This C-drama is amazing

The title says it all. I stopped watching American television long ago (note, I am an American) over how dull it had become with unoriginal ideas and retreads (tire reference) of old ideas over and over again. Then, I discovered K-drama. From K-drama,to C-drama with Lucky's First Love, Legally Romance, Love is Sweet, Cupid's Kitchen, and oithers.

The Ideal City is one of the most original, riveting dramas I've watched and one of the best in terms of cast, acting, and story.

Who knew that corporate construction company politics could be made into such an endearing drama? No explosions, no guns, no over-muscled Hollywood types. The Ideal City is just that. The story and writing completely engaged my suspension of disbelief. I binge watched forty episodes with one sleep break in between. The pace was consistent, not faltering, in engaging my senses and interest.

The cast? I'm in love with all of them. Top notch acting by all involved. Sympethetic characters and perhaps, characters one would want to loathe. Yu He Wei portraying a sleazy(?) CEO... Betty Sun (Sun Li)... wow, her portrayal just kept hitting in every episode. Mark Chao (Zhao Yu Ting)... great and sympathetic. My favorite character? Du Juan, the secretary, played by Yang Chao Yue... while a minor rolel, Yang Chao Yue simply gave a memorable performance. If there was ever an award for Best Portrayal of a Secretary in a Supporting Role? Yang Chao Yue wins, hands down.

Production wise? Good camera work. The skyline scenes with the weather... The music? I liked just about every song in the show. I'll buy the soundtrack when I can find it.

My biggest disappointment? 40 episodes. I would have preferred a more conclusive ending. Maybe the producers wanted to end the show there or not? Still, a must watch.

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Get throug the first six or so episodes for a satisfying later half... worth it.

Not really a spoiler, just a brief mention of a scene by one character. You will have to watch the show to see the scene I very briefly mention.

Tough call between 8 and 9 stars. At times, the show gave a sense of complacency instead of anticipation. I debated whether or not to continue after six episodes. I am glad I did, in a way. The final episodes picked up the pace and gave a satisfying finish.

Cast: 10 / 10
Story: 8 /10
Production: 9/10
Character development: 8/10 - at times - for brief moments - I loathed the portrayal by Chae Jong Hyeop as Park In Sung. The ML didn't hit his stride until the last half of the show. Seo Eun Soo played her character well as Jung Se Yeon - somehow she reminded me of seeing I.U. for the first time in "My Mister" (a must watch) though the two shows are vastly different.

Throw in a wildcard (personal satisfaction of show) and the final score comes to 9/10 stars.

Favorite Character: Mapi, played by Kim Sung Oh - this character alone could be cast in a prequal.

Special mention to Gi So Yoo as Kim Min A. Lovable and sympathetic character. I was surprised at the amount of screen time she received. Good call by producers/writers. SPOILER ALERT*** the scene about the cops is memorable. ***END SPOILER ALERT

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Delightful Drama

Spolers? Nothing really specific though some elements are lightly touched upon.

You have read the reviews so you know what "Flight to You" is about.

The cast includes two actors that appeared in "Master of My Own": FL Tan Song Yun and Liu Chang. Wang Kai himself, is impressive as ML in "Flight to You". If you have not watched "Master of My Own", please do. I highly recommend it.

We follow the FL through ups and downs of being a female pilot and the doubts that some have about female pilots flying planes. The opening was nice in intro'ing the characters. Cheng Xiao faces obstacles from all quarters as a pilot and overcomes them with the eventual aid of a surprising cast of characters. Even the "bad guy" turns out to be a love-hate relationship with the viewer. There is at least one surprising relationship that I did not foresee, that is lightly touched upon by the end of the show. The detail paid attention to as to the cabin crew has me wondering if someone actually used a consultant. It was a nice touch showing the difficulties and operation of the cabin crew. Makes me appreciate the job more.

As for the production, the CGI is not the best. I don't expect it to be comparable to movies. No points deducted for it. Live shots are well done. Sets as they are work very well.

Story? I liked it. The cast brought the story to life. Camera work and directing added to it.

Watchability? Despite liking and enjoying the story, with a talented crew and cast, no scenes really jumped out at me. I can recall scenes from "Master of My Own", "Legally Romance" - a must watch, "The World Owes Me a First Love", and many other shows. If someone asked me to mention any scene that pops out? I couldn't name one in "Flight to You". I can describe the drama from beginning to end. And that is good enough. I probably will rewatch it at some point - it's a good show with a great cast and good story as well as good production.

Thoroughly recommend it. For some reason, I'm a sucker for romance dramas. Not all of them, of course. I'm particular. And "Flight to You" makes my list for must watch.

Next show to watch? I'm going to go check out Wang Kai's works. I found "Flight to You" by liking Tan Song Yun's performance in "Master of My Own". Yep, chain-watching actor's shows to stumble upon other great actors. Which leads to other shows... a never ending cycle.

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