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  • Last Online: 23 days ago
  • Gender: Female
  • Location: Somewhere Only We Know
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  • Join Date: September 8, 2021
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Danielle A

Somewhere Only We Know

Danielle A

Somewhere Only We Know
Completed
Check Out
5 people found this review helpful
Aug 28, 2022
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 6.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

I Watched This So You Don’t Have To

I went into this drama with very low expectations based on the rating and the comments I had seen. I really didn't think it was all that bad until about episode 7 when an already messy story took things a step further.

Let me list the issues:
1. The acting isn’t great, not terrible but def not great by any means. We all know with a good enough plot and production a little bad acting can be overlooked but this drama is lacking in both of those elements. The emotions here felt fake and unbelievable. Candy, Ice, and Boat were probably the most believable in their characters.
2. The plot isn’t actually all the bad when you know the entirety of what happened but the way it’s delivered is haphazardly done. It jumps around from key events and different timelines. You get used to it after a while but it made for some frustrating viewing. The biggest problem is that the story has a lot of potential but the execution is poor. Something I found irritating is the underutilization of the Tee/Nine/Dao university buddy part of the story. This is part of the story that had big potential to impact the relationship between the leads in a truly meaningful way but they barely scratched the surface of what could have been a beautiful little element to the main's relationship. Instead, all that potential was wasted.
3. The leads aren’t very likable. Nine is overly aggressive with Dao and although Nine's girlfriend is problematic, he does very little to actually try to end things with her despite knowing he doesn’t love her anymore. Yes, this is because he thinks she’s suicidal (which we find out a little too late) but rather than explaining the situation he hurts his girlfriend and Dao by not being transparent with either of them. Also, we know he had a FWB but did Nine have a habit of sleeping with his FWB's friends? That part was so weird and no real explanation was given.
4. Continuing from point #3, Dao isn’t likable either. While Tee is certainly far from perfect, Dao completely uses Tee to get back at Nine for hurting him. Dao is never really back with Tee officially but instead leads him on to believe that they might get back together. Then once Dao and Nine get together he doesn’t even try to hide that he’s all happy in love with Nine. TBH Dao is quite childish and whiny.
4. Nine’s ex/girlfriend is the most inconsistent of the characters. While we can blame her career for her wanting to spend time with Nine but not being able to, there is no explanation for her complete turn around from her crazy outbursts (literally threw herself in front of Candy’s car) to letting go of Nine kind of easily and then encourages him to follow his heart. Literally, she strips naked crying to Nine in a last-ditch effort for him to be with her but then minutes later encourages him to follow his heart and be with Dao. She just lets him go? After all that?? That easy?
5. While Tee’s character seems fine when you take a deeper look at his actions you realize he’s not all that great. First, we know that he was talking to someone else while Dao and he were first starting to date which is why Dao leaves and goes on his mini vaca where he meets Nine. However, later it appears like Tee is being very sweet and kind to Dao while trying to get him back but we find out that Tee has been monitoring Dao via Boat. He had Boat look into who Dao was with at the resort, and also had Boat report to him about Dao in the office. Furthermore, he kept pressuring Dao to be with him even when Dao clearly wasn’t enthusiastic about being with him. Even when Dao finally ended things with Tee, Tee forced a kiss on Dao that was incredibly awkward and gross. (I still don’t know why they slept in the same bed after that).
6. Even after the MC is together and "happy" it feels like there is zero trust there. We know that they are doing well because of the time jump ahead but I can't see Dao ever truly trusting Nine.

What’s good about the drama:
1. Nine’s abs
2. Candy
3. The OST

Would Not Recommend
Would Not Re-watch

If you’re looking for an infidelity-themed drama with real tension, I recommend Before We Get Married. It’s not a BL but it’s what I think this drama tried to pull off but failed at.

Afterthought: What was Nine doing at the zoo dressed in all black like that? They never explained that. It was so shady.

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Completed
Murphy's Law of Love
3 people found this review helpful
Jan 14, 2022
19 of 19 episodes seen
Completed 4
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 3.0
This review may contain spoilers

It was going so well and then...

