Visually beautiful production and charismatic ML but terrible editing, pacing, and sound editing.

This drama is very aesthetically appealing. Settings, lighting, camera direction and acting all came together to create a gorgeousness that feels immersive, dark-sexy and intriguing. The production values are somewhat higher end for a short length. I love this ML, ive seen him in other things and hes great.

Romance was more tame than I expected, and it was sort of presented as a side-dish to an overly complicated plot about drugs, power, secrets, and scheming.

The real problem was completely bad editing and pacing. It slows down way too slow, then speeds up way too fast with flashback scenes presented in disjointed ways and lots of skipping around from one thing to another.

The writing and directing werent the best either, there was an awul lot of cringe moments flying around here and there.

The bgm/ost were so "off" to me... nothing struck a note that matched the tone of the scene. It was all this accoustic femmy music with a dynamic range imbalance problem, that just killed any sexy and drove me to hit mute. Very loud in comparison to the drama, and distracting/detracting. Some people really like the songs. I dont.. this is not my kind of music. But aside from that, the music didnt match the tone of the show at all. You have a very dark aesthetic, lots of use of black and dimly lit interiors, and rainy nights, the ML has a very dark, smoldering quality to his looks, hes supposed to be a badass, protecting his ballerina girl from blood, bullets, drugs, and crime bosses. That just doesnt call for sentimental accoustic female ballad songs. It calls for something that sounds dark and smoky. The juxtaposition of music to show was imo jarring and detracted from the overall tone they were trying to create.

Supporting casts acting was neither great nor terrible. But since this romance was very short on actual romance, and my focus was challenged by the drama and not gripped by it, i give it a 6. Imo a wast of time, not totally worth the watch.

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Great beginning slowly marches toward a predictable and unsatisfying ending.

Starts off with great chemistry and plenty of swashbuckling and sexy scenes peppered here and there. All leads are very good in their roles.

However this director/ screenplay has a hard time balancing the plot with the sense of romance and excitement. As the plot progresses and becomes more involved, the leads gradually lose their spark, and you kind of start to wonder why theyre going through all the trouble.

FL, while pretty and charming, is -imo- not quite right for the part. She is supposed to be a proud, dignified, and vengeful person. But the way this actress portrays it comes off too harsh and awkward and I found several of her "strong proud woman" scenes to be nauseating and tedious. However, she's not THAT bad. She was decent.

Now, the SML / SFL couple is where you will really emotionally invest. Right away you'd notice that they violate the c-drama rules for a happy ending, so logic would tell you from the start that theyre doomed and won't live. And indeed they don't. But it wont stop you from emotionally investing. Therefore by the time they died, I no longer cared about what happened to the main couple. The second couple is funnier, sweeter, more exciting, and WAYYYY sexier.

The plot was involved, but not very gripping. The villain is unpleasant and gets too much screentime. Main couple gets very little screentime together through the middle/end of the story.

It doesn't feel like a happy ending, although technically you could get away with calling it one.

The whole thing lacks a firm artistic vision, and often seems like just a hodgepodge of scenes tromping blindly ahead through the prescribed plotlines, to the point that finishing some episodes felt like a chore. The director on some level knows this, and attempts to use the ost to pump up the emotional amperage of what is basically a somewhat flat story. Which just makes the ost sound aggressive and intrusive.

In this case, it was the 4 lead actors who had to hold this crappy story up, and they do a very good job of it, but they cant rescue the drama from its phoned-in direction, muddled script, and letdown ending.

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A decent story with a good amount of spice, but missing that je ne sais quoi...

In many senses this drama was "very good".... there is good chemistry between the leads, acting was good, styling and aesthetics were good, story was good, and it's spicy enough to give you some good cheap thrills. And the soundtrack was very very good, and served to elevate many scenes, while never at any point becoming too intrusive.

But for all that it had going for it, I wouldn't call this exemplary. The story was told in a kind of blocky, disjointed way that leaves viewers with a few questions afterward. The plot unfolded in a way that could have been made less confusing, although it was good enough that you could basically follow along. The actors are great and their chemistry is good, but neither of them is displaying a lot of charisma. (At least their kiss scenes are somewhat satisfying, so that was nice.) The settings and wardrobe were supposed to reflect money and sumptuousness, but they just felt a little bit cheap sometimes (not too bad though).

