Story telling perfection!

I waited a long time to watch this drama since I don't know the game, but I remember my father telling me how hard the game is. Never imagined that I'd be watching this drama in one GO! The cast/story/production were all so good. I love 99% of the characters which is very rare in any drama. Good job limiting single dimensional annoying characters with only few lines.

Best of the Best in:
1. Casting. From leads to supporting characters, there were no weak characters. Too many outstanding actors to even list.
2. Character development. I love how the story not only focused on the lead characters development but also gave light to the supporting characters.
3. Friendships/Bromance: Story didn't have or need any romance. The multi layered friendships feels ever so heartwarming.
4. Story telling. Great pacing (except ep 33-35) I didn't skip any scenes and finished this drama in 3 days. I don't even know how they manage to bring GO to life! 36 ep went by and I wanted more! And once you finished watching, rewatching ep 1 beginning scene will be more meaningful.

.5 imperfection? Spoiler below **********************************************************************************************
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Ep 33-35 I cried... & cried but he cried for 1 ep too long.
Chu Yang on-line profile deleted. No one noticed? or asked?
Shi Guang never explained fully to Yu Liang. (but he told the truck driver about Chu Ying?)
Hong He quits but I swear his dad was telling him to continue to play.

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Much to do about nothing plot but with a great cast

When I first watched Cha Soo Young in "Tell me what you saw" and I thought please don't play another cop character. She was stiff and expressionless and had an awkward run. So I definitely had 0 expectations going to this drama. However FL Jeon Hye Jin in WWW was amazing so I definitely wanted to at least try.

This drama is for the more mature "non judgey" audience as it focuses on a topic often looked down on - HS single mom raising a daughter on her own.

What I loved:
1. FL Cha Soon Young. She was so expressive. I love her blunt comebacks. She walked a bit "guyish" & I loved this role for her. She's absolutely georgous but not in a standard pale face standard Korean K pop girl kind. She's so tall and has "real" color on her face (not ghost white). She can pull off the short hair, guyish walk, blunt comebacks & still be beautiful. I love how she deepened her voice to solute her superior. Her imperfections made her unique & perfect. She's true to her feelings.
2. FL Jeon Hye Jin She's just an all around awesome actress
3. Mom's Bestie - great character, completely 100% bestie worthy
4. Good characters all around. No excess toxic character with too many lines
5. Either you'll learn something or relate to the ups & downs of life's unplanned events.
- Single moms should not be looked down on but to be celebrated for their strength to sacrifice everything to keep the child.
- Family is defined not by bloodline. There are numerous relationship dynamics that demonstrate this

What needed improvement:
1. Choppy development between FL cop & Eun Jae Won. If they really wanted to make the chemistry work, they shouldn't have long breaks of no interaction between them. It's only 12 ep so short on time but this didn't work well. The chemistry needed to develop more.
2. No where to be seen bestie's grandma that helped the FL mom out. Again I think this impacts the flow of the story telling.

Still great watch on the side!

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Focusing on the few positives

I think there are plenty outstanding reviews of this drama & I agree with all the flaws. However there are few great minor characters that I thought were the only positives of this hard to watch drama.

1. ML's Manager. He's an outstanding character. I loved all his scenes.
2. Female producer who just blurb out brutal honest comments for the comedy relief.
3. Female makeup artists for the show. Few funny moments but highlight of the drama.
4. Male ex co worker -- "Dimples" Seriously he doesn't need to say anything, those dimples are just worth seeing
5. ML's CEO - few humorous lines.
6. FL's Dad - Hilarious!

In the end you can't really out act a terrible script. I pretty much skipped all 2nd couple's toxic scenes and somehow manage to finish.

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Becoming quite a fan of the director and screen writer

I never cared for short dramas until I watched "A Familiar Stranger" I was hooked on the story/casting/production.
Then I looked up the screen writer & director and saw this drama. It's definitely got a similar feel in that it's got an interesting story line (if you like some dark magic, non human stuff) with that dreamland feel with beautiful visuals. The quality & design of the costumes & accessories are on par with many big budget dramas. Make up was a bit too heavy for the Males but I loved the creativity for the females especially the "Die Nu" FL make up.

