This was a beautiful production, The set and costumes were beautifully done as were the exteriors. I was intrigued by Mulan hunting grounds for Emperor Qianlong's annual autumn hunt. Second came the acting of Zhou Xun, our ML who plays, Ruyi, Emperor Qianlong's Empress. I loved her internal turmoil and how she kept everything inside, always composed and guarded. She cried very few times in this series and when she did, it was moving. I do wish they had cast younger actors for the MLs as teenagers. Ms Zhou is in her 40s and playing a 15 year old Ruyi at the beginning of the series was an unconvincing stretch. Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed with Wallace Quo's performance as they suspicious and distrustful Emperor. He portrays all the decadence and entitlement of an overly pampered and self centered individual, yet he is depthless and uninteresting.

The storyline was tedious and repetitive, going from one evil deed among the concubines to the next. At first you do feel for the young lovers but as the years wear on and each one is changed by the experiences and circumstances of their lives, the great love they have for one another is put to the test. No one wants to watch a series about the reality of a long marriage. Everyone wants the MLs to live happily ever after. Alas, the final episodes are so tragic and hard to watch that you wonder why you spent so much time on a couple that would hurt each other more often than they claimed to be devoted.

I felt dissatisfied with the drama but pleased with the aesthetic beauty of the production, some great performances by our ML, and most of the supporting cast. It was so sad, however, that I can never bring myself to rewatch this title. I was left sad and disgusted by the cruelty and ruthlessness of Emperor Qianlong.

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Heavy on the palace intrigue. Lighter on the romance.

I will watch anything Zhang Ling He is in because he is devastatingly handsome and a wonderful actor to boot! In this he did not disappoint. The premise of this drama seemed interesting--having a second chance at correcting life's failures. But when the plot slowed and gave more air time to secondary characters and not enough on the main leads, I felt disappointed. The acting was very good in this. Jiao Jin Mai (Amidst a Snowstorm of Love) plays the imperious, self-absorbed princess to a Tee and the best part was watching her character grow and becoming adept at balancing personal life with palace intrigue.

The same can be said for the ML. He wanted to be a better version of himself and sought to win his lady's hand. Unfortunately, he isn't given a whole lot to do, so the relationship, at times, feels unbalanced. Watching these two fight and make up, push each other away and finally find a way to make their relationship work, while dealing with people wanting to destroy them, was a job. The rushed ending and loose ends left unexplained was disappointing.

The costumes, acting, and sets were beautiful and I loved the OST. Those were the strongest parts of the drama, but the writing was weak and I felt the performers deserved better.

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Prepare to have your heart mangled!

Here is a reverse harem romance that is very well written and acted. It's also a costume drama which is right up my alley, so if you like romantic period pieces, then this is for you. What stands out in this drama, aside from the devastatingly beautiful performers, is their magnificent acting skills. There was not a bad actor in this bunch. Everyone seemed to have their character study down pat and each one made you care so deeply for them. There was no one to hate in this drama and I liked that. This was all about the drama around the main leads--and there are many. Each one brings a special gift to this series, each is different, but all are deeply in love with the female lead and wish to win her heart.

What left me so impressed with this show was how well directed, written and produced it was. This was the whole package. I appreciated the twists and turns that kept me glued to the TV, and the comedic elements that provided a little relief from the tragic moments that made me weep. Thank goodness that they had solid material to work from, as it seems to have made a good basis for the well-written screen adaptation. Add some excellent direction, gorgeous and talented actors, and you have a gem on your hands. Each character had several layers to them which was slowly peeled back, letting you see the beauty and strength within each character. Some of the supporting cast even had character growth and became much more enjoyable to watch. The sets were breathtaking. CGI just keeps getting better and better.

The ending was both happy and sad because, obviously, one will win the girl while the other one loses, and that loss is devastating for those of us who had our favorites. The most beautiful part of all this is how well our main lead was loved--how lucky she was to have the love of three wonderful men, who were, each of them, a glorious catch. The way they looked at her took my breath away. Bravo, to the cast for such wonderful performances, for the gift of their talents and for taking us on such an unforgettable journey. I highly recommend this for romance lovers.

