Spice Up Your Life

Now THIS is one drama that will either turn you into an ahjumma saying "omo, omo, omo!!“ every five seconds OR you‘ll save it for lonely nights and giggle yourself to sleep. ;D

Its steaming hot and rated 18+ for a reason, however don’t be too shocked by the very beginning ~ it’s not like that all the way through.
There is actually a story and I really loved the chemistry. The kisses were hands down the best I‘ve ever seen in a kdrama.

The spicy back and forth of the relationship(s) hit a sweet spot for me ~
I‘m not talking about misunderstandings but rather the "we both know we'll do it eventually but now for let’s flirt“ energy.
Also the writer was such a sweet guy!
I want one for myself ~ thanks! :D

There is room for season two and it would definitely improve my rating of this season to a 9.0/10 if it will be continued but it does end positively, so it’s fine this way too.

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multi generational slice-of-life disguised as a comedy

This drama is deeper than you would expect.
It made me feel for the characters and it was painfully relatable.

It may not be another "My Liberation Notes“, "Lost" or "My Mister" but in a way the characters and their way of living reminds me of these dramas.

A (grand)father that worked hard all his life, his middle aged son that never really achieved anything and refused to grow up in many ways and his teenage daughter that is quietly suffering as she lacks the support of her father and her growing resentment against the world.

This drama also has some really, really good guest roles & supporting characters whose story will touch your heart.

This drama isn’t for people who like lighthearted comedy, as the comedy part is mostly portrayed by the things that happen to ML & his journey as a (mostly failing) webtoon artist and some of his neighbors but other than that I would categorize it as a slice-of-life drama.
It’s also not for people who like morally perfect characters.

The ML was selfish and not an attentive father. He was human, as raw as it gets.
This drama didn’t sugar coat characters or situations in order for them to be more likable for the viewer… but that’s exactly what I appreciated.
I found it to be refreshing. People are not perfect, people hurt other people.
That is life.
But they still love each other in their own way. I could write an entire essay on the complex father/daughter relationship and how it affected Sang Ah (the daughter).

But the comedy won’t leave you hanging and there is healing as well as growth.

Oh and… the first few episodes might not seem too promising but it really does get better & deeper as you get to know the characters more. The second half was my favorite.

This drama positively surprised me and I suggest you give it a try if you’re looking for a deeper slice-of-life with observational comedy but mostly very ordinary people who are struggling and whose life is anything but flashy.

*Bonus:
Kim Do Wan was an absolute scene stealer. His blonde hair, his bruises, his motorcycle,… ~ call me smitten.
+ The OST is really good! It’s now part of my daily playlist ^^
+ it has a tiny bit of romance among the youth & older generation

Trigger warning for graphic attempted aliven‘t & some other things.

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"Unconsciously, and even consciously, you're all I can think about"

When was the last time a drama made you smile like an idiot?
I can only speak for myself, but it's been a long time. Sure, there are many romantic dramas that I have watched and loved in the last few years but the last time I held a pillow while watching a TV Show was when I was still into CW shows. But somehow I found myself squeezing a pillow a couple times thinking "damn, this is soo good!" while watching 'Fake It Till You Make It'.

Even as a somewhat drama veteran (thanks to excessive binge watching) I counted several "Firsts" and unique dialogue in this drama. The writing of the two leads, as their relationship grows as well as their individual character writing, is exceptionally good and ultimately what makes me rate this drama so highly.

A quote from Neil Blumenthal says "Details matter. They create depth, and depth creates authenticity."
I would say this, aside from superb acting and chemistry, makes it stand out.
These days many romantic dramas leave out details left and right.
It's all about Girl meets Boy in an awkward way, they go back and forth for a bit, she trips, he catches her - boom! They are in love (ofc there have to be some slo-mo shots too). - In the world of romantic tv dramas I would even go as far as to say it's acceptable because it's so cleary fiction.
However with FITYMI you get the realism of not just falling in love but also the uncertainty, the feeling of "what are we?" and the many details that ultimately lead a pair to decide to start a relationship together. The flirting in this drama is creme de la creme (hence the giggling I mentioned earlier) but also the daring moves are very exciting. Taking one step forward, which often is enough to become gf/bf in dramas, can be just a flirt in reality and here it's just that sometimes. A kiss is just a kiss as they say.

A few more things I loved about the couple:
- truly intellectual dialogue
- joking with each other a lot, without it being a plot device
- everyday talk and actions, laying on the couch playing some Nintendo switch - just people being people (4 dimensional characters)
- friendship rings, phone calls, texting - all the goodness of flirting!
- best confessions scenes ever

A little detail (among many) that I want to highlight so you get the idea of what I mean when I say it's a very real drama.
The ML scratches off his address from his mail and packages before throwing them away. This is just a normal scene, no explanation added nor does it spark any dialogue. Just something he does, like so many of us. THIS! That's how you create tangible characters.
Especially considering that the drama only has 14 episodes it's amazing how they fit so many details in that episode count. Thankfully that also meant there was no dragging. Yes, it's a slowburn love story but not in the way you are probably used to. Slowburn as in, we're actually going from encounter, flirting, friendship, some more flirting to testing each other, becoming more comfortable, many deep talks and then relationship. And even then, being in a relationship isn't the goal nor is it ever a goal in general. That's when the real work begins because you grow as a person and as pair. A relationship where everyone stays the same, is one doomed for failure.

ANYWAYS, I definitely got carried away here.. I could talk about what I think every move of the characters meant for hours (hit me up if you want to do the same, lol).

