This review may contain spoilers
A beautiful love story with a predictable ending
OVERALL RATING: 8.25/10Like many others here, I waited a long time to see this show (2 years to be precise) and was very happy when it finally aired. I was waiting to see Xiao Zhan return in a costume drama, and he definitely did not disappoint.
The Longest Promise has a simple enough story - not as complex as most other Xianxia. Although that sounds like it might be a bad thing, it is actually one of the strengths of the show. I’ll come back to this point later.
I have not read the original novel, so I had no idea what to expect. It took several episodes to get into the show - even though it was interesting enough initially. This show works when seen as a character-driven extremely slow-burn love story, but does not hold up well when dealing with palace intrigue and conspiracies. I think the student-teacher romance tag is a slight oversimplification of the relationship between the leads, which is a complex one, starting from childhood and later embroiled in prophecies and other complications.
WHAT I LIKED:
The love story between Shi Ying and Zhu Yan is convincing and sweet. This is done rather well - there is an unspoken love that they both have for each other and we never need to see physical touch to be convinced of this. It is through their actions and sacrifices for each other where this is made apparent.
The side characters are compelling enough and we are also invested in those storylines. Qing Gang and Bai Xuelu have an interesting progression to their relationship, but they are also compelling characters on their own. Yuan is a lovely second male lead - his 200-year-old love for Yao Yi is quite touching. Although he realises that Zhu Yan is Yao Yi’s reincarnation, he never pushes her to love him or does not seek her love in return. The High Priest makes for a very interesting character as well. His motivations are clear - and his ruthlessness and humanity both make sense. Chong Ming is another favourite - he provides some comic relief but he is also more than that.
The acting is great - I think everyone did a stellar job. Of course I watched this for Xiao Zhan and he was excellent in it (although, yes, he feels older than a teenager). This was the first show I watched with Ren Min - and I initially went in with some trepidation. However, she convinced me that she is a capable actress.
The CGI was relatively good - better in some places than in other places. Same for the music.
WHAT I HAD PROBLEMS WITH:
What was the relevance of the Ice Clan? They seemed to be there, lingering in the background, but we don’t know anything about them. Why do they want to cause chaos and what is their true purpose?
The last 2 episodes were a real let-down. After all the tears we cried for Yuan, he was resurrected. There was absolutely no reason for this. Soon after, he was possessed by the God of Destruction. It seemed like he was completely stripped of his agency and humanity and became obsessed with Yao Yi (which he never was before). It seemed like such a bizarre decision to do that. What was the point of bringing Yuan back from the dead just to do this? It was absolutely bonkers. When he died the second time, it didn’t have the effect it should have had. Also, the way Shi Ying died had little impact because suddenly in the last 2 episodes, our heroes are fighting a foe that was just introduced and is now all encompassing. It makes the plot convoluted and complex, without being meaningful. This is why I said the show’s strength is in its simplicity. The ultimate villain being this way was such a weak trope that ruined all the emotional buildup of the previous episodes. The multiple resurrections and immediate healing just lessened the emotional impact of the show because the stakes were so low.
Similarly, Zhu Yan loses all her senses bringing Shi Ying back to life, but then she is immediately healed by Qing Gang and Xuelu. The emotional effect of her sacrifice is lost. Of course she later says she cannot smell or taste, but as the audience, we don’t see her being seriously affected by those things (versus things like sight or hearing) and so again, the impact is gone.
The ending - did Shi Ying come back to life again? I would’ve preferred if he had actually died and not been shown again because keeping it open again kind of ruins the emotional impact it could have had.
OVERALL:
Don’t go expecting the most amazing story ever told. It is a good show and is strong when it deals with characters. However, I was very disappointed with the last 2 episodes. That said, it is still a good show with great acting. Can I also just mention what an ethereal beauty Xiao Zhan is? It was difficult to focus on subtitles when he was on screen.
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Can't escape the typical drama trope
I am sure every XZ fan has been waiting for this highly anticipated drama.This is a big production so definitely some beautiful costumes, sets & cinematography (i.e ep 1 with the dessert)
XZ visuals .... I mean probably the most important reason why I can't drop this drama. It is a shame that they used too much orange tone on his face. Some scenes the lighting makes both his cheeks and eye lids super ORANGE which is completely distracting.