For the most part this drama is really cute. I loved it every time the ML got all giddy over the FL. Before watching this I saw a lot of comments about the main leads not having chemistry but I actually loved the main leads together.
The way the first episodes starts you know there will likely be exes involved so if you don't like a story with exes or love triangles/squares then this isn't the story for you. Although to be fair, neither lead ever swayed. They only have eyes for each other. Which was kind of a surprise given how much the ML once loved his ex. It was refreshing to not have a lot of back and forth with that storyline.

xx - Big Spoilers Below - xx

--------------------------

At one point the ML's mom who once abandoned him comes back to Taiwan from the US. Then the FL finds out some unfortunate information about her and why she's back in Taiwan. She is really upset about this and doesn't want to tell the ML because it'll break his heart. Then the ML's mom up and leaves for the US without telling him, abandoning him for a second time.

Here's where I got really frustrated with the story...
The FL doesn't tell him the information she knows and on top of that breaks up with him! His mom just abandoned him for a 2nd time and now she is going to abandon him too?!
Her reasoning is because she can't be herself when she's with him. Meaning her whole life revolves around him. This was never mentioned or hinted at before this so as a viewer I thought she was lying and using this as an excuse. I was thinking maybe she’s feeling guilty about not telling him the information she has about his mom and can’t handle keeping that secret from him so she breaks up with him instead…? Yes and no.
Even after his father tells the ML about his mom. The FL still doesn’t want to be with him because of the reason previously mention. He even blames himself for her not speaking up in their relationship. They clearly still love each other but decide to split amicably because they agree that the lessons they learned in their relationship can only be applied to their next relationships.

Honestly I didn’t even want to watch the last episode because by then Ep 15-18 burned away all good feelings from episodes 1-14 for me. The ending was nice and it was cute to see them being a couple again. Also, the OST has a few good songs too.

Would Not Re-Watch
Would Not Recommend

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Completed
Fall in Love
3 people found this review helpful
Dec 16, 2021
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

For The Good, For The Bad

This drama starts off really really good. To the point where I was talking at my screen and getting really mad at fictional characters. And it stays pretty well paced and interesting until about 2/3rds then is drraaaaggggssss.

So let's get into it.

The Good:
1st - Started out amazing. Honestly I was on the edge of my seat dying to know what would happen next.
2nd - The revenge! The sweet sweet revenge in the drama. Oh I loved to see it.
3rd - The acting, specifically by those you're supposed to hate, was outstanding. I really really hated those characters and wanted nothing but to see them not make it out of this drama alive.
4th - Mu Wan Qing. For the most part her character is fantastic. Smart, brave, and doesn't take people's crap. Those moments of her standing up to people were easily some of the highlights for me in this drama.

The Bad:
1st - It gets incredibly slow. To be fair, the slow episodes were meant for building to to the climax of the story but I really don't think they needed that many slow episodes to get to where they needed to go for the ending to make sense. I was having an incredibly hard time getting through the last 1/4 of this drama.
2nd - There are some absolutely unrealistic things that happen that kinda ruin the "realness" of the story. **Spoiler** Like doing a backflip to dodge a bullet and a random katana sword out of nowhere. (That scene had me laughing because of the sheer ridiculousness of it). I just don't understand the choice there.
3rd - **Spoiler** I truly disliked Mu Wan Qing giving up her father’s legacy (his business, their home, social standing) to go with Tan Xuan Lin to Jiang City. She just came back after 10 years and worked so hard to defeat the people that wronged her only to give up everything to run off to Jiang City. Maybe that wouldn't have bothered me so much if she would have shown an ounce of sadness in this but she was just like "Yup I'm giving up everything to go to Jiang City. Bye y'all!"

This isn't a major dislike but something that kind of ate at me that they never really addressed...So Tan Xuan Lin read Mu Wan Qing's dairy in the beginning. He clearly knew who she was and who her family was. He's also a trickster and manipulative. This is nothing new, we know this very well but I couldn't help but feel like everything he did with Mu Wan Qing was self serving. Even her falling in love with him was a benefit to him. And he did so many things in front of certain people to push his own narrative. I know he helped her but even him helping her benefited him since she would be grateful to him and therefore aid him in any of his efforts. I guess I wish they would have taken a little time for him to privately go into detail on why he fell in love with her and that he would have loved her even if she wasn't in the Mu family.

