ML/FL chemistry fell flat, and story loses focus about halfway through.
This held my attention well and had me interested until about halfway through, and ML and FL have their first kiss. I had been hoping this was a sweet slow-burn, where the attraction ramps up as the story moves along, but it was clear from that first kiss scene, that there is no chemistry between the actors. This appears - to me - to be the fault of the FL, but honestly there's nothing coming from either side that feels like attraction or passion. ML looks like maybe he could act more passionate if it were a different FL. But FL looks like she can't convey attraction, no matter what ML would have been cast. She has a limited range of emotion that she can act. There are some emotions that she does act out well. Sadness, kindness, humor, she is very good at that. But to me, she shouldn't really be doing anything involving kiss scenes.Because the chemistry fell flat, the drama lost my attention, and I had to really slog through the back half of it to finish it.
Which is a shame, because I was really liking the way they interpreted the story of splash splash love, I liked the problem-solving stuff involving the irrigation and that kind of thing.
At the core of any romance story, should be two people who can convince the viewer that they are actually attracted to eachother. Without that, the romance falls apart, and the story loses its soul. All I got from these two was a comfy plantonic "buddies" vibe, that worked well for the humorous scenes, but not for the actual "romance" part of the romance story.
6.5 because of the way this drama fell off for me at the halfway point. In retrospect, I'd say it was not worth my time. For me, 7's and above are for things that at least I thought were worth watching ONCE. This wasn't.
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You don't know me yet, so I will wait patiently until you can recognize me | Satisfying Ending!
I would like to start my review by telling everyone that this drama is all worth it! I will admit that the first few episodes got me thinking "Let's not take this seriously as it's a fictional idol drama after all" however the more it goes on, the more engrossing it became; and from then on, I find myself binge watching it until I ended up finishing it even ahead of my expected deadline.I also want to take this opportunity to encourage people to just give it a try and ignore all the negative comments you have read on MDL so far because I assure you that this story is more than those negative feedbacks; and that this show belongs to those dramas who started rough but ended to be one of the most satisfying among its peers. It's like the 'Dark Horse' of the typical tropey time travel idol drama simply because it was able to elevate itself from the disastrous and ridiculous path into a level where it can be considered as one of the better—best even, in the genre it categorizes in.
If I were to describe this drama in two (2) words, I think it would be "Unexpectedly satisfying"— First, I have never expected to like, more so, love this drama even a little bit and I was actually on the 'gradually hating' side along with everyone else who already have prejudice and got little to no expectation of this story and is just watching it hoping that the one (1) positive review I read on MDL is accurate about this drama being good. I can even say that I just took a gamble by watching this drama because that specific review got my curiousity, and I'm just glad I did. Because if I didn't, I would have missed this enjoyable and lovely show. Second, the sudden improvement of the storytelling/writing. This drama started really rough...like the introduction is absurd and the following episodes are unreasonable that I even reached a point where I thought of giving it a 7/10 rating right away because it doesn't conform to any of the basic ethics, etiquettes and customs of the ancient chinese times and even though it stayed that way for almost half of the show I suddenly found myself getting more and more entertained and excited to watch the upcoming episodes to the point where I asked myself "What have changed?" and all I can think of is the sudden improvement and increase of quality when it comes to how the drama became comical in an ingenious way. It's like they hired a different writer in the middle of the filming/script writing which made the story direction become more innovative and interesting as the story progresses.
I also just wanna add up that their silly yet amusing antics made this drama extra entertaining to watch. The Zumba dance exercise is my favorite of them all. Like who would even think of incorporating that into a historical drama? to the extent of making the Empress Dowager dance to it and technically breaking some of the etiquettes in the palace? Not to mention how witty her other ideas are with her phone. Like the voice recording, the calculator stuff, camera tricks and even taking pictures using her polaroid. They really went above and beyond their limit with this drama and although it can be considered as an impertinent move, I just unconciously found myself enjoying it more and more. Maybe because at that time I have already accepted that this is not a serious historical drama and I should just enjoy and absorb all the positivity and laughter I can get from it.
Another important factor this drama was able to highlight is the Parental love and how often children misunderstood their parents guidance into something restrictive and confining. I appreciate how this story showcases the hardwork and selflessness of our parents just to keep us safe and sound. I think this is a must watch for teenagers for them to realize the painstaking their parents have to go through for them to live confortably and worry free. I'm genuinely hoping for more people to discover and watch this sily yet wonderful show.
Lastly is the ending... I'm honestly overjoyed and flabbergasted (in a good way) on how they concluded this drama. I extremely appreciate how they gave us an entire episode and a half (1½) of the characters' life back in the modern world and not just some sneak peek but a whole flashback of what had happened, the progression of their relationship and even a reunion of the whole Gang! This drama truly flattered me in the most special and fulfilling way.