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Great performances from ensemble cast, but beware the violence...

Although the acting and writing is good, I can't rate it any higher than a 7 because the series is not yet finished, requiring a second season to explain its cannon. I almost dropped it because the violence was so over-the-top in the first episode. Human beings are fragile and the way people get knocked around in this show, and still manage not to lose consciousness, is a bit hard to swallow.

This dystopian series depicts life in South Korea after a cult exploits a supernatural force terrorizing the citizenry to exert it's own power, setting up an authoritarian society where people are judged and their grisly ends televised to keep them in control. The stellar performance by Yoo Ah In as the New Truth leader pulls you right in with his charm and unassuming manner, ready to be of service but hiding a duplicitous persona with a dark agenda. There are also screen worthy performances by the ensemble cast and the camera shots were very good in pulling the viewer into the action.

For a limited series, you get a lot of action packed into these one-hour episodes, but they are extremely violent so if that isn't your cup of tea, please be warned. So far, there is no explanation surrounding this supernatural force and none of the leads have yet asked the 20,000 dollar question: who are they and what do they want? Perhaps these questions will be answered in the next season. I like the storyline, so I will be watching season 2 to see where this all goes. The twist at the end can either make or break this series, so I will have to keep watching to see where it takes me.

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Great for bingeing or a la carte

I really liked this anthology of Taiwanese love stories between people from different walks of life. They were funny, sad, quirky, sweet, and thought provoking. What ties them together are well crafted transitions intertwined into the plot that could be anywhere from brief cameo appearances of a character, to a whole new plot surrounding the previous supporting cast in the next. The series then makes a full circle back to the situations of the first episode to tie all the episodes together. Some episodes are stronger than others, but they all deliver in the messages of love and connection during the Covid-19 pandemic as the driving force in the plot.

From dating reality show drama, to cheating, to finding love in the most unexpected places, to navigating societal constraints, this anthology has it all. These 50 minute episodes tug at your heartstrings, making you wish you had more backstory, but what you are given is just enough to make it worthwhile.

I would love a season 2 to this. It was original and creative. I love it when writers don't fall on clichéd tropes to make a good drama. This was a diamond in the rough.

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High School Manga Tropes in Hospital Setting

This show was a little too syrupy for my taste. I really thought I was watching a high school manga made into a TV series. The way Sakura was portrayed reminded me of every romance manga I ever read as a youngster. The character cliches were rampant in this --the silly, love-sick girl goes after the unreachable, iceberg guy, the bumbling supporting characters who befriend the main leads, as well as the benign jealous ex, competing for the ML's attention. I have seen this so many times over and over, and over again. The only disturbing difference is that here the high school drama is taking place in a hospital setting among grown men and women.

Our FL is the sweet girl cliche. She looks like a high school kid, acts like a high school kid, and when she acts extra goofy, reminds me of a deranged Easter bunny. She even has two extra long front teeth to boot! You can't help but love her and she tries really hard to make it so! Sakura is skillfully played by Mone Kamishiraishi.

Sakura meets Dr. Tendo in a street as a school girl and is so taken with him, that she decides right then and there to meet him again someday. This sets the course of her career path. It's kind of stalkerish behavior, but no one thinks it's weird and even encourage her to keep going after her childhood crush.

The only person not thrilled about this is Dr Tendo himself, played by the handsome Takeru Satoh, and our iceberg ML cliche. He doesn't have time for her nonsense and warns her off from the get-go. Here's the thing: there is no chemistry between these two. Never do I get the sense that Tendo even likes Sakura. I never believed in the romance between them for a moment because our ML doesn't have any internal monologue. He is a monotone, boring, wet blanket. Now, one might say that this is the point because Sakura is supposed to bring him out of his shell, but I never really see this happen until the last episode. It should be a subtle progression but he is so annoyed by her, nicknaming her "dimwit", that I asked myself why she even bothers. There were times when Takeru looked so bored, and annoyed, and like he hated every minute playing this role. I can't say I blame him. I would have enjoyed the drama as more a natural progression between grownups than the juvenile drama they actually went with. I think Takeru Satoh is miscast in this. He looks too serious and grown up to be doing these juvenile roles. At age 30, it's too much of a stretch.

