Underwhelmed :(

Bro, I am quite disappointed with this one, the hype on Tik Tok was so huge but the final product was… underwhelming??. The male lead was great (he was the second lead in “Count Your Lucky Stars”!!), but I wasn’t really a big fan of his character because I felt like he was always hindering the female lead in her work and sometimes he was just a little too much?. I did like his little eyebrow twitch though, quite fun. The female lead was fun and cute, nothing to say. The actress was super pretty and I really loved whenever she was annoyed with the male lead, her face really captured the sentiment perfectly. I did like her bestie but as always, I didn’t enjoy any of the side stories to be honest, they’re always the same: rich CEO playboy guy falls in love with the female main character’s best friend. It gets old and I just don’t care?. Xiaobao was the cutest little bean in the whole world, he made the whole show so much more fun and worth it. What a cutie patootie????.

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I will start with the ending.... because what was that ?? I really would have preferred something a little more clear, though I think that it was a sequence. Like he imagined her, she died but she never left his side metaphorically...? I don't know.

Anyway, I watched "Count Your Lucky Stars" and really wasn't a big Jerry Yan fan, but I have to admit that he was really good in this show. He looked super handsome, the long hair suits him well (minus the extra volume though....), and his styling was much better in this show. I thought it was almost comical how he almost doesn't really talk but overall I enjoyed his calm demeanor.

He Ran was a cute girl, but she could be a meanie when she was jealous lmao. I also think that her pursuing Xiao Han was quite.... intense and intolerable at times, she seemed super obsessive and almost stalkerish at times. But the actress did a really great job playing the character. She is youthful and absolutely stunning, conveyed emotions very well and had great chemistry with Jerry Yan! Loved that a lot.

Another thing that was STUNNING was the music as well as the beautiful cinematography. Just for that, the drama is already worth watching. Just stunning to watch in general. The wedding scene in the last episode was also just mesmerizing and beautiful, wow. The actress looked soso pretty in the traditonal costume and the whole ceremony was just filmed so nicely.

I skipped all of the mom's story and love-plot because I didn't care, I also HEAVILY disliked Han Yu. He was so delusional, I don't know why he bothered He Ran all the time. If someone showed disinterest THAT obviously to me, I would just call it a day. He just never read the room....

Overall, this was a surprisingly SPICY (??? omg) show, the acting was great from the leads, but the ending was only so-so for me. Highlights were the female lead's acting, the OST, and the cinematography.

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What a big disappointment

This feels like an ordeal, to be honest.

I only started getting hooked at episode 5 onwards; the beginning wasn't bad, but I thoroughly enjoyed episode 5 and 6 without watching it in double speed (which, btw, I have never watched so much of a show through double-speeding...). I wasn't as crazy about it as the rest, but the middle of the show was generally enjoyable and nice to be honest (episode 5-10).

Visually, the series is great. The leads look great - individually and together -, the styling is exquisite (oh, to have DDH styling...) and the sets/colors as well as the cinematography are stunning. I also liked the OST a lot, which offers ballads but also moody Pop (the title theme is pretty cool - even with the cursive singing lol).

The acting is alright. In my opinion, Song Kang lacks depth in his performance and definitely shines more in action scenes that are intense (I loved him in "Sweet Home" for example). But I don't think he has the subtle or eye acting down just yet. There are some actors out there who do that very nicely (for example just recently Jung Woo Sung, or also Namkoong Min and Ji Chang Wook). Maybe romance isn't his strength, i don't know. Though SK played the lovesick, goofy boyfriend very well. He was cute with his infatuation with DDH, I will admit.
I enjoyed Kim Yoo Jung's acting a lot, especially in emotional scenes (or also in episode 12 with the past life storyline). She also touched me in the last episode. Her acting in the beginning of episode 16 was quite moving, she made me shed a tear haha!
The other characters - didn't care for them. They were there to create drama - Jin "Star" (can't believe there was a weird attempt to redeem her somehow...) - or some were there for comedic relief - the office people or Noh Soo An.