(big spoiler alert)
Moving on from the main couple, there is also a storyline earlier on that I think could have been easily dismissed but I want to mention it because it has, again, some very important context details that many other dramas lack. Lin Xin Zi and Xu Jia Bai's relationship and especially how it ended. Big city life dramas often have at least one pairing with an obviously toxic relationship that is bound to end. A guy that is slowly but surely getting more and more controlling. At some point (in dramas) they start to get physically violent and or verbally abusive. Sadly, this often serves as a plot device for the ML to swoop in and save the girl from the hands of her violent ex. Case closed. But is that what happens in reality? Rarely. Unfortunately being in a controlling relationship that start with things like, asking where you went (in a normal tone), to asking you not to wear revealing clothing is far more common. When the relationship ended, it was really heartbreaking because it was so obvious an unhealthy relationship, but on both sides. Someone that is deeply insecure and has a psychological problem needs treatment, not shaming and I liked that he was not painted as this "monster" but rather as someone with a problem, while still being responsible for his actions. That scene on the bridge was probably my favorite non-lead moment of the drama.
I wish other dramas could take a slice of this and at least stop portraying unhealthy relationships in one way only because the audience almost gets trained into black and white thinking. Either someone is good or bad, either they ship someone or not. Red Flag or Green Flag. Is that really how life works? I don't think so. We all have flaws, we learn to grow, we change, we mess up but we also take responsibility when it comes down it.

Now for the last part of this review / love letter, the more uncomfortable part. No drama is without flaw and although I want to state that the short comings of this drama did not negatively affect the main story of the leads, I still have to admit that it's not flawless. The business talk in the first half was somewhat too much for me, yes it was needed in a way and I liked the general writing too but it was just too much in my opinion.
The director, Li Mo, is also behind another MangoTV hit called "Remembrance of Past Things" and I can definitely see the similarities in realism, intellect and storytelling. But like with ROPT I wish he would focus a little less on the business side. I am patiently waiting for a drama of his, that is focused only on human connection and interpersonal relationships because I believe that would have massive potential. In case you have seen the 2021 Korean Drama "Lost", I believe he and the scriptwriters he works with could pull off something in that direction.

All in all this drama is just so FLIRTY and so good! And I loved every single bit of it! ... I was supposed to be on drama break while it was airing but I could not help but to sneak each episode in my full schedule and it was just like candy!
I also want to note that I left many things out my review (aka glorified long comment) but I decided to just focus on a few details :)

I will leave you with some quotes from the drama:

"Having you by my side is like having candy in my mouth.
No matter how bitter life gets, it always tastes sweet."

"if you can't solve something with a kiss,
try with more kisses."

"Tang Ying, you're not looking for someone out of your league,
You're waiting for a worthy rival."

"I've met many people in this city and they eventually taught me that
the word is big, too big to imagine, so walk your own path,
not according to the script.
Throw away the script and struggle to find your own life.
It's okay to fail, it's okay to take the wrong road.
Life freely.
Isn't that the most stylish thing?"

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Laughably poor excuse of a (Vampire) K-Drama

Alternative Title: Vampires that don’t vampire: Disappointing & Lackluster romcom - a chaotic Rant Review.

You could literally take out the words vampire and replace it with time travel, reincarnated one or terminally ill and the drama would be the same.

It drowned all potential vampire aspect in typical kdrama comedy in the worst way possible. (More on that later) In the end it’s a kdrama with watered down vampires, not a vampire kdrama.

It’s like they wrote a basic script for a romcom, added cookie cutter roles and were like hmmm what should we sprinkle on top… vampires!
Instead of actually being creative and writing a vampire kdrama. It ended at up being a kdrama with (boring excuses of) vampires.

I mean the vampire male lead doesn’t even sleep in a coffin, which is like the most basic vampire 101.
Rather he has a room lit with candles and sleeps on a couch. Like what?

Lee manwhi - the only somewhat real vampire (don’t get me wrong he’s still hella watered down) and villain / evil vampire is drinking blood from criminals and drug addicts.
- Which is supposed to be a bad thing apparently (in other shows this is how the "good" vampires drink blood where as the bad ones use normal humans).

Plus there is zero struggle of the vampires going out during the day and there is maybe 1-2 scenes of them sleeping.
The Vampires ain’t Vamp-iring.

I should have known when I saw the cast list and who played the supporting characters, that the vampire part would be mostly silly. Reminded me a lot of "Vincenzo". The supporting actors aren’t bad and they have been in some good dramas but they always play the same type of characters, that always serve the same kind of purpose and dictate the surrounding vibe of the show. In this case that’s a major flaw.

All the interesting vampire arc happened in the past and a little bit in the later part of the drama thanks to the anti-hero but overall very disappointing in terms of "vampires".
By episode 9/10, they used almost an entire episode on babysitting and being at an amusement park, at this point I knew this drama would be 95% romcom and 5% actual vampire plot.

But even apart from the vampire plot being a major disappointment… let’s talk about the guesthouse. I thought okay maybe this will be the main set up. Nope, they had like 1 guest the entire time and she disappeared when her stalker appeared.
So what really was the plot or reason of this drama?
The male lead actor maybe? The comedy? The romance? Dunno.

As a romcom I think it’s fine in the first half, nothing new or special at all but also not horrible. But the second half was beyond boring and I could not feel any chemistry nor did the actors portray a believable love story.

Additionally I really disliked the female character. It’s rare that I dislike someone’s style of acting (in addition with poor character writing) but in this case it’s a big no for me, as I kept on watching.

Another rant point:
Her dad. Major plot decive clearly, no character depth at all.
Gets freed from over a decade of being locked in a dark basement. And is fine??
No anxiety, no trauma, no nothing.
He gets a haircut and re connects with his daughter quite easily, that’s it?! Honestly this is lazy writing at it’s peak.

