No Need to be Hypnotized, This Drama is Simply Enchanting

This drama captivated me from beginning till the end. Everything I wanted to see in a romantic comedy is here, and then some! This review is strictly for the drama, not to compare/contrast with the manhwa "Prince, Don't Do This!" (王爷不要啊) written by Dong Man Tang, in which it was loosely adapted from. I am rewriting the synopsis below for clarification without spoiling the plot.

STORY
Princess Aimala (new country name is Ming Yue) from the southern country Xi Yue is forced to marry to Prince Zi (common name is Li Qian), the 9th prince of the northern country Bei Xuan. Both parties disagree but it is for the political alliance. Li Qian already has a marriage arrangement with his childhood friend Lady Qiao (Hui Xin), and Ming Yue has a lover General Yun Ci. Both dislike each other since the beginning they met. Ming Yue who is skilled in horse riding, shooting, and hunting is not a typical feminine lady according to her new country's custom, neither she is beautiful. Even the Emperor (Li Qian's dad) despises her. Li Qian is cold and reserved, and has no clue on women and how to please them. Ming Yue is his first love. Even then he is still unsure if his feeling towards Ming Yue is genuine or fabricated, because his wife has another unique skill: she can hypnotize him and she does it, a lot! The couple needs TONS of guidance on love and sex (yes that's right!) from their friends: the wise Kong Zhen, the playboy Jin Yu, the mischievous Kang Le, and the straightforward Tan Li. The story is not all rosy though, we also get to see inside power struggles and outside rebellions, tragic past unfolds, hatreds and betrayals, revenges and sacrifices, broken hearts and even deaths.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS DRAMA:
(+) It is a well-done medium or big budget show.
(+) No need character or story guidance or anything like that you usually need it for watching Chinese history/palace dramas.
(+) The story has a lot of features for everyone's liking: action-packed, mysterious background, steamy romance, hysterical comedy. It's not boring, it's fast or evenly spaced. I do not skip scenes or conversations though I do a lot with Chinese dramas.
(+) The story is not straight-line, has a lot of facts from the past, dreams, plot twist and surprises.
(+) Satisfactory ending
(+) Good looking cast from the main to the supporting ones (gosh even the musician Lan is stunning and the Empress is elegant)
(+) Adorable acting of Ling Mei-Shi as Ming Yue. Although there are more beautiful Chinese actresses, but the choice to cast this cute young actress as the outspoken, mischievous, and smart foreign royal princess is just right, either in funny, romantic, or sad scenes.
(+) Charming acting of Allen Fang as Lin Qiao. From cold and serious, to confused and suspicious, to romantic and playful, his facial expressions are just right. Also the fighting/martial arts acting. He is also a member of Chinese pop boy band M4M. He sang some songs in this drama (see OST comment below). And he looks better in historical drama than in modern day drama (his other drama is Childhood Sweethearts Pianist but he looks bland there)
(+) Stunning acting of Ni Han Jin as Yun Ci. Though lots of comments do not like him, I feel bad for the Yun Ci role. Though he is abrasive and aggressive but his broken heart and pain look real as a man whose lover is snatched away behind him. He is not only handsome, but has a great body, too! And FYI I do not have Second Lead Syndrome.
(+) Exceptional acting of Zhou Zi Xin as Hui Xin. I saw her in Put Your Head in My Shoulder drama as supporting role who also likes the male lead, but Hui Xin's love here for the prince is dangerous and devastating. The actress is capable to go thru yandere transformation from a gentle, submissive, elegant lady to a conniving, hateful, and dejected villain.
(+) Other supporting actors and actresses are just right playing their respective roles.
(+) Great cinematography. Camera shots and angles were just right.
(+) Breath-taking sceneries. Lots of falling flowers and snow rains. They could be real snowing scenes too because the drama was filmed during the winter months of January to March 2019. The filming location is at Hengdian World Studios, the largest film studio in China or even the world (http://www.hengdianworld.com/en/default.html)
(+) Beautiful OST from the drama opening and in special scenes. The opening song is "Magnificence" by singer Jian Hong Yi (who is also handsome). The main leads Allen Fang and Ling Mei Shi sang "The First Seen Snow". Allen Fang also sang "Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon". A song specifically dedicated to the love of Yun Ci and Ming Yue is "Departure" by Jin Runji with mystical Middle-eastern tone.
(+) Elegant royal costumes, especially for the Princess and Princess. I love especially their outdoor gears and the Turkish/Middle Eastern robes Ming Yue and Yun Ci wear (in the manhwa Aimala is from Uyghur, the ancient Turkey area in Asia)

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"Never Risk Your Future in a Man's Heart" (Song Bei Jing, English sub)

I was interested in watching this drama when I saw the trailer and read the synopsis. Once you pass the quirky sentence of the synopsis: "Song Mi Duo who's been single since birth..." (and she is only 18 turns 19, lol), the phrase "unique sleeping arrangement" will definitely catch your attention. So the start sounds promising with unique plot and catchy trailer... not so for the content of the drama though, and I definitely blame it on the directing and editing. Overall it is a light-hearted romcom without paying attention to the quality of production.

Like:
- The why and how the 'unique sleeping arrangement' happen are actually pretty reasonable once you watch a few beginning episodes to understand.
- Prologues of in the beginning of next episodes explain what actually happen during the previous episodes
- The strong friendship between Mi Do, Xiao Mi, and Yi You is one to be envied for, as they go through thick and thin with Mi Do relating to the famous Xi Song.
- The drama does not end with the girl following the boy. I love Mi Do's parents objection and advice to their daughter (hence the title of my review above).
- I am satisfied with the 'fate' written for the supporting characters (Xiao Mi, Yi You, and Su Li).
- Xi Song giving house keys to Mi Do symbolizes trust in relationship
- Good acting of actress Chen Yi Xin as the cutie pie and childish Song Mi Do. Despite dislike comment on her appearance, I think red curly hair is quite rare for Asian female movie/drama roles but it's unique and fits very well with Mi Do.
- Good acting of actor Wang Zi Xin as the aloof yet sincere Xi Song. You may think Zi Xin act is stiff, but it fits the role he played. Once you know about Xi Song's background and condition, you understand his childlike traits and why he does not have the amenities other people do. Also, the same reasons why Liang Ge and the housekeeper overprotect him.
- Good acting of both actress Yang Ke as sassy Xiao Mi with big sister heart, and actor Xue Cheng as the lovelorn yet loyal Yi You.
- Great acting of Mi Do's parents. The chemistry between Xi Song and Mi Do is good, but the chemistry between Mi Do's parents is sizzling! Her parents are hilarious and shows PDA everywhere. The actor/actress who play the parents acted comfortably with each other, probably due to them having more experiences in acting than the young cast.
- Mi Do's gorgeous mom
- Mi Do's cute accessories and stuffed animals