Good supporting cast overall with many familiar faces. I particularly like Zhi Yuan's character, a worthy 2nd lead.
FL .... This is a tough one as I never felt any female lead in his past works ever matched him equal level. Zhao Lusi (in Oh! My Emperor) was pretty good but XZ was the 2nd lead there. Wu Xuan Yi (in Douluo Continent) came very close but I am still waiting for that perfect pairing.
It doesn't help that Ren Min's character falls into that typical drama trope FL (which is not the actress fault). The character never really matured. She's did a decent job but I just don't see the chemistry. She's cute in her own way but not FL worthy.
Ep 31 in that's when the drama gets into the ridiculous misunderstandings followed by a hot mess of an ending:
-Multiple resurrections & death
-Multiple memory loss
-Multiple soul possessions
Sadly this will be a just another ok watch that's completely forgettable.
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Solid acting from the casts
I started this drama because of the trailer I had watched maybe around 2 years ago. They hype made me watched it and I’m satisfied with the drama. I’m not a big stan of any of the leads in this drama, just casual watcher.The start of this drama may be quite slow to some people but I would say stick until episode 8 above. The initial built up was just to make it makes sense in later episodes. I was hooked around ep8 when the CGI, action and romance with love bridge scene finally kicked in.
Acting:
-Xiao Zhan did so well as his character Shi Ying. A very reserved priest who lived in seclusion due to unfair slander that affected his life. He nailed micro-expressions. I watched his interview and I agreed with him about not giving expressionless expressions to SY character. He’s in control of his potrayal as SY. I also love that I can see changes in his expressions from being a shifu to FL and after he actually accepted his feelings for her. You can totally see how unrestrained his gazes for her once he decided to love her freely. His in love expressions were spotted on, whenever she’s around his eyes lit up. He had his times when he had to behave like 12years old and a possesed villain, he nailed it all. I think he mastered all the looks in his eyes. Great decision for him to take this character. The character was well written for him.
- Ren Min’s character as Zhu Yan was quite lacking in earlier episodes, I personally think her character was poorly written even in the novel. I heard the novel received criticisms and they changed a lot from the novel while still maintaining some essense from it because they can’t totally change it or else it will interrupt the whole plot. You may see he character as childish, annoying etc which I can understand because I notice a lot of cdramas xianxia, wuxia love to use this kind of behavior to show ‘character development’. I have seen worse FL characters than her, and she’s much better from the original novel ‘Zhu Yan’ tbh the novel was a letdown, title as ‘Zhu Yan’ but writing such a miserable FL.
But Ren Min potrayed Zhu Yan well imo she’s supposed to be that way. It kinda irks me that her life goal were to resurrect prince SY, and later to accompany her shifu for the rest of his life. But I need to remind myself, the writer clearly wrote her that way. It’s poorly written at the first place. If you wanted to see some development, I will say ep35 above towards the ending.
Ren Min’s acting skyrocketed on last 8episodes, this girl cried so naturally and effortlessly. The amount of water works she did with Xiao Zhan whoa they have good acting synergy.
Personal opinion, Zhu Yan looked much better without her bangs around ep28. The stylist was lacking with her styling on earlier episodes. Like put some efforts on your FL duh.
-Special mention Allen Fan Yilun as Zhi Yuan. I like that he’s not super jealous scheming SML who wanted FL to be with him all the time while destroying ML. He nailed his good guy role into possessed villain role. The last moment when he finally died to stop God of destruction from harming ZY-SY, I know SY understood that the one Yuan actually loves wasn’t Yao Yi anymore, it’s Zhu Yan. I don’t think ZY realized that. But dude is a good actor. The first time I saw him was on The Long Ballad.
Chemistry:
- idc what others said but I think this slowburn romance of SY-ZY was chemistrying well. At first they’re just acquintaces who always disagreed with each other, almost friends, developed into shifu-disciple and finally lovers. I like how ZY totally looked like SY’s disciple. He’s a good shifu to her, while teaching and being strict to her, we can still see his fondness of her. Those little smiles they gave each other. SY taught her to be better and ZY was someone who really wanted to be better and learn, with her still being mischevious here and there because of her young age. I think it’s a very sweet and cute relationship of them. Whenever they’re on screen together I just can’t help but smile. Cute chemistry, really.