P.S. Its sweet how Qi Yan (ML) waited for Li Meng Meng (FL) to finally remember him. This made me realize that patience and diligence will always be paid off. It also reminded me that "Time" is a story teller and that everyone has their own turn and chance in life. So we must wait patiently, endure and persevere until time aligns with our destiny.
Story - 9.5, Some people may raise their eyebrows but Hell! I don't care! This drama is certainly not perfect and has a lot of flaws in it (specially during the first 1-10 episodes) however what I enjoyed and love about this is that they're able to improve as the story progresses and although some of the scenes may seem jumpy, they will never let any part of it unaddressed. And even when most of the ridiculous scenes on the first half threw me off; I just really found myself vibing and cackling to it as time passes by. I'd say it's on the mentality and your view of the show and on how you would treat it. Like...will you consider it as a serious historical drama or will you categorize it accordingly as an Idol time travel drama? You decide!
Acting/Cast - 9.0, for the major roles I'd say I am greatly surprised on how good they are in executing their characters and delivering their emotions and movements. I really thought they are all ready to take on some serious roles on TV dramas. The supporting roles on the otherhand needs more polishing while the Minor roles needs to be send to the acting class immediately. They're so bad I wanna kick them off of the screen. Lol
Music - 10, I'm in love with the BGMs! Their refreshing and lovely tune made me feel so comfortable at the same time giddy. It also helped me go through those outrageous scenes as well as feel the joy and emotions of the lovely and heavy scenes.
Rewatch Value - 9.5, Honestly, I wouldn't mind watching this again. I have watched a lot of Idol historical dramas for the past few years and I would dare say that this is one of the best among all of them.
Overall - 9.5, It's really funny cause I initially wanted to rate it as 7-8 but then after countless consideration, I have decided that this is the most accurate rating I could give this drama. One of my biggest deciding factor is the ending and how the story captured my attention on the 2nd half of the show. They really went 360° in terms of putting quality and structure to the story.
IF you find my review helpful please let me know.
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IT'S SOOOOO GOOODDD!!! WATCH ITTT NOWWW!!
idk how to explain but I'm waiting for the next episode and I can't stop thinking about this!! ??? this is my first time writing a review about a movie or series this is my first onee !! ??? Over all? THIS IS SO AWESOME!!! SOOOOOOO WORTH TO WATCH!!!!! I saw it first on tiktok and I decided to watch it and also I thought it's not ongoing anymore, I thought this cdrama is about 2-5yrs ago because I know I've seen it before, so I decided to watch it and when I searched it up the views is not that many but I don't care and continue to watch it and I found out that it's uploaded in April 2024. I'm always waiting for the next upload of the next episode I think I become so so crazy HAHAHAHAHAHAHWas this review helpful to you?
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The best
Its is so good. I'm sorry but honestly its so much better than the original story.The original story is korean drama but just 2 episode. This version is so much better because it give us a better ending and clear. Its so sad that after she left the emperor fall sick and die. Its a bit weird because the ML know about her before she even know him yet. Its like he experienced it first before her. But I'm happy that its happy ending for everyone
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Try it
While the concept of the drama may not be entirely new, what set it apart was the exceptional direction, unique execution of scenes, and standout performances by the actors.Despite some scenes being a bit dull, the overall experience was definitely worth it. My advice is to watch it without overthinking, simply for entertainment purposes.
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Sweet and fun
PLOT: The FL, an unmotivated student with low self-esteem, is swallowed up one evening by a hole, and finds herself in another time, in the middle of a ritual of calling for rain. She is then identified as a celestial envoy, and becomes eunuch to the ML, the emperor. She helps him with his aqueduct and canal project, they fall in love, then in Yang City, they unravel some illegal trafficking, etc.PROS:
+ Excellent young actors, especially Chen Jing Ke, the ML.
+ The narration is lively
+ The story is well written, with finesse and humor. All the clichés are present but treated with irony.
+Good OSTs
### some inconsistencies, but explained by the plot.
=> Short and sweet series
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Drama Fun & léger
PLOT : La FL, étudiante peu motivée avec peu d'estime de soi, est engouffrée un soir par un trou, et se retrouve dans un autre temps, au beau milieu d' rituel d'appel à la pluie. Elle est alors identifiée comme envoyé céleste, puis devient eunuque auprès de l'empereur, le ML. Elle l'aide avec son projet d’aqueduc et de canal, ils tombent amoureux, puis à Yang City, ils dénouent un trafic, etc.
PROS:
+ D'excellents jeunes acteurs, particulièrement Chen Jing Ke, le ML.
+ La narration est vive
+ La story est bien écrite, avec finesse et humour. Tous les clichés sont présents mais traités avec ironie.