Dislike:
- Bad directing and editing as I mentioned above. Probably bad screen writing too, but I cannot really tell due the the English sub
- For a modern day drama has unrealistic scenes that may make you cringe, just give you some examples:
1) A famous pianist is treated like a pop/rock idol star by the young college kids and public??? Not that I look down on classical music or classical musician's fame, but Xi Song is treated as some sort of deity to worship that Mi Do is harassed and bullied because of him.
2) Mi Do's parents do not care at all on their daughter's whereabouts after her birthday party??? Despite her best friend Yi You urging them to call the police. And Mi Do's does not call her parents informing that she will be late...
3) Xi Song's dad pinches Mi Do's cheek at their first meeting??? While she and her parents does not know who he is and the housekeeper does not even greet him...
- Some draggy conversations and filler scenes, typical Chinese dramas.
- The drama does not tell you about Mi Do's accomplishment in writing novel, only a brief mentioning during Xi Song and Mi Do's conversation in the last episode.
- The choice of wardrobe for Xi Song ( martial art-type of clothing)

Lastly, kudo to Yulia Chan from Youtube for completely subbed this drama. Although Mandarin and English are not her native languages, her sub is not bad as we get to understand the story-line and she took time to make a praise-worthy effort.

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Note: My suspicion on why this drama is underrated because there are sooo many time-travel dramas out there that maybe better so viewers are overwhelmed thus skip this sweet romcom. Moreover, people may leave bad ratings not because of the content but because they cannot find the subtitle. But I found this little gem by accident (it has never been in my PTW list) and it caught my interest to watch it right away, though I have another time travel Cdrama in my CWL.
FYI, if you read this review in the month of October, the episode on the Ghost Market can be a great idea for your Halloween party! Pretty creepy and gory.

I binge watched and completed it in a day, the story is simple and straightforward yet it allured me to watch more until it ends. So easy to watch: 12 episodes short for a typical Cdrama, no cringy scenes, no need of a box of tissue, only one villain with one goal to overtake the power, no love triangle, no Second Lead Syndrome, no jealousy, no bitches or jerks, no deaths of good characters, no twists on the plot. Sounds boring? Read more...

Actress Yang An Qi played her first main role as the kind, calm, smart, and graceful resident physician Ji Xian Yun who was transported into the past China as the ancient Ji Xian Yun who committed suicide. Using her intelligence, our girl's sole purpose is to return to her real world that include: finding an item connected to the time travel and getting out of the arranged marriage with the handsome but sick and bedridden Qi Ling Xiao. He is the favorite son of the current Emperor, played quite well by actor student Sheng Ying Hao despite this is his first role. Adding to Xian Yun's goal is the arising issues in adjusting to the ancient personal and professional life, the danger of being the wife of a political figure, and the professional duty to care and cure of a patient none other than her husband. Her mind is so occupied with all these things that she does not realize that her husband already falls for her at the first slice (of knife aka scalpel). Clearly our heroine does not listen to gossips around the household that even outsiders but her know about her husband's feelings. So how do they finally get together then? None other than thru subtle attention and gesture, and care given to each other along the poison and recuperation, attempted murders, enemy's traps and political schemes. You will not see forced kiss, stalking, marriage consummation, or any rough dealings, just sweet and gentle chemistry between the leads. Although I should add that the outdoor kissing scene may be too hot for the ancient public to see (and not a stiff cardboard kiss either)

Adding to the praises are the well-done cinematography as seen by dramatic camera angles and panning, dramatic effect, adequate CGI, setting color and ambiance choice, costume selection (I swear I saw many times the main couple wear the same/similar color matching costume other than their wedding outfits). Not too bad for a low budget drama. The OST songs are also sweet and melodious.

Finally, I applaud Lan Lan who subbed this simple but lovely drama meticulously and informed us viewers who are not familiar with the Chinese language and culture, as she explained some words and phrases that are from the era. As a viewer I was educated thus was able to understand and appreciate the beauty of this story.

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Historical and/or political drama are not necessarily my cup of tea, so I usually avoid these genres. I started watching this drama solely because of its popularity, a recent show, a romcom genre, and the ending. I surprised myself I binge-watched it in 3 days!

Like:
- Eye-catching front cover (see my comment on costume below)
- Straigth-forward story line, no plot twist, no shocking surprises, no betrayal. Secrets here and there revealed little by little like pieces of puzzles.
- Not dragging, no filler scenes or conversation.
- Perfect casting, every actor/actress fit their roles well.
- Great chemistry between ML and FL
- Some reviews/commentsI read about actress Shin Se Kyung, that she was bland or stiff in her role as FL. IMO she nailed it perfectly. Hae Ryung role is non-chalant and no-nonsense, which distinguished her with from most women in the drama Joseon Era. We can see her character intro in the beginning when she prefers to read a thriller novel to a group of women who prefer to hear romance instead.
- Some reviews/comments I read about actor Cha Eun Woo's bad acting skills especially in the beginning of the drama. IMO Prince Rim is supposed to be socially inept being confined all his life and only communicates with his subordinates whom have been with him for a long time. There should be a character growth for Prince Rim once he is introduced to outside world thru Hau Ryung, other historians, the French guy, the epidemic area, and Seoraewoon. and how the plot develops. Cha Eun Woo did an outstanding job acting the character transition. I actually cried when Prince Rim broke his heart due to the King's banning him writing romance novels and confiscated his writing tools.
- No love triangle (although there are potentials), so no Second Lead Syndrome
- Amazing friendship and family relationships, and loyalty.
- Happy ending for OTP and most other roles. No death.
- At some point of the drama, some roles become ambiguous , you will be uncertain if they are protagonist or antagonist. The ambiguity adds the spice.
- Beautiful cinematography
- Brilliant costume: I like they chose pastel colored costume for the OTP, symbolizes their delicate and sweet romance. Even the light blue color for the female historian uniform is distinguished from the male historian uniform.
- The OST is easy on the ear. Some notable songs are "My Dream" sung by Yoon Mi Rae, the queen of OST; "Come Here" sung by Lee Seok Hoon, and "Please Remember" sung by the ML Cha Eun Woo.

Dislike:
- I have not found any

Note:
- Probably should add a tag of noona romance, as ML is 20 and FL is 26. It does not seem a big deal in the story since their age gap is never opposed in the drama, and one arranged marriage candidate for ML is older than him (Sa Hee).

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Gorgeous Couple, Interesting Mystery, Cute Ending

This is a short drama (less than 4 hours total) with two gorgeous characters solving an interesting murder mystery in a detective game. The ending is cute and not cliche either (I will spoil it at the end of my review). I wish it would be subbed soon, but it seems like Tencent prioritizes subbing their romance and dynasty costume dramas over non-romance and Republican-era dramas, especially if the leading actor/actress is not popular. It will be subbed eventually, so you can enjoy it.

I would've rated it 8.5 if I completely understood the dialogue details (for me, the crime and Republican-era cultural word terminologies are rather difficult to understand).