The plot itself was a little bit ho-hum... it was too makjang to feel realistic, and too realistic to feel makjang. The subject matter was predictable and tired, and didn't throw a lot of twists at the viewer.

For me, 8 is the threshhold score of shows I think are really satisfying and worth a re-watch. I gave this a 7.5 because there's nothing that *wrong* with it, and yet it just didn't quiiiiiite come together in a way I felt was truly satisfying -- but sooo close though.

Basically the highlight of this drama is that it has a spice level that's higher than most shows. So it's good for if you want a few hours of viewing that will give your heartrate a goose. But I wouldn't go into this drama very serious-minded or expecting something epic. I would recc it for a one-time watch to someone who wanted an "Inbetween-shows-show".

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Good smut + Lynchian darkness + raw depth + strange cheesiness = cult classic

This was like watching Wild At Heart, My Lethal Man, and The K2 blended together in a Vitamix and then smothered in sexy.

I see a fair number of watchers taking this drama only at its face value, which is an in-your-face raciness combined with a wild plot more full of holes than swiss cheese. So it begs obvious comparison to My Lethal man, in that afterward youre like "I dont know what the hell I just watched but it was hot." And that is a fair comparison.

But I was also strongly reminded of David Lynch. (Thats the director that did Twin Peaks, the original Dune movie, Wild at Heart with Nicholas Cage, Blue Velvet, Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive)

Like Lynch movies, there is a strange, dark, quiet, beautiful, unsettled, disoriented feeling to this drama, that makes you wonder how many mysteries the show holds. Are the plot holes accidental or deliberate? Its riding a fine line.

This odd balance between darkness/lightness... quiet/dramatic... depth/simplicity.... cheesy/sexy..... is what I think has the elements of an instant cult classic.... like Repo Man, Heathers, True Romance, Twilight, etc. Many cult classics have a strange and stylish, mysterious blend of hokey and twisted and profoundly deep that makes the story so rewatchable.

There are weirdly placed intrusions of cheesy frivolity sure. But there are also scenes of real emotional depth that some shows try so hard to bring to the screen and fail at. I teared up at many scenes despite myself, because the emotions were so raw and beautiful, and well placed.

And the wholllle thing is just covered with sexiness everywhere. Even the "villain" is strange-sexy and hot af. Reminds me of a young asian marilyn manson with no makeup and a haircut. His looks are captivating and his acting is excellent. The ML and FL are sexy af and hot like fire and good actors. There is real kissing in the kiss scenes. GOOD real kissing, that make me think the ML is in rl probably an excellent lover. And for any kiss scene affectionados out there ----> there is french kissing in this one.

The casting was so excellent, the costumes and styling will stand up to a test of time... in 10 or 20 years, it will look just as hot as it does now, it will age well.

A very unique style that I appreciated greatly. The dumbness of this drama is deceptive. Beneath the dumbness lies real artistic skill and vision, and the dichotomy between the crappy cheapness and the refined elegance was, imo, highly enjoyable and very genious.

Im a hard grader, I dont give out 9s lightly, but this drama was truly excellent and had a distinct style all its own.

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Racy kiss scene and good actors can't rescue this slapdash drama.

Theres a slight ending spoiler in this review, just fair warning....
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The plot was "not bad". I didnt like the vague open ended tragedy-ish vibe of the ending, but the story itself was kind of creative and had some fresh twists.

Screenwriters took that creative plot and doused it in mediocrity. Director took that mediocre script, and used it to make a drama that looks like they spent about a week shooting scenes for. Everything seems really loose n fast as far as direction: Actors lacked conviction of their characters, had not developed chemistry with one another, performances were tepid, action scenes were boring, sets and costumes were extremely 'typical'.... the director didn't care.

Then in the middle of this snoozer, theres a kinda racy love scene, with a french kiss and everything! But (and I cant believe i'm saying this) it wasn't really that hot. It was just curious and odd. Because it felt like the lead-up to it wasn't really there. ML/FL don't feel like they have much chemistry going with eachother. Once again, I blame the director, because both of these actors ARE capable of better, more electric performances. But no one can do their job when theyre being rushed, and that includes actors too.

