This review may contain spoilers
I had a love-hate relationship with this drama. I’d be loving it and then next scene it would be a chore to keep watching. So I’ll separate the things I loved, and the things I didn’t.things I loved:
- this show was realistic, I liked that. In terms of jobs, sometimes you can’t necessarily get your ‘dream’ job and just need to earn money. (of course this show was about the characters turning their life around and doing what they wanted, and yes it was nice to see them live out their dreams)
- dong man x ae ra’s relationship was a great example of friends to lovers. they had a lot of chemistry (bonus points for the most bedsharing scenes I've seen in a drama yet)
- Park Seo Joon’s character definitely suited him. I loved him in ‘What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim (2018)’ but this character felt much more natural to him - personality and such.
things I didn’t:
- the second lead’s relationship plot line. Joo-man is trash and Sul-hee deserves so so much better. We spend 90% of the show watching the slow development of an affair? I’m still confused as to why they were dating for 6 years and never told any of their work colleagues. How could they not know? And I get they didn’t need to go ‘public’ per say, but when the situation called for it (aka, a girl is flirting with a man in a relationship) what’s the big deal? Just simply say “sorry, I have a girlfriend” SIMPLE. It’s not like dating is forbidden at their work? Hell Joo-man’s clueless colleague/boss/whatever kept pushing him towards Ye-Jin like there was no tomorrow.
- While I’m at it, is there something I’m missing??? Why tf were those 2 girls so enthralled with Joo-man to begin with?? He is literally the most bland person, and he isn’t even attractive??
- Anyways, I’m still bitter that she ended up taking him back in the end
- We had to go down the ‘long lost parent’ road, yet again ~sigh~ “why did you abandon me?!” here we go
- Why is nearly every man on this show trash?? Like Dong-Man and his coach are the only ones that are bloody decent guys? Wtf?
- Poor Choi Ae-Ra. She had a crazed stalker, a cheating asshole, and then a guy who was a jackass who was secretly getting married?? Jesus christ, this poor girl.
- Why did they have to stuff so many storylines at the end of the show? It felt like the writers had bitten off too much than they could chew. If I re-watched it all I feel like I would still have questions. For e.g. what was that filmed ’preview’ with the 3 kids?? Choi Ae-Ra’s mum was like ‘don’t ruin the kids!!’. How?? And how did all their parents have history?? I swear that never got answered
- Shows with sports always bore me, because: it’s sports. So I was never all that into Dong Man’s MMA fights. But I will admit the show made them not that bad to watch.
Anyways, long story short, all things considered - this show was average. I’m glad I was able to cross it off my watch list.
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- the mean spiteful girl who causes trouble for the female lead
- the clueless female lead that ruins any potential chance she gets
- she just lets people walk all over her & also causes bs misunderstandings due to lack of communication
- seriously, why is her self confidence so low??
- and then all the family drama DRAMA
Omg I figured out what it reminded me of. It’s just like 'Kimi ni Todoke'!! Only Kazehaya is full of life and personality and Do Kyeong-seok is more brooding and standoffish. But both female leads Sawako and Mi-rae are both just as clueless and continually shoot themselves in the foot. Both are in situations where the feelings between their crushes are mutual and yet both of them choose to hurt their crush for no reason. Both girls have been bullied for their looks as well.
There is also the gorgeous sly ‘mean girl’ who is very cunning and fake and puts on a fake ‘cutesy’ personality to have everybody like her.
The show got slightly better after the couple got together at last. And I will also admit there were things I did like, despite all the cons
- other than the melodrama, was an easy-ish watch
- Kyeong-seok is not getting fooled by Su-a for one second, his eyes scream ‘get her away from me’ and I live for it
- Some funny moments I enjoyed
- Once canon, Kyeong-seok x Mi-rae were cute
On the whole, I’m glad I got to cross this drama off my list.
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This review may contain spoilers
W. W w w… This is the hardest drama to rate yet. Why? Because I have such mixed feelings on this show. Even though it had a ‘happy ending’ why did it leave such a bitter taste in my mouth? Was it the rushed ending? The fact that the characters have the ability to draw ANYTHING on that tablet and use it only to draw cars and medicine??? They could have literally got themselves out of any situation, why is everyone so dumb. But let’s start at the beginning shall we?This show started off really strong. What this show does well is that every episode, it leaves you on your toes. It is an undeniable fact that the story is intriguing. The plot line in itself is so fascinating and original. The idea of a parallel world that was effectively ‘fan-made’ but then the characters come to life? The characters disobey its creator and become their own person? And a real life person enters the cartoon and becomes part of the plot. The story was so interesting and I loved that so much was happening. But that was also the problem, I found that I was constantly stressed. I couldn’t enjoy it because everyone is constantly in danger. So much is always going on.