STORY:

There is no synopsis on MDL at the moment I wrote this review. So here it is:
The Female Lead Nan Yu (Snow Kong) was originally a player in a matchmaking game to match as many couples to win the game. However, one day, because of a game glitch, she found herself in the Republic of China era, and her character is a forensic examiner. Nan Yu learned that she must solve a mysterious murder case to return to her world. Not only that, she also shared one body with the Male Lead Gao Han (Li Ge Yang), a player from another detective game, to solve the case. With different personalities and strengths/weaknesses, at first, they compete with each other to control the body. But then they work together as a team. But in the end, only one of the two can return to his/her own world.

The mystery murder case, although only one, ends up being interesting and quite complicated with several victims and several suspects, it's only solved in the final episode.

CHARACTER:

First, I thought that Nan Yu was a ditzy Female Lead when she played in the matchmaking game. But she was quite calm when seeing a dead body for the first time, lol, while being guided by Gao Han to do the autopsy. Her bickering with Gao Han is cute, too. I can say Nan Yu has a high EQ while Gao Han high IQ. Smart and mature Male Lead and Female Lead.

VISUAL:

With gorgeous Republican-era costumes, Snow Kong and Li Ge Yang really look good-looking together. Their visual is the reason for me to keep watching the drama. The costumes, props, and sets look well done considering this is a short-length series with a lower budget than mainstream dramas.

OST:

The ending theme is nice and catchy titled "Starlight Is In Your Hand" (星光在你手上) by Ye Xuan Qing (叶炫清)

SOME SPOILERS AND THE ENDING (Scroll down below if you're curious)















- The alternative title "Twins Detective" doesn't mean Nan Yu and Gao Han are twin siblings, but two people share one body.
- At first, Nan Yu and Gao Han share one body, but then Gao Han breaks the game system to enter the game with his own body. Thus, they become a detective couple.
- There is a slight romance blossoming between Nan Yu and Gao Han later in the drama. Cute, but doesn't take over the mystery plot.
- There is a SML (Second Male Lead) but he is a nice one. Unlike tropey jealous SMLs common in romance dramas, who are good first and then turn bad.
- Ending (scroll below):









A cute happy ending. In the beginning, since they shared one body, only one can return to his/her own world. Gao Han hacked the game system to enter the game. He also used a lot of his game energy to save Nan Yu's life. The game designer said only Nan Yu could return to her own world. He needed a lot of time to fix the game because Gao Han hacked the system. Since Nan Yu doesn't want to separate from Gao Han, they end up staying in the current Republican-era world while the designer fixes the game, and they open a detective agency together with homophone (same sound different meaning) of their combo names Yugao (that literally means "fish cake") Detective Agency. SML gave them a congratulatory gift, an item similar to the thing that they investigated before, lol!

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Inspiring for Entry Level Career/Business, but Lost in Translation

I picked this one as my first drama of the 2022, purely out of expectation. It has a less than 8.0 rating, so I was ready to drop it even before started watching it, lol. However, I finished Episode 1, and ended up keep watching one episode following by another. My guess why it has a low rating for such a pretty good romcom, is: one, poor translation from MangoTV, which is the main issue; two, misleading synopsis; three, no popular cast; and four, Chinese romcom drama watchers have had toothaches from all sweet Cdramas being released last year. Let me address the main issue first, the second issue in the Character section.

MangoTV produced quite some good Chinese romcoms, unfortunately many are machine translated, including this drama. This is very unfortunate, since business term and Chinese idioms/slang get mistranslated or even no translation (especially for notes, emails, text messages, etc). Luckily, if you watch in their official YouTube channel, there are kindhearted people who translated the non-dialogue part. As I put in the title, this drama is especially inspiring for audiences who are at their entry level of career of business, since there is a lot of uplifting advice given to motivate people in their career development. Unfortunately, the inspiring life lessons are watered down with inadequate translation. So, unless you understand modern spoken Chinese, or can read between the lines of bad sub, probably don’t bother to watch this drama.

STORY: In my opinion, there are two plots that run side-by-side: the romance and the work/business plot, both intertwine harmoniously between Party A and Party B (hence this drama title). Party A/Party B is a legal term when two entities get involved in business.

The main couple’s plot starts from both ML and FL being bickering strangers (short term), to being landlord-tenant, neighbors, two business-related company representatives , friends, best friends, lovers, to being engaged (short term). It’s a slow burn romance, they don’t get together until the ¾ quarter of the drama! However, their friendship and teamwork development are amazing to watch. Even before they get together, they’re so comfortable with each other, like an old married couple. The second couple plot actually has more sparks as their romance develops faster, so it’s quite interesting. Their romance starts about half of the drama. The third couple romance is a filler, in my opinion, since it’s quite short. There is also a married couple.

I actually am more interested in the work/business plot, unexpectedly since I don’t like business drama. I think because of its advice given to working adults. ML and FL both go thru work problems each encounter, from insider sabotage to sexual harassment. They work together to solve those problems. Misunderstandings don’t get prolonged in their relationship, they clear up their issues pretty fast. There is also the main theme of chasing dreams of most characters: people leaving stable jobs to start business, moving to big city to pursue career, changes job to a different company, working on your dream job instead of just-a-job, saving and investment, life priority, etc.

PRODUCTION: The scriptwriting is pretty good. The writer, which at this time I don’t know their name, managed to write a flowing transition on the main couple’s love story and the Female Lead’s prowess development. There are witty dialogues too, that make the plot development and the characters’ growth enjoyable.

CHARACTER: The scriptwriter also did a good job in creating likable main characters and some key supporting characters. The FL, Ye Xuan (weirdly in the end is translated into Michelle Ye), freshly graduated, comes from a smaller city to metro Shanghai. She’s hopeful and energetic, but faces the reality of the workplace. She is lucky enough to land her first job at 88Ed, what I called a dream company. Although it’s small and has problems, it ends up to be the ideal company in dramaland. Her other luck is ML, Li Ze Nan, who is not only her landlord/neighbor. The company where he works, Aoke, is also 88Ed’s major client.

Now this is where I want to correct the misleading synopsis I read at this moment. It says that Li Ze Nan is “the domineering Party A” but he’s not. He has been in the big city and has worked longer than Ye Xuan, so he gives her work advice but he’s not domineering. In fact, when they become a couple, I see sometimes Ye Xuan is bossy towards Li Ze Nan. Starting their relationship as a landlord-tenant, he’s actually has been supportive to Ye Xuan all along. He also comes from a poor background and works hard his way up at his workplace. He is not an ML who “has been making things difficult” to FL, since he makes her grow and become stronger as a working adult. For example, when he knows she has worked hard on a business proposal for his company but her company doesn’t credit her, as a client he has a power to fix the mistake but he doesn't. Instead, when he finds her crying in disappointment, he gives her a cotton candy and later tells her to be strong and try harder. Another misled term is that the couple’s relationship starts with “endless bickering” but I see they just tease and playful with each other, and actually the second couple starts with “endless bickering”.