Watching the last 4 episodes at 2x speed definitely made me laugh because it just shows you how ridiculously bad and unoriginal it actually is if you take out long pauses and looks characters give each other.

I was already in a kdrama slump before but this certainly only heightened the threshold to start another kdrama in the future.

One last thing: as much as I love Ok Taecyeon, he was not right for this drama because he is too popular. If kdramas really want to venture into the vampire genre, they need to start with a drama about a serious vampire, with an actor that is not well known, hyped or an idol. Because only then will it be believable that he/she is an actual vampire.

Btw: this review are notes written down as I was watching the drama, the ending didn’t have an affect on this rant or the rating.
I mean it’s bad but at this point I could not have cared less if everyone was dead or got a happy ending.

- end of rant -

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it gave me whiplash so bad I got amnesia and forgot all the reasons why I loved it - A Rant

FYI: this is mostly a rant on the ending with a LOT of spoilers, please don't read it unless you've watched the drama.

Something light to begin with... the OST was good... until they played it at least four times each episode. Damn, tone it down a bit will ya?! The foreshadowing in the lyrics is another story, lol.

Now let's get to ranting:
If a sad ending is done well within one episode, I'll cry and rate the drama highly because I remember the good times but if a drama gives you whiplash and throws a million plot turns and character deaths your way for 6 hours straight I just get angry and mad.
One could search for the reason, is it censorship that doesn't allow for more than 40 episodes? So they squeezed all of their plot into the last 10 episodes... or is it because in historical c-dramas characters who (visibly) kill a lot on screen, whilst not being a general or something of that sort, have to die in the end? Who knows.

Once again we've gone through hell the last few episodes only to see a weird fever dream-esque scene, that will divide viewers for eternity, debating whether it's some "secret happy ending".
But don't get fooled... we've seen this happen one too many times to know better... to know that (especially) costume dramas tend to have this type of ending when the broadcasting platforms realize that they've got gold in their hand and want to keep the hype alive, even after finishing. Because who would try and find clues about a possible happy ending, if there wasn't this all-so-kind little scene at the end, so that we - the viewer - can ponder about the ultimate fate of the characters we grew to love, for days and months to come?

Frankly, I am sick of this sh't and if you are going to make a sad ending at least have the guts to not ruin it like that.
This drama was wonderful and if the last 2 episodes would have been sad - so be it - but for it to have 9 episodes of war, death and destruction... completely washed away any love I had for it. I'll give it an 8.5/10 regardless, since it ended up on my top 2 2023 dramas list (until today) and for that it deserves some respect.

Some things that angered me a lot :
EP29/30 we suddenly got a new CP, Yu Shisan and Chu Yue. Very surprising and thrown at us a bit like a curve ball. Nonetheless I quickly grew to love these 2 together. Now looking back at it, they rushed it way too much, should have been a red flag right away. Brings me back to my point earlier... I believe because of the 40ep cap, they cut or shortened this CP's story by a lot and just kept the essential... which doesn't work for romance. Especially not if you have a flirty playboy. No way he's gonna get whipped like that so fast. And then they didnt see each other for 8 episodes and guess what? we didn't even see their reunion! They just suddenly stood next to each other... but their dialogue gave away that there must have been scenes in between we didn't get to see. Poor girl didn't even get her father's necklace back.
Then for ep31-32 the narrator suddenly took over and things happened super fast without actually showing the scenes. That was very strange. Sure, dramas speed up at the end but they ALWAYS have a few calm moments in between. Not here. Because even if one character is sitting down for a moment, you can be certain another one is dying on the battle field in this very instance.
Plot armor, oh thy holy plot armor has done us so good for 30 episodes. What happened? Characters dropping like flies left and right. And then the big show down. Can I even call it that? Because by ep40, we've been through at least four show downs in the last 10 episodes. When the last 3 characters die, the scenes speed up even more and while we got 10 minutes to mourn the previous deaths and seen it in slo-mo, that is denied for the final 3. To be quite realistic, non the deaths were important to the story for the way it was going 30 episodes in. You can't tell me all those twists and turns of war and bloodshed was vital to the story. I mean... it even made me forget half of what happened before because it crashed, burned and set everything ablaze. Just as I am writing this rant I start to remember the good things earlier on. Is there such a thing as drama-trauma?

Lastly. No baby making was involved in this drama. That right there is where everything went wrong (if you know, you know)
'enough said. I'm just really let down by this ending. Heck, not even ending! The issue is it was 9 episodes of pure torture!
I watched Goodbye My Princess and The Rise of Phoenixes, but neither of them had such a butchering of main characters.

'since everyone in this drama got stabbed, why not stab the audience too?' - the makers of this drama probably.

post-ending clarity edit: The acting was really good, I loved the character dynamics and the lack of certain tropes. Loved how strong the girls were and the unconventional love story. Just everything after ep30 sucked.
My ideal ending, even with accepting losses, would have been blind YSS & Chu Yue to make it out alive and together… their story was cut short and I felt the most heartbreak about the "the one that got away“ situation. And of course our leads NYZ&RY to get away and live their life.
Or even an action movie type ending where everything settles down and suddenly they get a "call“ to save someone - the end! So their lives will go on and it’s not so final but rather their story continues off screen.

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Strong Leads, Flirty Romance - but I expected more

This drama has a really cool CP dynamic, with a lot of mutual flirting and two strong, mature leading characters played by actors with very good, natural chemistry.
I totally had a girl crush on the FL, who is exactly how I imagine a cool woman in her thirties would be.
She is more than "just“ strong, she has a lot of common sense + in all things she is no-bs, when handling issues she often voiced the things I criticize in how other dramas handle relationships. She might be one of my favorite cool-headed FLs.
As for the male lead he was really nice + had a calm aura, honestly I wish cdramas had more of those nice and loyal guys that only have eyes for the FL.

