Reviews

Starting off soooo strong

This has the potential to become a 10 stars story from me, judging from 3/4th of the episodes. It started off so strong, and just getting stronger and more griping for me as it goes on. I enjoyed the storyline so much, and the acting was so strong, not to mention the chemistry between LXY and WJY was chef kiss. To me, the plot was convincing and the execution was near perfect, up until the final fight in which Murong Jinghe finally exacts his revenge and brings down Murong Xuanlie. However, the arc after that started to stress me out. It feels like there are 2 different scriptwriter writing the first 25 plus episodes, and another writer took over and botch the last few episodes after that. The arc in which Yue Qin suddenly became stupid and turned evil and the laughable scene of a King thieving on his son’s herb and eating it like a goat for the sake of immortality was ridiculous, in fact I need to stop my bingewatching at that point of time and regroup. Lol. They did YueQin dirty after such long episodes, he was such a likeable SML from the start *sigh. Not to mention how ridiculous they turn the mighty Murong Jinghe with the 7days idiotic outofmind vigil over the supposed death of Mei Lin. Even borderline creepy (who the hell kept on romancing a corpse?? Not to mention, she should be smelly rotten corpse and on her way to liquidify within that time span if you want to be realistic lol. But who watch Cdramas for the realisticality of it right? Hahaha). Luckily they save the plot back after that with the war etc, even though not to the point of this story deserving a 10.

This is my second dramas of LXY (first know of him in The Blood of Youth, and his character there was charming even though he’s a baldy boy. Lol). Not many actors can pull off being baldy and still looking quite good and it shows in this drama. With his get up as Murong Jinghe, he was so charming and lovely and handsome and beautiful all at the same time. He carried off a vengeful soft hearted wronged prince so well, his cry made you want to cry as well sometimes. Though he did cry too pathetically during his return after losing Qingyan, I felt that it is unbecoming for a general to be that way in front of his other soldiers, trying to upkeep moral. He just lost a few mighty points there lol. Wu Jinyan as usual, really delivers. Her earlier fight scenes were so well executed I was gleefully clapping in my mind. In fact, almost 85% of all fight scenes choreography was very much well executed and enchanting. YQ’s actor carries the second male lead role well, even though you are team Jinghe/Mei Lin, you still want him to be happy (except for those few episodes near the end). The villain (Murong Xuanlie) was also well written, coming as someone so cunning, but also was a poor wronged soul turn bad. His end is bittersweet in a way. General Lin was so and so though, i’m not that much into her character or care too much for her. Surprisingly, the role of Princess Zigu was acted quite well, coming across as lovely innocent girl and even though her love story with someone maybe 30years her senior ideally sounds quite erghhh sometimes, but the acting of Zigu’s and the emperor’s was able to make it less awkward and mature love, rather than the pedophile vibe it can possibly be. Qingyan should have an honorary mention as well and his death broke me as much as it broke Prince Jing, but I pity that guy having to deal with Murong Jinghe during his 7day vigil with a dead girl. Lol. You are a strong man Qingyan! Lol. And as much as Qingyan deserved his appreciation scenes, I was as disappointed that Eunuch Liu was killed that easily without any mention whatsoever after that. He died heroic! I love that old fatherly eunuch how dare you!


Costumes were allllll so nice and beautifully crafted, no matter if it was jinghe, mei lin, yueqin or even Zigu. It was a feast to the eyes. The cinematography was also pleasant to the eyes. Ost was also heard beautifully accompanying so many scenes, not overly done or underused. And of course, the whump scenes I got from this drama kept me well fed (I adore those male lead whump scenes beat me!)


All in all, I very much enjoy this drama and staying up late for 3nights bingewatching this in between work shift was well deserved.

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It could've been better

Okay. So this show started out kinda slow for me like the set up just wasn't great. To be honest, I think they just kind of threw us in and then expected us to feel this family dynamic with this group of people that we weren't sure how or when they got together. So that kind of set me off first thing. Also I feel like in some ways the show wasn't sure what it wanted to be. It was really light hearted at the beginning and then became really intense at the end. Which is why I started to like it more near the end. I really did feel like there was aFamily dynamic once we concluded. I just feel like we should have set it up better at the beginning. Another thing that had no purpose was that they kept hiding the villain. Every time you saw his face, it would be concealed and then, when they finally revealed it, we had no idea who he was. We'd never seen him before.They kept kind of making it seem like we knew him but we didn't know him. So I didn't know what the point of shrouding his face was. The main cast was incredible. All 4 of them were amazing together and separately. I loved it more as it went on. I loved the family dynamic, but once again I wish we had set that up better in the first couple of episodes because we don't know when they got together how long they've been we have just have no idea and then it slowly starts to piece together at the end. But because of that some of the heart and humor at the beginning felt unearned but once you just accepted that this was a group that had been together for a while the ending was so sweet and heartwarming. You really rooted for them as a family. All that said I really believe had the show taken time to set up everyone's connections better and earlier it would've went from a 8 to a solid 8.5 maybe even a 9.