And of course I have to talk about the main couple. Once again, so many mixed feelings. I mean obviously I shipped them, but I was left feeling constantly unsatisfied. Through all the drama, they barely got to do anything as a couple. Then that rushed happy ending. That’s why it was a letdown for me.
All in all, it was hard to rate this show. I wanted to give it a high score considering the storyline was so good and intriguing all the way through. But I also wanted to rate it poorly since I couldn’t enjoy this drama, it was such a mess and caused me too much anxiety. And it left me with a rushed ending. I wanted to go somewhere between 7.5 and 8, because it doesn’t deserve such a high score of 8, but 7.5 doesn’t highlight its brilliance and originality. But if I had to choose between the two, I suppose a 7.5. Simply because I can’t look back on this drama with a positive view. I wouldn’t recommend it, it was painful and stressful and didn’t provide enough payoff at the end. It fails to repay the audience for the angst and pain they just suffered, there is too much negative with not enough positive. This drama just leaves me with contempt.
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Gosh it was sooooo binge-worthy and tbh, I don't even know why. This drama was a mess, but a beautiful mess! As if I was on crack, I couldn't get enough.
Some bits and pieces that made me love it:
- The work setting of a broadcasting studio ('Pinocchio' nostalgia!)
- Girl has crush on boy for several years but boy has no interest until fate pushes them together in the unlikeliest of ways ('Mischievous Kiss'/'Playful Kiss' anybody?)
- Even though the male lead says he has no interest in her, he comes through when other people disrespect her. (E.g. when she faced difficulties at work: he barged into the news room and was ready to throw hands!!)
- Another guy enters the picture to help him realise his feelings
- Love triangle with comedy & heartache
- Touched on a topic I wasn't expecting at all: male breast cancer. Was NOT expecting a fun broadcasting romcom to go down that road, but I'm so glad it did! So much came from it, from character growth, inner turmoil, shenanigans, great characters, and of course bonding of the couple.
- The male lead Hwa Shin's character is so interesting. A mix of arrogant, charming, tsundere and adorable. So multilayered, Jo Jung Suk truly shines in this drama.
- All the surrounding characters. Especially our big messy family
- Big relationship milestones that are we rarely see in kdramas!
If I had to describe the drama in short though, it's a love triangle taken to the extreme XD
It's one long, fun, bumpy ride that I'd gladly go on again and again
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What this drama has going for it is the element of a modern drama AND a historical drama in one. The element of time travel makes it all the more interesting.
My favourite moments are when Dr. Heo Im goes into full-on doctor mode and saves his patients. They are so epic, and I never got tired of it. He has this ‘magic touch’ where he can tell exactly what’s wrong with the patient and fixes them like a superhero. It was just so cool! Especially when he and the female lead Dr. Yeon Gyung save people TOGETHER! Quality
Although, that being said: there are so many goddamn needles in this show. There’s even 3D graphics of the needle going INSIDE the skin, I don’t need to see that!! I get the idea! And there are SO MANY medical scenes... so yeah, I’m never watching Grey’s Anatomy. I've seen more than enough lol. I can't complain though, this is a MEDICAL DRAMA what were you expecting @myself?
Although it is crazy the amount of people who have medical issues. With every sick person they find, I'm thinking 'isn't anybody just...healthy?'
Best quote to sum up this drama: “Why are there patients wherever you go? Your timing is amazing” I’d been feeling that way since Day 1.
But ignoring those minor flaws, this drama is a very good one. And at the heart of the show is our couple. I appreciate what the writers have done with them, constantly paralleling each other. Started the story with them both being successful doctors but they still have areas they need to grow. Their journey together is so beautiful, as they heal each other's scars to become better doctors AND better people.
On the whole, this is definitely a drama worth your time.
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I also felt so bad for the second lead!! He was actually a really nice guy and had loved her for 15 years….and probably will all his life. And he always did right by her. And he never complained when she kept rejecting him, I mean. But not to the point where I got second lead syndrome. That spot is forever reserved for Tae Gwang (Who Are You: School 2015). But man, what a guy.