-After done being cute, the two leads have very impressive emotional scenes chemistry. Their acting truly shine on emotional scenes. The way these two just cried so naturally and effortlessly.
-Couple fighting scenes were another things I wanted to praise, I love it when they fought together, especially after ZY became stronger and she can match him.
CGI: The best CGI to me were the dragon and sand demon scenes. The made it looked so believable, not obvious fake. The fighting scenes were all done well as well with magic effects with the sound effects, they mesh it very well together. I’m more to wuxia fan so I like the scenes.
Wishing tree CGI was breathaking!
-Cinematography was really good as well especially the desert scenes. I know they travelled far for it and it looked so good.
Rewatch? yes I will definitely rewatch for Shi Ying-Zhu Yan’s scenes. All the moments together were all worth watching.
Overall, I still think TLP worth the hype. I watched 2 eps everyday religiously before they came out with express 8eps. I binge-watched the whole 8eps in 1 night and coincidently I was on annual leave the next day so it’s all well. I don’t have to show my ugly after-crying the whole night face to everyone lol
RECOMMENDED?
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The most stunning fairytale-like visuals with slow burn romance.
The longest promise tells the story of the main lead's promises to each other. What both of their promises are, you will find out when you watch the drama. The male lead fakes his death to escape injustice and spends his years cultivating in a mountain as a Priest. Years later, the woman (female lead) who is prophesied to kill him becomes his disciple.First of all, the drama has the most stunning fairytale-like visuals, with beautiful scenery, fight scenes and CGI I've ever watched. The story's logic always makes sense, has great pacing, not too slow or too fast, there are no stupidly, annoying characters, no fillers. Most of the screen time is given to the male lead, female lead and second male lead. I honestly did not find it boring even for a moment.
The male lead is one of the most powerful cultivators, he becomes a Priest to hide his identity as the Crown Prince that was wrongly accused. He is mature, aloof and wise. Female lead starts off as being quite immature, reckless and foolish. But she is also street smart and very brave. The main leads have many cute and funny moments together however this is a slow burn romance. As the male lead is a Priest and also her Master, their romance is forbidden so don't expect to see them in a proper relationship. Their love is very subtle and unspoken, they care and protect each other no matter what. Male lead spends a lot of time teaching her not only powerful magic techniques but how to be more mature and responsible. I found their romance very refreshing as it was built on trust and care rather than insta-love.
A big part of the drama is the second male lead who has his own story that connects with the main leads. I very much emphasised his character and loved all of his scenes. He is not your typical second male lead that's obsessed with the female lead. He cares for her but also wants her to be happy with whoever she ends up with. Despite his tragic love story, he still has much love for his people and I admired everything he did in the drama.
The only thing I did not like about the drama was the final villain that appeared in the last two episodes as it kind of came out of nowhere. There wasn't enough build up to find out who he was, where he came from and how much of a threat he was. But regardless of that, I very much enjoyed how it all played out even if it was heartbreaking to see it.
