Rhea
Malaysia
The story is told in 1 8-episode season and a movie. As the episodes are short and easily bingable, functionally it could work as 2 movies (and I’ve watched them back to back multiple times, apologies to all my friends I dragged into this).
Storywise, Hello Stranger is not breaking any new ground. We have a young nerd, Mico, teamed up with the jock superstar, Xavier, for a team project and from the moment they see each other, the chemistry is palpable (tho the relationship is a tad antagonistic). Already, we know exactly how this story is going to go but as always, it is about how we get there, it is about the pleasure of watching the story unfold.
What this show does perfectly is nail its characters and then cast two amazing actors to breathe them to life. Both Mico and Xavier are written so believably, I instantly understood who they are and how wonderfully they fall for one another. I could write reams on the nuances of Xavier’s character (it is no mistake that his name is pronounce Savior) and the character arcs both he and Mico navigate in both the series and the movie.
I love that we have essentially a bisexual character in Xavier for whom, understanding himself and being that self is important. There is a coming out scene but it is given second billing to him actually accepting and having the courage to make choices for himself, instead of fulfilling the roles expected of him. He eschews the label bi - though he tries it on - not because ‘he doesn’t need labels’ but because picking a word is less important than being able to express what it is he is experiencing and feeling.
It is things like this that make the series feel like sinking into a nice, warm, queer blanket. The labels are only important in the context of being able to give language to a queer experience as opposed to a way for everyone else to put queers into their proper category. What matters is the experience - Xavier’s experience of love - the word to define it is secondary.
And he is contrasted with Mico, who is much more assured in his sexuality, but that doesn’t make him less prone to prejudices and mistakes. To wearing his own ‘masks’. To the inevitable insecurity of youth.
The thing I love most, however, about this series, is that all the characters (except for the token homophobe) are rendered with compassion. No one is intentionally cruel, there are no evil second leads or vicious exes, just a group of young people trying to figure themselves out and live through the trials life hands them.
People make mistakes, but they are understandable ones. People make bad choices but ones that make sense because of who they are. In the end things are resolved because the characters have grown, because they’ve chosen to change and to forgive. The series has a fundamentally hopeful view of humanity that feels refreshing.
….aand now for some gratuitous Tony Labrusca:
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There is a moment early on where our main character, Karl, watches, mesmerized, as his neighbor Vlad dances carelessly in his living room and we wonder, does he want Vlad, or does he want to be Vlad? And as the show unfolds it becomes evident that the answer is both. He wants Vlad but coming to terms with that means coming to understand elements of himself that Karl would perhaps rather leave unexamined. And so this is a story about romance, but also about coming of age, because life will push him, force him to grow into himself.
Unfortunately, neither issue is fully resolved in our 8 episodes. That isn’t a bad thing because both of these issues are as much about the journey as the destination. Being able to actually ask the questions the show poses is enough of a step itself, as unresolved as it feels.
The things that hit most for me are the details that clarified the queer lens of the show. The emergence of Karl’s internalized homophobia as small, ignorant micro-agressions that aren’t left to stand unexamined, the value the story gives to older queers in gaining a sense of self-understanding (which is rarely actually represented), the well-intentioned allyship that often becomes self-centering in straight characters, etc all lift this show from the general BL milieu into a delightfully queer story.
I love that the relationship between our leads is shown thru an exploration of their intimacy with one another, instead of hinging on the fact that they’re both attractive humans cast as the leads in a television show. I love that the conflict feels real and is not hand-waved to try to force a resolution in 8 episodes. There are no easy answers to growing up and the show doesn’t try to patronizingly give any. And I actually love that because of all that the show doesn’t quite end as much as feel like its paused. Though the knowledge that a season 2 is a question of when not if, apparently, helps a lot with that but even if it never happens I feel the story as it stands is beautiful enough on its own.
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Song Huajai Nee Puea Tur
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Now on to the story, I am on a roll for Thai Dramas and this one also came from a Youtube Random. It looked interesting from the video I saw and immediately watched the drama while also being lost because this is what happen when I don't read the synopsis before watching. But, I managed. But, this was an interesting drama despite it's looks. I only watched 2 episodes currently and it felt like I watched many already, one being it was almost 2 hours per episode and another being it was cut into 9 parts per episode.
The story was interesting and the portrayal of character was great. I am totally immersed in trying to find out what's going on in the moment and what's gonna happen because the characters are unpredictable. What can you say when one actor is acting two different characters at different times? I get confused at times. But still, this is absolutely worth the watch.
The fantasy part caught my attention when I watched it because well right from the start, fantasy appeared but then, the characters themselves caught my attention. It's interesting to see how they move along with the story and sometimes how absurd things are because in a fantasy drama, I love absurd.
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So, not even halfway through the first episode, I was greeted with a supernatural event and damn I was spooked especially since I was viewing it alone in my room. I covered one of my eyes to see through the whole episode. But then, I was able to manage and found the series to be pretty intriguing and has similarities to one of the Western Ghost-related series that I have watched before in the female lead's role in the story. But, I found that the first episode was to ensure that the viewer had the capability to continue into the story by upping the horror element. Since after that, I can manage other ghost encounters in the story.
On the cast, I enjoyed watching the leads of the drama but well, what else can I do since they're pretty much the only ones who are in the hospital. Every time a case occurs, it is always the same doctors and nurses who handle them. Others who came are like cameos. You don't really notice them there as their presence was just that weak. Even still, I still enjoyed the acting performance given by the leads.
By the way, there is a love triangle but it is not obvious enough to affect the story negatively in any way and I like it. My ship kept sailing all the way to the end and I love every moment of it. I am in love with the main leads. Their interactions were cute and casual and most importantly, pretty direct without even revealing their feelings. The male lead had a one-tracked mind and so did she, in the sense that they do not see others but the other. Their love story kept developing and never had a moment where it could have fallen. Their chemistry was just too good that I did not find any fault in their acting. I could rewind their scenes many times and never get bored. They are just fun to watch.
One of the things I don't quite like is the abundant use of product placements throughout the whole series to the point where I go, "Oh, here we go again. Another PPL... Hmm..." You cannot go an episode without two to three PPL scenes. Another thing, I don't like about it is how effective it is since it made me crave for what they are having. Hehehe..... There are even some scenes where the PPL was not that smooth that it seems odd to be having it suddenly there in the scene. Putting PPL is one thing but to make it so obvious is another one thing. Everytime, the PPL scene occured, they would either blur the surroundings or zoom to the item. It is like ads all the time. I am okay with PPL where it is not that obvious that they are promoting it, being that for a drink, they have it or something. Or a scene which perfectly suitable for it occurs. But well.... ANYWAYS, I am probably exaggerating it a bit here but surely I can say, the PPL only disturbs a few minutes of your time watching the story.
In conclusion, go ahead and watch this drama. It is simple, cliche and all of the above but still overall a great drama to watch. I am definitely excited for another drama from Pae after watching this series seeing how good he was in his role and most definitely, I loved this drama despite the kinda rushed ending because they are pretty cheesy that it is enough to win my heart. Come on and Let's Drama-Watching!!! Hehehe....
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So I Married an Anti-Fan
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Plot: So I Married the Anti-Fan is a story of a top star, Who Joon, and a magazine reporter (who was also named as Who Joon's anti-fan), Geunyoung, got in a reality show together. This is where their story started.