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review wars

I often wondered why in one website’s ratings of a drama is high and another is low? The same show……………I think it’s related to the age groups of the audiences that is watching…….

This drama, in my opinion is not very good……Esther Yu acting is ????????????? She think she is a barbie doll and portrayed as such….she tried acting cute but came out doltish. Ding Yu Xi became a better actor now, He have one of the most attractive and expressive lips in the show industry………..but he has the ugliest fingers…..stop bitting your nails Yu Xi, does not do anything for your image!!!!!!!!

The drama itself is also lacking….. too much graphics and not enough stories…..it is not one that you can’t wait to see the next episode……

If this kind of drama is your cup of tea, go for it....in the mean time, I rather watch something else but will come back if nothing else is attracting my attentions.

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Should You watch?

This drama has an incredibly captivating storyline that instantly drew me in. The plot is both intriguing and layered, keeping me eagerly engaged with each episode. The female lead’s acting is outstanding, bringing her character to life in a way that feels so real and relatable. She perfectly captures the emotional depth of her role, making it easy to connect with her journey and feel invested in her story.

The pacing and development of the storyline are also handled well, adding to the overall immersive experience. Each episode feels like a well-crafted piece, with a balance of drama, suspense, and emotion that keeps the viewer on their toes. The characters are well-developed, and their interactions add depth to the plot, enhancing the series' overall appeal.

I'm looking forward to the remaining episodes and have high hopes that they’ll continue to bring the same joy and excitement. There’s a fascinating journey unfolding here, and I can’t wait to see where it leads. If you enjoy stories with strong characters, emotional connections, and a plot that keeps you guessing, this series is definitely worth watching. It's been a fantastic ride so far, and I’m eagerly anticipating what’s next!

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Blatent copy of the 2006 US drama "The Lost Room"

In 2006 a supernatural drama was released on the SyFy Channel. The concept was about a motel room and some of the everyday items from that room which possess unusual powers. The show's protagonist, Joe Miller, is searching for these objects to rescue his daughter, Anna, who has disappeared inside the Room. Once a typical room at a 1960s motel along U.S. Route 66, the Lost Room has existed outside of normal time and space since 1961, when what is referred to only as "the Event" took place.
This Kdrama updated this concept to the 21st centaury. However, unlike the original it does not explain anything about the objects verbally, its all visual interpretation. The concept and story line are good with the first 12 of the 32 episodes being engaging and entertaining. However, the female lead cannot be taken seriously, she is a far better actress than she shows here, while the male lead does an adequate job the child actress steals most of the scenes.
The writers then lose control of the plot, completely and utterly confused. Who ever was controlling continuity through the filming should be reprimanded, terrible job. The drama had the potential to be as good as the original, but failed solely down to the confused plot. Each segment is directed and filmed extremely well but if the material is poor there is not much you can do as a director except quit!
Is it worth watching, yes, just to see how the whole thing collapse's into drivel after 25 episodes. And the ending, please this was worse than Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol which infuriated me as being so much of a let down. This ending is just saying the writer had no idea's left and couldn't careless. I pity the actors and actresses and director who had to cope with it
Anything good, the villain of the piece (Kim Kang Woo) puts his heart and soul into being as evil and psychopathic as you can get, which he achieves with a graceful aplomb. In addition, the music fits everything nicely and is let down by the whole shows collapse.
Best idea for anybody watching this show is to go and watch the original and see how it should be done.

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Great watch but Pt2 may not be for everyone

Great watch but Pt2 may not be for everyone -- geek scifi and early modern history fans will perk up and smile. Qi-problems sideline our bold brassy boy from any martial action for much of Pt2; Fan Xian gets one truly spectacular, mistaken and vertiginous duel. The grandmaster system starts to become a subject for thought.

Much thinner, FX steadfastly makes his way forward now as a true insider in the capital city, once Dad-the-Emperor sort of acknowledges him. Exeunt the std hero plots, enter a sci-fi steam punk search for Mom's identity, while DtE uses FX to claw back control of Mom's seed projects: the Overwatch Council (and associ.ated govt agencies) and the Imperial Treasury. FX fights public corruption and sweet chubby-cheeks Fan Sizhe invents economic theory (I knew he could do it. Fangirl here).

