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BecauseMyMemorySucks
This review may contain spoilers
Innocent, sweet, light, heart fluttering romance.
Really enjoyed this short drama. The romance was very sweet and made my heart flutter.I love how fast paced the drama was but at the same time, it didn't feel rushed. We got to see Do Hoon come to have feelings for Yoon Soo each episode and it was really cute to witness. Yoon Soo was also a fun character to watch; he was a master flirt and I loved how he'd always tease DH by getting all up in his personal space and making DH flustered. This drama will definitely have you giggling and holding your breath to see what happens next.
Aside from the romance, I also enjoyed seeing DH and YS in their respective workplaces. I liked all the interactions with the side characters too, even the intern who was crushing on DH.
The only thing I didn't like much was the misunderstandings between DH and YS because of YS's past relationship. I didn't like how both characters handled their feelings about it, but it's a short drama and I understand that a drama needs, well, drama...so I'm not too mad about it. Also, I sorta felt like YS was a bit too nice(?) with the way he handled his ex. Like, idk, I'd have preferred if he was more harsh to him especially considering the lengths the ex took to try to get back with him...but they'd been together for three years so maybe there was still some leftover affection there....(I don't think the drama intended for this to be the takeaway, but that was just the undertone I got from the whole ex-plotline which left a bad taste in my mouth and made me low-key side more with DH's feelings).
The acting was okay. I liked DH's actor the most. The character and actor himself reminded me of Ji Hyun from the Eight Sense; they both have that adorable and aloof vibe to them so it made watching him really fun. I mainly just had a problem with YS's actor and the intern. The intern's actor just came across as unnatural, but more like in a novice actor kind of way, which is understandable. Whereas my problem with YS's actor was the character always had this perpetual smile on his face. Idk if it was how the character was written or if thats just the direction the actor took. The smile was just so constant it made me uncomfortable in the beginning lmao. YS just always had a specific smile on his face regardless of whether the scene called for that kind of expression, so it really just pulled me out of the scene at times.
Overall, however, it's a really sweet, and light drama. For a short drama, it actually has some depth to it too which was nice.
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A story of love, family and friendships
This drama reminds me of Road Home, in terms of the romance. You have this couple that is so respectful, protecting, caring, understanding, so loving towards each other and pushing each other to be the best versions of themselves. These types of romances make you feel so wistful and giddy, but we so rarely get to see these so it makes it all the more special when we have a drama portray this kind of healthy romance.While there was drama in this series, it was mainly from things surrounding the couple and not from the couple themselves. So, you wouldn't get frustrated at the drama that's happening. Instead, it would make you fall more in love with the couple because you get to see how they stand by each other, protect each other through the drama and resolve it together. I swear Sang Zhi and Duan Jia Xu are the greenest of f-ing flags you will ever get to see.
Another huge positive was this drama had one of the best family dynamics I've seen. Sang Zhi's relationship with her parents and her brother was sooo good. I loved how open their family was and respectful. I had so many laugh out loud moments watching this show mainly because of the sibling relationship between Sang Zhi and Sang Yan. Also, the friendships between Sang Zhi and her college roomates and Duan Jia Xu and his buddies was so wholesome and funny too.
All the actors did a fantastic job, Zhao Lusi is such a wonderful actress to watch. Her performance was so good and I was whole heartedly immersed in her portrayal of Sang Zhi.
Overall, if you are looking to watch a very sweet, low-drama, romantic, and funny series, definitely give this a go as you would not be dissapointed at all.
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It's aesthetically pleasing to watch, but that's it.
Unfortunately, A Breeze of Love was a let down.The theme of this drama is pretty much about misunderstandings, and I don't know about you guys but I am so tired of this cliché. As a drama lover though, I've come to accept —not welcome— but just accept misunderstandings because I know it's unavoidable and we need it to build the drama. But I'd just like for the misunderstandings to actually play out in a way that makes sense, not just for the sake of creating angst.
