Circle of Love (2023)

Absurd Ending

Major Problem - The Ending [-]
At the ending, FL shoots herself in the head and nobody even bothers to call a doctor. It seems like there's no way she could survive, but somehow she's still alive two years later and crosses paths with the ML on a battlefield. How on earth does she cheat death? Moreover, when they meet, she looks at ML and smiles at him. How is it possible that their unresolved misunderstandings, which drove her to attempt suicide, are brushed aside? The 2nd ML who is the only other person who knows that ML didn't trigger the bomb that killed FL's entire family has also died. No one can possibly tells FL the truth.

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Acting [-]
The acting of the ML and FL is decent, but the second ML and second FL (especially the second ML) are way below par.

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Story in General [-]
There's a lot of physical and mental torture, abuse, and assault, and to top it all off, they're the actions by the ML. I'm not a fan of this direction the story took. For the storyline where the FL loses her memories three times, though not much creative but the details are still interesting.

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Funny Scene [-]
Okay, let me tell you about this scene that was supposed to be all erotically romantic, but it ended up being hilarious for me. Imagine this: ML and FL having sex in a car parked under the bright lights at the ML's mansion that is full of servants. The car's windows are also very clear - not tinted to obstruct the view. And guess what? The whole scene reminds me so much of that iconic sex-in-the-car scene from Titanic. I was half-expecting the FL's hand to smack against the car window, and guess what? She actually did it, mimicking that ecstasy moment. It was supposed to be romantic, but it turned into more of a parody, making it even funnier for those who've watched Titanic before.

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Toxicity taken to the next level

First of all, I am definitely not dropping this one cuz everything about the ML infuriates me!!!!(and I wanna know how it ends...)
Also, Youku is on a roll this year...!!! I mean- most dramas that have been released this year are from Youku, and all of them are are somewhat successful!!!

But back to the drama(10 eps in)- the story is not anything new, though, it is a bit more racy than most chinese dramas.
Just to be clear, (right now) this is not a romantic drama- athough it certainly has mildly sexual content. It depicts a "relationship" between an abuser(ML) and his victim(FL) and illustrates the ways he uses to emotionally and physically abuse her. In my humble opinion, the ML has no redeeming qualities whatsoever- he acts as if his behavior is justified, since he has suffered a trauma in the past ,so that later on, when there is a 180 degrees change in his personality(i guess, I am only halfway through) and he is suddenly nice and sweet, we forgive him- I certainly won't.
Believe it or not, so far, the FL in here is not being overly annoying, stupid or dramatic- that is hard to find these days.
I do care about the characters- I despise the ML from the bottom of my heart, pity the FL- that is probably a sign that the acting is good.

In fact, it's more than great, especially for a short-length drama(sld). Moreover, the cinematography/good production value were another aspects of this drama that surprised me-in a good way. I am so happy that "I don't know who" decided to invest more money in sl dramas so that quality wise, they are on par with the better ones of normal-length dramas. If only it had more episodes coming up!!!

Unpopular opinion (don't hate me, pls): It's not like this drama is a masterpiece, but I was more immersed in this drama + the acting here was more convincing than in some other popular dramas airing right now *cough*...back from the brink..* cough*

Overall, it might be one of the best short-length dramas. I was pleasantly surprised by the cinematography and the acting, but I deducted 2.5 stars because honestly, I think it is irresponsible to release a drama with such a toxic message/plot.
I know that won't be the case, but I still hope that in the end, FL teaches ML a lesson and gets as far away from him as possible.

edit ep 11- the story got a bit more bearable, it is already in the phase where the FL is not a prisoner anymore but is clearly suffering from stockholm syndrome ...

edit after watching all episodes- the plot evolved the way I expected it to, which is kinda disappointing because that man is a monster no matter how heartwrenching lines he says and how sweet he could be at times- he doesn't deserve her. But at least he was depicted as unlikeable throughout (nearly)the whole drama,
I thought when they broke up the first time that that would be it but no they went on and off again .
If that last scene was cut out that would have been the perfect ending for me- well it seemed more logical to me to end it like that .

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Storyline full of loopholes but the main cast, soundtrack and direction is pretty good.

There were tons of loopholes in the story. Firstly there is the ending of the drama itself which makes no sense. How did the hero and heroine get resurrected from the dead two years later? Besides this there was a list of things that didn't make sense such as how the heroine got pregnant before she even had sex with the hero.

What saved the day was the fact that both the leads had great chemistry and their acting was amazing. The pace of the drama was perfect and there was no unnecessary dragging of the plot or filler scenes. The music was haunting and suited the drama.

Most of all every single character got what they deserved.

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So....wtf was that?!

So, full disclosure...I watched this right after Maid's revenge. Two series with some questionable plots in one day should be considered a bad idea.

However, I did not regret this insane...yes insane
.....rollercoaster of emotions. I have this thing for dominant, yet sexy, edgy men who hurt their woman but then again don't. I know, I know ...says a lot about my taste in fictional men ? In real life I go for the Golden retriever boyfriend. Anyway I loved it. I'm only giving it a 7.5 because my God three times???? She bumps her head three times? Come onnnnnnn....