The main couple was cute, yes. I liked that he had the ability to protect her several times, and could stop time + teleport + eavesdrop. It was quite unique in that way. At some points I got Twilight vibes too (decades older than her, has supernatural powers, and rescues her in ‘impossible’ scenarios and denies it). I did like near the end, it felt like their relationship had matured in a sense and they felt like a married couple.
There were lots of good moments in this drama, and lots of comedic moments which I loved. And the bromance between her brother and Do Min Joon was just so..iconic? I loved it so much, all the E.T moments.
The ending was good but why did it feel like it just got chopped off halfway through?? I was sitting there like ‘that was fast! was that it?’ But I can’t complain too much because everything got closure, sort of. It would have been nice to know if he started to age or their future together. And if they have kids…would they have alien-ish powers? So many questions.
But yeah, overall - fairly good. I enjoyed it. Solid 8.
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I kept wondering why Choi Kang-chi’s character felt so familiar and I realised he is the typical male shounen protagonist™ !!
Examples: Inuyasha, Natsu (fairy tail), or Luffy (one piece). You know, the cheerful ones who are:
- hot-headed
- have a special superpower
- have a strong sense of justice
- usually have a tragic past
- ‘Want to be stronger!!!!’
- will rush head-first into danger to help his friends without thinking.
And get yourself a girl like Yeo-ul - A++ female character who you can rely on and will stand & defend you through thick and thin. Like everybody was scared of him, accused him, badmouthed him, called him a monster, etc - Dam Yeo-ul comforts him, tells him he is Kang-chi no matter what, loves him irregardless, defends him when her father is about to kill him, says he did nothing wrong, and "wants to do anything for him" all while being a strong independent woman??? This girl is an actual dream. Perfect personality aside, she is also gorgeous. She also never beats around the bush, she says the right thing and doesn’t hold anything back. She was a role model in every way.
Kang-chi and Yeo-ul’s romance was honestly goals. They had so much chemistry and pure love for one another. I think my favourite thing was how Yeo-ul was told at the very beginning before they had even met, that the man she was fated to meet would also be her downfall. Girl did not care. She loved him through it all so fiercely and passionately, knowing full well she will likely die. But she says she won’t change the present based on a future that hasn’t happened yet. She wasn’t going to avoid love because of a deadly ‘fate’. She always put him first, every time. She honestly deserves the world.
I also really feel for Kang-chi’s parents. They had such a tragic Romeo & Juliet love story, and was glad they were able to have closure (even though the mum was played by a different actress for no reason lol) and they both died…again. But at least they died together loving each other. It was tragically beautiful.
And let’s not forget the gLOW UP of the CENTURY - AKA Ma Bong Chul! Hated him forever and just wanted him to die already and when Kang-chi saved his life I could not believe my eyes. But he turned out to be the most loyal friend!! Was even willing to risk his life to help him and he was the best. Their friendship was actually great and a highlight for me.
I also couldn’t believe when it said 24 episodes!! But they went by so quickly and would have hated if it had been any shorter. It was the perfect length.
Honestly this drama just had everything you could need. Romance? Check. Good storyline? Check. Interesting characters? Check. This drama will stick with me for a long time and I have such strong feelings for it.
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This review may contain spoilers
Well Liar Game, congrats because I was hooked on you for the majority of the show. It is very good television. I enjoyed the character dynamics between the competitors. Obviously it was the big 3 leads that stood out though, with Nam Da Jung as the kind and trusting girl, and the battle of the brains with Ha Woo-Jin and Kang Do-Young. I did find the backstory with them as kids to be a bit…strange? But oh well, we’ll go with it. Isn’t she like 19 and a uni student while Woo Jin is like 30 and a professor?? But in the flashback they’re around the same age? How does that work???
But I think my biggest pet-peeve was when
(spoiler!!!)
