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Fun But Illogical Guilty Pleasure
Xue Fangfei was murdered by her husband and assumes the identity of a noble girl. Using her new identity, she executes a plan to avenge herself and her family. Acting is top notch, especially by the villains. You have to throw logic out the window quite often, but it's a very addictive and enjoyable show. Despite the real life age gap between the leads, they have great chemistry. Highly recommend you watch for yourself and make your own assessment.What I loved:
- Main character chemistry was fire. I love that male lead knows who she was and embraces her for it despite more patriarchal values in the past. The romance is slow burn, but I don't mind that at all.
- Villains were layered and weren't evil for the sake of being evil (except for some side ones). While despicable and you want them to get what's coming to them, you still felt a sense of sympathy. The actors casted were also exceptional in their roles.
- Lovable side characters. I love her maid, cousins, friends, maternal family, and the male lead's sidekicks a lot.
- Storyline was well paced and kept audiences engaged (the last 5 episodes were too fast, more on that later)
- The drama balances horror, comedy, and thriller elements very well.
- Directing and cinematography were quite beautiful 90% of the time.
What I hated [SPOILERS AHEAD]:
- It's like the scriptwriter finally remembered they still needed to explore the male lead's arc in the last 4-5 episodes, and basically rushed the entire background story around him, included a rebellion, and a final battle. I felt I needed more time in this arc, more scenes to understand the turmoil he went through without his parents. His resentment against his grandfather was basically resolved with one little chat after the female lead put them in a room together. It's like they never had the opportunity to talk before? I felt like Xiao Heng didn't get the time and development it needed to push the character farther. He's almost relegated to being supporting eye candy that conveniently saves our heroine when she needs it. Even though it was supposed to be a relationship with mutual benefits, she definitely came out on top.
- After the court scene where she pleads the case for Xue Fangfei's dad, I felt no real resolution. Xiao Heng was in charge of investigating it, but I didn't see a clear conclusion on the case, and whether she truly cleared her name after her ex muddied it.
- I absolutely hated the last 15 minutes of the drama with a passion. The unnecessary deaths of his two trusted sidekicks did nothing to drive the plot except to create shock value. Producer Yu Zheng said it's a happy ending, and it undoubtedly is. But is it logical writing to make the male lead survive an incoming onslaught of enemy troops when he is heavily injured, his side kicks are dead, one of which was shot to death by a group of archers? Typical Yu Zheng. He never knows when less is more. He should've just ended it after they got married or just showed him winning the battle, but the troll is an attention seeker.
- There were a lot of instances where you just had to throw logic out the window. How did Xue Fangfei end up by the river when she was buried alive? How can no one notice she was missing from her room? Why would a special army let rebel troops in through the gates just because some random scholar had the military emblem? Why would they continue to try to kill their former commander just because the same crazy scholar ordered them to when he is obviously off the rails?
- There were an incredible amount of close ups to people's faces. Sometimes it enhances the moment, creates tension, etc. Sometimes it's confusing. In the final battle, they kept closing up on the enemy commander's face, and I kept thinking I should know who he is, but I don't. He's just a rando.
All in all, one of the most fun watches in the year, but far from perfect. First 30-35 episodes were at least an 8.5 for me, but the last 5 episodes were a train wreck closer to a 5.
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Lovely RomCom
TLDR version:I'll preface this review with this drama is not perfect. If you're looking for some in depth analysis on how time traveling works, a complex villain with a fully fleshed out back story, or strong social commentary on disability or mental health, this drama is not for you. If you're looking for a kdrama that has heart and the nostalgic feels of kdramas back in the day, then check it out. It reminds me of Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, where there were a lot of plot elements that didn't make sense, but the drama and leads are so charming. The OST is one of the best I've heard in a long time. The drama picture shows the lead in their high school uniform, but their love story spans high school, college, and adult era. There are many comedic moments that made me laugh out loud as well.
What I enjoyed:
(1) The leads chemistry is fire. They really make you believe they're in love and you have to reel yourself back from shipping them in real life.
Sol seems weak on the outside (I think she cries in pretty much every episode), but she's strong on the inside. I don't think I could go through even half the stuff she did without shutting down, but she powers through to save people important to her. Sunjae is a loser through and through. I like how they didn't make him a male lead where everyone swoons over him. He doesn't get popular until after his idol days. Girls in high school barely notice him and second male lead was more popular with the ladies. I tend to like dorky green flags, and did not understand why everyone was swooning over him in Strong Girl Nam Soon where he plays a villain.
(2) The second male lead doesn't create a significant love triangle and is super supportive. I like their friendship a lot. One of the best second male leads out there in kdrama world.
(3) There are some poignant messages mixed in with the silliness here and there. My dad has Alzheimer's and something grandma said near the end gave me a lot of comfort.
(4) The OST is my jam. I have it on repeat on spotify. I am super impressed that BWS sang all the Eclipse songs himself and actually hired a vocal coach to prepare for the role. I think a good OST is a very important ingredient to a great drama because the music they choose to play when an important scene happens will really elevate the moment.
(5) There are many great comedic scenes that I found to be very creative. The writer takes a lot of kdrama tropes and puts a funny spin on it. I literally laughed out loud a lot, and I don't do that often in dramas. I will also add that there was some low standard toilet humor used here and there that I did not love, but I could count them with less than one hand.
(6) I like that we weren't spoon fed information all the time. Sometimes, small details are given to us and we have to fill in the rest of the blanks. As a time travel drama with 3 chances, it's bound to get repetitive, so it's better to not overdo it. Some people may have issue with this as some things aren't directly explained. It just depends on your preference.
(6) Cinematography is very beautiful. I love their use of blue and yellow to represent the leads.
(7) There's no PPL. I get so irritated when I have to watch them drink instant coffee, vacuum with a dyson, or eat at subway.
What I didn't love:
(1) There's definitely noble idiocy in the drama. While the FL did a lot of smart things, she also made a series of rash decisions that I felt weren't the best. Similarly, the male lead, while dorky and loveable, also tends to rush head first into things. I give the FL a lot of grace though because she has limited time in the past and is making decisions under high stress situations.
(2) I found some of the characters that are in there for laughs were just too annoying, in particular her brother is a complete idiot.
(3) The villain. I understand he was added to raise the stakes, but I could've used without him. He didn't have a lot of screen time but his existence basically lasted through the entire drama. The inability of the cops to do their jobs was frustrating. Fortunately, the real life actor is hilarious and always posts funny things on his IG. While I didn't like his side arc , I found him less annoying than some other villains in recent dramas. Having a murderous subplot isn't anything new though. We've seen it before in Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, What's Wrong with Secretary Kim, When the Camelia Blooms, Crash Course in Romance etc. Some definitely do it better than others.
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