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  • Location: USA
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ZhanShin_Eli

USA

ZhanShin_Eli

USA
Completed
You Are My Glory
6 people found this review helpful
Aug 18, 2021
32 of 32 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
This review may contain spoilers

A Sweet Romance

I liked it a lot. I am a romance buff for any type of romance. In my opinion, this one is more fluffy romance even though it's a story about a couple around their 30s. Not much about the reality of being a couple at that age. It was more about the fluffy romantic moments they have with each other when they finally get together. The couple was very sweet and cute and fun. I love these two leads. At first, I was worried that these two really popular actors wouldn't have enough cp vibes to support a rom com but I was seriously wrong. They brought their characters to life and filled the drama with a very much so, lovey dovey cuteness.
I didn't really notice anything special about the music so I have no comment there.
My biggest complaint is the story itself. The actors were great. Even the side characters were memorable and their personalities were really vibrant and cute. My fav...I loved the adorable assistant.
But the story...
I would say about 95% of the story is about their romance (which I have no problem with), and then there is about 5% where the story tried really hard to incorporate the problems in their own lives but to me, it was terribly incorporated. What could have been more emotional or needed more to make me connect more into what the situation was about was very quickly run over or not very well-defined. The little side moments about their lives like some moments that were shared about when they were high schoolers or specifically their interactions with their exes was so quickly done or just how it played out made me feel like it was a very unnecessary part of the plot to include or needed more. I don't know, but for some moments, it didn't feel like it was enough to give the situation a slot in the story. Because some of the moments I want to complain about didn't really help build character or help develop the plot, at least that was how it felt like to me. I don't know how to explain it well, but in some parts, it just felt like it was not necessary to be included in the drama or it felt like it needed more to help make it a moment that would help develop the plot over all.
Anyhow, if you like fluffy romances that give you that inner cringe from the sweetness and cuteness of the couple, then this drama is for you. 100% recommend to romance cdrama rom com lovers.

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Completed
Fragrance of the First Flower
5 people found this review helpful
Dec 13, 2021
6 of 6 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 2.5

Beautiful but very real

The whole season gave a very beautiful and captivating feel.
My lower rating is because I felt like a 3rd person trying to understand their story but it's hard because I'm not them. I just got the feeling like it's somebody trying to tell me their story but they don't know how to fully get me into their point of view. They aren't able to completely let me stand in their place to understand what they are feeling in those moments. It didn't draw me into the story. It was more like somebody was telling me a story but they were having a hard time finding their words and having trouble putting together a picture for me to really get what was taking place. It's like I'm prying into their feelings and life but I'm only getting the bare minimum to understand them and their story. The whole thing isn't confusing or anything, but I'm more of describing the vibe the show was giving off to me.

The story is a sad one. But, it gives off a very beautiful romantic feeling that captivated me to keep watching when I had mixed feelings about this show.

I wouldn't say that I loved it, but it wasn't horribly done.

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Completed
Medical Examiner Dr. Qin
3 people found this review helpful
Feb 11, 2018
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
I thought this show was going to be something like Sherlock or Love Me If You Dare because the summary from MDL kinda gives similar suggestions. But alas...it is completely different.

This is basically a case by case show.  The focus on the cases is really the entire show.  It doesn't really showcase any background information of the characters. There is a bit of humor  like small jokes, jabs and sarcastic scenes between the characters, but like I said, it revolves solely around the different cases.  I thought the main mc, Qin, would be like those genius characters I mentioned before but he really is just displays his socially awkwardness and that's it. You don't really get the full extent and knowledge of the personalities of any one of the characters.  It really is based on your own interpretation of what the characters are like.  There is no romance, no background struggles besides from solving the cases.  Episodic.  Like I mentioned, besides from a little humor here and there, nothing else. Acting wise, I have no compliments or complaints.  I don't think I'm going to rewatch this show.  It really is kinda dull and one sided when telling the story of the cases.  The cases though, are somewhat interesting.  The gruesomeness of the forensic investigations aren't especially high but to people that are weak to even just seeing somebody cut open a cadaver or seeing large amounts of blood, then it is on the slightly grisly side.  

