Reviews

SBS Takes a Page out of TvN's Book of Boring Fantasy Dramas

TBH, I'm really sad to be negative about this show since I was so excited, but I will still be fair!

*Storyline: 5/10*
To be honest, this show was too good to be true. I initially thought it was a TvN show, a s it has a very similar style of fantasy dramas that TvN has been pushing for two-ish years. An inhuman man and a human woman, check. Forced proximity and enemies/bickering partners to lovers, check. It is kind of reminscient of Tale of the Nine Tailed Fox, which if you liked that I think you won't mind this one.

The only thing is the storyline itself is quite weak. Without boring you, here's my three issues with the plot:
1. No real structure to the magical world: We learn the ML is a demon, but we are never really told how demons are made or if there are others that are stronger/weaker than the ML. We also don't know about the limitations of the ML's powers, only that his magical tattoo somehow ends up on her, and without her, he's essentially like a human. But that is sloppy because if not having the tattoo makes him human, shouldn't her HAVING the tattoo give her some unique powers or advantages?

2. Dilly-dallying: The ML and FL only tolerate each other in the beginning because they each need something from the other. But we never see the ML consistently work towards getting his powers back, nor do we see the FL consistently work towards dealing with the bad guys. They essentially just talk about their problems and do nothing, and then sprinkle in random kissing to distract us from the fact that literally nothing happens. At ALL.

3. Poorly written characters: I really think the writers just gave the main actors a single piece of paper each and told them to do their best at this point y'all. For the ML: Bad Boy Demon. For the FL: Helpless Damsel. That's it. Neither the ML or FL have any real ambitions/desires nor any tangible relationships with the people around them. For example, we know the ML has his human companions, but we never really see that he cares about them--which he must, since he keeps them around. And for the FL, she has the second male lead, and they are both apparently super close--but we never know why they're close in the first place, nor do we ever see any of their memories together. (I will say I do love the side characters though, like FL's secretary and Madam Ju, as well as ML's male butler--they are funny and cute but also very surface level.)

*Acting/Cast: 7/10*
To be honest, I always feel bad writing this section of my reviews because it really isn't the actors' fault that the script is so weak and half-baked.

For Song Kang, I've only ever seen him in Nevertheless but I didn't love the vibe of that show so TBH this is the only real show I've seen him in. He does his best in a flimsily written role--trying to make the demon character look more serious and intimidating, and yet simultaenously cute and charming in comedic and romantic scenes. His expressions are definitely a bit boring sometimes, especially in scenes when he's trying to be cute. I do know Song Kang is known for his thriller shows, so maybe he just feels a bit out of his element in a rom-com and might be 100x better showing darker emotions. Overall, it's a valiant effort, but I agree with other critics who say an older actor would've been able to sell the demon act better, at least in the beginning when he's supposed to be a bit intimidating.

For Kim You-Jung, I watched her a bit in Backstreet Rookie and Love in the Moonlight, but I didn't like the strange young-girl-and-adult-man relationships in both series, so like Song Kang, this is also the first project of her's I've seen almost to the end. If I'm not mistaken, she is a child star, and although I hate to admit it, I can feel the energy in her work in this show. Her acting is a bit jolted, not as smooth and seamless as someone who started acting later might be. I'm sure it has to do with the more immature roles she played in the past, but she's not my cup of tea. No hate of course, and I respect her efforts and her long-standing career. I would love to see her act in a more serious role in the future, though, with some smoother acting--I think she would kill it.

Music: 6.5/10
I've said this in other reviews, but I'm not a big OST person, so I don't know enough to give you a proper critique of this show's OST. That being said, I thought the background music was pleasant and easy to hear. 6.5/10.

