Disappointed :(

If you’ve watched Season 1, then S2 is really nothing new. The writers just made them separate and lose their memory in Ep1, so they would fall in love all over again. With the added best friend/ brother and side characters, the basic storyline is pretty much the same. I expected more depth and continuation of their love and adventures, (we had a glimpse of that in the final episode) but it was pretty much just a repeat… a better repeat at least.

I didn’t really like Wan Peng’s acting. It’s probably her script and character, but no real development or I didn’t find her very engaging. Visuals of Fang Leng was of course dreamy ;) and it was basically what kept me going lol. I skipped and Ff quite a bit, which meant I found it quite boring. Happy ending yes- but don’t expect too much from it.

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Could have been better :)

I was completely blown away with the first episode! The two child actors were fantastic, the setting and tragic background history plus the CG cinematography was excellent! It got me hooked straightaway.

The first half of this drama focused on our FL Xiao Yao, who whilst trying to look for her cousin brother/ family got kidnapped and tortured for 70 years. She then as an adult, disguised herself as a man and lived as a normal ordinary man working her keep (she is actually a princess). So story goes on and she saves this beggar on the brink of death and nurses him back to life. Eventually this dude becomes her love interest and is also from noble birth.

What’s interesting about this drama is that humans live amongst deities (have super powers and long life) as well as demons. She meets this nine headed demon, who initially mistreats her, trying to kill her several times. But she seems to keep going back to him (for what reason I can’t remember) but they develop a very strong bond of friendship and he (the demon) eventually falls in love with her. His role is played by Tan xian ci, who is very dreamy and aesthetic as Xiang Liu (with his white attire and silver hair)

Then there is her cousin brother Cang Xuan who felt so guilty not being able to protect her when she went missing. After reuniting, he sort of falls in love with her as well, but knows they cannot be together because of his ambition and destiny to be King of Xiyan.

These three men surrounding and including our FL had very strong characters and a good development in their journey. The 4th guy Feng Long seemed redundant to me;)

Whilst the first half focused on the character development, the second half became a tad boring and typical - where Cang Xuan is working his way to gain power and allies to get to the throne, while his uncles and others try to disrupt him. I wished the writers focused a little more on the super powers and abilities, instead of having long and serious melodrama talks about life and love.

If you’re expecting a great romance, you’ll be disappointed because it’s a sad tale for the so called lovey couple. Some opinions say the ending for Season 1 was a somewhat closure, but I feel it’s more an open ending. Not a cliffhanger, but not a real closure as there are many loose ends to the story. Apparently there’s a Season 2, so we will have to wait for that ;)

Very very long drama… but I was very intrigued and hooked for the first half.

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Second half was mundane :(

I actually binge watched the first 6 episodes. Found it very interesting and intriguing. Unfortunately it did not last, as the second half became dull and mundane.

Many reviewers said that Hwang Min Hyun aka ML face was stoic and lacked expressions throughout. I tend to agree on that. The chemistry was missing between both leads. There were some kissing scenes but it seemed more like good friends kissing lol. The main plot was quite predictable and the last few episodes were draggy.

The side plots with the side characters were dull and uninteresting. All in all it was just alright. Which is a shame really, cos it had much promise at the beginning.

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Started off well but then… draggy again!

As most Cdramas out there nowadays, this started really well. The storyline and background plot was really good, voices were not dubbed, production was modern and everything seemed great.

Then somewhere in the middle the FL was getting very annoying. The ML who is her ex bf, broken up 5 years ago, is the father of her 4 yo son, whom she kept secret from him. Upon finding out, of course he wanted to spend time with his son, showered him w lots of gifts to make up for lost time. Any woman would be ecstatic - that the father would want to spend so much time and play with the boy! But not this woman, she kept pushing him away. I suppose she was afraid that he would try to take her child away from her.

Towards the 2nd half, the ML became annoying. He was constantly jealous and trying to win her heart, he pulled all sorts of stupid tricks, feigning sickness and was too clingy and jealous. Spoiler: they only get together in episode 23!!! Which is way too draggy for my liking. I personally preferred the 2nd couple- older woman younger man theme. The third couple with the doctor was just ridiculous. She was chasing him relentlessly and then all of a sudden, the tables turned and he was chasing her?? A waste of time in my opinion.

