*very underrated gem* --> Lighter & Princess's Beautiful Predecessor

One of the few older dramas that are aging like fine wine thanks to a director that utilizes cinematographic storytelling and stellar acting that will make you feel their emotions. There are no filler episodes and it has a good pace.

I could not help but to compare this drama with "Lighter & Princess" as it has a very similar story but goes much deeper and strays away from being an idol drama.
This section of the review is best read if you have seen L&P since I am comparing the two.

Similarities:
- College Sweethearts with a sheltered but strong FL and a popular ML - he beats someone up after being betrayed by said person, goes to prison, doesn't tell the FL but rather disappears and then comes back many years later and so the story goes.

Differences:
L&P leads are programmers, WTLOG leads are artists (drawing comics, oil paintings, etc). L&P is 36 episodes and an idol romantic drama, WTLOG is 24 episodes and a romantic melodrama (as in the ML shows vulnerability & complex emotions, which in c-dramaland apparently means melo(?)... no need to fear crazy parents in law, amnesia, slapping , etc.) but it does carry a darker, more realistic tone.

The main difference is the ML & the relationship, which in L&P was quite toxic in my opinion as the FL did all the work in the relationship and he wasn't really much different in terms of personality (aloof) before vs after prison, but the ML here was flirty and bubbly before and visibly broken inside afterwards. His reason for prison was also more severe.
More on that under "about the ML"

-------------- (actual review)--------------
It has really good cinematography / story telling, that reminds me of film and it uses a lot of wide shots with the environment symbolizing what's going on without using words. Example: they part ways on a seemingly normal day, one person going down the stairs and one going up as a way to symbolize how their lives are going to change.
Although it was made in 2017, it actually holds up quite nicely quality wise, also thanks to live audio recording (no dubbing is always a plus).
I liked that each episode had a poetic title that would be reflected on at some point throughout the episode. At the end of some episodes there was a deep question left for the audience . I really liked that.

The FL is calm, kind, strong and all in all very real. She is anything but a damsel-in-distress and cares for the people she loves. There is nothing negative I could say about her to be honest. The leads also have very good, natural chemistry that makes it easy to believe their story.

But the real star of the show was the male lead. I was really impressed by Fan Si Qi's acting, who is one of THE most underrated idols turned actors of c-drama land, he makes you believe that he is actually the character and offers a wide range of emotions. FSQ can act with his eyes (if this makes sense) and his character made me teary eyed in multiple occasions. + he's a good kisser and a good crier.

About the ML (spoilers!!):
Xiang Ze Yi was a flirty and fun art student, who was always up to shenanigans with a smile on his face and capable of showing emotions. It's very much a male-chases-female-first story and they are super adorable as a couple. He's the ideal type of first love and potential life partner, someone who makes you feel special and loved.
But when life had different plans and he came back as an ex-convict a decade later, he changed a lot. This is where I also saw a big difference between L&P and this drama. Maybe it's the melo part after all - but life forced him to change. In his heart he was still that flirty and fun college student but the consequences of his actions not only put him in prison but also took away all of his prospects of a future. He smokes, has a bit of a beard and is living quietly. It doesn't take much for him to shed a tear and he is visibly in pain over the past.
L&P ML was building a life for himself after prison but the Ze Yi always wanted to return to his love. There are many good quotes and it was painful but also poetic in a way to see how life can break a persons' spirit. But I also want to say that he was never weak or whiny, full credit goes to the actor and writer here because they found the perfect balance that made him seem very vulnerable but also well aware of his situation and wanting to re-connect with the FL.
I found him quite realistic, more than many other drama MLs, he didn't turn cold after what happened to him - after all he is human and humans have emotions. The stone cold ML characters we often see in dramas tend to have a sad background story that made them like this but Ze Yi went into hiding mode, all too aware of his own pain. There were many heart wrenching scenes when he was by himself. But enough of the spoilers! There is happiness and healing too. I just cannot put into words how much I enjoyed the unfolding of his story and the actors' portrayal of complex emotions, pain and healing.

The past is the past but it's painful nonetheless.