The drama I can draw the closest comparison to, in terms of overall plot, is probably Bon Appetit and Our Dating Sim. These three dramas depict the story of two people who start to form a relationship in highschool/university, get separated suddenly but then they meet again years later and start to rekindle their relationship. ODS was also an 8-episode series of roughly the same 15-minute runtime per episode, but it was able to deliver more than ABOL. Bon Appetit also had more depth to the story but would be unfair to use as a direct comparison since it had a larger runtime. What ODS and BA did much better compared to ABOL is that there was world building, depth to the story and communication. ABOL lacked all of these imo. What we got instead was a short series that was really pretty to watch but didn't offer anything in terms of storyline. It's truly unfortunate because of the good acting from the main leads.
On the note of 'world building' and 'communication', ABOL of course had scenes showing the lives of the main leads at university or with their friends but those scenes were short and still primarily centred around the main couple. And then interestingly enough, because we had less world building, we naturally had a lot more scenes of the main couple, which I would normally be enthusiastic about. However, in this case, those scenes were underutilized. What I mean is, we would have scenes of the main couple together, looking at each other and talking, but it just felt like not much was actually being said. I guess all the slow-mos, voiceovers, and repeated flasbacks didn’t help but even in moments where the couple were together in the present world, I just felt like, for the most part, we weren't getting much information out of them. I would have liked to see the main couple communicate more, especially when they were rekindling their relationship after they reunited, but nope, they didn't dissect what had happened in highschool and why they got separated, instead we just got another misunderstanding that got blown out of proportion yet again. It just felt like there wasn't much character development. There was one scene with a big fight between the couple where their acting skills are truly at their highest form and I really loved it. They were communicating, still not saying exactly what is is that they were angry about, but it was at least something more and I wish we got more of those kind of deep moments.
Although the acting was really good, the chemistry between the leads wasn't really good or bad. It was just there...Definitely not on the same scale as Bon Appetit or ODS. The couple were cute together and mainly because they're such a handsome duo, but that's it.
Honestly I'm sad. I was so stoked for this because the trailer looked so good in terms of production and acting [which I think it did deliver on in these two areas]. The trailer also seemed to give off a serious vibe — like we were going to witness the love story of two people and this big falling out they must have had for one of them to hate the other so much, and the eventual rekindling of their relationship years after their separation. Instead what we got was a basic misunderstanding plot.
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Good things come to those who wait.
This is a very fast paced drama. For the first 7 episodes, I was considering dropping it but the plot immediately picks up by episode 8 and because of how fast paced it is, you start to enjoy it more!Honestly, more than anything, the main reason I could keep patient until episode 8 was the comedy. This drama is ridiculous but so freaking hilarious, the plot is over the top, it's so unserious most of the time but during the times when it needs to be serious, every character/actor is on top of their game again.
HUGE Kudos to Guan Sanmei/Ye Zhaonan's actress - she plays both a 'man' and a woman and embodies her 'lord' persona so freaking well. She's a really charming actress to watch. Her facial expressions in some scenes were DEADLY, even I was shaking in fear for the villains but then she becomes really sweet again in normal scenes. Her character was just so fun to watch because of how well she played it.
Loved loved loved the chemistry between the two lords. Their romance is so sweet and once they made each other aware that they liked one another, the pandoras box was open and we just got sweetness and more sweetness in every scene between them. I loved this so much. Idk, maybe it's because this was a lower budget drama or is not broadcasted on the same network as the bigger dramas, but that was a huge saving grace for this production - because it seems like they had more freedom to just be as crazy as they wanted with the plot and as direct as they wanted with the dialogues and romance so it made the drama more enjoyable!
Overall, this was a funny, down to earth drama that brought out many laugh out loud moments from me. If you're looking to just have a blast watching something not too serious with very cute couple pairings and an interesting plot, I definitely recommend this.
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Definitely up there
Enjoyed this drama a lot. It's probably 2nd or 3rd on my list of Top KBL's (fighting with Blueming on placement).I loved thay we had real characters facing real issues. It wasn't just some fluffly romance for the sake of serving BL, or a watered down version of BL; no, the writer and director clearly had a mission to portray an honest story with believable characters, actual relatable human emotions/reactions and a well fleshed out story line that holds your attention and makes you want to keep watching.
