all time favs

cdrama of 2022. obsessed is an understatement <3

had all my favorite tropes of xianxia. also one of my first xianxias so it holds a special place in my heart

perfect coming of age story.

i have so much to say about this drama. this is probably the first school drama i've watched; i've always tended to avoid them for some reason— after giving them tries ofc (reply 1998, our beloved summer, etc.)  but this drama simply CLICKED. 

it starts off slow and we're introduced to su zaizai, our beloved protagonist. she is cheerful and bubbly, but NOT a pushover. she knows when her boundaries are crossed and does not hesitate to stand up for herself. i really appreciated this as it's not something you see often in cdramas. something i loved was when zaizai told rangrang that if they don't get into the same university, to not worry about it because she wanted rangrang to chase his dreams. they would work hard towards their individual goals to be able to come together and chase their dreams <3

and rangrang, the perfect male lead. he is stoic, reserved, and quiet (and handsome) as most drama leads are. however, he is kind and patient. he is the epitome of acts of service (watching him slowly fall for zaizai through the smiles he couldn't suppress and ways of taking care of zaizai and his friends was so fun to watch).

the friend group is also so sweet to watch. they are caring towards one another and support each other's goals/endeavors. their backstories are relatable. i'm also obsessed with the grandma—she is so sweet and cute. i'm happy her little shop served as their safe haven.

ik this is the most i've raved about a drama for awhile, but i'm literally just so happy right now. and i'm not even finished watching, i'm scared for the slump i'll be into after this ends. i cried, i laughed, and i smiled while watching this drama. 

note to myself: ep 18 i bawled bc grandma and ep 19 i squealed bc romance!!<3

edit: rewatched 8/17/24 and it was just as perfect as i remembered

top kdrama of 2024. 

i know i'm behind with watching this.. but i loved this so much. i cried every episode from how sweet the story was :') 

perfect storyline, ost, and acting. 

top drama of 2024 so far and that's saying something. it's on par with story of kunning palace for me (they are diff vibes anyways)

the fl played her role perfectly-cutesy and naive but not dumb. ml played the broody but sensitive + sweet man so well. i love myself an age gap so this story was for me. 

the ost is so so dreamy i have it on repeat now. the cinematography was also so stunning with beautiful shots of the landscape, chinese culture,  and the cute cat and fishies. 

overall, it just had so many beautiful shots of the beautiful love story between the two. my only complaint was near the latter half it started focusing on the second ml and lady and i could have cared less..

so so sweet!! 

i literally love esther yu she never misses. her role here was perfect imo and i loved her character in which she was girly and intelligent. loved the ml actor here bc he played the cold professor (but when he falls he is soo sweet and caring). will check more of his works out :) 

overall, a 9.5 in my books bc the story and pacing was perfect for me. i usually prefer 24 episodes but this 35 eps was fine with me bc the second ml+fl took up so much screen time (i recommend skipping lmao). 

i can see this being a comfort drama for me when i have nothing to watch. it's on the same wavelength as WIFTY, hidden love, and new life begins in which it will always make you feel warm and happy <3 

the chemistry between bai lu and the ml!!! + the cinematagrophy makes it always on my rewatch list. 

loved the ml and fl i fear also the side characters, the plot was a little too much sometimes (convoluted) so i skipped quite a bit. but it was still very enjoyable and i binged it in 3 days 

THE CINEMATOGRAPHY & OST!!!

yes its a 9 star rating from me but still top #5 best dramas. it was very different in a good way from all other cdrams i've attempted watching. 

the second couple ended up being my favorite (i be watching compilations of them LOL) while main cp are cute i just am a sucker for villains.. 

i think the reason why i loved this sm is bc no one is good or bad. everyone has their own motivations and selfish desires. it keeps you guessing!! 

the brief yet intense romance scenes are what kept me going though. 

overall, i will await great things from this director!! 

star-crossed lovers.

more angsty than my usual niche but it was worth every tear shed.  junho is so beautiful here and FL is so cute and admirable. 

i love the OST too i study to it all the time

light & shadow. never one without the other.

this was BEAUTIFUL. i need LJW and GYJ in another drama please.. amnesia trope not my fav but actors made up for it with their chemistry. i rewatch it countlessly

dare i say this is better than season 1... i love the chemistry here even more

tragic but beautiful love story 

i've always told myself i'm a romcom fan but i've recently discovered im truly a sucker for star crossed love stories

this drama is so beautiful. adored the cinematography, acting, and the OST especially. i love them together. i loved ML in love + redemption and FL in ashes of love but it works here... there is so much suffering but the devotion they have towards one another is so beautiful. 