Important to mention in romance drama is the secondary characters who potentially ruin the main couple’s relationship. There is none. Second FL is ML’s ex-girlfriend, but they broke up because pursued different dreams. Although when she shows up initially ML and SFL are a bit uncomfortable with each other, there is no hate/love feeling left for both parties. SFL ends up becomes their company’s business client and FL’s friend. Second ML is FL’s co-worker. He and ML have a healthy competition for FL’s attention, but when SML sees that FL, subconsciously, prefers to be with ML he backs off and becomes supportive of their relationship.

A bonus: the director, Sha Wei Qi, also made a guest role appearance as a fake director, lol! The scene with him in it is the most hilarious in the drama! He also directed some decent Chinese romcoms (rating 8.0+) such as Gank Your Heart (2019), A River Runs Through It (2021), and To Fly With You (2021).

VISUAL: The location of metropolitan Shanghai is always a charm. I like the adjoining balconies where ML and FL often seen chatting at night after work. I also like the company setting where FL works though. It’s a renovated warehouse building made of bricks and has a warm and casual feeling.

OST: Nothing stands out.

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It Doesn't Matter If You Don't Know the Plot, Watch It, But Don't Read The Spoilers!

"A Lucid Dream" is a short-length series (around 3+ hours total) with a clever story-telling, full of surprises, and a plot twist. You'll definitely enjoy the fun ride, IF (I capitalized the word for a strong emphasis) you don't read spoilers anywhere on MDL. It is as the native title 不知剧情也无妨 suggests: it doesn't matter if you don't know the plot. Although this review doesn't contain spoilers, I know romantic drama watchers always want to know if the leads get together in the end or not, so I will only spoil their romance, not the big secret.

STORY:

Who said that short-length series only copy the plots of mainstream (normal-length) dramas or are full of cliches to milk profits? This drama plot is rather unique, and the story flow is well-written. By reading the synopsis you got the idea that the Female Lead Zhang Yi Meng (Wang Ya Jia) is delusional and thinks she has time-traveled to the past. To cure her mental illness, the Male Lead Song Jing Cheng (Cheng Yu Feng), a psychiatrist, plans drama therapy, a psychological treatment process that contains a reenactment of the ancient time Yi Meng believes she's in.

But as we watch the drama, we start seeing strange things and surprises. Adding to those things are funny incidents behind the scenes, for example, script changes that make certain characters confused about how to act in their roles. We are entertained by surprises at almost every (ending) of each episode, cliffhangers so to speak, until a plot twist is introduced. Then when the audiences look back, things make sense.

There is slight romance, but because the topic of the plot is the drama therapy/reenactment, romance is not the main focus.

Another thing I really enjoyed was the 'behind-the-scene' process shown in the drama. For example, the selection of the cast, the choice of the script (the additions and deletions), the filming, and the (uncomfortable) costumes and props (that we see as funny cos we know they're fake). And mostly what urgent measures they took when incidents or unpredictable events happened.

CHARACTERS:

People wrote the leading actor and actress were not charming or their acting was so-so, but imo actors and actresses have to start somewhere, right? I don't remember seeing them before. The only thing I say is actress Wang Ya Jia looks like Chinese actress Chen Yu Qi. And I found out the actor Cheng Yu Feng was in the drama The Inextricable Destiny last year, playing the Female Lead's second brother. But if you watched that drama you know why we don't remember him being there, lol.

The funniest character imo is Li Mu Yu, who played the Third Prince in the reenactment. Although his character is supposed to be the annoying Second Male Lead, it's hilarious for us because he practically knows nothing since nobody told him anything, including his dad, who is the reenactment director, lol.

VISUALS:

Although they made a reenactment, surprisingly the visual designs are decent for a fake 'drama'. I was mostly surprised by the cinematography. It's well done for a short-length series.

OST:

I'm surprised that they put several nice songs for the ending themes:
1. "Fireworks Fragments" (烟火碎片) by Xin Wen
2. "Parting Sequence" (离别序) by Xin Wen
3. "Waiting for Mist and Warm Rain to Stop" (等烟暖雨停) by Wang Xin Yi

ENDING (only for the romance part)

















Happy ending. Zhang Yi Meng and Song Jing Cheng got together in the end (real world). There is also a secondary couple.

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While You Are Still on the Earth, Watch a Chicken Nugget Gone Interstellar

The decision to release this drama on Friday is smart because, with only 10 episodes 32 minutes each (5 hours and 20 minutes total), you have a unique and unpredictable comedy fantasy to binge on weekends, or anytime when you just want to unwind without having to involve your brain and emotion but just laughing. The mystery and fantasy plot in this short drama is just bizarre and imaginative with a sci-fi touch.

Other than that, the comedic acting is just top-notch, specifically by the two leading actors Ryu Seung Ryong (as the dad and the owner of the company) and Ahn Jae Hong (his subordinate). I thought Ryu Seung Ryong mostly acted in serious dramas/movies, while Ahn Jae Hong more in dark comedies. I couldn't imagine they're so matched as clown duos and be serious during the filming. Unfortunately, Kim You Jung is more a supporting role, because most of the time her character is the chicken nugget, lol!

Speaking about the chicken nugget, this is when the title it's gone interstellar is. I won't spoil you, but the sci-fi part is just hilarious. We got to see aliens, as long as they're not banned coming into the earth IRL, lol. There are also social messages delivered in light ways.

Because it's comedy, the visuals are also not to be taken seriously: bad wigs, eccentric costumes, etc.

Just watch it. Don't worry about the rating. Because this is not a cookie-cutter drama, for some people that are so used to cliches and tropes, this drama seems ridiculous.

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Self Acceptance vs Social Acceptance

I watched this drama with little expectation. The only one that attracted me is the unique title which started with @Account Has Been Deleted (@계정을 삭제하였습니다) to User Not Found. There is a connection between the drama title with this review title I will explain in the end.

STORY
There are three plots in this drama according to its genres:

Youth/School Genre: Coming of Age/Growing Up
The drama focuses on the first Female Lead who, no matter how boring her character is, represents many of viewers’ common personalities. She is quiet, introverts, shy, compares herself with others, fantasizes a lot, and mostly in desperate need of social acceptance of her new classmates. So this is shy Yoo Min Jae (played by Shin So Hyun) or we call it Pop-Min (as her friends call her later) to distinguish her from the other Yoo Min Jae. Pop-Min is transferred in the second year of highschool to a new school. On the first day she already freaked out of not being be able to find friends in any group no matter she tries, as she experienced in the past schools. Unexpectedly, some girls mistaken her for a Yoo Min Jae, who is a popular fashionista and a social influencer on Instagram. Pop-Min just accepts her ‘luck’ by saying nothing. However, since she’s not confident enough to carry out the lie, the pressure is enough to get her thinking of “disappearing from this world”.

Romance Genre: Slow Burn
And this is where Male Lead Shin Yi Joon comes in. No, he’s not a knight in the shining armor. He overhears her saying it by the bridge. No, she doesn’t try to jump and kill herself. Later, we find he had the same thought before. Thus, a friendship begins base on the same understanding and sympathy between Pop-Min and Yi Joon. Yi Joon, surprisingly, is not the typical ML in romance dramas. He is equally quiet and shy, but he doesn’t give a damn about what other people think or say about him. Something happened to him in the past.

