suchimonster
I thought that the alternate universe was a refreshing spin on the show and the still had references to season 1, which made the show all more enjoyable. I do believe this was the right way to go about season 2 because in season 1 LYZ faking XL's leukaemia was incredibly cruel. This reboot gave a less stalkerish role and he was someone you could root for the whole time. In this season, the way the couple came together was more natural and there were less mind games, which was better for everyone.
The side couples were featured a bit more than last season and their stories were still incredibly cute. Only thing I can say is I prefer Chu Yan and Xiao You/Ruan Meng in season 1. They were still very cute in this season. But i thought they were funnier in season 1, but their romance story is just as powerful.
I think you guys should watch it. I think the story is more approachable and has a sweeter touch to it. This season was funnier too.
Was this review helpful to you?
Warm and Fuzzy, but.....
Watching Binary Love made me feel fuzzy inside. The love between the main leads were organic and it genuinely made sense. The male lead's boldness added to his quirky charm, seeing that he was socially awkward, but courageous in love. The story developed a one-track man into someone who is foolish in love. All while this story is great, it may be worth for the male lead solely.Dont get me wrong, the female lead was a good lead, but she was kind of flat. In the earlier episodes she seemed to be charming, but as the story progressed her character began to lack dimension. She began a generic female lead that you could find in many other dramas. The plot was great, but it was not in any way due to the female lead.
There was also the UNNECESSARY second male lead and the even more unnecessary third male lead. The second male was inevitable, seeing that he's on the promo cover, but his story went on until the bitter end. He was simply not someone you could route for. At the beginning the series his character was enjoyable because it added some drama, but he quickly became a very annoying entitled man who doesnt know his boundaries. I was fed up wifh him halfway through the show and his forceful behavior towards the female did not end until the bitter end.
And then the show introduced a third lead, who liked the female lead for no reason at all. It was very random and the male didnt even pay him mind, so the third lead was just there for fun I guess. And again the female barely has any depth, so its hard to believe that three men would be chasing after her.
But all in all, this showed had some powerful friendships that were entertaining. The second couple is honestly so cute. And the male lead is adorable, Ren YouLun did a great job acting out his role, and honestly he's the main reason the show was enjoyable.
If you can get passed someone of the negatives i have mentioned this was a good watch. But i have to say it was more entertaining the first episodes then it sort if fell off.
Was this review helpful to you?
That being said this season made me really dislike the ML. There was an incident that made the ML and FL separate, but all the ML had say/do was forced kisses and they werent well received. It genuinely made uncomfortable while the point was show him as charming?
And i also thought somw plot lines were unnecessary and only thrown into the show to fit the required amount of episodes.
I wouldn't even recommend someone watching this when they are bored because in order to complete it i had to watch it 2x fast. I really didnt need this drama in my life.
The poor acting and poor wardrobe consists in this season as well.
Was this review helpful to you?
I personally don't mind fast-paced dramas, if the leads are already dating in the first five episodes I wouldn't mind it, but for this couple, they were already falling in and out of love, and there wasn't any reason for it. The ML had some strange obsession with the FL and use various methods to date her and he was very clear he just wanted to sleep with her.
I did not like how the show tried to make the ML's creepy and obsessive tendencies a true love story. That being said the characters acted out their roles very poorly. There was nothing spectacular about their acting, but overall it was just flat.
Overall I think was a really bad drama that could have been good with proper casting, better episode direction, and more of a budget. Having the leads wear the same outfits every episode was a bit much they would have been better off asking the actors to bring their own clothes.
All that being said I will still watch season 2 of this show because the ending was incomplete like it was cut in the middle of the scene. And I am determined to finish what I started the storyline is not what is making me hold onto this drama.
Was this review helpful to you?
Weird, but unique
This was the weirdest drama I've ever watched and I'm usually very open to the dramas I watch, but all that being said the weirdness of this show just made it unique. I've never seen something like this before so I didn't find myself predicting every move of this drama. The show had an interesting way of spicing up the plot.The acting... it was not bad, they were talented actors, but it was so overdramatic. The plot was light, but the way the characters made it seem like it was a melodrama. And I am sorry but the son of a beast scenes were a bit too much for me, I understand that was the point of the plot, but I could not sit through the scenes. Especially when the male lead is barking at the female lead. I found having to watch those scenes on mute.
