Decent drama about friendship, but it could have been better if it cut short to 24-30 episodes

In Youth is an old (2019) romantic comedy about friends who support each other through difficult situations.

The Synopsis: Li Zi Yu is a simple, kind-hearted, and righteous girl. She starts working at a public relations company but unfortunately meets a difficult boss. The boss, Fan Shu Chen, is a talented, hidden rich heir who is very hostile towards Zi Yu, making Zi Yu tremble with fear every day. She doesn't know that company secrets have been leaked since she started working, and Shu Chen is thus heavily suspecting her. But gradually, the two start to appreciate and admire each other. However, Shu Chen's three best friends have their theory on Zi Yu's identity, confusing Shu Chen. When Shu Chen's rival, Luo Zong Liang, appears, it becomes known that Zong Liang and Zi Yu have some relationship, which arouses suspicion that Zi Yu could be a spy sent by Zong Liang. What is the truth behind everything? And will Zi Yu and Shu Chen's love-hate relationship have a happy end

My Reviews:
1. The drama could be much better if it were reduced to 24-30 episodes instead of 38.
2. Maggie Huang, who played Ji Xuan Li's character, acted better than Qiao Xin, who played the female lead, Lin Zi Yu
3. I like Li Yang Yang's character, which Dai Si portrayed, and she did a decent job.
4. The friendships between these five characters are good. Still, the plot gets draggy because it involves a competition between two PR companies and revenge.
5. Lin Zi Yu's character is naive but also stupid. She lacks common sense and does not figure out that her stepbrother is using and framing her.
6. The ending is stupid, where her stepbrother doesn't even pay for the crimes that he has committed.

I give this drama a 6.5 rating because the acting was decent, especially from Maggie Huang and Dai Si.

Leer más

A decent crime drama where a once suicidal policewoman tries to solve a serial killer case.

The Abandoned is a crime drama movie starting with Janine Chang as a police detective. Her character went through a life crisis where she wanted to kill herself after her fiance had killed himself.

Her attempted suicide was interrupted when she found a dead body and got herself involved in solving a serial killer who ended up killing immigrant people from Southeast Asia countries who came to Taiwan for work.

The movie is engaged with suspenseful elements as she tries to solve the case with her apprentice and the boss, who mainly hired immigrant people.

I give it a 7.5 rating, and the acting is good.

Leer más

Time-travel drama with a suspenseful plot, but too draggy and repetitive that I lost interest

Derailment is a romance, time-traveling drama involving killing people to shake the life gaming system.

The Synopsis: Do you believe that countless parallel universes exist that are exactly like the world you live in?

Jiang Xiao Yuan struggles with her identity as she travels across parallel universes that never seem to intersect. In her original world, she is an invincible, wealthy daughter. Still, she becomes an ordinary working girl with absolutely nothing in another place. Along the way, she meets the mysterious Qi Lian, and together, they search for the truth involving the mystery surrounding her. Stripped of wealth, family background, appearance, and education, Jiang Xiao Yuan sets herself on a journey to find pieces of her "real" identity.

I am giving this drama a 6.0 rating for the following reasons:
1. Lin Yi plays different roles. He played a nice but also ruthless character.
2. The FL acted well as a newcomer to the entertainment industry. This is her first drama, but she has acted in various movies since 2020. She is young and has good potential.
3. The story started interesting but spiraled into repetitiveness and confusion, with too many minor characters to drag the drama longer. I lost interest along the way between episodes 15 to the end.
4. I ended up skipping an FF with 1.5 to 2.0 speeds.
5. The acting is good, and it could have been better if it cut to 20 or 24 episodes.

I would not recommend this drama, but if you are interested in time-traveling with some suspension, You may want to check it out.

Leer más

A business melodrama that it is decent to watch. Elaine Zhong did a great job in this drama.

"Rising with the Wind" is a modern about the failure of a shoe company and how Jiang Hu, with Xu Si's help, rebuilds her dad's company and retains his legacy.

The Synopsis: The story revolves around the revival of a national brand in the face of the impact of e-commerce. Xu Si, an investment professional who moves back to mainland China from a Hong Kong investment bank, meets Jiang Hu, the only daughter of the chairman of a national clothing conglomerate. Due to their differing business philosophies, the two are at odds with each other.

