Dragging suspense

Personally, one thing about kdrama they do right is they want us to keep guessing, but there is also a downside to that because how long do you drag on the suspense to make the audiences want more? I am so glad I watched this with friends because I would have never finished it. I stayed because of the amazing cast, I love their acting and their characters but the way how the story unfolded, the dragging suspense, and adding unnecessary problems one after another was a typical kdrama move that I absolutely find dull and boring. Nothing made sense and some of the issues just didn't seem real enough to convince me.

I recommend it for the cast and if this is your type of suspense but forget about it if you're there for the storyline.

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I want to start by saying that I was looking forward to this series. The amazing cast and the hype around this series were the two things that made me add the series to my watchlist. From the OST clips I’ve seen, I thought the series was a full-on romance with a little bit of politics with the royal family. I was extremely disappointed to find out it was the exact opposite – more politics and very light on the romance.

What I like about the series:

Liu Yu Ning’s character of Hao Du, I was rooting for him the entire time. I couldn't help but notice the way he looked at the Princess the first time. I am so glad there was one thing from the series that did not disappoint me.

The storyline was very well thought out, there were a lot of side characters that were added each time FL faced a trial that developed her character growth.

The OST. Lately, I have this tendency to listen to OST before watching the series. I love fan-made clips of the series, sneak peeks always get me excited and I look forward to these scenes. I also love how Sa Dinding’s If you come back was used in a lot of “dramatic” scenes. It was probably one of the songs I had to look up right away.

Did I mention Hao Du? My favorite scene of his was when Hao Du jumped in fighting off the She Er to win the princess's hand in marriage.

The cinematography did not disappoint, the one thing I really enjoyed was how some scenes transition from live-action to manga. I found this to be very refreshing. I prefer having this transition rather than an overload of CG.
The cast, I am familiar with some of these actors and actresses so I was super excited to watch this. The last I’ve seen any of Dilraba work was in Ten Miles of Peach Blossom and the spin-off Eternal Love of Dream. Zhao Lu Si has been one of the actresses I’ve been following this past year. A lot of her series was light and romantic, thus I was looking forward to seeing her in this role. Other familiar cast played minor roles but it was enjoyable to see them.

The bad:

This is more personal, and I think most folks will either hate or like this. I skipped a lot mainly because I’m not into politics and the military strategy and the scheme. I was bored out of my mind as I kept skipping these sections, which was a good chunk of the series. I probably grasped onto enough to understand what was happening and didn’t care for the minute details.

They're probably more that I didn’t like but I am not going to list them all. I don’t have a long list to make a case and to justify that it made the series bad, it was more of my personal preference.

Personally, my rating is 6.5/10. I think the second lead made the series enjoyable, I looked forward to seeing how Hao Du slowly changed from this cold heartless man to someone dear and loving. But they only play a small role, the entire series was on Sun and Chang ge, and simply I just didn’t like the politics. As much as I love the second leads, I know I won’t re-watch this series.

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Happy ending only exist in dreams

I’ve been stuck in a rut lately, I wanted to watch a historical Chinese series but lately, all the ones I wanted to watch the paces were too slow. I’m glad I found this series, but I shouldn’t be surprised as the director and the screenwriter wrote a lot of the short series I like. The series is simple with no weird editing, It has a beautiful storyline, and the characters are just fun to watch!

Still a great short series even though it's not my favorite, I still prefer A Familiar Stranger. That series kept me thinking about it for days. But don’t get me wrong, I still love this series, it's just one that I probably won't think about for days.
I also love the cast, zhao yi qin I’ve been watching his stuff for years so I’m glad to see him getting a lot more main roles. I remember watching Rain Lu in Qing Qing Zi Jin and she left a good impression so I’m glad to see more of her works here!

The only downside was the ending. I get that it was supposed to be an open ending but honestly, I was expecting a happy ending. The last two episode was a bit confusing, maybe it was the subtitled I found but I had no idea what happened to Marquis/Princess's husband. To see everyone happy at the end felt like a dream. I guess this is their way of showing that happy endings only exist in dreams.