If you've read this far, don't waste time anymore and just watch this wonderful drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
A Xianxia Drama that Requires an Open Perspective When Watching
The Longest Promise is truly the biggest surprise amongst Xianxia dramas to come out in recent years. It has been over two weeks since its finale but I still cannot stop thinking about it and discovering things I didn't notice from first watch because that's how impactful and well-crafted it really is. I've been waiting for this drama as a fan of Xiao Zhan ever since he was rumored to be the lead and I really thought that this was just gonna be your typical Xianxia romance drama I could watch head empty BUT I WAS COMPLETELY WRONG. Taking this drama at face value will do it massive injustice to the story and its characters. This might seem like the most unassuming drama that follows the usual Xianxia romance formula BUT NO it is really a drama that contains alot of insightful themes and messages the viewers can learn from. Although the story takes place within a cultivation setting it is actually a lot more relatable to viewers because it tackles the good/ugly aspects of human nature through its use of prophecies as the backdrop to the story's main conflicts. This is truly a drama that needs more than one watch because you will definitely be blindsided by the ending on your first watch as it might appear to just be following the trend of bittersweet open endings. HOWEVER that is not the case for TLP--they are making good use of its open ending because they WANT the viewer to actually go back and revisit moments in order to find the subtle hints and layered meanings of huge plot moments. In order to find the true ending of the drama you need to figure out its central themes and purpose of the story but if you don't have the time to do that don't worry I already broke down everything you need to know about TLP in the discussion board. Once you see how everything was planned and laid out since the beginning of the drama you will undoubtedly leave this show fully satisfied with how they showed the journey of Shi Ying and Zhu Yan.I will have to preface that TLP IS NOT A DRAMA FOR THOSE WHO ONLY WANT A LOVE STORY. There is alot more to this drama than the main couple's romance and I learned from personal experience that it is not a good idea to watch this drama with a one-sided focus on the romantic endgame or else you will miss the underlying narrative and well written character development. This drama might not be for everyone because TLP decides to put a spin on the usual Xianxia romance formula by staying strongly committed to the master/disciple aspect of their relationship. Several people have dropped this drama because they went in expecting instant gratification from the romance like other cdramas would provide. If you want early romance and payoff then you should not force yourself to complete this drama. In order to appreciate the slowburn romance you have to respect the set up and established lore TLP is staying committed to because I personally think it makes Shi Ying's character motivation even more realistic and impactful. Leaving priesthood is established as a matter of life and death within their world so it should NOT be a decision Shi Ying can make on a whim like a college student changing majors.
TLP is NOT a Xianxia with a plot that revolves around the main romance, it is actually the complete opposite and once you view the story under this lens the story and character decisions will make A LOT more sense. And by that I mean the viewer will be prone to viewing every action of the main leads under the guise of furthering romance that it becomes easy to overlook the deeper meanings behind things. THIS WAS THE TRAP I FELL INTO ON MY FIRST WATCH because I was unaware of how nuanced the writing would be. Please try to rewatch the drama without the prime focus of endgame romance you will thank me later. The story takes advantage of the master/disciple slowburn romance by focusing more on the main couple's growth as individuals to show that their actions are not solely motivated by love. Like they really prioritized on fleshing out these two leads so they do not come off as one dimensional by the time they finally get romantically involved with each other. Might not be your cup of tea but the wait is definitely worth it once you see Shi Ying and Zhu Yan are more than characters who are written to fall in love for the sake of romance. They have their own personalities, goals, and values which is why they will have conflict with each other for most of the drama. Maybe if cdramas were allowed to go past 40 episodes we could have had more time to fully enjoy their life as a couple after they clear up all misunderstandings but the development of their relationship in the first 35 episodes is just so deeply intertwined with the plot and individual character arcs and romance that it is impossible to take out one of those elements without negatively impacting the rest.
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boring storyline and ML Popularity save the drama
if you are xianxia drama addictthis drama will be the most boring and stupid storyline…
there is no match between the FL and ML
But impressed with xiao zhan acting he slowly developed as an actor
but the FL acting is really bad
wang churan acting surpassed the FL acting
if you want development love character between FL and ML, please watch ep 40 and above at netflix
other than that is boring episode
sometime i just skip some episode
other than that qing cang character is well developed
at least he is upright
surprising xuelu character at the end she become kind and get together with QC
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The drama with the most fascinating character
At first I feel skeptical about this drama, since I heard that the novel was just another idol fantasy romance. But towards the end, the story become emotionally engaging and the characters become interesting.Story:
I'm not fond of this kind of story. I feel like the story is too bland, too basic for costume drama. The story that more suitable for audience who was beginner in fantasy idol drama. However, I like most of the characters, especially the mains. The reason why I like them is because they are not intoxicated with love. They still can think of others, their family, friends, despite they have deep attraction for each other. When the trope of mentor-disciple usually fall into passionate love pit, in this drama they really stand for their position as the mentor really guide and teach lessons, the disciple also diligently learning then make her an outstanding one. But, other than these points, I don't think the plot is unique and refreshing. The court politics is shallow, the other characters didn't have an impactful development, the back story of war between races also didn't have depth explanation. So it's hard for me to feel connected to this drama at the beginning.
