Reviews

Premise was there to be really good

Premise was there for this to be a really good and original series...but too bad it felt like a lot was left out, not letting this live up to it's potential.

Story: A triad daughter, Angie, who's badass and down to earth is fangirling over a movie star. When her arranged marriage is brought up, she runs away from home, and takes a job as an undercover bodyguard for a female star at same company as her idol. Those two actors are in a fake relationship, so Angie crosses paths with and gets close to her idol, the actress is harbouring a secret, and what will happen when the fiancé for the arranged marriage arrives to fulfill the arrangement?

So...I felt like I didn't really have time to get to know the characters properly. Especially Xu Yihang (ML). Jasper Liu plays his character well, but the character itself seems a bit underdeveloped.
FL's fiancé Kim Eddie ("Fatty") seems like an interesting character, but we don't get much time with him. The actor did well though.
Euginie Liu as the FL portrays her character well.

I felt kind of sorry this wasn't longer, and that it wasn't renewed for season 2.
There was a good mix of romance and action, a bit of suspense, and it was done with a certain charm and elements of amusement/non-seriousness to lighten the mood.

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More than blue indeed...

This is a story of love, loss, pain, coping, secrets, playfulness, happiness, pain, and some more pain.

As we follow several stories of loss and dare I say obsession. All done really well, making me feel a whole bunch of emotions and even shedding a tear or two.

I love pretty much all of the leads in this drama, they have som much character, depth and exhibit not only a wide range of emotions the dynamics and the flow of the story is done really well. Even though they jump back and fourth in space and time... realism and fantasies I found myself consumed by the story and not the least bit confused.

There are a few slightly annoying side characters, but their screen time is limited enough to no take a way from the powerfulness of the story.

A story that was so much more than just the colour and depth of the ocean blue... That had me hooked, pulled in and before I knew it 10 episodes had passed...

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Enthralled From Beginning Until the End!

From the very first episode until the end, "Blossom" kept my eyes glued to the screen. Every single second, and scene was captivating. Every single character in this drama played their part well, and was very important to get this drama skyrocketing to it's current popularity.

Meng Zi Yi has been working really hard as a supporting actress for many years, and I've seen her in a plethora of dramas. I'm very happy to see her main role in "Blossom" do so incredibly well! It has been a long time coming for her, I'm really happy that she got the breakthrough she has so long worked for. Meng portroyed Dou Zhao very naturally and I love the power she gives to the character. Dou Zhao was given a second chance of life, and she did not waste a single drop of knowledge in her second life. She fought hard and well to protect Song Mo and the people she loves and cares for. Despite many enemies wanting her dead, she was able to weave her way out even without Song Mo. She's not your average mistress in distress FL, she's a heroine in this drama. She's, as Song Mo stated, the strategist and reinforcement of his life. She would do anything to protect Song Mo, and vice versa!

Moving on to Li Yun Rui. I've only seen him in "Love Like The Galaxy," and boy was he annoying in that drama for me. However, he redeemed himself in "Blossom" and has become an actor that I won't skip on his next project, that's only if the synopsis is good. lol I digress. Li Yun Rui embodied Song Mo very well. He showcased what Song Mo is all about - justice and love. He will always fight for justice, and is not afraid to tell the emperor how disappointed he is when justice is not served. And also put two princes in their place. LOL Of course, he would protect Dou Zhao as much as he can. Li Yun Rui's ability to act with micro expression can be quite comedic in a good way. There are definitely moments where he needs to work on his acting just a tad bit. But overall, everything he did was very natural and I didn't notice anything off at the very least. Song Mo's life is quite depressing because he was hated by his father for secret reasons. I like that the drama makes you question the stupidity of the elders and everyone involved but then when the truth comes out - it all makes sense. I almost dropped this drama because I thought the father was being ridculous for absolute no reason. LMAO But all is well, you just have to keep watching to know and understand everything!

"Blossom" feels like it follows the life of both Dou Zhao and Song Mo from their 2nd life meeting, courtship, marriage, kids, and life onwards. I really enjoyed watching every moment of this drama, except for maybe some political parts but I digress. There was barely any angst between the main leads, which indiciates that not every drama needs ANGST! *cough* Even without angst, it still kept the audience engaged. There are many dramas I've watched this year that fell short mid way or even towards the end. However, "Blossom" was the opposite. Even the last 4 episodes kept me on my toes, I was screaming, engaged, did not blink, oh my god, the battle was phenomennal and intense!

I like that the drama included a gun and a clock. Both of which you don't see often in Ming Dynasty dramas, it was a nice touch that I couldn't help but notice. :]

"Blossom" was about Dou Zhao and Song Mo's fight to protect the righteousness of the throne. People either want them dead or want them on their side.

