BEST 2024 costume drama!

So Satisfying all the way through!!!!

Li Yun Rui & Meng Zi Yi Underrated for YEARS finally gets their big break!

Li Yun Rui - Always the supporting role. He was ML3 in Love like Galaxy. Supporting characters in many.
Meng Zi Yi - I always thought she looks goddess like and can act well enough for idol dramas, yet she never gets roles like Dilraba.
The pairing imo is fantastic. Both tall and beautiful, chemistry brewing.

The plot is NOTHING special as it's about 2nd chance in life trying to change fate. But unlike the ###s drams before, this is done right with a powerful 1st episode. On a cold snowy night, enters ML w/ silver hair saving the FL from a crashing carriage. Their eyes meet and the scene gives off that that same "A Familiar Stranger" vibe. (Same Director). Ep ends with them falling through the shattered glass into the abyss. Then time freezes as she slowly floats back up passing ML signals the reverse in timeline. The visuals are incredible, the best 1st episode ever! Can other directors just learn from this one?

The next 5 episodes ML/FL hardly have any interactions as they are building up the storyline. Ep 8 on the chemistry is on fire! Of course, if you are impatient and just want the leads face smooching then stick with your short dramas. This is a beautifully paced slow burn romance properly done (IMO) and I am loving every episode w/o skipping any scenes.

The not so perfect:
1. Blossom .... Y Y Y Y Blossom? Why can't they translate the title closer to the Chinese title?
2. ML, bad (General's) hair. umm his face is long, and you just up dewed another 3" of extra dry fake hair
3. Typical one-dimensional bad stepmother, bad uncle, bad dad, supporting actors but MOST of them had a glimpse of turnaround.
4. Insta fall from ep 1. ML/FL needed a bit more scenes ep 2-6.

For the first time 34 episodes felt so short.
All Top notch:
1. Director
2. Story telling
3. Visuals, creativity
4. CPs!
5. Casting
6. Characters. There are several characters switch between good and evil & the actors pulled it off!
7. Satisfying Ending. No botched up ending with quick killing of the entire cast. No ending ending. No Rushed Ending.

LOVE LOVE LOVE I shall rewatch whenever there's a C-drama dry spell. (This year was a long dry spell)

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Bright Dimples start but Crash landing 2nd half!

Just got watching Zhou Yi Ran (ML) in School drama "When I fly to you" now here he is in another lovely school drama.

First 15 Ep. 9 stars!

1. It's not a drama where there's one sided love of an academically challenged FL acting 10 years younger & chasing a silent ML trying to overcome some trauma. FL lead is smart and complex. She's a little bit of everything.
2. Drama feels more realistic. FL is from a divorced family trying to deal with all the sudden changes on her own. Adjusting to a new city, new school & a new blended family forced her to be more mature.
3. ML: Zhou Yi Ran plays another quiet boy role but his character comes from a different kind of family hardship.
These 2 meet and a connection forms as they can relate to each other through thoughts and actions even before finding out about each other's situations.
4. Chemistry: FL has cute dimples & ML has cute dimples. What a GREAT pairing! Yes I am a sucker for dimples.
5. Good supporting characters. Good friends & characters is a must!
6. No unrealistic over toxic characters so far.......
7. The brother from the blended family. He will grow on you.

After ep 15 it drops to 3 stars. It feels like a complete different drama! What just happened!?!? Did they change writers?
Anticlimactic the way they met again in college and resolved the past
Lack of time on supporting character's development and relationship development.
Introduction of toxic characters that's not needed
FL takes a back seat and the focus is 70% on the ML's dream
Choices became less logical

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Refreshing modern female oriented drama

When casting is top notch & the story is not filled with over toxic characters, it's enjoyable to watch.

The story starts off with everyone captivated by Rose's beauty. Beauty is not just standard Chinese beauty but also the energy, 气质 she exhibits. Picking Cristal Liu is perfect for the role. She has that artsy, sophisticated 气质 and she looks young enough to play college age to 30's mom age.
She comes from a healthy family with loving parents with an overprotective brother. There isn't the idea of girls are any less valuable than boys hence she grew up free pursuing what she wants rather than what her parents want for her. She's smart, sassy, confident but also with many imperfections. She's not afraid to take chances on love and in life.

Ep 1-12 1st love. She's impulsive and the relationship progressed fast without deeper understanding. Break ups, fights, yelling feeling semi toxic as they find out more about each other. Very relatable to many people's 1st relationships.
Ep 13-28 Mr. Wrong Husband. She wanted someone stable and settled with the obvious wrong choice, but the series got draggy that I almost dropped the series. The best part was the divorce where she wrote to her daughter: "Divorce in my view only represent an end in a relationship and not a life failure."
Ep 28-35 Mr. Soulmate. At this point she regained her career and she's on a happier path. They have undeniable chemistry and connect on that artistic level.
Ep 36-38 Younger crush, not enough to make an impact.