The romance side of the story felt rushed and incomplete. The leads were suddenly madly in love with each other and there was no build-up. There also weren't many cute scenes with leads, it seemed like they got together solely to please the audience. That being said it was a short drama, so it could've been because of the time restraint, but on the other hand, I have seen many other web dramas success portray a romance plot with a similar time frame.
Overall I did like this show, but simply just to past time. It was nothing too over the top, but also nothing exceptional.
Was this review helpful to you?
Deok mi and ryan gold are incredibly cute before and after they get into a relationship. Even when their relationship was on the rocks i was still laughing with them.
This is a chill and relax show, that avoided unnecessary conflicts between characters. Certain issues that needed to be addressed were addressed in a well handled fashion. I really did appreciate that this drama avoided the cliche break up scenes that is common in kdramas. This was honestly so enjoyable, i really do recommend.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
We lost the plot
This was supposed to be a spooky show, but the show sacrificed scary elements to pursue a romance route, and it failed the show.The show started off really strong and had a simple formula: every episode there's a haunted house and a sale to be made. This only lasted for about 4 episodes and when it was done the mystery was well thought out, but slowly it grew stale. The haunted house slowly became based on misunderstandings and there were not many haunted houses or other ghost themes.
The romance of the female lead is, in my opinion, responsible for this change. The female lead had an unnecessary love plot with the second male lead (where she's a mistress). The show focused more time on her relationship and did not leave time for any actually spooky plots within episodes. The show only returns to its spooky theme when the female lead leaves the second male lead.
The romance elements also did not make sense. The female lead had no characteristics other than she was smart and hardworking. It is hard for me to believe a smart woman like the female lead when falls for a guy in a relationship and believes his lies about breaking up with his girlfriend. The female lead was actually disappointed in this show. Other than her poor relationship choices, she wasn't very likable. She had no personality and she treated the characters around her poorly, especially her mother and she spoke harshly to the male lead until the last few episodes.
I think this show would be so much better if this show did not have romance at all, this show did not balance romance and being a ghost show well at all. And I think it would be best if this show had half as many episodes.
What I really liked was the ghost elements, it is too bad there were not too many of them. The first few and last few episodes were great and intriguing, but the middle bit lost the plot and made me want to drop the show a bit.
Was this review helpful to you?
Went on for too long...
I really wanted to love this show the plot was there but it fell short. While watching this show I could tell that the writers did not have enough to stay in order to reach the episode count. Too much content was filler content and the main question at hand never gets answered.The plot was interesting, but the writers bit off more than they could chew. It was poorly done and as I mentioned before too much content was filler content, which is impressive considering how each episode is 30 minutes. Half of the show went to waste on the secondary couple. And I believe I speak for everyone when I say that the secondary couple was pointless and boring. If you are going to waste an episode on a secondary couple, who adds nothing to the plot, at least make their story interesting.
At first, I thought it was for the sake of mystery that the plot was so vague, but I think it was due to poor writing. There were many plot holes and the main question: "How did the twins get separated?" never got answered. The whole show was built around the twins and all it told us was who their parents were.
I would also like to add I have never seen a male lead as fickle as this one. His love for the female lead was not convincing at all, it felt like they were in love because it was written in the script. The character development did not support his newfound love neither did the acting. I would also say the show was lacking in the fashion department. The way they dress the female lead did not fit her character at all, I thought she should have been dressed more elegantly, but at the same time, the female lead did not seem to have much of a personality to me.
Also, the male lead did not need to be a CEO, the business aspect was poorly fleshed out. The drama only cared about his business when the need to make the story longer, it would have been interesting to see him do anything else
I won't say the show was all bad because I did enjoy watching it. The children were cute and the main reason to watch, but there are many other dramas that have children in them that are way better. This one had potential, but it still fell short. I watched it while it was airing and after a while, I no longer got excited for new episodes and started counting down the days until the drama was over. I wish could say nicer things about this drama, but I think it would have been so much better if it was shorter.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I went into this not knowing much about it, I did not know the plot, the characters, or the actors, but it was still quite enjoyable. This drama was nothing too serious and I watched it to just pass time. If you are in an awkward moment between dramas this one is a good one to watch.The story itself was quite messy, but it somehow fit together. I will admit that at times I kept wondering to myself what was the point of watching this. It felt to me that a lot of things happened without any explanation. What truly bothered me was how Meng Lu claimed he was in love with Hong Qing Qing, to me it felt rushed. At first, he only liked her because his enemy was interested in her, but then he claims it was love at first, I don't really get it, but that's how it worked out.