I would definitely recommend this drama if you like a wholesome marriage between leads, smart heroine, and strong yet resilient hero, amazing plot, and great screenwriting and directory.

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what’s not to love

I am biased but finally confirming there are 2 sets of twins on the show have really cemented this show for me. I’d love to see a spinoff of adventures with Song Mo and then Lu twins and see adventures of Dou Zhao and the Su twins with Mr. Chen as well lol. even though this drama had many episodes cut it is not as noticeable as some. I also read online the WebNovel and as confusing as the translation was, I’m glad it is somewhat different in many areas. in terms of star power, again biased, I already had high hopes for Li Yunrui it’s Jian Yong that surprised me and made me want to look into j]him as an actor more. I loved seeing familiar faces and discovering new faces. can we all agree that Ming and Ansu are absolutely stunning. I have 2 more eps to go but can say for sure this is on my rewatch list. and maybe if we’re lucky like they have with some before, they’ll release the full series as a special. if you’re in the fence, don’t be. the story is great, cast, great, scenes, lighting, ost awesome. did I mention the leads are also singing here. A+ hands down.

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WATCH IT!

In short, I really liked watching all the episodes and it kept me wanting and waiting for more. Did a great job in justifying every second of the screentime IMO. Everything (storyline + theme + OST + cast + acting + genre + setting) are stitched well together. I have not read the novel so cannot tell how good it was in adaptation but as a watcher/viewer, it was very entertaining.

If you are still asking, "Why?", here's in short:

1. Its perfect for thriller-rom fans.

2. The plot has many twists and leads have great chemistry.

3. Production and writing is great with details.

4. Pace is perfect.

PS: Here's a link to an open list of all details/gems found during the drama

https://mydramalist.com/discussions/general-discussion/133588-when-the-phone-rings-wtpr-details-gems?pid=3206600&page=1#p3206600

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Dou Zhao

First of all, it was a good series. I watched it with pleasure. However, as always, there were a lot of errors, in other words, logical errors. It is very difficult to connect a topic. I felt this in this series. However, the series is good, especially the costumes were well chosen, the make-up was successful, the image is beautiful, the direction is very good, the action was also like that. I liked it. However, the CAST was not. No one should take offense. If we start with the leading roles, I would ask where they found these two. I did not find them suitable. I did not find them compatible. Although they acted well and did not make it clear, the visual did not please me. Meng Zi Yi showed his experience and took the lead in acting. He crushed the person opposite him. I appreciate Meng Zi Yi as an actor. But he is not my star actor. If I were to make a series, I would put this actor opposite a star actor. He is an actor of such roles. He suits him very well. But he is not my leading role. Li Yun Rui is a very beautiful child. His face is clean. He is tall. Thin. He looks frail. But he seems to have more or less pulled off being a general. But he grinned a lot in some games. He stayed low. He seems to have some problems. But is it in his speech? In his image? In his stance? In his mouth structure? I couldn't figure it out. But there is something. The actor who played the emperor suited his role. I liked it. He didn't become an empress, I didn't like it. He didn't become an old princess, I didn't like it. I didn't like the young actor who played the role of Song Han at all. He needs to earn some more bread. He wasn't suitable for the role either. Alina Zhang suited her role but she played all the parts with a grin. A different type. It didn't work. The role of Wei Ting Yu didn't work. I didn't like it. There is zero harmony with the partner that suited her. It didn't work. In other words, the person who did the CAST was terrible. Song Han and An Su didn't work either. There is zero harmony. Chen Jia and Zhang Ru didn't work. They were like opposite types. There is zero harmony. I liked the actor who played the character Ji Yong. He suited his role. The ones who played the characters Dou Shi Shu and Dou sHİ Yung were suitable. Grandma is like that. Princes don't say I'm a prince either. They were like couch grass. I didn't like it at all. Let me give you an example so that you can see what I didn't like; Song Han, for example, was a snot-nosed child, meaning he was a satellite of his father who didn't understand anything. His father was trying to steal things. He's such a passive character. Suddenly he turned into someone who knew kung fu, hit what he threw, made strategies, and led soldiers. You could say something like this. He hid himself. His father and older brother taught him. When? When he was little. You didn't see it. He learned it at some point. He didn't reveal it. If that was the case, why can't the audience see it? Suddenly, the man becomes the first in literature and the first in martial arts. He kills people. He uses a sword. Super, too. He challenges his brother. He shoots arrows and hits the bull's eye. I mean, I was surprised. Then he fooled our naive girl. He even made her fall in love with him. He was a coward who didn't understand anything and was in his own way. His older brother and sister-in-law, who knew this, supported him. They waited until they rebelled. It didn't happen once and for all. Such things can be forgiven, they are not things that can be eaten, swallowed, or waited for. Can we say let's wait and see for rebellion? I watched such nonsense in some parts of the beautiful series. I didn't like the cast. But I liked the series in general and especially its costumes.

