A bit of fluff which was nothing much

The reviews for this drama was generally positive and so, I decided to give it a go since it was just 12 episodes.

I don’t regret it watching this because it doesn’t give viewers heartache and headache. There aren’t villains in the drama who make one’s blood boil.

The drama can be compared to a simmering pot of soup. It just simmers but it doesn’t come to a rapid boil. There is hardly any exciting climax or revelation. The plot is predictable and the acting is mediocre. Nothing very exciting happens although the love between the two couples in the drama is rather sweet. I prefer the second male lead (Ding Man) and the second female lead (Ge Yao) to the first male lead (who is rather ‘meh’) and the first female lead (who is quite okay as she grows on viewers).

This drama is a fairly nice filler when you are looking for another great one to watch.

Overall, this drama is ‘nothing much’ despite the fluff.

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For Hyun Bin

This is a very belated review. I watched it once it was aired and I have since rewatched it a few times. It was on my list because of Hyun Bin. When I knew that he was the male lead, I knew that I had to watch it and of course, I did!

This drama has received tons of positive reviews and I want to add mine! Hyun Bin is an absolute delight to watch! The scene where he was being transformed into a Seoul man was drop dead gorgeous!! OMG!! So very hot and sexy.

This drama has funny elements, touching elements as well as intriguing moments, suspenseful moments! The cast was excellent but my highlight was and still is Hyun Bin.

Pls watch for this very fine actor. I loved him since Secret Garden. These two are, to me, his best best best dramas thus far and I look forward to more of his brilliant work.

Watch - for the love for Hyun Bin.

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Feisty Female Lead + Manly Male Lead

Chanced upon this show and decided to give it a go after reading the positive reviews written by other viewers.

Show didn’t disappoint. Of course, there will be *annoying moments* (my pet phrase already) but the good moments outweigh those irritating moments.

Watch because:
- female lead is spunky and cute in her own way.
- female lead is capable and as the show develops, fondness for her grows.
- male lead is the manly sort - soldier. Strong. Manly. Dependable. My kind of man.
- plot moves fairly fast.
- acting is generally good.

Overall, a very watchable show!! Recommend!

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Draggy... Angsty... Mediocre acting...

This drama was on my list for a long time - years, in fact, considering that it was released in 2017. I wanted to watch it but just never got down to it because other dramas got in the way... After watching the epic "Love like Galaxy Parts 1 and 2" which I loved dearly, I wanted to find something lovely to indulge in once more. I decided to go back to this "old" drama on my KIV list.

At first, I thought that the drama was quite "healing" because of the slow-ish pacing. The actors and actresses were all new faces to me and I thought they were fairly refreshing. However, as the episodes continued, I found the acting rather mediocre and stilted. Later, I read FGV (iykyk) and I agreed with the C+ review for this drama. The points mentioned in FGV's review were the thoughts that I had too.

What I liked:
- Started off quite okay...
- The cinematography is (erm) pleasant.
- The songs are actually nice.

What I didn't like:
- The green actors and actresses in that the acting was mediocre and stilted.
- The lack of nuanced expressions of the actors and actresses. e.g.: The female lead just looked sullen.
- I could not understand the way the female lead behaved. Did she like him? Did she want him? Why did she keep on playing push-pull? I understand that the male lead also appeared like a playboy but he sincerely confessed to her and showed that he wanted to be with her but there was still this push-pull from the female lead which I found rather odd.
- The angst really got to me. I was patiently waiting for the "big revelation" as to why male lead disappeared from female lead's life and why, as adults, she was searching for him. I got to episode 7, going on 8, and realised that drama was "getting nowhere" despite building up so much angst. I could not take it anymore.
- The second male lead just did not have guts to confess until episode 7 and it was, again, very angsty for me.
- The transition from 2007 to 2017 (past to present day) was very abrupt and often, I did not know that they had changed time frame until they started speaking and such. It would have been better if there was "fading in and fading out" or just a small date to indicate the time frame clearly for viewers.

As an impatient viewer, I wanted things to hurry along just a bit more. I guess this drama did not work out for me.

[I respect other reviewers and their individual choices. There are plenty of dramas out there to suit every taste. Direct your support or lack of to the drama itself. If you support this drama, good for you and please continue to. Please write your own good reviews. If you do not support this drama, please also write your own review. We are reviewers. Not personal attackers. We review. We do not attack. Reserve your opinions for your reviews and not for the reviewer who is responding to the drama itself and not to other external aspects. I am responding to this drama that I have watched and I am not personally attacking any actor or actress in real life. It is all based on this particular drama only/ this particular reel life only.]

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On and on about nothing.

I had pretty high expectations of this drama because of the 8.6 rating (at time of post). Also, the reviews were positive and so, I thought that it would be quite excellent. I also think that Liu Tao is a pretty good actress. I’m not a fan of hers but I do think that she’s a talented actress.

