Beautiful: A well written/directed story of how China and Korea almost became one.

⇢⇢Review for episodes 1-30
The second male lead character (the crowned prince) is such a coward, and he remains one for more than half the drama! At first, I honestly didn't know whether or not it was an act of his, meaning if he intentionally acted like one to deceive the regent. Boy, I thought I disliked watching dramas with damsel in distress female lead characters, I think it's even worse seeing male lead characters that are damsels in distress.

Two things that this drama (screen writers & director) did extremely well, better than most dramas, was the pacing and the setting changes. Pacing & the settings of a drama are both super important because it can determine whether or not viewers stay interested or drop the drama. There's almost nothing worse than a super slow or super face paced story. I almost always drop dramas that are on either extremes. Also, when the setting has little to no variety, I tend to get bored with the characters. For example, if the setting of a 50 episode drama is only in one or two places (e.g. the same palace or the same room). With this drama, within the first 30 episodes, after every 10 episodes we are introduced to a new setting, and the setting is based upon the female lead character. This has helped me stay interested and excited about this drama. Even the pacing of the setting changes was well done. KUDOS! Most historical/period K-dramas are not 51 episodes, but rather 15-20 episodes. Respectfully, the pacing and setting changes in this drama should be an example to Chinese historical/period drama script writers and directors on how to go about producing their typical 50-70 episode drama (which I enjoy, but often end up dropping by episode 40).
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⇢⇢Review for episodes 31-52
By episode 32 I get restless in terms of pacing. I think what transpires between episodes 29-33 is not realistic. When you watch those specific episodes tell me if you can't help but to roll your eyes and sigh at the fact that the regent is basically allowed to do anything, and go anywhere. I also look at those episodes as filler episodes. At some point viewers don't want to wait 30+ episodes to see some justice served to the antagonist. By episode 35, it returns to its greatness again! I think what would have increased my rating is if this drama was split into two seasons. The first 35 episodes for season 1, and the remaining 16 episodes for season 2.

I forgot to mention that I love the fact that the female actress isn't ideal in Korea's (often toxic) beauty standards, although she is beautiful! Please cast more Korean women and men who are beautiful, although they don't fit into a standard of beauty that are ideal. Oh yeah, I've seen the male lead actor on many voting list for most attractive actor on MyDramaList.com. I didn't even realize that it was the same guy. His picture on MyDramaList should be removed because he's very handsome but the picture looks like a totally different person.

I really like the character Tal Tal because he's the most honest out of everyone. He's straight up, and what you see, is what you get. No corruption, no toxicity! At one point I thought he liked the female lead character, and at another point I thought he was the female lead character brother. I am not done with the drama yet, currently on episode 41, so I will know within the next 10 episodes. Btw, I forwarded over much of episodes 38-39 because it felt like the same on thing playing out, but just with a new empress.

Episode 43 is the first time in which I had sympathy for the second male lead, and was finally able to understand the reasons why he did everything he did before episode 43, although I still don't agree with his actions. He lived in fear his whole life, and he would literally have mental breakdowns at certain points. "A nervous breakdown (also called a mental breakdown) is a term that describes a period of extreme mental or emotional stress. The stress is so great that the person is unable to perform normal day-to-day activities." This explains his coward like behavior and his need for the female lead character. What she means to him is comfort, support, and safety, which are the things that he hadn't had because the regent was corrupt and his mother the queen dawger was power-control hungry. When I watched the middle/end of episode 43, I just thought to myself, mannnnn if you don't throw this little prince over the fence and go ahead with your life (lol...totally kidding). The 52-54 minute mark in that episode is not realistic. The little prince, ain't even the crown prince nor is he liked by the emperor; he doesn't hold that much power. I am just ready for the female lead character and male lead character to find out this twisted prince is their child...cause his attitude is horrible.