The romance between Jaewon and Jihyun was really adorable. I loved the pacing of their relationship. At first you can just tell they were intrigued by one another due to the inital attraction they had to each other. But then afterwards, it became more of a, 'This person is my safe haven' type of feeling between them. You could see how they started to rely and trust one another, and actually form a deeper connection than just physical attraction. Also the real, deeep, kisses and smoky looks (I'm looking at you JW ?) that were shared between the two was the icing on top as well. Loooved all the cuddling in bed scenes as well, reminded me of Skam!
Only thing I would have changed in this drama is that not everything needs to have a Happy Ending. I remember JW said he wished he didn’t have to put up a front in front of other people anymore. He wished he could just be himself, so I wouldve preferred if he cut off his toxic "friend" from his life at the end. Granted, i know a person can't just do a 360° change in personality overnight but it would have been better to see him set boundaries with said friend rather than making amends with him and not actually holding him accountable to the shitty actions he pulled. Also, I feel there was more to explore with JW's family issues. Dk if they're planning a S2 to look into that or not (?) but would've been nice if we knew more about his relationship with his parents/got some resolution from it.
Overall, I highly enjoyed this. I’ve always said when Korea starts taking BL seriously and starts investing into it like they do with regular Kdramas, they will rule the world and I can see it is heading in that direction so I'm excited for the future.
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Same old
Overall, same driving plot we've seen in other dramas.The white power sect are known as the good guys fighting the black power sect known as the bad guys, but all along, the white power sect are really just hypocrites misguided by their superiors who lack communication skills and the ability to clearly see right from wrong.
I'm so tired of this same old repetitive plot and endings.
My favorite thing about this drama was the OST and comedic moments, specifically because of Bai XiaoSheng. I also really liked Yan Hui's character, mostly she had a lot of self respect which you don't really see with a lot of FLs , especially when it comes to their romance with the ML.
The romance between YH and TY was okay, but I think the lack of intimacy sorta took me out of it. They had cute moments, looking at each other softly, talking to eo softly, hand holding, hugging, but it still fell short to me. Coupled with the recycled over arching plot, my attention unfortunately wasn't held.
As for the acting, I found the supporting leads acting more satisfying than the main leads. FLs acting felt like acting to me...if that makes sense. Specifically, during romantic scenes, it just came across so apparent that she was playing a character rather than her being the character herself and expressing herself more naturally. The ML pretty much had the same expression throughout the drama. The only big change was when he had to play the baby version of his character, that was really the only time the actor showed a different portrayal, which was good.
If Back from the Brink was one of the first xianxia dramas I'd watched, I probably would be more satisfied with the drama, but because I've seen many other xianxia and wuxia dramas with similar stories, I'm being a bit more critical about the plot. So, if you're someone new to xianxia and you're looking to watch an adventurous, funny, moderately romantic story, you'd probably have a good time watching this. However, if you're more seasoned in this space, you wouldn't be missing out on much if you decide to skip this one.
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Great story, poor execution
I like the overarching story and theme of this romance, the lore was really cool and new to me.Main gripes were:
1. Character writing - Specifically Tharn, was written terribly. For someone who's been living with visions for the past how many years and grew up with an Abott that has been guiding him and giving him info on how to protect himself in the future, he never connects the dots about who he is and what he needs to do. Tharn was honestly extremely frustrating to watch.
2. Plot is hella choppy - After knowing the story of Tharn and Phaya's past, I don't understand why the Abott keeps telling Tharn that he needs to right the wrongs of his past life...like Pharn didn't do anyone wrong, whytf is he the one receiving bad karma now??? We all know the one that should have bad karma is 'Slowmotion', so I don't understand why Phaya was the one getting the short end of the stick. Also, I know the side characters are just side characters but towards the ending they just stopped trying with some of the characters and it was unfortunate.
3. Music - The psychedelic type beat that kept playing at every intimate scene was atrocious. Omg, Ep 12 almost redeemed it but then the sound came back and I did something unimaginable during an intimate scene in BL...I skipped! ??.
