Reviews

The bromance depicted in this series was nothing short of deep and beautiful. Despite the constraints of censorship, the creators managed to capture the essence of the romance between the main leads with incredible subtlety and finesse. Through nuanced gestures, meaningful glances, and tender moments, they conveyed the profound connection between the characters in a way that was both touching and heartfelt.

Watching the final episode of this series left me with a profound sense of emptiness and sadness. It's as if saying goodbye to dear friends whom I've grown to cherish over the course of the show. Already, I find myself missing the characters deeply, wishing for just a bit more time in their world.

The actors delivered such incredible performances, bringing the characters to life in a way that felt genuine and heartfelt. Their portrayal of emotions was so captivating that I found myself completely immersed in their journey, feeling every joy and sorrow alongside them.

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I liked the first and second seasons of this show, but I have to admit, I'm really disappointed with the ending. It just feels like there's so much left unresolved, it's frustrating to be left hanging like this. I really hope there's another season to tie up all the loose ends because this ending just doesn't do justice to everything that came before it.

Despite my disappointment with the ending, I have to say that the rest of the show is fantastic. The episodes are super short, but they still manage to pack a punch. My only minor gripe is that a few scenes could have been a bit longer to really flesh out the story, but overall, it's still a pretty solid watch.

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Extremely good plot twists and engaging plot

When this show came out i purely watched it because the cover page looked cool but from the second episode onwards i was hooked!! the plot was so good that i was at the edge of my seat till the next day

Acting/Cast:

Jing Boran has done a great job in demonstrating the various sides to "fei-ke" he made me hate, love, pity and empathize with this fictional character that had lived a very pitiful life....The supporting cast also did well and they did their parts especially the actress who played Xuan-er, i felt enraged on her behalf and she did a very convincing job at switching personalities...The female lead was pretty good but her acting wasn't a show stealer for sure, what i mean by this is that although she does her part very well her role itself isnt that impactful in the actual show

Plot:

The plot was done so well!!! I read a comment saying that this is a special type of drama where all crimes are punished at the end regardless of the reasoning and I think that I would have liked this drama regardless of whether it had a happy/sad ending...The parallels drawn between the "victims" and "the fraud" were very well done and by the end you can't really hate anyone....I also felt like it aptly shows how even the most intelligent people can be affected by their past and how important a good upbringing is for a person.....One thing i will point out though is that you will enjoy this drama way more if you wait for the next episode rather than binging (in my case i spent a lot of time theorizing which made it a more exciting experience)

Conclusion:

If you are looking for a short drama that has a pretty conclusive ending (an extra season is not required but i read some comments on the speculation of its possibility)

there is no textbook good or evil, and every character is a person rather than a plot device for the protagonist

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT A ROMANCE SHOW, although there are meaningful gazes between leads and hinted feelings, and skinship between the supporting role with ml there is no actual romance as a plot in the story

( I tried to avoid saying anything close to a spoiler but if you want to know anymore details feel free to dm :) !)

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Tears (and interest) dried up mid-way

I really wanted this drama to have a strong finish because it started out strong. Hae-in's character was well-written and they did an excellent job casting Kim Jiwon for the role; one of the few borderline psycho female leads that was actually likeable and did not start irritating me 3 episodes in (cue IONTBO, CLOY, MLFTS FLs).

KSY and KJW's acting was amazing and their chemistry was satisfying to watch, there was a good plot twist in the middle with the riches to rags thing, the drama found clever ways to play tribute to other popular K dramas and past KSY FLs, and the OST was amazing (and probably what buoyed this drama for me). But that's where the good stuff ends. It was as if the evil-doers lost their braincells after they took over the company or some disney fairy powder was sprinkled over their noses and they turned good overnight. My braincells died along with theirs and the drama became devoid of any intellectual stimulation.

Would I download the OST and hit the reply button? Yes! Would i rewatch this drama? No thank you.