Acting:
Xiao Zhan's acting always has a big impact for every drama he played. Including this one. At the peak of this drama, his acting was so emotional hence made me unstoppable sob. Although he supposed to be aloof character, but his eye-expression can tell what's in his mind and his feelings. Undoubtedly, he is the soul of this drama and he really can act.
Ren Min's acting also not bad. Her crying scenes was particularly contagious. Instead of her just ordinary face and appearance, she can act well and suitable for her character as cute, smart and kind person. Well, for actors, you really can change your fate with your acting, good actors depend on their act, not only their face.
Aside of the mains, the side characters such as Zhi Yuan and Chong Ming have an interesting part. Chong Ming is cute and hilarious, and Zhi Yuan as the love rival actually likeable and truly a strong candidate to compete Shi Ying's charm.
Production: I think this drama has one of the finest audio visual from all the costume dramas which aired this year. The CGI is top notch and the music soundtracks are all very suitable for the scenes. The costumes too are stunning, specially Shi Ying's ones.
Overall: I recommend to watch this drama until episodes 15 before you decide to drop it. The beginning's pace is pretty slow and not very engaging, and I admit Ren Min's appearance was a little bit bothering, compare to other female characters who were prettier that her. However, as her character grew, she became more likeable and intriguing. Then you'll know why this drama become one beloved fantasy romance costume drama of this year.
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Why I love Chinese Fantasy and Costume period
I am not a fan of Xiao Zhan although in this series every bit of emotion that his co-star share is like crushing my heart enabling me to breathe. In the Chinese film industry, it's the first for me when it comes to Ren Min. She needs more when expressing feelings but I believe the director pushed everyone as hard as he can. I am amazed to see a well-known supporting cast and they are mostly on the list of the people I love seeing acting. Another different story is the reason I loved it different from The Love Between the Fairy and the Devil, Ashes of Love, or Three Lives, three worlds, or the pillow book. The reason it's nice to support such a film is because of the lesson it tries to remind us the evil side won't get as far and love use the right way can conquer anything. Reality is embedded in it, that we are the ones who create war due to our personal intention, forgetting the good intention when we begin and end with personal gains sacrificing innocent people. Watched this for two days and it's worth every minute spent watching. The effect is amazing , details on the big screen it's fantastic, and it will make you want to be in the story being one of those with supreme power used for good. Well we have all our own opinion this is mine of course maybe it can help.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Well, personally, I've been so fed up with xianxia dramas with repeated concepts. I understand that most xianxia dramas involve reincarnation, multiple lives and all, but I just find this concept too used. The thing is I've already read the novel "Zhu Yan" and so far, I really love the story of Zhu Yan and Shi Ying. The novel is actually a xuanhuan, but the drama is a semi-xianxia because so far, I've seen few changes from the original piece. The added scene (the childhood part) is amazing, knowing how shallow the first meeting Zhu Yan and Shi Ying in the novel.One thing I love about the drama version is the fact that both actors are doing really great in portraying their characters. I've always picture Shi Ying as elegant, and as handsome as hell like Xiao Zhan. I've always known how good is Ren Min when it comes to expression herself, be whatever role that is.
I love how the drama give emphasis to the entanglement of Ah Yan and Ying's life without ruining the added scenes.
The one I'm looking forward the most actually is the scenes after volume 1.
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CompletedDianRoss
7 people found this review helpful
Other reviews by this user 0
Overall9.5
Story8.5
Acting/Cast10
Music8.0
Rewatch Value10
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love Xiao Zhan visual
I don't know about dramas, I think they are pretty good and their visuals spoil audiences like me who are not used to watching Chinese dramas..
but this drama presents quite an interesting visual, for the storyline the plot is quite fast but what makes it interesting is the good acting of Xiao zhan and ren min, even though their chemistry hasn't built much, hopefully as the story develops their chemistry will get stronger, regardless of the blasphemy the visual ren min who was slammed by xiao zhan is quite concerning, hopefully ren min can silence the haters with his good acting and can keep up with xiao zhan who has also developed a lotRead More
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The whole interpretations in the story from the book is not boring ???