On episode 48 at the 42 minute mark, I nearly lost my cool. The second male lead is allowing the female lead character enemy to carry their son. The female lead character is a real one (meaning she has more strength to do what I'd never do or put up with). If I were the female lead character, I would have taken my son, and ran for the hills. The emperor thus far (mind you, there's only 3 episodes left) has pretty much been a total loser. He has crowned two empresses, although she saved his life numerous of times. He has excused (although, not allowed) his mom, and the two regents from trying to kill her and their son. As much as I have enjoyed this drama, I am ready for it to end because the disrespect is real!

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Unbiased review... [It gets better starting with episode 8]

Typically the people who like Chinese romcoms, like a lot of fluff, which btw, there's nothing wrong with that. I prefer romcoms with mature characters and realism (I think this drama maybe up my alley). I am not into Chinese romcoms but am open to watching them if the male and female leads have acted in Chinese historical/period dramas that I like. Before I get started with my review, it's important for me to mention that I rarely rate dramas a perfect 10, unless the drama has meaning behind the storyline, or it's well produced & written without loopholes in the script.
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‣ ‣ Review for episodes 1-8
To be honest, I was bored watching the first 4 minutes of the drama. I was waiting for something super exciting to happen because of the background music. The background music was giving me the movie Armageddon vibes. While I was waiting, I noticed how attractive the male lead is. Then I saw Dilraba Dilmurat, and let's be honest, she's the main reason why I am interested in watching this drama, but her face looked paper white (I don't like the whitening filter, it's weird). Within the first 10 minutes of the drama you can basically predict what will happen in the whole series. Towards the end of episode 1, I was pumped, excited, and ready for more (as if I were a gamer lol).

The pros thus far (for people like me, who do not like fluffy romcoms) is:
•That the female lead does not do aegyo/sājiāo, and her character isn't clueless (thus far, atleast).
•Besides aegyo/sājiāo, I almost always hate the overly dramatic slow motion side effects in dramas, and when the female lead is clumsy and falls on top of the male lead and then we are shown the slow mo of the fall, 5 times from 3 different angles. You will not be seeing that in this drama, thank goodness! Within the first 5 episodes, there's only two slow mo moments; one in episode 3 for like 3 seconds, and another in episode 4 (nothing too dramatic).
•Also, I love the fact that the female lead is totally upfront with the male lead in episode 3, which is shocking to see in Chinese romcoms.
•In the first episode the scriptwriter explains how to play the e-sport game, which is really cool. This is the second esports romcom that I've watched, so I am not sure whether or not that is common.
•I like the screen quality/resolution.
•Oh yeah, the supporting male actors (the gamers) are pretty handsome too.
•I like the female lead manager; the manager is not controlling (not toxic), and she works while her husband stays at home and takes care of the household (and he doesn't complain while doing so).
•Lastly, I can relate to this drama because I am in my early thirties and I also had a quarter-life crisis. I quit my high paying job in tech, and basically started all over again, intentionally choosing to make 50% less than what I was making in my 20's. Also, although I knew the following quote, quoted in episode 4 towards the end, is true, it wasn't until this year that it basically became my motto: "The most foolish fantasy is the misconception that you can change a person."

NOTE: I actually disagree with some of the reviewers about there not being chemistry between the leads. Those who like Chinese romcoms tend to want to see what they've always seen, which is the male lead falling in love with the female lead at first sight. For me, that is not believable, and those relationships tend not to last long in real life. This drama has two lead characters who are in their 30's, thus they are taking their time getting to no one another as 30 year olds tend to do. My con written below regarding the chemistry is about the pacing, and not the chemistry itself. I also disagree with some of the reviewers about the male lead acting (my review is unbiased, as I don't think I've ever watched another drama of his). The male lead character is a freaking engineer for goodness sake LOL. If you ever met or worked with an engineer, you would know the reason why his character is the way that it is. Engineers who are men, tend to only talk a lot when it pertains to their work, and they tend to be introverted (not all, but most). Additionally, the male lead is having a quarterlife crisis, and is going through a transition in his life, so just think about how you would be if you were in his shoes.