What an absolute waste of a french kiss, my goodness.

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An incredible work of art....

This is one of the shortest series i've ever seen, and yet I feel like I could write a huge essay about it (I won't... but I could).

Starting with the most obvious thing, that being the TERRIBLE dubbing/music: This drama is like a Michaelangelo painting covered in mud - that mud being the dubbing. It may at first look like shit. But if you wipe off the grime, what's underneath it is breathtaking. So my strenuous advice in order to fully appreciate this is

>>>Put on the sexiest, darkest, hottest music you know of.... AND MUTE THE SOUND ON THIS SHOW<<<<

I personally reccommend Type O Negative's 'Love You To Death' on repeat. But just whatever suits you, whatever you think would compliment this drama.

Once you've removed the offensive dubbing/music, what you will find is an absolutely gorgeous, sexy, raw romance story... perfectly cast, perfectly acted. The script is fucking genius. It reveals just enough emotion, and leaves just enough for your mind to fill in the blanks.

Theres zero bullshit filler here. Thats why its so short. Its focus is only the ML and FL. But its also powerful, it really grabs you and holds you. If you think its easy to create such powerful emotions with such a short script, you try it. Paring something down, stripping it to only its most basic elements, while retaining its evokative emotional power is an art form, thats why Steinbeck and Coetzee are considered literary geniuses.

The camerawork and the lighting is so perfectly suited to the story and the acting. Stylists did a great job. The actors brought ALL their energy and talent to this piece. I felt everything they were feeling, and when they cried I cried. When they were distraught, I was distraught. What they thought about is what I thought about. The final two episodes were so perfectly written, which is exceedingly difficult to do.

It was hot, realistic, emotional, and so so beautiful. And yes I said realistic.... ask me how I know ;P

This is exactly why I dig through old and lesser rated shows, to find hidden treasures just like this.

Amazing -- and the only reason I don't give it a 10 is because I dont know how many rewatches it can stand up to, and because the sound (all of it) is atrocious.

Trust me... muted, this drama magically transforms from a mess into a masterpiece.

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This is a lot more than just some trashy smut-film.

This is one of only a handful of movies I've ever watched where the sex scenes aren't gratuitous. Each one conveys something different, and when you add them all up, you have a very beautiful message, in which the director is trying to convey how for some people in some situations, sex and love aren't a straight line. Sometimes people, through complex situations, get wired differently in that area of life.

I see this movie as controversial because in a very distinct way, it romanticizes prostitution, and romanticizes dysfunctional sexuality. Yet the opposite side of that is that it humanizes sexual dysfunction, so that a person isn't defined by their kink, it's just another aspect of their personhood. Also in defense of the film, it is highly respectful of how it treats the topic of AIDS.

If you skip the dialogue and just watch for the smut factor, you miss the entire artistry of the movie. If you skip the smut and just watch for the dialogue, you also miss the artistry of the movie, because each sex scene has something to convey. In this sense, the movie is sort of genius. A very deliberate movie.

We have all seen shows that depict sex work as seedy, dirty, depressing, hopeless. This is the opposite side of that. I think it's relying on the concept that most of the viewers already have seen the sordid side of the sex industry and know what it entails, and this movie is almost like an apology to that. A serious attempt at an explanation for why people end up in the industry, why they stay, or why they support it.

I don't agree entirely with some of the viewpoints the film takes, but I respect that at least it wasn't at all just another piece of smut. There are very deep emotions running through this movie.

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A solid in-between-shows watch.

This ML is a fucking phenomenal actor, and the actual basic plot is creative. However, they are being hamstrung by a mediocre director, mundane script writers, phoned-in makeup, and budget production.

There's nothing that outright sucks about this one, I'll give it that. FL is fine and brings the slightest touch of comedy to her performance, and it works. She lets herself have some chemistry with the ML (Some, mind you, not really a lot though). The creative vision lacks a certain amount of cohesion.... is it fluff, is it comedy, is it action, is it drama.... it's not really sure. There is no distinct "look" to it. It leaves an afterimpression of averageness.

I think this is a good watch if you need just something light and mildly entertaining with a brisk pace. I also think this is an allright watch if you are just curious about Cheng Yu Feng's acting evolution. He has a few brief flashes of genius acting in this drama, but for the mostpart what you see is him dumbing himself down as an actor to fit the role that's beneath him.

