Not worth the hype

Was excited about this drama because I saw the potential in Byeon Woo Seok from Record of Youth days and was anticipating another hit like Start-up. A even-paced drama that shows emotional growth and turmoil, underdogs succeeding in life, complex navigation of relationships, and maybe themes of self-acceptance and gratitude perhaps.

What we get instead is a promise that is never fulfilled. The first episode set us up for excitement and anticipation for a deep dive into the many issues in modern day society that could resonate with so many people, yet the topics are disappointingly, never explored.

1) Let's start with the obvious thing that disappointed, which was the drama showing us a suicide of a well-known celebrity (ML)suffering from depression. You think, oh god, this drama will definitely hit close to home as a nation who has lost a lot of celebrities and whose fans are still in mourning till now. You are eager to see how they will portray the events that led to such a tragic end for such a gentle spirit, how the character develops the illness, and how he might overcome it as well. The intricacies and challenges faced by celebrities who are both loved and hated, and the loneliness of these people who usually hide all the signs, struggling on their own to either come out of the darkness, or get engulfed by it. The scene where ML kindly asks the FL (who we think) is only a stranger at that point, 'Why are you crying, I never made you cry?' followed by his suicide not long after, literally broke my unguarded heart! This was the scene that made me decide on following this unique storyline. But the writers decide against allocating any time to delving into the psyche of such a character, and chooses to focus on a serial killer subplot to drive the story forward instead.

2) FL has a disability and she is shown in a wheelchair, losing a chance to get employed because the building where she applied for the job has no wheelchair access. You think awesome, we're going to see how this character lives day-to-day and get a realistic perspective on the challenges she might face as a disabled person living in such a beauty-discriminating society. However, this also gets thrown out the window once a travel back in time changes her fate. It's as if the wheelchair was just there to satisfy an arbitrary box that needed to be ticked on a 2024 what we need to do to show that we are a progressive kdrama kind of inclusion checklist.

3) We think, because both leads have incredible set-ups as characters faced with a certain level of adversity, that we will be graced with well-written scenes showcasing character growth and fortitude. No such development takes place and what we get are just repeated visits from a two dimensional eye-twitching serial killer who doesn't have much of a backstory either.

3)We never understand why the ML likes the FL. The incomprehensible attachment that the ML has for the FL does not make any sense to me. With the 2ML we at least get hints that he is suffering from lack of attention from his family and we can UNDERSTAND why he would like the FL. In the face of the 2nd ML, the FL is a little eccentric but has moments of maturity, and loves to nag and support him, showing him the care and affection he so desperately yearns from his parents instead. They have more workable chemistry than the ML has with ImSol because we get that he likes her for her and accepts her crazy ways and seemingly bipolar personality, while with the ML we only see that he was mesmerised by her because of the way she ran towards him in the rain with a yellow umbrella...?? Enough to make him move next door to her? The scenes they shared with each other also didn't convince me that he would not date anyone until 30 because he was holding onto the memory of her... Why? What was so special about her that he could not let go? As the audience, we are only sold on why she might have liked him so much (because she still carries the memory of him having thanking her for staying alive, with that becaming her motivation to live when she was at her lowest point). But what of him? It's 15 years... And they never dated or went through anything exceptionally monumental, so what was the pull?

4th) I feel that the two leads lack chemistry. I like them separately as individuals, but they are lacklustre together.

5th) Plotholes - FL can change some things, but not others... the inconsistency made it hard to stay immersed in the story because there was not a consistent basis for cause and result.

6th) it seemed like all other characters were irrelevant or unimportant to the story so it didnt really feel like a story anymore, just a show forcing us to like the main characters as a couple even though they had nothing to work with.

The good : The first few episodes were nicely done with good humour borrowing music that I remember from that time to poke fun at over-dramatic scenes that were a feature of those dramas back then.

Byeon Woo Seok is handsome, kind, and softspoken.

Kim Hye Yoon does what the role requires and does her best to not be annoying. She is not preoccupied about how she appears on screen, delivering emotional scenes without the baggage of worrying about whether or not she looks pretty doing it.