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Recommended if you liked Hidden Love

Just finished this today and I give it a solid 7 stars. I liked this despite some flaws. The strongest part of this drama was the relationship between these two young lovers, played exceptionally well by Wu Lei and Zhao Jin Mai, while its weakest was in the elements of production.

Both leads were well-cast in this romantic drama and my biggest delight was watching them playfully enjoying each other's company and slowly letting each other in. Our FL is at first suspicious of our ML since she is inexperienced and away from home. Our ML is living and studying abroad having left behind a troubled past. He is living a relatively uncomplicated life, but the appearance of this pretty young lady makes him realize how much he is really missing. We are drawn into their relationship and are made to feel a part of it---every glance, every smile, every intimate moment. I basked in this youthful love, reminded of my own relationship with my husband when we first started dating.

Centered around this love story is the sport of billiards. Both are young athletes who are competing in billiards tournaments and although somewhat interesting, (I had no idea there were so many different types of billiard games---Snooker, 6 ball, 9 ball, etc.), it often detracted from the main focus of these two lovers. Many gorgeous people abounded in the cast and the talent was underused. I think a more compelling story would have been to give some of these young people more to do than just stand there and look beautiful. One example was Dai Si. The plot seemed to be going towards a possible triangle, but instead underused her in the name of not creating conflicts. In fact, the only conflict in this drama is within our ML and his troubled past. There is very little in the way of outer forces working against them which makes for a very benign plot.

The last few episodes were weakest because they dealt more with a national billiards competition that took away much of the focus of the two young lovers, but gave the ensemble cast more screen time. I think the goal was to produce a youthful, romantic drama for a younger audience with as little conflict as possible. The lessons/message being: love your person, love your sport, love your country.

I also appreciated the on location filming in Finland and getting to see some of the snowy sites. The extras were great and it gave our main leads an opportunity to practice their English.

OST was great. Perfect mix of youthful tunes with just a touch of edgy songs for the billiards competitions. The piano score played during the couple moments was my favorite. I have already added it to my Spotify playlist.

I recommend this title for those who want something similar to Hidden Love.

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No depth

Without knowing anything on the real history of the princess, this fictional account left me unsatisfied. I feel like there wasn't much going on here. The princess is sent to Japan as a hostage, but it only touches the surface of her situation in Japan. There isn't much character development and I'm left with a sad story with no real depth.

The acting was good. I felt for the princess who tried so hard to be a beacon of hope for her people, but was thwarted by the enemy. Our main leads were both invested in their roles and their performances were noteworthy. Unfortunately, the storyline wasn't very riveting, so there is only so much they can do with the script. I felt like some of the talent was wasted and underused in this film. Not worth the time.

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Great performances, but too much CGI

I liked this drama overall. The best part was the acting and the worst was the sloppy scriptwriting. The first 13 episodes that set the stage for the drama were the weakest. The plot meandered and we were caught in silly adolescent rivalries. I almost dropped the series then, but felt the acting was so good, I would continue. The best episodes were at the middle and the last few episodes, disappointingly, unraveled the already established cannon. I think if the writing could have been more linear and not so complicated with the numerous amount of villains and subplots, perhaps it would have been easier to follow. Another aspect that detracted from the drama was the over-the-top CGI that felt distracting.