I understand the writers wanting to highlight the issue of sexual harassment in the office and women standing up for their rights- it was a little too obvious and some parts were rather far fetched.

The romance was alright, their kisses not that great and their chemistry rather put on. It’s a happy ending, and some sad touching moments. All in all it wasn’t too bad, but it would have been better if it was shorter.

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It was good until it wasn’t :(

I would say first half was a good build up- interesting cases, interesting character development. Mid point it got a bit stale, and towards the end it was just lots of FF.

The acting my Park Eun Bin is definitely praise worthy... I believe she studied the characteristics and portrayed very well a person with autism. So kudos to her!! Kang Tae Oh was dreamy up until the point where they broke up. When that happened, he seemed REAL CHILDISH and having tantrums lol.. idk.. he was just so pathetic about the whole situation.

Last few episodes the cases were boring, and all the unnecessary side plots like getting cancer, and the coworkers liking each other.. seemed like they just needed fillers. Give this one a go... but don’t expect too much. :)

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Melodrama with some sports and romance elements

This started off quite well; it had a lot of promise and I liked it better than 2521 ( which I dropped at Ep 14) It’s not a rom-com, that’s why I say it’s a melodrama- which means there’s a lot of crying, relationship problems, unresolved past issues and wait... more crying.

The FL is an ex-national team badminton player. She “ran away” for three years because of an incident and has never resolved it. The ML is a promising badminton player who had been hiding behind his sister’s shadow his whole life and is desperate for his parents and the world’s attention. Both found solace and comfort in each other, and eventually love starts to develop. They are quite cute together, and there is some skinship ;) but it’s not the centre of the storyline.

You have your typical side couples, side teammates who initially hate you, treat you badly then after a long while start to stand up for you and encourage you. Some issues with the writing and characters eg the coach. Head coach and assistant coach are pretty incompetent- very old school kind of training, not encouraging nor inspiring. [Spoiler: Male doubles team- one player pushed his partner to the floor, grabbed his racket to hit the shuttlecock. Umm.. I don’t think that kind of play is EVER allowed on the court. End spoiler]

Initially rated it a 8/10, now dropping it to a 7.5. It’s getting kinda slow and draggy. Let’s see how it develops and ends. ;)

Update: Ending was a nice wrap up of all characters. I still didn’t like the mother: it remained quite draggy throughout the last 5 episodes which was unfortunate. I did complete it but ff here and there.

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Good main leads but the rest....?

Be prepared- if you don’t understand Mandarin, the English subs are really bad!! ;(;( I only understand very little, so a lot of things were so confusing.

The character and romance/ relationship development between Yu Hao and Su Kelan was quite good. A lot of values and priorities the FL said rings true, and she slowly changed the ML from his hard, non caring personality, to someone who is thoughtful and a more considerate person. Her character is a strong, smart capable woman who performs really well at work, which I liked. Umm... there were some chauvinistic elements from the ML which I didn’t quite fancy, but it didn’t really bother me that much.

To be honest though, although Su Kelan wants to spend more time taking care of her mum, which is very honourable... it’s not realistic if she doesn’t work. And she has to have a high enough position in the company in order to be able to afford all the medication, dialysis and hospital bills! So it doesn’t make sense at all that she can just quit her job without thinking about the future. His mistake was not going straight to her at the hospital... that upset me. I guess both are still learning about life and love. There was a nice confession scene in episode 9, and some sweet PDA and kissing moments the next few episodes... nothing too raunchy ;) Gao Han Yu is a real eye candy here ;)

The second couple was less interesting, lots of bickering and childish banter. The third couple- yeesh. I fast forwarded all their scenes, not interesting to me at all.

I’ve heard the ending is a happy one... so wait for the update next week! :):) UPDATE: Ending was a sweet one, but it dragged out until the last 10mins ;( so typical. Sigh.. I do like the main couple. Unfortunately I FF a lot as the pace was just too draggy.

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Sorry, but it’s not good

I love both the main leads, esp Cha Eun Woo (who doesn’t??) but this drama just fell flat!!

It was interesting the first few episodes, then it got draggy, then it just got boring towards the last few episodes, like a bit necessary plot line cum trying to reach 14 episodes. Imagine after one year of dating (!!!!) they’re still trying to hide their relationship!! Does that even make sense? Great actors, they shld have chosen better scripts. As for the dog storyline, it was ok until it wasn’t. When the uncle was in human form but can’t talk and barking like a dog, that’s when I knew this was going downhill.

