Another draggy beat around the bush

I’ve been dropping quite a few dramas lately. This one seemed ok at the start. I particularly like the visuals of the two main leads Shawn Dou and Glunezer. However, the storyline started to drag and go around in circles, with no real character or relationship development (well not one that I liked).

Yuan Lai is the most childish, most insecure and stupid woman in the whole world. Whenever there is a misunderstanding between her and the man she loves, she just runs away without asking or communicating. Then she becomes angry and resentful towards him and pushes him away. Woman, all your problems can be solved if only you communicated better. He gave up so much for you, and yet you’re still pushing him away. Annoying character. You don’t deserve Jin Ran.

It isn’t clear why Jin Ran left for Japan 5 years ago without saying a word, apparently to study? Why couldn’t he inform Yuan Lai, why couldn’t they keep in touch? Why only 5 years later he decided to come back for Yuan Lai? So dubious.

And as for Chengzhi, the woman you like already rejected you, a few times, and yet you want to continue pursuing her? Have some self respect please. His pursuer Shen Shuang Shuang is no better, making a fool of herself to chase him. Not my cup of tea.

Shawn Dou was just great, I hope to see him in better roles. His latest one Tears in Heaven- I read it’s a similar draggy, beat around the bush kinda story. Sigh... how sad.

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Annoying side casts yet again ;(

I read somewhere that this drama was underrated, and that it was really good. So starting it off, it had promise.

But as most Cdramas of late, it just went sour. I started skipping and FF a lot...
1) Annoying side casts - Elise, Victor, Boris, Xianyu.. childish, overly dramatic and their characters were just poorly written.
2) Plot- I understand that the ML was betrayed and was slowly being poisoned. If he was smart, he would have quickly changed doctor and gotten a 2nd opinion. His mistake was putting too much trust in his ex-gf / also business partner. I read many reviews that the ending was just terrible.
3) Makes no sense- any person found cheating in a competition would be reported & disqualified immediately. Any crime committed also would be punished, but apparently not in this drama. How does the writer expect the audience to watch this??!!
4) Romance- too slow burn for me. I didn’t mind the age gap at all, and the chemistry between both leads was quite convincing. It just took too long for them to kiss (let’s be honest here ;) ) I dropped this at episode 21, but I JUST HAD TO SEE some spark between them. So I skipped to Epi 35&36 where there was a somewhat confession and kisses. Haha
5) Too many episodes - yep. 40... could have just done with 24.

Ethan Juan was a real eye candy though ;) Hope he chooses better scripts in future.

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FL is deceitful and manipulative

From the first episode already I did not like the female lead. Mainly because she deceived the ML and manipulated him. Consequently on further episodes, she continued to do the same. She seemed like a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde character whereby one day she’ll be soft and sweet, another she’ll be conniving and use her sexuality to get ahead. Didn’t like that at all. She is pretty, and the show dressed her very well, wearing 5-inch stilettos to work! ;P

There was some chemistry and kissing in Episode 6 but nah, have decided to drop it. The base storyline of her losing her memory and trying to find out the truth was intriguing but unfortunately the script and production did not pull it off. Next please :)

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Dull and a lot of TALK

It’s a female empowering drama. Nothing wrong with that, and I’m glad producers are making more of these types of dramas. Unfortunately the delivery was just draggy and dull.

The drama follows the lives of three women- two are long time friends, one is the new wife of the ex-husband. The story unfolds with how FL1 disrupts the wedding of her ex- husband to his new wife! Interesting start indeed. As the story moves along, all three have issues with their career, and the long time friends start to bicker and go against each other. Somewhere in the mix is Jasper Liu who falls for FL1.

Women bickering too much. Women complaining and talking too much. I’m a woman myself but I couldn’t stand anymore of it lol. The romance was not exciting enough to hold me. I dropped it at ep20, and just watched the final episode. Funnily enough I caught the gist of it, which means the story didn’t evolve much! Glad I dropped this.

