Very good and could have been excellent.

First, let me start by saying how much I admire the makers of this series for taking on dealing with the ugly underbelly of the industry they work in. And then balancing this darkness with what is largely a light and lovely love story, with actors that are just right for their parts.
It should have gotten a 10 stars from me, and it would have if it was 10 episodes instead of 12. As much as I enjoyed watching the bad guy crying and sulking, at one point there was just too much of it. The whole series could have benefited from better editing and a tighter pace.
Still, the series was very good and I've never seen a happy ending as spectacular or unique as the one they gave us!

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Such a waste, had to drop.

This started out so good, with two strong and fascinating leads, so why did they suddenly make them juvenile and stupid?
This story had such a good premise, but it gradually turned into a very slow and overdramatic lakorn, with too many fillers and too little common sense. The chemistry between the leads was still scorching, but it wasn't enough to make up for the bad script writing.
What I did love about this drama was the styling. The wardrobe department knew more about the characters than the writers did: at one glance the viewer can tell who is rich or poor, who is tough and who is sweet. Great job.

To summarise, my wish is to see the two actresses together again in a drama that has better writing and less obnoxious supporting characters.

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A feminist unexpected delight, a champion of dreams and redemption.

Never in a million years would I have thought that one of the best stories told by women and for women would come from China. For a country that tends to gloss over issues this drama dealt so beautifully with corruption, sexism, abuse and abuse of power, but with all these heavy topics it never lost its heart and was never anything other than highly entertaining.
I fell in love with all the characters, and felt compassion for both the goodies and the baddies, a sign of how good the script truly was. But obviously my favourites were the two leads and the journey this took them through - and that was the greatest strength of this drama, the idea of a journey and a process that we all need to go through for our dreams and romance to come true.
If you are looking for a smart drama that wants to teach you something and isn't just your average rom-com than this one is for you. There is romantic in this one and it's lovely, but it isn't the sole focus and purpose because the FL Ning Meng knows she is worth more than her romantic status.

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Why are the ratings so low on this? It's a little quirky gem!

First off, deserves better ratings, that's the main point of this review. It's not the newest and the Emo haircuts of the time are killing me, and it's a bit slower than the new dramas. But it's still a solid, fun series to watch, with crazy and loveable characters.
That's was the heart and soul of this drama for me: the love and respect the writers had for all the people here, from the main couple to every side character, they all go through learning curves and come out better and stronger.
The craziness of this drama was a bonus for me. Come on, it's about a food addict boxer falling for and relentlessly pursuing a nun, of course it will be a bit nuts! Maybe that's why some viewers didn't really connect with this one, you have to let go and follow the craziness, because it's unlike any other drama you've seen... but in a good way!

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Finally a suspense drama I loved!

It started with the amazing opening sequence, OMG the music and the editing were top notch, it was almost edible but with no food!
Everything in this drama was perfectly balanced: suspense and romance, present time and flashbacks, main couple and secondary couple, humour and seriousness.
The dubbing was good and all the actors were good looking. The chemistry between the leads was sizzling and you rooted for them from the first second.
I'd like to take a note of the cimatography: some of the scenes were ingenious works of art and the placing of the music was perfect.
Recommended to everyone who loves their good romance with good suspense and action.

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Loved it! What an unexpected gem!

First, at 36 episodes, having no boring or lagging bits is a miracle.
I was so impressed at how they made it so modern and accessible for young people who grew up watching CSI and House MD, and yet kept the flavour of it so traditional Chinese. The perfect balance between comedy and seriousness was kept as well.
It's the sort of drama that has you falling in love with the main characters but also with the support cast and even the bad guys. They are all so well rounded with strengths and weaknesses. Chu Chu and prince an were so refreshing as leads: you don't often see badass nerds as the heroes of a show.
And I loved the soundtrack, again with the balance of modern and traditional.
The thing that struck me the most though, was reading that this drama is considered low budget. How could that be, when it felt so opulent with all the lovely costumes and horses???
Recommended to anyone who loved the Korean classic Jewel In The Palace and its message of a strong and highly professional waman, even in the old times.

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Could have been good with much better editing.

A lesson that Thai drama creators never seem to learn: if you don't have enough of a story for twelve movie length episodes, you have to make the drama shorter. Audiences aren't interested in ridiculous supporting characters that have no purpose other than filling time.
I watched half the drama and the combined IQ and EQ of all the characters was going down instead of them growing up and learning from their mistakes. Only one of the main characters showed any amount of growth, so I don't buy into him falling for the hormonal teenage brained crying disaster that they gave him as a love interest. But I think this imbalance was also the result of them trying to stretch the story.

Too long, too stupid and just not good enough for the obvious amount of money they put in.

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Good but not perfect.