The romance is slow burn, mostly due to Pop-Min and her secret that she’s hesitated with Yi Joon. No love triangle, no annoying second lead. There is a little misunderstanding that resolves quickly.

Drama Genre: Past trauma
The knight in the shining armor for Pop-Min is actually in the form of the other Yoo Min Jae (Han Ye Ji) or we call her Moo-Min. Something happens in the past that makes her transfer to... Pop-Min’s school, in fact, to her class. But Moo-Min disguises as a plain Jane. She just wants to go to school as quietly as possible until graduation. Of course, she’s surprised there is Pop-Min who uses her Ig identity. An agreement strikes between the two Min Jaes to swap identities, and an unlikely friendship begins.

There are other character’s past traumatic experiences that shape how they think and do in this drama.

ACTING
You can’t expect much expertise from newbies. Since the nature of Pop-Min and Yi Joon are basically quiet and shy characters, there are a lot of scenes that look draggy, showing how these two characters think and act. Audiences are mostly root over other lively characters in this drama. And that what makes me disappointed is actually the production of this drama, as explained below.

PRODUCTION
I mean, though the actors are newbies, but with good directing, a rookie actor can bring up a character no matter how hard it is. But I guess the director is a noob too. The story is not based on a novel or manhwa, where dialogues can have a powerful source from. There are a lot of monologues of what characters think, that are not as interesting as dialogues between two characters. Therefore, I’m not impressed with the scriptwriting too.

VISUAL
A bunch of characters with eye candies, nothing to complain. Even Pop-Min is pretty, in my opinion, far from an appearance of a girl who supposedly regular and has low self-esteem. The cinematography is okay too, despite of most location is their highschool. I like the costume of Moo-Min when she’s in her own fashionable self.

OST
- G=ONE & Jang Daegyeom “Lamose”
- Jo Jin Ho and Kino from Pentagon “A-HA!”
- Saula “Love Confession”. Bae Jin Young, the actor who played as the ML, covered this song for his love confession to Pop-Min.

Fortunately, the drama ends with character growth of Pop-Min. She becomes self-confident, especially when the story of what happened to the popular Yoo Min Jae (Moo-Min) comes out and the ‘undercover’ Pop-Min is affected. Many viewers are disappointed at the ending of the drama in which doesn’t really resolve Moo-Min’s problem. But since the drama actually centers of Pop-Min, not Moo-Min, it ends up well in my opinion. No, the forever strong Moo-Min has already resolved her own problems. No need to clarify the misunderstanding of what happened to her from the authority side and public. And this is what I like about this drama. The theme is growing up without having other support system than your school friends, when the other supporting system (parents, teachers, older characters) is not available. The matter brought up by this drama is learning how to choose genuine friends wisely.

In conclusion, as I wrote in the beginning about the connection between the drama title and the review title. There is a scene close to the end in which Moo-Min deletes her Ig account that symbolizes her past. Hence, where the drama title @Account Has Been Deleted or User Not Found comes from. At first I wondered why she deletes the account she has worked hard to build her popular reputation. That’s when the moral of the story comes: self-acceptance is more important than social acceptance. Both Pop-Min and Moo-Min especially (other characters too but not explicit) in the end accept themselves with firm support of each other and true friends.

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I picked this drama without expecting too much, since the long synopsis already outlines the drama plot. But once I started I kept wanting to watch the next scene or episode, curious to know what the leads were going to do. Unlike other voluntary time-altering dramas that the protagonists fix the past problems, this drama gives freedom for the three male leads (who initiate the time altering) to do whatever they want to do to follow their hearts. I am also surprised that it is not like a typical Thai drama/lakorn, and definitely free of slap/kiss, attempted sexual assault scenes, or other overly dramatic plot. Also, no mean villains or 'in-laws', and not much of elders involvement. Although as the story goes it gets darker, but I feel like this drama is aimed towards young adults viewers, because of the casual advice given on how to choose wise decisions and no presentation of severe punishments of what they have done.
About the ending. Along the drama, there were discussions in GMMTV official Youtube channel (where the English subbed drama was aired) until the final episode on who should end up with who or if someone should end up happily or not. I think the ending is more like a fan-service with satisfying ending, for this drama I am okay if the ending was different than what was presented.
Now the technical stuff. I think the director Dan did a decent job directing this drama with multiple main characters/couples and multiple stories. Lol, even if he did not do a good job there will be a Second Chance beer he can take (a cameo appearance of the director in the closing scene). Also to say the editing is not bad although the viewers are left with some confusions to figure out whether the scene we saw is the reality, the future, or just the dream or wish of the characters. Perhaps some confusing scenes were purposely done to leave the mysterious vibe of the drama.
Some acting are good as all main actors/actress are not newcomers. Some viewers commented that actors/actresses like Nanon, Singto, and Puimek have improved their acting skills in this drama, but since I have not watched lots or any of their works I cannot really judge them. The only thing that I like that some characterization are ambiguous, who can be villains and characters that you may hate at some point in this drama. I am glad that Tor character is remained mysterious: is he just a bar owner, a moonshiner who invented a secret beer recipe, a tarot card fortune teller, an angel, or God?
Whatever Tor is, I applauded Singto Numchok (who played as Tor) as a singer and musician, since the OST song "Second Chance" he wrote and sang is so catchy, a nice sing-a-long song with Caribbean tone. Here is the official MV link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWxjrGM_3WM
Rewatch value? Not really, since you already know how the leads decisions end then the magic is gone. The only thing I may want to rewatch is the OST music video.

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I dropped this drama once, not liking the idea of substituting love with sex, and revisited it again when I am looking for a Japanese movie/drama to watch. After diving from the surface of many kissing and bed scenes into a deeper meaning this drama brings, you will find ideas to learn about how to distinguish love/loneliness on one side and sex/desire on the other side.

STORY
Japanese dramas may have the most twisted plots with the deepest meanings and Kuzu no Honkai is one of them. The character Yasuroka Hanabi is a realistic heroine for teenage/young adult girls to learn. A heroine, as she is able to overcome the teenage girl problems mainly by her thought process, as the viewers can see there are no any significant adults in this drama (older family members) who guides her to go past broken heart, despair, and loneliness. In the end, Hanabi is able to emerge to be a mature teenager who learned many facets of love.
Having watched a lot of dramas with typical heroine as damsels-in-distress being swept by knights-in-armor trope, this drama introduces us to a strong female character who is able to overcome significant issues by herself. By the end: 1) Hanabi never falls to be a victim of sex with 2 guys and a girl she has relationship with; 2) Hanabi finally steps out and terminates wrong relationship with 3 characters; 3) Hanabi is able to develop her thought process that become the main guidance to overcome her issues.
To add, I love that the role Awaya Mugi never develops into a pushy guy. Despite of initial Hanabi's decision to have an intercourse and Mugi's experiences with other women, Mugi never pushes Hanabi into this stage when in the end she stops it. Mugi respecting Hanabi's decisions on terminating sex and relationship is rare in movies/drama, where there are so many pushy, demanding, obsessive male roles out there
Finally, this is the only movie/drama so far that I DO NOT WANT the female lead to end up with the male lead. Matching Hanabi with Mugi will just create another cliche in dramas. Besides, particularly in this story, real coupling will just create more problems, as Hanabi and Mugi's relationship does not start as liking each other but more sympathy and despair complete with a clear termination contract. Therefore, I love the last scene where Hanabi walks out of the class straight passed standing Mugi (is he waiting or hoping?) and not even looking at him, to meet her female friends for a chick hangout together.