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Possibly the best Taiwan BL I've come across

Having tried watching a couple of Taiwanese BL in the past based on rave reviews online (i say tried because i dropped most of them eventually), only to be terribly disappointed by the story-telling, acting, production value etc (we *cough* best *cough* love, Kiseki) i honestly hesitated starting on this one. In addition to my bad past experience with TW BL, incest just isn't my idea of a good forbidden romance... Putting aside the borderline incest plot, yes they're not blood related blah blah, this was actually a pretty darn good BL. Possibly the best I've seen from TW so far.

The story-telling had structure, decent context setting, good build-up, running themes to anchor the storyline and the dialogues were natural and not overly cheesy. The cinematography (lighting, angles) was surprisingly good for a drama series with thoughtful choice of location (the stairs and alley leading to the house, the fishing scene), although I thought they could've dialed up the "slump" aesthetics a little. But the winning ingredient for me was the acting and chemistry of the main leads. Their sound understanding of the characters was evident in their gestures, speech, right down to their breathing (there's a scene where Yuan and Qian are at the fishing spot for the first time and Yuan is lost in thought, and as the camera pans out back to reality, you can see him breath in and his eyelids quiver, desire and guilt fleets across his face).

Qian and Yuan are also interesting characters with raw survival instincts, are both strong and vulnerable for each other, and are fiercely loyal to each other and their loved ones. The main supporting characters were also well-designed, imperfect people bound together by non-traditional familial bonds. The interjection of well-timed humour also helped to lighten the story (cue San Pang and XiaoBao).

Some gripes were the casting choice for the multiple versions of younger Yuan vs fewer versions of younger Qian. Just wished they either got more similar looking child actors or stuck to just 1 or 2 for both. I also wasn't a fan of the OST and it was an odd choice of bgm at times. The gun scene w the side charac was my least favourite scene as the dialogue was a tad unpolished and it was overall a little over dramatic.

All in all, i thought this was one of the better (if not the best) BL from TW for me and the actors surprised (and impressed) we with their acting chops.

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It's great to watch if you like not much happening

I found this show to be amazingly slow. Do the games have anything to do with the mysteries? The teams switch up each episode, which I couldn't decide was a good thing or bad thing. I think the thing that bothered me the most was the constant replay of scenes so you could see each person's reaction. It really messed with the flow. Lots of running around, which used up a lot of time.

I did like how they filled the apartments with things from the time period that they were investigating...a blast from the past.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed Jennie. She was pretty charismatic and quite a good spy.

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I am now officially Lu Xiaolu's Mom.

It's a journey about pure joy of adolescent turns into a harsh reality of growing up and maturing together. As a friend, as a lover, as a brother, as a sister, as an enemy.
They're bound to be together and they will always be.
I can't put up any words to describe this one cause of the realistic plot and emotions expressed by the actors and actresses.

Youth is never about being happy and free. It's about choices and plans. Therefore we can't always get what we want but no matter what happens, my heart will stay the same.

Lu Xiaolu as the ML has taught us a lot of things. He is a stubborn, kindhearted, and hardworking person who loves his family and friend so much. I will miss him so much. Even if he's not as greenflag as other MLs, I love him from the deepest of my heart. He has my whole heart. Let me watch him grow older I will never be bored. Its such a pride to watch him from being a playful teen to a grown man with mustache on his face. Gosh I will miss him very much.

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If you haven't seen it, please do

Long Time No See is really good.
It did feel like I finished it quickly but it wasn't because of the amount of time, rather the fact I enjoyed it very much. There was chemistry and connection, love and anger, truth and betrayal, everything was well put together.
I felt pity seeing Chi Soo getting pissed on as a young boy, no nice soul deservs that.
There isn't much about Gi Tae's past but I would've liked it if there were, I wanted to know more about him.
Found it very cute that Gi Tae's sister was very supportive of the two, wished they have givin her a name though.
I just loved the sweet moments between the two main leads, I wish I'll have that one day. Minus the fact that they are working for the mafia or whatever it was.

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