The Romance of Tiger and Rose (Chinese Drama)

Genre: Historical, Comedy, Romance, Fantasy
Episodes: 24

Main Cast:
Zhao Lusi as Chen Qian Qian / Chen Xiao Qian
Ryan Ding Yu Xi as Han Shuo
Zhou Zixin as Chen Chu Chu
Sheng Ying Hao as Pei Heng

Synopsis:

Having finally sold her TV series script, aspiring screenwriter Chen Xiao Qian soon falls under the scrutiny of the male lead, who refuses to act out the role. Vowing to make her script successful, she starts re-writing. While napping, she is transported into her own story, becoming the Third Princess Chen Qian Qian, a side character. Armed with the knowledge of her own script in which her character is soon to be killed in the third episode by Prince Han Shuo, the male lead, Xiao Qian is determined to stay alive and find her way back home.

My Thoughts:

Back after a super long hiatus, I have to recommend one of the best Chinese dramas ever to kick start this spam of posts. I'm being serious when I say that this is among the top in my list of dramas. I will try to list the reasons I say so.

First, I have always been a fan of transmigration stories among the fantasy subgenres, as can be read in the synopsis, this drama showcases transmigration and portrays it really well through the eyes of Chen Qian Qian, our female lead played by Zhao Lusi who I have to say is one of the best Chinese drama actress. More on her later. Another genre I love is romance and also comedy which this drama has in abundance and adequately so.  Sometimes the comedy can come suddenly and randomly which made it all the more hilarious to watch. And the romance of course was always worth the watch.

On the acting, I have to say this drama puts Ryan Ding and Zhao Lusi on the map for me, their acting really shined throughout and made me wholeheartedly believe that the characters Han Shuo and Chen Qian Qian are real people. Their emotions and facial expressions are all on point and really made the characters so memorable. To the point, that if I see any of their future works, they could be an actual reason that I want to watch their work because they both were such good actors.

On the characters, every character was memorable, no side character and extra were just an extra. They all contributed into making this drama such a successful drama at least in my eyes and I'm sure many others. They really made the whole drama alive and real to me, though sadly it was just a drama, but, they truly made me fell in love with each of them, though of course a bit less on the villains.

On the plot, the flow was really natural and did not felt forced. Character development was executed perfectly and we can feel as viewers, how the story changes its gears. A perfect balance was found between the angst, the romance, the tear-jerking and the comedic moments in progressing the story. 

In conclusion, I am really sad it ended but I'm happy that I've watched it and I can and will always rewatch this drama, it will always be my treasured drama. I dearly wish there would be a second season. If you have not watched this drama, you are missing on the fun. Do give it a try, and share your thoughts.

A Little Thing Called First Love (Chinese Drama)

Genre: Friendship, Comedy, Romance, School, Life, Youth, Drama, Family

Episodes: 36

Original:Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Thai Movie)

Main Cast:

Lai Guan Lin as Liang You Nian

Angel Zhao as Xia Miao Miao / Xia Liu Shui

Wang Run Ze as Lin Kai Tuo

Chai Wei as He Xin

Synopsis:

Tells the story of an ordinary girl who falls head over heels for the most popular guy in school. Xia Miao Miao is a shy, artistic student who develops a crush on a handsome, talented classmate and embarks on a journey of self-discovery through college. Because of Liang You Nian, Xia Miao Miao decides to make a change. Through the help of her friends, she starts to learn about fashion, join school clubs, and studies hard to raise her grades. Her ordinary life becoming more colorful by the day.

My Thoughts:

I stumbled upon this while checking Netflix for pretty much the first time. The moment I realized this was an adaptation of one of my favourite stories of all time, I immediately placed it on a priority in my watch list, especially so, that this is a drama and not just a 2 hour movie. I expected the story to flesh out and to have more screen-time for the couple and some more interactions.

This story was based on the Thai Movie of course, and I loved that movie a lot. It was pretty fun to notice some parts of the movie being played out in the drama. Like hey, this is that scene or can't wait for that scene to happen. Despite so, they arranged the plots and scenes so well that they made it their own story and not seem like just copying and dragging it out. The new characters were a plus and every character was well-developed. The flow of time was pretty smooth but sometimes I'm lost because they tend to skip a lot at times. 

On the characters, I only noticed the actor for Liang You Nian was Lai Guan Lin after awhile, which made me pay more attention to this drama since I knew WannaOne but not that deep. But he acted really well, I liked watching and noticing the scenes where he gets jealous and where he enjoyed being the centre of Xia Miao Miao's attention. His facial expressions were on point. The other actors also acted so well that together with the good shooting of the scenes, really brought the drama to life. 

A certain plot point that I feel kinda disappointed by was Xia Miao Miao's transformation. In the original, the before and after were so different that you would think they were a different person altogether when they're not, which really brings impact into the transformation. In this drama, not so much, and it's a gradual transformation. Besides another thing is that Xia Miao Miao's personality is so different that I would say if you watched the original and this drama, you would probably understand what I'm saying. It creates a different mood and picture of her. But like I said earlier, this is one of the things which made me this drama, a unique story of its own even though it's adapting the movie.

One of the things I loved here was that the couple scenes are lengthened and more in depth with more backstories and hints here and there. The original had so little screentime for the couple which made me feel so dissatisfied but I got my dose of what I needed here. They adding more couples also improves the dynamic of the story as there was more to see. I liked how they explained how Liang You Nian fell in love with Xia Miao Miao much more than an album of pictures with messages, and that they both actually dated for quite a few episodes.