Things I liked about the drama
Light story with full of heart-fluttering moments
With all these heavy dramas (not only in the K-Drama world but also in real life), we really need a breather, something that will just makes us "feel good". And this drama is one of the dramas I can recommend. I was having a hard time with my job and all I needed is something to lighten up my mood. This drama is full of kilig moments. You will really wish to just be an anti-fan and experience everything Lee Geun Young is feeling. Compared to other dramas, you don't really need to think a lot with the plot. The storyline is very simple but that's what makes it special.
The main leads have a great chemistry
It's been awhile since I last shipped a drama couple so hard. The last time I remember was the Chinese drama, Skate into Love. The feeling I had with this pairing was the feeling I felt when I watched W: Two Worlds, like, I wouldn't really mind if they ended up together in real life. In fact, I would love that to happen! But the main reason why I am stopping myself from shipping them in real life is because both the leads are into a happy relationship. Sooyoung has been dating Jung Kyung Ho for a long time already and Tae Joon has been dating Park Shin Hye. I love all of them, therefore, I am happy for them.
The eye-pleasing kisses
Let's say that this drama has a lot of kissing scenes. I usually say galawang Who-Joon because he kisses Geun Young in a smooth way. For example, during the car scene. He was pretending to look for something in the car but mischievously kisses Geun Young. Their scenes will just make you roll out of your bed. I really got addicted with this drama that I'm having a separation anxiety with the characters.
Anyway, this drama will always have a special place in my heart. If life is stressing me again, I will just re-watch this to feel better. How about you, have you watched this series? It's available on the iQIYI app. So, download it now!
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Angel's Last Mission: Love
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Encourages finding Solace despite going through misfortunes !
It has been a long time since I last wrote a KDrama review. I haven’t been watching a drama recently, or if I did, I don’t know how I should write a review about it. Recently, I have been seeing a lot of fun and cute clips about this drama, Angel’s Last Mission: Love. So, I decided to watch it. I haven’t read any reviews about this or even the plot of this drama, so I was only basing the few clips I have seen.Before I continue with my review or thoughts about this drama, I would like to give some disclaimers. First, I am not a pro at making drama reviews. I only write my opinions, thoughts, and how that certain drama affected me. My opinions may be similar or different from yours. So, it will still be your judgement if you like it or not. Second, this review might contain spoilers. In order for me to fully share my thoughts, I may include some scenes from the drama that I watched.
Things I liked about “Angel’s Last Mission: Love”
The story line
This is my first time watching a drama about an angel who fell in love with a human. Although I know some dramas that also consist of an angel and a human. So, this drama is a bit new to me. To be very honest, it has a typical plot where the main characters have this tragedy love. But what made it special is because of the differences of the characters and how everything doesn’t go the way they wanted it to be. Lee Yeon Seo, a beautiful and well-loved ballerina, lost all her loved ones and even experienced blindness because of an accident. Dan, who was once a human and died when he was still a child, became an angel for Lee Yeon Seo. Both experienced such tragedies, yet both can’t have each other because they are different.
How it constantly made me cry
I love KDramas who makes me cry. Yes, it may feel weird but somehow these kinds of dramas make me realize that I am a human with feelings. This drama is consistent in making me cry. I started crying from the very first episode until the last one. Maybe because I was feeling down lately that made me cry harder than usual. But the scenes were well developed. It all started when Mr. Jo died in the first few episodes and how Yeon Seo reminisced her past with him. Death is truly inevitable. It’s just that we don’t know when it will happen that made it painful. Knowing that Dan can turn into dust on that certain day, the two of them created more memories and enjoyed every second. I don’t actually know which is more painful – to know that your special person is leaving you or to not know at all and be shocked when it happens.
The casts
1) Shin Hye Sun as Lee Yeon Seo
I knew this actress since Legend of the Blue Sea and I really find her so talented. I know some of her dramas, but I haven’t watched it. This is my first time watching her drama where she has the lead role. Definitely, she is one of the best actresses today. I can totally feel the pain she is feeling, the bitterness inside her, everything. Her eyes can show all those emotions without trying hard.
Shin Hye Sun is not a ballerina in real life so it is really challenging for her to do the routines of a true ballerina. But that didn’t stop her from portraying a great role. To whoever casted her in this role, you really did a great job.
2)Kim Myungsoo as Kim Dan
I knew him as a member of the KPOP group Infinite. A lot of my friends actually like him. To be honest, he is really good looking. But the reason why I didn’t stan him is that I feel like there are a lot of people who already likes him, and sometimes I feel like he is too overrated. But I eat my words. I started liking him now because of this drama. Well, I actually do not know if I like Kim Myungsoo or Kim Dan. There’s a difference between the two. Aside from the fact that he is really good to look at, I like that he can make me laugh at a simple phrase or whatsoever. Kim Myungsoo also did a great job in portraying Kim Dan. You can definitely feel that Kim Dan has a pure heart, just quite naïve. I thank this drama for making me like Myungsoo. I just hope I’m not yet too late to like him.
3)Gil Eun Hye as Geum Ru Na
She’s probably one of the best actresses in this drama. She does not do anything yet whenever she appears on screen I get irritated to the point that I wanted to go inside the screen of my computer and slap her. This only means one thing, she is a really good actress.
The use of references
One of the main things I’ve noticed is how they used “Giselle” as a reference to what is currently happening to Yeon Seo and Kim Dan. I am not familiar with the story of Giselle to be honest. I only know Swan Lake in terms of ballets. In Giselle, the guy pretended to be a peasant when in fact he is an upper class. In the drama, Kim Dan pretended to be a human when in fact he is an angel. Giselle fell in love with the guy. Yeon Seo fell in love with Kim Dan.
I love these kinds of stories wherein they use references and somehow incorporate those references on the current story.
Things I somehow disliked about “Angel’s Last Mission: Love”
It’s not that I totally dislike it, it’s just that I needed more.
Lee Dong Gun as Ji Kang Woo
Lee Dong Gun was one of the first K-actors that I admired. I just stopped admiring him when he broke up with Jiyeon and later revealed that he is getting married with another woman and that woman is pregnant. I don’t know the whole story but yeah, I kinda feel awkward with him ever since . Anyway, Lee Dong Gun is still a great actor up until now. It’s just that think he is physically suited to play the role of Ji Kang Woo. It’s just my own preference. But I wanted someone who is a bit younger than him who can play the role. Nonetheless, he is still good.
Ending
I wanted it to be a happy ending. Well, who doesn’t right? Because after all the hardships that Lee Yeon Seo felt, I believe she deserves a happy ending. The good thing is, yes, it was a happy ending, but it lacks something. I needed more. All throughout the drama, I felt pain. There were only few happy moments and until the very last time, it was still few. How does Ms. Jung feel when Kim Dan was back? What did they do after? I needed more happy interactions for the very last time. But I was deprived from having it. Well, at least it was a happy ending. That was the only thing that I tell myself so that I won’t feel disappointed.