The cons thus far is:
•That the female lead character (not the actress Dilraba Dilmurat) has an eating disorder. Within the first 4 episodes her weight is mentioned at least 4 times, and she's a size US 0/1. [read more: https://greatist.com/health/disordered-eating#signs-and-symptoms]. I know that her character is an actress, but it's not okay for actresses and actors to have eating disorders so they can fit into a toxic beauty standard.
•Also, between episodes 2 and 3 I didn't really like the pacing, it moved too fast and left little time for character development. I want the chemistry between the female and male lead to be built in a way that we can understand why they like one another.
•Lastly, the female lead keeps calling the male lead a narcissist, and making light of it as if dating a narcissist is a good thing. The male lead character is not a narcissist, and trust me folks, you do not want to be in any kind of relationship with one [read about narcissistic personality disorder by visit the following link: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/narcissistic-personality-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20366662]

I am def. going to continue to watch, hopefully I will be able to keep watching it to the end (I tend to drop Chinese romcoms before episode 6). I will add an additional review below this line, after I've finished watching the episodes as they are released and subbed.
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‣ ‣ Review for episodes 9-13
•I really enjoyed episode 9, specifically the first 11 minutes because it highlights values within the Asian community that may need to be revised. I understand the need for filial piety, but I think filial piety without holding elders accountable is dangerous to one's mental health. Thus, I believe it is leading the younger Asian generation to commit suicide, because in addition to having the expectation of being totally loyal to their parents and grandparents, they have to compete in a ruthless society. The way that Asian elders lived back in the day (without technology, typically in homogenous societies, typically in patriarchal societies, etc), differs greatly from how Asian youth live nowadays. Unfortunately, in my community (I am not Asian), we have the same values but perhaps it's not as regulated. In my community, we are expected to take physical, verbal, and mental abuse from our parents and seniors just because they are older. That is dangerous because older people learn that they can abuse their power and authority without having to change, and the younger generation will be like the older generation once they become older.
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‣ ‣ Review for episodes 13-20

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‣ ‣ Review for episodes 21-32

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This is what happens when partners fail to communicate!

I cried a lot of happy tears when watching this drama. It's so interesting how this drama really got me emotional, but in a good way. This is the first drama that I've watched in which the female lead, male lead, and the antagonist male and female characters were not at fault for the tragedy that happened in the drama. Although, no one's actions were perfect, they were however, realistic based upon the situations that lead to such tragedy.

The male lead actor is so handsome, and I liked the way that he portrayed his character. However, his character is a tad bit toxic (btw, most humans are toxic, and most dramas have characters who are very toxic). Luckily, the male lead character is a little toxic and not a lot! The reason why he is toxic is because he is the MASTER OF SENDING MIXED SIGNALS. In 3 months, he told his wife 3 times that he wanted to be with her, and then he didn't. Granted, he had a justifiable reason to have mixed feelings, but what made him toxic was his communication style. Lying to his wife in order to save her from future hurt. While that may have seemed like an admirable thing to do, it only ended up hurting everyone in the process ... including the antagonist. If there was a song to describe the male lead character it would be 702's - Get it together [https://youtu.be/LdpQfyJFu9A]. LOL

The female lead, like the male actor is attractive (although they painted her to be decent looking and stupid) and she too had one toxic trait and it was justifying everyone's bad behavior. Being overly kind, sweet, and easy going may seem like a notable thing to do, but without holding people accountable for their actions, you will inevitably becoming a target of abuse (e.g. physical, mental, emotional, or verbal abuse). That is exactly what happens to the female lead, her husband was able to play with her emotions by telling her once per month that he wanted her, and then that he didn't want her. Out of all the dramas that I've watched in 2021, I resonate the most with her character. Although, I wasN'T as soft spoken as she is, I definitely justified everyone's bad behavior up until 2021. I didn't hold people accountable for their bad actions, especially the people closest to me. It eventually lead to people emotionally abusing me, because I had conditioned them to treat me as a punching bag, that will never hit back (metaphorically speaking).

