Bai Jing Ting

Review: The First Frost [China]

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

To my eyes, what sets this show apart from other c-dramas, is that it really is a healing romance.

It’s not just a concept in this show; we really do get to explore the nuances of emotional wounds, how they linger, and how they heal. I love that Show not only focuses on this, it also weaves this healing into the main loveline.

I feel that Bai Jing Ting and Zhang Ruo Nan are perfectly cast in this; I felt that they each brought their characters to life, and had a very believable, crackly chemistry with each other.

This one lingers with me, and I think it’s well worth the watch. 🥲

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Review: New Life Begins [China]

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

Easy-going, laidback and quite breezy in a Disney-esque sort of way, Show could be a great drama to unwind to, after a long day of real life.

Sometimes Show leans into the silly, and sometimes, it leans into its more dramatic side, but either way, everything vibes simple and also, somewhat simplistic.

Show is basically a treacly-wholesome Disney-esque take on the daily life in the royal courts of Xinchuan, our fictional feudal society in which our story takes place.

Fair warning that there are people who do bad things too, in this drama world, and so, very occasionally there is some indication of (real, rather than comedic) violence, which might be disturbing for some folks.

On the upside, these characters always, always get their comeuppance, so that’s the silver lining.

Your mileage is likely to vary with this one, since some folks find it kind of meh, while others think it’s the most wonderful thing ever. But I’ll do my best to help you figure out where you’ll land with this one, even before you take off. 😁

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Dropped: You Are My Hero [China]

| kfangurl

I know a lot of folks really like this show, so let me preface this dropped post by saying that I really don’t hate this show.

I don’t even dislike it, really.

I just.. don’t feel like I have the interest to keep going with this, even though it’s not bad, objectively speaking.

I’ll try to explain more in the post, and hopefully, this post will help you to figure out whether this one’s for you, even though I’ve decided that it probably isn’t for me.

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Review: Reset [China]

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

Reset is a time loop fantasy mystery-thriller that manages to be so much more than the sum of its parts.

It’s smartly written, such that the fantasy mystery remains interesting and intriguing all the way through, yet at the same time, Show demonstrates a surprising amount of heart and emotional heft.

That heart and emotional heft is what lifts this watch experience from simply being interesting and fascinating, to become something more engaging, thought-provoking, and even a little personal, as we start to feel for our various characters.

A cracky gem of a show that manages to engage both the heart and mind in equal measure. Very well done.

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