The best part, of course, was the well put together group of talented young actors. Boy, they took me with them to the depth of despair and joy. There were such heartfelt moments that made you care for the main leads. In that, they certainly had great direction. However, even the best of actors cannot carry an entire production mired in sloppy writing and too much CGI. Even though it was a fantasy piece, they were supposed to be mortals. Yet the producers would have us believe that the kind of power they wielded all came from spiritual cultivation? It's obvious a big part of the budget was spent on the CGI, but one shouldn't rely too much on that. The focus should always be on telling a good story. They gave away some big reveals almost as soon as they were established and that was a shame.. I felt disappointed mostly in the writing.

Period C-dramas are always a feast for the eyes in terms of sets and costumes. In that this production did not disappoint. I was still very entertained but felt the performers deserved a better written piece.

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There are better ones out there...

Although I have enjoyed this drama's main leads in other productions, I didn't so much in this one. The costumes, sets and story were okay, but the acting here was terrible, particularly in out ML. I didn't't have a problem with Alan Yu in TLTWTMPB and he was okay in Legend of White Snake, but I just could not tolerate his acting in this one. He was the main lead in a romantic drama and he failed miserably. He gets the award for best impersonation of a plank of wood. He has perfected the blank, emotionless stare, and it hurt this show tremendously. When it comes to romance, the couples have to be believable or it just doesn't work. We, as an audience, don't feel invested in them and can't feel for them. This was the main problem here. The FL was better but he, especially, was not believable. Because of his stick-in-the-mud personality, I just could not enjoy this drama as much as I should have. The supporting cast was better compared with the performance of our male lead.

Some of the plot line was implausible and I found myself disappointed in the choices some of the characters made. It didn't seem to fit with their personalities. The OST was the best part of this entire production. I heard the theme song over a year ago and I wanted to see the drama from whence it came. I finally found it, and was disappointed in the production, but still love the song. There are better performed romance dramas that turn your heart inside out. This isn't it.

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Worth Watching

This was a very cute and entertaining drama for younger audiences. At first I was disappointed in the stiff and emotionless ML character and worried that I would be watching yet another drama where the ML has to be emotionally stunted. Even though I hated Meteor Garden, I was impressed by Dylan Wang and felt he had potential. What a pleasure to see him on screen once again. Dylan Wang plays Dongfang Qing Cang, a demon lord whose spirit is imprisoned by the enemy fairy realm and a fairy named Orchid who accidentally sets him free. Although, our main leads fall back on the overplayed tropes of cold, domineering, tough guy and annoyingly childlike adolescent girl, both characters develop into better versions of themselves. I love character growth in dramas. The best part was the love story between this couple. You feel completely invested in them and how far they are willing to sacrifice for the other. It seems that Dylan Wang gets better and better with each drama he is cast in. I hope he continues to hone his craft. He has a beautiful onscreen presence.

The costumes and set design are gorgeous. Absolutely breathtaking and with great attention to detail. The demon realm had a dark Western feel while the fairy realm was light, ephemeral and heavenly. There is the typical formula of a secondary supporting couple who are either friends, or servants. of the main couple.

The OST is amazing. There are some beautiful themes that have now been added to my playlist of Asian TV soundtracks. I recommend this romantic drama.

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Pleasantly Surprised

I really enjoyed this beautiful love story of soul mates who fall in love as teenagers and lose track of each other into their adult years. It had me from the very first episode, very well-written and just a joy to watch the highly talented cast. When tragedy strikes, I was afraid the show would fall into a cliche plot, but it kept its dignity and sailed to a satisfactory end, despite the slow parts in the plot midway. I loved the slow burn of the first episode. There was an intimate sweetness portrayed so wonderfully by the young actors that they won me over completely.

There are a few things I would have liked fleshed out. Perhaps a tete-a-tete between mother and daughter after everything transpires. The talk on how her mother's over-proctective attitude basically changes the course of her life and affected her would have added some closure in that, at times, rocky relationship. The pace slows down a bit towards the middle but then picks up again. The ends wrap up much too nicely making her eventual healing a little implausible. I was still very pleased with this beautiful love story. I highly recommended it.

