Nice, light, sweet, and uncomplicated story

This is a cute and light show that does not derail into melodrama three quarters of the way through or get bogged down by annoying exes and villains. Everyone is likable and mature. At no more than 25 minutes if you skip the credits, it's also short and sweet -- a good candidate if you are looking for something easy to watch, but also seeking something with better acting and production values than most of the short-length, modern C-dramas that are proliferating everywhere.

If you are looking for something more sophisticated, however, this isn't it.

All the friendships are just really nice and supportive, the relationships are healthy, the side couples are not annoying or draggy. The villain is kind of bland, and there are returning exes, but they generally resolve nicely in their own way and do not drag on for too long either. There is a brief 2ML/childhood friend that comes onto the scene, but that too is handled with grace and maturity and also does not drag.

It's also nice to see Zhang He in more leading roles after watching him in supporting roles over the years (Three Miles, Love O2O, etc.). He might not be the most amazing actor, but he holds his own and is very likable in this particular role. (He also looks amazing for 38.)

Some might find it all just too vanilla, but overall, I thought it a very pleasant watch with a story line that moves along at a reasonable pace. In my view, this is currently rated low at 7.7 and is worth an 8, even for what it is.

(Caveats and other notes: Like so many modern C dramas, colourism unfortunately comes up briefly in a couple of off-hand remarks. The quality of the dubbing was also very hit and miss. I had to completely ignore clear issues of conflict of interest and ethics as well, especially during the competition at the end. Finally, I found it hilarious that one of the main characters unrealistically held two very demanding full-time jobs.)

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Swoony mini-drama with perfect amount of comedy, angst, and great OTP chemistry

For a mini drama, this was a gem! One of my favourites so far and up there with A Familiar Stranger and The Killer is Also Romantic (same FL) among the best short-length dramas.

I'm very picky when it comes to comedy, but a lot more forgiving with these short ones, and for the most part, the humour worked for me in Si Shi Hao despite some of the anachronisms. The pacing and story telling were also well done and the production quality was solid. The main couple had great chemistry and the ML's love for the FL was a great blend of swoony mild angst. Importantly, the ending was satisfying and complete, and did not feel rushed (especially for a short-length drama).

Highly recommend this one if you are looking for a drama fix, but don't have time for a big 40-episode binge session!

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Flawed, angsty time travel romance for Fan Zhixin fans (and the ending is not what you think)

First, I will fully admit that my rating is slightly inflated because of Fan Zhixin. This is otherwise probably closer to an 8 for me, but I also think the current rating of 7.8 is fair too.

Present, is Present is an angsty, yet fun time travel series that starts off with a bang. The future prologue in each episode and the flashbacks to the past work well in framing the "present" that makes up the bulk of each episode. I had pretty modest expectations for this drama, given the lesser known cast, shorter episode lengths, and overall low-budget feel. In that context, I thought the show did a pretty decent job with pacing and keeping viewers entertained, despite some significant story/logic/execution flaws.

The premise itself was interesting, but the driving force behind the story (i.e. the villains) felt a bit two-dimensional and flat. While I genuinely like Tu Bing, I felt she was a bit miscast here as the FL, given her character is supposed to be several years younger than the ML. She is a lovely actress, but definitely felt older and more mature than Fan Zhixin (even though he generally looks older and more mature than his real-life age too). I love my "姐弟恋" (jie-di lian) stories, but this was not supposed to be one, so the chemistry felt a bit off somehow. Even so, you do feel the love the characters have for each other, especially the ML.

If you are a Fan Zhixin fan, he does not disappoint here either. He convincingly pulls off playing a broken husband in mourning as well as the rich obnoxious playboy that's still somehow charming. I only wished he had not been dubbed. Some actors sound so much better when replaced with a voice actor, particularly for certain characters (I am thinking Dylan Wang in LBFD), but Fan Zhixin has a great, expressive voice that did not need replacing. I actually thought it took away from his acting. But I get it, it's just easier and cheaper sometimes for productions to just dub everyone.

(ENDING SPOILERS HERE)

Finally a word on that ending.