The cast was very good:
ML Zhao Yi Qin is a familiar actor to me every since I watched him in Accidentally in Love then bunch of other dramas. I can't say he captivated me like the ML in A Familiar Stranger but he did a pretty good job overall.
FL Rain Lu is so cute. She's cute, innocent looking and beautiful all at the same time so those innocent scenes don't feel forced. I don't think her death painful scenes were convincing but overall she did a great job. I would rather watch her playing a innocent girl falling in love for the 1st time than many of the seasoned big name (who shall remain nameless) actresses playing down 10 years.

Supporting Cast:
I enjoyed the princess character & Yuan po po's character

OST: Quite good. similar style again w/ A Familiar stranger as well. 小时姑娘 sang both 灼风 in this drama and 听闻风月事 in A Familiar Stranger

Drama also worked in the couple from "The Killer is Also Romantic (2022)" in multiple scenes. Either you'll like that cross drama visit or you'll be like uhhhh so not related. Regardless it's a clever way to promote their other work.

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Love TJC, Love TJC's voice

Total fluff out of a lovesick teenage girl's play book. ML's a full time doctor, a voice actor at least part time, sings like an idol, cooks like a chef, speaks like a therapist AND never dated. He'll love this girl for years only based on her voice and music without knowing what she looks like but thankfully she's equally hot and pure. That characterization right there already puts this drama in the unplausible fluff category.

It's a very slow & mellow drama with uninteresting interactions between the leads but both are good looking.
The supporting couple is cute too.
Both couples are with significant age gap and maturity gap making the relationships even more unbelievable. Age gap is not noticeable when both people are working, but one is in college & one's been working. Even when the age gap is not a big deal the maturity gap feels huge.

TJC fans will probably watch just to hear his voice. Most of the time this drama feels like a one giant cooking music video.

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MaoBuYI OST elevated the series

Rewatched for S2 prep

There was a time I thought Deng Lung and Yangzi's chemistry in Ashes of Love was so good that nothing can top, but Yangzi played this character to perfection!
Her chemistry with Tan Jian Ci is next level. I never seen Tan Jian Ci so beautiful, not to mention the emotional level required for his character requires way beyond all his other roles. He can switch from loving eyes to pure hatred in a blink just using micro expressions.

Knowing how the book ended this is one drama adaption that I hope that it WON'T follow the book's ending. (I am in denial). In my head I am thinking can they make 3 different endings like how some Kdramas does it?

Yang Zi's chemistry with Zhang Wan Yi is not as captivating as Tan Jian Ci because Zhang Wan Yi's line delivery felt a bit too modern. Their chemistry does grow later on, and I am sure in S2 it will be fire!

OST ALL so good, but the best one is still MaoBuYi's OST "有你无你"

Most memorable scenes (for me):
ANYTHING with Tan Jian Ci (Xiang Liu)
Ep 14 34min The Discovery
Ep 17 33min Boat scene
Ep 19 31min Poison special (cute turnaround)
Ep 22 14min Xiao Yao protecting Cang Xuan with her life. Both actors were gut wrenching good!
Ep 25 Behind the mask
Ep 30 3min 1000 dagger scene
Ep 30 32min MaoBuYi's OST "有你无你" Most of the song was played & hit so hard
Ep 32 Full moon light
Ep 39 29min The parting

If it was so good then why the 9? Well, there was that blah:
Every scene with Mr. boring Tushan Jing. Yes, I know she's searching for Mr. safe stability, but the weakest chemistry is with this guy........................ since 4th guy came in the picture late and it's more of a drinking buddy than anything.

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Decent story with lots of potential, killed by some fatal decisions

Usually these kind of stories starts off with a FL wronged in the prior life and gets a 2nd chance. However in this story, The FL is trying to correct her wrongs.
There's a common theme referring to the scent (hence of scent of time)

The leads Zhou Ye & Wang Xing Yue is a good pairing visually.
Sets/production overall decent although inconsistent. Costume & accessories are beautiful especially for the FL. Then there are props that looks incredibly cheesy fake too.

What killed this drama little by little ...................
1. Poor choice of dubbed voice for the FL. Even when her facial expression is on par with the mood, the voice didn't follow. Actually it sounds like 2 different dubbed voices. One sounded older but either way, it was not good.
2. Mu Yao -- I was wondering how they picked someone who can't act AT ALL. Apparently she's some internet celebrity and end up getting this supporting role with enough lines that can kill a drama. So that happened.
3. OST overkill. It's a nice song but the ONLY song which they play bits of it 10x per episode x 30 episodes ....
4. Over smoothing of people's skin especially of Huan Rong Zhou. He has a wax figure face at times.

