Di Jiu Jie Ke (2022)

A worthwhile watch!

Leave behind your judgements for a while and give this series a chance. It is not what you think whatsoever!

Zhang Yi Xiang is a 17 going on 18 year old high school student who is known to be a bit of a spoilt brat. Xie Shu Fen is his mother and a helicopter parent. She is also the chairwoman of their school and thus a very influential person when it comes to the school's decision making and manages to get her son out of trouble every time. Chen Meng Yun is her son's teacher and a new hire. Yi Xiang takes a sudden interest for his teacher and creates problems for her by crossing the line however she discovers that he is acting out at school mainly because of his overbearing mother and is actually helpful towards his peers.

There is a lot to love about this drama. Although it appears like an inappropriate relationship, it is not because of the teacher's direct actions. There are a lot of unexpected plot twists and a whole mystery subplot that makes this series a brilliant and exciting watch. The series also deals with relationships of children with their parents and the stress of parents in trying to help their children do their best.

The show has a decent pace that keeps you engaged. Each actor did a wonderful job at portraying their characters. The chemistry between the actors is good too.

One of the best aspects is the ending. Things are not always as they seem.

I hope that more viewers are able to give Lesson In Love a try and you might just discover something unique.

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This is not what you think it is!

This drama is not what you think it is. Is it a taboo romance between a student and teacher that, if real, would be unacceptable in every possible way? Absolutely yes. But, again, this drama is not what you think it is.

In the first 5 eps, we are set up to believe that the story is nothing more than an icky romance. In episode 6, your jaw will drop, as the plot takes a total twist and the story becomes so much more. This story is part thriller, mystery, and melodrama.

The main leads have sizzling chemistry and both are sympathetic characters. At first, the ML is beyond insufferable, but if you give it a couple episodes, you'll see a big transformation in his behavior.

This is a series where the second half is way better than the first half. Don't stop after the first episode.

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Lesson in Love ... plot twists and karmic connections ... don't be fooled by face value

This series is a wild water ride of tragedy, plot twists, karmic connections and misdirection. It starts slow but keep watching as it will take you on a ride that you least expected.

For me, this was ? EPIC ? storytelling. Don't be mistaken thinking this was a story of a sordid little affair between teacher and student ... there is far more to the story than the description lets on ... the plot is a complex one, the psychology runs deep across multiple characters and yet it flows seamlessly ... it takes you very slowly at first and then before you know it, around half-way, you hit dramatic 'white water' and then things get really rough ... there are twists and turns and hidden rocks below ... what you thought the story was about ... is not what the story is about.

Your emotions are going to get a beating, but at the very end of that intense 'white water' ride of a drama ... the waters suddenly slowed to a gently flow ... at last you could 'float'. I had tears at the end as well, but these tears were of a different kind.

"Lesson in Love" ... yes it was ... and it was a lesson for many of the main characters in this series ... including the viewer watching it. It is a series about people, their pain, their loves, their hidden stories and drivers ... it is a story about unexpected degrees of separation between everyone ... it is the story about the 'face' value of someone's life and actions and the fact that people are definitely not always what they seem to be and because of their hidden lives and/or because of their failure to communicate, it is all too easy to jump to conclusions and 'see' someone's life and what they do to be something that it is not and "kill" them for it.

I have two MVPs in this series. The first is the ML Zhang Yi Xiang ... he is a character that runs deep and is far more that his public face value ... he is so he is 'pure' even when the whole world is against him. I admire that kind of integrity and tenaciousness ... age is not necessarily an indicator for these attributes. Edward Chen did a stellar job with that character.
My next MVP is Yi Xiang's Pa ... not only was he a hot Daddy, but he was just gold in how he respected his son's self determination and saw through the game plays of people around him. I so agreed with him when he said: "if you are not hurting anyone, why would I oppose it." ۹(^ᴗ^)۶

AWESOME series ... I am glad I watched to the end ... I am glad it was not what I thought it would be when I started watching it. It was brilliantly acted, the script was amazing ... nothing was irrelevant at all ... the art of misdirection was superb ... WOW what a ride ... and best of all a HE ...۹(♡´◡`♡)۶

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Nothing is what you think it is.