I did enjoy some things: like the lore was interesting, I liked the relationships between the 5 friends, family dynamics between Phaya and his grandma and sister and Tharn and his grandma, I appreciated that there were no jealous ex tropes, and the comedic moments were funny.
As for the romance, I don't think I got to see enough of it so it felt very underwhelming to me. There was just way too much happening with the police cases and Tharn trying to save Phaya everytime and them not being on the same page most of the time. While we did have sex scenes and such, the romance aspect didn't feel fleshed out so I wasn't really gagging at the chemistry between the leads too.
The ending being extremely anticlimactic also did not help matters. Overall, I'm a bit dissapointed with the series, it was frustrating for the most part because I felt Tharn was not utilizing the information he had to his and Phaya's advantage and that affected how connected I felt with their relationship, however the lore is interesting, chemistry between the leads is good and it's a funny show so there's definitely still something to enjoy and like if you want to give the series a watch.
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Corny
It was not a terrible series but it wasn't anything new. Basic premise that we've seen in other movies but setup with a different backdrop/theme. The movie that draws the closest comparison is Snowpiercer, for me.Black Knight is basically a series about classism and how the rich yet again are evil and take advantage of the poor to continue to grow their empire, while the poor people fight for their survival and freedom.
Acting was good, but there were a few things lacking with the story. I say the series was corny because there were a lot of moments that were very predictable, due to having seen other movies with a similar premise.
Overall, it's not a bad series just not great either. Actors did a good job though. And the series isn't set up for a season two so it was nice to have a conclusion to the story within the 6 episodes.
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Could have been better
Between 6.5 and 7 starsThings I liked:
1) Intro OST and soundtrack - Weird thing to point out but I just remember raving about the intro song multiple times when I started watching this drama. It gave me Hannibal vibes. It's so dark and creepy and fits really well with the thriller/weird/sometimes scary nature of the show. Also, I enjoyed a lot of the plays and singing scenes within the drama and the music in those scenes were all really good and fit well with what was going on.
2) Bromance - Not really bromance but more the relationships between Zhang & Mr. Lan, Zhang & Chen Chou and Mr. Lan and Wang. Each pairing worked so well together and I loved how they took care of each other and were loyal/protective of their friends.
3) Costume - Loved the clothes designs specifically between Lan and Zhang. Very handsome actors and seeing them.in beautiful outfits was a plus.
Things I didn't like:
1) Poor revenge plot - Final 'bad' guy (Shulin) was really just a victim like the 'good' guys (Zhang and Mr. Lan) and the good guys should have worked together with him to get their revenge instead of betraying him. It just seemed so hypocritical that they decide to stop his revenge when episodes ago, they too were desiring revenge but by the end they were claiming morale high ground and leaving the bad guy to die.
I am so peeved about this because I just feel like Shulin became a scapegoat. Zhang and Lan ended up reaping the benefits of the revenge they originally wanted without having to actually carry out the revenge themselves. Instead, Shulin does it and gets hate for it while they clean up his mess and then they can carry on with their lives since Shulin's revenge had, to some extent, helped reveal the truth they themselves wanted to share about their wronged pasts.
I didn't agree with Shulin's method of revenge (specifically just the part that put the innocent citizens at risk) but Zhang and Mr. Lan could've at least worked together with him to modify the revenge plot instead of just cutting him off. This leads to my next point:
2) Lazy writing - Use of clichés to create drama and move the plot along instead of being consistent with the characters' personalities and writing in line with that. Also, during case investigations there were so many coincidental situations that led to cases being solved or a clue being discovered that just seemed so unnatural and made my eyes roll.
3) A little bit unlikable main leads - Didn't really like Mr. Lan's character for most of the early episodes and that made it difficult to want to continue watching the show. Also, Chen Chou was such an annoying character in the early episodes. I only started to actually like the guy much later and towards the end.