The first 10 episodes of the drama raised my excitement for the rest of the drama sky high - however I soon was awakened from my dream of rating this a 10/10, when the writer appeared to have fallen asleep.
There is nothing wrong, nor would I say it took a nose dive, but the build up was so strong, that I had expected it would only go up from here but it kind went from sprint to marathon, where the good episodes came out first and then nothing happened for multiple episodes.

The business plot of the drama was slightly boring to me, as I was in it for the romance but the message about being a strong women, identifying PUA and relationships in general from a female perspective was good.

Critique: (spoilers ahead)
The three major critique points I want to highlight are for one, the therapist/patient relationship of a side character that was incredibly unprofessional and like many other things in this drama was anti-climatic. If you want to showcase a unprofessional therapist, then go all the way and let it "explode" and then deal with the fallout, but to just let it fade into the background and not address it? Hm, no thanks.
Secondly the secondary couple. Oh boy. I loveeee age gap couples but what happened to the poor woman's brain once she met the guy? A little spoiler here but when a woman in her early fourties suddenly talks and acts like a 16 year old, it's just plain embarrassing. When she fell because she saw a dog, I could only laugh.
But I have to admit since age gap couples are my kryptonite I somehow still enjoyed this pairing but it was a love/hate relationship for me, lol.
And my last critique point is that for the amount of flirting and spicy scenes we got early on, it was really was a lackluster later on. Yes, they had a very healthy and mature relationship for most part of the drama but it focused more on the business side and supporting characters after episode 10 and that was a let down.
I can only repeat myself but the first part of the drama was simply the best. The plot of her friend and the affair I thought was really interesting because the dynamic of a second family was different than your average husband-cheated storyline. I was bummed to see that this person just completely vanished and that part of the story was dealt with super fast. Same goes for the FLs family background, which I had expected to have more of an impact but it seemed like that was a story of the past.

!!ENDING SPOILER!!

....like so many chinese dramas it suffers from a very rushed (happy) ending, it didn't have last-episode-feeling and for all the investment in side characters earlier on, only a few showed up at the end. There is a lot of room for a second season but there are no major plot holes or open endings.

Like I mentioned above I felt like the writer fell asleep. however the flirty romance in the beginning was worth it in my opinion and if you know what you're in for I believe this can be a great watch if you want something flirty + it has a really great OST and for once I did not skip the intro because it's so darn cute!

All in all I would say I expected it to be different after having such a great start but I also enjoyed it a lot at times.

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The Sun will Rise and Fall

A Windy Place far away from the busy city life .... this drama will ease you into a journey of healing, soul searching and starting a new life somewhere else. It's written, shot and acted in such a beautiful, poetic way that at times I wondered what the actual plot was. Normally that would be a major red flag but in the case of "Meet Yourself" it is the essence of the story.

When "meeting yourself" aka going on a self discovery journey nothing is certain and there is no set-in-stone-plan. Exactly that was captured by the creators and I would highly recommend this drama to anyone who isn't looking for the next action packed or cliche packed rom-com but rather something calm yet captivating.
I fell in love with all the characters, especially the grandma who was such a comfort character and of course our two beautiful leads, who in all honesty, were distractingly beautiful at times. I was in awe a lot!

The acting was flawless and I could write a paragraph on everyone but I don't want to spoil everything, so let me just say that the creators gave a lot of attention to small interactions, gestures, body language and overall demeanor of each character.

About the romance:
They truly were the perfect match for each other in the most realistic way possible. I absolutely adored our FL, who seemed to be a very private person but hit it off with the ML right away. Honestly it's so nice to see two adults act like adults and not be childish or bickering all the time. If you want to see a relationship develop in a healthy way, get butterflies and feel warm - then drama is for you.
Their flirting was oh so sweet! And I loved that the ML was not above the FL or anything, technically she was more successful and had more money even, so the set up for their story was already at a good base level and it was just a joy seeing them slowly but surely grow closer. It also had THE best confession scene I've ever seen in a Chinese drama, down to point where I could feel the persons nervousness and anticipation. Just wow.

OSTs:
Part of this dramas' charm was it's original soundtrack that was in English and although grammar was not the number one priority it will remain as a very memorable OST in my heart.
"Saddle of My Heart" will be blasted every single day for the next few days, "Days" will give me comfort during hard times and remind me it's just another day and the sun will rise and fall again, last but not least "Validate" will always make me giggle and remind me of spicy times :P

Little Things I loved:
- the storyline of his young brother, why he didn't wanna go to school anymore. On a surface level everyone laughed but I had something similar happen and switched schools, so this arc provided a lot of healing for me over something that I had long left in the past.
- the cats! and horses and cows! Oh what cuties those were and for once they seem to be treated well
- the scenery. Just wow, Yunnan Village seemed like a fairytale land to me

My Favorite Quotes!

"Walk when you can't run.
And when you can't run, mediate"

"You're a goddess,
holding the torch high,
showing me the way,
telling me that, you need self-respect,
self-esteem, don't look down on yourself,
don't be arrogant.
From now on, I believe in no one else but you."

"I want both the man and the career"

"Time will go on ceaselessly.
Happiness will never end.
Dark Clouds are temporary,
since there will always be the wind"

My only critique point:

Truthfully there were only a handful of little things that bothered me / left me with a bittersweet feeling.
The drama offered me so much peace and quiet, that I got greedy and wanted everything to be perfect.
I noticed that about half way through the drama a few supporting roles that I thought were here to stay faded into the background and it became more romance focused in the last 10 episodes, which was fine but my reason for cutting off 0.5 points. "Meet Yourself" started out as a self-healing journey and ended in finding a happy place. Slowly but surely you, as the viewer, were put back into the viewer position of the drama rather than being a part of it.