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Cliche melodrama

Ever since I saw Kim Woo Bin in The Heirs, I have been a fan of his. He is a wonderful actor and I felt that he stole the show from main leads, Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye. When you look at him, he is present and you can see the inner monologue within. He is also incredibly handsome, making you unable to keep from looking at him. I knew I would look for more work from him and I came across Uncontrollably Fond on Viki.

Unfortunately, the drama itself is nothing great. It's full of unoriginal story lines and ridiculous nonsense. I found myself questioning the choices the characters made in the drama and could only chalk it up to foolish youth. If anyone of us had a terminal illness that we were young enough to battle, we would choose to go to the hospital and have it treated. Our main lead makes some very foolhardy choices, all the while bemoaning his fate when he could have at least tried to save himself. How does a person having everything going for them make such a choice? Is revenge worth it? Sometimes living happily is the best revenge against your enemies.

The other characters are no better. I was underwhelmed by Suzy Bae's performance and found her character one I could not feel for. They also make choices no one in real life would ever make. It was a nonsensical melodrama and I wish Kim Woo Bin would get better scripts because he has enormous potential and can play a variety of characters from villains to leading romantic love interests. I hope now that he is back from his 4 year health hiatus, he will dig in and demand better material. He is so worth it.

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Get Inside the Mind of a Serial Killer

This was quite a gem in psychological thrillers. An aspiring novelist moves to Seoul to begin his writing career but can't afford rent, so he winds up in a run down hostel where most of the residents are especially weird. This sets the stage for the ensuing creepiness that occurs and we slowly see the mind of our ML unravel as he fails to grasp the gruesome happenings around him.

What I loved most about this show is the fine performances by the ensemble cast, especially Lee Dong Wook. He has appeared in many dramas I have watched over the years, but this one best showcases his talent. He was so creepy in an understated way. He made your skin crawl with his wide tooth grins. Kudos to the young man who plays the unfortunate novelist. His metamorphosis from starry-eyed youth to unstable and angry is the most fascinating journey to watch. Also, it was totally unpredictable. Everyone had their roles down pat. The only person I didn't much care for was the girlfriend. She was too dumb and wrapped up in herself to notice what her boyfriend was going through.

There were some plot holes that left me questioning some parts of the story but, for the most part, the writing was virtually air tight. The length was perfect at 10, one hour episodes. You can binge watch it in one day. Loved the soundtrack and will add it to my Spotify. Great choice for those in the mood for gritty.

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Unrealistic portrayal of romance

I was looking for more Song Kang dramas since I was quite impressed with his performance in Sweet Home. His wide-spaced doe eyes are so expressive, he makes it hard for you to look away. Unfortunately, this drama was not my favorite so I will move on to Navillera. The unrealistic storyline is what I had trouble with the most. Girls do date guys like Park Jae Eon, and I was one of them. However, they seldom end happily. You see, there is no way a girl can expect to have a friend- with-benefits type of relationship with a guy and expect more from it than what he offers. It never works and no amount of showering him with affection will change the damaged outlook he has on romance or how to properly date someone. You wind up with a mangled heart.

I have to agree with other reviewers that the chemistry was excellent between our main leads. The sexual tension was through the roof and the first 6 episodes were so well written, they made me feel like part of the action. The writers took their time and patiently set up the foreplay even before they got physical. The anticipation was almost unbearable and it made me want to keep watching.

Unfortunately, it starts to unravel at the second half of the drama. The students behave like middle schoolers, constantly preoccupied with each others' business instead of their own. They play spin the bottle, sit around teasing each other about their love lives and act lame teenagers instead of college grads. There were some interesting storylines among the supporting cast and girl love is handled in a dignified way. Kudos to the writers for that! The most disappointing and unsatisfying part is the end because I didn't get a real sense that our ML had really changed. He should have been the one to ask for a second chance, not her. Deep down, I felt it wouldn't last and it's almost alluded to. Young women will gobble up this type of drama, but it doesn't exist in any realm of reality, and giving them the message that it could is irresponsible.

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