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Jamie dragged Nam Da Jung through the mud, slandering her for being a so-called ‘slut’. Apparently she's sleeping around with Ha Woo Jin and Do-young to do well in the game, and Jamie tossed her photoshoot photos on the floor as 'proof'. After that, everybody turns against her without even giving her a chance to explain herself. But the thing that bugged me wasn’t that, it was that Da Jung literally never says “Oh actually guys, I was ordered to do that photoshoot as part of my TV contract, and I haven’t been sleeping around with anybody, what a load of bs” she just lets them all hate her??! Just throws in the towel and is like ‘well, that’s it for me! guess i’ll go cry’ Girl get a GRIP
But that's not even the worst part!! The worst part is how this issue is never resolved?? At least certainly not on SCREEN
At some point after the whole giving stars round of the game where Woo Jin saves her ass, everybody is just suddenly back on board and they are all buddies again?? Like, did they watch the episode at home after it aired, where it showed the scene with Jaime and Da Jung talking and Jaime is like “I know it's all bs lololol, but I gotta find a way to save myself, sorry not sorry”
Even if that’s the case, where’s my scene with all the contestants lining up to say sorry they condemned her and almost caused her to be eliminated, because they believed Jaime (Jaime - the one known to be a lying, conniving witch who is known to betray any and everybody for her own gain) and her bullshit story?? Where’s that scene???????
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Anyways, now that I’ve got that off my chest, I did enjoy the rest of the show. It was fun watching round after round of Liar Game to see people try to outsmart one another. It’s interesting because things that you would think are simple: the minority wins game, the stars game, the president game, and the countries at war game, are all simple in premise but all contestants use their brains to think of all the ways to ensure their victory. They use maths and ideas to win, and think outside the box.
I did think Woo Jin and Da Jung had such good chemistry though. If it were any other drama, they did so many things that would be included in a lead-up to a budding romance. From him saving her from those drunk guys hitting on her, to saving/helping her in the game, that near kiss in the car when the cops showed up, and how he said he was her dog and he would protect his master (rawr). Just a few examples. I think the writers should have made a slight confirmation in the final episode that they were going to/are a canon couple. Even just a kiss in the distance would have been enough lol. I’m sure if there was a season 2, they would develop it a bit more. The show was alright without the romance of course, but it wouldn’t have hurt to add but a teensy weensy bit more you know?
On the whole, it was a very good drama. One you watch for good quality entertainment and plot.
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This review may contain spoilers
My first Chinese drama! And it could be described in one word: soul cleansing. This is the second drama I've seen that has succeeded in the impossible: no insider couple melodrama. It is smooth sailing from beginning to end. I was still on the edge of my seat throughout the whole thing, just waiting for it. I’m so used to internal conflict that since it had been so peaceful, I was just anticipating it and wanted to get it over and done with. But I was pleasantly surprised to find the show continued its fluffy and relaxed pace throughout the show. Did Love O2O say healthy relationship™ rights or what? I can’t even begin to explain all the reasons I love Xiao Nai and Bei Weiwei, both as individual characters and as a couple.
- 100% trust and faith in one another
- Communication!!!
- Support one another
- Actual soulmates??
- Crossed every item off the couple bucket list!!!!
- Stand-up for each other always
And can we talk about the fact we did NOT have to deal with the following:
- Disapproving in-laws
- Misunderstandings
- Unnecessary love triangles (technically we did have Cao Guang [foreign languages genius] & Zhen Shao Xiang [her in-game ex] interested in Weiwei and Meng Yiran [the campus beauty] interested in Xiao Nai [I mean who wouldn’t be interested in the literal university campus prince/lord] but the relationship literally did not even sway a tad)
I feel like I need to write an essay on the perfection that is Xiao Nai. How can the perfect human male exist???
- Kindhearted
- Effortlessly cool
- Body of a greek god
- Handsome as HELL (I could look at him all day)
- Intelligent
- Good at everything (except cooking, teehee - but hey he didn’t say he was a bad cook, he just said he only knew how to cook noodles lol)
- A good friend, boyfriend, boss
- Looks out for others
- A feminist icon
- Told Weiwei that they would never fight, he would never doubt her, would still be with her even if she were unfaithful and would work to turn her around… like damn. What a MAN
- Following on from that, like can we replay that iconic scene where campus beauty Yiran calls him up to meet to talk about Weiwei (more like spread false rumours) and he responds “Not interested” and just hangs up on her???! I was liVING
- Or when Cao Guang says “After watching the video, you never doubted Weiwei? You trust her that much?” and the prince of my heart replies “Why wouldn’t I trust my girlfriend?” like sWOON - that’s exactly the way it should be!!!
- I just love him a lot okay
And Bei Weiwei? Also a queen
- Super nice
- Pretty
- Doesn’t let others walk all over her, stands up for herself (and others!)