There's a part where the FL asks him if his lazy personality is all fake. He looks at her and considers the question and then says "It's fake... and it's not fake." And in that 10 seconds of acting, you can see that brilliance he has, as his emotions silently shift from one to another so fast... it's like his emotions are "shiny", they flicker across his face and it's quite extraordinary. He does it again in the last episode when the FL gives him the big news that I'm not going to tell you so I don't spoil it, but you'll know it when you see it if you decide to watch this one. And there's a few instances in the first half of the show where it is written into the script that his facade has to crack open for just a fraction of a moment and you see a glimmer of who he really is, and wowww it was sexy and cool. But again..... these moments are fleeting, the script and direction really don't give him any room to breathe as an actor.

It was decent.

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Starts off kind of promising, but then turns into just a montage of CEO cliches.

The basic problem with this story is... well.... the story.

ML starts off as a domineering, powerful, cold, calculating badboy. But when he realizes he's in love with the FL halfway through the drama, he suddenly becomes pathetic, grovelly, sweet and spineless. It's like he turns into a completely different character altogether.

For those of us who like badboy ML's, the way he falls apart and turns into a simp as soon as he realizes he loves her, is a huge turnoff. It's not cute, and it's not sexy. It's just extremely cringe.

In the beginning, there was some novelty to the way this couple becomes closer. But at that halfway mark, suddenly the ways the ML and FL are pushed together through the story become really insultingly cliche. He hurts his hand so she has to tie his tie. The power goes out and they have to talk in the dark. Just really stupid basic shit with zero imagination.

Really disappointed in this one, because the way it started off was so promising that I'm surprised at how cheap the writing became as the show went on.

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If Power Rangers made a romance story.

There are no bug masks or spandex leotards, sure. But there is the same brisk pacing, gloating overacting villains, bad cgi and even worse dubbing, a story totally unfettered by pesky things like 'logic', and actors doing a halfassed job of playing characters that make no sense and have no backstory.

Much like Power Rangers, i am not emotionally moved in the slightest by this story, and only mildly amused by the copious abundance of cheese.

I give it a 6 because despite its failings, it was fresh... and even though I felt it was a waste of time, I was at least somewhat entertained.

I do have to say, though..... that it attempted to be an action/romance story, and the result was that it ended up being neither action nor romance.

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An overall strong production, with a few weaker points

The superior production and direction made this traditional story of palace intrigue very gripping and watchable. Pacing, styling, settings, direction, aesthetic were compelling and interesting.

The weak points:

1. The romance aspect was SORELY lacking. There is no passion at all, no romantic chemistry between leads, and a "made for all audiences" sensibility about it. This is not a romance story. Its a palace drama, with a light romantic element to it.

2. Missed the mark on the "strong finish", went overboard and turned it predictable and cheesy.

3. Villains are hard to understand psychologically, have too much screentime, are too cruel and sick, and do not get the endings they deserve in most cases.

Other than that, it was a fun watch.

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This is absolute apex cliche.

How can I describe this drama..... it's like somebody saying "I will make you authentic italian spaghetti," and then serving you plain boiled spaghetti noodles with a can of extremely cheap marinara uncerimoniously dumped on top of it.

Things you will see:
>Distracting and fake-as-shit-looking milk moustaches. Yes, more than one.
>FL is aspiring artist, CEO ML gives her a job next to his office.
>Got dayum that 3ML lookin genetically recessive.
>Trying on outfits with the CEO ML sitting on a couch pooh-poohing all the outfits until..... he sees the STUNNER DRESS..... you know the one. The one that looks like a 20-dollar little mermaid knockoff princess dress. "Oh, I couldn't get my zipper zipped all the way up by myself...."
>The shoddy wire gazebo strung with christmas lights, which the FL was tricked into wandering into, when suddenly OUT OF NOWHERE the ML appears in a suit with a giant bouquet of flowers, gives her his confession and a piece of jewelry. Bet you didn't see that coming.
>Backlit errythang!
>The kind of kissing you'd see from two people if, say for instance, they were complete strangers thrown together by a shitty script and standing under a glaring light, surrounded by camera crews.