Potential not fully realized but not bad overall.

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I guess I am a sucker.....

It's not that this plot is anything special but I didn't feel like it was as bad as the bad reviews out there. Maybe it's because I love the cast and/or maybe it's because this was so much enjoyable while wine-ing.

What I loved:
Cast: ML FL I've been a fan of from their other works
Bitchy producer: Fine example of antagonist w/o having to backstab someone for a love interest
AGE appropriate casting: I appreciate this part so much! It seems that lately so many K dramas fail as they cast age inappropriate actors for the characters.
Unhatable 3rd wheel. She as very likeable
The webtoon fat girl. I was definitely hoping she would find true love.
The dating show , how scripted it is. It was fun for me to showcase the unreality of it.
Spin off typical drama tropes: instead of randomly reaching for something high up and falling into a kiss scene this was more of trying to kill a Mosquito.
Best friend couple so supportive of the ML & FL.

What I disliked:
The implausible plot of that HOT of a FL (with good personality) could be the laughing stock of lack of love interest through the years
The instant on/off like button from the ML

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Way worth watching over standard story lines

Under the radar gem. Creative story line with seamless story telling. There's no "filler" episodes or useless characters taking too much screen time.

It started out with lots of laughs. OTP acting completely worked with the story. Kudos to the actors who did an amazing job. This is where a good script can be amazing with the perfect casting.
The characters started simple and very 1 sided love without reason. Of course! it's from a 12 year old mind. How deep can the characters be? As they become self aware, each relationship becomes more meaningful.

Ost is fitting with the beautiful scenes:
Like the 24 year old Chen Mei Ru facing the 12 year old self.
The moment Chen Mei Ru screams out all her insecurities
Memorable scenes that can really hit you with a wave of emotions

Great Drama!

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Supporting cast Song Zi Qi was the only reason to watch this

HS drama trope overload but 2nd and 3rd pairing were entertaining to watch.

FL was the typical acting like a 12 yr old without a clue & needs ML's constant support.
ML somehow liked that. This pairing has zero chemistry.

I only watch this drama for Wang Ze Xuan's supporting role as Song Zi Qi.
His character is exceptionally funny and Wang Ze Xuan is such an underrated actor. He pulls off every supporting role wonderfully. Hands down he's the only reason to watch this.

Series seriously slow down after they graduate HS and Wang Ze Xuan's scenes were limited.....leading to the expected ending.

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Incredible story telling

I couldn't help myself as I've already watch this title 3x. Currently all the dramas with big names are stuck in never ending drama trope. This little short semi low budget drama outshines all of them (imo for those who care about storyline > big name eye candies)

Short 14 episodes (30 min per ep) with no time to waste on filler scenes. Seamless narrative follows a love that transcends time. Outstanding character development of FL, ML & Li Yong.

FL (Zhang Ya Qin) I only saw her in Love in Between but this role Lu Yu An (Demon Queen) really showcased her acting. She's compelling at every age. The moment you meet her, you can see the love & pain in her eyes and later on the 18 year old her ever so cute & innocent.
ML took awhile to warm up. By the 3rd encounter is when I felt he was fully in character so overall he was pretty good.
Lesser known supporting cast: Lu Shi / Emperor / Li Yong were all good in their roles.

The unavoidable ending came to a full circle!

The story, script is refreshing & unique. It's even worth watching every recap in the beginning as the storytelling is so captivating. It's worth while watching this 2nd time in reverse order.