At first, it seemed very slice of life and relatable. As the plot continued, it became draggy fast. The issues were the same from episode 1 to episode 10. There was no growth or interesting change in the characters or plot.

Jiang Si Yuan was a spoilt brat. His maternal grandparents were crazily unreasonable and spoilt him rotten. Xi Wang had a voice like a duck and even though I know he’s a child, he was superbly annoying in the drama. Xi Wang’s parents seems very incompetent. The father kept on going against the very anxious mother. It was hard to watch their interaction. Fei Fan’s father was a complete ass. Xin Yue’s father was crazy because of his unrealistically high expectations that he had of his daughter.

After watching 1/4 of this drama, I couldn’t continue. I wanted too but I felt like I was wasting my time and my life on issues that kept on repeating without positive changes and growth.

To each his or her own. For me, I give up on watching their struggles that aren’t going anywhere!

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Became Unbearable

I read reviews before I embark on any drama.

With this drama, I did the same. The reviews were good and the drama seemed promising. However, I ended up very disappointed. The drama didn’t live up to its expectations and I didn’t know why the other viewers enjoyed it because I really could not bear it anymore. (To each his or her own.)

What I didn’t like:
- the leads weren’t that good-looking and their looks didn’t become better the more I looked at them - rather, the opposite happened
- the leads didn’t have good chemistry IMO
- the female lead really became annoying as the episodes continued - I could not stand looking at her act
- the female lead’s sister was even worse as her acting was stiff and she behaved irrationally IMO
- the storyline was fairly intriguing at the start but it became draggy and went on and on about nothing IMO and it became a tiring watch as nothing was moving

Overall, there’s nothing really great about this drama. Nothing shines. I could not stand watching it anymore after reaching mid-point.

My verdict: Please don’t waste your precious time. There are much better dramas out there! Skip this!

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First half - great. Second half - just ok.

The rating was 8.7 and I thought it’d be awesome possum.

The first half of this drama was full of cute shenanigans and was really pretty funny. I laughed quite a bit and enjoyed myself a lot. The drama was very cute when the two leads first got to know each other and before they became a couple. The misunderstandings were not agonizing. Rather, their misunderstandings were kind of cute and engaging. I really had a fun ride for the first half of this drama.

The second half of this drama was not quite as enjoyable and funny as the first half though. There were parts that were rather ‘meh’ and ‘hmm’. The love between the couple was sweet and sincere but it wasn’t sizzling hot and ‘wow-whee’. After the leads got together, they were rather ‘meh’ as a couple.

Overall, this drama is watchable. I just do not think that it’s worth 8.7 / 10. I’d think that it’s more 7.5 / 10 :)

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Watch this!!

I really, really liked this drama and I’d like everyone to give this drama a go!

What I liked:
- both male and female leads
- the supporting cast is great on the whole (other than a few irksome ones, but of course)
- the kissing scenes are wow - so delicious
- the chemistry between the leads
- how cool Lee Min Ki is

What I didn’t like:
- some angst (normal though)
- the supporting actress who just wants to get hitched is, imo, mad and super annoying

Overall, wonderful! I super HEART this show! Watch. Watch. Watch.

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It seems much ado about nothing and kind of R&J to me.

[I respect other reviewers and their individual choices. There are plenty of dramas out there to suit every taste. Direct your support or lack of to the drama itself. If you support this drama, good for you and please continue to. Please write your own good reviews. If you do not support this drama, please also write your own review. We are reviewers. Not personal attackers. We review. We do not attack. Thank you. Reserve your opinions for your reviews and not for the reviewer who is responding to the drama itself and not to other external aspects. I am responding to this drama that I have watched and I am not personally attacking any actor or actress in real life. After all, I do not know them at all and have nothing against them. No hate on them at all! It is all based on this particular drama only/ this particular reel life only.]

I was kind of shocked by how cutesy and high-pitched the FL's voice was in another famous series (which made me feel rather repulsed then) and so, I was quite skeptical about this drama. Nonetheless, I just watched "Kunning Palace" and loved the ML as Xie Wei/ Xie Ju An in it and so, I thought "let's go!".

These are my honest thoughts about this particular drama, and I have nothing against any actor or actress in real life.

Upon starting the very 1st episode, it was pleasant to see that FL had a different sort of role in this drama and I thought "seems good". The colour of the drama and the production and costumes ... looked high class and polished. After watching the action-packed 1st episode, I looked forward to the 2nd episode. All seemed quite great and I was quite intrigued.

However, as I continued watching, I found myself feeling less intrigued and more bemused and even bored by the shenanigans of the deadly spies... everything seemed to be going round in circles and was even rather confusing to me. The four factions (can I call them 'factions') on Wu Feng's side as well as on Gong's side were perplexing and rather boring. My thoughts were "this is starting to feel sort of like R&J where we have 2 feuding factions who are just feuding and feuding and much ado about nothing". I felt that there was a lot of posturing going on but nothing much worthy was going on.