Rewatch value: 4/10
Unfortunately, I just felt like this show lost its direction and was written very roughly. I think for people who regularly watch fantasy and rom-com K-dramas like myself, this one is a pass (I will still be finishing it though, since I have watched this far). For newcomers to K-dramas, it might not be too bad--or for those who just want a light show to breeze through over the holidays.
Overall: 5.5/10

*Once again, no hate to any actors/directors, just my opinion. Happy Holidays everyone! :) <3*

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Strong focus on romance with likable characters; Underrated because ML is not handsome.

It’s quite unfortunate/unfair that “Once and Forever” is rated so low and mainly due to viewers not liking the male lead, Zhang Yi Shan, and think he’s ugly. He might be miscast but it’s only because I think he looks too old for the part, not because he’s not handsome enough. Having said that, his acting is great and has great chemistry with Guan Xiao Tong. They are so fun as best friends (love their bickering), while also super adorable when they finally become a couple. I never wanted Xie Qiao (FL) to be with Yang Cheng. Yang Cheng is such a bland character and Fan Cheng Cheng’s acting is not good either. I have rooted for Qin Chuan (ML) since the first episode. It hurts me when I see him hurting.

I also like all the characters. There’s only one annoying girl in the earlier episodes where her obsessive pursuit of ML annoys me. Other than that, there are many likable and layered characters. The 4 roomies are different yet get along so well. It’s rare to see a college drama where there's no jealousy or argument between them. I enjoy seeing them grow from innocent 18-year-olds, to independent strong women. Their journeys are different but each is given just enough time for me to care about. Let’s not forget the sassy sister, Qin Qian. She’s so badass! She loves so passionately.

This drama has a very strong focus on romance, especially during the college days. If you are not a romance lover, this might not be as fun. There are multiple couples and their romantic journeys are all very different. I wish the kisses were better though. I enjoy each of them and really hope they all have their happy-ever-after. But alas, this is not a fairytale and I can’t say more without spoiling it. But we have two Mr. Green Flags in this drama. Qin Chuan might not be perfect, but he’s the perfect boyfriend. His love for Xie Qiao never wavers and is always there for her. His love is demonstrated through actions. He Xiao Zhou is more of a fairytale prince. He’s gentle and kind, studious and hardworking, considerate and never complains about life's hardships. He’s too good to be true. Additionally, I’ve seen Ye Xiao Wei in other dramas before but this is the one I find most attractive. Maybe because he’s a walking green flag.

The acting is pretty good in this drama, except for Fang Cheng Cheng who is less experienced than others. I really enjoy the acting of Zhang Yi Shan (as ML), Guan Xiao Tong (as FL), Li Xi Rui (as sassy big sis) and Jiang Pei Yao (as rich girl). I am also glad to see all actors use their own voices and there’s live recording. The Beijing accent (I think) is quite pronounced especially for Zhang Yi Shan and Guan Xiao Tong, but this all just adds more flavor to the drama as it’s set in Beijing.

But this drama is not without its fault. I think it’s just a little too long at 35 episodes. Not much really happened during the college days aside from romances. The plot dragged a little in the middle but the pace is picked back up in the last 5-8 episodes. There’s quite a lot of English spoken in this drama. I give props to the actors for practicing their lines and their pronunciation is actually better than I expected. However, when the drama was set in England and no British accent was to be heard, I thought everything happened in New York. Others have also commented that US bills were used when the characters were supposed to be in Canada. There are a lot of inconsistencies when it comes to what happened outside of China. There’s also a surprising amount of subtle and non-subtle Chinese pride/propaganda in this drama. It’s not as much as other military or rescue dramas, but more than I expected in a retro, slice-of-life drama. I also find it hard to tell time. During college days, the drama will show us the year and month. But mid-way through the drama, it becomes harder to tell if months or years have passed. I really need to pay attention to the dialogs.

Overall, this is not a bad drama. It really deserves a much higher rating than 7.0. If you like the friends-to-lovers trope, or are a romance lover, this is a decent watch. But nothing really too exciting happens and there isn’t any plot twist. Though the male lead is not handsome, the ladies are all pretty and the other guys aren’t bad! Lastly, I didn’t watch the prequel nor read the novel.



