A wonderful sports drama

Definitely one of the top sports CDramas out there. This was an amazing watch and highly recommended.

The Good

This show had no throwaway episodes because of a well executed plot. This is something that can be hard to come by with shows that are longer than 20 episodes but they managed to pull it off. The story had a strong focus on the sports with an even balance of family issues, romance, relationship issues, comedy, etc. It had a great slice of life presence throughout. The acting was done well and the chemistry between the leads were strong and natural. The production was decent for this sort of drama.

The Bad

It still fell victim to some CDrama tropes (unreasonable mother, misunderstandings, love triangle, contract relationship, etc) but it seems that’s unavoidable in CDramas. Hoping that we get more fresh takes on the relationship side of CDramas. Sometimes the volume of the conversations were too low which made it difficult to hear.

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One of the better schools dramas

This was a cute watch, although it had a couple of odd moments for drama sake. It’s one of the better high school/college dramas.

The Good

The overall plot was strong between the couple meeting and their relationship progression was natural and sweet. They had an even balance of misunderstandings and happiness in their relationship and it showed how dedicated they were as a couple to make their relationship last. The acting was decent in this drama and everyone played their role well. The drama was the perfect amount of episodes and provided decent closure to the story.

The Bad

The dubbing wasn’t always the best, especially during some more emotional scenes. I also wasn’t very fond of the ending being shown at the beginning. It sort of spoils the drama for me if I already know how it ends. I didn’t like the huge focus on FL’s family and ML’s family just sort of disappeared. I also feel like we didn’t get closure from the 2nd ML, he sort of just disappeared as well. Lastly, I wasn’t a huge fan of the lighting in this drama. It had a very washed out tone through out.

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Very cute story

I almost overlooked this story because the trailer didn’t catch my attention much but this turned out to be a really cute love story.

The Good

I really appreciated the mature and calm nature of the main leads throughout their story since contract relationships are a common trope in CDramas. What made this one stand out was the fact that all the couples just rolled with the relationships and didn’t make things awkward. They each accepted their feelings. The relationships built up naturally and more realistic and did not contain too many of the tropes. I absolutely adored the ending and loved that they gave us closure to their love story. Fairly decent acting, nice OST and decent production for a modern drama.

The Bad

Still constrained the usual misunderstandings and unnecessary love triangles. With the limited amount of episodes, I’m glad they didn’t drag them out longer than necessary. I also wished there was just a little more romance but for what we got it was fairly good.

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Great Horror Series

This was a great horror series and also one of the best series of 2024 for cdramas. Even though this show was only allowed to be aired on international platforms due to source material being a BL, I hope that cdramas are able to make more horror style shows such as this in this future. This is a highly recommended.

The Good

Strong plot! The show executed the horror theme very well and kept things engaging throughout. It didn't have any boring plots or stories in the doors throughout for me. Production was decent for a modern drama and the OST was nice. The highlight of the show were definitely the relationships between each character and the connections they formed with each other. The acting was also decent and everybody played their character well. Each of the characters were also interesting throughout the series. I appreciated that romance wasn't the main focus of this story as it is with most cdramas. It's nice to watch something different sometimes. I loved that focus of the story was on the doors. They rarely deviated from the main plot of the story with subplots which kept our attention on what mattered most in this show.

The Bad

A couple of loose ends that never was handled such as Ling Jiushi's friend still being shrouded in mystery. The last 20 minutes of the last episode fell a little flat for me but I assume it was to pass censorship. Wish ed it could have wrapped it up stronger. Would have liked to see a little more world building and character backstory for some of the other characters but was satisfied with the overall focus being on what was happening in the doors.

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Fell a little short because of the romance

This story would have been much better if they left the romance completely out. I get that romance is CDrama’s kryptonite and without it, maybe some people won’t want to watch it but it is not needed in every drama. CDrama’s tend to try to force romance no matter if the situation is murky and it takes so much away from the story sometimes.

The Good

Started strong steeped in some mystery with a murder/revenge plot. The original plot was actually engaging and intriguing. The main characters were all setup nicely, had strong acting and were a great fit for their roles. Costumes, makeup, wigs and sets were decent as well.

The Bad

The romance. I love a good romance story like the next person but the connection between main leads felt lackluster and partly due to the extreme treatment he put her through. This caused a huge disconnection of even wanting to see romance or even believe it. Again, the romance was not needed or warranted after all he had done. It became forced and became the identity of the story as it went on towards the end. They could have been great allies since their stories intertwined but the shallow romance left the ending for the main FL unsatisfying for me. I also did not like that the two MLs were dubbed. I don’t think it was necessary since both can dub themselves.

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Nice little watch

I quite enjoyed this drama. Had a solid, engaging story. I do understand why this is rated lower than an 8 on here. Several factors, 1) it's not an idol drama so it does not have the "pretty people" that boosts the idol drama ratings higher than they should be. Also, the ending definitely brings the drama down, thanks to the censorship about soul swapping, transmigrations, rebirth, etc (if you've watched these type of dramas then you know).

The Good

The plot was strong, especially if you enjoy soul swapping dramas. It's not a new concept but this one was definitely a fun watch because it had comedy, melodrama and romance well placed. It's a hidden gem for me especially among the high school dramas. The acting was rather good in this one, even from the supporting cast. Everyone played their roles very well and were convincing. Romance was definitely a strong factor here but didn't overshadow the story like most of these high school dramas do. It had more mature themes and plot to the show that made you care for the stories outside of the love connection. The final point I'll make is the high school setting was very nice, down to the outfits and even the attire of the kids outside of the school. This had a decent production value.