The Dad-cabal still manages to fascinate -- adoptive-Dad, Dad-in-law, super-mentor-"dad", and somebody-else's-Dad (Yan Bing Yun has a future ahead) all joust with Bio-DtE over how their retirements will play out. Poor dears, always upended by some long involved strategy of DtE which is only recognizable via its final result.

FX begins to self-define as a grownup -- feelings are more important to him than they are or were to either parent, justice is his Mom's gift to him and he has clearly inherited his Dad's skillful, calculating and often violent strategic action. But will he ever get to settle down with his Wan-er? I hope so. However as an historian I can smell reform of the armed forces coming on ....

Most of Pt1 actors/charcters return and develop further. The irrepressible Elder Princess and the Second Prince (I feel a sneaking fondness for his little cat face and his pretty bare feet ) return but do not change. Most of the horrific violence occurs offstage to the suffering People, in the imperial family violence is a constant threat only rarely carried out.

Random thought: the constant shots of main characters' footwear seem not to have any poetic logic, and surely they arent ppl...

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Little Chef in the Big City ♨️ Don't Watch This Hungry °7° °VG°

Food is good stuff - we all love to eat it. Why do we love to watch it being prepared on TV? One reason is that it's comforting. Another is that it brings people together.

Taew is a small town girl from rural Thailand. We meet her through the words of her son. In order to distract his angry girlfriend, Kelli, who is about to leave him, he tells the story of how his mother left the countryside, came to Bangkok, and became a wildly successful chef in the 70's. MC is a 2019 release that is rated 7.4 on MDL. It is 1 season consisting of 13 50-minute episodes. It feels like a true story but a quick goog didn't provide any intel, so it's hard to verify either way.

Taew's first gig is as a maid. Initially, her boss seems harsh, but as she gets to know and trust Taew, she teaches her how to cook. The woman soon recognizes Taew’s great potential. She pushes Taew out of the nest, telling her that she's FIRED. She gives Taew a letter E r of recommendation for a job at a friend's restaurant. That doesn't work out; when Taew gets there the place is closed. The next few episodes find Taew hustling. Wherever Taew works, she steals - she steals recipes, techniques, and secrets. Her first real break is as a prep cook at Samran Kitchen. There she becomes like family with the rest of the staff. Pol and Jom work there and they will factor heavily in her life. “Do you remember me?” Jom actually helped her catch a bus when she first arrived in town, but that was more than a couple years ago. The beautiful Taew doesn't recall him, but he's never forgotten her.

Gybzy Wanida Termthanaporn (Bumbat Ruk Bum Roong Sook, Mae Lueak Kerd Dai) plays Taew. Her earthy voice is a pleasure to listen to. Jason Young (The Crown Princess, Eng and Chang, The Deadline) is Pol. Handsome and tall, he's a bit of a womanizer - More distant. More condescending. More reserved. He would be the choice in a romance novel. Louis Thanawin Teeraphosukarn (The Eclipse, Only Boo!) plays Jom. He's like a puppy dog - always there, always pawing over her, always helping. Taew has friendly affection for him, but it's platonic. He has an uphill climb if he wants to cultivate her feelings to grow into something more. Jom makes mistakes by sometimes behaving clingy, paranoid, and demanding. They both had some growing up to do. Director E Suphakorn Riansuwan also brought us Win 21 Ded Jai Tur and Something Family.

MC is nicely done and a pleasant watch. Taew's journey to Bangkok is jazzed up with cut-outs and hand-drawn animation. The shots of food, the cooking, and the glorious entrees are seriously appetizing - don't watch this hungry, you'll just torture yourself. It is strange how relaxing it can be to watch food being prepared and cooked on TV. The characters are developed well and they maintain interest throughout each episode. Taew never gives up. She keeps going forward. She's inspiring.

Like mother, like son: Mom had trouble deciding between two men and the son seems to be having the same struggle in deciding between two women. The sexualized modern-day characters that are sharing the story don't add much seasoning to the main dish - I didn't like Shane, the narrator, much in the beginning. After the initial episodes they focus more on the story, which has worthy themes. Sometimes nice guys finish first. Persevering together is the primary theme. Survival is the sub-theme: “Women like us often have to do the opposite of what we actually want to do. Because we can't bear any more pain,” we hear. That's worth chewing on.


〰QUOTE〰

There are times in life when you come to a fork in the road. You know the New Path is better. However you're not ready to take it because you haven't come to the end of the old one.