If you are solely interested in a mystery and like watching how cases are being solved, then this show is for you.  It cuts out all the fluff of the character relationships, backgrounds, etc and focuses on the process of how the police force and forensics professionals solve the cases.

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Ongoing 50/50
The Untamed
1 people found this review helpful
Aug 10, 2019
50 of 50 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
I absolutely became obsessed with this show. In all honesty, the first few minutes of the show was rather boring to me because I don't really like historical genres of pure wu xia/xian xia very much, but then I found out it was based off of a BL novel so I had to give it a second chance. And...it turned out to be really great. It definitely is one of the best BL based cdramas I have ever seen. But, technically speaking, the drama isn't made to be BL but as a "bromance". And let me tell you. please don't make that stop you from watching it!!! The intimacy shown, the cuteness between the couple shown, the unspoken cues of lovey-dovey vibes and flirting are all there and more. It is sort of like a don't-ask-don't-tell vibe since there has to be censorship on what the story can show to its audience, it being a Chinese drama and all. Like I said, it is CLEARLY there! That's why I agree with some people when they say that the producing company was playing with fire (with the gov) with the interaction and development between the CP. But if you are here for the heavy clear-cut BL, then this isn't that.

After a few episodes in, I got too obsessed while waiting for episodes to come out and picked up the book translation and started reading. That really enhanced the drama for me. It allowed me to understand a lot of the underlying things that weren't clearly explained in the drama. I would definitely recommend picking up the book but BE WARNED, there are explicit scenes in the book. Both materials have a romance vibe but they show it in different ways. I feel like the drama is more romantic than the book, probably because of the censorship. The book is more out in the open when the relationship establishes whereas the drama is more of a jump from "we are friends like soulmates" to "we're an old couple that needs no additional spice because we've been there and done that". But, one of the reasons why I think the drama is so successful is because the original content isn't just about the romance between the CP, but it's about their world. Themes about their world like of what's right, what's wrong, and the greyness that exists in people and situations that appear in the book are shown in this drama very well. The drama does a really great job in keeping with the original content. Given that it can't be 100% the same, but I would give it a good 80% towards it being a great rendition of the book.

The actors were great. I didn't really feel any out-of-place acting in this drama. Given that most of the actors in here are not that experienced, but in my opinion, they still did an excellent job. Some of the acting was more of a get-used-to-it-and-you-will-get-it-later type acting. The actors selected, in my opinion, really matched the roles very well, especially the main CP. I was iffy of Wang Yi Bo at the beginning of the drama because of the role of Lan Wang Ji being, from what I saw, a very hard to portray character (relying mostly on facial/bodily performances and very little verbal expression) but like I said, his acting is more of a get-used-to-it-and-you'll-get-it vibe. I absolutely adore Xiao Zhan's portrayal of Wei Wu Xian. The personality is a little different from what I got from the book, but it matched up to the drama so well. I honestly, liked his Wei Wu Xian more than the book's Wei Wu Xian but the differences are pretty nuance elements.

Personally, there were only two pieces of disappointments that I would note. One, obviously it being a censored drama, some of my favorite moments from the book got cut from the drama. A lot of the highlight moments did get portrayed in the drama though, I'll give you that which was a very important reason of why it was so good. They didn't really stray from the original content. Rearranging, yes but straying, no. Specifically, there were two moments that I really wished they would have added it in there and both happened in the 16-years-later segment. I thought both those scenes were very important because one scene provided input on the acceptance of the CP's relationship by others in the don't-ask-don't-tell type scenario and the other scene was the CP's own unspoken but very clear declaration to the world that "this man is mine" or "this is the most important person to me" declaration. Plus, this declaration scene I mentioned, to me was a scene that paired with another scene. By not showing this "declaration" scene , there was no explanation as to the "why" of what happened in the paired scene that did make it into the drama.
The second disappointment is the ending. Don't get me wrong, the ending wasn't bad. I AM content with the ending but as a first reaction, I was disappointed because I sorta wanted just a tad more than what the very very last scene provided. You will get what I mean if you watch it. With a closer inspection of the ending scene, you will find a lot of reasons to appreciate how it was done. Of course, that is IMO from the details that I caught sight of.
But these disappoints were definitely washed away when I watched the last 4 or 5 episodes because like I said, there is a high level of intimacy portrayed by the CP in this drama. Like I mentioned, near the end, it's more of like they are already a couple. An old couple that has been through so much together that their simple behaviors signify so much and there attraction towards each other is very clearly spoken through those interactions. The intimacy level shown at the end of this drama, really just blew me away and made me say, " I don't care anymore, I love all of it!"