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A truly beautiful story

"Snowfall" tells the story of a blind girl named Mi Lan, who is abused by her mother and lives her life basically trapped all the time. She then saves Zhi Heng, making him indebted to her.

The relationship of Mi Lan and Zhi Heng is very intriguing, because we can't quite classify what they are to each other. It's beyond a romance, Zhi Heng gave Mi Lan a second chance to live, he saved from an abusive mother and from the darkness, gave her a purpose, a family... and that's so much more than the love between man and woman.
That was one of the reasons the drama really stuck with me, the development was really beautiful.

The drama is way better than I expected. The chemistry between Gao Wei Guang and Ouyang Nana is amazing.
There was several fun moments and I liked how the vampire creature was portrayed, it reminded of the movie "Interview With A Vampire", specially about the beauty, the seduction, the mystery around the vampire. I just didn't like the ending, I was hoping for a happy ending, they deserved that, but overall, I was a great drama.

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The drama really lie to me.. that it was a good revenge story

"We All Lie" is a revenge story. Su Li is the main character, a famous writer that basically has the perfect life, but everything changes when she discover that her husband is cheating with her friend. Her rage can't be controlled, so Su Li makes a revenge plan, to make the people who hurt her suffer the same way.

Su Li's plan seemed fun, but since the moment she gets Shu Heng arrested, the drama quality drops completely. Wei De's character is unnecessary and doesn't add anything to the story, it was kind of ridiculous to put a love interest for her so suddenly, when she just lost her baby and with her ex-husband in jail, even that Wei De was planned by Ying Ying.

Subjects don't last one episode, Shu Heng found out too soon about Su Li's revenge plan, I wanted to see her fooling him for much longer, that took the fun out of it.
No comments to the scene that Ying Ying's plan was discover by everyone and she lost her mind and try to stab Su Li with a scissors! HAHAHAHA'

I always loved a good revenge story, but the drama development is flaw, is too rushed, they couldn't really appreciate the story line. The revenge is over so fast, we barely have time to enjoy it.
In conclusion, "We All Lie" was a drama that had some good moments, but lost the change to be better.

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Emotional look at what makes a family

I thought it was really well done and wished it had more episodes. The cast was great, especially the little boy, Sato Tasuku who played Lion.....and Bando Ryota, his portrayal of Mi, someone with Autism was so carefully represented from his eye movements to his hands, feet, etc. You could feel every emotion right along with him. I feel like I must have missed something why the physical abuse that was found on Lion at the daycare was not reported. I thought any daycare/school, etc would have to report that. Perhaps it's different in different countries. Or at least the oldest brother, Hiroto would have taken pictures in case they needed proof of the father's abuse in the future..... Hiroto has so much pressure on him, he was always so calm and kind. Okayama Amane who played the man who helped Aoi was so mysterious for most of the episodes and I would have liked to have had his character's back story flushed out some more. Did he turn himself into the police because he helped her evade them while she was in hiding? He did nothing but help abused families....That kind of made me sad. Overall I loved the relationship between Lion, Mi and Hiroto. Lion was so pure and it was sweet to see how he helped calm down Mi at times and they helped each other without realizing it.

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Strongly written historical drama…

One of the best historical dramas of 2024 and one that came out of no where. A highly recommended watch!

The Good

The plot is strong and executed very well. It’s one of the most fleshed out stories that lack plot holes and cliches that we see in dramas. Most of the characters were well rounded and motivations were clear. With the two main leads not being traffic stars, they both carried this drama excellently. I also appreciated the slow burn romance displayed in this drama. The pacing and growth was definitely well received and refreshing. A very mature love story as well. Next, the cinematography was amazing. Although this had a lower budget, the money was spent in the right places. Hats off to the director for the well shot scenes and quality production! The OST was beautiful and tailored well to each scene. Lastly, we finally have a proper ending. I personally don’t care if it’s a happy or sad ending but what I want is a complete end that makes the most sense for the story and I’m glad we were able to achieve that through this show.

The Bad

My only complaint is for the 3 characters, Wang Yingxue, Miao Ansu, and Wei Ting Zhen. I would have liked to see their characters fleshed out a little better. These were the only characters that were very black and white, one dimensional with no real motivations for their deeds. Would have liked more of a backstory into their emotions and reasons to understand them better. Otherwise, every other major character made sense.