It was NOT a dream, guys! I actually found it surprisingly more satisfying than I expected given this is a shorter, half-hour series, and given how hard it can be for Asian dramas to "stick the landing" so to speak. Some viewers seem to think it was "all a dream" to pass censors, but I disagree. I actually thought it was vague enough that it was an effective way to circumvent the *possibility* of censors having a problem with the time travel element without taking anything away. It was also clear enough to me that it was DEFINITELY NOT a dream. Why else would he sleep with his marriage certificate under his pillow every night? The way he panicked looking for it upon waking was not the product of a one-off nightmare. He simply still has PTSD (who wouldn't!) given he carries with him all the memories of every previous attempt he made to save her, including the one where he saw all his physical memories of her disappear in front of his eyes. He finally got his happy ending, but it was not without lingering trauma. (I would also not be surprised if this drama was originally small enough for censors to not care too much anyway -- a lot of the shorter and lower budget dramas get away with time travel, transmigration, steamier scenes, etc. that would never fly with bigger budget, higher profile dramas with bigger names.)

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Easy and quick binge, great OTP chemistry

At just a dozen episodes, this drama was the perfect length for the story it was telling; no time was wasted on overwrought flashback scenes. If you've read the book, however, you'll want to know that there are some major changes. I've only read a summary of the original novel and without giving too much away, I'm glad they went a different route here.

The drama's greatest strength was the chemistry between the OTP. I knew Steven Zhang (Xincheng) was a good actor based on his performance in The Day of Becoming You, but I did not expect his character to be so swoony here. Cheng Cheng's intense love for Jiang Yuanxing really came through and his fear of losing her was palpable.

The mystery part of the story was weaker and fairly predictable for viewers in terms of guessing the culprit. The police, on the other hand, had super powers of deduction based on the way they cracked the case and figured everything out!

Perhaps I was fully expecting the series to be over-the-top melodramatic and soapy, but I actually found it wasn't as "dog blood" as I had anticipated.

Overall, an entertaining watch that deserves a slightly higher score than a 7.7 (at the time of writing).

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Warm, gentle, healing slice-of-village-life romance with beautiful scenery, cute secondary couples

This quiet-burn romance is perfect for those who appreciate the bucolic pace of countryside life with the occasional dash of city spice. Filled with warmth, light humour, and a cast of immensely likable characters, Dear Mr. Recluse is an easy watch (just 24 half-hour episodes) for anyone looking for a wholesome and healing drama.

There is a bit of angst, a touch of corporate drama and underhanded backstabbing, no annoying or draggy misunderstandings, no painful breakups, it does not take the entire drama before our OTP to get together, and the ending is relatively unrushed.

Chen Jingke and Tang Ming complement each other very nicely here and they are supported by a great cast of wonderful villagers. For me, this is also a rare show where the 2ML/2FL's pursuit of the FL/ML does not feel aggravating for the most part. Their characters are very cute, but the maturity with which they ultimately handle rejection and maintain close friendships with the main couple serve as a model for all unrequited Dramaland love.

The scenery showcasing traditional wood buildings and gorgeous tea farms (filmed on location in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan) is also lovely and a huge highlight of the series. C-dramas have miles to go in terms of representation and addressing social issues obviously, but within the context and limitations of existing dramas (and politics), etc. it was also nice to see the show highlight the cultural traditions and struggles of an ethnic minority community in small ways.

For me, Dear Mr. Recluse rates somewhere between an 8 and an 8.5, but I am giving it an 8.5 to balance out the overall, initial lower score. I hope to see the ratings climb as more viewers who appreciate gentle slice-of-village-life romances discover this drama.

Stray thoughts:
- Look for the doggy and stroller in the background of the influencers awards show ?
- The exchange between the rival influencer and the couple with 30 million followers gave me life!
- For anyone distracted by XZ's "stained" shirt in Sunshine in My Life, there are no less than three shirts worn by the ML here that look like 1) a bleach stain on a black shirt 2) someone stepped on the shoulders of his white shirt and 3) a black shirt covered in chalk dust ?
- Otherwise, I actually really loved the simple, monkish "hermit" outfits worn by the ML. Some of the shirts especially were truly beautiful

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A mature love story

You'll salivate over the food, swoon over the ML (who delivers a pretty heartfelt speech/confession), cheer for the supportive BFF, and wish you could be as awesome as the FL. Dine with Love is a genuinely lovely romance depicting the realistic struggles and dynamics of a modern relationship. Sure, there are cliches and tropes, but there also aren't any goofy/silly antics either. Gao Hanyu showcased his potential to be a romantic lead in Love is Sweet, so it is wonderful to see him take on that role here opposite a radiant Jade Cheng, who portrays a very smart and extremely capable female lead. (There's not enough of them in C dramas!) Except for the loser ex-bf, the supporting cast is great too -- even the annoying influencer turns out to be cute and likable.

