Drama Watchlist of 2024

What I liked: CGI, acting & fighting scenes were very well executed. It kept me on the edge of my seat and I enjoyed seeing more of it within the story. I also liked the growth of the ML’s characters as we could see how his emotions finally started to blossom. The OST was so good as well. 

What I disliked: There is so many PREDICTABLE communication issues that i wish the leads would’ve surprised me and given each other the benefit of a doubt or a conversation instead of playing into the normal angst. But anything to harp on the drama for the show..

Recommend: ❌

What I Liked: Very heartwarming. Coming from Till the End of the Moon, I needed a light romance with comedy to lift my spirits and LIS did exactly that. I loved the chemistry between the leads and their journey to becoming a couple. 

What I Disliked: While I do love when dramas have a good number of episodes, LIS didn't need 36. While I've seen draggy-er dramas, I feel like this one could've easily been wrapped up in 25 episodes or atleast at episode 30 where all of the main conflict is resolved for the most part. 

Recommend?: ✅

What I Liked: Growth of the FL in terms of prowess, maturity and chemistry with the ML. 

What I Disliked: The villains. Too obvious, not fleshed out or gone too soon and then brought back for an unnecessary "shock" factor, which makes me wonder if they were even needed at all.  The story is also very predictable and some characters that were meant to be important were not fully developed or rushed to complete the story.  Those last few episodes as well.. were a piece of work. 

Recommend: ❌

What I Liked: The shining light of this show was the family aspect. I loved quanquan and what he brought to the story. 

What I Disliked: The insane amount of miscommunication and draggyness of the plot. I didn't love the FL, I wanted her to grow in maturity and it felt like majority of the time I couldn't agree with her actions. Once the main drama was resolved, it felt like more obstacles were being thrown in to prolong the story where it wasn't necessary. 

Recommend: ❌

• What I Liked: 
• AJTY is very purposeful in what is shown to viewers episode by episode. I enjoyed unraveling the mysteries behind character's actions before they were revealed and I loved that there were moments in the show that I couldn't have imagined or guessed would happen. 
• AJTY portrays chemistry well, I was particularly more interested in the secondary couple.  The characters in this show feel fleshed out and well written. I like the challenging aspect that I felt when trying to dechiper if some characters (i.e. Shangguan and Shang Jue) were playing a game/not following for each other or if they were truly moved by each others actions despite the fact that Shangguan has a mission and Shang Jue is skeptical of those around him.  
• AJTY made me think in more ways than one and I can appreciate unique storytelling when I see it. 

What I Disliked: 

• Gong Zi Shang. I feel like this character was meant to be the comedic relief of the show but it's very exaggerated comedic relief that I seldom found entertaining. I think I could've dealt away from this and instead kept the shows focus on developing pivotal characters, relationships and the history behind Wufeng and the Gong Family.

• The pacing was extremely slow. 

• The ending. End the show at 42:27 to avoid cliffhangers. 

Recommend: ✅

What I Liked: I loved the female empowerment. The three female lleads stuck with each other and even when their sisterhood was challenged, they always found their way back to each other.  I found myself in awe of Pan'er's confidence, bravery and intelligence as she navigated through the series as a proud businesswoman of the Song era. 

The cinemetography was also absolutely beautiful. 

What I disliked: The plot is slow which I expected but there is immense dragging in the middle of the story that I didn't love. 

Recommend: ✅

What I liked: 

•  The show brought me the feels in every way possible. I didn’t think I’d be interested in the world of billiards but it was exciting watching Yin Guo competitive fire when playing in the sport and Lin Yiyang reignite his spark and love in the sport through Yin Guo. As we watch Yin Guo and Yiyang get to know each other over the course of episodes, I found the romance to be adorable. I felt so much chemistry watching these two together and the pairing felt natural.
• In the later half of the series, I liked seeing Yiyang finally face his past and reunite with his friends — i felt emotional as the character was able to overcome that sense of pride to progress in his maturity.
• There are zero love rivals (that had a serious chance) or annoying side characters that disrupt the flow of the show.  
• The cinematography + location was beautiful and added a different layer to the story