The male antagonist is freaking amazing. Finally an antagonist who isn't toxic, forceful, or even arrogant. I am on episode 15, and I only have 5 more episodes remaining. From what I can tell, he isn't going to marry the female lead because she would be marrying him out of gratitude instead of out of love, and like female lead said, he deserves so much better than that.

Overall, this was a well written, well produced, well acted, romance comedy. I recommended watching it, and really thinking about the dilemma the male and female lead were in between episodes 1-13! The writer did a fantastic job, as the writing of this drama really allowed us to sympathize with each character, instead of hating some characters, and choosing sides.

Edited:
I am now watching episode 17, and at this point, it'll take a miracle for me to cheer for the female lead and male lead to get back together. There's no explaining, that can repair the emotional damage the male lead caused the female lead; not to the point where they fall in love again. I am hoping that in the remaining 3 episodes, it shows the female lead and male antagonist getting together and happy in bliss. I dropped this drama after watching the end of episode 17 because I do not want to see the female lead and male leading back together. His circumstances does not justify his poor communication. Episodes 17-20 sends the wrong message to women, and to men - that women will take anything, and that men should expect women to be there for them no matter what.... I'll pass! For goodness sakes, dramas will have people thinking that females love attractive toxic men, while hating the good guys who are caring and attractive.

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ALMOST A 10!

My review is long overdue!

This drama was FANTASTIC! It is one the best historical Korean dramas that I've watched. Although I loved the first actor who played On Dal, I liked In Woo too. The acting was phenomenal, on top of that, the female lead character is strong, the storyline was amazing, and there weren't any loopholes in the writing. You maybe wondering how come I didn't give this drama a 10? It's because the ending was rushed; specifically the last 4 episodes. I would have loved to see the transition of the prince becoming the king, and the previous king's death. Additionally, the last episode, while tear-jerking, it was missing something.

What makes a female lead character strong? Visit the link to find out... https://mydramalist.com/discussions/recommendation-forum/63911-what-makes-female-character-strong-in-your-mind?page=last&p=1870583#p1870583

Btw, I believe the reason for the low ratings have to do with the scandal of the original actor who played On Dal, which really shouldn't be a reason to hate the drama lol.

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Weird whitening glare filter

The only con of season 2 is the weird whitening glare filter. I know that most Chinese and Koreans love white skin, but it's not normal for people to bleach their skin at all, especially to the point they look paper white. Not even white people in America or Europe look paper white, so when I see Asians using filters or use bleaching products to whiten their skin, I find it very toxic. It sends a message to their fellow Asians, and other people of color, that white is beautiful, and dark is ugly.

As I mentioned in my review of season 1, "both the female lead and male lead characters had childhood trauma, specifically fear of abandonment. Thus, the male lead clinged to the female lead, thinking he loved her but really it was more out of fear. The female lead ended the relationship with the male lead, thinking she loved him, but again, it was out of fear. To be fair, most romcoms tend to have a toxic definition and understanding of what love really is. Note: the female lead and male lead were only together for 6 weeks...6 weeks! So, it shouldn't surprise anyone how she was able to move on from the relationship. What I find weird is how someone can still not be over someone 4 years after dating them, and they were only together for 6 weeks while in high school. " Now, season 2 is really showing us that the male lead (the rich one) is obsessed with the female lead (see episode 4), he doesn't love her. He is literally following her around in silence (creepy vibes).

The good of season 2:
•I love the way that the screenwriter wrote this story, meaning how it is told (from past to present, and present to past)
• I love the fact that this drama was only 6 episodes. Sometimes K & C-dramas have way too many episodes with way too many fillers, and that takes away from the storyline.
•If you watch this drama and understand the setting (high school age kids to young adults), you may like this drama too as it is a realistic feel good romantic drama. Again, when watching this drama, it's showing romance of high school age kids.
•Strong female lead character

