A quality drama with a controversial ending, but ultimately worth the watch.

WARNING: this review is going to contain some spoilers.

At first, I agreed with the outraged reviews around the ending. But now that the initial emotion has worn off, I'm a little more at peace with this finale. I don't have an issue with the outcome of the pairing itself, but I do still think they should've executed it differently (there are countless other ways I can think of that would've given me more closure!!), and that might have alleviated a whole lot of anger and betrayal that everyone's been feeling.

But ultimately, this story is a tribute to youth. When we're 18 with the world in the palm of our hands. When we're 18 and we feel like time is ours for the taking. When we're 18 and we think our today will be our forever. It's a frozen snapshot in time; a first love that endures long after it's ended, immortalised in old worn photos and creased diary pages. That was what this drama sought to capture, and they did that to perfection. This was sophisticated storytelling - an elevation of the coming-of-age genre to a level that I haven't seen another youth show before 2521 achieve. I felt the highest of highs and the lowest of lows with this drama, and to that, I have to credit the quality of the storytelling - the writing, the directing, and the acting, all somehow coming together to create a magical synergy that made this drama glow and pulse with life.

Episodes 1-13 and 15 were more perfect than any drama has ever been for me, and I've been watching dramas for over 13 years now. Episodes 14 and 16 were the hardest to get through, and reviews might tell you that it's no longer worth watching because of the ending, but I do believe that if you go into this show knowing what to expect, this will still be a magical watch, and the heartbreak will still be worth it. It's been a privilege watching Na Hee-do and Baek Yi-jin grow together and love each other these past 16 episodes. My heart still hurts for them, but as Adult Na Hee-do once said: "Nothing lasts forever. Everything flows away. And that's not always a bad thing."

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ICONIC

Absolutely fantastic. I'll be a happy camper if we get more Chinese dramas of this calibre! This is a drama that keeps you on the edge of your seat every single episode, filled with cerebral thrills and twists and turns, with just enough of a heady dash of romance to make you smile as well. The directing was assured and competent, the story tight and well-paced, and the acting absolutely phenomenal. I find that mystery thrillers can sometimes lean too much towards cerebral thrill and forget about the humane aspect of the story, but Reset managed to balance both perfectly. I wasn't just watching to find out what the ending was - I was also fully invested in the two main leads' emotional journeys. It definitely helps that Bai Jingting and Zhao Jinmai have adorable chemistry together!

If I had to nitpick, I did find myself wishing that the ending had more of a shock factor to it. I still think it ended strong, but there was so much build-up that I felt a tiny bit deflated at the end, but this also comes down to personal preference rather than anything that's actually wrong with the plot. HOWEVER, the emotional payoff was worth it, and I'm still giving this drama an overall 10 for such an incredible, nail-biting, spine-tingling journey.

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One of the top cdramas of 2021.

This was an unexpected sleeper hit for me. I picked this up on a whim with very low expectations, but came out of this drama with my heart and mind full of the Qiao siblings and their unwavering love and loyalty towards each other. This is a beautifully sensitive portrayal of flawed characters and complex familial relationships, with a stand-out cast, an achingly poignant OST and clever, detailed directing.

The story follows the five Qiao siblings from the moment their youngest is born and their mother dies from childbirth complications. Their father, neglectful and irresponsible, leaves them to mostly fend for themselves, and it falls to the eldest Qiao sibling, Qiao Yicheng, to grow up fast and take care of his younger siblings as not only their eldest brother, but at times, their only parental figure as well. I would even venture to say that the heart and core of this drama is mostly Qiao Yicheng, played wonderfully by Bai Yu and his child actor counterparts. The four other siblings have their own distinct personalities and charms, but it is Qiao Yicheng who will steal most of your tears and your heart throughout this show. He is deeply affectionate and caring, but also strict and at times resentful; frustratingly stubborn and prideful, but also heartbreakingly self-sacrificing and earnest. This drama never shies away from showing his weaker moments, which makes his struggles all the more heartrending, and any eldest sibling in an Asian family will probably be able to relate to the conflicting way he sometimes resents his siblings, even whilst he still loves them.