What's enjoyable:
1. Good female supporting characters small or big parts. Even in the beginning a woman blaming her breakup on Rose, acting all crazy, Rose said "You are smart and beautiful, why waste more time on an underserving guy?" There was no female bashing over love interest like in other dramas.
2. Rose's Loving parents. Positive supportive parenting & nonjudgmental. "Life is only few decades long. If Happier times > sad times, then life is worth it."
3. Modern topics: Career women/Married, unmarried, divorced/Single parenting/Multiple loves, realistic that love moves on (None of that drama love trope of 30-year-old never been kissed, waiting to be reunited from their 1st unrequited love from 10 years ago because they met at 5 or something)

What could've been better:
1. WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY less episodes on boring husband choice
2. Use those extra episodes on Soulmate

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10 episodes that should've been cut in 5

Let's just start with Season 1 was a 10 for me. It had ALL The exciting elements that YES finally S2 is here! And then it felt ..... draggy & flat, completely anti climatic. NO fault to the actors and I know people are complaining about the change of the FL. No chemistry etc. Personally I think the script is the problem. Naksu's character shouldn't have deteriorated to a sick love puppy that only in ep 8 did her original personality started to show. Progression was terrible!! If the story isn't there don't drag it out like what C dramas tend to do & just ended. Instead they filled it with flashbacks, blank stares, forced comic lines at the wrong times, and hot red birds ep 1-7.

S2 managed to recover the initial glory in ep 8-10 and ended with a semi satisfying ending but it should've been so much better. The cast did an amazing job regardless!

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Worth a tear but worth more Laughs

Finally, a SOLID non copy paste plot drama. Title is much better in Chinese! 不讨好的勇气 "Courage not to please others"
Drama is much more enjoyable than all the other dramas currently out there right now.
Are there draggy episodes? Yes, and there are definite character scenes that I didn't care for, but it was within 80/20 (good/bad) ratio, so it remained enjoyable all the way through for me. And if you dropped it before the end, you'll miss the best growth story of the EX, whom to my surprise ended to be my favorite character.

Not quite a slice of life drama but there are surface level adulting problems in need of some comedy relief.
I've been anticipating actor Wei Da Xun in more ML roles ever since "Fireworks in my Heart" (Let's face it, he was the highlight of that drama). Of course, if you are just into popular dramas with pretty faces with giant white light shining on their skin smoothing faces then this is not it for you.
As for Teresa Li, she's been a hit or miss for me in her prior works, but this role fits her and she's doing a great job.

The show isn't all about standup comedy so don't expect all jokes no story. Rather it's about self-discovery through their love for standup comedy. As the drama develops, 16 ep on, there are more memorable longer skits, humorous and well written.

Worth complimenting:
1. Not having any one-dimensional bad characters. Yes, there were annoying characters, but almost all of them had "redemption" moments.
2. No silly women cat fights. Wow so civilized!
3. The Ex. How he changed little by little was so loveable. It was hard to decide who to ship w/ the FL. Favorite scene, Ep 22, 15 min in the ex and her confronting each other.
4. Hint of romance with no cringy drama tropes.
5. Open ended ending. As this is about self-discovery, the journey continues. So not ending up in a ... standard finale is very fitting.

Great script! Well done writers!

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FL didn't work for me & Yet I can't stop watching for Jang Seung Jo....

Predictable story + failed FL casting but I can't drop the show either...

I've seen enough of Kim Ha Neul's works, she's not terrible but she's never been amazing either. I am definitely not against mature actress/younger actor pairing but they need to have good chemistry. Still the biggest issue is her character portrayal of this smart tough reporter isn't convincing. When scenes of the MLs express their hurt and love for the FL, you can feel their heart aches and then the FL just looks like she's trying to react, but her facial expressions just so lacking.

The MLs carried the series for me. Jang Seung Jo (The husband) especially is amazing. One minute he looks like the loving husband with puppy dog eyes then the next minute he delivers that psycho killer vibe -- Hot & Deadly! He's painful crying scenes make you feel like someone close to you just died. Gut Wrenching so good!!! Why I can't drop the series.
At Last it's over!!

For those who got offended at my bad "FL / MLs pairing":
1. You missed the point, I said proper pairing. There are many older FL/younger ML that WORKED in other dramas.
Lim Soo Jung/Jang Ki Yong in WWW 13 yrs age gap
Lee Da Hee/ Lee Jae Wook in WWW 14 yrs age gap
Gong Hyo Jin / Kang Ha Neul in When the Camellia Blooms 10 yrs age gap
Son Ye Jin/Jung Hae In - Something in the Rain 8 yrs age gap
just to name a few. ALL had chemistry and delivered in their performances.
2. I did state the BIGGEST issue is her acting.
3. This is my PERSONAL opinion. No need to attack me.