Currently, I am in two minds about this drama - to continue or to drop. And so, it is "On-Hold" at the moment. While I recognise that this production is a good one and big budget with good actors and actresses, it did not make me feel invested and keen. It also did not make me feel the urge to continue watching to find out how things would pan out.

Let me see how I should proceed from here ;o)

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HUH?

I read the synopsis and thought that this drama would be good. However, I found this drama fairly "huh" and boring from the start. I tried to continue with it to let it build up and intrigue me but as I continued watching, I simply felt annoyed and frustrated and disappointed.

What I didn't like:
- The ML is cute but he didn't have a lot of chemistry with the FL. I know that I'm sort of early into the drama but things did not seem to be the way I would like...
- The FL seems constantly shocked by the ML. I expected a smart detective like her to be more composed and shrewd. It was strange and jarring to watch her being so startled by her interactions with the ML.
- The 2nd ML and 2nd FL - I do not know if I can call them second leads - were insufferable to watch. Their acting wasn't good and the man appeared like a big, bumbling idiot.

As I couldn't continue watching it, I decided to drop it and move on to other dramas which probably appeal more.


[I respect other reviewers and their individual choices. There are plenty of dramas out there to suit every taste. Direct your support or lack of to the drama itself. If you support this drama, good for you and please continue to. Please write your own good reviews. If you do not support this drama, please also write your own review. I am just a reviewer. We are reviewers. Not personal attackers. We review. We do not attack. Reserve your opinions for your reviews and not for the reviewer who is responding to the drama itself and not to other external aspects. I am responding to this drama that I have watched and I am not personally attacking any actor or actress in real life. It is all based on this particular drama only/ this particular reel life only. I do not know the actors and actresses in real life and I am not hating on anyone. This is my honest review on this drama which I have tried watching.]

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The Song - First Love - by Utada Hikaru Got Me!

I was drawn to this drama because of the song "First Love" by Utada Hikaru -- SO MANY MEMORIES...

I decided to watch this drama because of the song which I heard when the trailer flashed.

I would say that I actually kind of like this drama but it is a little too slow-moving for me... I think it could be one of those "healing" types of dramas (yet again). The acting is pretty good. I think the young version of the FL is very attractive. She has an X-factor of sorts but the young version of the ML seems a bit too dorky and he smokes too much for my liking. I have dropped this for now but, I may pick it up again. :) As it's just 9 episodes long, I think that I can, perhaps, find time for it? I'm not sure... I do prefer dramas with more of a Fun Element and more of a Dramatic Element though. :)

The OST for this drama should be good though. Going to listen to First Love by Utada Hikaru again and reminisce.

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What's good about this drama? Seems LAME.

I read the reviews which were generally very positive. The rating of (8 and up) for this drama made me consider it and so, I embarked on it with eagerness.

The first episode was "meh". I did not really like the vibes and all. Nevertheless, I thought I should give it a chance and so, I watched the second episode. The second episode made me shake my head and cluck my tongue in both disgust and annoyance.

What I didn't like:
-The blatant unfairness shown towards the smart students versus the less-intelligent students.
-The teachers were extra nice to the smart ones and incorrigibly unreasonable to the less-able students. 1st example: Teacher allowed smart student to use his phone while a less-intelligent student was being disparaged for wanting to use the washroom. 2nd example: Principal berated the less-intelligent student severely and punished the less-intelligent student by making her write a 5000-word reflection while the smart student was gently admonished and advised to write a 500-word reflection.
-I didn't like the double standards displayed. Weren't teachers and principals supposed to be fair and reasonable?
-The male lead was annoying. He kept rushing about here and there without explanation.
-The female lead wasn't cute. She was also annoying in her bumbling manner.

Despite the very positive reviews from the other viewers, I have decided that I have to drop this drama for the sake of my well-being. I do not wish to be stressed out and irked by a drama which does not resonate with me.

Overall: Don't know why others say it is good. Personally, I find it very lame!!

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Well-Intended but I couldn't continue with it...

[I respect other reviewers and their individual choices. There are plenty of dramas out there to suit every taste. Direct your support or lack of to the drama itself. If you support this drama, good for you and please continue to. Please write your own good reviews. If you do not support this drama, please also write your own review. We are reviewers. Not personal attackers. We review. We do not attack. Reserve your opinions for your reviews and not for the reviewer who is responding to the drama itself and not to other external aspects. I am responding to this drama that I have watched and I am not personally attacking any actor or actress in real life as I do not know them at all and have no grudges against them. It is all based on this particular drama only/ this particular reel life only.]


I watched the trailer on Netflix and anticipated this drama. However, after watching the whole of episode 1, I must confess that I am unable to continue with it.

