The Intrigue

This drama is good (!) and deserves to be watched & enjoyed! I chanced upon this drama on YouTube and since I like Xing Fei, I decided to go ahead with it. No regrets! Worth the watch :)

What I liked:
- The cast is generally good in that they are fine actors and actresses. I think that FL is more suited for modern day roles but she is a good actress nonetheless.
- The plot is intriguing and fast-paced enough. It didn’t drag on and on about nothing. FL’s first life happened swiftly from episodes 1 to 3. Then, she spent her second chance righting wrongs done to her and others from episodes 4 to 30. There are plenty of revelations as to what actually happened and why! Plot is suspenseful and engaging. I liked finding out the truth. The truth turned out to be heart wrenching at times and wistful at times. I enjoyed watching the drama unfold.
- I have not seen ML Mu Ze before prior to this role but he’s very fine. He’s a great actor and very manly. He stole the show! I watched the show for him. He made the character one that I loved and yet, detested; felt sorry for and yet, felt angry with. He was a complex character who loved FL so dearly in both the first life and the second life. His love for her was real and deep even though he did use her for his own exploits especially in his first life with her.
- ML Mu Chuan is just so endearing. I loved that although he was more interested in farming and feeding the masses, he was also adept at fighting and protecting himself and FL. I like capable characters! He also truly adored FL. Later on, I liked seeing him fight for what he wanted.
- The people inside the drama are smart people and it’s fun to watch smart people collude and connive! I cannot stand noble idiots or silly oafs.
- Music is pleasing!
- Graphics are nice!

What I didn’t like:
- There were a lot of awfully spiteful and evil people in the show. They were exceedingly pretentious. It was horrifying to see FL’s sister, LXR, cursing her own nephew and just wishing death upon her half-sister. It was bloodcurdling! Xiao Jing Que was another vengeful and wicked character. Appalling! It’s appalling how cruel and wicked some people can be.
- FL’s half-brother was quite insufferable! He was annoying silly and didn’t have a good head on his shoulders.
- Bloodshed - lots of it although the show did try to keep things ‘not so gory’.

Overall, this is a very exciting watch. Perfect to 'zhui xi'.

I’d say watch it! It’s a good one. :) it’s not a 'lovey dovey' kind of show that’s light-hearted and happy-ish. It’s on the ‘heavy’ and 'dark' side. But, the plot is very good and Mu Ze is excellent! Watch! :)

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Plot is OK but female lead is to me rather strange

Well, this drama is about a woman who makes it big and does well on (mostly) her own terms in big city - Shanghai.

She grows up and matures as she climbs the cooperate ladder and becomes more successful. She dates different men throughout the different stages of her life before she ends up with ‘the one’.

Her acting is okay. The plot is ok. What I didn’t find that okay was her vacuous look. When she looked at another person, it seemed as if she wasn’t looking at the other party. Her ‘I’m looking in your direction but I’m not exactly looking at you although I’m looking at you’ look was very odd. She didn’t have that many expressions too, IMO.

It’s okay to watch but nothing too exciting and nothing too riveting. Quite an easy watch as there are only 20 fairly short episodes.

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Awesome Female Lead/ Character & Handsome Male Lead

I’m watching the drama again as I write this review. After reading the reviews by others who have watched this drama, I decided that I should give it a go too and I’m so glad that I did! Thanks to the other reviewers! I’d like to give my review on this cool drama too.

What I liked & Watch because:
- The female lead is, indeed, strikingly attractive. She’s a sassy girl! She’s a modern girl in an olden day setting. She’s feisty. She’s modern in her ways and thinking. She’s a force to be reckoned with. Love this character!
- The male lead is handsome and manly. Sometimes, I think he looks like a getai singer but I cannot deny that he is good-looking and has a manly stature. I like!
- The leads have good enough chemistry. I like it when the male lead gets jealous because of the female lead. He’s so cute when he’s all huffy!
- I like that the leads are sincere in their feelings towards each other.
- The OST is great too and I’ve been listening to it.
- The casting of the actors and actresses is good and they have all done a great job in fleshing out the characters.
- Plot is fast-paced and action packed. Mostly, the drama isn’t draggy.
- Special mention that I found Shi Jin very sexy and manly in the drama.

What I didn’t like:
- Shi Fei Xian is a total bitch and sly fox. Didn’t like her character and she was a villainess through and through.
- The second prince was all kinds of crazy due to his ambition.
- The crown prince was such a wuss.
- The wife of the crown prince was a bitch too.

Overall, this drama is highly entertaining! There are many parts that are cute and funny! I enjoyed this drama a lot and finished it very quickly. It’s an easy watch. I highly recommend this! Watch it asap!

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Lovey Dovey Vibes <3

This drama popped up on my YouTube account and so, I decided to watch it after reading reviews about it.