〰IMHO〰

RATINGS
Directing 7
Writing 6.8
Acting 7.5
Romance 5
Flutters 4
Art 7
Sound & music 6
Ending 7.4

LEVELS
Warmth 4.5
Action/ Excitement 3
Laughs 2
Tears 3
Fright 1
Tension/Anxiety 3
Gore 2
Thought provocation 4
Snores 0

Re-watch? This one's in the good-to-pass-the-time category, but I may never pass this way again….


Age 14+
Language: pr!ck, $h!+ - maybe one or twice each

This is no chaste Kdrama or Cdrama.
The FL offers to do a strip tease for the gods if they grant her prayers. She tells her boss she wants to propose something. Next thing she knows, he's naked. The guys telling the story is a womanizer. Frequently, there's shirtless guys,

In order of ~lite & trite~ to ~heavy & serious~ you may also like:

♥️ -
C:
A Little Thing Called First Love 8.5;
Find Yourself 8.9;
The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8;
The Sleepless Princess 9.1;
Wait, My Youth-8.4

Romance junkies only
When I Fly Towards You-7.8,
You are my destiny-6.8 cute and sweet and 1/2 padding,
Meteor Garden-7.4 - 70% flowing 30% dragging and BOF is better,
Hidden Love-7.8

K:
A Witch's Love 7.8;
Love To Hate You 8.9;
Touch Your Heart 8.2; Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha-8.4,
Crash Landing On You 9.1;
Oh My Ghost 10; Love Struck in the City 7.3,
It's Okay Not to Be Okay 9; ♡When the Camellia Blooms-8,
Hospital Playlist 9;
My Mister 9.5;

Japanese lite romcoms: Maid Sama-10, Mischievous Kiss Love in Tokyo-7.8, Love, Chunibyo And Other Delusions-8.4, Toradora-8.5


Taiwan
Age of Rebellion-9.5
Autumn's Concerto-7.2
The Fierce Wife-8
Two Fathers-7.5

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DON'T watch this expecting the same ending as the book it's apparently based on.

I haven't read the book I was told it's based on. I've been told the drama is VERY different compared to the book, definitely from episode 23. So don't watch this expecting the same story or ending. DON'T read past the spoilers alert below if you don't want to know ANYTHING about what happens!!! Though I have tried to be vague.

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!
SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

Just to be sure everyone understands that there are SPOILERS ahead.......
SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!
SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!


The book apparently had a happy ending for the main couple ( though they did really suffer for it). I don't know this because I didn't read the book. There is NO happy ending, not even a bittersweet ending. It's just a full on tragedy.......needlessly so. I've been told the author, who was (allegedly) not aware of the changes being made to her story, is 'upset'. I would be more than 'upset' if it was my book being butchered like this.

However, the acting was truly amazing; completely faultless - the main couple were so cute and really made the development of their deep love for each other (we're talking SOULMATES, people!) utterly believable. Liu Xue Yi who played the ML wonderfully as the (somewhat insane, at least in the beginning) , Prince Murong Jing He. His growing love for the FL was also very believable. As an actor, he really aces these historical/fantasy roles the best.

Wu Jin Yan, is a consummate actress, I've seen many of her dramas and she aces her roles every time. and she really was believable as the revenge driven female lead, Mei Lin. Again, her developing love for the prince was believable. As was the desperation to remain with each other come what may as their story progressed. The similar desperation to 'save' each other though, was annoying and led to so many moments of me just yelling - "OH MY GOD!! JUST *TELL* HIM/HER!!". Things would've been different for the FL if she'd just TOLD the ML some stuff, but she didn't because......enter stupid reason. But that, sadly, was the script, not the actors fault.

Even the malevolent couple were cute (together - scary with everyone else!) you really believed that, especially the Crown Prince, was genuinely, deeply in love. The always wonderful Baron Chen was the evil Crown Prince (and man, was he evil to all but his beloved general, Luo Mei).

We truly expected the unnecessary suffering would at least lead to a Happily Ever After for the main leads and at least SOME pf the other 'good' characters......which it did in the book (at least that's what I'm told). I swore so MUCH at my tv at the ending.....SO much. Basically NOTHING good is kept at the end and EVERYONE suffers and ends up utterly MISERABLE, DEPRESSED and verging on self deleting.

There's a cute ending bit of what would've happened to the main leads if Jinghe had had the entry to the town HE wanted and there was no fire. In it the princes were brothers first, etc and there was no power struggle. Jinghe's mother was still alive too. It was cute - but, again (at least in my mind), the scriptwriter fricked us over.

The scenes were about how the main couple were fated to meet, how they were fated to be together because they were soulmates. So why not have that cuteness as their NEXT lives? Maybe a few ones after too? Showing them having increasingly happier lives together after the suffering they endured for justice in this life (including the side characters who suffered). So give them better lives moving forward, ESPECIALLY the main leads? Oh this is a soapbox I could camp out on - literally build a small town here and move in to rant daily about how even this TEENY segment was done so wrongly.