Completed: 12/22/2023 - Review #384

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Drama is GOATED, but it still has it's flaws

This was trending all over my feed when this came out and i put it off from watching it and riding the hype train, since i still have a lot of shit to watch, so this is just something to keep as a treat because i know this is probably good and i know I'll probably love it and i must say... this will probably be my 2nd fave cdrama series next to Lighter & Princess.

The drama is about the love story of a Fire Fighter, like okay i can get behind that occupation since i fancied that job when i was a toddler, and a Doctor literally the occupation that i mostly stay away from in dramas, like the medical aspect, but hey let's not judge the book by it's cover. Before this, i was watching 'The Longest Promise' and Wang Churan is in there and she's great, at first i didn't like her mainly because of her character, but later on i actually got invested in her and started to like her as an actress, so i promised myself to watch this show after cuz i wanna see this girl in other dramas.

The pacing in the first 5 episodes or so is fast like really fast because in every episode there's plot convenience for ML and FL in order for them to meet each other, i was planning to watch Episode 1 only as i was about to sleep and would plan to continue watching it the next day, but i ended up watching up until episode 4 xD. You can tell i was really hooked right away in the beginning because, even though the beginning is fast paced, i don't think that necessarily was a bad thing, because i think it was done to get your heart fluttering right away for this Couple, no bullshit here's the mains that your gonna follow, now get invested, unlike in some cdramas where the first 10-20 episodes literally half of the show is a very slow burn build up and you're just sitting there waiting when the show will start to tickle your heart and by the time it gets good there's a big chance that you've mostly fallen off because of boredom.

Then 6-20 ish or so the story started slowing down and took its time to flesh out the story, side characters, the fire fighting and medical aspect, and building up the family drama and i wouldn't say that part is where you'll get bored as it was done really really well because it's like you're playing a tug of war, they would pull you in these side plots and maybe every, now and then they would let go and show some interactions between ML and FL, like "Hey, we didn't forget that this is a love story about this two. This shit that we are building up is for the bigger picture of this whole story".

20-25 is where you'll get the payoff that you've been waiting and 26-38 is where our couple with face the problems of them being together, the family drama i would say. Now, the family drama was done really tasteful here, like this is one of the best examples of how to do a family drama without necessarily making the parents be very hateable characters and a good family drama on top of that too, i was surprised like when i got near the end i realized i actually did not bear any hatred for FL's Mom and Dad, well the dad is mostly passive in this show, but yeah, i didn't really have any hatred for the parents because they've explained their side to make you understand, why they would do these things, even though its wrong for them to do it, they care for FL so much that they would go for such lengths for her, but as good as the family drama is, i noticed they didn't really show how powerful her family's influence really are, like how deep does it go? They did show it, but i think that was just a taste of how deep the connections her family got. Then the last 2 episodes tie everything all together into a nice bow.

After watching this, i can see why some of the comments said this was unnecessarily long because if you look at the number of episodes they've actually hit the max episodes rule placed by the law and if you look at the whole show, the stories in it aren't well balanced. I think they were too focused on highlighting both the Fire Fighting and Medical aspect of this show, like what it's like to be in that occupation, the struggles and stakes that you'll encounter, that is good, i didn't mind it, but when i finished the show i'm like "Yep... okay... wait it ended? now i'm sad" because we didn't even get the wedding scene that they've been building up, nor a scene where ML shows up on FL's Family dinner which he has been saying for half of the show and maybe even a time skip scene where they have a child and they're finally a happy family. It was really funny because they still managed to shoehorn a typhoon part very late in the show and because of that we didn't get the wedding scene that we'd been expecting and I noticed the lacking of backstory in this drama, the way they do back story here, they would just show tidbits of it when a situation is can't be explained enough with just words, that's where they would insert a backstory and it's scattered throughout the series.

