China

Flash Review: Hi Venus [China]

| kfangurl

Remember when I said that I binge-watched (and loved!) Go Ahead (review here!) when I was sick recently?

Well, what I didn’t mention, is that because I was sick for a good while, I actually binge-watched a number of shows.

It turns out that when you’re not actually writing episode notes or reviews, you can watch a lot more drama; I mean, who knew? 👀

After I finished Go Ahead, I picked this show to watch, because not only did it come quite enthusiastically recommended by some of you, it’s also by the same writer who wrote Go Ahead (who also wrote Meet Yourself and Find Yourself, both of which I also enjoyed very well).

So of course that just bumped it right to the top of my binge queue, right?

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Review: My Journey To You [China]

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

Show is, for a good stretch, dark, stylish drama crack that I inhaled with glee.

I found the story and the story world fascinating, I felt invested in our main characters, and it felt like Show had a solid, smart grip on the story that it wanted to tell. I genuinely loved all the twists and turns that Show served up in each rollercoaster of an episode.

However, I do think that Show’s weaknesses become more apparent, when you get into the later episodes. Sometimes plot logic took a beating; sometimes details didn’t add up completely. Also, I feel like Show’s handling of the finale is likely to be divisive.

All that said, I found this to be a solid ride, overall, and don’t regret investing my drama hours – and my feelings! And my brain cells! – in this one.

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Flash Review: Go Ahead [China]

| kfangurl

I finally understand why so many of you recommended Go Ahead to me, you guys.

It’s taken me a while to get around to checking it out (I was intimidated by the 40-episode length, and I was also always distracted by newer, shinier dramas coming out all the time), but I’ve finally watched it, and I finally geddit. 😍

Thanks to my recent semi-hiatus, when I was recovering from surgery (AND covid too, at one point 😭), I found myself well-positioned to marathon a drama, in that stretch of time when I was well enough to watch stuff, but not quite well enough to write about it.

I picked Go Ahead for my marathon, because of how highly recommended it’s been, from so many people, and, you guys, I love it. So, SO much. ❤️

If you like slice-of-life / family dramas / found family stories, this one is right up there, along with the best ones I’ve seen.

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Dropped: Lost You Forever [China]

| kfangurl

Let me just state upfront, that there are a lot – like, seriously, A LOT – of people who love this drama.

This show was hugely buzzy and popular when it aired – so buzzy, in fact, that FOMO was the whole reason I checked out this show in the first place 😅 – and I don’t want you to think that just because I’m calling it quits on this show, that this drama isn’t any good.

There’s quite a chunk of good stuff in here, honestly. It’s just not for me, I think.

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Dropped: Love Is An Accident [China]

| kfangurl

I was really hoping that this one would work out for me, because I found the premise cute, and the initial episodes promising, but.. it just wasn’t meant to be, I guess. 😅

12 episodes in, I’m calling it quits on this one, and I’m gonna attempt to lay it all out here in this post, so that you can hopefully figure out whether this one’s for you, even though it’s not for me.

For reference, I do think that Sean and phl1rxd liked this one a lot, so if your drama taste vibes fairly similarly with theirs, then, maybe..?

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Flash Review: The Love You Give Me [China]

| kfangurl

If you’re on the market for a light drama with a good amount of cuteness and sweetness, and not too much angst, The Love You Give Me could just be your ticket.

Sure, it’s not as buzzy, and its production values are not quite as polished, as, say, Hidden Love (review here!), but I personally found this to be a very enjoyable – and still very pretty! – drama to unwind to.

Some lens adjustment apply, but they aren’t hard to make, and I’ll talk about that shortly.

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Review: When I Fly Towards You [China]

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

This is a little gem of a show – provided you do like low-key, slice-of-life things.

Show’s main focus is the central loveline, and it’s all very youthful, sweet and wholesome, in a way that feels at once nostalgic and aspirational.

I also liked that Show also takes time to focus on the friendships that our characters share. Feeling like the invisible sixth member of the friend group was definitely a highlight of my watch too, aside from the very cute and very sweet OTP stuff.

Warm, sweet, comforting, and perfect for a binge on a rainy day – or as a drama nightcap, to put you in the right mind space for warm, sweet, comforting dreams. 🥰

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Review: Hidden Love [China]

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

Show’s got quite a few things going for it: it’s full of pretty polish, boasts a pair of good-looking leads who share a sparky chemistry, has a cast of likable characters (with the rare exception, for purposes of narrative tension), and has a very enjoyable soundtrack to score it all.

Show’s biggest strength, though, in my opinion, is its ability to serve up feels that feel at once real and relatable.

Our entire premise is the crush that our female lead Sang Zhi (Zhao Lu Si) has on Jiaxu (Chen Zhe Yuan), and Show’s ability to bring the feels to life, of all the nuances of how it feels to have a crush on someone, is so spot on.

A very easy, enjoyable, sometimes cracky watch, provided you get around some of the points of discomfort that some viewers experienced – which I’ll talk about later, in this review.

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Review: Meet Yourself [China]

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

A gentle slice-of-life story, with an earthy-yet-squeeworthy OTP at the center, and beautiful yet rustic views of gorgeous Yunnan? So much Yes, for me, personally. 🥰

Watching this show is like going on a long vacation with these characters, where we get to be a silent member of the community, sitting in on their conversations, while lounging on their couches, like we’re part of this found family.

Sure, there are bound to be arcs that you like less (I personally wasn’t that interested in Mr. Ma’s arc), but there’s almost definitely something for everyone, among Show’s various arcs.

Plus, Show’s overall vibe is so warm and cozy, that it feels relatively easy to roll over any bumps in the watch experience.

As a bonus, Show shines a pretty educational spotlight on the topic of rural displacement, while putting faces to the phenomenon, and telling that story with heart. I liked that.

You do need to be in the right mood for this, so yes, you may not want to watch this right now. But when you do find yourself in that right mood, this is quite blissful indeed. 🥰
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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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