When Jiang Hu's father's company suddenly goes bankrupt, she is plummeting from the heights of success. Meanwhile, Xu Si—who has always been ambitious—sets his sights on the rubber-soled shoe brand "Tengyue," which was once created by Jiang Hu's father. Determined to save "Tengyue" at all costs, Jiang Hu—despite her downfall—engages in a fierce battle with Xu Si. Ultimately, their interactions and struggles will determine the fate of "Tengyue" and whether it can be revived.

I really enjoy this drama, and Elaine Zhong is a good actress. I think Simon Gong is better in modern drama than in historical dramas. He played a calm and collected investor with smart and wits as he guided Jiang Hu in saving her dad's company after his death.

Their on-screen chemistry is good, and I think the 2nd CP was an unnecessary filler, even though she played the designer for the TengYue shoe company. Wu Xuan Yi cannot act.

Can't wait to see how Xu Si and Jiang Hu develop their love interest for each other; at least in episode 20, Xu Si tells Jiang Hu that he is pursuing her. She is unsure and doesn't want to ruin their mentor/mentee relationship.

I am giving this drama an 8.0 rating because I like the main CP and acting. The ending is a bit cheesy, but overall it is a decent drama.

Leer más

Predictable RomCom with good acting from Elaine Zhong (FL).

"The Furthest Distance" is a rom-com between a designer and a doctor.

Elaine Zhong has had a good year with three decent modern dramas.
- Imperfect Victim, where she played a supporting role.
- The Furthest Distance
- Rising with the Wind
She is a good actress who can play silly yet career-oriented women. She has range as an actress, and her onscreen chemistry is not bad with Leon Zhang. In my opinion, she is a better actor than Leon Zhang. The character he played in this drama is a bit weak but nice.

Their relationship is being sabotaged by her ex-boyfriend, played by Zhang Tao, and his deceased girlfriend's twin sister, Mi Su, played by Sabrina Chen. The supporting cast is cute and funny, especially her best friend Du Hui Xuan, played by Li Xi Rui, who is clueless about love.

I am giving it a 7.5 rating because the plot is nothing special, but the acting is good, only from Elaine Zhong, whereas the rest of the cast was mediocre, including the ML, Leon Zhang. The drama is predictable, and the ending is okay. I would expect them to get married, but it didn't happen. It is implied.

Leer más

Good crime drama plot out of HK, but acting is so bad from entire cast.

Dead Ringer is an HK crime drama about Wei Xiao Chen, a Chinese-American female captain who leads a SWAT team that breaks up the base of a human trafficking syndicate and discovers the body of a woman who turns out to be her twin sister, Liang Xi. Xiao Chen is devastated and vows to spend the rest of her life tracking down the truth behind her sister’s murder.

Wen Xiao Chen disguised as her twin sister and came to Hong Kong to investigate her death. As she unravels the evidence, surprising twists happen when her twin sister, Liang Xi, is not dead. Her sister was involved in money laundry and did illegal kinds of stuff.

The plot is interesting, but the acting was bad from the entire ensemble, especially the FL, Chrissie Lau, and Raymond Wong. They both cannot act. Serious and emotional, she has the same stoic face without much emotion. Raymond Wong is the worst actor I have seen out of HK drama.

I give it a 6.0 because the acting of the entire cast is below mediocre. The production quality is much better than those from Mainland China, with bright light, and everyone is white, especially in historical/Xian Xia costume dramas.

Leer más

It is a good-centric drama about vengeance on a cheating husband. Good drama.

Alliance is a modern drama about Lin Shuang, a brilliant student with great potential who ended up giving up her career to be a full-time mom. She was betrayed by her husband, who had an affair with a co-worker.

She teamed up with the mistress to avenge her husband and, in the process, rekindle love with an old classmate, Gu Xu.

I like the plot, and the flow of the drama is good. It kept me engaged in the story. The acting is okay; I wish there were more romance between Lin Shuang and Gu Xu.

Li Ze Feng was good at playing a selfish and conniving bad husband. Overall, I enjoyed this drama and recommend you should check it out.

Leer más

I did not like the plot because it kind of depressing, but the acting was exceptional.

A Time Called You - a Kdrama recommended by a friend, and I fell asleep watching it. So far, I have not enjoyed this drama. It is too slow, and the flow of the story is not engaging me.