Overall, it was good and I'm happy I watched it.

Would I Recommend? Sure. It's definitely not bad but if you get bored easily, it may be a bit tough around 20 episodes in.
Would I Re-Watch? No.

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Completed
To Fly With You
3 people found this review helpful
Dec 13, 2021
35 of 35 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
This review may contain spoilers

Better Than I Expected *Minor Spoilers*

I usually don't care for sports themed dramas/shows/movies because sports just don't interest me much. I was also worried I wouldn’t care for this because the romance of the two leads wasn't front row and center.

HOWEVER, I found I really loved watching both their journeys in their respective sport as well as the constant support the main leads showed for each other. It was sort of intimate the way they understood the other person's struggles in their similar aspirations.

The chemistry between the two leads is really good. They manage to not only have that romantic factor but also each others best support. Once the main couple got together they stayed strong and healthy. They do kiss (for those looking for kisses) but I found their hugs to be something special. It felt like they really cared for each other. Almost as though those hugs washed away the stress and pressure of what their going through even if just for a few minutes. They're each other's rock.

I really appreciated that the misunderstandings aren't dragged out from episode to episode. They sort of serve their purpose pushing the story forward without making the viewer grit their teeth for 3+ episodes while the misunderstanding hangs in the air.

Honestly, it was just a really solid drama throughout with maybe 1 really laggy episode. This is not a wild and crazy drama. It's mostly calm (except for the coach's yelling) and well paced. You're not going to find a ton of melodramatics here but I feel that the sports side of the story provides a fair amount of excitement for viewers as well as the adorable moments between these 2 leads.

Would Recommend.

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Completed
Love Crossed
3 people found this review helpful
Sep 18, 2021
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0

Loved it.

I don't know how this drama isn't being talked about more. The story kept me so interested. And the twists! THE TWISTS! This drama has so much to offer. Romance, Comedy, Drama, & Action.

I usually don't go for techie-fantasy type dramas but I took a chance on this one and I'm really happy I did. I haven't seen anything like this where the twists kept coming. It also manages to be dark but not overly dark. Definitely far-fetched at times but not so far-fetched that I was turned off from the story. I found the cast and story really likable for the most part and rooting for them.
Would Recommend.
Would Rewatch

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Completed
Flipped
3 people found this review helpful
Sep 24, 2021
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 6.5

Would Recommend to Romance Lovers. Would Not Recommend Supernatural Story Lovers

For The Good, For The Bad

The Good:
1st - Wow! The kisses! This is the first drama I've seen where the actors really kiss. It's not that awkward flat lipped kissing you often see in these dramas.
2nd - The concept of the drama was really intriguing and I really wanted to learn more about the abilities, the healers, and the protectors. I loved the special effects for Qi Xun's ability.

The Bad:
1st - Although the concept of the abilities/healers/protectors was very interesting, it was also very vague and left me with a lot of questions. I would have liked the drama to explore more of that supernatural aspect rather than the sister's side story.
2nd - I felt they could have expanded on the antagonist's role by adding more of the supernatural to it and made him a little more evil.
3rd - The FL's dad and their whole relationship. The guy did some pretty cruel things to her. I know it was to "protect" her or something but it was inhumane. I just don't see how she could patch that up with him and actually live with him again.
4th - This goes along with my first point but I really wanted to see more of the FL's ability. We saw it only a few small times and it was incredibly minimal. I would have like the writers to have given her at least 1 big moment with her healing ability but it just never happened.
5th - What was that ending???

Despite the bad points of this drama, I really did enjoy the relationship between the 2 leads. I would recommend this drama to anyone who is looking for a solid romance with a little fantasy. I would not recommend this drama to someone who is looking for full supernatural driven story.

Happy I watched it? Yes 100%
Would I re-watch? Yes? But only for Gao Han Yu (Kido) and the shaving cream scene though??