Let's talk about the side plots... some of the side firefighters got their own side plot around the middle and i was like "Okay?" that was really unnecessary and necessary at the same time because it actually had some effect later on in the story and poor Zhan Dapeng, i was wondering why he suddenly got his own character arc very late in the game, without knowing they'll actually kill him off the next episode. Yanchen and Yezi's side plot was so obvious from the start, i could see it from a mile away from the way yezi is being highlighted every time there's a bar scene and that side plot was really good because both of them got the character development they needed. Zhao Miao, i was wondering when she'll get her big moment aside from being an annoyance to her brother and sticking her nose in other's business, even tho she's ML's sister she's really passive throughout the show, later on, her side plot made a big 180 to Yanchen and his side plot with Yezi, which rippled through the Family drama and I was like "Wow.... I'm amazed". I was wondering if Xiao Yixiao and Jiang Yu would be the only side characters that would be left alone, but good thing they also got a good endgame later in the story.

The characters, i think all of them are good. I like Suo Jon a lot in the beginning, as he is ML's closest friend they really bounce off each other really well and their chemistry is off the charts whenever both are on screen, too bad he was taken out early in the story. I don't know why but Song yan or his actor Yang yang he's so goated here, but I noticed one thing that he does in this drama like every time he's given water or something to drink, expect it by the end of the scene he would almost finish it or if not drank it all up and the way he drinks has vibes as well, i don't think i've noticed that of him in 'The King's Avatar' i don't know, that is the only other show i've watched from Yang yang, but i just noticed that here and i find it really funny. Xu Qin too has that quirk where she would scratch her fingers or external objects and it really shows what she really is deep inside every time they would highlight it and every time she would meet her family members her spirit would immediately bend, which goes to show her persona towards them, in her family's eyes she is their little baby that they really have to protect and control, i also noticed her actress Wang Churan, her acting in here is somewhat lacking for me, every time she has a serious scene with Yang yang she can't match his energy emotionally, every time both of them are together on screen Yang-Yang's presence would dominate, i wouldn't say she's doing a bad job, it's good but i felt like it could've been better and the line delivery as well and can i just take a moment to appreciate for how pretty she is?? My god!! and she looks like Sullyoon from NMIXX at times as well, like i got a glimpse of if ever Sullyoon becomes an actress in the future. ML's parents or i must say, Aunt and Uncle, in most dramas the parents of either ML or FL are just there to be funny quirky, and maybe be an actual parents at times, but here they are actually good as Parents they're not just there passively to be funny, they are actually goated at giving the words that our couple needed.

And speaking of words, one of the things that i like in this drama is the usage of talking. the way they resolve problems with each of the characters here is through words, rarely you would see them using action to resolve a problem and i really like that about this drama.

The music in this drama, ooooohhhh.... my god! 10/10 Top tier, i think that's one of the things that sold me on this drama in the beginning because it's such an eargasm, especially that piano-violin combo plus a singer that's harmonizing in the background, ugh!!! I wanna find that ost, I think that's my favorite in this drama.

So yeah, although this drama is goated, it still has its flaws, but i highly HIGHLY recommend it, i noticed this is the 3rd drama that I've watched where it has that intro logo in the beginning and all of them really pop off another minor thing that i noticed.

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At first I said, "Let's hear about the director." Now I no longer want to hear

At first, I said, "Let's hear about the director." Now I no longer want to hear

I just had some sort of midlife crisis. Because I texted my boyfriend that I love him and that I want him to be real.

Typically dramas do not mess with my head this bad. And the acting in this drama was in no way the best I have ever seen. But something about this fuck me up. Like bad. Like I have been crying bad.

I'll try to be quick. The whole plot and the ending. Where it was all a dream was fucked. It was all a dream that Dongbaek had to remember. Why does he have to carry the burden now? How is this freeing him from Min's graph?

The line: "a name binds you" was so damn deep. Had me rethinking everything I have done until this point. Is it because of the name I was given at birth? How different would my life have been if I were given a different name?