What I Disliked: 

• The pacing is quite faster than i expected with getting the leads together. Usually I’m happy to avoid a slowburn romance but given that the show is 30 episodes, it does feel like the story/plot was not enough to keep up for the faster paced romance. By this, i mean that while I was interested in Yiyang’s past and the romance, the show in between revealing this felt very slow and a less engaging watch.
• This drama features an attraction at first sight and feelings progress rather quickly between the two as discussed above. Even as I completed this drama, I still wonder what attracted him to Yin Guo (before even speaking to her he was insta attracted) out of all women in the show. 

Recommend:✅

What I liked: 

• Chemistry between the leads, bold, strong and intelligent female lead. There was also a really beautiful + satisfying end to the story.
• One of the satisfying endings -- which granted after the ride we watched, we deserved it. 

What I Disliked: 

• Horribly written characters -- especially the King! The king is insufferable, the main villain/second male lead is tedious and the conflict between the main couple is frequent and unrelenting. The villains and the conflict in the story do not show us anything we haven't seen before and it's repetitive throughout the story. 
• There are many episodes (that should’ve been downsized) where the ML has so much intelligence and prowess and yet we still have the airhead king, the ML’s scheming brothers, the second female lead and second male lead that he continuously falls victim to. Not to mention the endless amount of conflict and bickering between the leads for small reasons. 
• There would be moments where one episode would be “let’s forget who we are and have a great day” and the next episode problems will continue to make a breakthrough.

Recommend: Undecided. If you're used to endless amount of tropes, nonsense and repetitive conflicts -- you may be able to sit through this and still enjoy the gem of romance we were allowed to see. This was a hard watch for me and I wish the conflicts, villains and story showed me something different. The saving grace was the acting of our leads and the romance/chemistry they shared telling the story. 

What I liked: 

• I liked seeing Feng Xin/A’Yin grow through her tribulations.  It is very rewarding that have watched such a likable character that has struggled for 20+ episodes and have them be such a powerful force of nature that can back up her already strong willed personality.
• I also liked the friendship and bonds A’Yin was able to make across the eagle and demon clans. Their banter and journey together made the watch very enjoyable.
• Additionally, although lacking in power, I love that our ML is kind to those who deserve it rather than being the typical stern/brooding/aloof type of character.
• Lastly, the acting from our leads is something I looked forward to in every episode. The script may not be my absolute favorite but every-time our ML felt sad or wronged, as a viewer I could feel it and I felt sad too. The same can be said for our lead, Zhao Lu Si. Her performances get better and better with every drama. The chemistry was great, I wish there were even more scenes to flaunt it.

What I Disliked: 

• TLI falls into the same predictable elements that many xianxia genre dramas hold. This could be a good or a bad thing to a viewer but I for one, love when a drama goes against the typical tropes and makes me think.
• I wanted more from the writing of the story and I loved the prequel (ALP) and I was hoping that through Yuanqi’s story, I can feel some of the love that I felt during the prequel. It unfortunately falls short in terms of intelligent characters and interesting villains.
• Lastly the CGI wasn’t the best. Felt very weak in many important moments.

Recommend: ✅ (I'm a bit more forgiving of the drama's flaws when weighing the pros + cons)

What I liked: 

• This youthfulness that is this drama was a serotonin booster. I felt waves of motivation and happiness when watching that made for an enjoyable watch of the team and their friendship.
• I love how charismatic the FL is. I started the drama on a whim and it certainly cheered me up with many of the elements i enjoy.
• The leads relationship were so cute & fluffy.
• I actually belly laughed while watching this drama multiple times. I can say that it was truly a breath of fresh air despite its flaws.