!!SPOILER!!

My biggest let down, which was entirely my fault, was that I became infatuated with a last minute couple that portrayed one of my soft spot tropes and I fell head over heals, something I should not have done since their story was concluded off-screen (happy ending tho)

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Rain in the Garden of Eden results in A Rainbow among the Clouds

Heads-up: This drama has THE ultimate binge factor. Although I watched it as it aired, I am certain that the experience of binging it would make me rate it a 10/10. Therefore I would recommend binging it to become fully immersed (if you like that).
-------
TFF is a drama like no other. Sensual, delicate and touching.
Melodrama, terminal illness, FL chases ML first, large gap. Sounds like a sea of tropes, right? - Well for once I forgot those were 'tropes' because everything felt so real. This production managed to create such a beautiful story, combining alluring cinematography that makes one grateful for being able to see color with all the flowers and scenery, down to casting actors that take their roles seriously (I'd recommend watching BTS of Jerry Yan, he truly put a lot of thought into this role) and have amazing chemistry.
To call this drama a masterpiece is an understatement in my opinion, portraying deep connections and true love.

The script is not one of many words, but many emotions. It's in the details. He Ran fell in love with life again and for her Xiao Han was life. The Voice she heard gave her strength again. I read some comments early on criticizing her infatuation with him and it kind of made me realize how this drama targets an audience that knows how hard life can be, and how a tiny spark of hope can be the breath of fresh air you yearned for so desperately.

The OST has officially become my favorite of all time and will likely be on my daily playlist for a while.
+ I also loved the scenes in the inner side of the country, it's a first for me hearing a chinese accent that is neither mandarin nor taiwanese and the traditions were beautiful.

---SPOILER---

I also want to comment on the mother-daughter relationship. She was so overlooked and hated at times(by viewers) for being over protective but as her story was revealed my heart both broke and was mended. It provides a great example of how the pain of others' affects another. She not only saw her daughter be at the brink of death but she also lost her husband the same way. How can one live one after that? She is incredibly strong and human, with her ways to continue on. Her story towards the later part was so comforting. I wish everyone would find someone who takes them with all their pain.

The only minus point this drama has for me was that there is a big contrast between the atmosphere and cinematography when it comes to the story of HR + XH and everything else. Whenever HR+XH were together it didn't feel like a cdrama, even down to the way it was shot. The way the director introduced the ML in combination with light, music and angles. Damn that was so beautiful.

However the SML, college scenes and the moms' workplace were all too familiar.
All in all this wasn't bad it just slightly disrupted the perfect illusion the drama created for me.
+ and of course the censorship also had it's finger on the editing button. But luckily many of these scenes can be viewed on the discussion thread. It would have been ever better if they were kept in.


About the ending:
It's up to ones' interpretation if it's a sad or happy ending. I personally believe in the first but it was done soo beautifully that it almost didn't hurt. The creators didn't milk the situation to death by trying to create a tear filled final episode, rather it made me think - Wow, this was so beautiful and colorful. Like their love for each other.
The snow scene for me was the indicator (alongside the Lucid Dream OST) that their love story concluded in the garden of Eden, a magical place that only be reached in the after life.

Quote from the drama:

"Have you heard of this?
When you meet someone
as bright as a rainbow,
everyone else will seem like clouds.
That's love."

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How To Get A Promotion (and get demoted while you're at it)

I want to start by saying that I watched this drama on-going (2 episodes per day) and would strongly advise anyone against trying to binge this drama. If anything it's only watchable slowly - in my personal opinion.

This is the first chinese aviation drama I've seen and after loving American pilot dramas I was ready for emergency landings, heavy storms and many at-the-edge-of-my-seat moments but this drama is NOT that.
To put it simply "I was expecting a drama, but what I got was reality"

Essentially this drama is a career focused story of a young ambitious female pilot aiming for a promotion to become a captain. - and if you see it as JUST that it's alright.

The positive:
- very ambitious FL that has rational thinking and actually is qualified for her job and acts professional
- realistic portrayal of working at an airline and how decisions are made upstairs

and one more, maybe controversial take: a good antagonist.

Often c-dramas have comically bad villains that are corrupt from head to toe and seem to have no other goal in life than to make the MC life miserable and make lots of (dirty) money. And while I hated him as much as the next person I will probably remember him the most because it's the first time a "villain" finds his roots in the fact that he has an outdated world view and not because he wants to control everything or make money. Although he does get more villainous later on, we always see the human side of him too and I don't ever see him as truly "evil" in the sense of a TV Show villain.

The negative:
- the second FL (the friend of the FL) felt very out of place. I skipped many of her scenes, I know it's superficial but to me she just looked like a young boy(?)
- the love triangle and ultimately the decline of character writing of the SML in the finale few episodes, which made him just unlikeable enough to push the audience to root for ML instead.
- the whole Romance aspect and the entire character of the ML (enough said)
- the dark blue color palette that made every episode look so much like the last that it became hard not to drop the drama
- the drama ends with an uneven number of episodes. It ends at ep38, with the story fully finished.
Ep39 feels more like they forgot one part of the plot and decided to add it at the end instead of squeezing it in somewhere in the middle. I'd say this drama has 38 episodes and a season 2 with one episode only.

... all in all I scratched my head a lot thinking this drama tastes like cardboard but stayed for the rise (and sometimes fall) of the FL and her career. Admittedly, I do regret watching this drama simply because it added nothing to my life nor will I revisit this drama.

Watch it if you want to see a professional female pilot work her way through a male dominated industry but stay away if you want to see a great love story or good entertainment.