I feel like the characters were not as developed as they should have been, so their relationships seemed artificial. By relationships, I mean romantic ones not friendships.
In a way the show was more like real life than a drama, there was not anything spectacular to it, but it still had its purpose and a somewhat steady plot.
The only other thing that I would criticize with this show is that the characters would constantly leave Hong Dou home alone like she is six years old, I feel like someone should be watching her.
WARNING the drama is not completed and I do not know when season 2 will be out, so watch out because it ends on a cliff hanger.
You can watch this drama on the iQIYI app, but the subtitles are not the best. Since I am familiar with mandarin I was able to follow along just fine, but a lot of the scenes I had to infer on what the characters are actually saying. But even so, the quality of the subtitles are enough to get a good understanding of the show.
Was this review helpful to you?
My review is SOLELY based on the show not the webtoon.
I have not read the Webtoon, so I can only write based on how the drama, not on how well it matched the original story. That said, I know some of the plot points that were supposed to happen.I will say the actors made the show come alive, I think they did a great job playing their roles. I know Kim Go Eun is a great actress and she delivered, but I am particularly impressed with Jinyoung's acting. I think he did above and beyond acting as Yu Babi, he made it hard to me to see him apart from his character.
But for the story, I think it was a bit lacking. Like many shows it started off great, it was delightful and I found myself laughing from episode to episode, I was excited for Fridays/Saturdays because new episodes came out, but after the inevitable break-up episode, the show was not as entertaining. To say the least, there was a push and pull between the characters and the show drags out a bit. That being said even if the show dragged a bit towards the cells made the show worth it. It was interesting to see them take on how humans interact and operate, and the cells were honestly the comedic relief that was needed. The cells made the show 70% worth it for me in the end.
I do think that there were some flaws with the characters that made the show frustrating but still engaging. I can't say I agree with all of Yumi's decisions, watching her at times was a bit frustrating. But I guess it just shows that she is human and not supposed to be the perfect main character, and I can appreciate that. And also Babi was very vague from start to finish, even from his cells' point of view, there is not much to Babi, and I still think that after finishing the show.
I don't want to give the ending away, but I felt like it was lackluster. I know how the Webtoon ends and I think the writers wanted to make the ending follow the Webtoon, but also not follow Webtoon exactly. But the way that the show ended was unsatisfying. I know that some people who read the Webtoon thought it was a good ending, but as a sole watcher of the drama, it was just bland. It had some sweet elements, but I think it could have been executed better.
Honestly, I think this show, at least this season, was just a 7.5, it was an original idea, but it wasn't executed well. This is nothing against the original creator of the Webtoon, but honestly speaking, even if I read the webtoon I think I would still rate it the same.
Overall the cells made the show worth it, but about halfway through the show it dragged and was a bit frustrating.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
2/3 of this show wasn't good.
I have heard that each brother's story is written by a different person. Although I have not confirmed it, it felt like it was three different people writing the show. That being said I think whoever wrote Gun's storyline should have written the whole show. If this is true that each story is written by someone else, it really worked against the show. It felt the characters changed a bit too much in character, especially the mother.Itch's Story: 6.5
This was a hot mess. From the affairs to the constant yelling, and the cruel treatment of Mook. I could not take this seriously at all. I could not tell if Luke was a bad actor or if Itch was just overdramatic with everything it does. The itch was just rude and angry, with good reason, but to a point. He had internal conflicts about how treated women, but he never changed. In my opinion, I don't think Mook should have stayed with Itch or his family because they were genuinely crazy. In this storyline, Mook was the only likable character and I wished she had more of a backbone when it came to her sister's affairs.
Thames' Story: 5
To put it in simple terms: boring and unjustified. Out of all the boy's reasons why they hate their mother, his was the worse. Everyone had practical reasons why they did not like her and his was that she's just controlling. Which would be fine, but the way he behaved was extreme for his reasoning. He was the worse one and his story was just boring. I like him better in Itch's story than in his own. He would do/say terrible things to his mother and only cared when his girlfriend told him it was wrong instead of figuring it out on his own. I like Tay, but this was not it. I am not sure if it was the acting or the writing, but this was so boring I watch it 2x fast. And there was no plot to this one. It was just Thames hates his mother
Arty's Story: 7.5
This was way better than the other plots. It felt like I was watching a show with an actual plot. While Itch's had a plot, this one was more likable. The characters were better, the writing was better. And this had more comedy in it. Don't get me wrong I laughed at the stories, but mainly because they were ridiculous. But for this story I actually enjoyed it. It was a nice sweet story that didn't need to do much to be great. The acting was better and the side characters were more likable. My only complaint is that I wish Arty and View communicated more and avoided misunderstandings.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Cliches done wrong...