I’d say WATCH!

Watch because:
-The leads have very good chemistry.
-The male lead looked surprisingly handsome and suave here. He was the second male lead in Put Your Head on my Shoulder and I didn’t like him much then. He’s so so much better here.
-The female lead isn’t the hot and sexy type but she’s adorable and likable in her own unique way.
-I like that she is assertive enough and not a pushover in the show.
-Angst is kept to a minimum in this drama.
-Main couple are faithful to each other and love each other sincerely in this show and I’m all for such true love.
-Show is fluffy and full of love and cute moments.
-In general, everything is nicely explained and tied up.
-Very happy ending which is my soft spot. I’m a sucker for happily-ever-after!!

Not so fabulous:
-I didn’t like the second couple that much but they were very tolerable.
-Music in this drama isn’t much to shout about or to listen again.

Overall, watch for the feel good vibes!

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Fluff & Romance - I like them

I really enjoyed the easiness of this show. Angst is kept minimal and no one dies in the show. I am all for fluff and cute romance so I give this simple drama a thumbs up!

Watch because:
- it’s only 24 eps at about 35 mins per ep
- obviously, the two leads will fall in love but they work as they have chemistry
- it’s my first time seeing these two leads and I like them as the guy is quite tall and handsome. He’s very easy on the eyes. The girl is cute in her own way. She grows on viewers and is likable.
- the romance between the leads feels realistic
- I like the way in which the two leads behave fairly maturely and respectfully once they have confessed their love for each other as I cannot stand stupid and unrealistic interactions between a couple and we have seen many
- the two leads remain steadfast in their love and affection for each other
- the other characters are handled quite well too
- no one dies. I was afraid that the grandfather would pass on but nope, he’s ‘well and alive’.
- happy ending!!

Easy and fun watch! I like it! Recommend!

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Adorable Female Lead & Smart Male Lead

I watched this some time back after it was aired not too long ago but I only decided to write a review about it now.

This drama is one that I will certainly recommend to others. It’s a very good drama to watch.

Watch because:

- plot is intriguing and fast-paced
- plot is meaty enough to keep you in suspense and to want to know more
- characters are believable and some are quite cute
- female lead is sweet-looking and she acts well
- male lead isn’t my favorite male actor out there but he is handsome in his own right and he acts well enough too
- in general, plot is fairly well-linked
- if my memory serves me right, the ending is a happy one and well, I’m a sucker for happy endings
- the OST is ‘da bomb’ - many talented singers sing the songs in this drama - wow!

Overall, a good show to watch. Moves along fast along. Main leads are so easy on the eyes and they have good chemistry. Yay!

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Bromance + Cute Male Lead

This drama is underrated. I highly recommend this to other viewers. It’s actually a good watch in that the plot is interesting enough!

The female lead should be changed though (imo) because she isn’t cute and she isn’t a very good actress (imo).

However, I have always liked the male lead and I thought that I’d give this drama a go for his sake. Surprisingly, the other male lead is rather adorable. He grows on viewers.

Watch because:
- plot is interesting and engaging
- plot is suspenseful
- male lead is swoon-worthy
- second male lead is manly
- bromance is cute

Overall, I’d say watch this because it’s really much better than many other poorly made dramas out there. Watch !

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Watch for Jin Dong

I wanted to watch this drama for the longest time but well, time flies and I finally managed to do so!
I fell in love with Jin Dong after watching Ode to Joy (both 1 and 2) and told myself that I had to watch The First Half of My Life.
I’m so happy that I did. Jin Dong is superb in this show. He steals hearts, mine included. He’s suave, manly, tall and good looking. Such gorgeous eye candy with excellent acting skills.
Just watch because of him.

To add on, the entire cast acted very well. Great drama to watch. Fairly fast paced. Slice of life drama that throws some nuggets of wisdom for the audience.

Go for it! This is a gem. Ending could have been a lot better though — ps: I’m a sucker for cliched happily ever afters.

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The Boy Next Door

While I am not a big fan of the ML, I watched him in "Something in the Rain" and quite enjoyed watching him. He's very easy on the eyes to be sure. :o) I liked FL in "Because this is my First Life" and so, I thought I'd give this drama a shot since I had pretty good impressions of them.

No regrets watching this drama but it doesn't stand out as supremely outstanding for me.

What I Liked:
- ML is definitely easy on the eyes. He's, certainly, a lovely boy to have next door. :o)
- The cast was generally esteemed. The veteran actors really rocked their roles and I especially liked the characters Jae Suk and Hye Suk. They acted so well. At the end of the drama, I remember these two characters the most.
- I also liked the character Myeong U. He managed to stay pleasantly cute in this drama from start to end. I quite enjoyed his moments on screen.
- Because the cast was great, they managed to carry the whole 16 episodes from start to end.
- A happy enough ending while quite rushed.