- Smart af
- Also an amazing gamer (like her husband)
- Can you tell that they both have almost identical great character traits?? And that’s why they are perfect for each other
And can we also just talk about how Xiao Nai was the Qing University’s prince with every girl falling to their knees around him, he was so famous it was crazy - and Weiwei is a bit shy at first with their relationship being on show but she never has insecurities about her not being good enough for Mr. Perfection Incarnate which was SO refreshing. She can stand on her own two feet and they behave like a normal couple around campus. And even better, people (girls) were never like ‘omg how did she land a guy like him’ or ‘she doesn’t deserve him’ or any crap like that. In fact, the boyz were even saying ‘Nai, you landed the department beauty within 5 mins!! mad respect bro’ like they were on a somewhat equal playing field! Everybody (minus Yiran’s posse) supported their relationship, how nice is that!!
They were honestly married throughout the whole thing, with terms like ‘husband’ and ‘wife’ being thrown around by their friends always (since they are married in the game). Like they were That™ couple. THE couple. When she was first brought to their office, all the guys were like “omgomgomg it’s Nai’s future wife guys!!!1!” amazing.
And another thing I loved was Weiwei’s friendship with the squad: the boyz. Aka Nai’s 3 roommates; later co-workers. I just realised that dramas never show the male lead’s girlfriend interacting much with his friends??? Why is that? Why are there always a million second male leads, but never any healthy interaction between the female lead’s boyfriend’s guy friends? It was so wholesome! They have such a fun dynamic, she teases them - from the one who can’t use idioms properly, to Mr. Girly, etc.
She has such fun with them and they also defend her!! When her name was being dragged through the mud, they posted her results to prove how smart she was. Or when Nai made his and Weiwei’s relationship official and friend Hao Mei was the only one who wasn’t filled in that Luwei Weiwei was Bei Weiwei (even though it should be obvious with that identical name lmao) but Mei was ready to fight and ran to Nai saying “what about your gAME WIFE?!? what would she say you m*therfu-“
hilarious. but also, such pure intentions, we stan.
It’s also such a simple thing, but my heart skips a beat whenever Nai introduces Weiwei to people and naturally says “this is my girlfriend Bei Weiwei”, so underrated. It’s the little things!!!
I was also a fan of how the trope of the ‘bitchy’ popular girl who’s out to get the male lead wasn’t taken to the extreme? She honestly was a pretty nice girl. She just had shitty friends who gave her terrible advice and she was swayed by them because of her crush. And then at the end, she apologised to Weiwei for her actions, aw. Nice. That’s how it SHOULD be done.
I could probably go into more things from the plot to the secondary relationships and the soundtrack but I’m content with just going over the important things. But I will mention that I liked the addition of the ‘game world’, as it added another dimension to the drama. Although the CGI was trash, it was still a good addition and it mixed it up.
Overall, this show is everything I love. I wish more shows could be like this. Drama-free, easygoing with loads of cute moments and healthy relationships. This drama was a 10 from me, how could it not be.
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This review may contain spoilers
My thoughts on this drama? That cartoon of that dude shrugging saying “…I guess?”It was obvious it was a Chinese take on “Itazura na Kiss” but it’s not easy to replicate such a masterpiece.
There were many things I weren’t a fan of. Xiao Xi’s behaviour at the beginning of the show was very unsettling, from her stalker-ish behaviour and not respecting somebody’s wishes when they turn you down. She also came up with the dumbest lies and did such stupid things to try and win his affection. I understand she was young and naive, we all do dumb stuff at 16. But still, I’d expect that behaviour from a 13 year old, not a 16 year old one.
Meanwhile Jiang Chen’s side of the story and how he fell for her is revealed right at the end of the show. Apparently he loved her shortly (I’m guessing a few months?) after she confessed when they were sweeping leaves. But like, his behaviour towards her is cold & harsh 90% of the time??!! Yeah sure, that’s his ‘personality’ to be closed off and such. But it’s the words that get to me in particular.
E.g. (spoiler!!!!)
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[After she is in tears after what happened at the play, crying her eyes out on the stage, all because he was jealous he tells her “you were so embarrassing today” like DUDE. HOW can you SAY that?? You know you are this girl’s entire world, and how important your words mean to her. Knowing this, you deliberately made her feel worse about herself because you were jealous. (and btw he never apologises for that)]
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Like, I just hate that he strings her along this whole time. He gets mad whenever she is around Wu Bo Song (who treats her so well) even though she could be his in the blink of an eye if he just DID SOMETHING ABOUT IT! Here’s a pic of how Xiao Xi would surely be feeling:
[You don't want me to be with you;
You don't want me to be with someone else.