This is going to be another director and screenwriter I will be following. I can't wait for more short series from the director and the screenwriter!

Overall an 8/10

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I truly want to like this series. I force myself to keep watching hoping that it would get better and hopefully explain some of the questions that still lingered. But the ending clicked and a lot of the questions and build-up I felt were left unanswered. I am still trying to understand the feelings I’m feeling.

First off, I think this series is more symbolic than what it shows. For someone who didn’t read the book, it might have caused a lot of confusion and maybe even upset to the point where I can’t seem to enjoy the series as much as I would have liked. The storyline is great, I truly found it captivating but with the struggle between the FL and ML, I had a hard time comprehending why she was holding back.

So the good:
I adore the cast, I have never watched much of FL work so I’m very surprised by her acting. I also love our Junho, I mean who doesn’t?

Some of the symbolic scenes – The one that stood out the most was when she was saying goodbye to herself once she became the concubine. We know how free spirit she is, so to be tied back to the palace and having lost that freedom made me teared up a bit.

The unsure:
I was told they had chemistry that was off the chart, but I felt it more like he was chasing her, and she kept teasing and “played hard to get” even though we know she adore him. Did I miss a personality trait shown in the first few episodes? I think it didn’t really clear up until the end when her friend mentioned she likes to bluff. So I concluded it was just a personality trait that I probably didn’t catch???? I do love the sexual tension that Junho was giving but the FL just kept everything in check.

The open ending. Was it a dream? A nightmare he woke up from? Did he pass away? Was this him and her in their afterlife? The ending really upset me because of the buildup I felt along the way. I felt there was not enough information as time passed or the transition of how things went. For example, when three years passed after the death of the former king, we are suddenly switching to the marketplace. Why did their friend leave the court maid life? Was there really a marriage alliance with ML right man’s younger sister? Again, I think there were some symbolic things that happened that probably weren’t properly explained in the series or the director just couldn’t transition those scenes as smoothly for someone like me to understand. :D

The ending felt rushed to me. I didn’t like how FL and ML suddenly got together. How happy their lives were for the last few episodes and then the weird transition of how the crown prince died. Again, I just wish for a smooth transition and a deeper love connection between ML and FL.

As I’m writing this, one thing I do appreciate about the symbolic ending was how there were a lot of things that were hinted and it all happened in the “nightmare”. FL knew that ML loves his people as a king, he would be a great king just not a great husband because of the duties he has to shoulder. She even hinted that she wishes they were commoner and she often imagine it. He didn’t get the hint and just stated you’re a good court maid and he can’t imagine not being where he is at. This doubt continued to grow in her heart, but she also knew from the get-go if this is the decision she sticks with this is the path she’ll take. This is why when she visits her friend in prison, you can see the connection and the understanding she felt when her friend stated she doesn’t regret making the decision for the man she loves.

The directing and the way how this film was going have great potential, but I just wish things were a bit smooth. There were just a few scenes and a few transitions that caused confusion which is why my rating is a bit low. Again, I repeat my first line as I wrote the review; I truly want to like or even love this series but there are so many questions and doubts about how it was done. Simply I was just not that happy with how it went.

Rating:
4/10

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Hidden gem

You know it is a good series when you stayed up all night watching it! That is what I did. I was looking for my next fluff and well I thought an idol drama with holo love might sound interesting, plus my Zhang Ling He was starring in this series. Boy, I did not know what was in store for me!

What I love:

The fluff, the cuteness, the chemistry between the lead and second-leading couple. I also like the female lead. I usually find female lead annoying and stupid but this one she just full of life and super funny. I very much so enjoyed the chemistry she had with grandma. I think that is what made me continue watching the series to begin with. I like how the female lead did not play one of those I’m going to drive you crazy with my innocent yet smart tactile. I couldn’t stop comparing what other female leads would have done with the scene where Grandma tries to call her hustler that will kill anyone for her. In here you can tell FL has was common sense making her smarter and wittier compared to those female leads who would have fallen for it and begged for forgiveness. Because of this, she was able to get all four men in the house to let her stay and continue cleaning in place of Grandma.