There were a lot of lines that I felt just sat inside my soul...none of which I can directly quote at the moment.

Finally, the background story was soul-crushing. He couldn't save him and now he is paying the price.

However, one thing I noticed is there has to be some sort of age gap between the two of them. I mean bro was a teenager/child when he was def a bit older.

The actor of the director had this soulless look on his face for 75% of the show. I feel like that fucked with me a lot. But I think he just has a lot of Botox to the point where he struggles to pull an expression other than stone-cold. (i could be wrong though since i did not research this whatsoever)

My final verdict is an 8.5/10. I cant go any higher because I wanted more romance and all I got was trauma.

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Kinda Weak Season, but still Good

I watched it without much expectation. Since the director really wants to continue this series even though there hasn't been a sequel for the manhwa in years. This Season 2 and the upcoming Season 3 are going on their own path, even though the writers aren't involved going forward, i still have a little bit of hope since the director said he consulted with them, so he was told of the general idea with where the story is going and just played around with it.

The story picks up right away where season 1 left off and already, it's a jam-packed action but i noticed the CGI is still the same as Season 1 if not, sometimes worse than last season, but it is well done in scenes where Song Kang and Sang Wook are involved.

Back to the story... i was kinda confused at first because things started escalating but good thing they explained it as we move forward. The scale of the story has now expanded because our characters are now out in the wider world, so many characters got added to the story and because of that they really had to compromise with the screentime. I guess it's really tight in that aspect, so there's a different shift of focus in the characters in this season and then they killed most of the characters that we followed during s1 and it's kinda boring at times when you have to care for these new characters in the story and there's a lot of them as well and most of them died off really quick, but i couldn't care less since there wasn't much for me to care about, some of them are really well done, though they haven't really contributed that much to the story yet. This season was just a setup for what's probably gonna happen in s3 i guess... because nothing really much happened, but we're still given enough information about what's happening in the world of Sweet Home, but not enough for it to move forward.

Them killing off most of the characters from s1 was kinda useless to me because the characters they've added/replaced have similar personalities to the characters from s1, so what's the point?? and their deaths didn't even leave much impact on the mains except for one, but i'm not gonna tell. Speaking of mains, I do see some crumbs of romance build up that's going on here, though i doubt they would expand on it in the next season since it's not the main point of the story, but i would love to see if they would do it since it's a nice heart fluttering side plot to have in a world that's fucked up and full of monsters.

The acting as always is impeccable there is nothing much to tell, what do you want me to say? It's good, as koreans always do

Now this part is for those who've read 'Shotgun Boy' which is the prequel for Sweet Home, so it's gonna be spoilers. As someone who has read it, after watching this, I think there's no hope of adaptation for that manhwa in the future anymore. It's just my theory though because i noticed they took some aspects from 'Shotgun Boy' and added them here, the very obvious one is the girl who can turn anyone into a monster and then you have the lab as well, but props to them because the way they integrated it here was so smooth. If they ever adapt that manhwa, i doubt you'd be able to add much to the story, the only thing you're gonna bring to the table are more characters and another mc which is gonna put off some viewers.

Overall, this season was kinda weak for me and kinda fast paced, since there's a lot to unpack, plus you have a lot of new characters as well, but it's still good. Song Kang is sooo hot in here, like he got buffed, ugh!! DADDY?! Go Min Si is pretty as always and because of the new main that got introduced here, plus his character dynamic with her, i can kinda predict who's Go Min Si's next romance drama partner, they have a good chemistry xD

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A Shallow Romance with Some Heartfelt Notes

Initial Impression:
Upon first diving into "Love Me, Love My Voice," my initial impressions were lukewarm. The opening episodes failed to captivate my interest, leaving me on the verge of abandoning ship. However, intrigued by the potential, I decided to give it another chance, and to my surprise, it gradually began to grow on me.

Story:
Pros:

-The series offers a comforting, feel-good experience, perfect for unwinding after a long day. It's the kind of show you can sink into like a warm bubble bath.