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Just… WEIRD

The storyline goes back and forth in timelines- one is in the past from 2012, and the present which was 2019. This element I found quite interesting, so it sort of dampens the monotony and dullness. However, the progress of the leads relationship was just too weird.

In uni, he is her senior. She has a crush on him, but finds out he already has a fiancé! He’s about to get married when his fiancé breaks things off because she fell in love with someone else. He seems quite heartbroken. This is where the weirdness begins. Very soon after that, the FL confesses to ML. Everyone in uni thinks she is the cause of his broken engagement accusing her of stealing the boyfriend. Anyhow, after confessing, the next scene we see is her telling her family about him, that they are getting married!! Like.. WHUT???!!! He walks in with gifts saying yes they are getting married.

The ex fiancé meets with FL to warn her about marrying someone who doesn’t love her, she is convinced she can “make him” love her eventually. The wedding goes ahead, and they are just like “ getting along” during marriage. He doesn’t seem interested to sleep w her, until she seduces him with sexy lingerie. Well the story goes on, she found out and thinks she’s pregnant. He turns down an opportunity to go to US. She finds out she was mistaken and not pregnant. He then SNEAKS off and flies to US without even informing her!! And stays there for 13 months! The only time hey visit is her flying there to surprise him at the 13th month, but sees him so happy, not missing nor needing her. She flies home angry and wants a divorce. She packs her things hoping he will stop her. But he’s not even bothered. Just sits staring outside the window.

This is where I decided to drop it. Can’t accept this sort of bad writing. And I read in the comments, that later on, she actually forgives him and gets back together. But realised he hasn’t changed (ahbudennn??) and break up again. GURRLLLLL- don’t you learn from your mistakes?

So yes, I dropped it. Don’t waste your time with this one.

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Not much romance but interesting enough

I really like both leads, especially the FL. She had a certain aura about her, no need for overacting, and there was a very calming and peaceful beauty about her. I thought PHS also did well as Crown Prince Lee Hwan. I would have liked to see more romance, a few cliches perhaps ;) but there was that undeniable intensity, attraction and care for one another. The romance was very slow burn, but we do get a sweet kiss only on the final episode. So if you’re looking for romance per se, you won’t find it here.

What kept me going was the crime & mystery solving storyline. Found that intriguing and engaging. There were a few different plots and storylines which were interconnected and blended well together 1) the murder of Jae Yi’s family and how she was framed for it 2) which led her to find the crown Prince to help clear her name. That in turn developed into their love story 3) the slaughter of the people of Byeokcheon by Cho won bo 4) the revenge of the people 5) cho won bo’s greed for power of the throne

To watch or not? I would say yes! There was a fair share of fighting as well. The side plots were interesting too. The only parts I didn’t fancy were the ones with Myeong-Jin and his (stupid laugh) hahaha found him annoying. Other than that it was a good solid 8/10 for me ;)

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In the end, it was good:)

Many viewers are giving negative comments, some dropped it early on… for me the initial first few episodes were cute. I particularly liked Do Hae Yi. Her character was very refreshing. She’s the type to speak honestly and openly; she’s bubbly and ecstatic , and just very cheery :):)

I put this drama on hold for a bit around the 5th episode. Yes.. the plot line was all over the place. It included some psychopath trying to hurt a member of the squad; so there were some “scary” moments. Uhmmm this didn’t quite fit into the overall vibe of the drama. I came back to it after a few weeks and the pace got better then. Just needed a break I guess. Then there were the mother elements- one got divorced, the other got cancer. So a lot of crying and learning to deal issues.

The love triangle- now many viewers had major issues with this. Personally, it didn’t really give me much angst haha. Meaning to say it didn’t bother me that much. The first kiss with 2ML I felt was not good- he shouldn’t have taken advantage of a drunk woman, but then the vomiting on him was quite funny! Many viewers thought the ML was too good for the FL. I kinda agree- he seems tooooo perfect lol. Didn’t get jealous, was SO understanding and forgiving, and so magnanimous in being there for her despite her wanting to break up. He’s DA MAN!! Plus, I love Bae In Hyuk :)

All throughout the drama, I couldn’t help but wonder about the cheer moves and the costume. Some viewers responded to my comment and said that this is how it’s like in SK.. unlike the American cheer leading. So I just found that quite strange.