What I Disliked: 

• The emphasis every episode that the accidents are a coincidence until the later end (15-16) of the show. It’s clearly not a coincidence if accidents keep occurring to the same people and I wanted our characters to wisen up. There was always curiosity of the latter but no action until it was too late.
• The villain. The motivation was a weak plot point. I didn’t foresee this drama even having a villain or mystery plot that was shown but the villain didn’t have a strong enough motivation to convince me on why they would target the FL and other women for example and not other team members that also had feelings for others in the squad.
• The romance was very cute between the leads but I wished they fleshed the ML out a bit more. It was also harder to ship the SML with the amount of obsession he showed over Hae Yi. The other characters of the drama although their romance is hinted, it felt rushed (with exception to Hae Yi’s best friend and Min Jae which I saw coming).

Recommend: ✅ (an overall fun drama to watch with a good blend comedy, romance & mystery.)

What I liked: 

• The level of friendship and camaraderie amongst the firefighter team and medical team. Both leads have lost their bio family’s so it was nice to see them develop that bond in other ways.
• Chemistry + acting between the leads was perfect, I enjoyed watching them onscreen.
• There were many moments of the drama that felt real, heartwarming and touching.
• The comedy was a nice touch as well considering that the drama can be serious at many moments.

What I Disliked: 

• The amount of timidness in the female lead went on far longer than my patience would allow and the progression is painfully slow. Its pretty frustrating to watch a character for several episodes be so wishy washy with their feelings. I can empathize with how hard it can be to stand up for yourself but to have the character’s personality be so back & forth thus hurting the male lead even more is not an easy watch.
• The second male lead/FL's brother made me feel so uncomfortable with his role in the drama. I didn't like this character one bit.

Recommend: I don't want to be responsible if you hate it LOL

What I liked: 

• It wasn't all bad but there were very few things I liked.  Our ML is great at expressing his emotions on screen & I loved the friendship between Qi Pa + Hongxiu.

What I Disliked: 

• Many things.  Truthfully I should’ve dropped this drama a long time ago but I’m a fan of the ML so I stuck it out. I cannot stand when shows depict werewolves as complete dogs, it throws me off because although it’s probably for humor, I don’t find it funny at all. 

• Qi Pa, is very prejudiced. In the beginning i was on her side because realistically no matter how nice your kidnapper is, they are still your kidnapper and you shouldn’t be forced to fall for them or marry them. However, her falling for his “cuter” persona while shunning the werewolf version was pretty cruel because they are in fact the same person and act completely the same when showing affection for her.  

• The CGI,  bad costuming, the awkward growling, the boring “mysterious man” villain were more than enough reasons I should’ve walked away from this project.

Recommend: ❌

What I Liked:

• The FL is brave, strong, bold and intelligent. She takes charge when necessary and I was in awe of her inspiring personality and kind nature. She’s a character that will pave the way for her own future and I am fond of those types of characters. Even when there was an issue with lying, her original feelings never waned and she was levelheaded through it all.
• I loved the ML. He is a bit more fierce with enemies than I’ve seen in a while (think Ling Bu Yi from LLTG) and I quite enjoyed the fighting style, attitude and consideration. He also has a different way of acting that may be inhumane or brutal to others but I quite enjoyed seeing the bad guys get their just desserts. This along with the fact that he is also very protective of his family and the FL, made for a diverting watch.
• The chemistry between the ML and FL. You’ll notice within the first few episodes how perfectly matched the leads feel.
• The Hua family characters made the story more interesting. I looked forward to seeing how they’d overcome each of their challenges.
• The relationship/bonds between the FL, her family and the ML’s family (shaoyao). There were several heartwarming moments that made me laugh, smile and cry that I could appreciate from watching this drama.
• One of the best endings. Hua Zhi opened so many doors for the women of her family. 

What I Disliked:

• The king was so exhausting. It took far too long for him to get his just deserts. He was not worth Yanxi's undying loyalty and I wished he stood up to him earlier and valued his life more than just the king's "sword." After all the manipulation, how often he used Yanxi and what he has done to his lover's family, it's a wonder of how he could still be so loyal to him till the very end. 