Thoughts on the ending, Conclusion & Lessons
Before watching it, I honestly thought that it was a fun and chill drama because almost all the clips I have seen are funny. I wanted to watch a chill drama since “Voice 3” was a bit heartbreaking for me (I still can’t even write a proper review of it). But as I watch the first episode, I realized that it wasn’t a chill drama. It was a heavy one. But nevertheless, I liked it and it probably became part of my top 3 favorite KDrama of all time together with Scarlet Heart Ryeo and W: Two Worlds. This drama still left me a lot of questions. Like what I mentioned earlier, how does Ms. Jung feel knowing that Kim Dan was back? Also, how about Geum Ru Na? Was she possessed by an evil spirit because whenever she had plans on her mind a whisper can be heard? I didn’t get any answers to that. But I guess, it’s just a part of the story. There are some questions better left unanswered.
There are a few things that I learned in this drama. First, “People come, and people go”. Not everyone in our lives will continue to stay in our lives. They will eventually die or just leave us. So, we should just cherish every moment we have to that certain person.
Second, we get mad at God most of the time for not giving us what we want. There are even times that we start to question Him on why He is doing such things to human beings. If He is really the God of Love why are we suffering? Even an angel asked Him these during the series. Sometimes, we just tend follow our own instincts that is why we feel like we are betrayed by Him. Everything has their own time and every prayer has their own answers. But whatever answer it may be, it’s for the best.
That doesn’t mean that we should no longer ask Him and just go on with the flow. We should always align our prayers to His will. And believe me, He answers prayers.
Third, not all the time we can get what we want even if we have worked hard for it. Geum Ni Na is a great example. She worked hard but at the end she still loses the spot of being Giselle. Maybe it’s not yet her time? Or maybe it’s not really the path for her. At the end of the drama, she became an instructor to children and there she is happy. Most of the time, we tend to focus on what we want and sometimes forget that there are still other things around us. I am not saying that we should no longer work hard for the things we want but we should know when to continue and when to stop.
Angel’s Last Mission: Love is a drama that I will treasure forever. I thank those who created this for giving me such a great time. How about you? What are your thoughts in this drama?
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A Waste Of A Good Story
Love Of Thousand Years could really have been an epic like Love And Destiny and The Untamed if it is better laid out. But the producers have wasted a good story to me. It does have a few things going for it to make it watchable though. Firstly, the main leads make a cute couple. Zheng Ye Cheng and Zhao Lu Si did their best to display the pull of a forbidden relationship as they toy with each other. They display a chemistry that makes it easy for viewers to root for a happy ending for them.Secondly, I feel the main cast acted well in all their roles. At least, I did not cringe at their acting throughout the drama. Zheng Ye Cheng has the aura of a flirtatious immortal and he is able to capture on-screen attention with his stares. Zhao Lu Si gives me the vibe of a carefree princess who has matured due to the tragic events that she has experienced. Molly Wang has an arrogance and evilness in her character that are tempered with self-doubt and a desire to let go. She is able to portray a character in conflict with herself. As for Liu Yi Tong, he did well as a man wrecked by guilt and loathing because of his father’s betrayal.
Finally, Love Of Thousand Years is really a good story if you ignore the editing and details. The pacing is quite good as it doesn’t really drag on and on like some longer dramas. I know it is hard to overlook the drama’s weaknesses but do give the story a chance regardless of the ending. I think it is an interesting one but just that, it has not been fully taken advantage of to give viewers a truly epic tale.
Why You Should Drop It
Now that I have told you why you should watch Love Of Thousand Years, I should also warn you where it fails. The first thing that could put people off is right at the beginning. The drama starts with Angelina Jiang as Princess Yan Yan. Just as you think she is the main actress, that changes immediately to Zhao Lu Si in the second episode. So, the lady that Jiu Yun loves in the first episode has a totally different face in the second although they are supposed to be the same person. The plot requires the face change but to some viewers, it takes away the romanticism that is important in a love story.
The next thing that could make you drop this is the poor editing especially in the last episode. The scenes jump without proper explanation of what is going on. It could also be because the story is not being told in a right way with many things being left out and unexplained. Without the details, the drama is full of plot holes and guess work.
Another thing that annoys me is the flashbacks. It is fine to have flashbacks to emphasize a certain point or feeling but it shouldn’t be overdone. In Love Of Thousand Years, I find that they have inserted one too many flashbacks that repeat the same scenes. Perhaps they want to lengthen certain episodes but I find them to be unnecessary.
Finally, the ending for this drama sucks. There is no proper clarification as to what happened. I know some dramas do leave room for viewers’ imagination such as Legend Of Yun Xi. But this really takes it to another level when viewers are unsure if everything is a dream, a rebirth, or just a story in a painting.
My Verdict
As much as I want to, I can’t really give a high rating for this Love Of Thousand Years review. A score of 6.5/10 is perhaps fair given its weaknesses as laid out above. I wouldn’t really recommend you to watch it if you are very particular about having a good ending for your dramas. This one is most probably going to leave you disappointed.
It is also a pity that they have censored some of the kissing scenes. I know even modern dramas like Here To Heart have to take out steamy scenes to comply with the strict rules. You have the sweet moments for the main couple here but if you are expecting a bit more kisses to let you feel the love between them, it is going to fall short compared to, say, The Love By Hypnotic with its numerous intimate scenes.
Having said that, you can still watch Love Of Thousand Years for Zheng Ye Cheng. I like him from Love 020 and he has definitely matured with this role as the flirtatious Jiu Yun. Speaking of being flirty, I still prefer Ethan Juan’s Wuji in Legend Of Fuyao but then, I’m sure many female viewers can’t resist Zheng Ye Cheng’s handsome boy looks either. 😍
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A Tale of Two… Tales
Skip to the final section for a quick, spoiler-free rating.I found Cinderella Chef (Chinese title: 萌妻食神) during a month-long binge of transmigration/time-travel Chinese dramas back in 2018, and it’s one of the few that’s stayed with me since. It’s fun, original, and tells one hell of a story!
Cinderella Chef follows the journey of a modern girl Ye Jiayao, or “Yaoyao,” who time travels to the past after bonding with the inventor of a time machine. In ancient China, she finds herself hitched to Xia Chunyu, an agent of an imperial prince who’s gone undercover to infiltrate the Black Wind Fortress (ancient China’s equivalent of an organized mob). Together, they work out the ins and outs of their fake marriage, and what each other’s secrets mean for their relationship.
That’s a very basic synopsis of the premise of a looong fifty-six episode drama.
The Main Pairing
Ye Jiayao does not disappoint as a leading lady. She’s upbeat but pragmatic, idealistic but whip-smart, ambitious but self-aware. She knows her worth and does not care what anybody thinks of her at any time. She is such a go-getter that even if you don’t care for her as a person, her perception of the world and how she toughs out all her obstacles make her an easy character to follow. I love her entrepreneurial spirit and what her priorities in life are—not men, not money (alright, some money), but an innate need to improve her craft and leave a mark upon the world.
Xia Chunyu took me a while to like in the first season, largely because for a good chunk of the drama, I didn’t like his relationship with Yaoyao. He’s not a terrible husband, but because of the nature of his undercover mission, you can’t help but be wary of the motives driving his actions, even as you see his feelings for her slowly becoming more genuine as the drama goes on. I also feel like he loses out to the second male lead charisma-wise, to be honest, before the shit hit the fan.