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Completed
Why Women Love
2 people found this review helpful
Mar 5, 2022
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

Sincerity & Lots of Cheese

*Minor Spoilers*

The story isn’t all that complex but what really holds up this drama is how adorable and funny the ML and FL are and their hurdles to being together. The story starts out with the ML teaching the FL how to date her crush who is back from being abroad. Of course, feelings start to develop as well as other challenges.

The FL:
Something I love about this drama is that the FL (Jiang Yue) doesn’t get all timid and nervous around the ML. I think this is primarily due to the fact that she only sees him as a subordinate and so there’s really no awkwardness when he is around or comes into her home. Even as they develop a closeness she still seems incredibly comfortable with him in her home. I appreciate this so much because it's not very often we see a FL be relaxed and comfortable with a male in their home.

The ML:
Jia Xin is adorable, sweet, and very thoughtful. Even before he realizes his feelings for the FL he is supportive and caring towards her. There really isn’t any sort of hate to love. Yes, they bicker here and there but there’s no distance between them. Even in the beginning when she’s tough on him and he calls her a “she-devil boss” it isn’t exactly ill-willed.

The 2FL:
Mostly I find Li Yan Ran incredibly annoying. Constantly whining. Constantly making a fool of herself. Clinging to the ML-like a delusional little child. HOWEVER, she has 1 really nice saving grace which is that she doesn’t go after the FL in a professional sense. Yes, she does try to keep the ML and FL away from each other but she never goes after her professionally. I respect her for that but that’s about it in regards to liking her.

The 2ML:
Honestly, there’s not much to say about Xu Ning Yuan. He’s just kinda there to be the love rival but other than the FL having an old crush on him, he’s of no real competition. He’s not as good-looking. He’s pretty boring. He’s pretty much the male equivalent to the FL at the beginning of the drama. I didn't find him very interesting in any way.

The Side Couples:

1. The FL’s best friend (Jing Jing) and her husband - I liked these 2 and I honestly wanted more from their story. It felt a little incomplete to me. I want more about why he did what he did. It was explained but personally, I could have used more explanation. Also, did she explain everything to her fans? Did they accept her back? It was all sort of glossed over.

2. The ML’s friend and FL’s co-worker/friend - Very cute but I didn’t care about their relationship. It was boring compared to the other relationships. I want good things for them but I don’t care to watch it, you know? *shrug*


Final Thoughts:
I debated what to rate this drama. For me, it’s really somewhere between a 7.5-8. I would still recommend it but what is entertaining about this drama is the relationship and not much else so when they focused on other things, I found myself zoning out. The cute moments are really really stinking cute, but the business end of it was really boring for me. Also, I thought racing would be a bigger part of the story. (‘‘Twas not)

Overall, this drama is a rom-com through and through. It’s funny and cute, with the right amount of jealousy and conflict. What it lacks in complexity and consistency, it makes up for in laughs and heart flutters.

Would Recommend to rom-com lovers
Maybe Re-watch (but with skipping)

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Completed
Legend of Fu Yao
2 people found this review helpful
Feb 2, 2022
66 of 66 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
This review may contain spoilers

Mixed Feelings

So I feel like I have a lot of mixed feelings about LOF. I definitely love the way it started out. Hands down so good. But the end half is super rough. The thing that bothered me the most was the constant reuse of themes (Captured moms, evil brothers, getting knocked out every 5 mins, constant poisoning, blood spitting, etc.). I wish they would have spent more time on the seals and maybe she would have needed to unlock/activate each seal in order to change her tragic fate... ? As in, I wish that was the focus of the story. Her journey to unlock the seals as well as her love story with Wu Ji and their entangled destiny. In a way it was but it was more behind the other stories. I would have liked to know more about the seals and their origins and all that jazz.

Also, I feel like the 2nd half had so much more focus on Wu Ji and that annoys me because Fu Yao is kick-ass and this is HER story. It's called Legend of Fu Yao, not Legend of Wu Ji. It also felt very draggy. It was kind of a struggle there to get through ep42-54ish.

However, I really do love Fu Yao and Wu Ji. I really felt they were destined regardless of the ending, they would be together. I really feel like one cannot live without the other. I just love them. Him yelling at her to leave in the last episode, I felt that. He was so panicked for her to leave and live on.