-The storyline is simple and easy to follow, making it accessible for viewers of all ages and backgrounds.

-There are moments of genuine sweetness in the romantic interactions between the leads, providing heartwarming highlights amidst the otherwise lackluster plot.

Cons:

-Despite its feel-good nature, "Love Me, Love My Voice" lacks a compelling plot, offering little in terms of depth or originality. It feels like a familiar tune played on repeat rather than an exciting new melody.

-The characters, particularly the leads, feel disappointingly one-dimensional. The male lead, a doctor and popular dubbing actor/singer, seems too perfect to be believable, while the female lead fits into the tired trope of the shy, soft-spoken girl with little agency of her own.

-The storyline is painfully predictable, failing to offer any real surprises or twists to keep viewers on their toes.

Cast:

Pros:

-Despite the limitations of the script, the cast delivers commendable performances, managing to inject some life into their otherwise flat characters.

-The chemistry between the leads feels somewhat genuine, adding a touch of believability to their on-screen romance.

Cons:

-Unfortunately, the actors are largely hamstrung by the shallow nature of their characters, preventing them from truly shining or making a lasting impression.

Music:

Pros:

-One of the few highlights of "Love Me, Love My Voice" is its music, which manages to add an extra layer of enjoyment to an otherwise lackluster viewing experience. The songs featured throughout the series are surprisingly soothing, providing a pleasant auditory backdrop.

Cons:

-While the music is enjoyable, it ultimately fails to elevate the series beyond its mediocre plot and characters, serving as little more than background noise.

Rewatch Value:

While "Love Me, Love My Voice" may offer a comforting escape for fans of light-hearted romance, its lack of depth and predictable plot diminish its rewatch value. It's the kind of show you might put on in the background while doing chores or lazing on the couch, but it's unlikely to demand your full attention or leave a lasting impression.

Final Thoughts:
In conclusion, "Love Me, Love My Voice" has its charms, but it ultimately falls short of its potential. While it may provide a brief respite from the rigors of daily life, its shallow plot, one-dimensional characters, and lack of originality prevent it from truly standing out in the crowded landscape of romantic dramas.

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A Reflection on Snow Eagle Lord

In Chinese dramas, Xu Kai has undeniably carved a reputation for himself, capturing hearts with his compelling performances. My admiration for his acting prowess blossomed after witnessing the chemistry he shared with Bai Lu in 'The Legends.' Xu Kai's ability to convey emotions with depth and authenticity truly left an indelible mark on me.

However, this newfound admiration led me to venture into 'Snow Eagle Lord' with heightened expectations. To my surprise, the series didn't quite resonate with me as I had anticipated. Perhaps it was the thematic nuances or the narrative elements that failed to strike a chord with my personal preferences. Despite this initial disconnect, I recognize that the beauty of storytelling lies in its subjective nature.

There's a lingering thought that someday, I might revisit 'Snow Eagle Lord.' Sometimes, a second viewing allows for a fresh perspective and a deeper appreciation for the nuances that may have eluded me initially. It's not uncommon for the intricacies of a storyline to unfold more gracefully upon revisiting.

Although 'Snow Eagle Lord' may not have immediately resonated with me, it doesn't diminish my admiration for Xu Kai's talent. His ability to breathe life into characters is commendable, and I eagerly look forward to witnessing more of his diverse roles and performances in the future. Xu Kai's journey as an actor is a captivating one, and I'm curious to see the artistic paths he chooses to explore, knowing that each role holds the promise of new surprises and dimensions to his craft.

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Don't even waste your time with this.

I expected something scary and fun, but this turned out to be so much dumber and unnecessarily gory and grotesque than I could have ever guessed. Doing things only for shock value is the trademark of a crappy plot. You don't bash someone's skull in unless you're a psycho who enjoys killing. It literally makes no sense to have an average high school kid do those types of things when there are so many other much less violent and bloody ways to kill a person (particularly if they're ASLEEP!).