Also, those scenes were steamy but not vulgar in any way. I now crossing my fingers that these two actors can act again but...maybe something a little bit more fluffy? Pretty please ?

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CHUCK AND BLAIRE HAD MORE DIGNITY

I sat through Maid's Revenge and enjoyed it so I'm not stranger to toxic romance but Lord have mercy this couple take the cake when it comes to toxicity from start to finish all I could think is " I hope she kills this man" now before I go ham let me give the show it's praise. When the romance is good it's amazing I felt the chemistry between the two leads and genuinely bought into their romance and attraction for each other but on the other hand when their relationship is bad it's diabolical.

Our female lead Gu Meng when from a bad ass martial arts queen to a whimpering baby like I am able to count on my hand how many times she lost her memory and previously even when she loses her memory she was clearly shown to still be able to do martial arts but then the narrative seem to forget it's own rules or wanted to give the male lead the chance to save her, or else what does he have to offer her, and she never does martial arts again and I say all this but she truly is the highlight of the drama and that should tell you where the bar is.

Cheng Ming is that one friend when you tell him "oh I want to break into my ex's house and kidnapped them so they can consider giving our relationship another chance" he will deadass look you in your eyes and tell you "pop off queen" just a enabler.

Zhou Jiao Jiao there one thing I have to say this this character..... you be weak in the knees stand up, STANDUP

Zhou Zi Chen I have nothing to say about him except what I already said to his sister both of them are just sad and the fact that the show made him, unintentionally mind you, the least offensive..... dear god

Xiao Hong Ye..... actually the worst I don't hate characters very easily but the whole time I was watching this show I was praying for his downfall the narrative tried so many times to wash away his sins but after the tea incident he was dead in my eyes there was nothing left to save for his character and every second he wasn't on screen I was able to breathe.


But anyways do watch the show if you love mess like me and justice for Gu Meng you are the only bitch I respect in this house

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10/10 Rewatch if You Enjoy Dog-blood Melodrama

I. Introduction

Brace yourself for delicious angst with Circle of Love, a short-length drama packed with every melodramatic cliche trope you have ever read about. This is pwp for those who secretly consume bodice ripper novels or shoujo manga, and who have a secret kink for 'alpha males' and 'damsels in distress', conveniently ignoring the modern society warnings about idolising toxic, manipulative, abusive, and possessive characters.

II. Story and Plot

Let's be honest- We are not watching this for any story or plot. The cliches utilised in the story weren't just beaten to a pulp, they were pulverised into subatomic particles. The supporting female lead is predictably stupid in her vindictive mischief, and the glowering male lead's responses served as the inspiration for Katy Perry's 'Hot n Cold'. The female lead catches amnesia the way people caught Covid-19 in 2020. Abortion soup is served like dessert. I'm not even sure when did the female lead get pregnant- or did the male lead impregnate her by shooting lusty gazes at her all while keeping his trousers on?

The plot tropes get wilder and more incredulous with each episode, that by the last episode you're left spinning like a drunk top on crack. The male lead suffers multiple gunshot wounds in places that generally mean quick death even with a single shot, and yet still managed to remain standing, speak for 10 minutes, crawl multiple times, be hurled six feet away (not once but twice!), be trampled on, wrestle with the villain, shoot the villain, and not die. The female lead similarly has some kind of hero's halo, as she shoots herself in the head, but in the last 2 minutes of the episode, can be seen reuniting with the male lead on some battlefield 'two years later'.

III. Characters

We watch this- as PeachBlossomGoddess puts it- for LJL's (ML) smouldering gaze, taut chest, and steamy manhandling of GC (FL). LJL and GC's chemistry is so palpable here, you will beg for them to collaborate on a longer-length drama. LJL delivers a powerhouse performance as a possessive, abusive, amorous, and delicious snack. GC has a quick-witted face, which supports her character as someone trying to outwit the male lead and she manages to restrain herself from overacting in a melodramatic role (falling in love with her abuser in every instance of amnesia). The same can't be said for YZM (2ML) who emotes like he is a GIF or sticker for even the smallest of scenes. Meanwhile WLH (2FL) must have been slapped frozen by the FL's audacity to exist. She steadfastly held the same petulant expression throughout the entire drama, be it happily receiving an expensive gift, viciously planning someone's rape, or being jilted at the eleventh hour.

IV. Production Aspects

Set in the Chinese Republican Era, the set showcased luxurious Western influences, e.g., use of ornate wooden furniture, plush bedding, and art deco architecture. The cinematography repeatedly utilised muted tones and dim lighting to drag audiences into visually seductive scenes. Some of LJL's suits were inaccurately modern for the era, but LJL bore the uniform so well, any young damsel or damned sir would develop a uniform kink. GC's gorgeous OOTDs had her oscillating between sweet-daisy-next-door in one scene and poisonous-rose-assassin in the next. Notably, the song 克萊因與鯨 (some translated it as 'Klein and the Whale'-- who's Klein??) is a poignant song which heightened the emotional impact of the angsty scenes.