Final evaluation after my first time through...
-1 It being a censored drama but that's not really the drama's fault at all...the world just needs more time to accept all forms of love and even more time to get rid of any discrimination and distaste.
+1 Script was great
+1 Script was a close rendition to the original story
+1 Even though it was a "bromance", didn't stick in a girl to create romance and left it to the story to create the underlying romantic vibe.
+1 Set and music was pretty on point for the most part
+10 Actors can act!
+100 Hot guys! Cute guys galore! d=(≧∇≦)=b
+1000 The CP had chemistry and were cute guys that can act! (▰˘v˘▰)

...coming from a fujo (☆▽☆)...10,000 points to The Untamed!
100% recommend!!! 100% recommend!!! 100% recommend!!!

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Completed
Dame na Watashi ni Koishite Kudasai
1 people found this review helpful
May 21, 2018
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 10
If you are looking for a JP romantic comedy drama, then this is a good one to go for. It is only 10 episodes so it is easy to binge too, a total plus.

The story was fun showcasing the bickering CP. The romance was light hearted. The development of the romance wasn't as verbally expressed as I would of liked so some scenes were kinda confusing at first like I thought he was probably a perv but it ended up being a jealousy stunt, that type of misconception. A lot of things were kinda inferred by expressions in their acting, like jealousy and sudden realizations by the male leads. But nonetheless the story was really cute. A grown women who can't get a handle on her own life because she is too optimistic, empathetic, and don't have the guts to say no to anyone that asks her for anything...meets two men, a younger man that likes her and is willing to give her the future that society expects her to have at her age and an older man that helps her through being strict and abrasive (kinda like tsundere personality), trying to support her through giving her knowledge and pushing her to do the right thing instead of the easy thing.
The acting was on par. Dean and Shohei are some of my most favorite actors so I might be a little biased in judgement but you can never go wrong when there are two or more of your favorites in a particular drama or movie, right? I didn't like the female lead at first, but I got used to her acting within the show. I am never a fan of over-dramatic or over-comedic acting but that's what makes comedies so fun to watch I guess.
Music...nothing to report there. No complaint or compliment so...
Rewatch value...definite yes. Romantic comedy is one of my most favorite genres. I will most probably rewatch it when I want to visit this genre.

Totally recommend 100%!!!

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Completed
Novoland: The Castle in the Sky
1 people found this review helpful
Feb 5, 2018
28 of 28 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
First of all, let me say, that the synopsis that is on mdl and wiki are confusing because it's not a good summary. Like all the reviewers before me, I will give you my version of the summary. A short and sweet one. The story moves around a legend that there will be a flower goddess that is reincarnated every hundred years to produce a pollen that allows the Yu tribe (aka the winged clan) to fly once they collect this pollen.  Apparently, if they run out of it, then their superiority over the human tribe will be lost because they won't be the souring city anymore.  They will explain the whole whereabouts of the legend in the drama so go watch it, if you want to find out more. The main character is a girl, Yi Fu Ling and the story is basically her adventures to be with the person she loves. These two are basically the backbones to the whole story in my opinion.  Like I said, I absolutely don't understand the summaries given by the sites.  