Also also, I love the friendships. Just the bond between their little family group is so heartwarming. Seeing them fight together in the last 2 episodes made me wish we had seen more of their group together. I wish we would have been able to see them in good times as well as bad together. Even sharing a meal or drinking together would have been really nice. I love those kinds of scenes.

Overall, I enjoyed the drama and I feel like it's given me a push to find other Wuxia dramas that are going to scratch the itch I feel like LOF left me with. Not that this was at all bad but like I want more. More fighting, more powers but with less reused storylines.

Would Recommend
Would Not Re-watch (Mostly because it's 66 episodes long)

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Completed
Love Is Sweet
2 people found this review helpful
Sep 27, 2021
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

Great drama but can we talk about the 2nd ML?

First off, I want to say this is a good drama, happy I watched it. The main couple made me laugh and "awe" many times. I love that they didn't waste time being together once they admitted their feelings. They skipped right over "I like you" and went right to "I love you" Although, Yuan is a bit over the top sometimes and not in a cute way, like tracking her phone without her knowledge. I'm sure he could have just asked her... That proposal was super cute though, also Yuan Shaui's reaction to her pregnancy was unbelievably adorable.

I skipped through most of the 2nd couple's story. They severely paled in comparison to the main couple.

Okay now on to what I think is the biggest take away from this drama, Du Lei. He seriously stole the show for me. (To be fair, it’s possible I’m biased because I’m a fan of Gao Hanyu (Kido).)
I have so many mixed feelings because I actually felt for Du Lei. I feel like his back story is worthy of a 1st ML. As if you could pick it up and place it in another drama with him as the protagonist. There’s more backstory for him than anyone else. When I look at his actions from that point of view I feel sympathy for him. As lovely as main couple is, I was watching and waiting for Du Lei to find happiness
This is all true until around ep32 is when the story turns for him. This evolution of his character seems unnecessary at this point. He had an opportunity to get rid of Yuan Shuai already and didn't take it. He could have but didn't. Then 2 years later Jiang Jun's relationship with Yuan Shaui is pretty well solidified and this is when Du Lei makes his play for Jun? In addition to that Du Lei now has shady business dealings which seems way out of character. Also, he's a clever guy, he would know making her friend resign would not be favorable in Jun's eyes. This storyline just doesn't track. It's poorly placed and unnecessary.

I would have rathered him admit his feelings for Jiang Jun, maybe there's still a fight but for Du Lei to admit to Jun that she gave him hope when he had none and that's why he feels so strongly about her. Maybe then they could have remained friends. It would be fun to see Yuan Shuai and Du Lei being friends and still carrying that competitive spirit between them. Maybe working together and competing to be the best.
I just feel like they did Du Lei so so dirty. Even his sister was at the proposal! Dude was just cut right out of the group picture. ??

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Completed
Go Ahead
2 people found this review helpful
Sep 21, 2021
46 of 46 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

I Cried A Lot But It Was Worth It

Go Ahead is a seriously wonderful drama about family, friendship, suffering, and forgiveness. Reflecting on the series I’m overcome thinking about how much they love and support one another. The acting and chemistry between all the characters is done so perfectly. Even the “evil” characters are done perfectly.

At first glance 40 episodes seemed like a lot but by the end I felt it could have had more. In fact my only criticisms of the show is that I wanted to know more about where some people ended up in the future.

Originally, I put off watching this drama not only because of the number of episodes but I thought it may not fit with the romance dramas I usually go for. However this series delivered. There’s a healthy sprinkle of romance mixed in throughout the series. Not that it is necessarily heavy in romance but heavy in love and sort of intimacy/closeness amongst the family and couple/s that is just so satisfy to see play out.

If you’re debating watching this drama, don’t debate anymore. Watch it.

Would 100% Recommend
Would Re-Watch (with tissues)

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Completed
Assistant of Superstar
2 people found this review helpful
Mar 11, 2022
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

Enemies of Superstar, oh and his assistant...