The story is badly paced and boring. This should/could have been a 12-14 episode drama, but they dragged it out way too much. The episode 14 breakup was also unnecessary and didn't do the plot (or my viewing experience for that matter) any favor as episode 15 was boring and dragged. The last few minutes of the final episode also felt endless. It's like they had several scenes as the "last scene" and just put them all together, more and more scenes added - like stop, put an end to it.

I think overall, this drama was okay but I think it's a little overrated. The acting is so-so. the story is okay but not crazy - it's a cute show/fantasy rom-com for the vibes, but it's not as grand as people make it out to be. Which is okay, doesn't have to be.

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Delightful!

I am so sad that it’s over ?. This show was so delightful to watch! With every new episode that was released, I enjoyed it more and more. It was the perfect mix of mystery, fun, romance and heartbreak, and I think they used up the 12 episodes they had very nicely.

Se Young’s and In Hyuk’s chemistry was so nice, I loved their characters together so much! And the second couple matched each other’s unhinged energy so perfectly, both couples were a delight to watch.

The music also delivered amazingly. The instrumental was so great, building up the scenes so well that it got me at the edge of my seat!

The styling was also so beautiful. Everyone looked exquisite and I really enjoyed the fashion show in the middle part of the series. Usually, when there is such an event teased in a show, the hype within the story is too big and the final scene ends up being super underwhelming, but not here. The designs looked fresh and pretty and definitely matched with how we got to see Yeon Woo up to that point.

The last episode was really nice as well, and wrapped up both stories quite nicely. Overall, a great show to finish as the first of the new year?

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Stunning!

This was such a nice show? I watched it in exactly one week, which is insane for me, but this show just pulled me in immediately. So heartwarming and cozy, comfortable and sweet. The traditional elements were incorporated flawlessly: the OST was stunning and so beautiful, the female lead
s wardrobe one of the prettiest ever, and the musical performances we got to see were actually so good! Sometimes, when they talk about projects within a drama, the result ends up being super underwhelming, but not here. Nice voice acting and singing, beautiful sets and costumes: No disappointment whatsoever. I loved all the characters and the friend group was so funny and sweet?
Only criticism: I wish the female lead was a little more outspoken. I don’t mind that she was shy, but the male lead had to do most of the talking sometimes, so her speaking up a little more would have been nice! Also, my man made some big decisions in the end, I would have been so overwhelmed lmao. But overall, a really nice show with no drama, no toxicity; just warmth, music, food, fun, and love!! ??

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I will start with the two main things I didn't love/like about this drama: the *astronomical* military propaganda and the last episode... it gave more context on Lu Chen's feelings and certain events but... I found it a tad boring. Two minor things I found meh were the way the adults took care of the kids lmao... they were just shipped around like some things, really sad. I also admit I enjoyed the romance the most when it took place in the winter time in Qining. That is when it truly peaked for me. Once our pretty couple got together, they got a little *too* sweet, sometimes I felt annoyed how much Lu Chen baby-ed the female lead: let her wash that glass of milk, don't treat her like she is incapable of doing things just because she is pregnant etc. like we get it, he is caring but sometimes it was a tad too much for my liking. One thing though: male lead's face never disappointed when he hugged Gui Xiao, he looked so at peace and happy, it made go crazy tbh !! The way they were looking at each other and their chemistry were so great, you could really feel their love for each other, it felt so real to me. The cinematography in this show was wow, just top notch, so pretty! Every episode felt like 5 minutes despite being 9x the length, i had such a good time watching several episodes at a time because it was such an easy watch. Overall, sweet and mature second chance romance; I'll repeat myself: the Qining episodes were *chef's kiss*.

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... anyway

Finally finished this one. Had it on pause because it was just so boring and draggy that I got annoyed. The leads and their chemistry truly carried this drama since it didn’t offer anything interesting plot-wise. Which is why I find it crazy to make each episode 70+ minutes long. A reason why I liked “Business Proposal” so much is that the episodes were all 60 minutes long, there weren’t any unnecessary plots/storylines, and it was interesting. KTL was too long for what it offered, which is why I didn’t enjoy it as much. Sometimes, the secondary characters were annoying, the “antagonist” childish to be honest… like she was beefing at her big age over the hotel… anyway.