The cons:
The story might not draw you in right away since the first half of the drama the story goes back and forth between college days and present, which can be confusing in the beginning since they don't tell you clearly and you kind of have to figure it out.
The college days are cute but a bit average, it gets more interesting once the time skip is explained, so don't give up ;)
It does have a few minor plot holes but nothing that bothered me too much or that stayed for long. I thought one character's comeback was unnecessary and quite unrealistic but said person disappears again soon after so it's only a minor inconvenience. Same goes for the love triangle if you can even call it that - quite frankly the story of the ML was so intriguing that I barely paid attention to the SML and neither did the story.
The other couples in this dramas and the work side were okay but not that memorable.

Ending (spoilers, do not read if you have not watched it yet!)

At first I thought it was a perfect happy ending... but as I was writing this review, it also reminded me of The Forbidden Flowers' ending. Nowhere near as tragic but you could potentially see the ending two ways. It's happy but their last dialogue does make me wonder if it was an illusion...

CONCLUSION
A beautiful and sad but underrated drama that trumps L&P in my opinion, and left a lasting impression on me. It's release date may have been long ago but it will be in my Top10 dramas this year. If you want to see really good, emotional acting of a ML and pretty story telling without watching an absurd amount of episodes - this drama is for you. :)

Read More

Relaxing and Fluffy

Given it‘s short duration there is little room for drag or fillers. I liked that it was quite relaxing and not blood pressure raising, which I expected given the synopsis and theme of it being healing - but rather than seeing it as a healing drama I‘d say it’s a light romance drama with some spicy scenes.

Every side character that is supposed to disrupt the peace of the leads is dealt with rather quickly and nicely.
The ML is described as cold but falls short of in the best way possible…I mean a man that calls his cat his daughter and expresses genuine excitement of the thought of getting together with the FL, is just adorable.
There are some spicy scenes and if you’re clever you’re gonna pick up on some naughty jokes.

I liked the friendship theme of this drama, there were only a select few supporting characters but most of them were besties and no evil female character. The FL lives with her uncle (who is her age) and her best friend, which makes for comfy scenes when they’re hanging out.

If I had to pick something negative about this drama it would probably be, that it’s light and sometimes a bit shallow. There is not a lot of depth, even in terms of healing - but it’s wholesome and fluffy.

I loved the ending because it left me with a smile :)… a drama that can easily be binged in 1-2 days

Read More

Nostalgia! - The Disney Channel fairy must have visited the creators of this drama.

"Eight Hours" can only be described as a Disney channel type romcom with a sci fi theme, if you know what I mean.
Given that it's set in 2029 and involves VR, there was a lot of potential but it was kept extremely light and it's target audience seems to be 10-15 year olds.
From production, set, script, acting, character design and build up, missions, etc. it reminded a lot of those types of shows back in the day on the Disney Channel or Nickelodeon, where characters are already fully fleshed out by the beginning of the drama and don't really have any major development in terms of skill or character.
Another indicator of that was that the villain had the iconic grey colored hair strands that any good Disney villain has.

The emphasis on "eight hours" in both chinese and english title is a mystery until today because the only important time mentioned in the drama is "24hrs", because that is the maximum amount of time you can be online in Pangu (the VR game world)... don't know where they got those 8 hours from.

REVIEW:
In order to get into the real part of the story you have to stick around for about 3 episodes because the first one is a bit all over the place, making it seem like it's a futuristic business drama but the Pangu scenes are mission based and where most of the rom-com part takes place. Both leads are very confident people, that are high up in the social ladder, so no need to worry about them being bullied. It's mainly the side characters that bully each other, lol.
The hairstyles are kinda funny, I guess they wanted to predict 2029 style? But I'm glad the FL changed her style a couple times.

There a few moments where suddenly characters have an idea that could have saved them 4 episodes ago, but everything has to happen according to script, so if that is something that bothers you, this drama might not be for you.
I didn't know any of the actors before but nobody stood out negatively so that's a plus. I found that the FL is actually quite the good actress, especially because she isn't whiny.

As I already mentioned the drama is quite light and maybe a bit superficial, so any side characters (expect for SML) don't have a conclusive story or backstory, not the the point where it would bother me, but it was obvious that this was the story of the two leads and everyone else was just there to give them something to work for.