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Zerobaseone origin story

Overall 9/10
🌟🌟🌟🌟✨

I don't even know where to start...
This was my first survival show and I watched it although I knew the final line up! Nonetheless, EXTREMELY EMOTIONAL. Guys this was one heck of a ride... You need to make sure to have tissues ready for each episode if you are an emotional person like me. I was not able to get through a single episode without crying at some point. The hardwork and effort you see from the trainees... Beautiful! Each elimination round got me super emotional but nothing tops the finale. (I watched the finale in 3 parts...ahaha but still managed to cry each time.) I am so proud of my boys Zerobaseone and I love them so so much!!
I cannot give this show a higher score purely because of emotional damage lol and I can't give it lower because it was such an investing program.)
Would only recommend if you are willing to watch 2+ hours episode and go through emotional rollercoasters!🥰

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Bloody, bizarre and freaking creative

"Connect" it's a drama is about a world where there is people with strange abilities, they are called "Connect", their body doesn't die, no matter how it's hurt.
The main character is Dong Soo, a lonely man who lives hidden because there's no one who would understand and accept him. One day he's kidnapped and lost one of his eyes, after that he keeps getting visions of someone else and that person is a serial killer.
The story follows his quest to stop that person and get his eye back. In the meanwhile, Dong Soo encounters I Rang, a woman who's just like him.

This drama was a huge surprise, I wasn't expecting it to like so much. It's one of the best productions I have ever seen and it has the face of Takashi Miike writing on it. The only flaw is the open ending, since most likely there will not be a second season.

Jung Hae In, Go Kyung Pyo e Kim Hye Joon <3

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Such a weak drama, not even Lee Bo Young can save it

"Hide" is a suspense/thriller based on a tv show called "Keeping Faith". I didn't watch the original tv show, but I can say for sure that this version just didn't work.
It tells the story of Moon Young, a successful lawyer, who's married and with a child, life couldn't be more perfect but out of the blue, her husband Sung Jae goes missing and after that, the police finds his body in a burning car, with a suicide letter. Moon Young doesn't believe that and starts to investigate what her husband was doing the days before his death and what she finds, makes her overthink everything in her life.
Sung Jae was lying to Moon Young all the time, doing illegal things and even cheating on her with Yeon Joo, their neighbor and their daughter's teacher. We discover that Moon Young's father stole the identity of Yeon Joo's father, living his life and Yeon Joo did everything for revenge.

I love Lee Bo Young, she's an spectacular actress, but it feels like the drama didn't want her, almost like she was forced to be there. Her clothes were ridiculous, too big and didn't fit her right and the character development was laze. Basically all the characters are shallow, none of them really stand out, neither did the story.
One really big flaw of the story is not show the change in Seong Jae, from a good family man, to a person like that, who would do anything for money.

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It's like "Game of Thrones", but better

"Queen Woo" is a story about a woman named Woo Hui, she's the queen of a country named Gogoryeo and unexpectedly her husband Nam Mu dies and she has only one day to find another prince to marry or she's going to die.
Woo Hui quest is really amazing, it's so good what I wanted a prequel and a sequel, there's definitely enough content for that, especially about the relationship of Woo Hui and Nam Mu. They are a great couple and the drama only shows flashbacks of that, just to make us understand how Woo Hui got where she is now. Speaking of her, what a great character. She's a woman who knows what she wants and goes for it. I loved it how she chose the fourth prince because he's easy to manipulate, he's the king only in name and she's the one who calls the shots. HAHA'
Jeon Jong Seo is a badass actress. I loved her work in "Bargain" and "Money Heist" <3

It's a shame that Ji Chang Wook is only at the first episode and in small flashbacks, Nam Mu is a very interesting character and I wanted to see more of him.

There is a lot of violent scenes, a lot of cruelty specially in Lee Soo Hyuk's character, the third prince. His acting is really impressive, he really became that person and to be able to see Lee Soo Hyuk and Song Jae Rim acting together, is like a dream coming true.

Eul Pa So is a mystery to me, I can't actually say that he's a traitor because he wanted to change Gogoryeo, the country needed to change and he helped Woo Hui... and I don't think it's only me who though that Pa So loved Woo Hui, the scene that he gave her the head band clearly showed that.

This drama is unlike anything I've ever watched in the kdramas universe. It goes beyond all the barriers and limits that South Korea normally imposes and it seems like it doesn't even care about it.
It's not scared of showing passionate scenes, to play with eroticism and does so in a way that does not become vulgar. Yes, there is a lot of moments like this, but I think it works with the ambiance that the drama sets, it's to show a place with people craving desire and power.

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