Also, what was the point of the Arab prince? They used his character as a plot devise to move forward our couple by making him ridiculous. I don’t know why they had to be culturally offensive, the writer could have just made the character some important business man or a politician. Why use stereotypes and mocking an entire ethnicity? That part was just super insensitive and dumb because him being an “Arab prince” didn’t add anything to the plot, it wasn’t important where he came from – he just served as comic relief.

If it wasn’t for Yoon Ah’s and Jun Ho’ chemistry, double speed and the fast-forwarding button, I would have never finished this. It entertained me, made me giggle, and even made me lose a tear or two, but overall, this was disappointing.

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Intriguing

This is my first chinese historical drama that I actually committed to (I tried >The Long Ballad< but never continued after episode 2 and that is because I must be intimidated with its plot and length lmao), but I was too curious with this drama. I follow Shuxin on Instagram and when she dropped the trailer, I fell in love. So moody and dark and entrancing, I just had to give this a shot! I have seen Esther in >Moonlight< (My fave C-rom-com!) and >A Romance of the Little Forest< (Also one of my faves!), so I know her bubbly and cute characters, but from the trailer, it was clear that this role and character would show a different side of her, and! it! does!

I like both the main characters as well as the second couple and all the side characters. Poison bro is my fave, he looks good and a little devilish and I like it! Also, the fact that this show is the actor's debut project is insane because his acting is really good! The acting in general is consistent and amazing from the entire cast! The second female lead specifically is so great, i LOVE her voice acting as well, she is the perfect spy for Wufeng! I like how we slowly get the characters' backstories to understand their actions and motivations better. I love the music, and how grand and epic it sounds as well as the clothes/styling and setting in general. The fight montages also look amazing, they keep me at the edge of my seat!

What... is this ending, are they kidding?? They fooled us with the happiness and bliss and peace of the characters, and BOOM the last minute takes that away lmao. I mean, this screams season 2, but will we ever get it?? I did not expect to cry so much, but young master Xue's story was really sad and touching :( Also Elder Yue reminiscing about Yun Que :((( and the bracelet he promised her, their story was just sad and tragic :( The last couple of episodes - 22/23 specifically - were REALLY good. Twists and turns and revelations at any minute, it was amazing to find out who collaborated with who, i loved to see it. I think the last episode was really great overall, but this ending leaves me wanting for more (season 2 to be precise). This story was so good though... as mentioned above, the acting was really great, I loved every performance. No one was lacking, not even for a second.

Overall, I am super happy I started this show and will now finally watch some more chinese costume (fantasy) dramas, because my list is full of them... I was just a little scared to start them haha!

Lire davantage

Amazing!

This was excellent – from the actors and their performances to the plot and action, the visual and special effects, like you can smell the budget! The ending was great, but it’s open, so I wonder what will happen… Also, the girl Hui Soo saved back in her old school… it was clear there was more to her but the revelation came too late – again, will there be a second season?? The build up to the grand finale was amazing, and the last two episodes got me on the edge of my seat, but I wish the showdown would have been even longer. But overall, this show was fantastic in my opinion.

Lire davantage

WOW. This was an excellent conclusion to the drama. I watched this with my friend, and it was so much fun to speculate together and to put all the pieces together. The revenge was so fucking satisfying, everyone got what they deserved, I am so happy Dong Eun stayed strong and focused. The acting in this show was so fine and amazing, I am so impressed with everyone. All the actors put on award-winning performances, and I really hope they will be recognized once award season starts in Korea. The revenge was sweet and slow and so so so tasty, yum. Enjoyed every second of this drama, wow.

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Good start, lost its momentum

“Like you. Care about you. Pine for you.” – Jiu Chen.

I cannot help but make a comparison. While “Eternal Love” pierced my heart, this one only gave it a little nudge that was forgotten just as fast as it came. I was immediately sold, episode 1 had an engaging start and I knew I had another banger on my hand. I think the show was nice up until Ling Xi was killed (episode 23 I believe). The beginning of her mortal arc was good too, but in the middle of the 30s, I started to get impatient. Starting episode 40, I started skipping like hell?.

