A MUST-WATCH, SLOW-BURN ROMANCE DRAMA!! <3 SO GOOD I PAID FOR TENCENT VIP!!
SO...I am currently watching part 2 of this drama and all I have to say so far is that this drama is AMAZING and you must give it a try! It's been a long time since I've watched a drama this good.The last drama I had watched of Wu Lei or Zhao Lusi's was 2021's 'The Long Ballad'. Although I loved that drama (and both WL and ZLS played their characters very well!), to be honest, I was not planning to watch this drama. That was until I saw the trailer. The trailer was incredibly funny, WL was so so handsome, and the drama gave me the sense that there would be a great plot. Well, I was correct on all three things! While some viewers complained that the first 4 episodes were boring, I personally LOVED them. They are so important to setting up the FL in the story so viewers understand her background.
A lot of viewers also complained that the romance is too slow. While I, like many others, love the romantic scenes, I would much rather have a drama that has a good plot and romance that feels authentic & realistic than a drama where the main leads fall in love quickly, then lots of annoying drama happens. Every time a romantic scene happens, I sit there squealing at my iPad. It's like being awarded a piece of candy, haha.
Like the headline says, yes, I did pay for VIP for this drama. I initially started watching this drama on YouTube, but I found the airing schedule to be too slow (they release one ep per day Tuesday-Saturday). This is the FIRST drama I have spent money on to watch episodes "ahead of time". Totally worth it, since now I can participate and read spoilers in the MDL discussion sections without actually spoiling myself too much.
Although there aren't too many OSTs in this drama, I think it actually makes the acting and emotional scenes even more impressive, since the actors cannot depend on the music to elevate the emotions. This just shows how amazing the acting is. As Cheng Shaoshang, I feel that ZLS has nailed her role perfectly. If you watch the BTS of this drama, ZLS's personality is so similar to CSS. It's almost like this role was made for her! WL has also done a great job as LBY. I'm so impressed by how expressive his eyes are, especially when he looks at CSS. You can literally *feel* his gaze softening...ugh, so cute <3 The supporting cast is SO AMAZING as well! I love the siblings, Qiqi, LBY's guards, the Emperor, Empress, Consort Yue, etc. etc. I am sure I'm forgetting the other wonderful characters!
Overall, I cannot overstate how much I am enjoying this drama so far. It has great cinematography, great acting, and a fantastic plot. Pacing is also great so far. I still have around 20 eps of this drama left, but by like ep 8 of this drama, I could already tell it was going to be one of my all-time favs. It is so amazing & I really hope you give this drama a try! You will not regret it :)
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This review may contain spoilers
Hands-down the best Chinese drama of 2022
As the headline says, yes, this is probably the best Chinese drama of 2022. Basically every part of this drama beginning to end was done flawlessly. You will laugh, cry, smile...EVERYTHING. The only bad thing this drama brought me is now that this drama is over I have very bad drama withdrawal. PLEASE DIRECTOR, RELEASE ADDITIONAL SCENES!!!!One word I have for this drama is *satisfying*. Of course, the cinematography, the music, the costumes, the acting, the characters, etc. etc. was done extremely well (see my pt 1 review). BUT, what makes this drama stand out is how well the plot is executed. Characters act in a way that makes sense. Bad characters//the revenge scenes will bring you A LOT of satisfaction. Everyone gets the ending they deserve (okay...maybe not Yuan Shanjian (**cue the sniffing**) I actually kinda liked him LOL). I know a lot of people were complaining about the ending & how there was no official wedding scene, but I felt the ending was still very well executed. I've watched dramas that were excellent all the way up till the ending, and then the directing team/scriptwriters totally dropped the ball. THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN IN LOVE LIKE THE GALAXY!!!! So for those of you who like to wait until dramas finish airing to begin them (dw, I totally relate), you can watch this drama in peace.
For those of you who wanted more romance, the second part of 'Love Like the Galaxy' definitely has wayyyyyyyyyyy more lovey-dovey scenes (but also lots of angst!!) than the first part. ALSO...Leo Wu Leo Wu Leo Wu <3333333 Literally love this man. I cannot imagine anyone else playing HBY/LBY. ALSO...Zhao Lusi Zhao Lusi Zhao Lusi she did absolutely AMAZING as Cheng Shaoshang. ZLS is actually such a versatile actress -- I am super excited to see her future projects. She's definitely an actress that will go far.
I'm actually so sad that this drama is over. It brought me some of my happiest moments in the last few months, and I am forever grateful to the 'Love Like the Galaxy' team for bringing the world such a wonderful drama. So, do yourself a favor and give this drama a try. I can promise that you will not regret it.
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HIGHLY SATISFYING, MUST-WATCH DRAMA!!