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when breaking up with your ex becomes mission impossible...

[lots of spoilers here]
I saw a comment underneath one of the episodes that perfectly sums up everything you need to know about this drama: "it's as if they(leads) live in a pool with piranhas, everyone around them bites a piece of their heart"

My anticipation for this drama was high and I could not wait to finally binge it but a mere few episodes in I was already questioning my time spent sitting in front of the TV.
I like risque dramas, give me complex characters that make poor decisions out of their willful heart and melodramatic back and forths... yet all IKILY made me feel was "hmm..." and "interesting..." - but not the good kind of interesting.

But first the positive: THE best thing about this drama are the CATS! This is the first time I actually saw cats looking super happy on screen, constantly demanding pets and cuddles. Totally adorable!
Visually the drama is pretty too, it’s not dubbed which is very pleasant and the opening OST 我知道我愛你- 韓紅 is very beautiful, low key but pact with emotion. Would have been PERFECT for a historical tragedy drama or Wuxia.

To put it simply, there would be no story had it not been for the absurd EX and every disapproving family member (both her side of the family and her ex's). Those are supposed to be additives yet here it is the main story. Take out everyone but the leads and they would have been together in like 2 episodes - happy ending!
Even for a remake of ONS, it should not be THAT easy. If the entire story of a romantic(!) drama depends on supporting roles to work, it's just not a good story/script.

The ML is very kind, the fact that he fell for someone who was still in a relationship doesn't really fit that but I have to admit I did enjoy parts of their romance especially around ep18-19. The writing between the 2 leads is also quite good. I'd say it's a love story between a guy that is too good for his own good, and a very human, more self centered (but not selfish) FL. A quote by her fits perfectly "I made you a sinner for no reason". Because neither of them would have had to feel bad had she set proper boundaries at any given point.

I tried and tried again to sympathize with Xuo Nuo but it was just impossible to beat the unfavorable script writing.
After the 10th "surprise" phone call from her ex in front of ML I gave up trying to be on her side. Don't get me wrong - I didn't hate her but the whole fun about dramas that involve emotional cheating is trying to justify their feelings and the constant thrill and angst about possibly getting caught. But in the case of this drama it can only be considered emotional cheating because the ex does not accept the break up... had it not been for that the drama would have ended at EP9. But they drag it out sooo much, just to keep the "forbidden" feel of the lead's relationship alive, which makes it feel incredibly forced and draggy. That feeling is only solidified by highly questionable actions and lack of sense regarding Peng Yu An's character.

The big elephant in the room of this drama is her Ex Boyfriend Peng Yu An, who is one awfully written character. At first I thought okay he is just your average douche bag. But then I was like oh okay so he actually does love her in a messed up way? And then back to okay just a jerk and so it goes back and forth. I don't think it's fair to write him off as the cheater because they both did it (emotionally). His interests were business, hers were of the heart kind.
He differs in a way from other similar characters, as he does not accept nor acknowledge the FL breaking up with him in the most delulu way that even a soap opera would not think of. Telling people he will marry her and such. But then going back to tell someone else he will break up with her as she does not fit his family's standards, while also telling her he wants to marry her?? Expressing his dislike for the woman his father chose for him. Then proclaiming his true love for FL again, while also promising his business partner they will marry?? What is going on, haha. Honestly I can understand his dad not taking him seriously in any of his endeavors regarding love.
There are also countless other characters that want to keep apart the leads, but I shouldn't spoil everything...

Again - I feel like I need to defend my stance here because every episode I thought to myself I WANT TO LOVE THIS but I JUST can't :( ... it was always 10% off course in the most annoying way. Where everything started to piss me off a little. Did I end up hate watching? - slightly. But also I don't hate it completely... I did enjoy parts.

ENDING SPOILER
------------------------

Ending was weak but happy. Literally everyone who was nasty af before suddenly accepted reality without even a moment of realization, just straight up "okay this is the finale, let's turn 180 degrees and be happy". The ex's ending to me is neither good nor bad but definitely too short. Initially I thought it was defeat with a bit of hope for his own future (becoming more aware of his own hobbies, breaking free) but now I think he just gave in, he won't care what that woman thinks. He just picked the first common interest and went with it. I highly doubt he actually moved on. And to be quite frank... I don't trust the script writers of this drama would actually be smart enough(in the context of this drama) to write a complex ending for him. He was but a massive plot device.


Some inconsistencies, that aren't really that big of a deal but I still wanted to mention it (spoilers):

- why did everyone look down on him for being a vet? Even he himself said he is "just" a vet. Don't these people know veterinary medicine takes longer to study than human medicine?
- the timeline of his age, their struggles growing up and him becoming a vet doesn't make sense.
- it was early-late winter the entire drama, do they really want to tell us multiple couples fall in love within 3-4 months and marriage is already topic nr1? What's the rush.
- pulling a "the fault in our stars" move for that one couple was cheap. It was wrapped up too fast to actually have an emotional impact. That entire story line was unnecessary and out of place.
- the english OST was a pain after hearing it one too many times each episode. Dreamed about a dream that I just dreamed? Julie, Julie I don't feel good today? Lord have mercy!

Tbh this drama is the kind of backstory quarreling parents of leads in other dramas have... not sure if that is something to aspire.

Ultimately I still gave it a 7/10... why? Because that's pretty much my lowest rating for dramas I finished and didn't hate but rather found disappointing and meh.