The villains are a little more interesting here than they were in “Eternal Love” – at least for the most part. At first, I thought no one could outdo Su Jin, but Yuan Tong gave her a run for her money. YT is delusional on a different level because she was irrational and simply the cause of all her problems. Instead of accepting the fact that she was responsible for all bad things that happened to her family, she put the blame on others. Her victim complex got on my nerves so quickly, and of course, the stupid Heavenly immortals who put up with her crap for so long. The Shan Ling tribe adoptive daughter was annoying from start to finish, I skipped her parts a lot. She was just a spoiled and childish brat, and did not add anything vital to the storyline.
Another unfortunate thing is the female lead being such a reduced character. Supposedly a High God by the end of her three trials, we do not get to see her in action that much. Generally, I felt like she could have been stronger overall. Ni Ni’s acting was impeccable though?.
I really liked Qing Yao a lot – she was such a good big sister. Loyal and focused and always standing on business. She was a very consistent character??!

The acting in this was pretty nice. I think the leads had a good amount of chemistry, however, “Eternal Love” felt so much more sizzling and passionate??. EL had me in a chokehold, even with its annoying characters and plot. L&D on the other hand… after episode 40, I started getting a little tired of its length, meanwhile, I could not have dropped EL at that point – not even at gunpoint, that’s how obsessed and invested I was with the leads. I must admit that I skipped episodes 56-59 and watched episode 60 to be done with the show. The story would have been better if it had less episodes. Ling Xi’s second and third trial took so long to come after her first, the middle 30s to middle 40s episodes just… kind of dragged. Bit of a shame?.

The sets, costumes, and CGI looked stunning – maybe even a little better than in EL; it just looked so good and fresh. Truly an eye candy! The OST… reminded me a lot of EL, but not as good. EL is so recognizable and iconic to me that this one felt like a cheap copy…?

The ending… it’s okay. How did Jiu Chen get out? A secret we’ll never know. The fact that they’re gatekeeping this part of the ending is a little annoying, but at least we can say it’s a happy ending, right? Overall, I’m a bit disappointed. Good start, weak middle, annoying and tedious in the end?.

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Epic!!

Man, did I bawl my eyes out in the last handful of episodes… This was one epic show wow. I loved the beginning and knew immediately that I would have a fantastic time watching it. And I was right (obviously?). While it had its quieter moments (in comparison to future epic moments), this was amazing from start to finish. I loved the beginning and second half (especially episodes 20 to 26), and last handful of episodes (8 maybe). I loved the steadiness of the characters, their loyalty and understanding of each other. The chemistry between the lead actors was amazing, and I just generally loved how despite the occasional banter the overall romance remained quite mature?. They both listened and tried to see the other’s perspective despite having different principles or views in specific situations. Their love was unconditional. I also loved the OST, it’s so perfect and epic. Whenever Shen Li’s theme played, I was happy. I was always anticipating it whenever a fight scene came up because I knew it was going to look extra cool with the music??! The cinematography, settings, styling, fight scenes, etc. were also just *chef’s kiss*. And that ending… ?? Granted, the last episode was like a big side quest for our couple, and hilarious at that, but the final scene was just so wholesome??. Overall, great show, loved it a lot!!?

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Quite nice!

I finally watched this – been wanting to do it since it first aired! Overall, this was an acting masterclass from Shin Hae Sun, she was so marvelous to watch; the best performance of the show to be honest. I don’t mind the ending all that much because Ji Eum finding peace and happiness without the burden of her past lives felt very right and important to me. This show also made me cry so much!! The first 3 episodes were really nice, but after that… the middle did not feel as good anymore, it picked up again towards the end. I am overall a little bummed that I didn’t love it, but it is not a bad show by any means. Brownie points for the stunning cinematography and the beautiful OST!

Lire davantage

Good, but expected more

I finally finished this after a month! Overall, this was good, but I expected a little more. Some parts felt long and draggy because I didn’t care too much about certain characters after a while.

The acting of the leads was amazing though. I loved their chemistry a lot, and understand why everyone went crazy over them??. I wasn’t a big fan of our Black Dragon because 1) he was kind of bad at his job, 2) kind of dumb and 3) we never saw him as a dragon except for, like, two times. That’s so annoying. I also didn’t like Jie Li to be honest. Her character was really annoying.