I first stumbled upon the trailers for 'Lighter and Princess' around a month or so before the drama's release, and I found the plot interesting, so I figured I would give it a watch when the drama started airing. What I found instead was one of the best dramas I've watched to date. The ending of the drama is SO SATISFYING, it is a 100% feel-good ending. Every person got what they deserved, it made sense, and it did not make me want to bang my head on my desk. So, if you want to watch a drama that is amazing from beginning to end, PLEASE WATCH THIS DRAMA!!!!What makes this drama unique is that it spans several years, following Zhu Yun and Li Xun from their university days all the way to their work days years later. I love dramas like this because we get to see character development. Also, shoutout to the costume crew in 1) having the characters dress in good outfits throughout the drama and 2) having the characters look different throughout the drama. Obviously Li Xun changed the most with all his hair changes (blonde to long brown to a buzz cut -- but they all literally looked so good?? like how??), but even Zhu Yun looked way older (in a good way) in her university days. This allowed me to immerse myself in the drama and actually feel like I was accompanying the characters during the ride.
Zhu Yun is literally the best character of this whole drama. She is absolutely beautiful inside and out, and her heart for others, especially Li Xun, is so amazing to see. She obviously has her flaws and realistic problems (i.e., with her parents), but she is a main character that everyone can stand with. She is not annoying in any way, THANK GOODNESS. All of her actions were logical.
I also loved the characters who worked at Feiyang. They were literally all so funny but it was so heartwarming to see them stand behind ZY and LX despite all the difficulties their animosity with L&P brought them.
The OSTs in this drama are also SUPER good, I am actually listening to them rn while writing this review!
I literally cannot recommend this drama more to anyone. At the very end all I thought about was how satisfying and CONSISTENT this drama was -- everyone made logical choices (except GJH but even his choices were consistent with his character) consistent with who they were. There were points where I cried, points where I laughed, and many points where I was like omgggg during the scenes with ZY and LX. So go do yourself a favor and watch this drama :)) I promise you will not regret it!!! <33
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MY FAVORITE DRAMA!! <33
OKAY...so I actually finished this drama in 2020 (right after it finished airing), and I realized I never wrote a review for my favorite drama e-vah!This drama is seriously so so so amazing. It's like the #1 drama I recommend to anyone -- that's how amazing it is.
The acting, music, plot...everything is perfection. You will LAUGH, like actually laugh, cry, smile, etc. etc. I don't think I've ever felt such a wide range of emotions in a single drama.
You also learn some life lessons, mainly the importance & value of family. I love how the drama explicitly states that we don't need to have a blood relationship to be considered family. In our hearts, if we value one another, we are family. So beautiful.
This drama's OST is probably one of my favorites (and I have watched a lot of dramas). I still listen to it (am currently listening to the opening OST while writing this review, HAHA) pretty often, even 2 years later!
The acting...WOW. First off, you could NOT tell Tan Songyun was 30 years old while this was airing. She pulls off acting 16-yr old Li JianJian so flawlessly, you wouldn't even know there was an age gap between the main leads. The fathers, mainly Li Ba's acting was so amazing. Song Weilong & Zhang Xincheng's acting was also so so amazing. I have seen reviews where people criticize Weilong's acting -- his aloofness is PART OF HIS CHARACTER, PEOPLE! This was my second drama with Zhang Xincheng (first was Skate into Love) & obviously, he pulled it off again. This drama made me see him as an actor in a new light. THE CHILD ACTORS OMG OMG OMG I DON'T THINK I'VE EVER SEEN SUCH A TALENTED GROUP OF CHILD ACTORS THEY WERE ALL SO AMAZING. I don't think people realize how important they are to the plot of the story -- they are quite literally the foundation, and it's because they did such a terrific job the rest of the drama was able to also be so perfect.
I could talk about how amazing this drama is for hours. If you're still reading this, WATCH IT!! YOU WILL NOT REGRET!! This is seriously one of the best dramas I have ever watched.
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Drama will have you smiling the whole time!!
Okay, so I started watching this drama right before/during finals week (big yikes, but finals went well, thankfully!). While I had watched the trailer a few weeks ago, I wasn't super interested. BUT, I decided to give this drama a chance when I literally had nothing else to watch, and I'M SO GLAD I DID!!The main couple is so so so cute, and I was happy to see a mature relationship between the two. If you want to see a drama where the main leads support and encourage each other, watch this drama!