What makes a female character strong?
A strong female lead character is not necessarily someone who knows how to fight physically, but is a female character that
1. Uses wisdom most of the time (not all the time) - A lot of the female damsel in distress characters lack wisdom. They act on impulse, and make decisions that almost always lead them to depend on the male lead or second male lead for the whole drama.
2. Does not allow the male leads to ruin her life, while she sit idly by for the sake of "love," that really isn't love -Dramas tend portray a false image of love when it comes to romance. Love is not a woman taking abuse (verbal, emotional, or physical abuse) in order to be with a man. Almost always in dramas we see that the female lead is deceived, manipulated, or intimidated into a situation by the hands of the male lead. What's the female lead response? They either stick with the male lead through heartbreak and pain, or get back together with the male lead eventually. We often see the male leads choosing their family, revenge, or their title over the female lead, and or we see the male leads leading the female lead on a romantic chase, metaphorically speaking. The female lead in dramas while angered, end up being okay with being the last priority on the male lead's priority list.
3. Is free to choose who she love, even if it's the second lead and not the first - For goodness sakes, dramas will have people thinking that females love attractive toxic men, while hating the good guys who are caring and attractive.

READ MY REVIEW TO PART 1 OF THIS DRAMA https://mydramalist.com/22126-love-alarm

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It had the potential to be a 10 out of 10, but...

I rate the first 39 episodes a 10/10, episodes 40-48 a 8.5/10, and episodes 49-58 a 7.5/10! I am not yet done watching all 70 episodes. I hope episodes 59-70 are better than 40-58.

I'm back, and episodes 59-70 are much better than the previous episodes. However, after episode 58, I dislike the female lead character. To understand the reason why, continue reading this review. BTW, I give episodes 59-70 a rating of 9/10. The beginning and end of this drama was very good, but the middle had a lot of bad writing. Thus, overall, I rate this drama a 9/10.

This drama is fantastic; the sets are beautiful, and is well produced. However, there are flaws in the writing. It had the potential to be a 10 out of 10 but the female lead character (not the actress, but the character) is not consistent. Yes, in real life we respond to situations differently, but even within the way that we respond to situations there will be a level of consistency. For example, the female lead is known to be brave and daring, but repeatedly said that her life is valuable to her. In episode 47, she drinks from a cup that is contaminated with the plague just because Prince of Chu is contaminated. Love shouldn't make you stupid, but wise. The intent behind the character doing this was to show how she wanted to help the doctor find a cure for Prince of Chu because he was really sick. However, the writers could have written a better storyline & solution. Perhaps, it would have been better for both of them to get sick at the same time, and the writers could have used 3 episodes to highlight the romance between the two while both leads presumed they would be dying, so they finally decide to open up to one another. Around episode 47 is when I start to lose interest in this drama. For me it's very hard to watch a 70 episode drama and not lose interest before episode 50. The romance between the female and male lead finally is shown after episode 40, but there isn't a conversation or moment that makes it make sense to us. Out of the blue, they begin to be touchy-feely. Yes, we know that they had feelings for one another but both characters swept it under the rug; both characters spent 39 episodes liking one another but not showing it, and then boom, the next episode they are touchy feely, and we're supposed to buy into the romance? We needed a better transition.

All the actors did a great job, but the male lead acted his butt off (meaning he did extremely well). In terms of favorite character, I love his character the most. The least favorite character was the female lead younger brother, who acted like he was 12. I believe the writers could have changed his character to be a strong character who act impulsive, as opposed to someone who acts like he is 12, and is totally clueless. It could have been an opportunity to use this character for a stronger storyline. The female and male lead actors are very attractive btw. I really like the fact that both leads look like adults, and not like they are in middle/high school.

I am not sure if I am going to drop this drama or keep watching it, but I am curious to know how it will end.

