Circle of Love (2023)

Is this what is popular in this region???

I seriously am perplexed at this drama.

Firstly these short lengths - is it being made for a particular sect of audience that commutes to work in public transport and needs to watch something desperately for 15 mins?
Why do c dramas have so many of them? They are terribly annoying.

Secondly the story - I guess to hook this 15-mins quickie audience, you need to produce an audacious plot, even if it means that we leave our brains at home and go to work.

Thirdly the eroticism - wow - it's needed to make this formula work.

So the only ones making money are the producers who can make a killing with advertisements - since they don't have to pay scriptwriters for yanking out trash, use one studio setting for a few days, and rent some costumes.

C dramas have improved so much on the full side yet these short skits are mind boggling.

The only reason I gave this a 5 is for the hot male lead.
Not only is his chemistry sizzling but his expressions in the other scenes are wicked too!!

The poor female lead had a lot of potential - but was treated like a rag doll in this show.

Read More

beautiful era drama

Steamy short length series set in the Republican era. interesting plot. . fist two episodes are messy dificult to undesrtand. in the begining .Wish it has more episodes so the drama could be more easily watchable . Male lead is very aggressive but handsosme. Although female lead is beautiful her character in drama is very confused. Overall nice drama could be mouch more enjoayble if episodes were longer in order to be more easily understable because at some points the plot has holes. If you are fun of watching Lakorn or Thai dramas then I think you might like this one cause it was somewhat the same vibes with it;

Read More

Steamy scenes and tropes galore

Steamy short series draws you in quickly, but the plot falls apart especially in the latter half. Gu Meng is the young miss of powerful family who gets slaughtered on her wedding night. She focuses her revenge on her almost husband, Xiao Hongye, who quickly rises through the ranks after that fateful night. However, she loses her memory after an failed assassination attempt and becomes his maid, slowly uncovering the truth to that night.

A+ acting and chemistry from the ML and FL. FL nails the subtle expressions like shyness, defiance, and affection. The second ML Zhou Zichen, although very easy on the eyes, had a habit of overacting.

The plot was convoluted and contrived, but I was able to suspend my disbelief to continue watch the chemistry on screen. How many times did Gu Meng get amnesia? How many times was Jiao Jiao going to beg Xiao Hongye for his affection? Obviously tropes galore. This could have been rated slightly higher, of they didn't cop out on the ending and give us a nonsensical "two years later" scene that shows our FL and ML reuniting after they clearly all died at the church shootout.

My recommendation: skip this in favor of rewatching Maid's Revenge.

Read More

Circle of Love is a well done period miniseries about revenge and the deep love that the leading couple had for each other in spite of the hatred brought up by misunderstandings. The leading couple did a great job delivering their characters and they had a solid chemistry whether they were hating or loving each other. There seems to be a misunderstanding about the male lead’s feelings toward the female lead; in every single time that they had a relationship, he always loved her but that love brought guilt and he would result to be cruel to her even if he was also hurting. He would lie out of fear of losing her and her hatred and hurt made her susceptible to manipulation from the antagonist. Although he really wanted to kill her parents as revenge, he was on his way to stop the explosion. To explain and see the ending as one that both leads deserved, one must understand that there have been many incidents in which people have survived such injuries. Obviously, they were badly hurt and neither of them knew that the other one had survived. Due to their professions, it is logical that they found each other in a war zone giving the drama a happy ending. This miniseries has a solid plot and is very entertaining. Enjoy it!

Read More

Tragic yet beautiful.

Heads up this drama is not for the weak-hearted!!! It's hard to say what makes this a good drama because it has all the red flags and the relationship is bittersweet. The story is sad, pitiful, and yet beautiful at the same time.
Spoilers ahead......

As you watch episode to episode it gets you to fall in love with the couple but in the end, you know that there is just too much misunderstanding and issues for them to end up together. You may hate the male lead but it's sad because as the drama ends near, you realize he knows it's the end for them and he just soaks up and appreciates every moment he has with her yet you can't forgive him for what he's done. He's a man that falls in love all over and over again. Reliving the misery he sets up for himself yet he does it all over again because of the love he has for her. He lives with regret, misery, and anxiety each time while the girl gets a reset. The ending ties everything up pretty well. It may not make sense but it's the best ending for this story. The happy ending would've been the girl knew the truth about her family, while she was pregnant but again this drama ended differently and it's still a beautiful drama.