I also love the OSTs, particularly the ending OST and the one by Wang Anyu. I will be listening to these songs on repeat (especially now that I'm suffering from drama withdrawal :(((( )
The only thing I wish the drama had done *slightly* better were the scenes with figure skating. As an avid fan of figure skating (both men and women's), I found myself critiquing the skating (particularly the angles it was filmed at) at times. It was also hard to not compare the men's skaters to current skaters like Nathan Chen (quad king!!) and Yuzuru Hanyu, both of whom are able to land multiple quads cleanly. You'll enjoy the drama a lot more if you can manage to not compare the drama's skaters to real-life skaters.
Overall, this drama was wonderful -- I found myself smiling almost the whole way through. I hope this drama gets more attention. PLEASE GIVE THIS DRAMA A CHANCE, YOU WON'T REGRET IT!! <33
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Realistic & mature relationship, a must-watch!!!
Okay so I'm going back and writing reviews for dramas I have already watched (only my all-time favs, ofc!). I completed this drama last year (after it aired in 2021) AND THIS DRAMA IS AMAZING. I feel like I somehow stumble on all the best dramas, haha. Was definitely such an amazing drama.My fav part of this drama was the relationship between Xing Kelei and Mi Ka. They had such a mature & cute relationships...WE LOVE TO SEE IT!! A couple that actually communicates with each other?! WOW, A CONCEPT! Seriously though, the HEALTHY relationship between the two was honestly so refreshing to see after seeing countless dramas where the main leads have so many dumb misunderstandings that could be cleared up if they - uh - just talked to each other :// It was so sweet to see how Xing Kelei and Mi Ka supported each other through thick & thin.
The OSTs are also SO GOOD. Definitely give them a listen!!
Overall, this drama was so wonderful. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to see a drama with a cute & HEALTHY relationship, solid supporting cast, great OSTs, great plot, etc. etc. GIVE IT A CHANCE!!! <333
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This review may contain spoilers
What would you do if you could go back in time & change your life...?
I stumbled upon this drama while browsing for a new drama to watch, and I do NOT regret it! While the first episode-ish got off to a bit of a slow start, the drama's plot soon picked up once Qian Wei's dream started.The drama becomes so entertaining, funny, and touching once the dream starts. It was so touching to see all the things little Lu Xun did for her over the years & how his love for her still persists...even 10 years later.
There were definitely moments I cried/got teary-eyed. And as some other reviewers said, all of the characters were well written. Even our protagonists are not perfect.
The music is pretty good; I really love Z. Tao's song <3 If you're thinking about watching this drama, I highly recommend! It's super sweet & entertaining!! <33
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YAY TO FLUFFY DRAMAS MAKING YOUR HEART HAPPY + HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS (!!!)
Title says it all! I'm a bit late to watching this drama, but after a year of a huge drama drought where it was hard to find anything genuinely worth watching from beginning to end, THIS WAS SUCH A BREATH OF FRESH AIR! I wish I could've recorded myself watching this drama because I smiled the entire time. It was that wholesome and good. <3This drama is from the POV of Su Zai Zai, our protagonist and FL. As many others have pointed out, the actress, Zhang Miao Yi, did a great job pulling off the cutesy-but-not-annoying-or-cringey character. It was the type of cute where you're like "if I was a guy, I would totally have a crush on her. She's so adorable." And OMG OUR RANG RANG <3333333 Honestly Zhou Yiran's dimples WERE SO CUTE BC EVERYTIME HE SMILED I WAS LIKE AHHHHHHHHHH SO CUTE!!! I absolutely LOVED how Zhang Lurang was not your typical cold, genius, super good at everything ML. He seemed like a real person, who despite seeming "cold" at first, is actually super warm and def a man that loves HARD. The relationship between SZZ and ZLR was so healthy to see, which I really think we need to see more of in C-dramas. The relationship between the second leads, Gu Ran and Jiang Jia was also absolutely endearing to see. As many others have pointed out, I would watch a drama based off of their relationship as well :) And Guan Fang + his relationship with his grandma was soooo sweet. I just lost my grandmother recently, so seeing how much grandma + grandson cared for each other meant a lot to me.
The first 19 or so episodes are about their high school life, from how the group of 5 met in 10th grade (LOL) to graduation in 12th grade. It then follows their life in university and beyond. If you look at some of the other dramas I've watched, I absolutely love dramas that follow the characters over a long period of time. I always love seeing how characters have changed, since we clearly aren't the same people from high school to college, much less from high school to our working life.
I only write reviews for SUPER SUPER GOOD DRAMAS, so please DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND WATCH THIS RIGHT NOW!!!!! Do it for the most endearing friendships, romantic relationships, DRAMA FREE PLOT, and heart + head-soothing story. Seriously. Do yourself a favor, stop scrolling on MDL, and go watch this drama. There's a reason it's rated so highly.
And to all my ladies out there, LOLOLOLOL I like how our standards have collectively been risen.
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