THE ROMANCE & LEADS:
There is not really romantic chemistry, but they do make it work though since their acting abilities are good and they look good. It's Female chases Male first for a while but they are somewhat equal, it just might not seem like that in the beginning.
In terms of kisses, there are plenty but no passionate ones. For the most part, they are barely touching lips, repeatedly (no fish kisses tho)
However I did really like the scenes with the moon, where he literally dragged down the moon for her + when they were drinking together and doing missions. By the end of the drama they are a true power couple and one thing I really appreciated about the drama was that it was never strong ml, weak fl. Also the FL was quite level headed once you got over the first few episodes and didn't let anyone intimate her.

THE GAME / VR:
In contrast to other game themed dramas, this VR looks more like a historical drama and the outfits are not CGI for most part. But they did spend some money on CGI animals and the wolf was actually quite good. The fact that you can die multiple times in the games was kinda funny because it lifted the mood and made the drama less intense.
Also a little PSA, the game they play in the first episode never appears again so don't worry if you don't like dramas like "Falling Into Your Smile", the VR game in this drama is more like the mortal realm of xianxia dramas.

THE VILLAIN(S) & STORYLINE, ENDING (major spoiler alarm!)
I don't want to spoil too much but the last episode created a better villain than the rest of the drama. The comical Disney villain mentioned above is dealt with but the other one has more to do with the VR game and NPC. I actually liked that it was something that happened unbeknownst to everyone for a long time and was kind of faceless(?). Not everyone has to have a motive and be weary of what you create. AI can be quite scary BUT it wouldn't be a light cdrama if it didn't end happily. So if you want a happy ending for the main couple you are safe to watch this.
--------------------------------------

One thing I won't forget about the drama is the catchphrase of ML & FL (which they pointed out was a catchphrase):
"Why are you so weak? Do you have calcium deficiency?"

All in all: I did waste time watching this drama however it won't end up on my "Regret List" because I did seek it out and wanted to watch it, I knew beforehand that it had low ratings and since nothing major happened that I hated it wasn't a disappointment.
Whoever wants to try this drama I highly suggest watching the intro (not the trailer) song/video because that will give you a good feel for what your about to watch. High energy, fun but made for kids, lol.

Read More

the most endearing love story - without being childish

This review consists of two parts: Part 1 GGS1 vs GGS2; Part 2: Drama Review
But first the most important question, do I need to watch s1 in order to understand s2? Simple answer: NO - but it's a unique drama experience to have more background information and if you have the time I would recommend to skim through s1 or watch a compilation edit of Wu Bai but it's not necessary.

PART 1:
I watched GGS1 and GGS2 back-to-back within a month and by far this one is the better romantic cdrama.
I understand that while it was airing s1 had more hype and this season was a letdown to the fans, but I watched it in 2023 and quite frankly my capacity to watch another 'pastell-pink-wearing-emotionless-boy-chasing-air-head' Female Lead has run out a long time ago (sorry for the harsh words but that's how I felt).

S2 is a prequel to S1 until mid episode 11, then it happens simultaneously and the final 2 episodes go beyond S1's finale.
Despite cast changes and the overall eSport change, I don't regret watching the first one because there are plenty of mentions of events and people that you make you go "oh i remember that".
But most importantly you see the ML of s2 as a supporting character and in that regard I have to fully give it to Hu Yi Tan, who in my brain, is forever engraved as Wu Bai. I mean... he IS Wu Bai. I tried watching him in other dramas but realized his acting range is pretty much one character type BUT I first saw him as Wu Bai and so it's perfect.

About the eSport: I preferred s2 because they had more time and resources to actually focus on showing the sport and the intensity. From my understanding s1 had to change their entire eSport from a game to CTF during censorship when they already finished filming, therefore you only ever see them sitting at the PC but that's it. Where as in S2 they use combat robots in an arena (give it a try, at first I was skeptical too)

Patriotism: Another thing that was toned town by at least 50% in s2. Towards the second half of s1, all I could hear was "for chinaaa", and "we need to do this for china".... to the point I where I was like. Are they doing this to appease the censorship board since they already weren't favored due to applying for a eSports drama and being rejected the first round?... well anyway in s2 it happens far less and that was nice.