Recommend: ✅

What I Liked: 

• The steamy scenes are very tasteful, if I do say so myself.
• The drama is quite fluffy + affectionate with a satisfying end. 
• I enjoyed the cinematography, the beach and island scenes were particularly alluring. 
• I laughed quite a bit while watching, the characters just feel organically funny.
•  The plot is pretty simple but I like that the ML figures out the path that works best for him throughout the show. It’s a nice message towards following your dreams.
•  There is some angst and drama (because without it the story would probably be a bit dull/boring) but nothing that isn’t resolved in an equal timeframe.

What I disliked: 

• I don’t feel like Duan Yu Cheng (ML) matures in the way I was hoping/expecting. He was still pretty immature throughout the show with how he handles conflict or losses. I kept waiting for him to grow but I felt like he mainly stayed the same in temperament. I guess it wasn’t all bad because I laughed a ton at the whining.
• Duan Yu Cheng has a love for sports but his affection alot of the time completely takes over. Sometimes it felt like he would do things (i.e train) simply for Luo Na rather than for himself and his love for the sport.
• I couldn't really feel when Luo Na found that spark for Duan Yu Cheng. On the other end, I can infer that she fell for him due to his work ethic and charm but seeing is believing. 
• The distracting 'cloudy' filters when unnecessary. They were probably looking for a cinematographic vibe for some of the cuter scenes but at times I thought I was looking at a flashback or something tragic was about to happen.

Recommend: ✅

What I Liked:

• I enjoyed the tribulations more than I thought it would given there would be multiple and they would all eventually have to come to an end. I didn’t expect to feel so touched enough to cry and laugh at the scenarios the leads were put through. Namely, the General/Princess tribulation was my favorite tribulation. The mannerisms, tones of voice and humor really sold me on these scenes. Their past life 30,000 years ago is a close second with how absolutely adorable and shy they were (especially Chongkong) during their initial meeting and courtship.
•  I was intrigued in figuring out by Cang Hai's story and how the king of the immortal realm fit in. While I accurately guessed some things there were elements that i couldn’t unravel.
• I loved the chemistry between the lead and the romance in each tribulation unbelievably touched me. The way our leads were willing to sacrifice themselves each and every time for their love whether knowingly or unbeknownst, was moving.
•  Finally, Ding Xu’s constant switch between playful and serious shows his depth as an actor. I’ve seen other works where I wasn’t impressed but this one has changed my mind.

What I Disliked:

• I lost interest in some characters. Namely, Luo Na and Zihui. I lost my momentum when Luo Na appeared and then disappeared for several episodes, reappeared and disappeared again. I wish there was a balance.
• The plot feels bare bones in its reference to the six realms. Other than the immortal, mortal and demon clans, I don’t think anything else was mentioned or shown. I feel like this should’ve been unpacked further to add to the story and the villains motivation.
• I couldn’t take Jin Cheng/Jin Lian seriously at all. There was something off about the acting.
• Crybaby female leads, I can look past it but I don’t prefer the whining. 

Recommend: ✅

What i liked:

• I had a few laughs when the jokes weren’t outwardly funny. (I.e Gu Shengnan screaming for no apparent reason)
• My interest peaked at this drama for Zhao Lu Si as I’ve been on a binge of her dramas, I found her charm here exceptionally adorable.

What I disliked:

• Cliche mom-monster with her “i will pay you to leave my son” schemes.
• With the amount of times Lu Jin struggled to even call Shengnan his girlfriend was a huge red flag.
•  Adding to the mismatched relationship, I didn’t think the lead’s maturity levels matched at all. Although, Shengnan is 21, her maturity level is much lower comparably to our ML who acts much older.
•  I didn’t care for the secondary couple at all, that romance didn’t move me in any capacity and it led to me becoming bored with the story.
•  Shengnan continuing to go and work at the same place that has wronged her several times.. Lu Jin not firing his work partner after she's crossed the line several times.. so many red flags. 
• The unflattering lipsticks.
  
  Recommend: Unless you love Zhao Lu Si like I do... skip