Kudos should also be given to the actor of the Qiao father, who skillfully pulls off the very unlikely combination of being somehow both extraordinarily unpleasant and laugh-out-loud comedic at the same time. The child actors in this drama are also some of the most talented ones I've ever seen and demonstrate remarkable rapport with each other, which really helps set the scene in the first few episodes before we transition to their adult counterparts. This drama is also distinctly Chinese, in the sense that the backdrop is continually steeped in little cultural contextual details that mark the passing of time from 1977 all the way to the early 2000s, so it does help to know a bit about the pop culture and history of that period. Regardless though, if you appreciate realistic, layered portrayals of complex characters, interspersed with heartwarming family moments, this is the drama for you.

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The perfect pick-me-up drama that'll warm you up from the inside out

This drama is pure liquid sunshine - like hot chocolate on a cold winter's day, or candy-sweet soda that fizzes on your tongue. On paper, this sounds like your typical high school romance drama with a genius male lead, a not-so-genius female lead, and a bunch of overused rom-com cliches - and admittedly, it is all that. But it does it well. The story is earnest and heartfelt, the characters are all refreshingly realistic and charming (including the secondary characters), and the romance is one of the healthiest, sweetest, most supportive relationships I have ever seen.

Watching the two leads gave me giddy butterflies from the very beginning - the two actors have amazing chemistry and really delivered on their character portrayals. At every step of their relationship, they were on the same page - from reluctant family friends who got off on the wrong foot, to supportive best friends, to that lovely gradual, building awareness of their own feelings for each other. Misunderstandings never dragged, conflict was always resolved quickly, and there was very little filler in the story. Zhou Siyue as the male lead feels like a typical high school teen rather than your usual cold, unapproachable genius ML, and he treats the female lead with a heart-palpitating mixture of sweetness, tenderness, and indulgent patience. There was never an instance where he didn't believe in her - his steadfast respect and faith in her abilities is one of the most charming aspects of this relationship. This is a boy who would bring his girl the moon without a second thought if she asked him to. It is absolutely adorable watching him fall for her.

Ding Xian as the female lead is also extremely endearing as well. I was actually shocked when I found out that Xu Mengjie was from Produce 101, because I had no recollection of her from the show, but as an actress, she has to be one of the most adorable, charming ones I've seen in a while. Again, this is a flip on the tired 'dumb girl' trope - Ding Xian isn't naturally gifted in academics, but the story makes a point to show that it is her hard work and tenacity that allows her to achieve whatever she puts her mind to, and that that is the very trait that our ML immediately sees and respects in her as well.

If there were one flaw I had to point out, it'd be around episodes 21-23 when some of the conflict begins to feel contrived and a little out of place with the rest of the drama - it felt like they'd run out of material and threw in some external conflict to keep the story going. That was fine though, because it didn't drag out that much, and the final episode 24 brings the story back and ends on a really strong note. This is probably one of my all-time favourite high school dramas now - I can't recommend this enough, despite its underwhelming synopsis, so please go watch it!

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A visually enchanting xianxia romance, told the way it deserves to be told

EDIT: Just finished the finale, bumping this up to a 10 oh my god everyone pls go and watch this!!!

Sometimes a story doesn't need to be highbrow or substantial to be good, and this drama is the perfect example of that. This is a xianxia romance told RIGHT: with stunningly beautiful CGI, gorgeous costumes, perfect music choices, competent directing, and to top it all off, a heart-clenchingly sweet chemistry between the two leads. This is about the most powerful, most feared villain of all time being brought to his knees by a sweet little fairy. And sure, there are other things that are happening in the story as well, but the romance is the heart and core of this drama - and they do it WELL. It's fun, it's feel-good, it's funny - and it has raised the bar for xianxia romances by tenfold.

Dylan Wang is wonderfully charismatic and entertaining as the villainous Dongfang Qingcang, and really, is there anyone else who is as perfect for the role of a fairy as Esther Yu? She is effortlessly bubbly and sweet, and while this kind of female lead character can feel tiresome on others, she has a way of making it look natural and endearing. Their romance unfolds in a beautifully organic way - the story has really dedicated itself to the villain-who-would-burn-down-the-world-for-you trope - and there is nothing more satisfying than watching an almighty villain constantly bend to the whims of his little fairy girl love. I know I've rated this an 8 overall, but if I was going off on pure enjoyment alone, this would be 12/10 stars. If you're feeling down, I promise you that this is THE drama that'll pick you right back up again!!