The Synopsis: Han Jun Hee's boyfriend, Koo Yeon Jun, died one year ago. She still hasn't gotten over his death and misses him a lot. One day, she time-travels back to 1998 and finds herself as a high school student, Kwon Min Joo. There, she meets high school student Nam Si Heon. She is surprised to see how much Nam Si Heon resembles her late boyfriend, Koo Yeon Jun. Nam Si Heon is outgoing and attractive; girls adore him. His best friend, Jung In Kyu, develops a crush on Kwon Min Joo.

I went back and watched it again, and I didn't like the story that much because it dealt with dark issues with mental health and suicide. The acting was exceptional, especially the actress Jeon Yeo Been, who played both Han Jun Hee & Kwon Min Ju characters.

Overall, I enjoyed the acting of this drama, but not particularly the plot. I give it an 8.0 anyway because the acting was so good.

Leer más

Good lesson about work life balance because hard work may not worth it if one lost love and health.

"Fake It Till You Make It" is a 14-episode drama about the riches and the ordinaries as they try to co-exist in a business legal firm based in Shanghai where not everyone is genuine. They have to fake it till they make it.

I greatly enjoy this drama, and Elvira Cai and Elvis Han's onscreen chemistry is great. I like their intelligence, pretentiousness, and non-committal Conversation/relationship. They are both too proud and stubborn to admit that they like each other, and they are playing pretentious games with each other and with others they are interacting with.

It is all about money talk and showing off one's possession of material things to feel accepted in the highly rich society in Shanghai. I have watched 8 episodes already and can't wait to see the last 6. I give it an 8.5 rating.

It is a good and relatable drama about hard work and is it worth it in the end? It is about work life balance because har work may not worth it in the end if one has to loose love and health.

Leer más

Don't waste your time. Cheesy and corny RomCom with bad acting

"From Repair to Pair" is last year's RomCom drama released in Dec 2022. I did not watch it and was not plan to watch it. However, I ended up watching it to kill time while waiting for new dramas to be released by iQiYi, Tencent, YouKu, and MangoTV.

I was so disappointed with this drama for the following reasons:
- Bad acting across the board from lead actors, actresses, and supporting cast.
- It was a bad script.
- I was annoyed by Zhang Chao, the ML who played Qin Zhi Yuan, a well-known art repairer, who took in an apprentice, Qiu Yuan, played by Teresa Li.
- Their onscreen chemistry is terrible, and both the ML and FL cannot act. I was annoyed by their relationship and interaction with each other. Especially the ML, whose character is much older than his apprentice but so prideful and acts childishly.
- Qiu Yuan's cousin is a loser, and she bailed him out numerous times; the guy does seem to learn his lesson.
- If I were his girlfriend XiXi, I would dump him long ago.
- I was so annoyed about the series that I watched in 1.5x and 2.0x speed to see the ending. To my disappointment, it was a cheesy and stupid ending.

I give it a 4.0 rating and would not recommend anyone to watch it.

Leer más

It is a comical gangster love story that was a bit dull but watchable

"Ash Is Purest White" is a violent love story from 2001 to 2017. By Western standards, it was not a violent love story because there was no killing.

Qiao Qiao (played by actress Zhao Tao) hangs around with the wrong crowd and falls in love with a gangster named Bin (played by Liao Fan). During an altercation between the gangs, she fired a gun in the air and got arrested, and went to jail for 5 years. After she got out, her lover moved on.

She was on a quest to look for him and eventually found him. They broke up but got back together after a stroke paralyzed Bin. There were a few comical moments, but overall the story was slow and dull.

I give it a 6.5 rating because it was not exciting. The acting was mediocre as well.

Leer más

Don’t waste your time. I didn’t even finished it because it was so bad.

The movie is so stupid and the acting is terrible both from the CP. the movie so slow and boring The CP dated 7 years, and finally her BF proposed. He didn’t know that she had a fake marriage 10 years ago. She wanted to get the divorce but can’t fine her precious husband because he disappeared.

I am dropping it and give it a 2.0 rating. Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad movie. How much I can write more about it since it was so bad. The acting is bad, the script is bad, and the onscreen chemistry between the main CP also bad.

Leer más