ive already spoiled myself so ik its sad but it's still satisfactory for me in a "the red sleeve" type of ending </3

so funny and cute. i love the main couple so much

one of my first kdramas EVER so im soft for it

rewatch count: 3

perfect acting perfect actors and perfect OST. 

i laughed and i cried.. one of my first dramas so it holds a special place in my heart

rewatch count: 2

funny and touching with the prettiest opening ever.

this is unexpectedly really good. i laughed out loud every episode yet cried out of happiness in others... the female friendship is so beautiful here and i loved all of the couples sm they really touched my heart with the tenderness and sweetness

yin & yang

they love each other so devotedly (without words, but with action) speaks to my soul. the CGI is so fascinating too; so beautiful. ML x FL killed it acting too

ep 16 is so beautiful. was smiling the whole time..

only reason its not a perfect 10 is too much political plot for my taste... but stop at ep 38 and its the happiest ending ever!!!! 

cha eun woo ily..

everything was cute and funny i really loved it. watched it with my mom countless timesLOL

cute and tender

xiao bai & dong hua are so so cute.. reminded me of LBFAD. the dream realm was kind of boring so i skipped those eps but maybe ill rewatch in the future LOL

51 + 52 my fav eps

SO WHOLESOME.

this drama and when i fly towards you have made my summer 2023 :')

the age gap is dealt with very well! i never felt uncomfortable and no grooming was involved; everything developed naturally.

note: i was screaming and crying over ep 13+14. he is rizzing her up. (kind of got bored ep 19-25 tho i feel bad but sometimes when couples get together i start getting bored) 

beautiful story that i will not rewatch for a while to protect my peace..

the costume, cinematography, and OST were perfect.. the acting from ML x FL brought tears to my eyes. i also think the FL actress is so so beautiful and she played the free spirited xiaofeng so well. ML looks were not my fav at first but then he grew on me (he acts with his eyes—you can see the love and pining he has for FL)

this was not my usual genre of romcom, i knew i signed myself up for tragedy but it was still a. lot on me

the kdrama did the webtoon justice :)

funny and romantic what more could a girl want!! wished it including the wedding tho...

so funny and cute i loved it. alot

but fr im not usually drawn to puppy mls but this one was perfect. insane chemistry (probably bc they were dating at the tine) but im not complaining

lighter + princess <3 

SO CUTE. the actors are so talented. fl is so cute with her puppy dog eyes + so loyal to her man. also super hardworking. ml is the typical bad boy but the way the actor portrayed him was eye opening and touching. 

i loved this a lot bc of the flirting and chemistry between the leads. the story was also touching :) 

ep 15+16 cute
ep 18 first kiss!! so much skinship
ep 36 i teared up at the montage at the end

cute!! 

honestly shen yue and the ml were the reason why i watched this. they're both rlly endearing and i liked seeing them come together :) 

cute. 

this was rlly good i became a fan of ju jingyi from this drama LMAO i love her makeup (srry to those who dont like it)

FL was rlly cute and smart, ML my type of personality. his looks grew on me fr too. their relationship was just very refreshing and loving.

while not my top drama during 2023, this still made me incredibly invested. it was so hard pushing through the first 5 episodes (skip for future reference)

i cried, i laughed, and i blushed. ml is super dreamt and devoted to fl.  fl is not perfect but i saw myself in her.

while ep 41 is my favorite (aka part 2), part 1 is here bc i liked it best overall. i fast forwarded during the time skip bc it was not my taste and i hated seeing fl lose her spark. i missed zhao lusi's smile ㅠㅠ

overall the series is a solid 8.5 for me but i put it into my favs list just for the rewatch of certain episodes <3

SOOO FUNNY AND CUTE. just watch 

i loved this SUE ME (this is a guilty pleasure 100%)

this represents modern dating in a nutshell.. do not watch if ur expecting a typical romance drama bc this is not it. guys are jerks and ML is one.. nabi is indecisive and naive but aren't we all... friends with benefits never ends well but here we are...

just perfect. 

really funny and lighthearted. 

i love myself an isekai story, and the ml is seriously handsome

top drama of 2023 rn. 

funny and lighthearted romance. would have preferred more cuter scenes btwn main couple but the ending clips of each episode made up for it! 

loved the drawings the 3rd prince drew—so so cute. 

pure + wholesome
happy to see 3 of the couples are still together and they all seem like good friends :')