Mind you, I'm not a huge fan of fantasy or historical dramas, and I definitely am not a fan of Chinese CGI productions. But, nonetheless, I do recommend this one. The cast wasn't really impressive, but I did like Zhang Ruo Yun 's (Feng Tian Yi) acting in this one.  I only watched one other drama he was in, Wu Xin, and I did like how he acted in that one so when I saw that he was in this one, I thought to give this drama a try.  There is a particular scene that I thought, in this Novoland drama, that he did really well in and was really gripping.  I think he is really growing as an actor. Music wise, I didn't love or hate it. I actually watched the TFboys MV before watching this drama and never really liked it. I am a small fan of their's. But, in any case, seeing it as the ED of the drama, I don't get how their children's song fit into the story. I get the lyrics and all, but their singing really is in the children's song category for this one and the song doesn't even have that historical drama ring to it if you get what I mean, the historical sounding tunes that usually accompany Chinese historical dramas. Not to mention, they weren't driving the flying ship like how it is supposed to be driven like in the drama which bothered me. Rewatch value...I probably will rewatch it in the future.  I hate long seasons. The length of Ice fantasy (another similar genre one) was a killer for me.  I literally dropped that one in the middle and picked it back up months later. I prefer stuff that are around the 30ish range. Either that or spit it into seasons with good hooks and endings. So I liked the length and I did think that they included everything that I wanted to know without leaving important things out.  (another plus to me, is that there are two endings to the story so you can pick the actual ending or the alternate ending ;) )        

Overall, I liked it and would recommend it. It is definitely one of the better fantasy historical dramas.

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Completed
One and Only
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 18, 2023
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 10

A good movie

It is one of those movies that have a higher rewatch value on my list and I’m not much of a movie person. This movie tells a story revolving around the theme of following your dreams vs. reality. And it tells the story pretty good. It doesn’t go deep into emotions but there are scenes that have it’s display of heavy emotion happy and sad. The dance and movie effects revolving around how the dancing was showcased was pretty nice. Some of the routines or moves were somewhat cringy. There are dance routines that were pretty nice and cool that showed in the movie. The music they chose for the routines were okay. The bgm of the movie was okay. Nothing very standing out but not bad. Acting wise everybody did pretty well. I liked seeing the real street dancers taking on their roles. I am a casual fan of Yibo and he was really cute and precious in this. And I am a huge fan of him dancing so it was really nice seeing him dance in this movie. To be honest this role has got to be the closest to his true nature than any role he has every acted. And Huang Bo was the best. His roles and acting never disappoint. I love his movies.

I was expecting the movie to be funnier but the jokes were kinda dry at some places (and I’m a native chinese speaker). I’m not saying all the funny parts were like that but some were and some you need to wrap your head around what they’re going on about really well to get the joke. I was also expecting some funny scenes in the movie to appear from the spoilers posted on their social media but some never showed up so I guess those were bloopers scenes.

Overall though this movie is one of those that I would definitely be willing to rewatch and recommend everybody to see.

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Completed
Coffee & Vanilla
0 people found this review helpful
Nov 22, 2021
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 6.5

Love-Hate Relationship With This Drama

Before I watched this jdrama, I looked at the reviews because the description was kinda vague and I don't know the manga it was based on. I was surprised to see mixed reviews, some liked it and some really went off on it. So I decided to give it a try despite the contradictions. I now totally understand why there are such differing opinions.

First, the story isn't bad but very extremely simple. Like, you'd think there should be this whole back story or more details about such and such but nope...there was a very clear-cut simple explanation for things. The substance to back the plot development was extremely minimal in my opinion. The story was very, in the present moment of the leads, if you get what I mean. And...they used every stereotypical romance trope/cliche out there that was possible to fit in 10 episodes. Usually, I think you'd see only a few in a drama but they stuffed a lot in. It had a lot of predictable moments because of that in each episode. A lot of things that happened or behavior that was presented just wasn't really realistic even if you keep in mind what Japanese culture is like. This comment is really more for the female lead's role. Her behavior was just very skewed. For a person that likes any type of romance show, these points are tolerable but for people out for a good story, probably not for you.