Edit a few days later: There is one scene that bugged me a lot and probably influenced my rating. If you are a romance lover or like the leads you might really like this drama. All my ranting in this review goes to say, that this is just my opinion and someone else might love it. HOWEVER here goes the scene near the end that made me very frustrated with the writers:
ML is drunk, sitting at his bed and having a very pitiful look. FL goes into his apartment and sees his ex made him some sobering up tea (note: the ex did not drink with him she just saw him downstairs and brought him to his apartment), she leaves once FL is here and they don't have any quarrel or anything. FL goes to ML bedroom and I thought she would go comfort him... boy I thought wrong. He is in a sorry, close to tear like state and asks her "will you leave me too?" (hinting how a lot of people in his life have left him before). FL, instead of comforting him, asks him twice "what do you mean?" "don't you trust me?"... it was so obviously a vulnerable side of him he showed and also drunk talk but she took it very seriously and instead of comforting him, she got mad and left. GURL WHAT. For all the scenes we saw before, the only logical thing would have been for her to tell him that he doesn't have to fear that and comfort him... as a means to portray some healing... and show a difference compared to the people that actually did leave him. But no she does the exact-opposite. Resulting in a short separation at the end, which was just very unnecessary and forced. I know FL mentioned a few times in this drama that she is not as good as a person as ML and such but that was very out of line. She knew he was drunk and he said so very pitifully... mans just needed comfort. Why take it so seriously? And even if she was so hurt by it... talk it out during the day, don't try and argue with a drunk person when you are sober. end.

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it's a fine line between unique, weird and confusing

It's refreshing in a way, as it lacks not only many typical tropes but also the overall set up (road trip / being always on the go/ no fixed workplace) leaves you with little room for getting accustomed to certain surroundings, nor does it have many supporting roles as the story goes on. It's very much the story of the FL and her life's story turned into a manuscript, while the ML is a too-good-for-his-own-good new on the job guy, that is tasked with getting said manuscript but Wang Pu Tao instead asks him to take a road trip and so the story unfolds.

The first 10 episodes contain stories that come to life, the later part of the drama is focused on the leads (mostly the FL) and figuring out the meaning behind the stories of her new manuscript as well as confronting your past and seeing the present for what it is.

Review/Characters/Romance:

Now, while it certainly is unique and given the short duration of each episode, an easy watch, it's also a little undercooked. Maybe that's on purpose as the drama wants to remain slightly mysterious and give it that vibe, but for me it was a bit confusing at times. There is also a definitive cut between the storytelling part of the drama and the present reality, which contains the romantic aspect of the drama. I liked the ML, he was cute and his good heart but very realistic, utter confusion at the FL sometimes was funny. But I do think he deserved better communication, most of the time he was was trying to figure out what she's thinking or what she wants.
Many of the listed supporting roles only appear in select episodes and you don't get to know them all too well but everyone has their purpose and I felt like it was quite a realistic approach, since IRL most interactions are only fleeting conversations and you don't have to always know about everyone's business.

Circling back tho, the drama is like the FL, a little weird, unique but deep down her story is not that different from other dramas leads, it's just that they took a very different approach in telling the story - I can appreciate that.

Worth the watch if you want something quirky but not bubbly (at all), an imperfect and seemingly mysterious FL that is wrapped up in her creative mind and a ML that tries to get his job done but in the process gets more and more curious about who the FL really is.
Although it's about publishing a book/getting a new manuscript there are actually almost no office scenes, it's a very summer-y beach vibey drama. And it's not cringy or fluffly. The acting and production is above average, I also liked the music. Like everything in this drama it's a bit different than the usual OST.

To end this review: I'm still unsure if I like the drama or if I am confused since it's different in all aspects not just one, BUT it has many unique selling points and it's not like anything I watched before. The ending was like a movie ending, it fitted the drama very well and won't leave you hanging.
It's a fine line between unique, weird and confusing and this drama manages to balance on that line.

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Real "Strong Women"

“Sisterhood” is everything the title promises to be. Several women of various ages and social ranks, work, grow and live life together in a time where being a truly brave and strong woman was something that would instill distrust and disfavor in people who aren’t receptive to change.

From start to finish I was impressed by the Red Scarf women (female construction workers), who existed in real life (samsui women) and had to work twice as hard doing hard manual labor and still be belittled by the men on the construction sites. I did some research into the topic upon finishing the drama and it became quite clear that this drama feels so real because they decided to honor and represent these women.
The 40 episodes went by fast and I did not skip a single scene.
It’s multi-layered and covers many different types of people, from samsui women, to gangs and the upper class society as well as many different settings and circumstances. Just take a peak at the tags of this drama and you‘ll see what I mean.

Although it has two main characters, throughout the drama there are episodes where the focus shifts from character to character. I quite liked that it wasn’t just about the leads and their story. All supporting roles would easily pass the Bechdel test, as they each have their own story.

Ouygang Tingqing(FL), starts at the very bottom and grows into a leader of the samsui women by standing up for her sisters, making connections, wise decisions and bringing in ideas on how to improve their lives and careers. Among the red scarf women, no one is like the other and conflicts are dealt with and resolved. It’s quite surprising that none of these characters were villainized nor made perfect. It was a true pleasure watching the sisterhood of these women.

Another thing I loved is that, given its female centered plot, instead of having a rich, influential ML as a backer for the FL, we have Nan Lan. A rich, older lady that is deemed mysterious as she befriends people outside of her social circle and race.

I totally love how all the main female characters had their life intertwined with each other in so many ways, but not in a means to complicate it but rather to build a better life for themselves and their peers. They don’t limit themselves to what has been given but instead work hard to achieve their dreams.
They start their stories at different phases in life but as they grow, everyone find their purpose and even within the samsui women, there are many that find their purpose in another way of life but still are supported by their sisters, who want to see them succeed.
Success comes in many ways and this drama shows a variety of what that can mean for different people.