ACTING/CAST
The highest point is given to the female lead. I am amazed a young actress like Yoshimoto Miyu (she was 19 when the drama was released, possibly 18 when it was being filmed) could pull out compelling emotional acting as a virgin teenager in desire over her male teacher and jealousy at her female teacher. I gave 9 point not 10, as I did not see the male lead Sakurada Dori acted in the same level of quality of the female lead did. The chemistry is okay between them, not as lovers, but as contract partners or caring friends.

MUSIC
Music is okay, but unless a drama song gets stuck in my subconscious mind, I don't usually rate the music part high.

REWATCH VALUE
As I am more to a light-hearted rom-com drama/movie to rewatch in the future, I will not rewatch this drama again. Besides, I am way past teenage years that I have to visit this drama back to relearn about the values it brings.

OVERALL
Many issues facing by teenagers and young adults concerning love are explored in this drama. A must watch to any female who (does not matter if she is still a teenager or is older) to understand that she does not have to be a victim of so-called love, but being able to overcome the issue to be a mature woman.

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"You Make Sand Like Me Feel Worthy" (Kot, English Sub)

This drama is an epic chaotic it is hilarious. I binge-watched episode by episode dying to find out how trio Ji-Kot-Ki would fix the building up mess. I found this drama following the works of March (as Ji here) from Lovey Dovey, and ended up loving Baifern's (as Kot) and Dan's (as Ki) performances too. This trio does not only create messy plot in this drama, they also lift up universal parenting and motherhood issues into a poignant show delightful to watch. Unquestionably it is a unique rom-com, non-typical Thai lakorn, a must watch.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS DRAMA
(+) Fast-paced episodes in the beginning of the drama to established the story of Moji
(+) More slower-paced episodes in the middle of the drama with lots of flirting scenes
(+) Lots of lessons to learn about building a family
(+) Witty dialogues on money, and also the money bouquet
(+) This is probably the only entangled love story that is enjoyable to watch in dramas I have seen. Thanks to the prominent acting of the main characters
(+) The story cleverly highlights the good and bad of both Ki's and Ji's characters. Viewers are divided into whom they want or think of Kot will end up with.
(+) Interesting surprises in the end
(+) Convincing acting of Baifern as exhausted single mom Kot. Her touching crying scenes are heartbreaking. She also established good chemistry with both Dan and March
(+) Remarkable acting of March as the sentimental Ji. He is good in roles with passionate/temperamental characters.
(+) Noteworthy acting of Dan as guiless Ki. I have rarely seen anyone not even an actor who has dimples on both cheeks. Surprisingly Dan is also a director and screenwriter.
(+) Cute Moji and the little actress who play the role
(+) Every important characters have their own advisors: Kot has Meaw, Ji has Bom, Ki has the secretary, Aff has her Dad
(+) Beautiful portrayals of Thai culture and places
(+) Pretty costumes of the female roles

WHAT I DO NOT LIKE ABOUT THIS DRAMA
(-) Scenes and conversations leading to product placement (PPL). I skipped all of them, including the bra talk.
(-) The exaggerating character of Aff, which seems off since other characters seem natural
(-) It seems like the characters of Chot and Kot's mom are unimportant and are brought into the drama only to spice up the already complicated plot.

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One Tough Cookie Brought Up By a Mysterious Uncle: Thrilling With Suspension of Disbelief

My final review of what I believe is the first season of this thriller drama (although no announcement of a sequel at the time I was writing this review). This plot is about the survival of the Female Lead Jeong Ji An, being targeted by professional killers, taking shelter in her uncle's house. How and why it happens is slowly unraveled through past events. Warning: this is not a comedy like the parent story.

STORY:

First of all, I didn't watch the parent story The Killer's Shopping List, nor read the novel under the same title "The Killer's Shopping List" (살인자의 쇼핑목록) by Kang Ji Young (강지영). Some comments said that there is no connection between this drama and the so-called parent story, only written by the same author. This is a survival story of our heroine, Jeong Ji An (Kim Hye Joon), because of what happened to her supposedly dead uncle Jeong Jin Man (Lee Dong Wook). Since little, after the deaths of her grandmother and her parents, Jeong Jin Man has been her sole guardian. He brought her up with a survivalist mind and tough love. During her grandmother's funeral, he made her watch a gruesome TV scene of a lion killed by a group of hyenas: "Only the weak bark, the strong don't. You must become strong to make your opponent bark. Don't be scared. Whatever makes you scared keep your eyes open and face it." When Jin Man took Ji An in after her parents's death and she fell on the ground, he didn't pick her up but said "Listen up, Jian. I'm not your parent and I can never be. Which means I can't do the things your parents did for you."

The fact that Jeong Jin Man prepares his niece in such a way as to be strong, independent, and capable of guarding herself makes sense later as the drama title is explained. Jeong Jin Man established an underground online business as the title says, a shop for killers. He not only sold guns but other weapons and chemicals as well. Jin Man was very secretive about himself and his customers so he gave them codes and even put himself and his niece in a special code: Code Green (I will describe the codes in the end under the spoiler).

I'm usually a generous rater, and am easily pleased, as long as a drama wowed me from the beginning till the end, I will rate it 10 (you can find out the dramas I rated 10 in my custom list). The reason I only gave this drama a 9.5 is because of the questionable details I saw along the way. If this is a fantasy genre I will ignore it, but the fact it builds upon modern survival and mercenary plots, it's dubious. I won't spoil them to you for this final review, you just watch the drama to find out. Basically, if you want to enjoy this story, you have to suspend your disbelief.

I will put the spoilers at the bottom of my review (you need to scroll down if you want to know, otherwise stop after the Visual)

CHARACTER AND ACTING:

Lee Dong Wook played the mysterious Uncle Jeong Jin Man with his usual traits: cold, aloof, but charming. We see more of Jin Man's actions in past flashbacks.

Kim Hye Joon played the survivalist niece Jeong Ji An. I stated above how her uncle brought her up, so we see the same cold and aloof trait in his niece. Some comments on the drama page stated that Ji An is too stupid when reacting to the attacks, but I have to defend her since she is not professionally trained and practically implemented for all that happened. Even all she did for survival is just based on her instinct to stay alive while remembering what her uncle and her master taught.