The cinematography and CGI were amazing though. Such a feast for my eyes, I really loved it. The OST is also so beautiful and catchy!!

Now, where can I get a Dongfang Qing Cang for myself?

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Absolutely Amazing

I am in tears. I cannot believe that I actually watched this monstrosity (I say this with love) of a show in less than a month. It was worth every second, every minute that I invested into it. Such an elaborate, intricate show with twists and revelations around every corner.

Wei Ying Luo was such a smart and interesting female lead! She got shit done in no time and also stood her ground (I ignore the strong plot armor)??. She even planned her own downfall on purpose, who does that?? Her relationship with Fuca Rong Yin was so beautiful. Both women saw something in each other and depended on one another greatly. RY was like a big sister and mother figure and YL represented freedom. I absolutely adored the development of YL and Ming Yu’s friendship and sisterhood. Ming Yu was such a childish and petty girl in the beginning but grew into YL greatest confidante. I wept like a baby when she died (I’m still upset about this)???. About that sneaky snake Yuan Chun Wang: I never liked him!! He was so incredibly weird towards YL from the beginning. I always felt like he had a very weird claim towards the female lead, a sort of entitlement to *have* her. It was so uncomfortable??‍♀️.

Despite her nasty nature, I also loved Noble Consort Gao. I think she left us too early (though the show did not lack drama – even without her). It would have been nice to have a deeper dive into her character/family since she was so interesting but not explored enough. Her loving the emperor so much was her downfall – as was all those women’s downfall. YL played the long game by never explicitly saying "I love you" to Hong Li lol. Though she did admit it in her own way in my opinion. I also would have loved to have more of Chen Bi, not going to lie!

I liked YL with both Fu Heng and the emperor to be honest. Her first love was sweeter while her second was more teasing and chaotic. But I loved the scenes with the emperor, they were such a fun couple to watch on screen??.

Hoifa-Nara Shu Shen??. The woman that you are. I don’t blame her one bit for all the things she did. She did everything so smartly and proved again and again how cunning she is. She never *really* got her hands dirty, she just made her enemies feel insecure and they’d ruin themselves. I also liked how she and YL were on eye-level. They respected each other’s wits and it went well for 10 years until Shu Shen kind of lost her mind a little lol (aging is a little annoying when the emperor has 7123918320 other wives that are younger than you (and especially when he favors your enemy – I get it)).

The last two episodes were… chef’s kiss. The twists, the emotions, the revelations were amazing. Only thing… if they really needed to kill my man Fu Heng (mind you, his existence was already sad since he married Er Qing – if delusion was a person – and thus lost his real love), then they could have done so on the battlefield. Why did he die of Malaria??

The OST was also great! Both the songs and the instrumental greatly supported the scenes and made everything feel grand. I never skipped a single second of this drama. When I first stumbled upon this show, I wasn’t really that deep into C-Dramas. I thought “Damn, what are you going to tell me in 70 episodes?! As if that won’t get boring!!”. I was proven more than wrong. I had a marvelous time. I laughed, I bawled my eyes out, I cheered, I got mad. This show made me feel all the emotions, and I can actually see myself sitting down for a rewatch.

Standout episodes from the top of my head:
- Episode 19 because that is the very first episode that YL and the emperor spend the majority of the episode together with little interruption.
- Episode 40… Rong Yin ☹
- Episode 54 Er Qing dies, YIPPIE
- Episode 59 because YL and the emperor finally reunited again after he found out she was on birth control
- Episode 61… I cried buckets of tears when Ming Yu died
- Episode 64 because YL successfully planned her own downfall to uncover Chen Bi, plus her reunion with the emperor, who had already understood her plan. The way they teased each other and finally were back together just ? I believe the emperor was always 100% confident that YL would be able to get out of ANY situation, which is why he always let her do whatever!
- Episode 69/70 simply iconic. Simply amazing. When Shu Shen cut her hair… I had seen that scene several times in edits and had been waiting (!!) for it to happen because the actress had perfected hatred, betrayal and defeat all visible on her face and man… it did not disappoint. So good.

Overall, a 10/10 show, I will miss it so much???

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