But the silver lining is, we get the visuals of CEW, and some nice kiss scenes ;)

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A sports drama with some romance

I like both Gina Jin and Wang Anyu, so I started this drama with a higher expectation. In terms of production and cinematography - it’s a good production. Voices are not dubbed and the quality is good. It’s an older woman younger man theme, with 7 years difference in age. She is his personal coach, he is the athlete striving to win and get into the national team.

The sports aspect was interesting and engaging enough. It shows how he trains, his struggles and obstacles he has to overcome; his relationship with his teammates and opponents etc. She as his personal coach did not do very much in terms of “training” but there was one scene where she shows herself doing some Pilates which I liked! Her role basically was more encouraging and guiding him in his path.

As for the relationship aspect, I found this disappointing. His character was really childish, pouty and throwing tantrums. I’m glad at some point he manned up and started taking the lead, but it was short-lived only for a few episodes. It then went back to being childish. So it didn’t quite jive w me. I preferred the characters in Why Women Love which is also Gina Jin with another ML. There were some nice kissing and PDA scenes after they got together ;)

Overall, it was a good watch. No silly tropes or typical CEO boss type themes, which I’m glad!!

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The more I watch, the more annoyed!!

OH MY #^##^^!!! It’s got all the annoying elements- lack of communication✔️ SO MANY misunderstandings✔️ FL going to male love rival for help instead of talking with her husband✔️ Push and pull✔️ Stupidity✔️

Sigh... it started off well. You have the usual overbearing CEO, accidental falls and kisses, FL gets tricked and then of course the contract marriage. It was kinda cute and there were loving and caring moments, but then it started getting sour and pure angst after episode 10. Too much of the push and pull factor. They would seem to be progressing in the romance, even have kisses and PDA, then the next day it would be back to square one of pretending, bickering and being cowards. One step forwards two steps back. Serious lack of communication, can’t understand.

Gu Xixi (FL) is the most annoying character. One minute she’ll be loving towards Yin Sichen, the next she’ll be cold and uncaring. And she’s always so nice to Mo Zixin (love rival) who clearly likes her oblivious to the fact that her husband is unhappy about it. Even after she confesses she loves Yin Sichen, MZ is still crossing boundaries giving her flowers and bubble tea in front of her husband in their home! And she accepts it willingly!!! Dumbfounded. To the scriptwriter, please don’t write stories like this anymore.

I haven’t finished this yet, but I’m already screaming at the screen a lot. Lol...
Update: after finishing this, I still stand with what I wrote. More typical and annoying scenes towards the end. All in all, the script could have been written much better. There’s a lot of PDA , so just skip and FF the annoying scenes ;)

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Too long and draggy

45 episodes!! Wayyyyy too long... it was fine until around episode 15, then it just became repetitive going in circles, same ol same ol... towards the end it got a little more interesting.

ML is your CEO, typical but not so typical. He’s not that bossy or domineering, and he treats the FL well. He fell in love at first sight, and he was very focused on her throughout. No silly break ups, and they had rather good communication and discussed their problems and issues. The only thing I didn’t like was how he patted her head, pinched her cheeks and pulled her ears. What is she, your pet???! Kissing scenes were quite nice. Oh, and I couldn’t stand his dressing and outfits. Some were quite classy, but generally was eewwww.

FL was good- good character, not short nor stupid. Independent, clever, pretty and tall! Her character and development was quite well done as well.

SML was so annoying... this is the typical 3rd party where he can’t give up nor move on and kept trying to harass her. Bai Xioman was another irritating/ annoying/ infurioating character. Every time she came on screen I just forwarded all her scenes!

Btw, I skipped A LOT, a lot a lot a lot! Yes it was that boring. I think 25-30 episodes would have suffice.

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I had high hopes :(

I had high hopes for this drama, because I like Wu Lei… unfortunately it failed to deliver.

I think WL has to try a more sophisticated role - where he is not shabbily dressed, sitting wide- legged , wearing slippers and just being sooo ech! His roles in modern dramas are just not great. I know he probably wants to portray his acting skills rather than use his looks for his roles, but honestly his past few dramas were a let down.