I won't spoil you with information on the supporting characters. The drama is too short to show much more about them. We learned about their background and how they came to know Jin Man, but the info about them is not enough to show that they are three-dimensional characters. I would love to see more (perhaps in the second season) about how Jin Man brought up Brother, Pasin's life (how a Thai man came and worked in South Korea), Min Hye's life after she was saved (her interactions with Jin Man, Honda, Brother, and Pasin) and how she got to know the villains, etc.

VISUAL (CINEMATOGRAPHY, COSTUME, MAKEUP, SET)

As usual, the Kdrama visuals for this dark thriller are amazing: the daring escapes, the gunfire and bomb explosions, the bullet movements, etc. Even the hyena CGI is acceptable. I kinda questioned Jin Man's home which seems so normal and humble but its walls, windows, and furniture are strong enough able to hold the gunfires and bombs to a certain degree. I assume Jin Man fortified his home strong enough for survival, perhaps having an underground bunker, too.

I will put spoilers down below about the Codes and the ending.

SPOILERS (Scroll down below)


















CODES:
- Code Red: for killers (assassins) - they can only buy guns, weapons, bombs, and poisons.
- Code Purple: for spies (buy and sell info) - they can only buy listening devices and cameras. Also, simple weapons to be used to kill themselves when their cover is blown.
- Code Yellow: for clean-up crew - they can only buy drugs, detergents, and cleaning tools needed for body disposal and clean-up, and administrative service to evade the law.
- Code Green: for Jin Man and Ji An (though she didn't know before) - the other codes could never attack them. If they did, other Code holders have to risk their lives to protect Code Green.

ENDING:
- Ji Ahn and her uncle are alive. As I suspected, Jin Man faked his death (though are not shown what he did to 'kill' himself and why he did it if not just leave his niece to have her own show). He shows up in the end riding a taxi. He's all wound up, probably he had a duel with the top killer.
- A bunch of killers are dead. The top killer Bale and the Babylon company head are (probably) still alive if they want to make Season 2.
- Pasin and Brother are alive. Min Hye is probably alive, only shown her gun came off her hand but doesn't mean she's dead. I believe if watchers found her too attractive and charismatic to be dead, the screenwriter will revive her for Season 2.

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Predictable But Entertaining for 4 Hours and 20 Minutes or Less

With 4 hours and 20 minutes or less, you can enjoy this short-length series between two long dramas or when you're spare time is limited. One of the better short-length series of many China has produced nowadays. I will review not with the usual format to highlight the positive and negative aspects in a bullet point.

• Predictable but still entertaining
This is just my opinion since I am also a mystery-genre fan, so I watched too many similar setups. I could guess the plot just by watching Episode 1 only. But the drama is highly entertaining nonetheless because of the suspense and the chemistry between the main couple Yan Zhen and Chu Ze Jia/Chu Ze An.

• Great chemistry but not many smoochies and skinship
In short-length dramas, which usually are not censored heavily, we can expect real kisses and/or skinship. Especially for the husband-and-wife scenes, aren't they married? Not in this drama. We can feel the sexual tension between the two, but because of the in-law circumstance in the current plot, we don't see the intensity of the romance. Regardless he is her husband Chu Ze Jia or her brother-in-law Chu Ze An, in the current situation (not flashbacks), he is a family member, not a romantic partner.

• Good acting but underutilized the twin roles
Overall good acting by the leading actress Meng Xi, whom I've never seen before, and Li Zhuo Yang, seen in the mini-drama "Mutual Redemption Love". However, I think the production team underutilized the twin brothers Chu Ze Jia and Chu Ze An roles. They have strikingly different personalities with the older Chu Ze Jia being more reserved and mannered because he is a company CEO, in comparison to the younger Chu Ze An, who is more outgoing and free-spirited being a globe adventurer and photographer. But I'm not sure if the actor was not directed to act differently, or if he couldn't act differently, sometimes I couldn't really tell the difference between the two. I got it that the actor is somewhat new, so he probably did not have much acting experience. But a good director can make the best of a rookie.

• Nice mother-in-law but annoying sister-in-law
In short-length dramas, it's common for them to follow a soap opera-ish trope with mean MILs. Luckily, in this drama, Mrs Chu is a very nice MIL. Not the sister-in-law Chu Ze Xin. Although she doesn't oppose Yan Zhen, her character is the same ol' trope of SILs in rich families: annoying, immature, and bratty. You can skip the scenes with Chu Ze Xin because it's a filler, IMO.

Before the last bullet point regarding the ending, here are the two nice OSTs of this drama:
1. Ending theme "Rose Graffiti" by Fei Zhen Hua
2. Insert song "Waiting for Love to Return" by Guo Gai Ya

Scroll down to find out about the ending spoiler.














• Happy ending but with disappointing trope
A lot of viewers are disappointed with this typical Chinese drama ending style, including that I docked 0.5 points of my final rating. After the showdown with the villain, the drama ends with Yan Zhen leaving Chu Ze Jia and he couldn't find her. Viewers might think this is a retaliation against him leaving her in the past. However, I think that this is normal since Yan Zhen is pretty much exhausted mentally from all the hard work she did, investigating the mystery (the initial mystery and the mystery of her husband) and managing the company for years. Including the mourning and heartbreak because of the deaths. That girl needs a break. So she went vacationing by herself.

The drama ends with Chu Ze Jia visiting the place where they first met and a woman comes to take a Polaroid picture of him. We can't see the woman's face, but it's Yan Zhen for sure. because the scene is similar to when they met for the first time. So it's not an open ending. But I'm disappointed nonetheless since Chinese dramas like using this kind of ending, a mysterious reunion in which we can't see the other person's face, a similar voice calls the protagonist, or the protagonist looking up to the other person with a surprising look.

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The PG-13 Chinese Version of Death Games and Why Number 19

Fans of death games are familiar with dramas like the Korean Squid Games and the Japanese Alice in Borderland, and this one is a Chinese version of the death games and a drama adaptation of an award-winning Chinese psychology suspense novel. I wrote the "Chinese version" because every Chinese drama watcher knows how strict Chinese censorship is. Therefore, in contrast to other countries' death games that are R-rated, this one is PG-13: minus profanity, nudity, and violence. I will also explain why the drama title has the number 19 in it.

STORY/PLOT:

The MDL synopsis is accurate so I won't add anything to it. "19th Floor" (actually, there are no physical floors, more likely levels) is a drama adaptation of the novel "The Nineteenth Floor of Hell" ((地狱的第十九层), a winner of the 2005 Sina Book of the Year Award, written by Chinese best-selling psychological suspense novelist Cai Jun (蔡骏). In the novel, according to Baidu, "the story aims to express a profound proposition beyond fear. Everyone has the original sin of greed, jealousy, selfishness, or anger in their hearts. Once tempted and the truth is revealed in broad daylight, there will be uncontrollable and unreasonable consequences. One's bizarre behavior, falling into layers of hell is a cruel punishment for the inner demons".