+Bons OST
### quelques incohérences, mais expliquées par le plot.
=> Série courte et sympa
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NOT AS GOOD AS YOU THINK IT IS
AM I THE ONLY ONE THAT THINKS THIS DRAMA IS OVERRATED? i was really excited to see the chinese version but this drama is just so boring.1) The leads romantic development is soooooo slow , they got a kiss around the ep 12-13? bear in mind this drama only has 24 ep.
2) the leads have zero chemistry like zero. It took so long for the emperor to realized the female lead is a woman lol
3) The female lead doesnt show too much emotions( the emperor displays more emotions than the female lead)
4) the plot isnt plotting lol... just kinda flat... its pretty cliche that the female lead uses her knowledge to make modern day products in ancient times...
5) unnecessary characters added around ep 14... like she is trying to find her way home and ends up in another city...
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Reviewed in a few increments
TOO MANY Clichés (especially, of course, for the “sweet, innocent, dumb, klutzy FL) in this very simple, fairly low-budget C-Drama series. ie: at only ep 6, the FL has “accidentally” fallen or tripped 4 or 5 times already… with “appropriate” bgm… omg! Sooo annoying! The characters do not act properly for ancient royalty (customs in etiquette, propriety etc)Ep 20 ~ story has been getting More far-fetched and boring as the side stories aren’t making the main story better… The main leads don’t have much chemistry, supporting cast also poorly directed and some are stiff like cardboard.. Second ML showed more promise, but a better directed 2nd FL would have balanced out his character. I would drop this if it was a long series, but there’s only a few episodes left, so I’ll watch it through.
The last episode was poorly constructed. Dropped a point for that. Didn’t show how their relationship developed over a span of 2 years… nothing about how the 2nd leads met, or how the rest of the doppelgängers met up with them, etc. More clichés.. more sloppy scripts.
Big Sigh ~ I really wanted to like this drama series more, the ML (played by Chen Jingke) was fun in HELLO Mr GU … and I liked the 2nd ML ( played by Wei Tianhao aka Vincent Wei) who I’m not familiar with.… but the story disappointed me over and over.
I would Not recommend.
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Short, sweet, funny and nice to watch
Firstly, I would have to point out that the Male lead, Chen Jing Ke, definitely looks waaaayyyyy much better with modern day looks than compared to the ancient garments.Overall, I would say that this series is a very sweet, funny, alot of humorous scenes, adorable and short to watch. It is one of the many travel back to ancient times series I have watched and it is definitely worth the first time watching. For me, personally, I had some issues with the first few episodes of the series, when the female lead gets transported back into the past. Those first few episodes, she was just too naive and dumb in those first few episodes on many scenes. It could be part of her script, which then I would say she did an extremely good job in portraying a feather head lady but with some street smartness. However, it was just too much for me, and I have to admit, I ended up skipping some scenes from the first few episodes. But other than that, I would say that the entire casts - including both the male and female lead - did an extremely great job breathing life into their characters and bringing the series to life. It is definitely worth the first watch, if you read the synopsis and find it interesting. A re-watch would solely depend on how you feel of the entire series after watching it.
The music paired with it is mostly nice to hear. I think it is a good pair for most of it.
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Es una historia simple para ver cuando quieres descansar de tanto drama
La historia en general se trata de un viaje/sueño en el que la FL se traslada a otra época, no es historia novedosa pero está bien pensada, los capítulos son bastante entretenidos. La recomiendo para cuando quieras ver algo ligero sin tanto drama y con un final feliz.Cosas a tener en cuenta:
1. Hay varios personajes, de los cuales algunos están por estar, no aportan mucho a la trama ni los desarrollan como uno podría esperar ya que los presentan como roles importantes. De todas formas cada uno tiene características únicas que los pueden diferenciar y entregan dentro de todo su aporte en la trama.
2. Es un romance lento no apasionado, no en el mal sentido sino que se les da tiempo a ambos personajes para conocerse y mejorar su relación, y mas que nada diría que es un amor inocente/ primer amor lo cual concuerda con la edad que tiene la protagonista, que es estudiante.
3. Hay un buen cierre de la historia, a pesar de que los dos últimos capítulos pudieran haber sido reducidos a uno es bastante entretenido.
4. A pesar de ser corta en ciertos momentos toca temas sensibles de forma indirecta, de las cuales puedes sacar tus propias conclusiones.
( Si eres exigente con la trama, algunas cosas no tienen sentido como el programa de TV, pero a fin de cuentas es irrelevante para el desarrollo de la serie)
Puntuación serie SNACK: 7.5
Puntuación regular: 5.5
*Serie SNACK: son aquellas series ligeras que no tienen una historia muy profunda y que son mas bien cortas para ver de una vez.
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