Read More

Off the charts skinship!

This story starts off with EXTREME love-hate, and you need to hold on until Episode 5 out of 8 to see some light at the end of the tunnel. ⭕????????⚪?

The skinship is allowed because they didn't censor mini-dramas then, although they passed regulations to start doing so currently. ?‍❤️‍? ?

I have met two people who survived a shot to their heads and heard their personal testimonies. So it is a rare phenomenon, but it can occur. Anyway, this is a drama, and anything can happen in such a storyline. People who had brain surgery have had their skulls cut. I read of one man who had shrapnel remaining in his head and lived a normal life. ?

This passionate romance is compelling. I watched it in a day. Some parts are blissfully happy, and some are deeply provoking. You are either going to love or hate this drama. ♥️?

I watched for the skinship and the star-crossed lovers who overcame all the huge obstacles to their love. It is a positive ending that happens two years later. Yes, it is her because the medical staff called her "Meng," which is the female lead's name. ?‍❤️

He is a soldier and survives many wounds. If you watch historical dramas, the people survive all kinds of perilous injuries and falling off cliffs, etc. This isn't rare in a historical, but what is exceptional is the amount of skinship for so few episodes. For that alone, this romance is noteworthy. ?

Read More

But mama I'm in love with a criminal

I will start by saying that this FL and ML had such a great chemistry that I do really wish that they make another drama together in which they have a happy and healthy story.
Now, the reason that this review is title as one of Britney's song is because I do have to admit that I fell (a little) in love with some attitudes of ML that are totally not okay lol. I was kind of shocked of how he treated FL, specially in the scene where he forces her to eat. There are many attitudes that I felt guilty to watch, to be honest.
However, the plot is interesting. Although, during the last episodes we understand that he always loved her and how afraid he was of her getting hurt, it would have helped to have scenes where this love develops other than the "i hate you because I love you".
I do believe that the ending was correct. They would never have had peace with each other if they lived, it didn't matter how hard they could try, they had done each other many bad things that their life would be have been miserable. It also made sense when he prayed to his family to let her stay with him forever as her punishment, her death was also her punishment.
In conclusion, all FL, ML and SLF were victims.
The scene of two years later is something that I can't explain and that I choose to ignore.

The music is on point since it reflects to the soun of music from that period of time and the fact that the lyrics tell us their story from their three lives is poetic.

For final conclusion, I do believe that this drama enters my guilty pleasure list.

Read More

Writers make or break a drama - and they broke this one.

The storyline of this drama started out like any other revenge plot. Along came the amnesia trope. And then again. Overkill? Definitely.

The anger of the ML's character and his quest for revenge was all-encompassing and controlling. And yet, when he could not fight his feelings for the FL's character, the change in him was torturous to watch. I read a lot of comments damning his character - his evilness, his cruelty, haters hated on him. However, the FL's character was not without serious flaws herself. She blinded herself to everything but her own hatred and desire for revenge. Both of these characters hated with ferocity and could have loved with the same passion and perhaps overcome their differences. What a tale that would have been!

The writer's ending: ML resigns himself to die by the FL's hand. He loves her anyway. FL dies before she can realize the truth of her own misjudgment and ignorance of trusting the wrong person (the real villain). Villain dies without punishment. Everybody dies. Two years later - what the hell was that!?

A more realistic ending: FL, as she lay dying in her ignorance of the real truth, should have been alive enough to hear the confession from the villain's lips. She crawls with her dying breath to ML and prove to the villain that it was him (ML) that she loved despite it all. No two year later fantasy that very few of the viewers were able to discern or understand.

What a wasted opportunity. Li Jiu Lin did a masterful job portraying the badly flawed, revenge driven survivor of his family's demise. Guan Chang was wasted on her character who was blinded by her own hatred and obsession with vengeance. Using the amnesia trope not once, but twice was a real waste of time. Their chemistry was sweet but doomed. The supporting characters were weak and under-developed. Even the villain Zi Chen seemed delusional and unhinged, and his sister was just the stereotypical spoiled brat. The General too, was a joke. This drama had potential, but the opportunity was squandered by poor writing and directing.