What I Considered "Meh":
- I didn't like FL's best friend, Mo-Eum. I found her acting stilted and rather unnatural. She came across as trying too hard to perform well. The love-line between her and Mr Mudflat Man wasn't anything exciting or touching IMO. I fast forwarded their moments together.
- I read that another reviewer found the premise that rich ML would be staying next door to very poor FL rather unbelievable and I found that this reviewer had a good point. This part didn't make much sense but I guess we have to suspend disbelief. I also didn't like FL's mother whom I viewed as quite mad and bipolar. Why would someone create such a ruckus in the streets and wallop one's daughter for all and sundry to gossip about? It seemed very illogical. It was also quite odd for her to be drumming her frustrations away.
- The love that FL had with her ex-husband-to-be wasn't romantic or exciting either.

In all, I found this drama just an okay watch. It wasn't full of riveting moments and nail-biting tension. I watched it because of ML. Luckily, the veteran cast carried things through quite nicely from start to finish.

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Suspend Disbelief and Enjoy the Exhilarating Ride that Jun Jiu Ling Brings

I came to this drama (which aired in 2021) late (in 2024) but better late than never. For those who have not watched it yet, I urge you to start. Right from the get-go, I was hooked and the entire ride of 40 episodes was highly enjoyable and riveting.

What I Loved:
- This was the first time watching the FL and I was blown away by her charming and beguiling beauty. She is certainly a good-looker! More than being a pretty face, she was excellent as JJL. She fitted the role and she delivered.
- Perhaps other actors/ actresses will suit the roles here but I felt that the chosen cast was great and performed excellently. Zhu Zan might not have been the most handsome and perhaps, a more good-looking actor might have been a better choice but he was definitely manly and tough. An effeminate actor would not have done a good job.
- The plot was excellent. Suspend disbelief and just believe! Doing so enabled me to be fully invested in the drama and to just enjoy the very crazy (in a good way) and wild ride! I loved the interesting plot and how things were explained and linked and wrapped up in the best possible ways (despite the plot being somewhat overly amazing, that is, illogical at several points).
- The OST, while not remarkable, was suitable.
- The interactions that JJL had with her suitors and the other characters was interesting and exciting. The drama was full of exciting moments.
- I liked how her suitors all turned out to be (generally) nice people. Well, no one is perfect but her suitors all genuinely loved her deeply. I liked that she did not toy with anyone's feelings and that she was communicative about her sincere romantic feelings towards ZZ and ZZ was also sincere towards her. It was lovely!
- While I kind of did not like Lu Yun Qi at first, I found myself rooting for him and this actor towards the end of the drama. This actor is a fine one who can use his facial expressions and eyes to convey his different emotions or be deadpan and hide his emotions. I loved how he was brutally vicious towards those whom he hated/ were malicious but yet, he was loyal and true to his subordinates and his lady love. It was extremely cathartic and gratifying to see the obnoxious Imperial Doctor get locked up for wanting to be evil towards his lady love, JJL. I loved that scene. Good riddance to the awful doctor, indeed!
- Happy ending whereby lovebirds got together, good people were still alive and recognised for being good, bad people were dead or were receiving their just deserts.
- Everything was tied up quite nicely! Thumbs-up!

What I Didn't Like:
- Chu Rang who usurped the throne was all sorts of insecure and crazy. He crippled all his loyal and brave subjects and listened to the bad ones who had their own ulterior motives.
- Huang Cheng was revolting to the max. Good riddance to bad rubbish in the end. He was so disgusting.
- Crazy potential mother-in-law in the form of Ning Yuanzhou's mother and his mad sister with bad intentions.

Overall, I rate this drama as a "must-watch" and I am very pleased to generously give this drama a Perfect Score of 10/10!

It took me on a very enjoyable and exciting wild ride and brightened up my drama nights. I looked forward to every single episode and nothing felt draggy or boring. Of course, many parts were rather illogical and unfathomable but as I said, suspend disbelief. The ending felt "just right" as everything was wrapped up well.

I highly recommend that you dive right in and enjoy this delightfully dramatic gem of a drama! :o)
<3 <3 <3

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‘Healing’ type? More like MEH type.

I read the reviews for this drama before I started on it. I must say that I trusted the reviews from all the different reviewers and had fairly high expectations of this drama. Unfortunately, this drama is, to me, very MEH and I cannot understand why other viewers have given it great reviews.