Of course every drama also has people who make trouble, this one is surely no exception but our ladies are a force to be reckoned with. Not a single time does our FL back down.
There are ups and downs throughout the drama in terms of hardship caused by other people but be sure that your blood pressure will not spike all the time nor for too long.
I also liked that the FL wasn't someone to just forgive and forget, even when it came to family members.

----spoiler territory starts here----


About romance: Let me say this, it’s not a romance centered drama. Yes, there are romantic elements and there are multiple couples - but it’s just a part of their life's journey that happens later on. I really loved ML, a sweet gangster that chased the FL, since she stood up to him in the first episode. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a devoted guy that was totally in love with her. This also brought in the comedic element. The actor is really great, I quite enjoyed his performance. Definitely will go on my list of favorite MLs. Plus no need to worry about an imbalance of their dynamic, the FL is very strong so ML is very sweet to her and tries to help her in whatever way he can. But be aware that there are no on screen kisses between the leads, yet for once I don’t totally hate that.

Weak points:
I praised it a lot, I know and it’s quite good but of course it also has it’s flaws. Without spoiling too much I ll just mention 3 points- there was a side character that I was kinda disappointed that he didn’t magically show up alive again, because it would have suited said character. His pursuit of a female character was fun and not your usual pairing.
Also as mentioned above the romance of the leads is very slow burn. I had wished for something a bit more intense on her side.
Generally it’s a great drama for what it is but here and there certain plot points could have been polished a little bit more.

About the ending:
Everything was tied up nicely and although it got more intense in the end, it has a very beautiful happy ending that brought forth the diversity in characters once again. I know this drama was adapted from a novel and the ending very much felt like the last page of a book.

Beautiful drama about the extraordinary women of Xingzhou, who worked hard and built themselves a better life by being courageous in their daily life.

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not one boring moment

When I clicked open this movie I did not expect much. Even for the first third of the movie I thought it was be pretty predictable but to my surprise it turned around to be quite funny, healing, cheeky and overall entertaining.

The synopsis is pretty vague and does not represent the movie accurately in my opinion.
Both leads are not that young anymore, while he had been turned down in love and gave up on his music career, the FL has been in jail the past year. All in all I would say the story is non linear and not every plot point and the history behind that is fully explained. If this was a drama that would be a negative, but since this is a rom-com with 120 minutes run time, I don't see much fault in that. The typical tropes like "fake dating", "fake pregnancy", "ex comes back" might make you want to stay away and think it's melo but instead of doubling down on these tags, the movie uses those terms as additives. They don't define the entire story only parts of it and the main characters grow around them. To put it simply, one second it might seem the rest of the movie is going to be set in a certain place but a few minutes later everything is different.
Both leads have a difficult past and let go of that together over the course of the movie. Especially the ML has some touching moments later on.

As mentioned earlier I especially liked the second half, it had me laughing quite a few times. For a Chinese Movie it shows quite a bit of skin and is more raunchy than a more conservative movie. I mean the fact that the FL beats up guys, was in prison and has a back tattoo already gives you a little bit of a hint that there won't be a damsel in distress. I also liked it's fast pace but also many original scenes. Whether funny or sad moments, the actors had good chemistry and delivered a good performance.

But of course it's not a perfect movie. At certain points earlier on I found the ML a bit sleezy and the FL got sexualized a bit too much by the writers but it got better later on when the focus shifted on comedy and healing. The "not one boring moment" title could also hint at something not perfect since the movie does a lot, almost too much, in a short period of time and you don't always know the reason or where certain people came from.
Lastly, I really liked the ending. Funny and also wholesome... also shows that there are people who will accept your past and not judge you based on that.

I think it's entertaining and I don't really rate movies strictly, so for me it was funny and cheeky and that is good enough for me.
I would recommend the movie, especially since there are not a lot of odd pairing romcoms of mainland china that have leads that aren't in their 20s anymore.

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Sweet Romance, Great Chemistry but quite simple

This drama has it‘s main OST sung by Chen Xueran and if you have already watched a couple c-dramas then you know dramas with his OST all have a similar vibe and set up:
Around 30-40 Episodes, High Profile Actors, lots of promotion, romance centered with quotable scenes and a smooth but overall simple storyline with a dash of "china-is-the-best" sprinkled on top.

And this drama is exactly that. It’s a nice watch as it has really good chemistry that is worth the build up and unlike many other dramas, in terms of romance, it’s actually *not* anti climatic and instead has a point where the romantic tension boils over.
It’s not outstanding in terms of story besides the romance, which was very sweet and wholesome, given the nice/calm ML and the chairmans-daughter-undercover FL.
If you really like romance with funny moments and steamy kisses then you might enjoy this a lot.
+ The FL can secretly pull strings within the company thanks to nepotism which was refreshing in a way, since she doesn’t have to back down from anyone.

Another plus point for this drama is no parents for majority of the drama, which in my books is always a plus… because when was the last time you saw parents that weren’t annoying in romance centered ones?

Negative Points (slight spoilers):
Overall the main couple is what made me like this drama but everything else will probably not stay in mind for long.
It did have a lot of supporting characters and side plots that came and went without much impact.
The whole Baidu Navigation system versus America‘s GPS was over the top and 2-3x it completely took over for half an episode, which went beyond a lil self praise to full on propaganda… but it’s a Chinese drama so what can I do besides roll my eyes maybe :')

Conclusion:
It’s a smooth but simple drama, without blood-boiling qualities and a truly swoonworthy, sweet ML. It‘s lacks a few ever so annoying tropes, which was nice but it also didn’t replace those so it ended up being a mid-tier drama with (probably) high budget that is nice to look at.

End note: I see dramas are getting bolder by sneaking in a fruity side character… even though he was stereotypical, he was cute.

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