I have seen plenty of jdramas so in comparison the acting isn't bad. It really was just character flaws, plot holes, weird development, in my opinion, that affected the drama. I really don't know how it compares to the manga. I feel like if it was a very close rendition, this type of story is really more suited for manga than live-action just because the behaviors, relationships, and the story is a tad unrealistic.

Music wise, no comment. Didn't really have strong opinions.

Rewatch value...mehhh...if I'm really really bored, maybe. It wasn't bad, but it's not really good enough for a rewatch.

Overall, if you like romance of any kind like me, it's not bad. If you are a picky person and like a great story, this might not be for you.

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Completed
Midnight Sun
0 people found this review helpful
May 18, 2018
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 10
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0
This review may contain spoilers
If you ever watched Calling You, Sky of Love, I Gave My First Love To You, etc. ... all Japanese teen romance movies with a life-death theme going ... if you liked those, then this is a movie you would probably like too. Those, for me, were all tear jerkers (I'm an extreme softy). This one, I would say isn't to that level of tear-jerking sadness. It tells a wonderful and romantic story, but it doesn't tug at you so much that you would get the feels. You would still feel sad, maybe on the verge of tears if you are an extreme extreme softy (but I'm already pretty extreme and I didn't really get the feels very badly like in the movies I mentioned before) but it just doesn't make you cry. It isn't there yet.

Acting ... I don't have any complaints or compliments. The acting is basically on par with most any other JP teen romance movies. If anything, there are many other teen romance movies that are unexpectedly great in terms of acting. This one was just in the average level. I would say what made me gave it such a high rating was the story and the motivating and inspiring motifs behind it.

Music ... this whole movie is about the female lead's love for music and how she captivates others and expresses herself with it. After watching this movie, I saw that recently there was an American remake of it and I really agree with something that was said in the American trailer of that version of Midnight Sun. Kaoru is like the once younger version of Taylor Swift, the more innocent version. Nonetheless, the music/songs in this movie were good. I loved it. Very motivating. Worked with the story really well.

COMING UP ...
(somewhat of some spoilers but not in detail, just the frame of it, so don't be scared to read these last few thoughts, but just in case, you've been warned.)
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The ending was very soft and nice. It sort of rounded the story so much so...like it didn't want you to take pity on the characters. You will probably get what I mean when you watch it. Everything ended very "peacefully". I don't know if that is the right word to explain it.
My only complaint is the transition near the ending. It was horrible and it could've been better, in my opinion. When you see it you may have a small OS, thinking...wtf that was fast. When you watch it, you will probably catch the moment that I'm talking about. In their defense ... and I'm just thinking the most plausible random reason here ... they may have had to cut out some stuff because of timing ... maybe. It was just weird to me how they transitioned it. Totally a rushed moment. It just didn't feel right.


Overall, I would definitely re-watch it. And, I'd totally recommend it, if you are a JP romance junky like me.

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Completed
The Four
0 people found this review helpful
Feb 20, 2018
25 of 25 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
I watched this a long time ago when it first came out. Now, I just finished rewatching it.  The story is interesting.  It is basically simple mysteries being solved by the four officers that involve corrupt government officials and some characters in the martial arts world.  It is about justice prevailing.  It isn't exceptionally great mysteries though.  Not very suspenseful. It is drama heavy but not in a way where there is confusing relationship lines. It has martial arts but it doesn't really put much effort in the battles. But, it does look smooth and not forced. The characters were interesting and meshed well but the acting was just a little better than saying so-so. Some of the female characters needed better casting to be honest.  Music, no comment, nothing special.  Rewatch, it is one of those family friendly slice of life genre shows so probably. Typical TVB stuff. I would recommend it as a "pass the time" type recommendation, but it really has nothing on the historical martial arts dramas that are out now.