The Bad

I already mentioned that the ending brings this down and is why it's only getting an 8.5 from me. Could be higher if the censorship could remove that bit. There were some other aspects that didn't make logical sense in the story that I also wish the writers would not include it because it leaves one saying "yeah right, there is no way they would know that or that would not happen," but hey, it's a fantasy, fictional story so it gets somewhat of a pass.

Overall, I would still recommend this drama, especially for the more mature audiences because it's not necessarily a fluffy romance drama like many of those other high school dramas out there, if you are looking for that type of drama.

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Need more CDramas of this genre

Enjoyed I Am Nobody and excited to see part 2 to complete the rest of the story. One of the top series of 2023!

The Good

This was a very fun and exciting watch! The plot was very strong and had a great setup with world building and character setups. The comedy was well placed in this fantasy drama and balanced well with the seriousness of some of the situations. The CGI and VFX was done very well and showcased each person’s power really good. I especially enjoyed all the fight scenes because they didn’t only just rely on people standing there with CGI but had actual choreographed fighting as well. The acting was done so well with all the unique characters and each left me engaged and interested in their stories. I also appreciated the OST. Well placed songs throughout.


The Bad

Not too much negative but sometimes there were moments that were too silly and the scenes became a little sidetracked from the story and I wondered about the relevance and where it was going.

This is a high must watch! Would love to see more CDramas created in this genre.

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Hidden Gem

This was an amazing story and one I’d highly recommend for those looking for a coming of age story! First off, this isn’t a romance drama and not sure why MDL tagged it as such. I suspect that many who are looking for romance would be disappointed in this one. I would also say this is for more mature audiences. It’s heavy on the realism and does not contain fluff. It’s definitely not an idol drama.

The Good

The story was well written and had a strong execution. This was one of the best high school dramas I’ve seen and left a deep impression. There were many profound moments and life lessons portrayed in this drama. The female lead Luo Qiqi was an extremely relatable character and had me rethinking my youth, thoughts, actions and choices made during those times. Every character was very complex, not perfect and had their own interesting story to tell. There was so much character growth and development seen that it left a deep satisfaction at the end. In my opinion, this was Zhao Jin Mai’s best drama that I’ve seen from her lineup through 2024. It really showed her acting range. All the remaining cast also did an amazing job and portrayed their characters very well.

The Bad

It’s a slow drama and requires patience to sit through as it’s 30 episodes with 50 min runtime per episode. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. Though I enjoyed every episode and it kept me engaged, of course this drama still has the misunderstandings we’ve come to know in CDramas. The difference here is these are more realistic, relatable and understandable situations. It’s a basic production with a not memorable OST. The ending may leave some dissatisfied.

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Worth the wait

Season 2 wasn’t as strong as Season 1 but still an amazing story and I’m looking forward to Season 3.

The Good

The JOL is definitely a uniquely written story that keeps you on your toes. I found that there wasn’t much of any hiccups from the plot and acting from the long wait of the first season. The cast fell right back into place and delivered strong performances as expected. Even the change of Yan Bingyun’s character flowed nicely and he took the character to greater heights. Many twists and turns in the story and the action/plotting scenes definitely do not disappoint. The OST still remained relatively decent. The costumes and production quality were elevated and a welcome change in this season. I appreciated the pacing in this season as the story continues to unfold.

The Bad

Three things, I didn’t like the change in Ye Linger character as I feel as if they changed up her character arc. She seemed less independent and more tolerant than the first season and the same goes for Fan Xian. There were aspects of his character that changed in season 2 such as the constant bowing and being more tolerant to the royal family that made him more defiant and unique in the first season. I know it has to do with character growth but wished they could have maintained that throughout the show. Still didn’t care too much for the love story between Fan Xian and Lin Waner. It just doesn’t add much to the story but had a heavier focus this season. Still not sure how her character is considered a main character.

Either way. Loved this story!

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Intriguing Story

This movie was quite enjoyable. There was some predictability in the storyline with some questionable moments that made me go “of course that would happen or wow what a shocker (sarcasm),” but overall I can understand the high praise for this movie.

The Good

It was filled with high action from beginning to end and the overall story moved at a fast pace so things never got boring. Although I’m not familiar with all of the Chinese lore, it was neat to see it portrayed in a large feature film centered around war. The overall acting was a highlight here as most of the cast did a pretty decent job. Overall production was good with attention to details from the costumes, settings, hair and makeup, etc. wasn’t low budget at all. I’m glad the run time was also a little longer to give time to actually tell the story without it feeling rushed or too incomplete for the first installment.

The Bad

Not much in the way of character and world building. Most of the movie was shot in 1 or 2 locations. Though there was a summarized backstory in the very beginning, would have like to see this go deeper and explain more of the war backstory and king’s backstory in more detail so we could connect more to the story and motivations. Again, as mentioned at the beginning, there was some predictability in the story that I wish would have been turned more into an interesting twist. The OST was okay but not very memorable.

I’d recommend a watch for this movie if you like high action and stories about Gods.

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Interesting twist

This one was interesting. I enjoyed the focus on mental health for the plot and how it was a story within a story.

The Good

ML has a distinctive look that made him perfect for this role. I’ve seen him in other dramas as supporting characters and he typically does well given his scripts. I hadn’t seen FL before but she was also decent and had good chemistry with the ML. The overall plot setup is what drew me in because it combined both a historical and modern drama into one and executed okay.

The Bad

The overall acting wasn’t necessarily the best from all the cast and I wouldn’t say this drama was amazing. Overall costumes, production and OST were mediocre.

It’s a good filler show to watch since it does have a different story but definitely a different take on the usual CDramas. I would still say overall there are still a lot of cliches and some predictability to it which makes it an average show.

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