The storyline is alright- it’s a sports drama. The struggles you face as a player, rejection, pressure, switching fields; then as a manager (FL) how to deal with your boss, the players, financial aid etc.. The whole drama just fell flat, not much excitement and the chemistry was lacking. The leads relationship development took AGES .. and by ep25 I just lost interest! They were still not together yet lol.

I was struggling to even get to ep25, lots of fast forwarding and skipping. Side characters were bland, music was uninteresting. You can give it a try, as many reviewers are calling it a healing drama.

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Frustrating YET AGAIN!

I’m writing this review at 1.00am... you can imagine my frustration after just finishing Epi 24 and needing to get this off my chest! ;(

The relationship between Xu Qingyao and Mo Lingzhe started off interesting. She was already engaged and had been with her boyfriend for ten years. She then catches her bf cheating on her, that’s when Mr Mo comes into the picture. He finds her intriguing and interesting, but she needed time to sort things out w her fiancé. So he relentlessly chases her in a subtle way, always being there for her, advising her and accompanying her when she was hurt or needed help. He was really present.

Eventually, she breaks off her engagement realising that they already had problems and they were not a good match. Later on she finally realises that she started to have feelings for MLZ and finally decides to stop running away and be with him. Yay!! Or so I thought... they get together in episode 16, and it was a nice confession scene. And then... of course. An introduction to a new character- Tang Xi which is MLZ ex gf (they broke up 8 years ago!) FYI, I can’t understand why these exes must come back into the picture after umpteen years and be all bitchy wanting to get their man back. This is where it all becomes frustrating. Although MLZ doesn’t entertain the ex, and XQY is seemingly quite understanding, I felt he was treating her much worse now that they are together than when he was pursuing her. After they start their relationship, he is more distant , cold and unavailable.

[Spoiler: For example, when tang xi sang with their band the song she wrote for him, and XQY left, he shld have run after her and comforted her. Instead he just continued playing and expected her to just wait for him. Another incident is when he received a phone call and went to work to meet Tang Xi leaving their band dinner, but not explaining to XQY why or who he is going to meet. During an important interview for XQY to get a promotion, MLZ took the opportunity to humiliate, insult and degrade her in front of all the judges / heads of department and the CEO of the company. He did that to point out that she was not suitable for that position, but was more suited for another role in the company. However, his treatment of her in the room was just too harsh and too cruel. And the last straw was when he stood her up for dinner because he rushed to take his ex to the hospital. It’s funny how ppl don’t check their phones or can’t feel the vibrate mode? In this day and age where communication is SO AVAILABLE, and yet they don’t communicate End spoiler]

The whole relationship development just seemed unbalanced and just... weird. The other couples were... meh! I liked the idea of young guy with older successfully woman, but Xu Wei was just a silly little puppy doing all the chores and cooking for her. (If you like younger guy older woman themes, try My Fated Boy. It’s much better) I did like Fang Qi- I thought she is very pretty, and flexible! I read she trained as a classical dancer thus the split on the sofa and superb foot arch! As for the 3rd couple... OH SO ANNOYING. Lin Sin Yu is constantly falling down.. and whining. Sheesh... just fast forwarded most of her scenes.

Now for the OST, the one song for their intro is horrible. Didn’t like it at all. No memorable song in the drama. Sorry to say, this is not a recommended watch. Let’s hope these Chinese drama writers improve on their writing and storylines.

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Not too bad ;)

Hmm.. some mixed reviews here. It started off quite interesting, some slapstick humour, some unexpected twists in the plots but somehow ended up to be a normal typical kdrama with lots of melancholic soppy scenes.

There will be some characters you will just hate: for me they were Seung Hi aka the mistress and the Dr Cha’s MIL!! For seung hi- she was in the US for 15 years? Couldn’t she just forget about In-Ho and find another man of her own? She wanted a father figure to her daughter and he was the best choice? Sheesh… and how she was just adamant until almost the end got me all riled up. The MIL was just trash. Used her daughter-in-law, but didn’t want to let her son save her; used her to evade taxes and treated her like a slave cleaning and cooking.

It’s not a romance drama, so don’t expect anything of that sort. Many didn’t like the ending as they wanted Dr Cha to get together with Dr Roy; but in all reality I also couldn’t see that happening. The ending is definitely a realistic and good one imo. The last few episodes were a bit of a drag- the mother being ill and all… became too soppy and boring.

Should you watch it? Yes I think so.. but I did ff quite a bit as well ;)

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