------------------------
PART 2: REVIEW

Oh, the romance is so sweet. Our ML looks up to FL, who is three years his senior. He has liked her for a long time and so the story goes. He is like a puppy, but a very calm one. He only has eyes for FL and it's sooo nice to not have any annoying side characters.
Since the family drama was already dealt with in s1, this season we got smooth sailing. Yes there are some bumps but not any annoying ones caused by other people. And If I think about it again, all they needed was time to get together and they did so in the most adorable way.

It's a very sweet and endearing love story, that made me swoon a lot. There were many kisses, including some steamy ones (another difference to s1) and they had Healthy Boundaries. They worked on opposite teams and made it a rule not to talk about work or stand in each other's way. Something they proved over and over again, when standing in the arena on opposite sides.

I also liked the second lead couple, that were fighting a lot but more like cats and dogs so it was fun. Wang An Yu is always easy on the eyes.
---------------------------
There are only two dislikes I had about this and they're only benign:

THE HAT! In the first season Wu Bai was always seen wearing a black cappy and I think he looked very good in that, but in s2 he only wore it a couple episodes which was such a shame :(
Number two: It was a tad bit too long. Not even in a draggy way but since there is little conflict within the relationship you get to see them for almost 20 episodes as a couple, and they make it work - but i would have been fine with 30 episodes too.

---------------
Final verdict:
It's by far the most endearing and stress-free romantic drama I've seen that was not childish and easy to watch with a ML that loves the FL even before the drama starts. It wasn't anything breathtaking or fantastic, so I'll give it an 8/10 but if you truly want sweet-sweet romance, that isn't cringy, then give it a go :)

Read More

TvN‘s attempt to ride the wave of "Tomorrow" one more time

I‘m only writing this review because the information on this drama special does not accurately portray the content.
It certainly is NOT a comedy and needs a trigger warning.

I‘m 75% sure that this was written and produced shortly after "Tomorrow", another TvN production, since there are many similarities. - One might even say it’s a straight up a copy in parts.

It does start out the opposite way, since they assist suicide instead of preventing it but surely it will morph more and more into "Tomorrow". Including the coma storyline & the dog case.

However given the duration of only 75 minutes it’s lacking.
There are too many revelations near the end, making the viewer feel like they missed out on a backstory.

To fully develop the plot of suicide (prevention) and the backstory of the male lead, it would need at least another episode.

It is watchable quality wise but some character decisions seem unreasonable since we don’t have enough context.

Read More

12 Episodes Comedies = K-Drama's way to get abs from laughing so much

If you have watched K-dramas for a while, you probably know that 12-episode short comedies are hilarious.

Pegasus Market, Kkondae Intern, Gaus Electronics…. and now Stock Struck, which arguably had the best romantic story of these types of comedies.

The Great Gatsby, Aaron(Elon)Musk, Leggings, J-doramas - there is no stopping of hilarious parodies & references.

It also features a lot of veteran (comedy) actors that are in their element- very entertaining to watch. No Performance was out of place and I love the FL! This actress is very good at slapstick comedy and impersonation.

The "stock" part may be a bit confusing (especially the epilogue) but it’s always done in a comedic way, making it an easy watch.

Read More

Fateful love is the best love

a very beautiful story brought to life by amazing actors.

I rarely watch japanese dramas but watched this within 2 days.
The story felt so real and I was on the edge of my seat so many times.

Their story was very convincing eventho it was melodramatic. Some people’s lives are like that. So painful yet they get to experience true love.

There were 3 things why I didn’t rate it a 10/10 but other than that it was very beautiful, emotional and I‘d say a sad romance with a redeeming ending. But you can’t make up for lost time and that made me cry.

Read More

Unique & intriguing

This drama has a lot of plot twists and I loved it sooo much.

First of all … the way the FL gets revenge early on is very satisfying. And her style of clothing? 10/10 … reminded me a lot of IU in „Hotel Del Luna“.

The romance part is more flirty and I would describe it as a cat & mouse or love & hate game.
They have a lot of scenes together, which is very satisfying but there isn’t much actual romance.

Both leads are incredibly stunning… I was surprised that they don’t have more leading roles.
Especially the FL is extremely beautiful in my opinion. Chemistry was one of the best I‘ve seen in cdramas.