The second leading couple, although I was slightly disappointed with the cliché of a strong independent female with an understanding comforting male couple, I think they actually made their relationship so realistic, with issues that partners do face that I actually like their pairing. Plus, did I mention I love Zhang Ling He??? ?

Let's not forget the main leading couple. With a lot of series nowadays, I seem to only have one favorite couple. But in this series, I’m in love with both couples. They're so adorable. I love how this wasn't a typical teen love; they don’t have this extremely annoying “I’m jealous” so I’m going to drive you crazy and hurt your feelings phase. I often find that childish and unbearable to watch. Let us not forget the amount of kissing scenes we get in this series!

What I often thought about:

How nice it would be to have a virtual world. I think these series tackle an issue that is pretty prevalent, although we don’t have our holo lover, a lot of us do hop online to live in this virtual world to escape so that we can continue living in this reality. We often forget to appreciate the small little things that virtual life can’t give.

The second lead couple and how cute they were! Yes, I’m a bit obsessed with Zhang Ling He!

The twist in the story, I didn’t expect that after getting caught in Bayhouse they were stuck into a virtual game. Everything felt so real and I’m sure many of us thought so too. The one thing that stuck out was how mean the NPC characters are and how they kept trying to make everything wrong. I also love the reference to inception totem and how at the end they all brought it out to make sure it was real and not a game.

I also didn’t expect the chase to be so long towards the end of the last episode but I am satisfied with the ending. Some relationships like Lu Wen Xuan came a bit too fast for and there wasn’t much development like Su Ming Lie where he had to overcome his fear of red lips and befriend a girl.

Some of the side characters that I love: grandma, Qi Chuan, and Xu Guan Han. I mean who doesn’t love grandma on a motorbike. You already know this grandma has personality and she means business! I thoroughly love her character in here. I also love how serious Xu Guan Han is in here, I mean he plays the bad guy who loves up these beautiful boys. He's serious, and if he doesn’t like you for any reasonable reason you’ll be kicked out and fired. He tries to create this perfect virtual world in place of this world he thinks is imperfect. I don’t realize how old he is until he played his character as a father. I look forward to more of his work! This was fun!

What I didn’t like:

It was hard to find anything in the series that I didn’t like besides this one poor editing, like when she fell in the pool. You can see that it was only waist-high and she standing up in that quick second.

I think this is a hidden gem and everyone should watch it! Super cute couples, you'll fall in love with everyone's character in here!

Re-watch value: 9/10

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Something missing

Honestly, I expected a lot from this series. I am stuck between do I like this series or is mediocre? I love that the Hong sisters wrote this. I always enjoy their work. Just like every Hong sister series, the hype of wanting to continue each episode, how everything was executive perfectly between being serious and comical, it has a great storyline, awesome cast, and memorable music. BUT something was always missing for me, even from the beginning. For this series, I felt the chemistry between the leads missing. More so from the FL. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy her character. I think the actress makes it work but to be in love with ML with all that breaking heartache...I didn't feel it. I was disappointed because I was told this was a love story. I was expecting a bit too much from the series and was disappointed. I've seen snippets of the second season, so I am hopeful that I might get the heartwrenching love line I was looking for.

The other downside to this was that the story started out slow, a lot happened within each episode but I skipped a lot. And the ending and the discovery of how things unfold in the last few episodes were fast. There were so many unexpected events that did not feel like the cliffhanger was necessary nor was it something that should have been put there. I felt disappointed even though I knew a second season was in place. I still felt it could have been handled a bit differently.

6.5/10 for me
Rewatch value: 1/10. I really wanted it to be higher. I really thought that my low rating might have been due to skipping a lot of content but I still got the storyline and the main points. I might go back if someone can point out pieces of information I may have missed.