The first half I totally understood the hype. It was a refreshing story with a very refreshing FL, one who isn't afraid to enjoy eating and doesn't do it in a dainty, feminine way and one who doesn't bother with short skirts, high heels and perfect makeup. In short, she is everything that I've been dying to see in a Kdrama FL.
Watching the two leads get to know, respect and then love each other was a delight and they both felt very rounded to me. But then the last third of the drama came, with its inevitable dragging and unnecessary drama...
And why did they suddenly move the focus from the two main couples to new couples that you didn't really know as a viewer and didn't particularly care about???
The producers realised that it should have had only 14 episodes instead of 16 and they still didn't change it. That for me is drama negligence.
I still loved it overall, but it could have been a masterpiece and in the end it wasn't.

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I need more of this!

Ok, so I'm the queen of happy endings and I loved this even though this doesn't have a classic "they lived happily ever after" ending. But it gives hope and leaves you with a big smile on your face - what more can you ask for from a series??
Well, more of the same apparently because I didn't want to say goodbye to Vlad and Karl and wanted to spend more time with them.
What l liked most about this is actually what the production struggled with: the restrictions of Covid 19 made this little gem tightly intimate, almost like a theatre play for two people. It made their relationship feel stronger, inside an apartment that felt real instead of just a prop.
Now I'll just raise my glass for the promised second season and hope they'll also bring back Anna and Judit the ally without the H... and more of that fantastic soundtrack!

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Great Cells, mediocre everything else.

You know the storyline is in trouble when the writers revert to poop jokes like five year olds...
I know this is a favourite of many, and it broke my heart a bit to drop it because the cells really were fantastic and if they had their own show I'd love it! But unfortunately, the cells were never meant to be the main characters of this drama, it's a love story between two flesh and blood people and it isn't a very interesting one. We have misunderstanding after misunderstanding, an Evil Other Woman and of course, the famous poop humour. All these "delights" can take up half an episode, and that just makes the overly long episodes seem even longer.
No show can survive on only a cute gimmick, there has to be good writing involved. Sadly, the writers concentrated too much on good lines for the little cells, and the main couple was left with second hand scraps. And that's my cue to run far away from this drama.

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Good story, bad production, you decide what's more important.

My weakness is for the clichéd formula cold rich guy falling for poor cute girl without admitting it to himself, and this one had it in spades! It was lovely seeing him being so jealous and possessive and not have a clue why he was behaving that way, and she was such a worthy partner for him. Her cat definitely stole the show, with the way they gave her a personality of her own and strong opinions.
The story was 5 stars for me but the low budget production let it down. The last two episodes the editing was a bit chaotic and confusing, but that was still ok with me. What really bothered me is the set they chose for his home.
He is this super rich CEO and he lives in a house that looked run down from the outside, and like a tiny studio apartment from the inside??? And what about his stab wound that changed sides from scene to scene..?
All those small things started to pile up and lowerd my rating. I would still recommend it as good fluff, but I hope someday they do a remake with a proper budget, the story deserves one.

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Unrealistic fluff. Sometimes it's just what you need.

Unrealistic fluff. Sometimes it's just what you need. If you like mills and boon romance with 50 shades vibes, go ahead and watch.
I don't get the haters of this little drama. Obviously it's not a masterpiece but no one ever meant for it to be one. It should be judged for the manga based fluff that it is, and then its kind of fun.
And yes, the guy is a bit short and skinny but he's still good looking and rather hypnotic. The girl isn't strong and modern for most of the drama, although she does get some backbone in the end, and again, in the rich guy vs pretty virgin trope you don't really expect some kind of valkyrie...

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Drop it like it's hot! Or not...

Ok, so I don't mind less plot and more kissing but the little plot there is should make just a little bit of sense! The two main characters keep on doing and saying things that are jarring and unrealistic, and the whole thing just feels like the disjointed first draft of a 15 year old wannabe writer.
And the acting is...
The actress starts as cute and submissive, Coffee And Vanilla style, but then they try to make her into this bizarre hysterical mother hen type as well and it just doesn't blend together. The hero is another coffee and vanilla type, all the girls fall for him because he's good looking and rich and full of the elusive x factor... but as a viewer I didn't see any of this in him. He's just this mediocre guy that does and says things that don't make any sense.
I'm dropping, not even finishing the first episode.

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Sorry Hyun Bin, it's a no from me.

I was totally going to love this drama, everyone else did and it had my first Asian love Hyun Bin.
Only I couldn't and I'm dropping.
Even the great Hyun couldn't make me like the heroine (wanted to slap her!) or get over the oppressive North Korea setting. It all prevented me from just sitting back and enjoying. I know everyone else loves it and I can see that it's expertly done, and of course Hyun Bin is as suave as ever.
What l did like is the opening sequence, a work of art with great music and the split screen showing them doing the same things but oh so differently!
Still, I didn't like it and am dropping.

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