The show, structured more like a K-drama at 16 episodes of 75 minutes each with a much shorter opening credit sequence, was perhaps at its strongest in the first four and final episodes. Even with its flaws, however -- the pacing and storytelling was somewhat uneven in the middle -- it did a good job depicting the challenges of work/life harmony and the consequences when that balance is off kilter.

I had to ignore the auto Mango subs, which were beyond atrocious and almost useless. I genuinely hope this one gets picked up by Viki or Netflix so that it can get the proper subbing and wider audience it deserves.

For those wanting a more satisfying ending, there is a 23 minute epilogue as well that Mango released on YouTube.

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Gorgeous setting, costumes, great chemistry, lovely OST; much better than Maid's Revenge

I've seen two dozen short-length mini dramas this year and more than that last year, and I can safely say this is one of the best ones I've seen -- up there with A Familiar Stranger, Si Shi Hao (Yes, Her Majesty), and The Killer is Also Romantic -- which is no surprise, given it's the same production team for all but Her Majesty. They do a great job building chemistry and tension between the leads with just a few strands of wet hair, a touch, a look. This is clearly still a melodrama -- lots of slow-motion effects, etc. but somehow it all works and doesn't feel ridiculous like Maid's Revenge.

The story isn't overly sophisticated, but it does a nice job with some well-worn tropes (revenge, childhood friends) and the entire supporting cast was also solid. The chemistry between the leads was ??. The lovely Daisy Li Muchen was perfectly cast in a role that required her to be believeable as a school-girl-ingenue-seductress-out-for-revenge and I hope to see her playing more lead characters going forward (Jiang Susu is also quite a contrast from her role as a kick-ass tomboy gamer girl in The King's Avatar). Zhao Yiqin has really matured as an actor as well since Wait, My Youth (which I absolutely loved despite what I thought was only average acting) and My Girl, Fake Princess, etc. and it's great to see him back on screen again.

The costumes for both leads were beautiful as was the setting. I was also impressed with the level of detail incorporated into a short production like this -- at one point, you even see an old, ornate glass bottle of aspirin, for example (I can't speak to the accuracy of the bottle itself, lol). The music also really suited the mood and era; I especially loved Zhi Ru Chu Jian (Only Like Our First Meeting) by Zhou Zhiping.

This relatively new genre of drama is great when you're worried about bingeing on an addictive 40-episode full-length series when life is busy and you need sleep ?, but the quality can be incredibly hit and miss (you know it's bad when you can't even get past a 3-minute episode!). I definitely recommend Provoke to anyone who liked Maid's Revenge -- it's got all the revenge, hot chemistry, and over-the-top melodrama without the excessive physical aggression, and has a much better ending and much stronger cast.

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Fluffy and fun mini drama with a satisfying happy ending

Smile Hu knows how to pick her mini-dramas - The Killer Is Also Romantic remains one of the best of this genre. While The Love Duel is not quite at that level, it is still a fairly solid short-length series that affectionately pokes fun and pays homage to some of the best and worst drama romances and tropes, including those Bad Endings, while ultimately giving viewers a Happy Ending.

On paper, it incorporates a number of elements I do not particularly enjoy in dramas - goofy/slap-stick humour, travel or transmigration into a book or video-game world, to name two key ones. But the combination of a likable cast, a well-paced and respectable (if predictable) script, satisfying ending, and decent production values help elevate what could have been a painful waste of time into a fun and fluffy, easy watch, with just enough swoon factor to satisfy that drama itch in between full-length shows.