He’s awful at the beginning of the second season with the ways he goes about winning Ye Jiayao back, the worst of it being when he buys out her place of employment, thus making her have to choose between losing her livelihood or having to work under him. (He eventually reveals that he bought it for her, but like… he makes her suffer for it first, so I don’t count it.)
Luckily, the third male lead can’t hold a candle to him in terms of, well, everything. And once him and Yaoyao got together for real, he becomes a lot better once he stops being petty towards her and includes her in his scheming. (To be fair, she’s also pretty petty towards him. I just think he holds more power over her and is therefore guiltier.)
Tropes, Tropes, Tropes
Time-traveling to the past? Check.
Transmigration? Check.
The MC using modern knowledge to their advantage? Check.
Pretend relationship/fake marriage? Check.
Every character you care about dies and the main pairing starts anew with old wounds? Yeah, that happened. Fuck me in my feelings.
Season 1 Characters Deserve Better
I love the Black Wind Fortress gang, aside from that one weaselly looking asshole who betrayed everyone whose name I’m not remembering off the top of my head. I love Bai Chongye’s multifaceted-ness—how he goes from ruthless mafia head, to awkward but loving father, to prankster, to just a Dude You Can Get a Drink With. I love Sheng Sheng and Sang Sang’s mean-girl spirits. I especially adore Song Qi and his devotion to his “grandma.”
I love Ding Qi, his swearing, his child-like sexism, and his all-boys club. Him and his crew just need hugs.
They’ve done nothing wrong and none of them deserves to die. Aside from all the murdering, the pillaging, the smuggling, the blackmailing, the backstabbing, that is… I genuinely did not see the mass murdering coming in the middle of the drama—I literally had to pause and make sure I didn’t accidentally marathon to the end because I was freaking out why everybody died in the middle of the story. When Song Qi was shot, I almost stopped watching, had I not been curious enough to want to know how the rest of the drama is going to go without most of its supporting characters.
Needless to say, I don’t have high opinions of the second 2 folks. Not even He Lianjing, whom I referred to for multiple episodes as Not-Song Qi until he became Yaoyao’s love interest, and then he was Not-Ding Qi until he fell in love with another character.
Second 2 Is a Lot More Conventional
When I wrote earlier that the drama is original, I really meant season 1. Maybe it’s because I haven’t watched enough Chinese historical dramas, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen the gangs of the pugilist world depicted as literal organized crime families before. They always tend to be… lofty and… weird in a cult-like way, living in mountain and shit. Not here. These people are literal gangsters with gangster problems, and I just think that’s hilarious.
Season 2 is a lot more entrenched in politics and the usual tropes of “main female character marries into a family out of her social standing.” There’s a wicked stepmother who wants to oust the main male lead from the family, a two-faced love rival who stops at nothing to steal the main male lead, an emperor with numerous sons fighting for the throne, all that stuff. The pro is the plot is a lot easier to follow. The con is it’s not as interesting.
The Villain Is Surprisingly True-to-Life
The single best scene in the drama for me is when Yaoyao confronts the Prince of Yu for actually being the inventor of the time machine and a fellow transmigrator. These two have such great chemistry and energy together that I was really, really bummed out when the Prince of Yu turned out to be the end boss—him being the villain is far from unforeseeable, I just got caught up in the female lead’s joy of finding camaraderie.
The Prince of Yu is an incel. Not in the literal sense of the term, although once he got the idea that he and Yaoyao belonged together, he did take on that meaning as well. It’s that he feels so aggrieved by the slights he suffered (his professor stole his research in his old life, his new identity/body as a prince was of one mistreated badly enough by everyone that he committed suicide) that he becomes convinced that the world he reborn into owes him, and that he’s entitled to what he wants by virtue of him being a superior “modern” man. You know your villain’s good when someone can look at him and think, “I know this dude. I know multiple, real life examples of this dude, and they’re all pathetic and sad.”
He is the perfect foil to Yaoyao, who kept her chin up and kept forward despite suffering similar setbacks in both lives.
Cringes and Surprises
If there’s one thing I don’t like about Yaoyao, it’s her sense of fashion in season 1.
I’m sorry, but she dresses like how a nine-year-old thinks a stylish person should dress. Is that mean?
I could’ve also done without the random bursts of bad rapping and choreographed dances.
One thing I’m surprised by is how integral Yaoyao being a chef is to the story. I had expected the drama to abandon that idea altogether early on, like some other, much worse time-travel/transmigration dramas *cough* Instead, Cinderella Chef went all out and pursued actual chef and food related plot lines, which I really appreciate.
Final Rating and Recommendations
Cinderella Chef’s great. What else can I say but “go watch it” and “put it on your rewatch list if you’ve seen it already.”
It’s got a kick-ass main lady who wants her man but doesn’t need him, two stories for the effort you’d normally put into getting to know one, a pretty nifty endgame villain, and it’s an absolutely great take on the time-travel/transmigration trope.
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Quite sweet , warm and funny - Worth watch it !
Yumi’s Cell is the first Korean drama to blend in animation into the drama in such a intrinsic way. You can seen that there is a lot of work behind it and these little animated figures do a lot for the story and make it stand out from other dramas. The story really come to life because of them.The drama manages to bridge the gap between rom-com and more slice-of-life drama in my opinion. To me it has this calm and gentle focus the characters’ everyday lives that never feels too dramatic or unnatural, aside from the animated characters that bring out the more cute and comedic side of the story.
the cells that bring the humor (and are often my favorite parts of each episode) while the other characters get to be much more down-to-earth. It still has some those characters that you often find in traditional rom-coms but it manages to undermine some of these tropes and make it refreshing to watch. You can really just sit back and relax while watching the episodes.
Some of the side characters do not feel as complex, which may because we do not get to see the cells of all of them work like Yumi or Gu Woong who are in the leads and perhaps the drama relays a little too much on those cell characters to understand the nuances of the characters. But when it does the drama does a good job of showing all the little twists and turns of communication that Yumi or Gu Woong encounter, whether you agree with them or not, because you see the thoughts behind them.
The cells are a key factor in this and often make you look at things from a different perspective. The story really seems to stand by it’s characters though and allows them to be unlikeable when needs be, and also gives us a good lgbt representative (although he does not appear as often as I would like him to do) as kdrams do not do that often.
The pacing a bit unconventional and the story focuses a lot on communication and misunderstanding when Yumi steps back into the dating world after many years of closing her heart and the mistakes that come with that as a result. And I thought I managed to bring that theme it pretty well to the forefront without dragging the plot or making it too dramatic. The story always seems rather mild and light in my opinion. There was a certain calm over the story no matter what happened.
I found Yumi’s Cell to be quite sweet, warm and funny drama to watch. It is missing a key element that I like in kdramas, which is that the story hasn’t ended yet because we are only at the end of season one. I personally really enjoy kdramas because we get a beginning, middle and a end in about 16 episode. It’s one of their charms. There is so many shows that drag the plot and the tension until most of everything you enjoyed about the series is no longer there. But I’m excited to see how Yumi’s Cells handle this multiple season format. The drama is sweet and stands out from other dramas and just hope the next series manages to keep them charming and not drag the story out.
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Too Long!