You never get the vibe that Kim Hye Soon or ImSol is trying to seduce the ML and that in itself is a big deal bc so many actresses and actors go off tangents and forget that they are there to portray their character properly, not to give us some perfunctory facial expressions as a smokescreen to enjoy cosplaying with their costars or simply indulging in the design of the character.

But the negatives outweigh the positives and this is nowhere near as satisfying for me as other kdramas ive seen such as Signal and Start-Up. If they wanted to avoid disappointing viewers, the writers should not have made the protagonists out to be more interesting than they actually are. Whats the point of having an amazing pilot only to disappoint everyone after a few episodes? I think I have outgrown kdramas for now and until Kim Seon Ho returns, I have little interest in trying anymore of these superficially written "hits".

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Better than Go Ahead

If you liked Go Ahead, you will love this!

I had zero expectations going into this but was taken in for the craziest emotional ride of my life. If there was one thing this drama did well in, it was in its portrayal and exploration of the inner workings of the human psyche.

Subtle moments such as the one at the beginning where the mother offers to stay in the master bedroom to look after her daughter and the son-in-law quickly agreeing to it while she exhibited the slightest look of disappointment, was a moment done so perfectly, I knew I would be completely captivated by this meticulous masterpiece from that moment onwards.

Don't get me started on the unexpected but amazing dynamics between the mother and the gym junkie, or the unlikely but completely believable chemistry of the gym junkie and female lead herself.

If you enjoy watching dramas that showcase the intricacies of human emotions and how unique circumstances can bring about changes to reveal the core essence of human nature, or mould them to evolve into a completely different individual from their prior being, then this drama was made for you. (It reminds me of the Japanese drama 'Soredemo, Ikiteyuku' in that the portrayals of the characters and their motives and emotions were often gray, not always black and white)

The only criticism I have for this drama was that it was too short. They could have honestly had another 2-5 episodes and I would have been completely satisfied. Due to this, they did not give the same weight to the gym junkies past, nor allow for us to see more of the evolution of the other characters. Either way though, the ending is definitely not unsatisfactory, and it will be an easy modern-day drama to recommend to new cdrama enthusiasts, alongside The Long Night, Reset, Nothing but Thirty, and Fake It Till You Make it.

Warning: Beautiful but equally depressing ending theme and clip will be there to haunt you and elicit your tears if the episode you happen to be on doesn't do that itself.

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Maybe the most stale drama I have ever watched

Story's pacing started out okay in the beginning, but then went on to become very slow, draggy, and oftentimes incoherent.

The biggest problem of this drama is not that it's cliche and there's no innovative element compared to narratives we've seen previously, but rather, it got really boring in the middle chunk where they abandoned the main plot, and as someone hilariously mentioned in the comments, it went from Love and Redemption to Mysterious Lotus Casebook, before it found its identity again back as the tedious Immortal Samsara. A mish-mash of different xianxia storylines doesn't make it a good one.

Even Cheng Yi could not save this drama that lost its charm starting from a third way into it. Yangzi acts the same as she always does in these noisy characters meant to be annoying but 'charismatic', while I felt bad for Chengyi always having to act out these scenes that are meant to be heart-wrenching, but did not evoke any emotions in me, as the reason preventing the couple from being able to get together was forcefully fed to us every half episode. It does not help that Cheng Yi and Yangzi look and feel more like cousins or friends rather than a star-crossed pairing.

After having watched MLC, I would say Joseph Zeng had much better chemistry with Cheng Yi than Yangzi does with him. And I know that they are different relationships, but what I'm trying to say is, because the combination wasn't a great fit, it affected how we saw the trio (including Yumo), as convincing comrades. It felt more like a uni luck draw where you pull out your classmates' names and that's how you came to work with everyone in the group project. (Nothing wrong with your groupmates as at least no one is lazy and leaving everything for one person to finish, just not the most amazing dynamic to produce the best results).

Watch only if you want to see Cheng Yi with curly silver locks as a devilish demon king stealing the limelight (and hearts) and leaving fans wanting him to play a seductive villain one time.