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The unexpected

I was not sure what to expect from this series. I went in thinking that it will just be another drinking, mukbang. and comedy show. I did not expect it to have so much symbolic meaning and how much the title "Work Later, Drink Now" meant; let's live in the moment.

I personally love how most episodes did not directly link to the previous episodes. Instead, each episode told a story about a different part of each one life. They went through all the normal everyday events we all go through - school, falling in love, breaking up, college, employment, the start of a friendship, the big fight among friends, making up after a fight, getting old, and the death of a loved one. And alcohol and their friendship were there for each and every event. They stated it very well in the series they drink when they are happy, sad, something to celebrate, something to be sad about. They basically drink all the time.

For once I can relate to a series, it felt more like a slice-of-life genre. And I'm a big sucker for this genre. I was actually surprised that I stayed up binge watch this late last night, cried my eyes out, and for once was disappointed that season 2 wasn't out yet. I gave it a pretty high rating for a series that was pretty unexpected. I recommend staying for the ride, you'll have to get over the excessive drinking, you'll find the charm in this series.

Rating 9/10
Rewatch 8/10

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This has a promising storyline, a classic really. Famous celebrity teacher falls in love with a normal working "mom". I really wanted to watch the story because of the backstory of FL and how she decided to raise her niece. I expected a long backstory but everything was explained in one episode, maybe in five minutes of the show. Kind of disappointed, personally I was looking for a build-up of their storyline. This was the main reason why I decided to give this show a chance.

ML has his charm and FL I didn't know how old she was until an article came out about her in her 50's as she plays a mom. I assume they were thinking of someone in her 30's? She was able to pull it off for someone in her 50's so I give her props for that. They were a cute couple and their love line was expected to happen, I just felt the pace was a bit off for me.

I love the side stories of the uncle and the daughter. I think they were adorable. But just like every other kdrama there has to be a bad guy with some mental or psychological issue that is related to one of the leading couples. I personally do not like having these weird side stories added on because it was predictable and I already knew who was behind it.

It was entertaining but I skipped through a lot, I personally wouldn't want to watch it again. Giving it at 4/10

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Sorry to disappoint but if you’re expecting a I love this series review this is probably not it. I was disappointed with a few things so I’m going to start out with them first:

The random character growth for FL. The way how this was directed at first it seem like she was described as someone weak, an artist type who can’t fight back and now she randomly has a great memory and remembers things when she deals with the business issue. Being brave for the man you love is a given so I’ll let that one slide, but I can’t get over her thinking it was a brave and smart idea to chase the man in black. Thus, in turn, gets locked up in a food truck and wimpy cries for help when she was just so brave all sudden. I don’t know if it was the actress's fault or the way how it was directed.

The sudden cliffhangers or should I say the exposure of ML mystery past or the random agreement to decide to get married to mean girl.

FL random drunken episode and acted cute. Sorry, it was a great scene for ML to kick ass but why did she need to be drunk?

Probably the only thing I like was the ML, his character seems to be steady and well-defined. Of course, he is hot but that not saving the series. I think this series has potential, it really does but the way how the plots and twists were played out was just so random and weird, at least for me. FL didn’t have a well-defined character making it hard to follow at times. I think she does a good job at acting, but they just need to define her character a bit more. If anyone has any recommended movies or series she has done that way better let me know. I am willing to check them out.

Rating 4/10, probably won’t rewatch since I forward through a lot. There are a lot of cute scenes that you can just find on youtube but watching the entire series, is not worth it. There's not much chemistry so you’re not really losing out.

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Do not be tricked, it is not labeled as comedy, but it is. Back from the Brink is so comical I don’t remember how many times I laughed and cried and went back to laughing again. I truly think in this series Zhou Ye as the lead won me over. I last saw her in Word of Honor. I remembered her character because of the sad ending of her love story and her bratty attitude. I really wasn’t expecting much from her in this series but she proved me wrong. Let's not forget Riley Wang, man I adore his character in here. I bet the both of them had a ball behind the scenes seeing how funny they were.