The first thing that pops up in my mind after watching all the 40 episodes of My Bargain Queen is that it is just too long. Many episodes are unnecessary. I think the whole drama would have much better pacing if the producers have cut it down by 10 episodes or so. For instance, it is pointless to introduce Xia Qan’s father into the drama for a few episodes and then have him fade away from her life again. Just like Sunshine Of My Life and Love Designer, you will have to be prepared for draggy patches after a fairly good start.The plot itself is nothing new. It has the enemies-turned-lovers flavor with a smart and handsome executive falling for a professional bargainer with each wanting a different outcome for a deal initially. The good thing is he is not another cold and emotionless CEO like in Unforgettable Love and The Trick Of Life And Love. At least, My Bargain Queen moves away from those tropes. Apart from the romance, the story also has a business aspect to it which means it takes a more matured leaning compared to your usual rom-coms.
Romance Fizzles Out
If you like to watch a romance-heavy drama, I certainly don’t think My Bargain Queen is a good choice. This is because the romance seems to fizzle out for the next 10 to 15 episodes after the couple got together. It is rather bland to me in the middle part of the drama where the main couple’s relationship is concerned. They are not as cute like the couple in Forever And Ever and neither are they full of passion like Qiao Qing Qing and Yu Tu in You Are My Glory.
I see Zhe Ning and Xia Qian’s relationship as very ordinary. But it is also closer to reality with no over-exaggeration and hype. They have their sweet moments but nothing over the top. The downside to this is that their interactions don’t leave a lasting impression either once the drama is over.
With the main couple’s romance being largely stable for a substantial part of the drama, the focus also shifts to the side couples to fill the 40 episodes. This is another potential pitfall where My Bargain Queen is concerned.
Side Couples May Not Be Likable
There are 2 sides couples in the drama. Shuang Shuang and He Bo is a couple with a large age gap between them. While the age difference may not be a problem, I’m just not sure if viewers could feel the chemistry between them. Furthermore, He Bo started off as a villain and Shuang Shuang betrayed Xia Qian to help him out at one point. So, this couple’s story may not be one that viewers could feel invested in although it really depends on your taste for age-gap romance.
The other side couple is Ning Meng and Zhi Jun. Ning Meng is definitely an annoying character in the drama. Hence, I doubt anyone would be rooting for this couple. As the side couples are unlikely to appeal to a majority of the audience, the drama ends up being draggy with their stories especially when they occupy quite a big chunk of the screen time as the drama progresses.
The Leads’ Chemistry
Personally, I think Wu Jin Yan has better chemistry with Johnny Huang in Something Just Like This than Kenny Lin in My Bargain Queen. Her personality in these 2 dramas is kind of similar. So, if you enjoy watching her in Something Just Like This which is also a business drama, chances are you would also like her in My Bargain Queen. Wu Jin Yan brings out the gutsiness and enterprising spirit of Xia Qian’s character rather well.
On the other hand, Kenny Lin’s Zhe Ning has a calmer and more cautious personality. When you put both of the leads together, the chemistry doesn’t have that explosive feel. It is good enough for a romance-cum-business drama but nothing extraordinary to make the romance a really memorable one for me when I reached the end. The same goes for the side couples. Thus, I do wonder if they have got the casting right because with better chemistry, this could have been a much more enjoyable drama.
My Verdict – Watchable With Some Skips
I think My Bargain Queen is one of those dramas that you can watch with some skipping in between. For instance, you can skip the side couples’ story if you find them to be uninspiring. It is really a bore if you were to watch all the 40 episodes from start to finish. That is why the pacing could have been much better if the production team had not lengthen the drama unnecessarily.
While the plot is hardly unique, this drama is watchable for those who like a good balance of romance and business. It is also good if you prefer multiple couples in one drama. It has a few annoying characters and some sad moments but nothing too stressful or melodramatic. The romance has a more matured feel and a big plus is that the main couple has no trust issues and silly quarrels. However, the kisses are not of the sizzling kind despite the maturity of the couple unlike what you would find in Love Is Sweet. So, if you like plenty of passion in your romance, this drama would not meet that need.
For this My Bargain Queen review, I would give it a score of 7/10. It is not too bad overall if you don’t mind some boring stretches in between. At least, the story flows along logically and is easy to understand. The characters too are well-developed and there is growth in some of them by the end of the drama. The concept is great but it all boils down to how much boredom and skipping you can tolerate in the middle before the story picks back up towards the last quarter of the drama.
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Cliche Ending
Anyways, on to the review for “The Bride of Habaek.” Tbh, I’m gonna go on a little side rant… if you ask me, “Did I enjoy it?” I’m gonna answer… “Kinda?” At the beginning, I was super hyped for the drama, especially since I loved the manhwa. I knew that the drama would take a different route by modernizing the setting… and yet, that’s not the reason why this drama disappointed me so much. The most disappointing aspect about this drama was the plot itself. There was so much they could have done with all the elements they introduced into the story… but instead, they took the typical boring route and casted aside development for their characters to have a happy cliche ending.1. Plot/Story
Again, I’m going to reiterate, the plot/story wasn’t really captivating. Even in the beginning, the plot was kinda confusing. Habaek’s mission was to collect the god stones to become king… but once he found all the god stones… they kinda became insignificant to the storyline. As well as, answers to the questions in the drama were revealed “too late” to add to the suspense of those questions; it would have been helpful to reveal the backstory sooner to better comprehend the plot. Really, the whole purpose of the god stones were for Habaek to travel to the human world to understand and empathize with humans — but once I figured that out, I already didn’t care why those god stones were important. What really threw me off, though, was how this drama ended and basically said “forget all the things we’ve built up for the plot, let’s just have a bullshit happy ending.” Various elements were introduced into the drama to stir up “drama” and create a unique story, such as Habaek’s missing powers, the half-god Shin Hoo-ye, So-ah’s missing father, Habaek’s ex-lover Nak-bin, the disappearance of the other god stone, the rambunctious childhood friend Bi-ryeom, and the cold but unrequited love of Moo-ra towards Habaek. These various elements added flavor to the enjoyment of the drama, however, they were readily tossed aside when it came to the progression of the main couple’s love story — which, in my opinion, was a hit or miss. Sometimes I felt the chemistry between the two and then sometimes it completely flat-lined, but they focused way too much on “fan-service” action and not enough to completely convince me the depth of Habaek and So-ah’s love. Also, so much “fan-service,” to the point where the “heavy consequences” of the drama were complete jokes. Overall, the story was bearable enough for me to finish the drama, but I found myself dreading each episode as they dragged on.
2. Characters
The acting wasn’t phenomenal, but it wasn’t the worst either. I was fairly impressed by Shin Se-kyung’s acting; she was able to portray So-ah’s character of kindness, understanding, but — yet — she is ashamed of her upbringing. Despite being ashamed of her upbringing for helping others before herself, she chose a career that was the definition of helping others — a psychiatrist. Sometimes she didn’t seem like a competent psychiatrist (which I always seem to have problems with dramas that portray mental health and illnesses), but So-ah was a genuine and considerate person when it mattered and she reminded us that she is only human. Thus she makes mistakes (such as her ridiculous debt lmao). As for Habaek, I’m not sure if Nam Joo-hyuk was the best fit to play the character considering how complex Habaek’s personality was, but NJH was very adorable and definitely “eye-candy”… if you know what I mean. I just personally think that perhaps a more experienced actor could have done better to fully bring out the gravity of Habaek’s complex and demanding personality, his trust issues with humans from the betrayal of Nak-bin, and the grandeur of being the chosen king of the gods.