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Perfectly cast ML pulls of both "swoony" and "adorkable"

I am not the biggest fan of slapstick... and yet! Don't let the silliness deter you! I thoroughly enjoyed this warm and cute drama. The OTP were lovely, while the excellent and perfectly cast ML, in particular, was both adorkable and swoony. I know this is how Uhm Tae Goo's voice sounds now, but in certain scenes, the cadence and tone felt like such a hilarious nod to Marlon Brando's Godfather. The comedic homage to western gangster films in some of the background music and other details was also just enough to be cute and funny without crossing into grating and tiresome.

I am used to watching Im Chul Soo in likeable, earnest comedic roles, so watching him portray this perfectly detestable weasel with such energy and swag was an unexpected surprise. The reformed "criminals" and "gangsters" were also a bunch of teddy bears and just as enjoyable to watch!

Overall, a sweet drama with an important message about second chances.

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One of the better mini dramas

This was a well-crafted and well-acted short-length drama that makes you want to go back to the beginning and rewatch it again from the ML's perspective and knowledge of their past. (Which I did immediately.)

While somewhat predictable, there was still something about the way this time travel tale was told that felt different from your conventional C-drama time travel stories. And while the open ending may not be to everyone's liking, it felt much more impactful and moving -- so much so that I bumped up my original rating (after ep 23) from a 7.5-8 to an 8. The letter was tragic yet beautiful as it showed that he found closure figuring out what happened ("love is bitter, but I do not regret it") and it also gave Mo An'an the much needed closure she was looking for as well.

In that sense, it was a happy ending for me because we learn of Xiao Chu's real fate, even though it is simultaneously heartbreaking to think that he spent his life solving the riddle of Mo An'an and her appearances in his life.

My biggest "quibble" would be that I found it frustrating at times to watch history repeating itself knowing the cause and effect of people's actions. Perhaps the whole point was to show that history can not be changed (both philosophically speaking and of course in context of censors), but it is hard not to wonder if the future (and people) could have changed had certain things unfolded differently when Xiao Chu was 21 and 28. it was rather sad, for example, to see Yuchen deeply affected and changed because she misunderstood Mo An'an in their youth, and it was also frustrating to watch the young emperor so helpless against the misguided and villainous adults in his life.

Overall, a nice mini-drama if a conventional "happy ending" is not a requirement.

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Watchable, but there are better short-length modern mini dramas

One of the nice things about mini dramas is they're short enough that you don't have to feel too bad for wanting to finish them even when they're a little cringy.

My Lovely Wife is a fluffy and campy "dog's blood" drama, which can be it's own guilty pleasure, but here, suffers from mediocre to poor acting, and some cheesy dialogue (the translation is better, lol). There is little chemistry between the leads and unfortunately the ML does not have the presence to carry off leading man status.

One of its biggest flaw, however, is the way the drama minimizes attempted sexual assault against the FL. She is attacked multiple times by a side villain and once by the ML (who was unknowingly under the influence of a drug). At a minimum, the ML should have apologized and asked if she was okay once he was himself again, but it is never addressed or shown (even a mini drama can spare two minutes for this). Even if the FL is understanding of the circumstances, it does not lessen what must be a very traumatic experience. This is by no means unique to My Lovely Wife -- C-dramas do this far too often. I can even pretend the FL somehow bounces back immediately after being kidnapped multiple times, but this is one topic that should be treated with much more care and sensitivity.

Overall, My Lovely Wife is weirdly watchable for those who enjoy a good campy melodrama, despite the cringe-factor. If you're like me, most short-lengths over 6.5 are watchable enough for a "quick drama fix" especially when you are short on time and looking for low-commitment TV. But if you do want additional -- or better -- alternatives set in the modern day, (in no particular order) Destined to Meet You, Ready for Love, Forever Love, Secretary Bai Wants to Resign Everyday, Night of Love With You, Love at Second Sight, Better A Lie Than A Truth, are all superior mini dramas compared to this one.

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Ignore the noise, this is a solid remake that honours the beloved original

With a story as unique as this one, making it feel as fresh and original the second time is challenging. The element of suspense and surprise is gone, along with the initial magic of discovery. Any remake of Someday or One Day is already at a disadvantage right from the start; making comparisons somehow feels a bit unfair. Given this context, I thought this remake did an admirable job honouring the original material, while introducing the story to an entirely new audience.