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Refreshing piece amongst the masses of low quality dramas out there

At first one might think this drama is all about solving mysteries which all unlock pieces to the final puzzle at the end and everyone goes home happy. This is not that drama. It's so much more than that. MLC is ultimately a heartfelt drama where the writers gently invite us to go on an emotional journey with the main character Li Lian Hua aka Li Xiang Yi where he ends up being confronted by his past, the reality of his past self, and his reconciliation with all that he was during the height of his renowned fame and reputation.

As many here have mentioned, it is a story that evokes a lot of emotion because it's centred around the themes of letting go, forgiveness, the chance to change, and that we are all but mere human beings, capable of mistakes, guilty of having a past that we might not be proud of, and appreciating the simplest things in life.

While the mysteries weren't executed in a way that allows the audience to delve into the stories and use our own deductions to solve the cases, the undeniable chemistry between the three leads, the brilliant and engimatic acting of Cheng Yi, the natural ease with which Joseph and Aero assumed their roles, and the concise and beautiful storytelling that is consistent with driving the plot forward all make MLC a profound viewing experience.

I think viewers would love to see more of this kind of theme-centred and mature narrative with strong character development in a sea of disappointing cdrama productions that has been saturated with use of vulgar clickbait videos or contrived romantic storylines with pretty faces as a means of garnering attention to an otherwise empty storyline.

MLC stands out amongst the rest because the writers and the production team seem to care about what they are doing and have put a lot of effort into delivering quality and consistency to its viewers, proving that China can produce noteworthy pieces that don't compromise on the authenticity of the narrative as a result of relying on cheap plot devices for the sake of guaranteed viewership ratings.

Watch MLC if you want something different to all that other stuff going on in subpar cdrama productions.

P.s. I absolutely loved the ending! (Unlike most!)

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Watch for the Male lead's acting, chemistry btw main couple & some charismatic side characters

Love and Redemption is easy to get into as there is a nice pacing throughout the beginning of the story, accompanied by nolstagic bgm and a strong male lead who is able to convey emotions very well with his microexpressions, leaving no one doubting his pain and suffering in any form- emotional or physical, nor his affection for the FL.

Enter the FL. In my opinion, FL (Crystal Yuan) qualifies to be in the running for the worst actor award in a cdrama with her inability to emote and her excessive use of eyedrops that ironically highlight how poor her acting is than aid with any emotional scene itself . I will say she does have strong chemistry with the ML which is probably one of the reasons why it was easy to get hooked onto this drama if one is able to switch off when she had a crying scene or a scene where she is meant to act betrayed but just looks constipated.

I need to mention the actress who played SFL Ling long did not fare that much better than Crystal and Mingyan had a pretty useless existence in this drama despite being on the posters and all.

Side characters Brother Liu and Tengshe were a much needed presence and comic relief to this drama and helped pushed the story forward with renewed energy and charisma.

As for the narrative itself, there were lots of plot developments that make love and redemption quite an interesting journey, however it's a shame that this drama couldn't be the masterpiece it could have been because logic and character development were thrown out the window, with the story relying instead on misunderstandings to drive it forward.

You can watch this if you enjoy fluff knowing its just fluff and if you want to know what propelled actor Cheng Yi to his current fame. Just know that you WILL need to practice restraint when FL appears (post beginning stage) because you will wonder how she was ever able to become an actress and why nobody in her inner circle had the integrity to stop her from choosing this profession.

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Strong start, weakened by excessive tears and superficial storytelling

This was a super easy drama to get into because you have the intelligent and strongwilled protagonist being framed for having an affair before she is swiftly "saved" by her righteous husband only to then be murdered by him. We then learn it's him and his family who orchestrated the whole thing! So does one need anything more but to get stuck into our popcorn and watch the unravelling of events where we get to see the FL return from the dead with a new identity seeking revenge not only for herself, but for the identity that she has claimed? Two is better than one!

