Longish review ahead! I'd never watched a Taiwanese drama before this one, so I wasn't sure what to expect after only watching Korean/Japanese dramas. I have to say I was quite impressed. I definitely wanted to keep watching and I marathoned it in 2 days. For some reason Netflix has this drama as 30 episodes and not 18 so it felt like it took longer. Overall I give it an 8.5, mostly for it's characters and the chemistry between the main leads. The plot besides the whole gender-bending thing felt very flimsy, like it was tacked on AROUND the gender-bending and romance. But it honestly didn't matter so much in the grand scheme of things, because I truly do feel like this is a romance drama before anything and that SHOULD take priority. It's a story of two people overcoming so much for the sake of love. One of the things that impressed me the most was how this drama did quite an amazing job at showcasing how gender doesn't really matter when it comes to love. You fall in love with who you fall in love with - everything else will fall into place with time. If you're worried about any homophobia - don't be, is all I have to say. Really, it's all handled very well, almost to the point where I wished Yanuo WAS male. A small problem I had was how separated the characters felt from each other outside of their pairings. I would have liked for them to interact more. Like Nana and Yanuo confiding in each other, more interactions between Qingyang and Zifeng. It felt like their interactions became all too rare. You ARE allowed to have friends outside of a relationship. -- Characters (I will only do the characters you see early on - the rest I may count as spoilers) All the characters were portrayed very well and none felt the same. Yanuo, one half of a pair the story centers around. Forced to dress as a boy because her asinine parents believed some fortune teller when he told them their daughter would die before the age of 26 if they didn't try to 'trick' the universe. It's flimsy, but if you try to believe this story takes place in an alternate universe where fortune tellers are actually a real, 100% factual thing then it makes it vaguely okay. Though the fact you have to jump through those hoops is rather silly. Yanuo is deeply empathetic and loyal. She believes in justice over everything and won't stand for it if the people she loves are hurt. The chemistry between her and Zifeng is almost instant. Honestly, Yanuo was quite a well-rounded character that I couldn't help but find charming in her own way. Lai Megan did such a good job emulating the mannerisms of a guy, they way she walked and her body language all made her seem like one, even her outfits were well chosen. I was pretty impressed with how boyish she actually looked. Usually with gender-bending drama's they still look quite girly, so it was a pleasant surprise. Overall, I had very few gripes with Yanuo. Zifeng the other half of the main pair. He didn't have too many flaws if I'm completely honest. He's good at seemingly everything he tries. Even his personality is pretty strong, he's loyal almost to a fault, caring and compassionate. Not to mention he is an absolutely gorgeous man. I am forever grateful he wore suits almost all through the drama. Because Chen Baron is such a good actor, you really feel the pain, struggles and happiness he goes through. All in all, Zifeng, and Chen Baron himself, was the perfect match for this role. Bii sold me on Qingyang completely. His quiet, caring and sensitivity were illustrated very well.To people not willing to look past the surface, they may never know how he truly is. He's not a very emotional character, but that works for him. Seriously, I am a huge Zifeng fan, but Qingyang stole my heart so many times. If you're not impressed and inspired by him as the story goes on, I'd be very shocked. I can't sing his praises enough. As for Nana, I don't know if it was the acting or something else, but I couldn't quite enjoy many scenes with her in. She is absolutely stunning and her hair is gorgeous. Yet I found myself getting annoyed when scenes with her in dragged on. I do think her acting was maybe a little sub-par compared to the rest of the cast. It didn't feel as genuine. Zihan was a not-so-secret favourite of mine. The first thing I want to address is how much she reminded me of Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl. I know that's kind of a weird comparison to make but she did. It was immediately obvious to me. She is so, so pretty and I really felt for her as the story progressed. Xiaojing was an absolute breath of fresh air. Her bubbly personality and her willingness to do whatever she can to make Yanuo happy was a wonderful thing to see. There needs to be more characters like her in dramas because I really couldn't take my eyes off her whenever she appeared. It really brightened up the drama. Guangchao is what I like to call a comic relief character. Maybe even the mascot character - though that might be reserved for something else. He constantly makes a fool of himself and appears a little girl crazy. But just because I say he's a comic relief character, that doesn't mean he isn't actually funny, because he is, if maybe a little over the top, but I think that's the point. -- Sound The soundtrack was good, though one song was played a little too much and I don't know if it was just the Netflix version, but sometimes the music would just cut out halfway through and enter into a new song very suddenly. It kind of took me out of the moment because it was so jarring. Other than that, I really can't fault it. Even the one song they played a tad too much I ended up humming along to when it came up. -- Rewatch It's a bit long, but I could see myself watching it again if the mood struck. -- Overall I had a good time watching this drama. If I didn't, I wouldn't have watched it in such a short amount of time.There is something oddly addicting about it. Besides all the cheesy moments, thin plot and maybe a slightly sub-par side story, you won't find many flaws at all with the main concept. So I recommend you sit back with a nice drink and let yourself enjoy it for what it is. --For the full thing WITH spoilers, go to my tumblr: kanawafu . tumblr . com --