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Completed
Giragira
0 people found this review helpful
Feb 14, 2018
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 5.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
My overall thought of this drama is that it was okay.  I was recommended not to watch it so with my personality, I went to look for it. I finished it within a day because it was just 8 episodes and I had the time to binge.  It wasn't as bad as I was told.  Mind you, it wasn't great but it wasn't terrible. The story was a simple one, kinda like a slice of life type genre. There wasn't really any big suspenseful drama within the show.  All the problems are pretty much predictable and it was handled in predictable ways.  So there wasn't really any suspension or very emotional cues that make it to the audience. The acting and cast was so-so to me.  It wasn't great.  I had added it in my PTW list because of Shohei Miura. I turn into a total fan girl when it comes to him.  He was a secondish, thirdish lead in the drama but his acting impact didn't really help that show.  But in his defense, this drama is one of his earlier dramas.  In terms of music, nothing striking so I gave it an okay.  I probably won't rewatch it.  Like I said it didn't really have any grabbing material.  It was like it was just telling a very simple story.  Everything was very predictable like I have mentioned.
I do agree with the person who told me it wasn't good.  I wouldn't say it is terrible but it just doesn't have that hook that keeps the audience entertained.  It does grab you a little on sympathy but not by much.  The creativity just wasn't there.  It's one of those movies/dramas where you watch it, think it's okay and leave it at that.

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Completed
My Sister, My Love
0 people found this review helpful
Feb 4, 2018
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
I just finished the movie.  I personally like movie topics that are in the taboo nature because it is interesting to see how the point of views can be played around.
If you can't stomach taboo topics and in particular, incest...DON'T WATCH THIS! It will save you from complaining or dropping mid way.  There is intimacy between the siblings like in any relationship that is shown in movies to develop their relationship so be forewarned.  The story in the movie has a lot of plot holes in my opinion. They didn't really explain things well or complete enough.  This movie, objectively speaking, wasn't produced very well. The cast was definitely in the so-so range in my opinion so that didn't really help. The fact is, I watched the anime OVA first so I knew what I was getting myself into.  (FYI, this is based off a manga...10 volumes) And, in comparison to the OVA, I felt like the movie did better than the OVA in portraying the manga but it still left holes in places I wish it was filled in. The movie shows the emotional struggle that the siblings do have from beginning to end.  I agree with another reviewer that mentioned that this really isn't a romantic movie.  It shows that the romance exists but it more so focuses on the struggle of acceptance of what relationship can the two of them have...an adventurous path that most don't tread on.
Don't really have much to say about music.  Rewatching value...well, let's just say this won't be the first thing that pops up in my head.  It is one of those movies that you will remember just because of the taboo topic. Acting really isn't all that great.  
But, I do think it isn't that bad.  Food for thought...I think this type of relationship can actually happen. I mean twins are a strong bond.  And, in Asian countries, family are really close.  Too be so close to run into a foreign emotion to a family member may be possible, especially in twins...plus the fact that they are teens with hormones raging and other factors that are shown in the movie.  There are definitely forces playing for it to happen.  

The portrayal of emotional confusion, struggles and acceptance of a decision between the characters are the three memorable and noticeable things that makes the movie not so much so, a terrible movie to me.

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Completed
Lady Flower Fist
0 people found this review helpful
Jan 31, 2018
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
First, I'm writing this review immediately after I finished rewatching this show so it is still fresh in my mind.  I remember the first time I was watching it was maybe a rerun when I was still in grade school and I loved it.  This is the second time I've seen it, and nevertheless, I still loved it with very few complaints.  Nostalgia really kicked in while I was watching this show.  