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Visually stunning, Tragically beautiful.... Unsatisfying ending

If you a fan of mystery thrillers, then this is a must watch. It's got a similar feel to "13 years of Dust", "Bad Kids", "The Pavillion" so on....

Well directed & perfect casting! The synopsis already explains what the story is about, so I won't recap that.

What I loved:
Entire Cast:
1. Young Nan Ya matches the mature Nan Ya. I loved that they didn't use the same actress trying to play down. Obviously, you can't really fake youth and all that collagen. Young Na Ya had the innocence slowly lost.
Mature Na Ya is played by Tong Yao who to me has a 70% resemblance to Zhang Zi Yi's facial features, but she definitely has her unique beauty and acting style. Physically, the natural makeup, lighting, camera works captured her best angles & every curve. She's definitely got that mature beauty that younger boys can fantasize about. Acting, I think she nailed the character Nan Ya perfectly.
2. Zhang Xin Cheng playing Zhuo Luo. He's one of the few talented actors that can play young mature characters that tend to internalize all emotions and explode one day.
3. Ye Zu Xin playing the cop that returned to the town. Nan Ya was his first love and there are definitely regrets in his gaze.

Actual Story: Everyone is intertwined. There are secrets, jealously, lies, betrayal, love, lust, obsession, every human emotion possible. However, it's not for the faint of heart as there are some serious disturbing subjects.

Set/lighting/makeup/production quality: Visually stunning. The small-town feel is uniquely beautiful.
Poetry & Music: It's very artistic. The music elevates every emotional scene.

Decent pacing until ep 14 then felt slow. Ending...... Hate it....... A moment of "Did I just spent 28 x 53 min episodes for this kind of ending? ...... Tragic on its own.

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Quantity doesn't = Quality

Positives:
1. A "Watchable" Frozen Face Hu Yi Tian drama. (yes I'll probably get a lot of hate comments, but I've watched and given up enough of his dramas to conclude his frozen face syndrome)
2. Decent storyline with strong lead characters. Although not unique but it's enjoyable. The pacing of the love developing is very good.
3. Enough good supporting characters (but you'll need to weed them out) One's I actually enjoyed:
ML's sister Shao Yao & Shen Huan
ML's 2 sidekicks (could've used more screen time)
Hua's cook
Prince Xian - a worthy bad guy

Skippable
1. Quantity < Quality. Overloading on non-necessary characters (to fill in 40 episodes) is a HUGE waste of time. Lack of character development for these side characters makes the drama feel draggy.
2. Due to the characters dump, there's a lot of annoying scenes. Plenty Aunts, cousins, maids' repetitive lines make it unbearable at times. Even with the pairing on these excess characters you'll feel nothing because essentially there's no build up.

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Easy to love the cast but hard to love story

I love thrillers/murder mysteries and it's been a while since new psycho killer dramas. Kim Young Kwang with his jokerish smile was a great choice for this role and there's no question the whole cast can act but the weakness is in the script.  
The dialogue felt slow.

By Ep 6 I am just like what is this sloppy nonsense?  Literally poor decisions all around.

Why did disabled cop go meet him alone?
Why did she go party first before calling her colleague about discovering ...?
LGBT Shaman storyline felt random
ML and ML only shared a few lines and deeply connected?  There really should've been some development with that.
Overly dark lighting
Radom fingers on the phone screen...............

Lost potential with this great cast because there could've been so many interesting storylines:
ML back scar story?
FL first gambling hall employer?
FL and Cop friend, how were they able to grow close then fell apart at some point?
How did she become that way?
Shaman and cop, what's the story there?
FL & ML 's emotional connection at a deeper level?

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Best Cutest FL ever!

This is one of those cliches done right for me. Yes you can't avoid the catch and fall, piggy back moments but doesn't mean a standard plot can't be amazing!

What I love:
1. Great dialogue. One of the wittiest dramas ever (and I watched plenty). I hope English translations later on can capture 1/2 of the cleverness of the conversations.
2. FL - She's not a big name yet but she can act. Her cute expressions are not "forced". I love her character so much. She's smart and witty but far from perfect. She's a genius in her designs but can't cook and doesn't know much about Chinese poetry. Love that she's confident and doesn't let her short comings get to her.
3. ML - Visually he's a bit old for her but his character is classic cold on the outside but kind on the inside. This part is pretty standard for most of these dramas however they didn't over do on the standard cold CEO because he actually has a personality! 1. He doesn't have a scar that spark up any illness (just pure hatred and plan to destroy the world but still!) and 2. He doesn't do those over the top male dominating scenes.
He's witty with lots of comebacks, straight forward without cheesy lines. I love the way he turned down the other girl. Maybe some people will see him as cold and mean but way to nip that in the butt.
4. It's not a cheesy love at first sight but through time working together and understanding each other that they fell for each other.
5. Divorced parents - no overbearing mom here but she adopted 2 more children. Heartwarming family dynamic.
6. Very few disgusting characters - they limited them here and w/ minimal lines. Well done! lets not waste drama time on this
7. 2ML Lu Yi Ming - The adopted brother who's perfect! I loved his character in Mr. Fighting as Zhao Xiao Bei and his character here is completely different and yet still perfect.