Ignoring certain unrealistic or illogical happenings at the start, this drama was captivating enough to continue because the story and direction kept us engrossed. You have the ex-husband who's being kept prisoner by a princess whose chronic obsession with him renders him a puppet to be used and abused by her both mentally and physically. Witnessing such a miserable existence of the ex-husband, coupled with the peculiar/deranged personality of the princess really made this unique drama set-up, an oddly satisfying watch.
The excitement surrounding FL Xue FangFei revealing hee face to her murderers at an important event also kept me on my toes wondering, what next??

So with the characters nicely set up, we are rooting for FL, and although I find the ML a little A4, at the very least he's not annoying, nor is he hard to look at, so I'm thinking, not bad Youku, you may have a big hit with this dark horse!

However.... the weaknesses of the story slowly start to emerge due to the poor directing of Yuzheng. Firstly, we see FL and her maid crying more than necessary and during scenes where tears were not required to convey the feelings of the characters. At one point I felt like the director had a fetish for beautiful tears streaming down pretty actors' faces. But I can overlook the insistence of the director instructing the actors "cry here, and cry again there", because in his mind he believes that's how the audience will believe these actors have acting talent.

Things start to seriously get wonky once the FL and ML get drunk one night and FL decides to let ML know she is physically attracted to him. Oh boy... where do I begin to vent my frustrations with the many problems of this particular scene???

You have just been betrayed and killed and buried alive by your husband not long ago, in addition to finding out that your dad and brother have also been killed by him or the person behind him, and yet you can quickly transition to flirting with another guy? Is she out of her mind? I understand that one can still develop feelings for a person even if one has been wronged, but the way in which one moves on, and the type of trauma suffered should be a factor in how one moves on. It was as if she had never been murdered, and she's now got herself a handsome new suitor that she's excited about... Would one not be a little jaded to say the least? And how can one fathom even entertaining the idea so soon after experiencing such a stomach-churning experience? I mean we know its still in her mind since theres no shortage of them replaying the scene of her being hit over the head with a shovel multiple times. I think its fine to like the ML, but it's weird how they are portraying the attraction. Her behaviour and thought process doesnt seem to fit in with the rest of the story and the time the story is set.

We then get a much slower pacing of the drama which detracts from the enjoyability of the drama since it was the fast pace and tightly packed story that held our utmost interest at the start.

We get an early boring arc of her cousins family being targeted, before they show FL seeking justice for her real dad which was the most poorly delivered part of the drama because they tried so hard to make it tug at the heartstrings which then led it to produce the opposite effect. There was a lot of overacting and plenty of contrived scenes which detracted from the overall emotional portrayal that one would expect from such a storyline.

The other problem aside from the weirdly developing romance, incessant tears, and lack of subtlety of the injustice done to FLs real dad, is the fact that the duke is always solving all the problems. We need more scenes where he doesnt just appear out of nowhere to save the day. If so, then why do we need FL to have any intelligence at all? The worst scene so far is when Jiang Lis dad stands in front of FL to save her from being killed, and instead of focusing on this touching moment, the limelight is given AGAIN to ML for saving the day with his fan... But he has done it a million times before, and it wasnt even a difficult save, so why not put the focus back on the actual dad and his moment of standing up to the bully and protecting her daughter??

I'm going to continue watching this for the exhusband and craycray Princess Wanning because their characters are the most intriguing and its a treat to see the tortured soul witness a live version of his dead wife coming to life to torment him whether intentionally or unintentionally. In terms of the main romance, and even the upcoming story development, I don't have much expectations.

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Cheap, not-so-subtle romance

Story-wise, it is a decent drama as the story centers around a girl who was encouraged by her less-privileged mother to study as it would afford her more opportunities in the world. Great message for the women of today, and refreshing to see a female character assume a role as a court official, even if entirely fictitious. This is not the first drama to do this, but it is the first to show women taking the exam alongside the men to then become an official.

The acting from all 4 main leads are convincing and there is also a likeability about the supporting cast which isn't always the case as many dramas use the supporting cast as time fillers who serve no real purpose of driving the plot forward. Here they are given an identity, and even a personality, unlike their usual ornamental existence!