It's in a historical setting, about this countryside girl, Miu Chui Fa, who comes to the city with her rowdy but down to earth attitude and gets into trouble right off the bat.  She gets into more and more trouble and end up having to fake marry one of the wealthiest men in town, Fong Dak, and more drama occurs because she doesn't like the marriage idea and is less than cooperating since she also dislikes Fong Dak.  I don't want to spoil to much.
Overall, it is a fun story, and I do believe that the cast did help it along.  Near the ending though, there wasn't really much to support the events that were happening.  I would have preferred a more in-depth descriptor on the situation that was going on.  It could have been developed better.  Go in deeper about motivations and intentions...it could have had more to make you get the feels, but sadly, it was too short and the script didn't really do well near the ending in my opinion. And, maybe a better ending with a bit more details to round things out more would have been better.  This is definitely one of those shows with an ending that came too quick and there wasn't enough fluff to make you like the 'the end' part.  And, if you are looking for a romance, there really isn't much of it at all.  I would say that there are probably 3 episodes that show any act of romance between the main characters and that's it, plus it's way far, near the end for any of this to occur.  The entire show really revolves around Miu Chui Fa and her getting into a bunch of trouble.
The cast was great. Kwan Esther is one of my favorite actors from way back when so I might be a little biased.  Their over the top acting really is the highlight of the show.  It really isn't very funny but the little smart aleck jokes and pranks here and there are great.  The story line is really typical for one of TVB's classic dramas from the early 00's era.  A light-hearted drama.  Not the really heavy drama with complex love-hate relationship stuff that are popular nowadays.  It doesn't speak in very elaborate historical ways.  Easy to understand Cantonese was used.  
I would recommend it.  I wouldn't say it's great but it's a nice show to pass the time, light-hearted and fun.

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Ongoing 67/67
Princess Agents
0 people found this review helpful
Feb 8, 2018
67 of 67 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
I saw this drama on a few recommendations and lists so I thought to give it a try, plus I was following some of Lin Gen Xin 's reality shows and become a fan so...here I am reviewing this drama after I just finished it.
My basic rating...first off, the story was good. I did like it. I am usually not a huge fan of these major internal relationship struggles type shows but the story was good enough that I didn't think it was bothersome.  Apparently, it is based on a novel series so if I ever find the audiobooks I might give it a try but the audio language may be too hard for me to understand, sadly. Secondly, the cast was great. I have watched some other dramas that some of these actors have main roles in so I knew they were good, just didn't know whether their chemistry in their acting would mesh with their roles.  Sadly, I saw an article that a second season was announced to finish off the rest of the series, but the original cast might not be in it or at least the MCs will change actors. Changing actors half way is such an annoying thing, especially when the actors received so much positive feedback for their roles. But, you never know the situation might change...crossing my fingers, I find some announcement that disproves what news I've seen so far about the second season.  Third, music...besides from the OP, I loved the in-show soundtrack and GEM's ED.  I love GEM so when I heard the ED, I immediately fell in love with the song.  Lastly, rewatch value...I would love to rewatch it, to find any quirks after I listen to the audiobooks if I find them. There are always different presentation quirks between medias. Personally, I rarely rewatch long seasons, anything over 30ish is too long for me to stay focus while rewatching.  
I would definitely recommend this drama.  But, I do have my complaints.  I feel like the romance wasn't developed really well through the script.  It is either my Chinese language skills that hindered my understanding or they just didn't really move the romance.  The CPs had their moments but...It feels like you caught a fish but you can't reel it in and you're tugging back and forth.  Then again, this season was apparently only one and half books in the series so it might just be that we're not there yet which is why they presented it this way.  Secondly, the story didn't get good until the latter end of the drama in my opinion.  It was good but still boring enough where I would want to fast forward in episodes in the middle so...there's that.  Lastly, the ending is crap.  They literally made the ending to foreshadow the second season which to me is advertising to keep the audience. But, then again, by the end of this season, everything is pretty much wrapped up, but the ending just leaves me feeling empty.  I don't know. You'll have to watch it to understand what I mean.  I'm kinda picky when it comes to endings.

Overall, I recommend this drama.  It is the typical relationship struggles for power in politics, family, and love in a historical setting in palace politics and martial arts but the story is good enough to make you feel for each of the characters in the drama. You will feel for the protagonists and want to help kill the antagonists.  WATCH IT  ; )

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