It’s a no fluff drama, don’t really have to think hard to understand the plots ;);) and it’s not a binge-watch drama either. Oh, I skipped most of the “older couple” scenes. Too meh to watch haha. It’s a uni drama, just don’t expect too much and you’ll be fine.

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Teamwork is the way to beat a strong opponent

This is a great sports drama with lots and lots of principles and lessons to learn as an athlete and as a young adult. :) I enjoyed watching the training process and competition aspects, I felt it wasn’t enough. A tad too much of the emotional setbacks, internal struggles of each individual and team. It was little bit unrealistic for someone who is completely new to the international competition scene to progress so fast, but that’s where the team work and cooperation and strategy comes in. So it’s not about how talented one person is, but about teamwork, trust and strategy.

The first half romance was from “enemies” to friends, to good friends, to misunderstandings (of course!) and then getting together. Both of them were very sweet, open communication and mutual understanding between each other. They really supported and encouraged each other through the difficult times and setbacks. Lots of cute cute moments. Second couple romance had some cute and intense moments, but I did skip most of it ;)

Wang Anyu’s role seemed lesser than that of his female counterpart. He played the cute, supportive boyfriend and figure skater. I really enjoyed his acting- felt it was very natural and sincere. It would be nice to see him play a villain for his next role. The female lead Song Zuer was a surprise. I haven’t seen her in any dramas but I thought she carried her role very well.

I did feel the drama was a tad too long. Would have been better to be about 5 episodes less?? One aspect I didn’t really like was how the opposing athletes would talk trash and talk their opponent down, instead of having mutual respect. I liked watching Dai Lu Wa as the rival skater. I’ve seen her in two other dramas and she played this badass role quite well.

The music background and OST were great too, really created the atmosphere for each scene. Well done! It’s a recommended watch, though you may want to FF some scenes (esp the drama club scenes ;)) Enjoy!

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Crime investigation and lots of plot twists

How did I come across this drama? It doesn’t have any popular actors, and it did not get any airtime on Instagram or FB. I think I was just flipping through Wetv app wondering what to watch next.

This one is not popular but it has some essence. The production is good, no voice dubbing, no camera filters making the actors’ skin flawless and white;) The storyline focuses on an accident that happened 15 years ago, where a girl died and her organs were donated. The ML was given her heart, where he inherited a special gift of psychometry (able to read ppl’s minds and past with the touch of his hand). He meets a reporter who has dissociative identity disorder, and from there a whole new set of hidden crimes and mysteries start to unravel.

It started off really well and I was very intrigued. But somewhere between Epi 8-18, it lost its essence and I felt was going in circles. However, at the end of every episode there was such a twist that kept me wanting to find out what happened the next episode lol. I did fast forward a lot just to get to the end. Not much of romance going on, lots of drama and crying. The ML had to run A LOT... haha poor guy. His acting was pretty good though- more directors and producers shld use him:)

If you’re interested in crime investigation, plot twists and revenge, then you should be interested in this. No fluff, just some real acting.

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His pride & arrogance and Her prejudice

This drama was filmed back in 2018 and only aired this year in 2021. It seemed funny in some of the trailers so I gave it a go.

Initial first few episodes were giving me angst- the ML Hoo Joon (the celebrity) was kind of a jerk and very two-faced. The FL Lee Geun Young (the reporter) was a whimp- being bullied by her boss and colleagues, couldn’t stand up for herself and was a pushover. They crossed paths because of a misunderstanding, which led to them doing a reality tv show together. I like the theme of enemies-to-lovers but I’m not sure when the shift actually happened in this series :P It started to get more interesting probably after episode 5, where he was showing interest in her, although there were still feuds and misunderstandings.