If you're triggered by student/teacher relationships then this isn't the show for you, but you'll be missing some pretty epic storytelling if you pass on it. The first few episodes are setting up character personalities and a lot of watchers take these episodes at face value. The teacher seems like an emotionless robot, the student seems like a juvenile bully, the mother seems like an emotionally abusive tyrant. But as the story peels back its layers you will be pleasantly surprised by the emotional depth of each character, how their pasts effect their futures, and how personal growth can change relationships.

The ML is particularly spectacular to watch. His acting is nuanced and his performance is completely believable. His small mannerisms at the beginning SCREAM "I'm a 17 year old boy" - slouched shoulders, hands in his pockets, kicking pebbles as he walks, opening and closing doors with his feet, and rebelling in all ways possible. As he starts to develop more adult feelings and begins his emotional journey his mannerisms become about where his eyes linger and quickly dart away, jealous glances, longing looks, mirroring the adults around him, and the changes he makes to become a better person. The transition from boy to man is slow and volatile, but believable because of the attention to detail from the actor and writers. The chemistry between the leads is also incredibly natural and fiery hot.

At 12 episodes long, this was just the right amount of time to say what needed to be said. Any longer and it would get draggy, any shorter and it would feel like it was missing something. Don't be afraid to invest your time in this show if you appreciate a well-planned mystery with romance, friendship, distrust, and emotional growth.

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advised trigger; teacher and student relationship

"Lesson in Love" could have delved a lot deeper into the backstory. The first six episodes set viewers up for a completely different tale, one that should have gone much darker than it did. One where a compromise of tag-principals, might have been warranted. The student and teacher relationship was still what it was, even without the manipulation of timed events. The implication was the same. Instead of playing with that tag, as later flashback reveals. If the writer had clarified those in advance, it would have made both leads' choices acceptable in the end. The writer did cover certain aspects of past facts; playing on similarities and comparisons to tie up loose ends. But, that liaison was an adult college student and a married professor, and not an underage teen. "Lesson in Love" falls short of what it needed to be to convince me the topic deserved to be covered. I would say an average watch that didn't deliver on its promises in the end.

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More Than What You Think

First A Warning. This drama contains a fair amount of triggering/sensitive content (other than just the student-teacher relationship.) It can be incredibly cringy at times but if you can get past the cringy-ness then this drama can be quite the entertaining ride. Shocking and cringey but entertaining.

It's a bit difficult to write a review about this drama without giving away any spoilers because the description would have you believe this drama is just about a teacher and her student and their taboo relationship but there’s really a lot more to this drama that is revealed as the story progresses. There's bullying, revenge, scandal, past secrets, deception, and obsession/stalking, and not all from people you would normally suspect.

If you were to drop this drama in the first few episodes you would completely miss out on so much more story. There are many moving parts and storylines that trickle out all the way until the last episode. While the first couple of episodes seem a bit ridiculous in terms of how the ML acts towards the FL and how the FL reacts to him, about halfway through this drama things take a big turn.

I was not expecting so many little twists and turns. At times I was thoroughly shocked but no matter what was happening I could not stop watching and I'm glad I didn't because things really weren't always what they seemed to be. It's been a long time since I've been so surprised and entertained.

The romance was okay. It wasn't x-rated by any means. There were some very satisfying kisses.

As for the acting, I've seen Tiffany Hsu's acting before. She's a good actress and her performance here is very good even though her character had to be quite cold and somewhat stoic. There are reasons she acts the way she does. I didn't quite understand why her character didn't react the way I would think she would but again, there's more to her character's story...

The acting by Edward Chen wound up being very good. I found him so annoying as a teenage spoiled brat. At first, I didn't like him at all, but then I realized that a teen boy can be like that. Annoying, obnoxious, and immature. Sometimes he may have overacted but that was mainly in the beginning and sort of phased out as the story played out.

If you're looking for a story that has some unexpected turns then this is a story for you. There is a cringe factor here but I think it was all worth it. Overall, this drama is quite a wild ride.

I doubt I would rewatch this drama again because the shock value is gone but I definitely enjoy watching.