Starting out I found this drama a bit cheesy and silly but enjoyable. I didn’t mind the ML’s immaturity (at first). It actually made for some pretty funny moments. He was giddy over the FL and his jealousy was adorable.

However, around 2/3 into this drama I grew tired of the ML’s immaturity and outbursts. The reoccurrence of it became stale.
I was also really tired of the FL. Her character lacks depth and she has almost no character development whatsoever.

Additionally, I don't understand why the other actors hate the ML so much. They are just weirdly evil and I can't follow the logic. There seems to be no reason for their hate towards the ML. Are they just evil cause they are evil? Just like the FL, they have no character development.

There’s also the issue of the FL’s ex. I don’t understand his motive for getting involved in the FL and ML’s relationship. He suffered no consequences from their breakup. It’s not like he still loves her or anything. Does he just not want her to be happy? I don’t understand his involvement.

Despite wanting to drop this drama a number of times I grit my teeth and stuck with it mostly because I couldn’t decide on something else to watch and I had already watched more than half the drama.

Luckily the ML finally matured in the last 3rd of this drama. Good thing too because he’s the most entertaining thing about this drama. (The manager and Pan Duo delivered a few funny moments as well.) Although the leads have some cute moments together, everything else except the ML felt very one-note. I really could not get into the business part of this drama and all the nasty netizen drama. I found it incredibly repetitious and uneventful.

Would Not Recommend
Would Not Re-Watch

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Completed
Party A Who Lives Beside Me
1 people found this review helpful
Dec 20, 2021
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

Easy, Fluffy, Low-Key Drama Binge

I found this drama funny and adorable yet confusing at times. Most of the confusion came from the business storyline. To be fair this could be due to poor subtitles but I have a feeling that even with 100% correct subs, the business side would still be slightly confusing.

The main leads are really great together. The ML is slightly cold but warms up and becomes pretty goofy. He really steals so much of the show with how adorable he is when he's with the FL.

One of the things I love is that the FL is very witty and wise on her own. I don't find her to be dumbed down or whinny. Even when she's whining about something I don't find it annoying.


**Spoilers Ahead**


I love that we get to see the leads actually be a couple. This drama delivers a healthy relationship trying to work on their careers while growing as a couple. They support each other unconditionally. Sometimes in dramas once the couples finally get together things get a bit stale and draggy but seeing these two be a couple and interacting as a sweet new couple would is truly adorable and mostly realistic. Also, the proposal is hilarious.

Another thing that's kinda of great about this drama is that there isn't any dramatic tropes. No crazy moms or scheming exes. No amnesia. Nothing wild. Any drama or issues that does arise is pretty swiftly dealt with.

The episodes are only about 35 minutes so this is an easy, fluffy, low-key drama binge.

Would Recommend
Maybe Re-watch

Side note: As a fan of Gant Your Heart I enjoyed watching Wang Zi Xuan, Liu Zhe Hui & Hu Yun Hao in another drama together.

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Completed
Our Secret
1 people found this review helpful
Oct 13, 2021
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 5.5
This review may contain spoilers

A Very Good Youth Drama

To start, I'm not a huge fan of youth drama because for me they usually feel a bit draggy. To be honest, this felt draggy too in the beginning BUT that's because they are laying a ton of groundwork. It really picks up the pace half way through and keeps right on trucking from there.

This is not to say that the time watching the first half was a waste. There were definitely some great moments and those moments pushed me to keep going.

**Small Spoilers Ahead**

Some things I really enjoyed about this drama:
- The matching outfits are too cute. They are done in a way where the viewer knows there's a connection between the two leads but it's not so obvious (in the beginning) that the other characters see it or point it out. In a later episode, the writers used pieces of Ding Xian's outfit to represent Zhou Si Yue (ML) and Su Bo Cong (2ML). (**SPOILER**The tan shoes she changes into match ML's tan suit. The necklace with the blue diamond matches the 2ML's suit.)
- Ding Xian grows and finds her own voice. From this timid student to her yelling at the tree and talking trash to the trash cans. I was cracking up.
- I feel like the star that will never fade is a metaphor for Ding Xian. She is always working so hard and exhausting herself over and over to achieve her goals but she nevers gives up or burns out.