How miserable do I have to be before you're happy?]
I wanted to weep for Wu Bo Song honestly. Because he has always been there for her.
I also never felt any chemistry whatsoever between the secondary couple (Lu Yang - the nerd and Jingjing - the tomboy). It felt like the writers just put them together for convenience. Their relationship never made sense to me.
But getting back to the main couple, I still found it weird when they finally got together. Like, it just…happened?
(spoiler!!!)
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[They were in university and he called her his girlfriend and … that was that? Guess they’re dating?? It took what, 17 episodes for this and this is what we’ve been waiting for? The writers could have at LEAST let him confess to her.]
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There was something good that came out of all those time-skips though!! They both finally got better haircuts!!!! What an improvement omg. That bowl cut on Xiao Xi drove me nuts. She is SO pretty but that hair was weighing her down so much. I understand they needed to have different hair to show all the time-skips but couldn’t they have given her literally any other hairstyle??? His hair also got an uplift, nice.
Anyway, on the whole, it was a VERY long slowburn. The last episode was cute at least?
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Personally, I enjoyed this one even more than the first one. I love love loved it!It’s so over the top and it’s amazing
I was also so glad we had a bigger budget this season, especially loved everybody’s new costumes.
I would have been totally down for a continuation of the modern world - with Mo Lian Cheng pursuing the Xiao Tan that hadn’t gone back in time yet. I can't believe he asked her to marry him in like one (1) episode lol, mo lian cheng has absolutely no chill
And let me tell you, Xing Zhao Lin in modern gear? Hard smash, he looked so good
Xiao Tan’s character also improved so much. And this time we didn’t have to worry about her switching back and forth! She is much more cheerful and fun than before, I enjoyed her constant modern references even more than before. I just love her so much. She even said #feminism and #employeerights. Even doing a street dance with the crowd, making a scooter, having a Victoria’s secret fashion show, just everything. An icon.
And Xiao Tan’s kink is Mo Lian Cheng’s chest muscles, I actually love it. Girl loves those pecs
“I just want to live ordinary days of petting a cat and touching your chest muscles” XD Don’t we all
And let’s not forget “Even if I’m about to die, I must get his clothes off!”
Meanwhile, the plot is actually so good?? I never thought having a battle with yourself would be such good material!!
I loved how there were TWO versions of himself. This show’s solution to solving second lead syndrome? Just make two of the same guy!! and give one a face-changing mask lmaooooo
But also: Imagine two versions of your boyfriend flirting with you, lmao. How does Xiao Tan cope constantly seeing them together, it would mess me up
Oh but can we talk about the kisses!! There were SO many good ones, we were BLESSED.
And a side note: My favourite thing that is never explained? Mo Lian’s Cheng can just…fly?? As far as I know, nobody else can fly. But nobody even bats an eye, like ‘oh that’s normal’
It’s so funny and I love it. Keep it unexplained pls
But also, I feel like he should have done that in a LOT of situations
My only complaint I would have is that last third of the show is a very stressful watch? Towards the end, my bbies never get to have a break for 2 seconds. There’s always a new big bad, like can everybody just chill. Mo Lian Cheng is injured/near death in every episode, my poor son. So yes, my anxiety was high in this show.
Especially every time anybody blood related touched him and it was like he was having an epilepsy fit on the inside (‘conceal don’t feel don’t let it show’) Poor dude!!!!
I appreciate that they made the Queen Dowager good in this version though.
And I was also SO down for the secondary couple: 14th prince x Jing Xin.
Speaking of Jing Xin, she is SUCH a good friend and loyal servant, she is an actual angel. All the awards for Jing Xin.
On the whole, the first 2/3rds of the show are REALLY good, the last third is stressful and does get a bit on the weird/crazy side but at least we never have to go to that damn ‘spiritual realm’ again.
I can’t wait for S3!!! They did a really good job of wrapping up loose ends while also preparing the groundwork for the next season. The hype is real
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The main difference is our heroine Xiao Tan’s body still has the original owner in there, so she switches back and forth. It’s a tug of war between delicate & nice and spunky & spice. Liang Jie does such a good job portraying both characters, to the point you can see the difference in a second - whether it is Xiao Tan or Qu Tan'er.