Would Recommend
Would Not Re-watch

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So amazing and intense love

If you love watching shows with intense love from the ml to fl this is for you. I know that its a teacher student relationship but its so good. This had me feeling hot.

The ml killed this role. His eyes carry so many emotions. His love for the fl was beautiful. I loved his schoolboy love turned to a mature relationship. This is probably the best cdrama that i have watched. I really hope i can find more shows like this because this was amazing. I cant even think straight to put into words how great everything in this drama was. I watch 8 episodes in 1 seating and the other 4 the next day. Stayed up ubtil 4am just to watch this show.

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Lesson in Love (TW Drama) (2023)

Thought i'm open minded when it comes to relationships but this really tested me!

Likes
1. The drama was addicting because the topic is taboo and there were a lot of twists along the way. The first 6 eps weren't easy to watch and I wasnt sure why I was still watching. Ep 7-9 made me feel uneasy coz i thought although it's not a crime to fall in love, it felt too inappropriate for the teacher to fall in love with a hs student. Couldnt they have waited until he graduated before they started anything? Ep 10-12 added a stalker storyline to already stressful events.
2. It's tough to like the couple, Mengyun and Yixiang given the circumstances. But i admire them for fighting for what they want. I also didnt feel any passion in all their steamy scenes because I look at the guy and all I see is him wearing his hs uniform in every scene, reminding us that he is still a boy. But his father telling his son that he was ok with the relationship also made me think.
3. I really hated the mom at the start but in the end, i liked her even more than the FL. She had the most growth in the drama. Still doesnt excuse all the bad things she did and i understood she tried to protect her son from an adult trying to get her revenge and hurt her son.

Dislikes
1. The way Mengyun was written. From the start her decisions and actions have been terrible. We dont always know what she is thinking or feeling because she has one expression. What did she like about Yixiang? I really cant imagine, but hey she seems happy so be it. But she should have resigned even before it became public because it was really unethical.
2. The whole stalker thing was unnecessary and obvious but they didnt figure it out because they were too busy with themselves. Also i didnt like that the ending was written in a way that they're forced to forgive or sweep everything under the rug after the stalker. I think without it, the mom would still be fighting with her son and Mengyun, which I think is more realistic than showing all is well after 6 years.

Rating: 7.5/10

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Tales From An Incel

Ummm ... where do we begin? First things first, you don't watch this show for the romance. You watch it for the DRAMA. The drama of it all is what saved this show because the romance was sorely lacking. Also, I saw someone said that the show had a strong beginning and got worse. I'd have to wholly disagree - it had a weak beginning and got better as time went on. Sure, the plot twists were pretty predictable overall but the whole "he bullies me because he has a crush on me" shtick has gotten old. I know fans are really into this more recent phenomenon of awful MLs treating their love interests like crap, but I've never bought into that. Especially if the writers weren't going to allow the FL to have a backbone and be seen as a strong contender against the ML but I digress. You like what you like, but it's redundant and repetitive at this point.

So, the beginning of this show was NOT doing it for me and I almost dropped it because of that. I don't like bully love stories. I can't stress that enough. However, when we got closer towards one of the major plot twists of this show, things started to get a lot better. Here's where my primary issue lies - I wish they would have made the FL a lot more morally grey than she actually was. The ML's mother (yep, she's a major antagonist/villain in this story. albeit not the Big Bad by the end of the show, of course) was overcome with so much guilt that she ALWAYS assumed that the FL was to blame for every stroke of bad luck she had. Honestly, that would have made for a better story if you ask me. If the writers had decided to make the FL morally grey in the beginning before transitioning to illustrate that someone else was actually in the background pulling the strings, this show could have easily been a 9.5/10. That would have given this drama more depth and complexity instead of falling into the predictable and easy route of "Oh, I'm just a damsel in distress who hasn't really done anything wrong and my boyfriend's mom is blaming me because her guilt is eating her alive." That was boring and lackluster. Give me more!

