A real case of the feels

A notable addition to the "nostalgic high school drama" genre. This movie gave me all the feels with plenty of adorable and swoon-worthy moments between the leading cast members.

That being said, Our Times is not the most well-crafted movie. There are a ton of subplots/loose threads that don't get resolved and are forgotten pretty quickly. In particular, the part about Taiyu's health seems like it was only added for emotionally manipulative purposes; we get this dramatic flashback of all his dramatic head injuries but never see any real consequences of them. I mean, I'm personally glad he ended up okay, but it felt half-baked to introduce this dramatic twist and then never follow through with it. The movie also seemed to jump around a lot, without a lot of transitioning/explanation.

I also wish we'd gotten to know some of the supportive characters a bit more . We barely get to know Zhenxin's friends, Tao Minmin, or even Ouyang Feifang that well. Taiyu and Zhenxin's own character development arcs are better fleshed out, but I just wish some of the other characters were more fully formed.

In sum, this movie is a roller coaster of emotions. It's definitely an enjoyable, if somewhat confusing time, and the soundtrack is great. I would recommend watching with friends, and preparing to let the tears and laughter flow.

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Great romantic show with drama and sweet moments

By far the best Taiwanese drama I've seen. The storyline is compelling and relatable, the main couple has sizzling chemistry, and the plot keeps evolving so that the show length feels just right and not dragged out. I love the camaraderie that the main cast members form. The relationship between Zhong Yu Tang and Ji Wen Kai feels a little weird at first, but as more flashbacks occur, you get a better sense of their history together. They have so many cute scenes and I'm glad the show doesn't tear them apart just for the sake of melodrama. The OST is also excellent. Would highly recommend this show for those who like a good romance with a strong plot behind it.

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Gets better as it goes along

Office Girls is a pretty cute show although it does swerve into some melodramatic plotpoints. I would say the first couple of episodes are little frustrating with easily-solvable conflicts dominating the action. The show really picks up about halfway through when the main couple finally gets together. There's a lot of growth in the main couple, which is nice. The dynamic between Lele and the Shi Te Long is kind of creepy though, especially the way he keeps pressuring her to date him even after she rejects him numerous times.

The soundtrack is really good (I feel like that's usually a strong point of Taiwanese dramas). This was the first T drama I watched and I'd say it's a decent, low-stakes show to start with.

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Starts off well....then disappoints

Like a lot of other viewers, I really enjoyed the first half of this show with the Lu Tian Xing/Xiao Lu drama. The cast chemistry between all the employees at the smaller ad agency is really cute. But as soon as the whole Huan Huan forced marriage plotline comes up, that's when this show starts to drag. They keep pushing this marriage plot over and over again for the last dozen episodes so characters keep having the same exact fights again and again. It was really frustrating to watch so eventually I skipped the last couple of episodes to watch the finale. Such a shame when the first half of the show and the acting was so promising!

But I will say, the soundtrack is on point! Downloaded all the songs on Spotify after I finished watching the series. Some of the music cues are pretty cheesy but that kind of adds to the camp :)

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Such a cute, realistic high school show

This show is sooooo adorable and heartwarming. The main cast of five friends is so lovable and sweet. I love how the protagonist, Chen Xiaoxi is always optimistic and bubbly even in the face of challenge. There is a lot of second lead syndrome that makes you scratch your head sometimes. But in general, the two main love interests are both good people so it's a little more understandable than usual.

I will say, it's refreshing to see a high school show where the characters actually have to deal with schoolwork, college applications, and real teen stuff. Not having gone to school in China, I can't say how accurate it reflects that environment, but the teen struggles feel relatable-as opposed to American shows where none of the students ever have homework and they all look like they're 27.

The music is great, particularly the main theme; I love to listen to it on repeat! Would definitely re-watch this show, there are a lot of cute moments between the main leads and their friends.

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Starts out promising but drags and gets repetitive

I watched this show right after Crash Landing on You and I was really looking forward to watching another Son Ye-jin-starring vehicle. It starts off pretty promising. The two leads have great chemistry and their romance is super adorable. But their romance is also the show's only main plotline. (While there's also this office sexual harassment storyline, which is a super important topic to discuss, the show makes it very confusing and hard to follow, IMO). Anyway, because the romance is the only plotline, the show has to keep throwing obstacles in its way, first in the form of a super clingy, unredeemable ex-boyfriend, and then in the form of Yoon Jin-a's insufferable mom. I really could not stand the mom-she just screams and cries all the time and gets in the way. There's just no compelling reason why Jin-a and Jun-hui shouldn't be together, so the latter episodes got really annoying. I finally stopped in the middle of episode 11 and just skipped to the end. It just got so repetitive.

The music is funny; the whole soundtrack is just these two American songs from the 1960s: "Stand by Your Man" and "Save the Last Dance for Me." Kinda random, but they grew on me.

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This movie is so much fun

I stumbled upon this movie by accident on a plane; the lady sitting in front of me was watching it, and the on-screen action was so intriguing that I paused the movie I was currently watching and switched over to Exit. Best decision ever.

Exit is one of those rare movies that aims to be two things at once and actually pulls it off. The first act sets up a dysfunctional family comedy which dramatically transforms into a natural disaster action flick at the half hour mark. This plotline transition works fairly well, and even as the stakes are raised in the second and third acts, the script maintains the first act's humorous undertones, and lands many of its jokes, both subtle and overt. The adrenaline-pumping action sequences have many impressive building-climbing and sprinting stunts worthy of the Mission Impossible franchise. And the female lead is particularly badass.

Exit is hardly a perfect movie; there are a few too many melodramatic scenes of screaming and crying and some unresolved character/plot developments. But in the end, the action-packed cityscape set pieces, wry humor, and good old fashioned race-against-time story arc make this a genuinely enjoyable film. Exit is a great time; don't think too hard and just watch it.

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Pretty much perfect

This show is basically perfect. The plotline is riveting and so well thought-out, the main romance is absolutely electric, the characters are all complex and layered, I could go on and on. This show is so impressive in how it blends many different genres: it's a comedy, a love story, a suspenseful mystery, and a family drama. Most times, when a show tries to be all those things it fails but CLOY succeeds at all of them! Absolutely hooked me in from the start.

I think my favorite parts were the friendships between the soldiers and also among the women of the North Korean village. So cute and heartwarming the way they all protected and cared for each other! Also, I wasn't expecting to like Seo Dan and Gu Seung-joon at first but they really grew on me. That's how you know it's a good show, when the actors and writers can change your mind about characters.

If you have any hesitation about watching CLOY, just do it. You won't regret it, I promise.

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