So the parents of a girl bullied to death created a whole ass game, kidnapped a class full of kids, and have been keeping them hostage and unconscious (for goodness knows how long), so they can be killed again and again inside a simulation? The "they were trapped inside a game" trope has to be even worse than the "it was all just a dream" one. Oh, my god, I rolled my eyes so hard at that revelation, I may have permanent damage. Even the "ghost and other supernatural crap" would have been a much more preferable explanation.

Kudos for the actors for actually doing a super solid job, particularly the main girl. But someone come scrub my brain clean of this lame-ass show. I want my seven hours of watchtime back.

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It's a feel-good watch!

This series held a significant level of anticipation for me, particularly after the thoroughly enjoyable experience of 'So Wayree.' My eagerness to immerse myself in this new storyline reached its peak, only to be met with the disappointment of unavailable English subtitles. Nevertheless, the compelling chemistry between the lead characters and the promising narrative continued to beckon, making it impossible for me to resist. Undeterred by the language barrier, I took the plunge and watched the initial 3-4 episodes, and I must say, it didn't disappoint. However, I eventually dropped it due to reasons that made me lose interest. Nevertheless, I hope they collaborate on another project in the future.

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Just WHY!?you said in title it's Journey To Love!- how come it became A Joyrney To Death!?

I loved the drama so much especially the beginning til middle part. Every character is very interesting to watch. The fighting scenes are just WOW. The character development of a'ying (prince Li) is very commendable . There's no annoying 3rd party or closed-minded parents etc. I like how they portray those main leads as smart, loyal, and have their own super strength. They made us fall in love so much with their friendship/ camaraderie that it breaks our hearts too much when they started dying one after another ? I cried so much especially from Qian's death to Ruyi's death. I just can understand the ending that much. That young boy named Ning Shishan- he said his parents are Ning and Ren. Are they our main lead couple???they didn't die?!then why princess imagined the fallen 6 riding their horse together?

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It was alright

As a remake of the korean original, this was actually okay, but that's only it, i don't think it did anything unique or special to make itself stand out from its korean counterpart.

The story... they basically followed the korean original almost 1 to 1, but they made a few changes. One of which was unnecessary in terms of the connections of the characters is them changing FL and the Creator of the Robot as mere friends, in the original she is her Ex and that's the reason why she based her face on the robot as he couldn't move on, but here they just brushed it off as friends and they used her face because it was the idea of one of the side characters because she's pretty, like.... okay??? I mean, if hypothetically i have a scientist friend that would build an AI Robot based on my face without my consent i think i would be angry at them, because just why??? If that's the case they could've just used a random celebrity face or something. Anyway, i think they changed that part because they wanted a different endgame for the Creator of the AI and i found him and Li'er's relationship really cute, their dynamic is really good, and they bounce off each other pretty well. So yeah, i think story-wise this was okay, but it felt really weak because it didn't do anything to stand out, in the later parts the way they tied the knot of the business side was kinda bullshit, it was like as if I'm watching a teledrama. That's all i have to say in terms of the story, go watch it and judge it yourself.

The acting, we all know the bar is really high. ML's acting was good, but i think it could've been better like i think he's just acting the same character from Meteor Garden, but in a different drama. Sun Qian, she's the reason why i watched this drama in the first place and i think she did okay too, she's cute as always, but I just couldn't really help comparing it to the original as i was watching this, because the original was one of the earliest dramas that i've watched when i was getting into kdramas and i was on the high of watching banger after banger, that's why i'm so biased. So yeah, even with my love for Sun Qian didn't really help for me to say that this show was that "OH MY GOD ITS SOOO GOOOD!!!"

Side characters are okay, i don't think there's a character wasted in this remake despite the changes, all of them really contributed to the mains and to the story, again it's basically the same as the original, but with a few changes in the story and the relationship of the characters.