As for the other characters, I really liked Moo Ra and Bi Ryeom… and I kinda wished there was more development for these two characters. Tbh, they didn’t really feel like “second lead” characters and more like side characters. Towards the end, we got a bit of romance between the two, but even their love story was rushed and didn’t fully convince me of Moo Ra’s feelings because she has always loved Habaek. Honestly, you could remove these secondary characters and it wouldn’t change the plot of the drama… that’s how poorly written the second characters were. They just added drama that made the story more disorganized.
Lastly, the winner of this drama goes to Hoo Ye — the adorable CEO. Lim Ju Hwan did a PHENOMENAL job… I completely fell in love with his character to the point I was shipping him with So Ah. In my opinion, Hoo Ye had the best character development and story out of everyone. His character was relatable and felt realistic. He was an abandoned child who was casted away because he was considered a mistake — someone who shouldn’t have been born even though it wasn’t his fault for being a demigod. I loved how the moment he met So Ah, he gradually changed and he became a better person to where he could love and accept his true self. I was so disappointed at how they simply casted him aside after his story was “resolved.” If there was a sequel drama just about him, I wouldn’t complain at all because he deserves a happy ending.
3. Overall
There were too many concepts that this drama introduced, but the writing failed to concretely focus on one message or issue to solidify the drama as a complete story. Basically, this drama was about one’s fate and searching for happiness; to give other people happiness is to sacrifice your own, so you have to learn to love yourself before you can love and understand others. Habaek learned this concept that to be a king, he must be capable of protecting others and not just himself. So Ah learned that in order to help others and give them proper advice, she must help and take care of herself too. Hoo Ye learned that he has to accept him for what he his, so he can learn to accept and trust others into his life. Unfortunately, this drama lands in my list of “dramas that I wouldn’t rewatch.” I still scratch my head to this day as to what the “real” message of the drama was supposed to be. But I guess… one thing that was clearly seen was that Habaek and So Ah were just fated to be.
Though this drama is fantasy, one thing this drama really lacked was the element of the gods’ powers. We got to see snippets of these godly powers, but it continued to be dragged out with Habaek being powerless. I understand why he lost his powers, but we only saw his powers in action like once or twice. The cinematography and sceneries of this drama was done well, so those are some redeeming qualities (as well as the nice music). My recommendation is… if you like these actors and actresses, then give this drama a shot. However, this drama will require your utmost patience and understanding to follow the reckless ideas that occur randomly throughout in this drama. Also, if you just want to see some really cute romantic scenes between the main couple, then this drama takes the trophy.
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Girl Chasing Guy Drama
If you like romance dramas that see the girl taking the initiative to pursue the guy, then Be With You would fit the bill. This theme is similar to Begin Again but without the same depth to its story. I guess this is to be expected as Be With You is a rom-com after all. So, it is not a drama that you would see serious character growth and deep exploration of feelings unlike the more intense romance in You Are My Destiny or Here To Heart.
Of course, it is perfectly alright to have a simple plot especially for a rom-com. But where Be With You is lacking to me is the mandatory sweetness which drives this type of dramas. I understand different people will have different standards of what constitutes sweetness in a romance. If you see a much older and domineering man taking the reins in the relationship as sweet, then you would like this couple. It is an unequal relationship albeit a protective one given that the guy is much more matured compared to the girl.
Personally, I’m more into couples that have mutual respect for each other like the one in Love Is Sweet. That is why it is a little hard for me to root for the couple in Be With You. This is not to say that I can’t accept an older man and younger woman romance. It also has to do with the couple dynamics and personality which bring up my next point.
Male Lead’s Character Flaw
A much older and successful male lead is nothing new in a rom-com just like Lu Jin in Dating In the Kitchen. But the female lead in Gu Sheng Nan is gutsy with a spine and hence, the relationship is able to generate the required sparks for it to be exciting. Comparatively, Qi Nian in Be With You is much meeker. With Professor Ji’s character being a controlling one, it is not exactly an ideal romantic couple in my books. Of course, no one is perfect and the saving grace is Professor Ji does love Qi Nian and is aware of his own controlling nature.
Thus, you really have to get over Professor Ji’s flaws to be able to enjoy this rom-com. If you start dissecting his character like I did, the romantic vibes will immediately take a dive especially if you also prefer couples that are more equal in terms of power dynamics in their relationship.
Chemistry Could Be Better
The chemistry between Ji Xiao Bing and Zhang Ya Qin is not exactly bad but there is definitely room for improvement. It is passable for a simple rom-com but it fails to lift it to its full potential. I don’t think that their acting is the problem though. Perhaps the nature of the characters that they play makes it a little hard to generate more sizzling interactions between them. I would think that if one character is too dominant and there is a lack of tender moments between them, it will indeed be hard for the chemistry to flow naturally. This is in contrast to say, Perfect And Casual, whereby the chemistry of the leads really drives the drama as the sweetness is magnified in each interaction.
My Verdict – It’s Nothing Special
Be With You is the type of drama that you would watch when you have absolutely nothing better to do and want to indulge in some fairytale romance. As mentioned, the plot is simple and whether it will come off as sweet will depend on your ability to overlook faults in the male lead who also seems to be toying with the female lead’s affections at times. Hence, he is very different from the suave and almost perfect male lead in Intense Love which is also a fairytale-like romance drama.
A further word of warning is that this short drama also has 2 other couple stories included. Hence, they take up quite a bit of screen time overall especially the second couple of Si Qi and Qing Wu. If you like the secondary pairing, it will be the icing on the cake. If not, it can be annoying because they take up the majority of the screen time around Episode 18 onwards which is similar to the problem in Love Designer as it progresses towards the ending.
For this Be With You 2020 drama review, I would give it a score of 6.5/10. It is really nothing new from the plot to the characters that it is hard to justify giving it a higher score. Watch it if you absolutely like stress-free rom-coms for a little escapism. Don’t think too much though if you really want to enjoy it. But if you are the type who can’t help but want a more perfect male lead and heartfelt romance, then drop it. Be With You would be hard put to satisfy the cravings for a fulfilling romance story.
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Too Long!
When I saw that Hello, The Sharpshooter (你好, 神枪手) is 40 episodes long, it really made me think twice if I should give this a shot. My first instinct told me that it would be a drag. After all, if you have watched enough of Chinese dramas, you would know how common it is for them to stretch on longer than necessary even when the plot is pretty simple. So, I started this with much apprehension. The cast made me take the risk. Was my instinct right or is this better than I thought? My Hello, The Sharpshooter review below will try provide some answers.40 episodes is indeed too long for Hello, The Sharpshooter. This could have been a much tighter story if the producers had cut it down to 30 episodes or less. There are many fillers and flashbacks which are not necessary. To me, the first 20 episodes or so seems monotonous. There is no excitement to make you crave for more as you watch. Although many Chinese dramas also tend to have boring stretches, there are usually high points or a feeling of anticipation here and there to keep your interest.