What I didn't like:
- The acting was raw/ unpolished. It was quite painful to watch the actors and actresses trying hard to act but not quite succeeding.
- The plot was full of loopholes and very strange. e.g.: How is it possible for her to just get into a car and have the actual owner and driver drive her to her destination? It should simply be: Miss, you have made a mistake. Please leave or I will call the police. Next, how is it possible for a doctor to be so negligent as to leave a patient in the consultation room with all the private documents for her to look at? The doctor and the patient could probably be sued. Moving on, why would the secretary let himself be tied up and manipulated by two girls? Also, the unwell FL looked too healthy to be so very ill.

Perhaps, I have been 'pampered' by excellent acting while watching other dramas such as (insert drama name on your own) and so, I could not sit through this drama.


[I respect other reviewers and their individual choices. There are plenty of dramas out there to suit every taste. Direct your support or lack of to the drama itself. If you support this drama, good for you and please continue to. Please write your own good reviews. If you do not support this drama, please also write your own review. We are reviewers. Not personal attackers. We review. We do not attack. Reserve your opinions for your reviews and not for the reviewer who is responding to the drama itself and not to other external aspects. I am responding to this drama that I have watched and I am not personally attacking any actor or actress in real life as I do not know them at all and have no grudges against them. It is all based on this particular drama only/ this particular reel life only.]

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Started off well and then, became repetitive and dull.

[I respect other reviewers and their individual choices. There are plenty of dramas out there to suit every taste. Direct your support or lack of to the drama itself. If you support this drama, good for you and please continue to. Please write your own good reviews. If you do not support this drama, please also write your own review. We are reviewers. Not personal attackers. We review. We do not attack. Reserve your opinions for your reviews and not for the reviewer who is responding to the drama itself and not to other external aspects. I am responding to this drama that I have watched and I am not personally attacking any actor or actress in real life as I do not know them at all and have no grudges against them. It is all based on this particular drama only/ this particular reel life only.]

I thought that this drama would be a cute, slice-of-life drama and for starters, it was. I truly enjoyed the first 5 episodes and I looked forward to more hilarious episodes. However, after episode 8 or so, things started to go downhill. Upon reaching episode 12, I knew that I could not continue.

What I Liked (at first):
- I liked Bai Ma Shuai. He was the mega rich and yet, very earnest worker.
- I liked the plots (at first).
- The soundtrack at the beginning of the drama was catchy.
- There was slice-of-life parts which made me laugh and made me tear as I empathized with the characters who were struggling/ going through a hard time in life and at work.

What I Eventually Disliked:
- The characters showed little growth/ development. For example, Fan Si Si was most boring. All she wanted to do was to knock off and to do as little as possible. I felt that this actress was not a good one either as she was pretty stiff in her acting and she did not showcase anything "wow". Similarly, many of the characters in the drama were stilted and lacked interesting character growth/ development. They went round and round, round and round, over and over again. It was painful after awhile.
- There was nothing much to look forward to in each episode. At times, I felt that the episodes were fairly disjointed.
- The 1st group in the company kept on trying to eliminate the 3rd group in the company and that was about it. The 1st group's attempts were futile but nothing worth the watch.

[I respect other reviewers and their individual choices. There are plenty of dramas out there to suit every taste. Direct your support or lack of to the drama itself. If you support this drama, good for you and please continue to. Please write your own good reviews. If you do not support this drama, please also write your own review. We are reviewers. Not personal attackers. We review. We do not attack. Reserve your opinions for your reviews and not for the reviewer who is responding to the drama itself and not to other external aspects. I am responding to this drama that I have watched and I am not personally attacking any actor or actress in real life as I do not know them at all and have no grudges against them. It is all based on this particular drama only/ this particular reel life only.]

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1.5 episodes in and I’m out. For good.

I began watching this drama with high expectations because it has a high rating of 8 plus / 10 and the reviews are very good. I thought that I had found a gem but I was wrong.

I endured the first episode. I use the word ‘endured’ because the acting was pretty poor and mediocre and the plot seemed quite boring. Someone (a reviewer) said that Joker Xue was funny. To my great disappointment, he was not funny at all. He seemed utterly selfish and eccentric. I could not stand his nasally voice which was fairly high pitched for a male and he sounded like a duck that quacked away. It was most unnerving and unpleasant. I didn’t like listening to him and I didn’t like watching him. I found him detestable. In the second episode, he was worse! He was squabbling with a female neighbour and behaved insufferably! It was painful to watch. After 1.5 episodes, I figured that ‘enough is enough’ and I should not plough my way through a drama that is utterly painful to watch.

Verdict - don’t watch this drama unless you like young boys who can’t act well and ridiculous adults like Joker Xue and the other adults who are revolting like the senior teachers.
Not a good drama.

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