China

Flash Review: Falling Into You [China]

| kfangurl

My friends. I picked up this one as a drama nightcap – y’know, to unwind to, before bed – and I’m very, very pleasantly surprised by how much this one grew on me, and then crept under my skin.

I started out thinking, “Oh ok, this isn’t half bad, I think I could roll with this,” to feeling very wistful at the thought of finishing this one, and therefore having to say goodbye to these characters and this story world. 🥲

Long story short, I’m really glad I picked this one up, and I wouldn’t discount the possibility of revisiting this one sometime in the future, just because I really do enjoy the vibes in this one.

If you like underdog stories, sports-themed stories, noona romances &/or wholesome story worlds, this one could be for you, the way it was for me. 🥰

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Flash Review: Lighting Up The Stars [Movie][China]

| kfangurl

I’m feeling very grateful to my Netflix algorithm as I type this, because without it, I may have never discovered this movie.

And (spoiler alert), I really, really liked this movie. 🥹

Show had me laughing, crying, and basically serving up my heart to it on a plate, which is already very impressive on a normal day.

This was even more impressive than average, however, because I was feeling out of sorts, while looking for something to watch – and yet, once I started, I found myself quickly feeling completely invested, y’all.

Yes, I think this movie is quite special. 🥲

Come see why you might like to check out this movie too?

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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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