It goes on and on like this, you get the idea. It's dull, flat, insulting to your intelligence, unoriginal to such an extent that you could call it noteworthy. I would not watch this unless I was having a PTSD attack or someone had just died, and I just needed something "on".

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Pretty much the ONLY thing wrong with this is the ending. Everything else was awesome...

This was a time-travel plotline that satisfies, because the pacing is just right, and it doesn't get overly confusing at any point. The story was interesting, but not too interesting. After all, in a romance drama, the plot is supposed to serve as the vehicle and backdrop to a core story about two people falling in love. Some romance dramas become so plot-heavy and entangled that the writers forget there's supposed to be a ROMANCE story in there, and the romance drops by the wayside in sacrifice to a plot thats just too much. Not with this one. The romance is always at front and center of the story, in every episode.

Lovesickness has a very interesting and peculiar brand of "angst" running through it that I greatly enjoyed. The characters are smiling and the sky is sunny, the clothes are white and pink, and yet you can feel this terrible sadness and yearning beneath it, coming from the plot, and it's such an odd contrast, I loved it.

Actors were EXCELLENT!!! Oh my GOD, the FL and ML are total powerhouse actors with amazing range, and they have real chemistry between them. As many of us already know, Yan Zi Xian knows how to kiss. But this time he's really outdone himself, because THERE IS A FRENCH KISS IN EPISODE 11. Yu Yi Lei, the actress who plays the FL is AWESOME for letting him kiss her like that, and she just rolled with it. She's not a bad onscreen kisser herself, and her ACTING is so GOOD. I normally am really picky about FL actresses, but I am an instant fan of YYL because of her performance in this. I cannot stress enough that these roles required a LOT of range of emotion and personality, and YYL and YZX completely slayed.

Makeup was totally on point. There are times where ML or FL has to look sickly, wounded, pale, drunk, happy, whatever.... and every time, the makeup set off the scene to make it that much more believable.

Writing also on point. The dialogue was touching but not sappy, easy to follow, with great sense of timing and pacing. The flow of the story was natural.

Many aspects of this show were frivolous, cliche, predictable. In that sense, this show is meant to be a casual, light watch. That's usually how it is with short-lengths. But within the confines of their format... they really fuckin nailed it. My only gripe is the way it ended, and I very much hope a part 2 is slated to happen at some point. Please god, let there be a sequel to this someday.

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Better than most run-of-the mill c-dramas, but not re-watch caliber.

ML and FL were both very good in this. Excellent acting, great styling and costumes, both of them are great actors turning in solid performances.

However, just that alone can't save a show. Nearly everything else about this drama was "good but not great". Supporting cast, music, dialogue, camerawork, fight scenes, costumes... all were good but not great.

What sucks is that the worst part about it was the story itself. So this script fundamentally could not be saved. The way the plot was designed, was that you get the initial romance between the ML and FL, their courtship, falling in love... planning their wedding... having their before-the-wedding night, and it's all super sweet. That lasts through roughly the first half of the drama. And then.... calamity strikes and they are suddenly separated. This separation is brutal, cruel, and total, and it lasts for the entire second half of the drama. The writer first establishes in you an emotional connection to the ML/FL couple, and then uses that emotional connection to keep you watching through episode after episode of the pain of separation, and gross injustices carried out against the ML and the FL. Well, that gets tired real fast. I am not an emotional masochist, so I did not appreciate the storyline at ALL.

There are also problems with the scriptwriting. Transitions between one scene to the next sometimes leave you disoriented like "did I miss something between these two scenes?" And certain aspects of the story were acted out and filmed when they should have just been implied.... and other aspects of the story were implied, when they should have been acted out and a scene written for what happened. In this sense, the flow was blocky and disjointed.

Finally the chemistry between the main couple left something to be desired. It was "not bad". There was SOME level of chemistry there. But it wasn't electric. The two main actors are both very beautiful and very good actors, but they don't make the best couple. They just make a "pretty good" couple.

So this was a 7.5 for me, because it is definitely definitely worth a watch.... but not really worth a rewatch. Y'know... unless you just want to stare at beautiful sexy Luo Zheng in a hot costume and gorgeous long hair.

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