It was definitely wonderful to see Baron Chen (he's the evil Crown Prince) back on our screens in the West again (I'm sure, as the gifted actor he is, he's been working a lot in Asia, but we still don't get enough Asian dramas/movies here so don't see too much of him). He played the Crown Prince as the malevolent royal usurper, completely without redemption. EXCEPT for his love for his female general, who you could see he genuinely love deeply. They were very believable in their devotion though, fully as much as the main couple.

There is NO SML Syndrome; which, I admit, was refreshing - I am a repeated SML Syndrome sufferer and have been for years. So it made a pleasant change not to have it here. He wasn't even that nice overall; he did something UNACCEPTABLE to FL. He is also NO threat to the ML on any level - warrior, lover, romantic interest. Naught, None, Nada. You know it the second you see him interact with the FL; there's not even an attempt to pose him as a serious threat to the main lead on any level - as shown by the fact its clear in the drama to main leads are soulmates (in damaged souls as well as love) and the loathsome thing he did to the FL.

There is NO rewatch value - seriously, NONE. I don't need to see the abomination of the ending more than once. I don't need to use that amount of bad language against my poor tv more than once. It literally switched itself off randomly, probably because of the bad language being angrily hurled at it. Apparently some people watch just the main leads and stop at episode 23 (which is where the script basically completely abandoned the book).

If I can find the book as an English translation I might buy it, just to find the better ending.

Please understand this is MY take from this drama, only mine. I loved ALL the actors; I think they ALL deserved better than this Script of Abomination - like. oh I don't know, maybe the author's ORIGINAL story. I mean they really committed to their characters and made their character so believable.

I wish another, more competent, scriptwriter could work WITH the author and do it all again with the same, VERY gifted cast. But then, as my late mum would say, "if wishes were horses, then beggars could ride." So yeah.....sadly, there will be no horseriding beggars and no better version of this. This had so MUCH promise that was wasted by a scriptwriter from hell.

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What?

The main character serves me a lifetime's worth of second-hand embarrassment. Everything is so incredibly underwhelming... This doesn't feel like it's made in 2024 at all, it's worse than Color Rush.

No but actually, what was this supposed to be? Really, what was the point? Korea, we talked about this, we have to have a plot in mind before starting to film a new series, the characters being gay isn't enough. This will now enter my top list of the most Gacha Life mini movie-coded dramas I've seen. Forget worse than Color Rush, this was even worse than Love Class; It's like they're cousins or long-lost siblings. I really wasted my time watching this, so I'm not going to waste even more of my time writing a longer review. There was no depth or emotions conveyed through this series, and I don't think I even spared a smile or a giggle even once. This just wasn't entertaining in any way.

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Watchable

Positive aspects of this drama:
- All the leads are interesting and well written, the scenes of the secondary leads don't feel like they're taking time away from the main couple
- The two main leads are really good looking
- Overall, this drama has pretty good pacing for 40 episodes (they're definitely too many though, but that's cdramas for you).
- The story starts from a VERY interesting premise: she's lost her memory and he pretends to be her husband. Seeing this kind of dynamic unravel is so good. There is also a cool plot twist along the way, and REALLY funny moments especially around eps 25-29.
- Finally, the main reason I never dropped this drama: Xueji's story. She was my favorite character and I wanted to watch her storyline until the end. Even when I stopped caring about the other leads towards the end, I was still sticking to this drama for Xueji and wanted to see how her story with her love interest progressed.

Negative aspects:
- The skin smoothing. Omg. I've never seen so much skin smoothing in a drama in recent years. The combo skin smoothing + heavy makeup makes Zhang Wanyi look like a corpse, and he doesn't need any of that?? He'd look so much hotter with less of the damn filter and a little bit of melanin showing.
- Abrupt cuts in the plot that left me a bit confused. There's a time-skip at one point where you're left wondering "how the f did this happen??" about a certain plot point.
- There are many technical aspects that are due to budget that don't really make this drama look high-quality: recycled Hengdian sets, no money to show actual battles and armies, very standard and bland cinematography for the most part. Costumes are also just okay looking.
- I didn't love the ML's acting in sad and tragic scenes. He's much better in comedic scenes though.
- [MILD SPOILER] In the second half of the drama, the main plot point around which the FL and ML's story revolved is no more, and a hundred very boring and predictable typical drama plots start (jealous love rivals, court schemes...), so the drama becomes just a very bland and standard one.

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