spicyeggroll
This review may contain spoilers
Thought it would be my type but turns out it wasn't
Maybe I'll get back to it one day? But for now... nah. I'm good.
[Be careful of spoilers below]
PROS
❀ The first episodes definitely drew me in... | I was looking for a romantic cdrama that wasn't pure fluff, and Fairyland Lovers caught my eye. I'm a big fan of stories within stories, which this show has. Inside the overarching plotline between the main leads, we also have sub-stories of spirits that the spirit doctor heals. This lends it an anthology-like feeling, which I'm really into. While I only watched up to the stories of the first two spirits, they had bittersweet backgrounds and nicely done resolutions.
❀ Acting and OST were pretty good | I have no complaints on this end. I haven't seen these actors before but I think they all did their jobs well. And yet, something just didn't click with me...
CONS
✕ This is the first cdrama I've seen where the ML has facial hair | And I'm not a fan. The actor looked great - really! Kind of a rugged energy, paired with the dashing, kdrama combo of long coat + turtleneck. But I'm not sure the facial hair was necessary, because you would think a being who's been alive for hundreds of years would want to look more... polished, I guess? Instead of the facial hair making him look 'immortal,' it just made him look older. Which, again, is fine! BUT in contrast to the FL?? Well.
Visually, the main leads' wardrobe and mannerisms make this drama look like an age gap romance between a schoolgirl and a businessman. (I guess technically it is, since the ML is older.)
✕ But the FL wasn't a schoolgirl? | She wasn't! However, she sure acted like one. In the beginning, I was impressed by her emboldened attitude. She was brash and mouthed off about being the 26th descendant of some martial arts technique or whatnot. Fun! All too quickly, she loses some of that luster and shine. Every other episode, she gets saved by the ML (is there a need??? Once or twice is alright, but I can only stand oh-so-many 'fall into ML's arms scenes. PLS . Even the second couple gets such a scene.) Her outfits consist of exceptionally baggy clothes and overalls. Pair that with unkempt hair that's sometimes in braids, and the FL gave off VERY young vibes. She acts like how she dresses, too. I remember getting irritated when I saw her beg the ML to help heal the spirit in the second sub-story. And as someone who has a pretty low tolerance for imbalanced relationships, it irked me to see the ML basically renovate/re-model her entire living space and buy her dad's IOUs. I commend her for trying to live off of being an actress/artist, but her hard work gets tossed away once the super rich ML waltzes in. OH and the fighting - why does the FL get a couple of kicking scenes (lots of waving her hands around and appearing intimidating rather than instigating action) while the male leads get kung-fu fight scenes? It hurt me to see a FL start off so strong and quickly veer off the originally written path so quickly into the drama.
✕ Yeah so I read recaps of the later episodes and it basically becomes a makjang | Spare me from the multiple personalities, amnesia plots, kidnapping plots, "let me leave you for your own sake" scenes, and more. ✕
✕ Misunderstanding level: 0/10 | Where I stopped (ep 7/35), no misunderstandings happened. The ML just figured out the FL was his past lover.
OVERALL
This drama wasn't what I expected at all, and not in a positive way. Maybe if they toned it back with the main plotline and instead focused on creating more detailed and complex sub-stories, I would have enjoyed it more. (And if the FL was a little more mature/acted her age, I would have continued watching.) As it stands, I'm left scratching my head because this show tried to do so much: have a love that spans through time, while following another couple, while saving the world, while having smaller stories about spirits, etc. I think I'm leaving this a 3/5 because it has potential, but at the end of the day this story is just not my type despite a promising beginning.
(Note: My rewatch value is set to 5.0 always as a default as I'm not the type to rewatch dramas EVER. Thus, I do not take it into account when calculating overall score.)
[Be careful of spoilers below]
PROS
❀ The first episodes definitely drew me in... | I was looking for a romantic cdrama that wasn't pure fluff, and Fairyland Lovers caught my eye. I'm a big fan of stories within stories, which this show has. Inside the overarching plotline between the main leads, we also have sub-stories of spirits that the spirit doctor heals. This lends it an anthology-like feeling, which I'm really into. While I only watched up to the stories of the first two spirits, they had bittersweet backgrounds and nicely done resolutions.
❀ Acting and OST were pretty good | I have no complaints on this end. I haven't seen these actors before but I think they all did their jobs well. And yet, something just didn't click with me...
CONS
✕ This is the first cdrama I've seen where the ML has facial hair | And I'm not a fan. The actor looked great - really! Kind of a rugged energy, paired with the dashing, kdrama combo of long coat + turtleneck. But I'm not sure the facial hair was necessary, because you would think a being who's been alive for hundreds of years would want to look more... polished, I guess? Instead of the facial hair making him look 'immortal,' it just made him look older. Which, again, is fine! BUT in contrast to the FL?? Well.
Visually, the main leads' wardrobe and mannerisms make this drama look like an age gap romance between a schoolgirl and a businessman. (I guess technically it is, since the ML is older.)
✕ But the FL wasn't a schoolgirl? | She wasn't! However, she sure acted like one. In the beginning, I was impressed by her emboldened attitude. She was brash and mouthed off about being the 26th descendant of some martial arts technique or whatnot. Fun! All too quickly, she loses some of that luster and shine. Every other episode, she gets saved by the ML (is there a need??? Once or twice is alright, but I can only stand oh-so-many 'fall into ML's arms scenes. PLS . Even the second couple gets such a scene.) Her outfits consist of exceptionally baggy clothes and overalls. Pair that with unkempt hair that's sometimes in braids, and the FL gave off VERY young vibes. She acts like how she dresses, too. I remember getting irritated when I saw her beg the ML to help heal the spirit in the second sub-story. And as someone who has a pretty low tolerance for imbalanced relationships, it irked me to see the ML basically renovate/re-model her entire living space and buy her dad's IOUs. I commend her for trying to live off of being an actress/artist, but her hard work gets tossed away once the super rich ML waltzes in. OH and the fighting - why does the FL get a couple of kicking scenes (lots of waving her hands around and appearing intimidating rather than instigating action) while the male leads get kung-fu fight scenes? It hurt me to see a FL start off so strong and quickly veer off the originally written path so quickly into the drama.
✕ Yeah so I read recaps of the later episodes and it basically becomes a makjang | Spare me from the multiple personalities, amnesia plots, kidnapping plots, "let me leave you for your own sake" scenes, and more. ✕
✕ Misunderstanding level: 0/10 | Where I stopped (ep 7/35), no misunderstandings happened. The ML just figured out the FL was his past lover.
OVERALL
This drama wasn't what I expected at all, and not in a positive way. Maybe if they toned it back with the main plotline and instead focused on creating more detailed and complex sub-stories, I would have enjoyed it more. (And if the FL was a little more mature/acted her age, I would have continued watching.) As it stands, I'm left scratching my head because this show tried to do so much: have a love that spans through time, while following another couple, while saving the world, while having smaller stories about spirits, etc. I think I'm leaving this a 3/5 because it has potential, but at the end of the day this story is just not my type despite a promising beginning.
(Note: My rewatch value is set to 5.0 always as a default as I'm not the type to rewatch dramas EVER. Thus, I do not take it into account when calculating overall score.)
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