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That sheep sound will always be in my head

I honestly don't know why I waited so long to watch this. Maybe I had to be in the 80s mood.
I didn't find the drama realistic at all but it was so enjoyable on so many levels
The cast was amazing that it was hard to pick a favorite. I honestly loved every single character

Now that it's finished (but this is definitely on the rewatch list) What I will miss the most:
1. The sheep sound. I loved it!
2. Purest of the kids friendships. Being 18 in the 80s isn't the same as being 18 now. Things felt simpler....
3. Every kid character was unique and likable. There isn't that one sided antagonist in this
4. Parents, all crazy but loving parents in their own ways. Highly exaggerated but also funny at the same time
5. Everything funny about the 80s!!! ridiculous curls, Crazy funky 80s Dance, phone w/ cord, old looking TV with that rainbow stand by screen, tapes, 80s pop culture: Tom Cruise! Night Rider! A Better Tomorrow! Maggie Cheung! Ok yeah I am old.
6. Everything lovely about the 80s: friendly neighbors, purest of 1st loves, 1st heart breaks, 1st friendship betrayal, 1st everything ....
7. Every monologue about youth and life


I am going to miss 1988

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Speed version Rom Com

Rom Com with all the classic moments but in a less cheesy way

Refreshing Rom Com:
1. FL is a bad ass that apparently can do anything and everything
2. FL runs like an athlete. Fight stunts well choreographed. I laughed so hard they were exaggerating the running awkwardly part.
3. ML speaks English fluently, adds to his sexiness
4. Manager guy reminds me of a Korean Judd Nelson (hair & vibe not actual features of course) <--- Anyone else think so?
5. There's still the classic piggy back ride but not cheesy: She's legit was injured and not like "opps I fell because I didn't know how to tie my shoes right so ML needs to tie shoe lace & carry her"
6. There's still the fish lip kissing scene but at least characters not a middle age still experiencing her 1st kiss story line
7. The shooting of a movie scene was a throw back to 80s Asian Gangster movie. They even got familiar Cantonese Song in the background. Reminds me of "A Better Tomorrow" movie with Leslie Cheung song?
8. The non talking director. His facial expressions cracked me up

What could've been better:
It's only 10 episodes so everything had to be sped up so you if you like more character development then just watch at .5 speed..... Like kissing usually is in ep 7 of your standard 16 ep dramas but got to speed that up.
Her Bestie, I am not sure her character worked for me at all. A good supporting side story had zero time to really develop.

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Ancient Detective Once More!

Ever since The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty (2020) I've been loving ancient detective dramas. Most however are not big budget production. Although this does not beat Sleuth of Ming Dynasty on every level, its a solid pick.

If you enjoy dramas like:
Sleuth of Ming Dynasty
Ancient Detective
The Imperial coroner
Miss Truth
Then you'll enjoy this one as well

Positives
Quality production
Great casting from MLs to supporting cast
Interesting cases if you like crime dramas
Good pace - not to fast in solving each case
There's a bigger mystery to be solved as well as short cases to keep the audience engaged

Could've been better
Drama is overly serious with only hints of humor
Bromance was only decent, not sure if the pairing really worked for me although both are very good actors
Rather short drama, each episode is ~34min x 29 episodes. I definitely could use more cases or wouldn't mind a S2!

I am still waiting for the next drama that can match up to Sleuth of Ming Dynasty

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Surprisingly Funny

Story is nothing new but this was such a enjoyable watch for anyone that likes school stories. I couldn't stop watching and end up finishing this series in 3 days..... Oops!

Positives:
1. FL / ML chemistry - they are exceptionally cute , one of the best pairings I've seen
The back & forth comebacks are so fun to watch so I hope it won't get lost in the translations
Well done over exaggeration, animated facial expressions in a good way
Well written lead characters with strength and flaws
Relationship development is natural and sweet
2. Good looking school cast - quite a few familiar faces
3. Dialogue - witty back & forth especially between ML/FL & FL's parents
4. Stellar few supporting cast like FL's parents (probably my favorite), Female teacher & Male PE teacher. Her 2 besties
5. Positive friendship vibe in the class. They help each other even through misunderstandings
6. Hope & Idealistic -- some people may not like this but I think it's always a positive for school series
7. Girl power? more like equality.

Negatives:
1. Many negative characters with too much screen time. Seriously they could've shaved off a few episodes. I don't need all that repetitive negativity plus I got other dramas to get to.
2. Jing Jing's character. Could've used an actor with more convincing dance skill set.
3. Gaps in scenes. How come drawing of ML wasn't shown somewhere to him later on? What happened to V day dinner? It literally felt like they just skipped what should've followed. Boom years of gap and no hair change? They could've shortened all those silent study scenes and use the minutes for something else.
4. Rushed ending with minimal romance. Couple's too cute to just end it like that.

Hope to see this pairing again somewhere else!

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