Edited after the review above:
I am glad that someone commented on my review and encouraged me to continue to watch it. I am on episode 70, and the storyline gets a lot better after episode 48, but then between episodes 57-59 it takes another turn in the wrong direction. The female lead is so shameless, as she disrespects King Helian, the same king who was willing to take her in, in order to save her life. We get that you love the Prince of Chu but like dang, why be ruthless to King Helian who is willing to accept you as you are (in love with someone else). The script writer should have written this better because now I am starting to like the female lead character less and less. Especially because of her selfishness in episode 66 (30 minute-35 minute mark). How can anyone like her character anymore? So she used a king ( King Helian) to protect her and the people around her, but then she kept going back and forth to the one that she really love, not caring at all about how she involved another person into her drama. If the female lead really had integrity, she should have offered to be killed, rather than to hurt someone else, in order to save herself and try to pursue love with the person she really love. This goes back to what I said at the beginning of this review... "It had the potential to be a 10 out of 10 but the female lead character (not the actress, but the character) is not consistent. " The ending made up for the middle! I am glad that this drama ended the way that it did. The new emperor basically becomes like his father, the old emperor... Realistically, there's no way that the female lead would have wanted to be the new emperor's, empress, with everything that happened between her family and his family. I would never want to marry someone whose immediate family killed my mother, and brothers. It wouldn't have been the same romance and love as it was in the beginning because too much happened for it to go back there.

BTW, one of the directors is an actor who plays the female lead older brother (Liu Hai Bo).

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The first 7 episode are excellent!

The first 7 episodes are excellent, but then everything becomes repetitive. Unfortunately,
toxic push and pull relationships are normal in real life, but unlike in real life, viewers don't want the relationship between the leads in this drama to be push and pull for most of the drama. I'm halfway through and I'm considering lowering my rating from a 9.5 to a 9. Outside of the on going push and pull relationship between the male and female lead characters, everything else is pretty great. I usually don't like male lead characters like the male lead in this drama, but the actor did so well, that I am enjoying his character.

I hope the storyline for episodes 9-16 will change a tad bit, we need a little variation.

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So cheesy, that the toxic tropes didn't bother me as much as usual.

I actually enjoyed this drama. I laughed, I smiled, I smirked, and it didn't require me to think too much. What you see, is what you get! This is the type of drama that you want to watch before or after watching a long historical/period drama or thriller. This drama is full of tropes, but it was done so well, that even the toxic tropes didn't bother me too much, like the male lead pulling the female lead character hands to direct her, or yelling at the female lead because he likes her but just too arrogant to say so, etc.

I will say that Sung Hoon overacted in most of his scenes. I don't know if he wanted his character to be overly dramatic or if it was his acting but I def. think it was his acting. He's such a great actor; I've seen other dramas of his, but for some reason in this drama he did way tooooooooo much.

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So are we just pretending that this drama sucks? What's with the low ratings?

I believe this drama is underrated on MyDramaList.com!

I am currently on episode 5, and I am wondering if it is it just me or the male lead character isn't in the wrong, but everyone else is? The only thing the male lead character has been doing for the last 5 episodes is holding people accountable for their actions. I used to be the exact opposite of him, as I'd empathize with people to the point where I didn't hold them accountable, and it did nothing but aid them to continue to be the horrible people they already were. Accountability and integrity doesn't always feel good at the moment, but it does yield long term beneficial results. I don't know whether or not the script writer wanted to make the male lead character seem like a bad guy by having the supporting characters call him aloof and cold, but the supporting characters were the bad ones (e.g. one stole from his wallet, one wanted to live off of his dad and be a spoiled rich party girl, one tried to rape the girl he liked, another tried to ruin his relationship because she wanted to be with him). The only con that I have for the male lead character's personality is the fact that the eye for eye, tooth for tooth methodology is not always the best route, even if he's justified in his actions, which he was. Oh yeah, the female lead character believed everyone but the person she was in a relationship with. She's another person that basically did the male lead wrong. I wouldn't want to be in a relationship with someone like her, who would trust a random stranger (e.g. the second male lead) over the person she agreed to date. Ehhhhhhhh

BTW, they both disliked one another in the first 2 episodes. They both made assumptions about one another and as you watch the first 6 episodes things are cleared up and they both agree to start a new but the female lead keeps remembering the past and doesn't actually start a new.