Overall, I really had a hard time finishing this drama. I rewatched a few episodes almost 3 times bcos I kept dropping it in the middle and had to go back to remind myself what happened. I played most of the episodes at 1.5 speed and was really on the brink of just dropping the drama. I enjoyed the investigations and the set up of the cases, I enjoyed the friendships between the leads, and that's about it.
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The war was won, but at what cost
Man this was a very frustrating show.I enjoyed this a lot more during the early episodes; watching Shi Qi and Cui Lin steadily fall for each other while being badasses in their respective armies. It was so fun watching their antics and seeing them come up with strategies to one up each other. When things were calm and quiet, their love was really sweet to watch too with all the loving gazes they would always give each other, abundant kisses, and nose rubs.
However, there were just too many problems with this drama that made it unbearable to watch from the halfway mark. Main issues were the poorly developed villains and inconsistent writing of character personalities. The only villain worthy of being a villain was really only from the early episodes, thereafter we got stuck with such poor excuses for villains it was seriously embarasssing to watch. The villains made it hard for me to believe the story cos of how inept they were, I just kept wondering how any of the characters beside them were taking them seriously. At least, if you're going to have dumb villains, balance it out by making the people around them either recognize how dumb they are, call them out for being dumb or try to get them to be better. (I'm looking at you Liu Cheng Feng and subordinate / Emperor Li and Ministers). When the villains are dumb and no one seems to have a problem with that, it just makes the writing and plot look weak. And that is no fun to watch.
Also, another thing I didn't like was that our main couple weren't steadfast in their love for each other. Whenever crisis hit, they'd have a dramatic blowout and then reunite a couple days later. But then this kept repeating and it was dissapointing to see. After all the difficulties SQ and CL went through together, it would have been better to see them gradually become more trusting of each other and communicating with one another rather than the whole hot/cold treatment they'd give each other at every adversity that rose up.
I'm happy we got a fleshed out visual of the happy ending of SQ and CL's story, but I can't help but feel unsatisfied. Despite everything ending happily, it just feels so sad because of how much was lost to get to that happy ending. I can't help but think, "was it all worth it?"
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Doesn't get more natural/realistic than this
Whose filmography should I follow? Is it the actors? The writers? The directors? The intimacy coach? Because all of them did a phenomenal job. In cdrama land, we honestly don't get enough romance stories featuring MATURE, ADULT, REALISTIC characters that properly communicate and maintain a HEALTHY relationship. In addition, the level of intimacy is sometimes so awkward or forced or not how you'd imagine two lovers acting like in real life so it makes you less engrossed in their relationship. However, in Road Home that was not the case. No one could look at Gui Xiao and Lu Chen and say they weren't meant to be, that they weren't madly in love. There was not an iota of awkwardness to be found watching their chemistry on screen. Their relationship was so freaking beautiful to witness, it gave me all the feels and I was swooning left and right and smiling everytime they were on screen.For the most part, this drama makes you feel good all the time. The side characters were all positively written and it was so nice seeing the various friendships the leads had and how everyone was so loyal and helpful towards each other.
Overall, I highly enjoyed this for the amazing romance, the natural dialogues, realistically written characters and plot lines and beautiful scenery.
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Pei Wuxuan deserves better
No character (except maybe Pei Wuxuan), plotline, family, dynamic is really worth cheering for in this drama. Pei's only major flaw to me is how much of a simp he was for FL, who till the end of the drama didn't really convince me in her love for him. I would be so insecure in that relationship if I was PWX.Overall, I really didn't like how much importance and screen time was given to 2ML. FL also gave him way too much of her attention to the point that he had more of a presence than PWX in her life, imo. In terms of the romance plot bw FL and ML, i didnt truly feel the chemistry between the actors at all, their scenes were cute but it didnt come across entirely natural. In comparison to FLs previous hit, AASOL, the chemistry was deeeefinitely much lower. It was still okay, but just not great.
Almost everything I hate about cdramas was present in this drama- foolish Emperors, misunderstandings, delusional villains we have to watch justify their dumbass actions for the entirety of the series, poor family dynamics (relationship bw Li Rong and Li Chuan was almost good till it got ruined), and more. It's dissapointing cos this started off strong but began falling apart from Ep 33.