I personally love the face blindness trope and find myself watching many shows with this plot point. I haven't seen any when the female lead had face blindness, so I immediately wanted to watch this show, but upon watching it I was thoroughly disappointed.Let's talk about the plot. I feel like this drama used every misunderstanding cliche possible and failed to make it work. There was no suspense to this, it just seemed like they wanted to fill up a certain amount of episodes. The leads did not really have much chemistry, it was basically the male lead is in love with the female lead and the female lead is just there. For a good majority of the show, it was mainly one-sided. (even when they were in a relationship)
That aside let's talk about the face blindness situation. Honestly, it did not need to be in the show. It was just a minor detail and was only necessary to plot when the female leads classmates ostracized her for having it. After that, the show did not make much of it. It was also very unclear whether or not the female lead, Lin Hui, had overcome it. There is a point in the show when she is staring at the male lead's picture and creating a figurine of him. But it is never disclosed if she can really see people or not.
The acting was also flat. Im not sure if that is how her character is, but Duan Ao Juan did not give any personality to the character she was playing. Chen Bo Hao did alright, but nothing breathtaking. The acting in general just felt like it was missing something
The production quality for this show is just terrible. Some episodes start off completely different the how the other episodes ended. There was a point where there was a random chemical explosive and no explanation was given on how we got there. The episodes were just incongruent. And the dubbing quality is harsh. If seen many dramas dubbed, but for this one, the syncing was off and it sounded like the characters were behind me.
Was this review helpful to you?
Simple & Real
This movie beautifully displayed the stress and concerns of a high school student preparing for college. High school atudents are usually balancing their studies and their social life and this movie showed exactly that.There wasnt any fluff to it, the movie got straight to the point and showed a realistic and calming approach to high school.
The FL and ML both had their struggles being stressed by their studies and overbearing parents, which pushed the leads together. This "puppy love" strengthened each lead to strive for the better.
This film just proved that first loves are ones that people will remember forever, not exactly love that lasts forever. Panning back from the present day to their pasts in high school was a nice way to prove this point.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Something was missing
The story started out really great and i enjoyed how it was playing out, but the story dragged out and felt rushed at the same time during the end.The story itself was really good, but i dont think it was executed well. I have to say shu zhan and xiao xing had great chemistry and were quite cute together, but their relationship fell through before it began. This annoyed me because there was no communication at all xiaoxing just ghosted shu zhan.
I think they could have done a better job developing the characters. Especially shu zhan and du nian. Du nain was a brat from the beginning and the last episode she was suddenly a golden child, i think they should have worked on that better. And shu zhan wasnt mature at all, he was just childish.
I think the ending was rushed because the problems each character was going through was resolved within an episode. I felt that it should have been discussed and developed more. And the ending was rushed as well and we don't really see what happens to our characters, an ending is just show withour much explanation.
Although the show was really enjoyable in the first few episodes, i felt like the story dragged out and had holes in it. During about the last three episodes i found myself skipping scenes because they seemed like a waste of time. You guys may like it but this story was not for me. The actors preformed well, but the story itself was lacking.
Was this review helpful to you?
Plot:
The story was really good and displayed the relationship of Yi Han and Youyou really well. Whenever they had problems with each other they just talked it out rather than ignoring their problems and giving each other the cold should. Watching them trying to develop a relationship is actually quite hilarious because they hate each in the other in the beginning, so it transforms for a relationship to a love relationship. I really do appreciate how Youyou was able to accept her brother once he came into her life instead of resenting him. Youyou cares for her family amd it actually shows. The only thing i wish they did different was show the relationships of the side couples more. I felt like they were there, but there wasnt much to them.
Acting/Casting
I think the actors suited their roles well. Not only could i believe that weren't just acting, but living through their characters, they delievered their scenes really well. Im especially fond of Zhang Yu Jian, ive seen him in Find Yourself, and this role was very different and he did a great job acting it.
Music:
The music complimented the scenes well and the lyrics went along with what was going on the scenes. In my opinion it complimented the whole ambiance of the show.
Rewatch Value:
I personally wouldnt rewatch, but it is because i never rewatch dramas. For me the ending dragged out a bit, so thats why i wouldnt rewatch. But the beginning of the show was hilarious and i would rewatch for that.
Was this review helpful to you?