Their love story and relationship development got better and I liked it up till the last two episodes. I just couldn’t understand why he had to distance himself when he was in trouble and only come back as a success? Why couldn’t they go through hardships together? And it wasn’t clear how he came back popular again in just 3 months? And why is it when the artists gets into trouble, he has to pay the price and not the agency? After all, it’s the agency that manages his profile, schedule, gigs etc... they are as much to blame. Yeah the last episode was rushed to wrap up. I did enjoy the scene on the beach where they filmed the last episode of the reality show- that was really sweet.

Could not stand the SML Jae- Joon and SFL In-Hyung. Throughout the entire series it was just jealousy, drama, bitterness, couldn’t let go/ move on... it was beyond ridiculous. Almost every scene with JJ was him bickering or crying or whining. I skipped most of their scenes. The friendship between the 3 trainees also didn’t really make sense.

OST was not bad, although they played Choi Tae Jon’s song Bittersweet probably a tad too much lol. But he looks really good here so keep watching if not for anything but his visuals. ? I read that he just finished his military service and he’s dating Park Shin Hye ?

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Watch for Jasper Liu :):)

So there are 3 couples in this story- first and main couple is between Gu Renqi and Shi Shuangjiao. Throughout the whole drama, I really felt moved by Gu’s story, his past and how he struggled to overcome his issues. I think his development of character and storyline was the best. I don’t like Shen Yue (sorry to say) so I didn’t care much for her acting. Their love development was quite good, except when they thought the grandpa was the one who drove the car and caused the accident. In the end when the truth was revealed, I felt she should have been more sorry and apologised better for not giving him the benefit of the doubt. The truth was not known yet but she judged him so quickly. She was clearly in the very wrong but didn’t do enough to apologise.

2nd and 3rd couple love story was quite good, something different, sweet and cute. I liked it?

Hair and dressing- blech! At least the FL didn’t have the SAME hairstyle for the entire drama (like Lucky’s first love ?). But it was only 2 or 3 styles which were always cute cute. 3 male leads were not bad- with Jasper’s body in changing clothes/ shower scene?

All in all quite a good watch. At least it’s short with 24 episodes. ENG subs on Dramacool ?

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Stupid, childish and irritating

It’s the type of drama that gives you lots of ANGST!! Lol... that’s why I never bothered watching You are my Destiny, although it had such good ratings. This has the same storyline and concept. ML CEO is the bullying and belittling type, actually likes the FL but don’t know how to admit nor express his feelings. Ex- girlfriend comes along and stirs up trouble etc, the leads separate and then in the end come back together.

The actress who plays the ex Li Man is the same actress that plays another bitchy character in Perfect and Casual. Seriously she should do other roles, cos she doesn’t want to be stuck with this kind of stigma roles!

Disappointed with this one. Wouldn’t recommend this.

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Don’t bother with this one

Unfortunately I couldn’t continue with this drama. It had an interesting synopsis, and I had seen some clips online which made it seem like it had potential, but after starting it it was just disappointing.

The character of the FL is quite annoying. The scenes that were meant to be funny- just wasn’t funny. After a few episodes, I just lost interest. Wouldn’t recommend this one. Don’t know why some other reviewers gave it 8 and above ;) Maybe also cos I was watching this concurrently with One and Only- and that was much more interesting. Read my review on that;)

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It’s NOT GOOD

Many reviewers here are loving it- calling it light fluffy no frills drama. No frills yes, but oh SO BORING!! Yes that’s what it is- dull and boring.

I love sweet and fluffy dramas! But this-The storyline is flat. There are scenes where it’s like a cooking class, teaching the audience what recipes to use for various Chinese dishes. Then there are scenes where it’s like documentaries - educating the audience about Chinese culture and history. The cast actors are mainly voice actors- so again it’s like they are educating the audience what do voice actors really do, and why they are important to society.

The romance and chemistry is quite sweet, but really not enough to keep me going. Just too difficult to continue watching this.

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