However, Hello, The Sharpshooter is pretty flat for half the drama. The story picks up only around Episode 21 when there are more happenings to drive the story forward. I wouldn’t term it as a bad drama but it is certainly nothing great either given the laborious way the story has been told. It is also predictable given some of the cliches and recycled plots.
Old And New Issues
Basically, the plot is about a guy who has selective amnesia and has forgotten about the girl although they used to be a couple. This amnesia theme is nothing new for a romance drama and you can easily predict what is going to happen to his memory loss. Viewers are not told what happened to this couple upfront. Instead, you are merely given hints every now and then through dialogues and flashbacks of their time together. The whole story of what happened to both of them is only revealed much later.
What is different though is the sport chosen as the backdrop to the story. We have enough of winter sports drama such as To Fly With You and Skate Into Love. They are also plenty of e-gaming ones including Falling Into Your Smile. Shooting certainly doesn’t seem as exciting. However, it is a sport that requires focus and mental toughness. Hence, the psychological issues that the drama bring up is an ideal fit for the sport. This is where there is something new being offered to the viewers as mental illness is not a common Chinese drama theme.
The downside though is not to expect much professionalism and in-depth exploration of the psychological disorder afflicting the protagonists. Just like in Dream Garden, if you start judging it through a professional lens, the protagonists’ recovery will seem overly simplistic and unreal. After all, apart from the psychological issues, the drama also has to give air time to the romance, training, friendship, and work. So, it is good as it doesn’t get bogged down with details but would be disappointing if you want a more serious psychological drama.
The Romance
I think most people who choose to watch Hello, The Sharpshooter are doing it for the romance. Personally, the romance of the main couple is sweet. It is also a gradual progress and the relationship is a very supportive one. They communicate with each other when problems arise. So, you can feel a deepening of the relationship as the drama progresses. The guy may be possessive and jealous but in a good and light mannered way. Some will even see it as cute and sweet.
However, what the romance lacks is passion. It is not a steamy kind of romance like what you would get in You Are My Glory. The kisses are limited to mostly pecks which kind of reminds me of Forever And Ever. it is understandable though because of the leads’ psychological issues and thus, the need to take things slow. Furthermore, it is a sports drama and the main character is supposedly a national athlete. So, I guess they have to keep it relatively clean. But that impulse and passion are certainly missing from this couple and as a viewer, it feels lacking in some way.
Acting And Chemistry
The role of Tang Xin is really nothing new for Fair Xing. The character is cute and chirpy and you will get the feeling that you have seen it all before in her previous dramas such as Put Your Head On My Shoulder and My Little Happiness. Therefore, if you are her fan, this one would seem familiar. But there is no breakthrough as far as her acting is concerned.
The same goes for Hu Yu Tian in Hello, The Sharpshooter. He is good-looking and you could be drawn to his eyes. But I find his acting to be pretty bland in this drama as there is little variation in his expressions. Maybe the director wanted it that way since he plays a top shooter who is supposed to have a calm and stable personality. His acting isn’t horrible but it doesn’t give you reason to be impressed either.
When the 2 leads are put together, you will find a big height difference between them. I really think it is time to stop pairing Fair Xing with tall actors as it is getting repetitive despite the supposed cuteness. Their chemistry is visible but nothing extraordinary. Hence, there is little motivation to rewatch their scenes unlike some other on-screen couples who have sizzling chemistry such as the ones in Why Women Love and Love At Night.
My Verdict – A So-So Drama
I think Hello, The Sharpshooter does require a bit of patience to sit through. The plot is drawn out especially for the first half. You can literally leave the drama running in the background while doing something else and you would still be able to follow the story. So, I won’t be surprised if this is tedious to watch for some viewers. For me, I took breaks in between before I completed it as it was too monotonous for binge watching.
Having said that, I can also see how this drama could have its fans. Apart from the leads, the main couple’s romance is a sweet and supportive one. It is a natural progress and not everyone likes a rushed relationship development. It may be slow-moving but each happening is like a building block to the complete story that goes back to their past. I guess if you really like the couple’s interactions and their stable romance, then you might find this enjoyable because the leads are together in most of the scenes. But if you find them to be only an average couple, then this will become a big bore due to the length of the drama.
For this Hello, The Sharpshooter review, I would give it a score of 7/10. It tries to bring up the issue of a mental disorder in a romance which is something refreshing. But it still couldn’t run away from a memory loss cliche which makes it predictable. Overall, it is a case of being a so-so drama – neither entirely good nor bad. In other words, it is forgettable once you have completed the whole 40 episodes with no real urge to rewatch despite a logical layout to the story.
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Mik as Talay…let’s just say it was very mellow. He was adorable let’s give Talay some credit for that lol but I wanted spice and a part of me wanted him to remember already at this point. Talay and Moya for me did not have chemistry. I’m not sure if it had to do with their character or what not but it felt flat for me. Natee and Moya on the other hand had chemistry. Is that weird? 😆 Mik is playing both characters with the same nangek but him as Natee was better and had more chemistry with Sammy hahahaha. Do we agree on that? I guess we all missed that tough and “mean” praek in this lakorn.
But he wasn’t mean mean right? He was only mean for one episode and after that he told Moya that he was going to pursue her and told Moya that he was going to make her love him for him and forget Talay which is weird because he is Talay 🤣🤣🤣 At one point he was jealous of himself LOL. Talay/Natee was also smart and I loved that about his character. He knew not to trust the villains and didn’t give a shit about Nune amnesia and not amnesia. I remember some girls were joking about how Tohmon from Mia Jum Pben can’t relate hahaha 😝 Sammy as Moya was adorable too.
Moya is just a pure optimistic character that I feel like she is one of the most human character I’ve come across in lakorn world, if that makes any sense. The only thing I didn’t like about her character was how she treated Yotsakorn. Okay Yotsakorn is a villain, a psychopath, etc but I felt it was kind of wrong to use him in those last few episodes just to get evidence. There was a scene where I had wished she told Yotsakorn the truth how she actually feels about him, maybe then he would have stopped and let her free. Who knows? That was the only thing I wished was different about Moya.
Speaking of Yotsakorn, I felt bad for him only because he genuinely loved Moya and like I mentioned I didn’t like him getting used like that. As for his killing and stuff, yeah that was a no and he and Baitong from WWH should never meet 😂 But I did not feel bad for his mother at all. Another character I also felt bad for was Nune. She too also genuinely loved Natee but the love wasn’t returned. She didn’t deserve to be killed like that. Another character I liked was Prapas. Bless his soul. He did not deserve to be killed but it’s expected in lakorns for good characters anyways. And was I the only one that was skeptical about Prapas though? Hahaha. Like I think it took me a few episodes in to accept that he’s a good guy. I can’t help but be suspicious when murder is involved and the actor is always playing a villain and just in Lah Tah Chon was when I first watch his character was good so I was skeptical about him in this lakorn too.