The plot twists are mind blowing and the writers did a good job making you sit at the edge of your seat.
I binged it in 3 days and usually I take forever to finish a drama.
Also don’t drop it if you liked the first few episodes… everything will make sense in the end.

Minus points:
- dubbing of ML is a bit ill timed in some episodes

Read More

wholesome romance - but disappointing in the mental health aspect

The storyline of having PTSD as an athlete (that is not related to the sport) and receiving long-term therapy could have meant that we’d see an emotional, heartfelt and inspiring story. - but ultimately it was just another generic childhood-friends, sports rom-com that completely failed to tell a meaningful story due to it’s lack of research done, generic script and casting the wrong people.

The leading actors are well established in the romcom field but neither are able to pull off the mental illness side convincingly enough. It just seemed like they were acting according to certain tropes (aloof ML, sweet FL) and selling it as something deeper. Having seen both of them in other dramas before, I was disappointed to see that their performance was exactly the same and there no additional depth added, which was needed to make it believable that they’re actually having PTSD that affects their daily life.
The romance was sweet and very innocent. I‘d say they were a very wholesome couple.

As a youth sports romance it’s not bad at all ~ especially the second lead couple was entertaining however I came for the promised mental health aspect and in that regard it was a complete lackluster.

Also for some reason the FL pissed me off the more I watched. She seemed too good/gullible to be real. She was clearly written as a saint, that is sweet, cute and supportive but doesn’t have much of her own personality or flaws.

However the biggest pet peeve was the depiction of the therapist. Extremely unprofessional, doesn’t have any boundaries with her clients and breaks many ethical rules - like telling the FL all about MLs struggles and things he told her within treatment. She seemed more like a friend to the FL, as she called her all the time discussing ML and it was clear they wanted to sell a more light hearted, friendly version of what’s it like to go to therapy.

Can’t even be fully mad tho since it’s obvious the production & screen writers just have no idea what a therapist really is and does.

I also found the last 10 episodes very boring, as it’s just couples being couples. Not a single unique scene we haven’t seen in at least twenty other Chinese youth romance dramas.

… this may seem like a rant but it’s just what I didn’t like about the drama.
It wasn’t horrible - I actually enjoyed it at times and it didn’t have any major flaws or issues but aside from the second lead couple it was underwhelming to me.

Read More

Swooning for 33 episodes

I just finished this drama & need to share my feelings about this truly wonderful drama.
(small spoilers at the end)

First let me thank:
- the amazing scriptwriter for writing not only the drama but also creating such wonderful and emotionally healthy main leads <3
It was EXTREMELY refreshing to see & experience.
- the two main lead actors who brought them QW & LX to live. It was my first time seeing both of them and they‘ll be engraved as those characters in my brain. I was swooning soo much and their interactions felt sooo natural.
It didn’t feel like acting, it felt like they were really experienced their story.
- the director & supporting cast for creating a lovely set up, wonderful family & friends surrounding the main leads.


The Pros:
- the romance… I don’t think I have ever seen sooo many kisses in a drama! And I don’t mean the starring-into-each-others-eyes-and-then-kiss kisses but rather those that just happens in daily activities. Came home from work? Here‘s a kiss. You look cute today - kiss. Kiss kiss kiss ?
aww it was wonderful ~
Also other types of daily skinship that would actually happen in real life.
- the ML who always liked FL and his bossy behavior in the first episode was explained so quickly that I fell for him on the spot. How refreshing!! I could write a whole essay on his character alone but without spoiling I just wanna say how much i loved his character & love for FL.
- the bickering couple. You know often „bickering couple“ is just an excuse for toxic relationship in asian dramas and where ML treats FL like trash, but here they’re really just bickering and flirting, while also supporting each other & overcome struggles.

The Cons:
…really there is just one bad thing to say about this drama and that was that the last 3-4 episodes felt a bit off as they suddenly focused on the shady side of law. But in the midst there was also romance, that I ate up like good cake ^^
I would have preferred if they didn’t suddenly make it into a suspense law/crime drama and but the ending itself I loved - so all is well!
It just made me rate it 9.5 instead of 10/10


…anyways I loved it & it‘s probably my favorite contemporary ceo & employee romcom cdrama :))

Read More