By episode 7, I just get annoyed with the female lead character behavior. Her boyfriend literally went out his way to find the guy who tried to assault her, and she's upset with him because he's defending him and her (she has a flashback about what her boyfriend ex-friend whom she did not know at the time, told her)....If a guy snuck into my room to rape me or assault me, I would want my boyfriend/husband to beat him up and hold him hostage until the police get there. I don't get why she would have this much compassion for a serial-harasser. The best thing she could do is to allow him to get locked up, so he can get treatment for any mental illness he may have. While this drama is good, I think I am going to drop it because it's a repetition of stupidity from the female lead character.

I am on episode 8! IF YOU WANT TO SEE A TOXIC FEMALE LEAD CHARACTER, WATCH THIS DRAMA! This is a prime example of how "innocent looking people, or people who say they are well intended (like the female lead)," are able to justify their bad behavior by playing the victim, against someone who is outspoken and not as innocent looking (like the male lead). Also, you start to understand that the second male lead plays the victim a lot too. He blames the male lead for career failure.The reason why he didn't play the piano for 5 years, is largely due to him. All of sudden, we see him playing the piano. Everyone mentioned how poor the second male lead attitude was and is. Who in real life would want to deal with someone (with unresolved childhood traumas) that refuse to grow up?

Okay, so I decided to drop this drama after episode 9 because it's the same story of the female lead not trusting the male lead, while doing shady things to him. Like believing everyone else, hanging around his friendenemy although he told her that he didn't feel comfortable with that. She's horrible, and I hope the male lead character finds someone who will love him for him, and who is mature and knows how to communicate.

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The true definition of a romcom (romantic comedy)

The male lead character and his colleagues really carried this drama, meaning they made it what it was. Throughout the drama I had a lot of moments in which I disliked the female lead character (the character, not the actress). Her character does a lot of aegyo, which most of the time I found annoying. The only reason that I did not absolutely hate her character is because her character was consistent, meaning she was the same from the beginning to the end. Additionally, her character doing aegyo made sense, as she had never dated anyone, and pretty much lacked real life experience outside of acting. The male lead colleagues really brought the comedy to the drama. The only con is the female lead character; I honestly wish that she wasn't so needy. The male lead character is the reason why I didn't drop this drama. Btw, I found out about this drama on a MyDramaList forum [https://mydramalist.com/list/LAlGlYA1]

TIP: Do not binge watch this drama or you may end up dropping it before episode 6. I watched it 4 episodes at a time (e.g. episodes 1-4 (then I took a 3 day break), episodes 5-9(then I took a 3 day break))

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A slow paced, well developed period drama with romance and betrayal within an aristocratic family.

I watched this drama a couple of months ago, and I fell in love with the way that the story was told. I will admit that I didn't think this drama would be good after watching the first episode, but I was wrong! This drama reminds me a lot of the drama The Story of Ming Lan. The only con to this drama, and most Chinese period dramas is the fact that the amount of episodes are more than required. After the male and female lead finally felt secure in their marriage, I lost interest, only because it took almost 30 episodes to get there, and I felt like it could have just ended there. Maybe one day I will pick this drama back up but right now in my mind, this drama is worthy of a 9 for the first 30 episodes.

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A funny, relaxed, and feel good sitcom!

FYI:
This is more of a sitcom than a drama which is why the reviews aren't higher. I believe in Asia, people are accustomed to dramas more than sitcoms which are popular in western countries. Sitcoms don't involve plot twist, super dramatic characters, etc, but rather humor and day to day problems that most humans face in established countries.

Pros:
•The diversity of the cast.
•Finally, Korean entertainment that doesn't misrepresent black people as thugs and gangsters.
•As an American, this drama reminds me of American sitcoms which I love!
•The rap song and video in episode 3 didn't appropriate anyone's culture, which is a good thing. However, there wasn't a need for it. I didn't get how it tied in, at that moment lol.