Side characters I also enjoyed watching on screen was little Pooma! 🥰 She was just too adorable and I really love her scenes with Talay/Natee! Also Andrew as Thaneth hahaha. What a comic relief. I thought he was going to be a serious villain but he brings humor to this lakorn. I like his famous line of my little nemo fish Moya hahahahaha. I actually liked all the cast in here. The employees on the island bring good comic relief for stressful scenes. Our second couple was cute too. The actress Karn who plays as Namrin in here, this was her debut lakorn. I have to say she is pretty decent but I hope she work on projecting her voice a little better. She reminds me of Marie Broenner when Marie debuted as well. Her voice was so high-pitched. I don’t know if it was her character situation or not but yeah. I’m not a fan of Karn’s voice 😅
Overall this lakorn was good. The villains showed their character early on so you didn’t have to guess much. I wish the ending was executed better but I’ll accept what they gave us. For those that have watched this lakorn, I do want to hear your opinion on this lakorn and whether you prefer kitten Talay or lion Natee hahahaha. Thanks for watching and supporting me on this lakorn. Special thanks to timing team for helping me weekly. I was warned that some Mik fans are demanding and impatient (this is my first Mik lakorn I subbed) but I didn’t encounter any. Luckily hahaha. Thank you for that ❤️❤️
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Watch It for the Aesthetics
The King’s Woman (Chinese title: 秦时丽人明月心) was one of my favorite dramas to rewatch back when it first aired in 2017, if only for the actors and the costumes.Set in the Warring States period of China, the drama follows Gongsun Li, a fictional concubine of the King of Qin State, and her contributions to eventual historical events. After identifying her as the girl who saved him from certain death when they were children, Ying Zheng falls in love with Gongsun Li and poisons her childhood sweetheart, Jing Ke, in order to entrap and secure her for his harem. Gongsun Li slowly develops feelings for Ying Zheng even as she defies and tries to stave off the worst of his tyrannical nature. The King’s Woman is a story about Stockholm syndrome, manipulation, abuse, and, eventually, heartbreak. I think it’s one worth watching, but it’s not without some major flaws…
A+ Cinnamon Tography and Aesthetics
Let’s start with some positives. This drama looks amazing. The production designer, art director, the costume department, etc. went all out. I’d not seen a Chinese period drama with better costumes and set designs since The Empress of China. I love everything every character in this series wore. The clothes are mind-blowing and well worth watching forty-eight episodes for.
What’s more, this is one of the best directed Chinese dramas I’ve seen so far. There are no weird camera angles, no amateur special effects, and very little awkward choreography to take you out of the story. Every action and effect was framed perfectly. The remarkable cinematography was a breath of fresh air back in 2017.
Stockholm Syndrome Passing as Romance
Dilraba Dilmurat and Vin Zhang’s insane chemistry aside…You really have to go into The King’s Woman ready to buy into the romanticism of the whole situation between Gongsun Li and Ying Zheng because the moment you pull back and look at it from a more sobering perspective, the magic ceases to work.
This drama goes out of its way to depict pre-Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng as a tragic figure who’s simultaneously the cause of his own misfortunes and a victim of his personal faults. You can see at the beginning that even in his cruelty, he has good intentions. But on some level, he doesn’t understand what that means or why people are so resistant to his good will. He was a child of abuse who, consciously and not, revisits his own pain on others a thousandfold.
What’s interesting is the way the narrative sides with him. As he thinks of himself as a victim, so does the drama cast him as such. It feels like we’re supposed to be in Gongsun Li’s shoes, seeing him through her eyes. This, of course, makes their relationship easier to swallow, even though we all know better. (The fact that Vin Zhang is handsome AF helps a lot too.)
Nevertheless, I felt very uneasy about the moments of tenderness, playfulness, and affection between Gongsun Li and Ying Zheng, especially given how resistant she is to him from the start. I mean, did she really forget how he threatened to abort her child, separated her baby from her right after childbirth, and tried to kill her martial brothers?
One moment later in the drama got to me particularly. In episodes 40/41, Ying Zheng goes on a killing spree of all his childhood tormentors, and instead of being horrified by this senseless mass murdering, Gongsun Li coddles and comforts him because he is… sad? After he killed a whole neighborhood of people? Like, boohoo, honey, he’s sad? The people he killed are dead! How the hell is that remotely acceptable to her?
She clearly knows what kind of a person he was, but the mental gymnastics she does to make excuses for him is frustrating.
Lastly, I think this whole trope of a male love interest falling in love with the female lead because she was nice to him for like five minutes when they were children is so trite. However, given that Ying Zheng’s a mega-creep whose relationship with Gongsun Li predicates on her developing Stockholm syndrome, it kind of works here.
One-Note Characters
Honestly, I wasn’t as resistant to Gongsun Li and Ying Zheng’s relationship as I could’ve been. The drama did a lot of work brushing aside all the troubling bits. Compounded with this following flaw, rooting for the main couple was a no-brainer: Jing Ke sucks. No, not as a person. As a character. For all that he has to work with—the martial arts talent, a handsome actor, a tragic love lost, a destiny unfulfilled—he comes off incredibly one-noted. He’s straight up uninteresting, which is just about the worst thing a main character can be.
This isn’t unique to him, unfortunately. Most of the characters in The King’s Woman have very little personalities to speak of. Instead, they’re relegated to playing cookie cutter roles that each serves one or two functions in the plot. I feel like the only developed character, aside from Ying Zheng and Gongsun Li, is Lu Buwei, who’s the only one with a personal agenda complicated and interesting enough. Sadly, he’s criminally unexplored and underutilized as a villain.
Plot and Pacing Issues
This drama is very slow. I found myself wishing I could watch it on 2x speed without ruining everything else about the experience. Instead I resorted to “skimming” i.e. skipping seconds at a time and only watching in full what felt like crucial scenes in an effort to make the story move along faster. To tell the truth, I did not missed much. This is definitely a drama you can stream in the background as you do other things.
There are also a number of minor Dumb Plot moments I picked up. For instance, there’s a scene in episode 5 where Gongsun Li stabs a soldier through the hand for five full seconds before his subordinates even react. Like, they did not move or flinch until she begins to flee. It’s stupidly convenient. Another example: In episode 27, the Crown Prince of Yan sends Gongsun Li a secret message asking her to smuggle him out of Qin State. But while he does the smart thing and communicates it via a code, he also “helpfully” circled his entire hidden message for her in red ink. What do I even say?
Other Nitpicks and Questions
- Why does Chengjiao wear his hair in the Chu style? Was he a political hostage of Chu State?
- That Godfather reference in episode 1 is hilarious and so out of place
- Ying Zheng’s eyebrows are impeccable (Not nitpicking, I just appreciate his eyebrows)
- Couldn’t Gongsun Li have avoided the whole ordeal had she just done her hair a different way after her wanted poster came out?
- Why does she keep getting stabbed in the armpits?
Final Rating and Recommendations
The King’s Woman as a story isn’t executed to its fullest potentials. While I wouldn’t be as harsh as to describe the dialogue, plot, and characters as bland, they felt muted and secondary to the non-story elements of the production: the costumes, the set designs, the general aesthetic. There are Wuxia, harem, politics, and war plot threads in this drama, none of which are done well. The “romance” is riddled with problems.
On the other hand, the cinematography and camera work are incredible. The crew went all out for the set designs and costumes, which are easily some of the best work I’ve seen for Asian period dramas, and kept me coming back to this series over and over again. Not to mention, I can stare at Dilraba Dilmurat and Vin Zhang all day, and I’m sure I’m not alone; there are worse ways to pass time than watching two of the most beautiful people in the world together on screen, mediocre storytelling or not.
My Rating: 6/10
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