I just finished the drama and needed a few hours to collect my thoughts. My review is going to be pretty unpopular as i did not love the drama. This is extremely weird for me as i adore the cast ( especially the 2 leads, In Guk and So Min) but the story overall is just okay. The plot left me feeling shortchanged at the end of it. This review contains spoilers so please stop reading if you have yet to watch the drama.

**SPOILER ALERT**

Jin Gook is the saving grace for this drama. He has so much empathy and depth. Sung Woong did such an outstanding job bringing him to life. I could feel his despair, frustration and helplessness towards the whole situation. I didn't cry at the end when the leads died but cried terribly when Jin Gook ran into the house. Poor guy gonna live with even more guilt for the rest of his life...

Despite liking the core of Jin Gook's character, i couldn't get over the following inconsistencies to the story.

The stabbing scene... There was hardly any reaction nor consequences to it. Everyone just went about their lives as though it never happened soon after. Jin Kang just treated her brother as per normal. Like i can't fathom how could one stand being in the same room as someone who just stabbed your boyfriend? And also his colleagues just kept him in the team and rejected his resignation despite his shocking confession ... I really don't get it.

The way the team treated Jin Gook was so uncalled for. It was as though Jin Gook set out to kill with ill intentions but it was never the case. Yes. He shot someone and that person died. But it was all out of self-defence and it's nothing out of the ordinary for a policeman. I hated the fact that the writers built up so much suspense for this and at the end of it, I was left thinking "wait...That's it?".

Let's talk also about poor Seung Ah. She was totally dispensable to the story. Her whole life was pretty much a joke. For her to die off "in the name of love" with someone who didn't care one bit for her, to having her"bf" and bestfriend falling in love immediately after the accident, how much more pathetic can her character get? Soon after she died, they basically erased her from the story. No traces of Seung Ah whatsoever until that one scene where Moo Young breaks up with Jin Kang . I just wish they did more with her character (the same can be said about Cho Rong). I can't understand how Jin Kang is such BFF with her (Crying that hard at the funeral) and yet do such a thing to her.

And oh yes, don't get me started on the ending as well. How abrupt was that? ! Also, lack of chemistry between the leads is a little painful at times. There's way more i could say but i shall stop myself here.

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I can't believe this drama only has 1 review. I have been a big fan of thai dramas and when i found out that Sunny, Davikah, Sky and Thanaerng were in it, i just had to watch it! I did enjoy the drama and binge-watched it all in 2 days. It made me laugh and cry along with the characters. The OST was on point and I do like the core of the plot, which is even with magic, a relationship requires both parties to work hard on it in order to keep it going.

**Spoilers ahead**

Cast - The cast was visually pleasing and I was in constant awe of Davikah's beauty. As for acting, Sunny and Davikah were on point. The scene where Peng had a complete meltdown in the ambulance, begging for his power to return just so he can save Thantawan. My gosh, that really broke me. Bank was an interesting choice for a villain. I'll admit I could not get over his baby face but he did do a fantastic job. Sky on the other hand, though I loved him in Hormones, he needed to brush up with his acting skills. I know he is stiff and it kind of worked for Chalan, but at times when he really needed to deliver, he just fell flat.

Characters - I loved that all the characters had their share of flaws. It made them more relatable. Peng was always putting work first and came across as cold to the person he loves, Chalan being very naive but also very positive about things, and Bamee being very fiesty and hot tempered but extremely straightforward. I do however wish Tantawan had more of a personal growth. Her life , for me, was kind of sad, as it was always centred around the person she loves.

OST - Pretty good tbh. Found myself feeling most of the songs, especially "you are my everything".

Ending - I'm teamPENG so the ending was a disappointment. I do get why she picked Chalan though. He was attentive towards her and she could truly be herself around him. She could cry and share her emotions with him. Peng on the other hand, was cold towards her and kept taking her for granted. Despite her voicing her unhappiness, he often brushed it aside. Come on, the things that he said to her whenever she cried was just downright hurtful. It was only when he found out her feelings were starting to fade, that was when he started working on it. By then, it was too late. All it took was a small interaction between Chalan and Tantawan to change everything.

I do like how Tantawan recapped her feeling for Peng at the end. I know some found it confusing and that they did not like it. But i do get it. Tantawan will always love Peng . But she knew that with him, 1 of them had to morph into someone else for the other to be happy. She didn't want to do that to him as she knew first-hand what it was like when she had to do so in their 15 year relationship. To compromise is one thing, to completely change oneself is another. With Peng, their connection will always be there regardless, hence he will always be "her ambulance".

Overall, i am very very happy with this drama and will gladly rewatch it again.

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After watching Meteor Garden and seeing rave review of this drama, i decided to give it a go (the trailer on Netflix also gave me a push). The plot started off cute and relatable. Now, we have all been through the ups and downs of having our first crush. The uncertainty, excitement, frustration.. Xiao Xi was just a naive little school girl who had a crush on the most popular guy in school - a good-looking, tall, studious but aloof, Jiang Chen. Though she might be a little dumb and frustrating at times, she has her own merits. She's extremely persistent and isn't afraid to show it.

Acting performances by the entire cast was spot on. This drama did convert me into a Shen Yue fan. I definitely understand now why she's the next big thing in China. For a cast with little to no acting experiences, Sun Ning (Lu Yang), Zhi Ting (Bo Song) and Zi Wei ( Jing Xiao) did a stellar performance. Hu Yi Tian (Jiang Chen) was pretty stiff but it works for his character.