The chemistry between the leads is so good, it's probably the highlight of the show.
The last few episodes do go a little crazy in terms of wtf but the first half is really good. Would recommend
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I really loved their development and it just proves that friendship is such a great foundation for a relationship. They both had problems to go through and they helped each other when they needed it most. They were such a healthy pure couple!!!
There was just so much fluff, and I loved every minute of it. The first ten episodes were okay but afterwards was when I believe the show really began to shine and increase in quality. We got had gotten to know the characters now, and relationships started to flourish. The characters had developed and matured as well.
I loved the aesthetic of this drama too. The gorgeous colours and lil cartoons were so cute. The soundtrack was also so good!! It is so lovely and soothing.
All in all, this drama was so pure. The last few eps are definitely re-watch worthy, and I’m really glad I took my friend’s recommendation and watched this adorableness of a show.
This is a show for all you lovers of fluff, you'll feel like you're on a cloud :)
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What a show, wow. I began the show thinking that it was so trashy, but was still more or less intrigued by it so I kept watching it. Then I slowly became totally hooked. If I had to compare it to a show I was already familiar with (for any anime fans out there) then I would compare it with Kamisama Hajimemashita. The whole idea of someone chosen / with special powers being protected by someone powerful (be it a familiar or sage) connected with the spiritual world. (Plus the whole idea of binding contract through a kiss). I love the idea of the female protagonist calling out her lover's name and he appears to protect her. What else is really intriguing about the show is the idea of this bracelet that makes you fall in love with the owner. The whole time you're wondering what his feelings would be if it was removed. I didn't ship the couple of first - because I felt like they had no build up. But then in the middle and second half of the show you can really feel their chemistry. And god damn Song O-Gong is smooth. You also see Ji Seon-Mi so at war with herself and her feelings because she knows his feelings are only caused by the bracelet and aren't real. But at the same time, although those feelings are from bracelet, they are still real feelings. He is in love with her and shows her affection. It makes you wonder what you would do, would you fall deeper in love with him knowing that his feelings were forced upon him? I still think this couple will be one of my favourites for a long time. The plot is not bad, the first half of the show is mostly character introduction and... filler but not filler, it's hard to describe. Stuff if happening but not happening? If I had to write descriptions for the first few episodes, I would be struggling lol
Every episode they have to deal with a new evil spirit/ghost/demon - Supernatural style. Then in the second half of the show the plot gets thicker and more intense. Like so much is going on but it all ties in together? I definitely think Asanyeo spiced things up.
I really liked the dynamics between the characters and the occasional comedic elements. I'm still laughing from the group chat. Ji Seon-Mi just put Devil King, his dog Secretary Ma, the pop star pig PK, the zombie Richie, General Winter, Summer Fairy and Sa Oh-Jung The Bigshot Head of A Smartphone Company/Stay at Home Dad all together.
The #squad
That running gag was hilarious, especially the notification noises.
The series was a fun mess just like this review but still so good. I'll just finish by saying there is nothing quite like this show and it was a pleasure to go on the ride.
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I deserve a medal after finishing that drama, honestly. My main grievance is that her fangirl identity wasn’t even revealed? Wtf????? The only thing I was holding out for tbh, what the hell. But god, where did this drama go so wrong? It started out okay but it was like a downward spiral. Ok, first things first, I still didn’t really ship Sung Duk Mi with Ryan Gold / Heo Yoon Jae. No offence to the actor, but for some reason he just looks so much older than her??? I couldn’t get past it. And personally, couldn’t really see the chemistry. That’s just me. And the only part I liked, turned out to be a dream!!!! Jfc
And my GOD did it get boring after like episode 10 I think it was? (after we had to suffer a whole episode of unnecessary angst with their ‘break up’) Maybe it’s because I don’t care about art, but the whole storyline was then based around the gallery and those bubble paintings and I could not have been more uninterested. And then that episode of flashbacks and drama (with their child abandonment stuff and she just all of a sudden had a little brother that died???) god why. It was just so boring, I couldn’t take it.
Then the writers just totally forgot all about the fangirling side of things, entirely. Which was what drew me to the show!! I wanted to see more of it!
You might think I’m being harsh giving it a 4.5 but I just have such disdain towards this drama.
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