Back to one of my original points - the romance was there but I wouldn't necessarily classify this as primarily romance because it's more suspense/thriller/mystery. The leads had decent chemistry, I guess. The chemistry wasn't the problem. Their story is the problem. I don't mind noona romances. I don't mind age gaps but this age gap is wayyy more intense than what you typically see. Sure, age gaps in CDramas isn't a new thing but age gaps in xianxia/wuxia dramas are a different ballgame for a reason. Age gaps in modern CDramas are already walking on a tightrope between acceptable and downright inappropriate. This romance fell somewhere in the middle but closer towards the latter if you ask me. The ML was 17 and the FL was 30. Sure, he eventually turned 18 during the series but it's still icky to me because I can't imagine why an established 30-year-old woman would ever be interested in a 17-year-old high school teenager who hasn't even graduated yet. Frankly, what would have resolved this issue is sticking him in college instead of high school. Yes, his mother still being in complete control of his life could have still worked here, as well. All of this could have worked in a college setting! Also, there were things that happened that were obviously misconstrued and no one ever called it out. The ML kissed the FL on the cheek at an assembly in front of the whole school, including the administration, and we're claiming that SHE seduced HIM. That was inappropriate on all fronts and the FL didn't even appear into it, but it was inappropriate because of the student doing it. Not because the teacher begrudgingly allowed it to happen. There were a LOT of bizarre instances like that. Yes, she eventually crossed the line in a big way with the ML but not at that point in time and that confused the FUCK out of me.

Now, onto the plot twists. The first plot twist being that the ML's mother was the mistress that ultimately led to the deterioration of the FL's parents' marriage. Now, if you've willingly read this, then surprise! There's the first big spoiler. However, I must say how juicy that could have been in the hands of more imaginative and creative writers. The wasted potential of that arc is something I will always mourn because the places we could go! That arc was chock full of potential twists and turns later in the story but the writers dropped the ball there. The second plot twist being that the Director was the weirdo behind everything the entire time was ... predictable, to say the least. I always had a suspicion that it was him. To me, it was quite obvious that he was responsible for most of what was happening. There was a slight second where I thought it was the ML's father getting back at his overbearing, domineering wife but nope! I almost bumped the rating up to an 8 because I thought that's where we were going but then they completely went into a different direction and settled on the predictable route. I was disappointed!

All in all, the actors did a decent enough job with what they were given but I didn't buy the romance aspect of their love story. I didn't buy it at all. Unfortunately, that's not enough to keep your interest in the grand scheme of things. If you're able to get past the first few episodes, then you may be surprised. I must must underline the fact that the first few episodes are ROUGH. Those episodes will absolutely lead to you dropping it if you're unwilling to go there and I wouldn't blame you at all. I won't lie and say it's a masterpiece but it's watchable. Would I recommend it? Yes. Would I rewatch it? No.

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Disturbing yet oddly entertaining

This lesson in tabus is most probably not a drama that will make you swoon or fall in love with pretty much any of it´s characters. Even if you are like me who has a soft spot for bad-boys gone devoted (obsessed) and soft. As it is there constantly offering disturbing twists some more predictable than others yet indeed very disturbing in so many ways.

It also offers a bunch of issues done wrong oh so wrong and has me questioning the writers motives for this drama.

That said I was entertained, the story did surprise me more than once as well as made me reach for that next episode button so all in all a decent watch. Just prepare yourself to feel uncomfortable. Or at least I did

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no better no worse revenge/school drama

I can see a lot of wasted potential here... It's got a lot of ingredients to keep this entertaining, but also it's got a lot of tropes, and not all of them done right!
I read a lot abt episode 6 & the turnover it brings. Indeed, there is something to it, but its aftermath not good enough if you ask me. Like someone said, two narratives are stuck together in an artificial way, as if the director received too many complaints from viewers for the story being boring and decided to add some action to it!
So, its a (student - teacher) romance + revenge (?) drama after all, and - hopefully - love wins and revenge is forgotten by the end.
Abt cast: i really think the weak spot is the FL, not the ML as many viewers said. The FL is really boring for wearing the same outfit and same facial expression all the time. While the ML is quite in the character, and though he might look more mature - which i didnt notice - it's not unusual for teens to look so. I've seen teens looking old and adults looking like teens, so this is not a concern for me while watching this.
My objection is to the plot itself, logic seems sometimes gone to the drain while cheap tropes keep recurring... Like, good ppl are in fact the creepy ones and vice-versa? Smh

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