Back from the Brinks opens with a betrayal on a couple’s wedding night. Because of this, it captivated my attention at the beginning, and I had to continue with the series. His body parts and heart are torn and sealed away in different places. ML and FL later meet, with ML finding out FL has his heart. Their journey starts as they try to find the rest of his body parts leading to meeting funny, loving individuals and losing individuals they love.

What I love about this series:
The cinematography and the beautiful cgs.
The side characters. You can’t help but grow to love some of them. I still can’t believe Zuo Ye is in here!!!!
The storyline.
FL acting and her character
Riley’s character
Lot of scenes that will make you laugh and cry all within the same episode.

What I didn’t like:
Felt super long, I just finished Love you Seven time so I was expecting a pace similar to that but this one felt long and I skipped a lot.
Let's be honest, how many of us were ready to go head-to-head with Su Ying's character. Just had to put it out there :D

Neo acting. There were just some moments where I felt he could have done more but he kept himself in check a lot and thought about appearance more than acting. But that is just my personal thoughts.

Recommended if you are looking for the next wuxia to watch. Also, recommended if you are a fan of Neo and Zhou Ye or Riley. I think they come a long way

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Sweet and cute series

I’m writing this review as I’m thinking about another series. Literally just finished Back from the Brink after Love You Seven Times. I couldn’t contain my excitement to see Yang Chao Yue because she has come such a long way. I saw her and Neo in a variety show a while back and it was super cute. I was super happy to see both him and her having a new series out the same year.

Love you seven times had a lot of chemistry. For sure, Ding Yu Xi won my heart in this series. The last time I saw his work was from Romance of Tiger and Rose. I wasn’t very impressed with that series but this one…he won my heart over!!!!

Here are some things I love about this series:
I love the outfits, the attention to the details was just spot on.
The length of the episodes, I’m glad it was a short series.
The flow and the pace of the story. I ended up binge-watching this entire series because it was so easy to watch.
The opening theme. I automatically recognize the singer.
The cast.
The different lifetimes they had. I’m glad they were not painfully long and they were just perfect!!

The only con I had was these carefree happy FL leads we tend to get in Wuxia.
I recommend it to anyone looking to watch a short, sweet, and romantic wuxia series.

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Be your own scriptwriter

It is like finding your first love in your thirties.

I think this line summarizes the series very well. Honestly, I first started the series dreading the pace and how it was going. I don’t really like corporate series, nor do I know much about the cast. I probably watched one series of Elvis but the storyline was confusing, so I didn’t get very far. I have never seen any FL work so I was not sure if I wanted to proceed. But I saw an edit and I knew these two had amazing chemistry, so I had to give it a try.

I’m glad I did. Like every good story, you just need to get over the introduction of the plot. It starts out with FL living in a competitive world for lawyers trying to make ends meet and later meeting ML. Their coincident meetings blossom into a friendship with FL confessing later to ML. What I love about this series is that it is a mature love with a lot of corporate work but very relatable. You get to see that love does happen even when you’re in your 30s. As I mentioned earlier, I had never seen any of FL but I adore her soft demeanor but strong justice character. She always fights for what she thinks is right. She plays her character just right so I might start watching more of her stuff.

The ending sums up pretty much the whole drama “The city is still bustling, and it won’t stop for anyone. Just like life. Recalling every person I met, who didn’t start with trying to get ahead? Between the gaps of pretense, giving oneself another shot of adrenaline. Boss. Subordinate. Rival. Friend. Trapping yourself in one role after another, saying what you should say and doing what you should do. And believing that this is our life. But they, as if they had agreed, when they have perfected their act, they see a layer of truth. Happiness, success, and joy can’t possibly be the result designed by the scriptwriter of life. It can only be your own tangible experience. I’ve met many people in this city and they eventually taught me that the world is big, too big to imagine. So walk your own path, not according to the written script. Throw away the script and struggle to find your own life. It’s okay to fail. It okay to take the wrong road. Live freely. Isn’t that the most stylish thing?”