V. Conclusion

Circle of Love is not for the progressives. It demands suspension of disbelief and preference for indulging in luscious angst and melodrama (you know who you are). LJL and GC's stellar love-hate performances, the compelling agony, and effective soundtrack elevates this to a 10/10 rewatch value, but its general storyline is so ludicrous, the overall score is brought down to 8/10.

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Storyline was so bizarre.

I had such high hopes for this series but it just continued to disappoint. The storyline was so rushed and there was so much mess to it, probably because of the mini episodes. But they tried to push so much into 4 hours. How does someone lose their memories so many times and still end up clueless? I swear Chinese dramas always need the fl to be disloyal and run to the bad guy every time or they think it's missing something. Every Time! This story was dumb to me and the good acting of the mains would have saved it but they never got a chance. The ending was dumb too. How did 4+ hours of actual storyline take me 3 days to watch because there was nothing there to keep going back for. Wasted my darn time.

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If you are looking for something short to binge watch, it is not a bad drama.

Circle of Love is a short web drama that has 24 episodes and 12 minutes each episode. It took place in the Republican era when Gu Meng lost everything, family and fortune due to a fire she believes was started by her husband, Hong Ye.

Gu Meng took revenge, but in the process, she had multiple amnesias where she forgot who she was. I don't know why she stuck with Hong Ye when he abused her physically and also caused her to have a miscarriage with their baby.

I did not like the happy ending; it could have ended when she shot him several times. The acting is mediocre, and there are many intimate and risque scenes that I am surprised passed the censorship in China.

Overall it is watchable, but nothing to ring home. I give it a 6.0 rating.

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Don't expect much

For a roughly 15 minute per episode drama, this was fairly well produced. Acting was really good, especially considering the scale of the drama. Specifically, Xiao Hong Ye and Gu Meng's actors were spot on throughout the drama. The actor for Zhou Zi Chen was also good until the end where he had more explosive scenes, he fell quite short in those areas, but again, overall good job given the scale of the drama. Lastly Zhou Jiao Jiao's actor also did a good job!

As you'd expect, given how short the drama is there are bound to be problems. Even long dramas have their problems so it's to be expected more so here. Unfortunately, the plot was not plotting. The writing went around in circles; Xiao Hong Ye didn't redeem himself in the end imo - he always kept lying to Gu Meng about her situation at every single freaking point in their relationship; Gu Meng was such a cool assassin/skilled fighter in the beginning but even before losing her memories she was weak sometimes and then afterwards really just became a prop for the men to fight over for their own agendas; insane amount of plot holes, never-ending cycle of amnesia/head trauma; anticlimactic resolution to the Gu family massacre.

Overall, the writing just failed this drama. I understand they were limited due to it being a short series, but they could've just made the plot simpler and used their time wisely.

****SPOILER****

You know, I was actually happy with the way the ending was playing out, until we got to the ridiculous 2 years-later re-incarnation(?) conclusion. If it just ended with everyone dying, I would have been satisfied because I personally didn't see how XHY could've redeemed himself after causing Gu Meng's abortion, lying to her multiple times, and even though we know he wasn't the one who killed her family, we know he had intended to do it all the same (even if he ended up changing his mind later - so honestly this doesn't help make him look better imo...again, I don't even know why the writer made it out this way, like either say he is the killer and make him a bad guy or say he was framed, smh)

***END OF SPOILER****

Long story short, I would really only recommend this drama if you are interested in watching a chinese romance with spicy scenes. That's honestly my biggest takeaway from this drama. This drama really brought on the heat in the romance department. It was very romantic, realistic and very sensual. Honestly, XHY and GM's relationship was toxic AF in the beginning but I really enjoyed it lmao.

If you primarily care about a good plot or a story that makes sense, then avoid this.

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I didn't get the ending

Because of ending ,I am giving 8.5 ... Really not satisfied with the ending . I thought the ending of the drama in other way . I thought after male lead's death ,the story skip to some few years ahead where she become a mother of son. And recall the days she spent with him and then he would have come back in her life where he will be reveal all the truth and they will live happily ever after.
But the story was totally changed . There is bad ending . Very last scene didn't make any sense .
I thought there will be a second season but there is need for season 2 to give proper ending to the story.
Acting was good . I like the chemistry between the leads.

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It will leaves a bitter taste??

STORY : It was fine but too many repeative scenes. Like she gets amensia 3-4 times? I wish they added something else to the plot or could have shortened ot more to be good. There's romance, revenge and mystery?? If people don't really figure out the villain. If you bear with first three episodes i think you will be able to enjoy it. Coz ML hate and behavior towards FL was hard to watch. Its cliche like there SFL who likes ML and she schemes towards FL. And SML, idk if he actually liked FL lmao.

CAST : All the cast was good. Acting was good too.

MUSIC : was good

Cons: The forced kisses, repetitive amnesia, ending.

If they had left without showing that two years later it would have been perfect. (For me)

If you just like something with good chemistry between couple, kisses and stuff you can go for it.

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