To pass the NRTA review, there are big changes made. Firstly, the word 'hell' is omitted, because CCP is atheist, and hell is a religious word, thus should not be in modern titles (can be added in xianxia's titles that are merely mythical stories). There is a Hong Kong movie adaptation "Naraka 19" with a plot that is true to the novel. Secondly. because the drama's mission is to educate young viewers, since the main characters mainly are university students, the drama focuses on the character growths of the main and important supporting characters who are the game players. Thirdly, there are no real deaths, as stated in the synopsis, the losers fell into a coma in the real world. Fourthly, there is profanity, nudity, and violence, thus making this drama a PG-13 version. Although I don't read the novel, I assume the novel is scarier than the drama. Fifthly, because it's a university setting, a slight romance is added to this drama, and the romance subplot does not take over the mystery plot.

Why Number 19:

It was in the Tang dynasty when the more popular concept of the “18 levels of hell” came to be, circulated by the Buddhist text "Sutra on Questions about Hell", which mentioned 134 worlds of hell that were then simplified to a total of 18 for convenience. Each of the 18 levels contains a specific method of torture for a specific sin. At the end of my review, before the spoiler of the ending, I will list the 18 levels of hell for your convenience.

The novel adds the 19th level of hell on purpose which I won't spoil you what it is, especially since the drama doesn't describe any hell nor do the games symbolize the 18 levels of hell. The number 19 in the drama simply is the number of the abandoned school building where some of the games are played.

Plot-wise I gave this drama a 9.0 because in their real lives, the story is a bit draggy with the character growth process some young characters have to develop. The games themselves are fast-paced, some I even think are too fast since the games end in only one episode. Definitely, they are thriller games, not suspense games (unlike, for example, Spirealm which I'm watching currently in which one game takes several episodes to finish).

Because of the character growth process, some conversations are deep and heart-to-heart. Therefore, is better if viewers understand Chinese either written or spoken. Unfortunately, some of us watched it through the bad translation of MangoTV, so we lost the depth. Fortunately, Viki will pick the subbing up. Hopefully, the late viewers would appreciate this drama more and thus will rate it higher.

CHARACTER/ACTING:

Chun Yu, the Female Lead, is the focus of this drama (also in the novel). She is intelligent, brave, and cute, but she holds a hatred towards someone that later is addressed in this drama.

Gao Xuan, the Male Lead, becomes Chun Yu's companion in solving the mystery and overcoming the game's challenges. This character is somewhat mysterious, because of the nature of Gao Xuan in the original source (I will spoil you about him at the end of the review). Casting Wei Zhe Ming as Gao Xuan is perfect, as I have seen him playing antagonists (or semi-antagonists) in the past.

I won't spoil you with the supporting characters, but the many characters are flawed/three-dimensional. As its original source explores characters with the sin of greed, jealousy, selfishness, or anger in their hearts, so does this drama but with positive outcomes.

Besides acting out greed, jealousy, selfishness, or anger, most actors and actresses did a good job of portraying fear, considering they don't face real monsters but greenscreens. The actors' or actresses' facial expressions befit the characters' confusion or stress when facing horrendous situations or trying to solve (time-ticking) puzzles or mysteries.

VISUALS:

This is a death game theme with monsters, puzzles, and mind games, therefore, props, sets, and CGI depicting the darkness and the intensity of each game are a must. They are pretty much well done and some give you jump scare or suspense without gore or horror. I specifically love the jump scare of the first game with the shadow puppets. I have watched many mystery-genre Chinese dramas in which shadow puppets become mysterious aspects, and in this drama shadow puppets are monstrous aspects.

OST:
The ending OST is "The Last Light" by Wang Mi Ran, a Mongolian-descent singer, with the stage name Miya. Actor Xiao Kai Zhong who played the character Zhang Tian Qiang, sang the male version of this OST as an insert song during the scenes with him in it.

SPOILERS (Scroll down if you want to know about 18 levels of hell according to Buddhism, the character of the Male Lead, and the ending)






















18 Levels of Hell (Not mentioned in the drama, because it's considered religious - Buddhism belief or mythical/superstition per NRTA censorship)

1. Hell of Tongue-ripping, where those who gossip and spread trouble with their words will repeatedly have their tongues ripped out.
2. Hell of Scissors, where those who destroy someone else’s marriage will have their fingers repeatedly cut off.
3. Hell of Trees of Knives, where those who sow discord amongst family members will be repeatedly hung from trees made of sharp knives.
4. Hell of Mirrors of Retribution, where those who have managed to escape punishment for their crimes while alive will be repeatedly shown their true horrific selves.
5. Hell of Steamers, where hypocrites and troublemakers will repeatedly be steamed “alive.”
6. Hell of Copper Pillars, where arsonists will be repeatedly chained to red-hot pillars of copper.
7. Hell of the Mountain of Knives, where those who have killed for pleasure or without good reason will repeatedly be made to climb a mountain made of sharp blades sticking out of it.
8. Hell of the Mountain of Ice, where adulterers, deceivers of elders, and schemers will be repeatedly left out on a barren mountain of ice to freeze.
9. Hell of the Cauldrons of Oil, where rapists, thieves, abusers, and false accusers will be repeatedly fried in vats of boiling oil.
10. Hell of the Cattle Pit, where those who have abused animals will repeatedly be hurt by animals in turn.
11. Hell of the Crushing Boulder, where those who have abandoned or killed children will repeatedly be made to hold up heavy boulders, eventually being crushed by their weight.
12. Hell of Mortars and Pestles, where those who voluntarily waste food will repeatedly be force-fed hell fire by demons.
13. Hell of the Blood Pool, where those who disrespect others will be thrown in and submerged into a pool of blood.
14. Hell of the Wrongful Dead, where those who have committed suicide—considered deliberately going against the karmic course of the universe—will be forced to repeatedly wander the realm without a way out, while being pelted constantly by the Winds of Sorrow and the Rains of Pain.
15. Hell of Dismemberment, where tomb raiders will have their bodies repeatedly torn into pieces.
16. Hell of the Mountain of Fire, where thieves, robbers, and the corrupt will be repeatedly thrown into the fiery pits of an active volcano.
17. Hell of Mills, where those who have misused their power to oppress the weak will repeatedly be crushed in a stone mill.
18. Hell of Saws, where those who have engaged in unethical or unfair business practices, or exploited loopholes in the legal system, will be repeatedly sawn in half by demons with saws.

Regarding the Male Lead Gao Xuan:
In the novel, Gao Xuan is an antagonist. In the drama, Gao Xuan is a protagonist

Ending:
Overall a happy ending, EVERYONE is alive and played the final game to fight the villain. Broken relationships are mended. There are two romantic couples formed, Chun Yu and Gao Xun are one of the couples.

The last scene depicting a new death game starting is probably just a tease for the possibility of Season 2. So, the drama doesn't end with a cliffhanger or open ending.

Because of this type of a wholesome happy ending, my final rating is 9.5.

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