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Jung Hae-in's drama through and through

A drama with so much promise, and yet it fell flat on its face. The first few episodes had a lot of potential, setting the groundwork for a romance spy thriller fraught with high stakes, heartrending betrayals between ill-fated lovers, and a complex exploration into power and human greed. Unfortunately, the writer made the bizarre choice to set a good two-thirds of the drama in a hostage situation in the same setting, with recycled plotlines and long-winded conversations that went nowhere and did nothing for the plot. Things happened, and yet nothing productive REALLY happened. This could've been a 2 hour movie rather than a 16 episode drama, with how little that actually happened in the story.

I enjoyed Jung Hae-in and Jisoo's star-crossed romance very much though, and really just wanted the drama to have done more with them. They had a natural easy chemistry, and it would've been nice to see them build up their connection a bit more at first, before they descended into the hostage situation. I especially wish they'd done more with Jisoo's character - she was very passive and never really had much to do, other than act as a vehicle for the male lead's story. To be completely honest, I think Jisoo probably had more crying scenes than actual lines in this.

Speaking of the male lead though: JUNG!! HAE!! IN!! There is one reason and one reason alone I stayed until the end, and that was Jung Hae-in and his incredibly charismatic performance as Lim Su-ho. I've always liked Jung Hae-in before this, but his role in Snowdrop has now cemented his place at the top of my list of favourite kdrama actors. To make me feel so deeply for a character in a poorly-written story is a testament to how engaging his performance and acting was. He played every facet of his character with fervour and complexity: as the brooding spy, as the intimidating soldier, and as the tender, conflicted lover. The way he looked at Jisoo melted me every single time. If you do decide to watch this drama, do it at the very least for Jung Hae-in. He deserves every kind of accolade for the way he played this character in Snowdrop, and I'm so happy that he's getting these kinds of roles now and showing that he can do more than just romance melo (although I do love that side of him too!).

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Made an MDL account just to review this!!

I've never reviewed a drama before, but I had to make an account on MDL just to leave one for this drama, because I absolutely adore it and it's left me with severe withdrawal. I am first and foremost a romance drama watcher, and that's where I think this drama truly shone: watching two people who are equally as passionate and dedicated to their professions falling in love and trying to navigate a relationship where their demanding careers leave very little time and freedom for themselves. The two main leads did an amazing job portraying their characters, and their chemistry was absolutely off-the-charts, even during scenes that weren't necessarily supposed to be romantic. They're probably one of the very few drama couples who are just as sweet and captivating to watch after dating as they are before. It's a testament to the writing that I can also understand why these two work so well together: they're both intrinsically good people who just want to do their best, are genuinely passionate about their jobs, and wouldn't hesitate to give up their lives to save another person's life. You'll wish you could experience the kind of love these two have for each other after finishing this show.

The hospital and police storylines were secondary to the romance for me - not as well-written or as well-executed as I've seen in other dramas - but as a romance fan, the warmth and authenticity of the main couple's relationship made up for that. I also found all the sibling and friendship relationships really warm and funny and charming as well. A few other flaws I'd probably note though:
- The secondary couple: I found their dynamic really fun at first, but it started to drag after a while and I got tired of the constant back and forth so I ended up skipping most of their scenes.
- There's a lull in pacing during the earthquake arc.
- Something about the actress who plays Yan Shan really bugs me - not sure if it's the acting or the actual character, but I really could not care less about her.
- The OST is okay, but nothing I would listen to again separate from the drama.

Anyway tldr: highly recommend this drama!!! Please go watch it for the main couple - they're the best!!!

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A sweet watch but ultimately forgettable.

Watching this drama was like eating cotton candy: fluffy, light, sickeningly sweet, with zero substance. The two leads were very likeable together and I thought they had great chemistry that gave me butterflies sometimes, even though their scenes sometimes bordered on too cheesy. The rest of the plot was insipid and unimaginative and barely had much logic holding it together, so don't look too deeply into it if you're planning on watching this for an actual story. This is the kind of drama you watch only to enjoy how sweet and adoring the main leads are with each other - and Jasper Liu and Shen Yue definitely did a great job with that!

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