Some things I didn't like:
- The beginning half is a bit slow for my taste. Not that I wasn't enjoying bits here and there but it felt sluggish to me. I was waiting for them to pick up the pace. Luckily the 2nd half really gets going and all that groundwork in the 1st half is worth it.
- His reason for not accepting her in that first scene at university was kinda lame. He could have just explained what was going on with him but of course this is a drama & people don't know how to communicate right? (lol)

I would have LOVED to see a scene where Zhou Si Yue is calling out Ding Xian's name at their university like she did for him. She was so open and upfront about her feelings and I wanted to see that sort of public display from him even if it wasn't completely inline with his character.

Would Recommend to fans of youth dramas

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Completed
Love in Time
0 people found this review helpful
Feb 4, 2023
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 6.0

Good Slow-Burn Romance, Underwhelming Story

Love In Time Review

Slow-Burn Romance, Super Slow Story Development

This version has similar pacing to the Taiwanese version. It's a slow-burn time-travel romance that includes some twists and turns. However, this version focuses slightly more on slow-burn romance while the case surrounding them is far less dark and taboo compared to the Taiwanese version.

For the Good, For the Bad:

What I like:

- The main couple’s chemistry. Their characters' personalities play very well off one another. He's quite stoic and aloof while she's cute, physically strong and a bit immature at times. A bit cliche but it works for their story. Their relationship development was a pleasure to watch play out.

- I love how there’s actually 2 relationships building, one with the ML in 2021 and one with the ML in 2022. You get to see different sides of the ML’s personality which Yang Xu Wen plays so well. Both versions of his character are so satisfying to watch. This was my favorite thing about this version that I don’t remember being as good in the original version.


What I dislike:

- I forgot how slow this story plays out. Even the Taiwanese version’s story is quite slow,
however, the Taiwanese version's murder case is much more complex and interesting with many layers and twists involved. In this version the cases aren’t as complex. They really don't need so many episodes to tell this story and solve the case/cases. Also, the first main “case” has repetitive themes. It’s just boring.

- No shocking twists. The original version includes a few pretty shocking twists. Those twists kept you guessing until the end but this version doesn’t have any of those intriguing elements. It’s all pretty straight forward expect for a few details. Most of this version is predictable. I wasn’t on the edge of my seat at all.

- There were times when I was quite bored. I was watching, ready and waiting for something interesting to happen. Unfortunately, this drama is very draggy at times. The surround themes just aren’t engaging. Divorce, online bullying, and celebrity gossip are tired topics compared to the themes in the Taiwanese version.

- Reoccurring themes. To be fair, some of this is expected in a time traveling type of drama but the problems they face are the same things. It just feels quite lazy and boring. The solve a problem and then the same problem happens again. Couldn’t the writers come up with anything more interesting??

- At times things were really confusing and not in the mentally stimulating way. Its annoying and frustrating.

If I hadn’t seen the Taiwanese version and known to expect some twists and turns I would have likely dropped this. My curiosity to see how this version as a whole stacks up to the original is what kept me watching. If I’m being honest though, this version is very draggy. I would not recommend this drama. Watch the Taiwanese version instead...

Would Not Recommend (this version)
Would Not Re-watch

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Dropped 11/24
Intense Love
3 people found this review helpful
Nov 10, 2021
11 of 24 episodes seen
Dropped 0
Overall 5.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

No chemistry, No comedy, No conflict

I wanted to watch this drama after having seen clips and hearing about the kisses but 11 episodes in and I think watching paint dry would be more fun. This is labeled as "Friendship, Comedy, Romance, Life" but I didn't find any comedy here. What was supposed to be funny?

Where is the conflict? Please tell me the ML's annoying little sister isn't the only conflict here. Conflict is important to push the story along and keep the viewer engaged but almost half way through and there's still no core conflict. I wanted to get hooked in but almost halfway through and that hasn't happened.

Although both leads are very good looking I felt no chemistry between them. I've seen both actors in other dramas that I did like and did see chemistry. Unfortunately, I did not see any sparks between these two here. :/

Would Not Recommend
Would Not Re-Watch

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