The slightly good stuff:
- drama moves along quite fast as it’s just 10 episodes long and each episode is less than half an hour long
- drama’s characters are okay to watch - they aren’t the best actors but they are decent
- ending is happy

The MEH stuff:
- strange plot in my opinion
- lack of chemistry between the leads
- as things move quickly along, there are parts that aren’t explained well and are just glossed over
- the plot and the characters don’t make you feel invested in them in anyway - everything seems very external if you get what I mean

I’d say watch something else. Not worth your time. This drama isn’t sweet and fluffy at all. There are definitely better dramas out there.

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49 Glorious Episodes of Wang Da Lu <3

I watched this drama purely for Darren Wang Da Lu. I’m a fan. Yes, I am. To me, he is a extremely hot, charming and handsome. I had to watch this drama for him!

I highly recommend this drama if u, like me, are a Darren fan. Please watch this drama to enjoy how tremendously handsome he is in it! I enjoyed seeing him on my tv screen. He is gorgeous.

Watch because:
- Darren is the male lead. He is so very manly and powerful in this show. He looks supremely gorgeous in his getup. He looks so suave and powerful on horseback. I love his side profile which we get plenty of. I love his kiss scenes which are tender and yet, hot and sexy! He is my main reason for watching and my fellow likeminded fan of Darren, pls watch to enjoy Darren. He is awesome in this drama.
- Great acting from most actors and actresses, especially Darren/ Bo Wang. I think that Darren deserves Best Actor Award for his performance in this drama.
- The sound track is well-made and I have been listening to it non-stop since I started on the drama. The best songs are the ones sung by Jolin Tsai and another two called Stone and Sirius. Well-made OST for sure.
- Storyline is fairly good - exciting and interesting.

The parts that I didn’t like much:
- Lots of bloodshed.
- The female lead got on my nerves quite a bit. She could have been re-cast and another better female lead would have been better. I can think of better/ more suitable actresses but I won’t name any.
- The nasties - meaning the bad characters - are awful. The King is mad for power. The second son is crazy and evil. There are a few very annoying characters in this drama.

Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this drama and I will definitely rewatch this drama for scenes with Darren/ Bo Wang. He is truly extremely handsome, charming and charismatic in this drama. I have seen him in movies and yet, in this drama, he is exceptional! Exceptionally handsome! Exceptionally powerful! Exceptionally great! Watch for 49 episodes of darling Darren/ Bo Wang. <3

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Don’t Bother

I watched this because I chanced upon a drama list video which introduced this movie as a must watch because it’s cool and interesting.

I was filled with anticipation and could not wait to watch the movie! But, this movie isn’t good at all.

Don’t bother with it because:
- there isn’t much plot / storyline
- the action was mundane - just a lot of climbing
- there’s nothing much to this movie

I watched because I liked both the male lead and female lead. They did their job/ roles well but this movie is totally nothing to shout about. It’s kind of boring actually. I fast forwarded it. There’s nothing touching, nothing romantic, nothing really happens.

Don’t bother.

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A must watch for men and women

As a mother, I was drawn to the show to find out what Birth Centre was all about. I found the show relatable on the whole.
Of course, there were some parts that weren’t that believable but it’s a drama after all and not real real life. The women were walking too comfortably and normally which is unlike how most women who have given birth naturally do... but, this is a show after all. Most parts were realistic.

I recommend this show for teens - boys and girls - so that they understand that pregnancy and childbirth are NOT walks in the park and to be careful with birth control.

I recommend this show for husbands, especially fathers-to-be, so that they know a little bit more of what pregnancy and child birth are like for their wives / partners. Pregnancy and birth are difficult.

I like the part in the show where the Manager of Serenity Postpartum Care Centre says: it’s very different from what you expected. Everyone says pregnancy and labor are beautiful but it isn’t necessarily true for all women. Pregnancy is exhausting, labor is cruel and the recovery process is miserable. — I totally nodded my head in agreement. It is a blessing to have a healthy baby but a mother’s sacrifices should not be ignored. A newborn baby’s needs are of utmost importance but a mother’s needs are equally (if not more) important. A mother has to be well to take care of her baby.

Another part which resonate was: the wicked 5 kg which can’t to gotten rid of (nods), the saggy boobs due to breastfeeding, the postpartum hair loss (terrible and horrifying).

The show was generally fast-paced and entertaining other than some scary bits. The show deals with weighty issues like a newborn’s death and how mothers are under pressure to be perfect mothers and wives and to continuously sacrifice to be seen as good mothers.

I like that show ended with: a good mother isn’t a perfect mother but a happy mother who’s happy with her life and thus, happy with her child. I think a main takeaway is that mothers are also human beings who should be seen and recognised for who they are and not simply as “so and so’s” mother. A mother is a unique individual and should be seen as one too (other than being a mother).

I recommend this for teens - watch to understand what not to get yourselves into.
I recommend this for husbands / fathers to be - to understand your wives / partners better.
I recommend this for women / mothers - to know that we are all in this womanhood / motherhood together.

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