The reward for me (and several other viewers on the discussion boards) was the absolute smoking hotness of Li Jiu Lin in the love scenes. If not for that, I would not have given this drama as high a rating.

Read More

The toxicity I needed

I didn’t know I needed this kind of toxicity in my peaches-and-cream drama life.
First, Karens don’t come for me about my toxic relationship with this drama. Police me another day??.
This is surprisingly watchable. Yes, I had moments where I thought he was a complete a** but that's a given with this drama. It’s not a Romcom. It’s not your typical costume romance either. You have revenge, love, intimacy, revenge, drama, drama again, revenge again and it goes on and on like that. *laughing hysterically* I’m sorry but I was not expecting that from this drama.

All jokes aside, it’s an interesting story. I will give the entire drama 8.5/10 or 4.2/5 stars.
I don't have to go into detail about the plot because it's in the synopsis.

Just beware!!!!!!
Watch at your own risk.
Me. Well, I am enjoying the ride.
Happy Viewing!

Read More

Me watching ?????????????

Here are my thoughts on this drama:

This hot mess, 'Circle of Love,' is enjoyable if you enjoy slap/kiss dramas and don't take it seriously. I would not recommend this if you're looking for fluffy, fun drama. However, if you want something wild, toxic, and sensational, this is the one for you. On a Thai slap/kiss scale, this drama is below mid; on a Chinese one, it is a good one, maybe one of the best. I honestly laugh throughout this drama, I was only silent at the ending, because I was shocked the writers did what I wanted, what a perfect ending.

The themes of revenge, blood feuds, amnesia, and toxic relationships are similar to Maid Revenge. The leads have hot chemistry; their kisses and steamy scenes are delightful. Overall, if you liked Maid's Revenge, you'll like this too because of its similar theme, better acting, a smarter female lead, and more steamy scenes. If you're looking for something wild with a little twist and shocks for some, you'll probably enjoy it. However, don't take it too seriously and watch it for entertainment value. There are some sadistic characters in this. Yes, ML is a sadist, maybe FL too, she might also masochist because someone of her actions is questionable. Every character is hot mess, but enjoyable, one thing this drama is not is boring.

It may contain spoilers:

In this drama, all the characters are morally gray, one of its most appealing aspects. The characters are interesting, and the story keeps you engaged until the end. I predicted most deaths in this show except the 2FL I was actually shocked; and yes, I predicted the murder-suicide ending, so fitting for such a drama. It is hands down one of my favorite endings, which is why I would rate this a 9. without that ending, maybe an 8 or an 8.5.

Might be rewatchable for some, but one and done for me.

Read More

A Disappointing Conclusion: Unnecessary Drama and an Unconvincing Ending

I recently watched Circle of Love (2023), and while it had its moments, I couldn't help but feel disappointed by the unnecessary drama and the perplexing ending.

Firstly, the excessive drama throughout the plot became a distraction rather than an enhancement. It felt like the storyline was trying too hard to create tension and conflict, which often detracted from the overall enjoyment of the narrative. Subtlety and nuance were overshadowed by melodrama, leaving me yearning for a more balanced and realistic portrayal of the characters' emotions.

The ending, in particular, left me baffled. It seemed as if the filmmakers couldn't decide between two drastically different outcomes and attempted to merge them into one. This left the audience with a choice between two conflicting conclusions, neither of which was sufficiently explained or justified. The lack of a clear resolution made it impossible to fully invest in the fate of the characters, and it felt like a missed opportunity for a more satisfying and coherent ending.

Furthermore, the chosen ending felt implausible within the context of the story's established world and character development. It left me questioning the decisions and motivations of the characters, as it appeared to deviate from their established arcs. A well-crafted ending should provide closure and a sense of fulfillment, but in this case, it only left me with a sense of confusion and dissatisfaction.

Despite these shortcomings, I must admit that the main actor was the primary reason I watched the drama in the first place. His talent and charisma were undeniable, and he managed to breathe life into his character, even in the face of a challenging narrative. However, even his remarkable performance couldn't fully redeem the drama from its disappointing elements.

While Circle of Love (2023) had its merits, the excessive drama and the disjointed, unconvincing ending ultimately detracted from the overall experience. It's disappointing when a promising story falls short of delivering a satisfying conclusion that aligns with the rest of the narrative, even when anchored by a standout performance from the lead actor.

Read More