The music is a delight and the chemistry is there between the leads, compliments to the screenwriter who was able to bring the two characters together in a way that is amusing and also unique.

The problem? Oh boy. Where do I begin? The screenwriter (just like so many other screenwriters of chinese olden day dramas) refuses to believe in the capacity of the audience to be able to appreciate a romance that is mature, genuine, and that isn't all about sex. Their perception and trust in the viewer to be able to consume an adequately written, well-paced build-up of a relationship is so low, that wherever possible they try to remind us that the leads are attracted to each other, which actually ruins the natural chemistry they actually have. Just as we're enjoying the authentic and interesting dynamic, the screenwriter will then proceed to use vulgarity or not-so-subtle reminders that the male lead is a man, and that Muzhuo is a female, the supposed suggestiveness, not so suggestive, but rather distastefully shoved down our throat countless times instead. It's as if cdramaland writers cannot fathom that we as viewers of dramas can actually appreciate a romance that doesn't involve juvenile sexual innuendos at every turn and assumes that for a romance to be believable or marketable, we MUST incessantly ingrain in the viewers' minds that the leads want each other physically.

Whatever happened to the good old days of showing, and not telling viewers what to think? Whatever happened to conveying emotions of yearning for each other without ever resorting to cheap sexual references as a means to create chemistry between the two characters? For anyone wondering, I grew up on Hong Kong olden day dramas which rarely ever needed to employ such tactics to create romantic pairings that worked and was full of chemistry. The reason why olden day dramas are so popular and were such a pleasure to watch is because of the virtues that are known to be prevalent during that time. Loyalty, filial duty and undying, unconditional romantic love was at the forefront of themes featured in these dramas. These quintessential elements of an olden day drama is slowly being stripped away by the commercialism of these chinese productions, rendering the seasoned viewer in me restless and wanting to turn away from these narratives simply because of the patronising experience we are being confronted with because the screenwriters lack respect for their work, and the audience as a whole.

Do better please cdramaland. It could have been a good drama! Just like all those other dramas that were tarnished by the same limitation. Please quit the suggestive trash and regain some faith in the viewers' capacity to appreciate art and classy storytelling in the romance department of the story. Cdramas can go so much further if they would just let go of this obsession with featuring unneccesary sexual references in their productions.

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Joy of Life is a lot more interesting

If you were wondering why everyone recommends this drama, perhaps this was a hit at a time where the audience was sick of being delivered idol dramas or poorly produced narratives that only served best as an accompaniment to doing work or chores around the house. For these viewers, this might have been a refreshing piece in cdramaland to alleviate the pain of having to suffer the insult of being patronised by aforementioned productions featuring flimsy writing, careless direction, and talentless actors who scored roles solely due to their popularity.

However, despite it being a revered drama, it falls short on delivering excellence, and is at best, a drama you cannot label as an 'idol' drama. I want to be frank and say here that, just because a production doesn't have young, pretty liuliangs, it doesn't necessarily mean that the drama will be a 'good' one, just because it is deemed 'serious'.

Firstly, the acting was standard, (subpar for Liu Tao), the leads had no screen presence, the actors had no chemistry, and the biggest problem with the premise is that you don't really believe in the brotherhood between the two main characters. If we are to care about the protagonist at all, we should be able to feel the care he has for both his longtime friend and his past lover, but all I felt was his love for chess play, allbeit in his detached manner.

This comes to another major weakness of the drama, which is Hu Ge's interpretation of the character which seemed rather superficial. While he portrayed the intelligence of the character, I wasn't convinced that he was a humane, layered being with varying emotions. I didn't feel the connection between himself and his friend, and the love story felt unnecessary. Hu Ge's inability to convey poignant moments also made it difficult for me to empathise with his character and it made it hard for me to believe that he had any himself.

While Joy of Life definitely has its flaws, the amazing storyline, fast-paced direction, and strong characterisation will leave you more than satisfied if a serious, political intrigue drama is what you're into.

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