I love that the drama is pretty funny and light (most of the time). The witty endings of each episodes were a major plus. I also thoroughly enjoyed the second couple's story-line. I could relate to their frustrations and joy and appreciated their growth more than the leads'; an unfortunate truth that leads to my next point.

I did not like the main couple at all. Jiang Chen is a character i do not understand. He adds nothing to the story but his good looks (and brains at times). He's just too cold, even to their group of friends. I struggle to like him and especially hated the way he treats Xiao Xi (both in school and adult days). Their relationship seems extremely loop-sided. Xiao Xi totally lost her backbone when it comes to Jiang Chen and he just rejects her or orders her around for his own amusement. He seems very manipulative, controlling and is only showing affection to her because there is someone else trying to woo her, which is NOT what the story set it out to be.They did however, attempt to explain his love for Xiao Xi at the very end.Maybe it was a little too late, as it did nothing for me.

The drama is draggy. 16/17 episodes of high school life and 7 episodes of adulthood. It felt a little disproportionate. I wished they showed more depth on the struggles of adulthood, how they maintain their friendship, overcome their differences, the disappointment of not getting a job, etc. I thought it was going to be similar to Reply 1997 (a wrongful thinking on my part), but this drama fails to deliver in that aspect.

The funny thing is I can see the teenage me really loving this drama. But for someone who is now leading an adult life, i wish for a more in-depth story-line as love comes in many forms and especially since it is afterall titled "A love so beautiful".

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This is a really lengthy review. I’ve watched all versions of the show, even the manga. I purposely put myself off from watching the latest Chinese version because I thought it couldn’t compare to the Taiwanese one. But I believe this drama is beautiful in its own rights.

Pros:
I have been obsessed with the characters and storyline of meteor garden since I was 13. But after rewatching both the TW and manga versions last year (I’m now 30), I found myself really disagreeing with the portrayed violence and bullying. I love that the Chinese version is a lot more mellow and tame. Like yes, there was still bullying but it’s not those dragging you around while attached to the back of a car kind.

The visuals of cast. They are all so good looking and tall. Even when they are wearing such ridiculous clothing, they still shine.

The casting of Dee Hsu. Though her acting is just ok, but her real-life personality actually makes her the perfect fit for Dao Ming Zhuang. And the fact that they got Barbie hsu’s (the original shancai) sister to play a part in this drama is brilliant.

The ost. Again, I love that the original music were also added to this show. And Wei Qi Qi’s “ love exist” is so hauntingly beautiful that my heart aches every time I hear it.

Budget. They definitely up their game here. The way it was shot, the locations, the amount of designer clothes was way better than the original.

Focus on others characters. They have expanded and added more depth to Yu sao’s relationship with Shancai and Ximen & Xiao You’s relationship. It’s not just about the leads growing as a person, but about everyone else around them as well.

The bro-mance and chemistry between the cast is strong with this one and I’m all for it! The scenes where they were just teasing each other, it felt like they broke free from their respective characters and were genuinely enjoying themselves.

Oh and the little tribute (to the TW version) at the end made me so happy. The last episode was so bizarre that I was laughing pretty hard through it and I kind of liked it.

Cons:
Acting skills needs improvement. For me, Hua Ze Lei is the best. Darren did a fantastic job bringing him to life. I’ve always been a Dao Ming Si’s bias so I never thought there would ever come a day where I’ll pick Lei over DMS. Though I believe Shen Yue is a good actress, I don’t find myself loving her version of Shan cai. It lacks the feistiness that Shan cai should possess. Dylan’s acting needs alot of improvement. He is however, endearing(and an absolute eye candy ), hence I could get through all the episodes.

The constant product placements are so irksome and in your face. I understand that they need to get sponsors what they want, but still, it kind of breaks the story. Like Lei asking Shancai if she have booked her lodging and her pulling out her phone to show an app. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. I did however had a good laugh at Zhuang’s scene with the dandruff bodyguard as well as those in the last episode.

Draggy. 49 episodes were definitely too long. Though I did get sucked in and enjoyed the drama, I wish it could be more straightforward. Like meizhuo’s story line wasn’t necessary for me and I often find myself fast forwarding those parts. I know I said I like that there was more focus on other characters, but honestly I don’t care for Caina as she’s totally a new character. Too much back and forth between the leads. They are always back paddling. It’s the same with the original but because there are so many more episodes in this version, it becomes a little tiring. Also, there were far too many slow mo running and flashback scenes.

Inconsistency. Little things like Caina’s bruises are initially on her left cheek then suddenly it switched over to her right. There are others as well, but I’ve lost count of them all. I wished the crew paid more attention to that.

Verdict:
This drama is worth a watch. Though not my favourite version, but the plot has too many merits to miss. Just know that it is long , so brace yourself for that.

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With the hype surrounding the drama and cast, i was left feeling disappointed. The story moved so slow and I was falling asleep in some episodes. Wanted to completely drop this drama mid point but decided to just stick to it till the end because who knows, maybe it will get better? But boy, was I wrong. I should have just moved on. I wish the drama actually showed some happy times as well instead of plot twist after plot twist. I couldn't feel the love the family had for each other before the murder took place. For a drama that is centred around family, the core of it is missing. Interactions between different characters seems very very cold. If it wasn't for the dialogues, i honestly couldn't tell that the victim and mate were even close to begin with. Not a fan of this and will not recommend this.

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