I watched the original Taiwanese series shortly after it aired and the nostalgia and haunting beauty of what happened to our protagonists lingered with me long after the series ended. At the same time, enough time had passed that the twists and turns were a bit hazy. Watching this remake felt like I was taking the journey again -- somewhat familiar, but with different friends to make the experience fresh. There were some elements I liked better in the original and some I liked better in the remake. (I thought they did a slightly better job "explaining" the time travel element in the remake than the original, for example. (I didn't have to draw a diagram this time!))

I wasn't overly familiar with the casts in both productions, but thought they all did a fantastic job bringing everyone to life; if anything, I found myself warming up to the characters more quickly than I did while watching the original. Ahn Hyo Seop and Jeon Yeo Been both did a wonderful job portraying Nam Si Heon and Han Jun Hee/Kwon Min Ju at different ages, stages, and experiences in life.

The music in A Time Called You is perhaps the main element that fell short for me, but this isn't necessarily the show's fault -- just something that sometimes can't be helped when watching international dramas. I am not familiar with older Korean songs and don't really understand the language, so there was a certain nostalgia, mood and emotional connection that was ever-present in Someday or One Day through its music that was somehow missing for me here. At the same time, the Korean version's more polished feel may have also contributed to these missing elements too. There is a certain roughness that comes with nostalgia, because it is a feeling rather than something clear and tangible.

Another factor that unfortunately affected my experience with A Time Called Love was the somewhat toxic discussion comparing the two productions. I started watching the early episodes without thinking too much about the original and came into the comments section to express my enjoyment for the remake, only to find a lot of silly and infantile behaviour. Instead of helping people discover the joys and magic of the original through this adaption, i'm sure it turned people off instead, which is a real shame. I started thinking too much about the original while watching the remake, which made the experience less immersive and consequently less emotional, unfortunately.

If you are unsure whether this is worth watching because of all the criticisms coming from fans of the original, I would definitely still give this a chance, especially if you are new to the story. You'll be able to enjoy it without being coloured by the original. I also encourage you to watch the Taiwanese version too. If you end up liking the original more, at least you were able to still enjoy this one too without the comparison. Those who feel Someday or One Day is significantly better do make a valid point, however: that it's better to experience such a complex story at its best first, especially given the tension, build-up, and plot twists in the final episodes. (Either way, I would still try to give some time between watching the two versions so the details have faded a bit!) I would be curious to see whether some of the magic and excitement is inevitably lost when watching a retelling of the same story, regardless of the order.

Final verdict: I really enjoyed both versions and thought the casting was very good here. For various reasons, however -- and many not exactly the fault of the production -- there was a certain nostalgic and emotional connection missing for me when I watched the Korean version. Overall, still a solid remake.

(Slightly spoilery) lingering questions/thoughts:

* Based on the timeline, I didn't think Jun Hee stayed around long enough to be putting up Christmas decorations at the record store. Was this a continuity error or did I overlook something?

* Are we to assume the real person died in the 2007 car accident when NSH transmigrated into their body, since they don't seem to have any memories of the other person?

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If you like your fire with a heaping side order of swiss cheese...

C-drama watchers are used to shy, stiff, awkward kissing, kissing that's only alluded to, or great kissing that's left on the editing room/censorship floor, with hugs spacious enough to fit a third person in between. So I get it. People are thirsty for more heat on screen and Love of Replica generally delivers. (You're not getting HBO; it's more on par with North American daytime soaps.)

Beyond that, however, Love of Replica has a middling plot that gets sillier with each half hour -- so even at just 16 short episodes, it doesn't take long before the storytelling starts to feel tedious, ridiculous, cliche-ridden, and cheesy, filled with plotholes and nonsense. (And I say this as someone with a very high tolerance for corny romance and known to enjoy and indulge in cheesy feasts.) How many times, for example, can an FL "fall" into an ML's arms and twirled around in super slo-mo while staring into each other's eyes? Here, it almost felt like the director contrived to make it happen at least once an episode (I didn't actually count). The acting wasn't bad, but I didn't love it either, to be honest, though maybe I should give the leads more credit fore being able to keep a straight face every time they needed to fall and twirl for the camera.?

Mysterious Love had its share of problems too, but it felt sexier and had better pacing. If you just want to see the OTP together, I suggest just skipping straight to episode 12.