Downfall
1. Ke Ke character - self pity to the fullest peaked at disgusting level at ep 29.

Hope more people will discover this drama.

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For YY fans only

The script is nothing new & dialogue is boring. The ONLY reason to watch this is for YY fans. If you are average YY fan then "You are my Hero" is similar to this but with way better characters & dialogue.

Nothing against the actors but you can only do so much with a boring script.
FL has no reasons to be so timid in front of the mom
FL has zero personality based on the script
Creepy bro has no reason to be so possessive of FL
ML is overly cold towards FL
FL's adoptive mom is a must skip
Only positive is the actual rescue parts. Very patriotic and something to be wished for actual rescue workers.

Strong supporting characters but with little screen time.
Why is Vin Zhang ONLY a guest role?

Sadly this drama failed expectations. Watch "you are my hero" instead.

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Almost worked

I usually skip Dilraba Dilmurat works as I don't think she has chemistry with anyone. Yes she's beautiful and her acting skills gotten better but she still didn't pull off what the story required. Her big eyes always looked kind of blank & I am sure there will be lots of people offended with that comment.

What worked:
Story - overall interesting at least for the first 30 ep. Then the last portion dragged on w/ the the evil witch
Character growth was well written: FL, the princess & Hao Du were my top 3
Strong overall cast and supporting cast:
Zhao Lu Si (Princess) - I always watch her dramas even the subpar ones. She's always a delight to watch. Her character growth was the best in this drama.
Liu Yu Ning (Hao Du) - Loved his character the most
Leo Wu (Ashile Sun) - The little kid that was in Nirvana Fire grew up! Ok I didn't think he had any character development but every drama needs that hero
Random super cool swordsman - standard new character introduction with a pop in rescue
Ending - It's NOT the typical everyone dies kind

What didn't work:
2nd 1/2 - dragged on and the whole evil plot wasn't that entertaining
The disappearing martial arts of the FL. It happens a lot in many dramas. Fierce FL started out can beat a 100 men and then as the story goes, she needs to get rescued by literally everyone
Not enough screen time of Zhao Lu Si & Hao Du. There was a huge gap where she just didn't even appear in any episodes

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OK watch if you are fan of ML or FL

Mediocre fluffy drama enjoyable to watch on the side. It's low budget but If you like actress Zhao Zhao Yi from Romance of Hua Rong, you might enjoy this drama. The FL is not standard pretty but she's a much better suited for these cross-dressing characters. 1. She's taller & 2. She's not as ideal Chinese beauty & 3. She's not skeleton skinny. Of course, it is still not believable, but she is playing an Eunuch so kind of ok. She's also better at delivering the silly comedy lines so a great choice for this type of drama.

Expect the usual cliches:
Memory loss
Early years encounter
Piggyback ride
Disappearing Kung Fu

Enjoyable Fluff until mid-way when you realized that smart female assassin with lost memory NEVER had any character development. She's been basically reduced to a lovesick bimbo. WASTED potential.

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Can't escape the typical drama trope

I am sure every XZ fan has been waiting for this highly anticipated drama.

This is a big production so definitely some beautiful costumes, sets & cinematography (i.e ep 1 with the dessert)
XZ visuals .... I mean probably the most important reason why I can't drop this drama. It is a shame that they used too much orange tone on his face. Some scenes the lighting makes both his cheeks and eye lids super ORANGE which is completely distracting.
Good supporting cast overall with many familiar faces. I particularly like Zhi Yuan's character, a worthy 2nd lead.
FL .... This is a tough one as I never felt any female lead in his past works ever matched him equal level. Zhao Lusi (in Oh! My Emperor) was pretty good but XZ was the 2nd lead there. Wu Xuan Yi (in Douluo Continent) came very close but I am still waiting for that perfect pairing.
It doesn't help that Ren Min's character falls into that typical drama trope FL (which is not the actress fault). The character never really matured. She's did a decent job but I just don't see the chemistry. She's cute in her own way but not FL worthy.

Ep 31 in that's when the drama gets into the ridiculous misunderstandings followed by a hot mess of an ending:
-Multiple resurrections & death
-Multiple memory loss
-Multiple soul possessions

Sadly this will be a just another ok watch that's completely forgettable.

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