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Exaltation of constant tragedy and misfortune
I know Chinese dramas often like to show uber dramatic stories to create a sense of epic in their narration, but there is, or there should be a limit to that. If every single episodes is only about how unfortunate the hero and heroine are,, the tragedies that befall them and everyone they care about it becomes an exercise in patience to keep watching.And i did, persevering through every failed attempt they made to move on and shed their impending doom like that was the only foregone conclusion.
By the end of the story i no longer felt any pathos i was just waiting for the next tragedy which of course kept coming.
This is a story that should make you think of great ideals and moral greatness but only succeed in being predictable most of the time, annoying and unsatisfying the rest of it.
Killing off Shi Ying (in a completely gratuitous way that could have been done in a thousand better ways) at the end after he had already died once (yeah i'm rolling my eyes here) to leave Zhu Yan alone because she is the cursed lady in Shi Ying life after everything else that happened before is such a cheap way of solving the story that i still can't believe it's what they did.
I haven't read the book but i hope it's written better than how the drama has been executed.
Aside for the plot the CGI is kind of terrible and too too much, but if you are familiar with Chinese dramas you already know what to expect. Music is good and so are costume.
But the only major positive point of the drama is the acting. All the cast has done an amazing job and i finished watching the drama only because of their efforts. I did not know Ren Min before and at the beginning i was doubtful but she is very very good and it becomes obvious during the long painful episodes where her character is tested and tried countless time. I can't imagine anyone else as Zhu Yan. Fang Yi Lun is again perfect for the role of Zhi Yuan and he portrays the struggles of his character with perfect emotions. But it is not only them, seriously all the actors from old to young have performed admirably. And Xiao Zhan on top of them all, he has given dept to a character that was wooden and rigid most of the story, he has managed to portray Shi Ying and the repressed priest that faces all his struggles alone, and than suddenly the more cheerful youth that he would have been if his life had been different. There are countless moments that comes to my mind when i was impressed by his performance.
So in the end i started watching The Longest Promise for Xiao Zhan and with high expectations, his performance surpassed any idea or hope i had, while the drama was a let down i never imagined and i remained till the end only for him.
If you are a fan of Xiao Zhan The Longest Promise is worth watching despite every fault, you will be amazed by his performance and all the fan service provided by the director, if you are not a fan of Xiao Zhan and are here just for the story skip this, there are better written drama and more satisfying stories out there.
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Okay so I wanna give a review from my perspective. 1. This drama is one of the them that has the best CGI I’ve ever seen, some part are crappy when supports roles require CGI but I can let go of that because when the ML uses magic his CGI is top notch specially the water spells. So in terms of CGI you’ll not be disappointed
2. Don’t judge a book by its cover.I was skeptical when I saw the low ratings but I still gave it a try and it did not disappoint me,better than average but not exceptionally special either the plot is cliché but it works. The whole story is light and sweet except for the last part. If you wanna watch it for XZ’s visuals you’re welcome.
3. I wanted to say that some people are saying the FL is ugly. I was a bit pissed bc I’d rather have a FL who can act well, express her emotions through the screen rather than a pretty face actress who remains the same expression through out the whole drama. And I believe appearance isn’t everything. The actress clearly has REAL talent. I don’t think I found the FL “unattractive” or “ugly”, it’s time we should start breaking the norms about every female lead/actress has to be the most beautiful.
4. Everyone deserves to be treated with kindness. Bai Xuelu in the end, she was forgiven by her lover even after doing so many bad things. It teaches us that even after many mistakes we can still turn back. A good lesson !
5.the romance between the main leads is minimal but still persistent. The kids scenes are awkward but I’ll still buy it. If bai Lu were to be paired w XZ I bet the kiss scenes would turn better? but hey it’s just my opinion
The 2 secondary couples are also cute and they have also a few kiss scenes.
6. OST: the drama has really good OST , I really like Hu Xia’s and Tia Ray’s songs.
Throughout the drama I realized that I share lot of personality traits with Zhu Yuan so i was kinda becoming fond of her.
You can watch the drama if you want I can say that you won’t waste your time.
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