Stray obervations and notes:
* Was it just me, or was that S1's Leslie Ma making a cameo in the scene where a stranger picks up the phone the FL threw out the window?
* While this is a standalone story and completely unrelated to S1, there is a bonus easter egg/post-credit scene at the end of episode 16 that ties the two dramas together and hints at the possibility of a new story in the future.

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Manage your expectations, come for the OTP, and you may be pleasantly surprised

Ni Chang is a sister drama to "I Will Never Let You Go" with Ariel Lin and Zhang Binbin -- it's by the same production company, and has many of the same great supporting cast (unrelated story and characters, despite the similarly structured Chinese title). Because of this connection, however, I was fully prepared to 1/ fall in love with the entire cast of supporting characters only to have every single one of them killed off in the final episodes, 2/ see beloved characters completely change, 3/ see villains get away with justice at the end, and 4/ have a rushed and unsatisfying conclusion filled with loose ends, questions, and plot holes. (Clearly, I Will Never Let Go of how they butchered the ending of that drama!) And while I usually don't like spoilers, I freely spoiled myself for this one to further help manage my own expectations.

Perhaps because of all this, I ended up quite enjoying Ni Chang.

The story itself is nothing "special" -- it's your classic survivor/family revenge story -- but I enjoyed the silk, textile, embroidery, skin care and fragrance industry backdrop, even though I also take a lot of it with a giant bucket of salt in terms of historical accuracy.

For a slow-burn love story with very little sweeping/epic romance between the main OTP, Bi Wenjun and Nicki Li still made a really great couple, supported by a lovable cast of secondary characters. While a couple of beloved characters do die, there was no slaughterfest and all of them all get satisfying, happy endings.

Given how notoriously bad C-dramas can be with derailing a storyline in the final half/third/quarter, I was pleasantly surprised how all the loose ends were tied, secrets were properly exposed, traps were logically laid, and villains paid the price. They also gave viewers almost an entire episode to enjoy everyone being happy -- in other words, there was proper closure for everything and everyone (even beloved servants who appeared in only a few early episodes and were forced to say goodbye during difficult times returned and were given happy endings).

Did a couple of the melodramatic action shots make me cringe-snort-laugh out loud? Yeah, but I wasn't taking the show too seriously. Could it have been tighter? Sure. Is it sophisticated and high brow? Definitely not. Could the story have been executed better? Of course. Is Bi Wenjun in it enough? No. (He absolutely needs to star in his own wuxia drama, the brief martial arts he displayed in Ni Chang looked that good.)

Ni Chang is not a drama that will leave you in a show-hole or significantly emotionally engaged or invested. But if you're like me and manage your expectations, you may find it overall, an easy and entertaining watch anyway.

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Lost

With sincere apologies to Dai Gaozheng fans, but this was a surprisingly cringy mini drama that was marred by cheesy over-acting and poor voice dubbing, and a silly, amateur script filled with stiff dialogue. I’ve seen enough solid short-length dramas with tightly written scripts to know that quality storytelling, pacing, and tension-building can be done successfully even when an episode is just a few minutes long.

For a supposedly smart FL with a reputation that precedes her, she’s incredibly silly with her reckless rendezvous with the ML. Her memory was practically photographic at one point -- until it wasn’t. Everything had no cure, until it did. At every turn, they were groping and kissing each other aggressively even at the risk of being discovered, yet in the privacy of a room at the Poppy Inn, they were suddenly acting demure, cutesy, and mindful? Lol, right.

Ever since Dai Gaozheng blew onto the C-drama scene with his alpha male role in the steamy Maid’s Revenge Republican mini-drama two years ago, fans have been swooning over him. I’ve seen a ton of short-length dramas and have watched every drama in which he plays the lead role. While some are better than others, I do not believe he has quite the range to upgrade to full-length dramas, unfortunately. His best scenes were the emotional ones where he is trying to hold back tears. A major part of the problem is that he also appears increasingly plastic-like, a Ken doll with limited facial movements.

Overall, the second half was much better when the story focused on the couple. But I struggled to make it through the first half. If you are a Dai Gaozheng fan, by all means, watch and enjoy. The sets look good, and of course, there is plenty of kissing, gratuitous shirtless scenes, and glimpses of his abs (even those don’t look quite natural somehow?). For the rest of us, it's a pretty safe skip.

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