I thought this was just a corporate love story, but as you watch the ending, it reflects back to each character she met and the growth or fall of each one. I can’t help but love how the series unfolds. The one thing I love about this series is that there weren’t a lot of episodes and that the pace of the story was just right. Live life how you want. Because at the end of the day, you are your own scriptwriter, and finding the true key to happiness, peace, and your needs is within yourself. You never know what will be thrown your way so cherish each moment.

I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a mature corporate love story. It has great chemistry between the leads, and you can’t help but fall in love with the female lead as you watch her grow. Knocking off one star because it was just slow at the beginning for me. But every great story is always slow, to begin with :D

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Summer Strike is probably one of the series you have to be patient and watch and just watch it grow. At first, I thought it was a casual watch, one I did not anticipate finishing right away. But it was so endearing, the pace and actors just felt right. I couldn't help but kept watching all night long. It starts out with FL tired of the city, and the day in and out of working lifelessly as a slave tied down by a job just to make ends meet and follow the crowd. When her mom pass, she thought she can continue working but there was one day she stop and went the opposite direction everyone was going. Her comments of noticing how beautiful the opposite direction the train was going was the start that made me stay. I knew this drama was going to be up my alley. And it was! She moves to a small town out in the country and stayed in a worn-out building that had a history of people murdered or committing suicide. Stranger to the town I didn't expect her to stay long but with her kindness, she slowly befriends the people of the town opening up to a great storyline and beautiful friendships that last a lifetime.


What I like about this series:

I like how relatable it is. Most of the time with this type of drama of the main lead moving to the countryside, they are usually rich and are tired of the city life. This drama was the opposite. She was just a gentle soul tired of following the pace and the standard everyone set.

The kindness and gentleness of this series. I can't explain it without having you watch it. It was a slow build for sure but I love this pace. It makes the meaning of the relationship she established with everyone so meaningful.

The side characters. I didn't expect to love the dog, Bom, grandma, Jae Hoon, and Sung Min so much. They all had their own story but it fitted the storyline so well. I really enjoyed the pace of how everything unfolded.

What I didn't like about this series:

This is a pet peeve of mine, it really is. You might be the opposite and find closure from this. This was foreshadowed and was brought up at the beginning so I should have expected it but with this type of series, I really didn't want any murder or unsolved crime that was going on. But lately, I notice most K-drama seems to have some sort of crime/psychology/stalker/murder twist that is added on. Again, not my taste so I would have preferred not having it. BUT it did lift the burden of what ML was going through, probably solving all the trauma he probably held in.

If you are looking for a drama that is casual with a bit of slice of life but has a wonderful storyline of a gentle soul building her life in a place unknown and making friends along the way or something to cry and shed some tears on, I recommend this series.

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The suspense was killling me

This series was super engaging. FL was set to marry a general she never met. She is a strong mind-independent individual. She runs away from home and set up her own "divorce office" in the guise of a match-making office. She encounters two males who help her along the way. Throughout the entire time, the series keeps you guessing as to who the ML. Unfortunately, I was disappointed, I really was rooting for the second lead.

Toward the end when both ML and FL were getting together the storyline and the pace just slowed down. Because of that, I felt there were just fillers thrown in to make the series longer than it should be. I forward through a lot so I know a missed a lot of details. Due to that reason, my rating for this was a bit low. I give it a 7/10 and rewatch value is probably at 3/10

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Something missing..

I really want to like this series, it has this interesting storyline, great acting and the chemistry between the leads and the side character are super adorable but something just felt missing for me.

I kept looking for something to like. The OST wasn't that impressive, the storyline did pique my interest for a while but the misunderstanding to carry on the "great love" between the leads was getting rather annoying. At one point I felt that FL understood ML but that didn't last long. Sure enough, more problems were thrown their way leading the small issues to bigger misunderstandings right after another that got tiring really quickly.

I probably stayed and watch the series because the side characters were super adorable. Stay for the cuteness if you like that. I know I probably won't be rewatching any time soon. But I do look forward to more work from ML and FL.

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