Cons:
•The studio audience claps and laughs are not placed after a joke is made but before. Basically, it's inserted before the joke is made and thus, you're left there confused until you realize it's an editing error lol.
•The male lead who is pretending to be Korean American lost too much weight for this drama (I am assuming it is the reason for the weight loss). He was in a drama tilted Be My Boyfriend, and he looked healthy in that drama. However, in this drama, it looks like he's skipping meals to fit into South Korea's toxic beauty standards. Skipping meals in order to lose weight is not healthy for the mind nor body.
•This is not a con per say but I rated the music 6.5 out of 10 because it didn't really have a soundtrack, as it's more of a sitcom.

Btw, not all Americans are not accustomed to working hard, as this drama portrays. I am not offended that it was portrayed this way but it's important to clarify that work life balance is pretty much non-existent in certain states and while working for certain organizations. Don't move to America thinking success will be easy, and you won't have to work hard lol.

Overall, this sitcom is pretty good. There were moment that I definitely laughed. It's a good sitcom to binge watch in a day.

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For once the ratings are accurate! Believe the hype!

Okay, my headline is a bit far fetched, as I am sure there have been accurate ratings before. However, for some reason I find that most Chinese romcoms are overrated on MyDramaList, and most Chinese historical/period dramas are underrated on MyDramaList. This drama is rated accurately (averaging a 8.5-9.5), and it's a great thing! When it comes to Chinese historical/period dramas I like to give my review 10 episodes at a time, because they tend to be 40+ episodes long, and I don't want to forget my thoughts about the drama when I finally reach to the last episode.

Review for episodes 1-11
•What I did not enjoy between episodes 1-10 is how the female lead character(not the actress) treated the crowned prince. Not only is it unrealistic, it also didn't make her character seem as sweet as this drama portrays her to be. I get that she had no choice but to be engaged to him, as he had no choice to be engaged with her but she was really cold to him as soon as the engagement was canceled. If the roles were reversed, we would hate the crown prince for doing that to the female lead character. She didn't even take the time to understand who he was as a person, and all that he suffered. She could have at least offered to be his friend.
•I also did not enjoy the female lead character (not the actress) communication in these episodes. Granted for the first 4 episodes she was a mute, but even afterwards (years has passed away), she still look to her "master," to respond for her when someone ask her a question. I just kept thinking, here we go again. Girl, you ain't 10... just answer the question lol.

Besides these two cons, I liked everything else. The pacing is fantastic, the storyline is very intriguing, and the love interest and development of romantic relationships is sweet.
_______________________________________
Review for episodes 12-24
•COMING SOON

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It was going great, until episode 7!

The first 6 episodes are fantastic, but it becomes really toxic on episode 7. In episode 7, the female lead, father is verbally and physically abusive. No matter how angry we are with someone, physical abuse is not the solution unless we are defending ourselves from an attacker. Additionally, the female coach, punish the female lead (who btw, is a college sophomore) with a broom stick because she arrived late to exercise. Instead of disciplining a grown woman with abuse, why not just suspend her from the team? I dislike the fact that episode 7 normalize physical abuse.

I really really really enjoyed the first 6 episodes of this drama, up until episode 7, which is toxic (it sends the message that physical abuse is discipline and thus, it's okay). I will update my review once I finish watching the rest of the episode.

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Finally, real chemistry & intimacy among the lead characters

I really enjoyed Legend of Fu Yao, minus the mystical part. The reason why this drama did not get a 10, is because I am not into magic and mystical dramas. The male lead actor, Ethan is fine! I think he is the most attractive male actor in Asia. Legend of Fu Yao was the first C-drama that I watched, in which the characters had authentic intimacy and chemistry on screen. The second drama is Princess Agent. I also like the fact that both of those dramas, have actors who look older than 21.

I am American, and I am really turned off by the overlysexualized romantic scenes in American movies and dramas. However, with most C-dramas and K-dramas, sometimes it seems like there is no romance and that kind of bores me when I watch dramas. I think Legend of Fu Yao, did a perfect job of showing intimacy and chemistry, without being overlysexual. I also think it could have ended around episode 40 (after they win the first major battle), it would have been perfect. I tend to stop watching dramas when they are dragged out unnecessarily, by having two major conclusions. That is one on the reasons why I stopped watching Rebel Princess; it had two major conclusions.

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