The OSTs are really good, there's that one cute ost that i even thought was a remake because it sounded so similar

The CGI, I'll give it to this remake, because it was made when the technology has already evolved so far that would make the original pale in comparison and the sets are really futuristic as well even the world of this drama is modernly futuristic, they really up that part. The timing for releasing this remake was really on point because we're already at the Rise of AI Technology.

I didn't know this existed because, while i was looking at Sun Qian's list of dramas, i just clicked on this because i thought the title seemed interesting, but later i found out that this was a chinese remake of 'I Not a Robot'. This is still recommendable because i had a good time and the dynamic was really cute, but i doubt i would ever rewatch it.

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Old Concept with An Interesting Twist

This wasn’t perfect, but did its job in being suspenseful and entertaining.

Right off students on a school trip are forced into a game akin to the Hunger Games. Kill or die. Thinking it was truly just a game the students played until they came to the realization that their vote meant death to a fellow classmate.

I knew this was some type of virtual reality game when the adults disappeared and were never seen again. This was confirmed when the students tried to find a way to escape but found the outside world presented the illusion of an escape when there was none.

Things that annoyed me about the show, the bullies, specifically Kyung Jun and his crew. These guys were utter assholes who despite the situation didn’t even attempt to make nice to save their own lives. In fact they were worse than ever. Thus, in reality they should’ve been the first ones voted out the building but somehow they managed to survive for most of the series. Most of the students not questioning what was going on and why. Once they realized they had to kill to survive they did it without question with only Yeon Su questioning the why behind what was happening and investigating to find the truth.

Other questions, how long had these kids been tortured in this virtual game? Was no one looking for them? Where were their families? How did they even get to the game room to be put into this virtual reality? How long did Se Eun’s parents plan to continue their revenge?

I could understand them wanting to take revenge on those who drove their daughter to suicide. However, their method was too much. Moreover, they also blamed those who weren’t aware of their daughter’s pain and punished them too, but failed to extend that punishment to themselves. They did not take into account their own ignorance about her struggle which was hypocrisy at its worst considering how they were punishing those who were just as ignorant as them about what was going on.

Though concept is not new , Thw writers did a good job keeping it entertaining and suspenseful and the acting was strong. This is not the type of series I’d rewatch, but despite its issues it was good and worth the watch.

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I feel like I just got baited

I feel like I just got baited. The actors, the script their acting everything about this film is almost perfect super cute and fluffy, I would have given this a higher rating but I feel like I got tricked by the film's genre tags. This feels like a bromance rather than a romantic film between two friends. I do not sense any romance between them I mean it's obvious that there is something between them and the whole time "I'm like so where is it wheres the romance"? I felt like I just spent an hour + watching two childhood friends just live together, discovering what they want to do as a career and getting to know each other differently cuz they are now living together and you get to see them enjoy food like a lot but the whole time I was just waiting to see if they would verbally make it known if they where dating or like each other romanticly especially cuz of that one girl at the start of the movie who was trying to date haru but got rejected and even at the beach scene cuz aki and haru are so hardcore playful with each other aka flirting I was just waiting for someone to say it but they didn't. Even the male leads don't even confirm it not really. I even had to confirm it was supposed to be a gay romantic film off of the GagaOOLala website from where I watched it to make sure I wasn't seeing things. I'm sure they are more open about their feeling in the sequel from what I noticed they have one but this film is the hugest slow burn ever. It was taking away from the film for me. I'm sure others who watched this didn't mind but when you go in knowing anything Japanese will have you waiting until the end to give you the ending you have been waiting for and not getting it is frustrating. I sure hope this is not like Manitos Laundromat which was a huge disappointment cuz they make you wait 2 seasons to give you a rushed happy ending while being such an annoying slow burn.

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same same but different

i watched this after watching triage the series and I am so happy for them that this was a successful project. but as for this movie the story felt a bit unsaid and empty it's direction need an improvement. The plot is same but different it felt a bit cheaper and jinta was missing.

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