I liked his performance in Dreaming Back to Qing Dynasty. Xiang Han Zhi was a pleasant surprise, my first time watching and her acting was spot on despite being only 18 years old in real life! The story was well-written and the pacing was just right for the number of episodes. The first couple of episodes seemed ordinary but as the episodes progressed I came to appreciate the simple and heartfelt nature of the characters. The overall feel of this drama was innocent and pleasant. The difficulties faced by the characters seem relatable and the antagonists were not so evil. There were some scenes which evoked happy tears from me which only a few dramas were able to do. Production quality was excellent including music. Most importantly the ending was sweet and satisfying. I say this drama should not be missed.

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Misunderstood Drama

I think this drama is very much misunderstood. For anyone expecting or wondering if they should watch for the romance, I say NO, you should skip/pass/ignore and stay far away as possible from this drama. Yes, there was some form of romantic love between the leads but be warned this is not actually a romance drama. In my opinion this drama is classic makjang/revenge with offensive dark undertones. Once you are open to the nature of this drama then you might appreciate the story and the roller-coaster of emotions that go along with it. Although the story is not original I found it quite interesting. Hawick Lau did a stellar performance showing multiple facets of his acting ability in portraying the complex ML character who is despicable, cunning and wretched somehow making us feel sorry and rooting for him at times. There were scenes where I was holding my breath in suspense as to how the ML would react to a situation or person. Sadly the FL character rendition was subpar for my taste wherein some scenes the FF button came in handy. The supporting cast and production quality was okay. I actually liked the open ending because it would make no sense for the leads to easily just have a happy ending. It's good that the FL was going away giving her time to realize if she truly loves him or get over Stockholm syndrome and that the ML is paying for his crime. It would have been better if the writers showed that the ML acknowledged that he needed mental therapy. I enjoyed watching this drama but on the fence recommending this as a watch.

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Give This a Chance- Ignore Annoying Background Music

I almost gave up on this drama because of the annoying background music and dubbing . I'm wondering if this is how the actual drama was released by the network TV or if the background music and dubbing just got messed up during subtitling and posting on YouTube, as some parts had missing audio in MangoTV channel. Too bad because aside from some annoying background music the actual songs from OST are not bad. Cinematography is nice too, everything looks crisp and pleasing overall. Anyway, I am glad I held on and completed this drama. Sure the story seems cliche on the surface about rich guy CEO falling for a middle class woman and amnesia but I found the presentation and flow of the story to be refreshing and somewhat different despite being cliche. The main leads start having romantic chemistry around episode 5 and the kisses are realistic not the usual deer in the headlight kisses that Chinese dramas are known for. There is a little bit of love triangle that does not last long and very tolerable. There were a lot of funny moments especially during scenes with the supporting cast. The second leads have a cute romance story that just blended well with the main leads story not overwhelming nor taking up too much time from the main leads. If you stick around towards the end of this drama you will be rewarded with an adorable happy ending :-)

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I think the rating for this drama could be a little higher. I enjoyed watching Jae Hee in the Delightful Girl Choon Hyang so I had to check out this drama. I was also intrigued by the low rating on this drama even though for me the synopsis seem good. This drama had potential in the beginning but the story just went haywire. The first 5 to 7 episodes were funny and somewhat romantic but then the remaining episodes up to the end became a roller coaster of emotional torture- my heart ached watching the actions/ decisions the characters were making and then repeat the same situations, so now the story is going around in circles. Music is OK there is one catchy song that I like. Cinematography is very good, it’s not obvious that this is a 10 year old drama except when you see the electronics, makeup, hairstyle and clothing. I like how the makeup of the main leads were not too thick and the male leads have natural features meaning no obvious cosmetic surgery (if any) and makeup. Sadly, romance is lacking but has a happy ending though. Watch this drama only if you are bored and intrigued otherwise you’ll regret wasting time.

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