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The idea of a time loop has always faciniated me so watching this mystery drama was so fun! I loved the storyline and pacing of each episode. The decisions made by all the characters were understandable and reasonable so I was never frustrated with their decisions. Our main leads were brilliant, and always brought their A-game to getting down to the bottom of the mystery. So you'll never once feel like the characters are dumb or lack critical thinking skills. Everytime I had a thought/idea about the case, the characters would bring it up themselves and investigate/discuss it, so it felt like i was with them solving the case and their pacing always matched mine so I never felt frustrated at them for being slow or not doing more, which is a big issue in thriller/investigation dramas.
All the actors did a fantastic job. Not just the main leads but side characters as well, all the bus passengers, police officers etc. Every single actor felt natural.
Our main leads also had great chemistry. I wasn't expecting a romance plot to appear in this but I was pleasantly surprised and it absolutely made sense that both leads developed a romance. Although we only had a few moments seeing them be a couple, it brought a dose of sweetnesss to the show that was so very needed to calm you down from getting too worked up/tense from watching how the investigation plays out.
The music was also really good, the OST was very emotional and dramatic and the sound directing within the scenes was so well done too. They really made great use of music throughout the drama because it really heightened the scenes and made you feel even more tense/stressed/anxious as you are watching.
Overall, I had a fantastic time watching this. I was having a hard time understanding how everything would be resolved in the end but was completely satisfied with the route in which things went. It was all believable. So glad everyone got a happy ending as well!
In conclusion, I highly recommend.
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Formulaic
It's a bit hard to rate this cos i liked the drama for some parts and hated it for others.Main things I hated were the writing and overarching plot line. The way things progressed just didn't make sense and there were too many loose ends that weren't resolved. So many things brushed under the rug to just progress the plot in the direction the writer wanted (i.e. bad guy getting his way). I'm so tired of seeing this in xianxias.
Things I liked were the fun action/fantasy elements, the main couple and their romance story, Ryan's portrayal of all his different characters, and a few of the supporting characters (Red Thread Master, Fate Writer, Emperor's Loyal Subordinate). Early on in the series, I wasn't really feeling the main couple and how they were quickly, but steadily, starting to like each other but midway through the series, I started to enjoy their scenes and relationship more. I'm not a fan of the whole mortal realm tribulation plotline we see in these xianxia dramas, but I enjoyed some of the tribulations here. The only ones i really enjoyed were the 2nd to the last tribulation and the very last one.
Honestly, I skipped through a ton of the scenes because I could already predict how the story would flow and there was nothing necessarily unique enough about the story to grab my full attention. Overall, it's not a terrible drama, I just wouldn't watch it if I had other dramas lined up to watch. If you're bored and don't mind seeing the same recycled plot but with different characters/acting performances, give this a go. At the very least, Ryan is sure to amuse you with his performance in this drama.
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Let him cook!
Whew! What a ride!!I feel high on andrenaline watching this drama. The story, pacing and main good characters were well done and written.
For most of the drama, Jian dissapointed me as the main lead of the show. I felt her abilities lacking giving the upbringing she had. I don't expect her to be the most badass fighter or cold killer immediately, but i was expecting her to be a little bit more street smart/hard whereas she came across as being soft (though she definitely had moments where she used her brain), which was a letdown after seeing how her uncle brought her up, the various training she was fortunate to get, and the experiences she's been through from a young age. Aside from her, every other character was great. Minhye - bestest most badass girl ever, Pasin - coolest muay thai soldier, Brother - adorable but highly capable computer genius, Honda - Mother! Loyal, Warmest heart ever, and last but not least Jinman - if only he was my real life uncle gahh.
In terms of the villains, I actually enjoyed the whole setup of it all! I absolutely loved seeing the backstory on why they were so against Jinman and hell bent on coming for him. Although their reasonings for doing so were frustratingly hypocritical!
I hope a Season 2 is in works because I definitely will be interested in seeing a sequel that focuses on Jinman's point of view!
Overall, this was a highly entertaining and to-the-point short thriller drama.
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