This drama was such a refreshing take on the movie and I simply loved it a lot. If you're a fan of the original, do watch this drama. It's as good as the original. There are parts where the original is better but this drama is more than 10x longer to watch than the movie so there's more to see and more to enjoy. Have fun drama-watching! 

Put Your Head On My Shoulder (Chinese Drama)

Genre: Friendship, Comedy, Youth, School, Romance

Episodes: 24 + 1 Special Episode

Main Cast:

Fair Xing as Si Tu Mo

Lin Yi as Gu Wei Yi

Daddi Tang as Fu Pei

Zheng Ying Chen as Wang Shan

Synopsis:

As Si Tu Mo’s graduation is nearing, she is confused about her future plans. She tries out all sorts of things all the time and is unable to make her own decisions. Her ordinary days are suddenly shaken up when the genius Physics student Gu Wei Yi appears in her life. The two accidentally end up living together and chaos begins.

My Thoughts:

It's been a long time since I finished watching this so my memory is a bit foggy but I've been planning to write a post for it since it's such a good drama. This started from YouTube Recommendations and I decided to give it a try. And I enjoyed binge-watching to the point where in some episodes I had to pause many times to prepare my heart for what's coming.

This is a nice and refreshing love story, no angst or evil and jealous second leads. The whole story is mostly about the both of them and how they got through their final year in university. Gu Wei Yi is a genius to say the least in his field but is a little bad at relationship stuffs. He is straightforward and direct, and it is fun to watch him try his best to impress Si Tu Mo. Si Tu Mo is more of a hardworking and honest person, who is probably one of the only people who can handle Gu Wei Yi. 

As I said, there is no angst and heavy love triangle or anything, it is almost really close to reality, how their relationship develops and the struggles and challenges they faced and how they support each other. I find it funny when Gu Wei Yi just doesn't know the right thing to do sometimes and can be oblivious, those times when he wants to cling to her and his plan fails, or those times when he misspoke. 

Another couple is Fu Pei and Wang Shan. Fu Pei was the crush of Si Tu Mo, Fu Pei knows that if I'm not mistaken haahha but he never acknowledged it and kinda always give her false hope until one day when Si Tu Mo became fed up and quits, that made Fu Pei suddenly wants to cling to Si Tu Mo. The Cliche of wanting something when you lost it. Wang Shan was always next to Fu Pei supporting him and had a crush on Fu Pei. I love how their relationship developed and Wang Shan molding Fu Pei into a better and driven person, and also more studious since Wang Shan is a studious type and their relationship kinda first started with Wang Shan tutoring Fu Pei.

I don't know what else to say because usually I make a review immediately after I finished the drama but now the memory is not fresh in my mind but still I can assure you this is a very cute and fresh drama to watch. It is comedic and has good use of sounds to make itself more interesting. Do give it a try and comment down below what you think

Well Intended Love (Chinese Drama)

Genre: Comedy, Romance, Life, Youth, Drama, Family, Melodrama

Episodes: 20

Main Cast:

Xu Kai Cheng as Ling Yi Zhou

Simona Wang as Xia Lin

Ian Yi as Chu Yan

Huang Qian Shuo as Wen Li

Charry Qi as An Ran

Liu Jia Xi as Jia Fei

Yang Hao Ming as Nan Jin Tian

Synopsis:

A third-rate actress with leukemia becomes entangled with CEO Ling because she needs him for treatment.

In order to receive bone marrow transplant sooner and to continue her career as an actress, Xia Lin enters into a secret marriage with Ling Yi Zhou, the CEO of a company. Despite the conspiracies and misunderstandings they encounter, the two find true love. 

My Thoughts: 

Finally, I felt like giving a review and this is one very important drama I just could not not give a review immediately. Finally finished watching this drama after postponing for too long. It was I would say a really amazing and wonderful ride with this drama and just realized the drama's title really speaks for itself throughout the drama. With this drama, I hope to come back to reviewing dramas again after being on hiatus for a while.

Well Intended Love really made me love it from the start but the external problem with this drama as with other C-dramas is finding good subtitles, if you have the same problems, do comment below, I will help as much as I could since I changed subbers many times while watching through this drama. But, thanks to my own Chinese understanding, I could catch their meaning despite the broken subtitles. 

Okay, done ranting now on to the drama. Let's start with the romance, hello, be careful where you're treading, one wrong step and you will be intoxicated with the amount of romance this drama has to offer. It was so damn satisfying to watch, it's almost on the same level as Love O2O, another super great C-drama for the genre. I love the interaction between Ling Yi Zhou and Xia Lin especially when we reach the middle before all the drama happened. In serious fact, the plot is nothing unique but what really made the drama shined for me was the romance and the love between Yi Zhou and Xia Lin or Mumu. I like how he just simply gave her a nickname based on his understanding that lovers always have nicknames for each other.

Their journey in this love of theirs was interesting, there were many twists I wouldn't have expected if I didn't accidentally read about some spoilers. I expected everything to be honestly played out straightforwardly but they were some good twists indeed.

I don't know what else to say about this drama but if you are like me and would love to jump into a drama just because it's romance, then head on in. If you accidentally idolize the male lead then welcome. I just recommended it to my friend once and she completely liked the male lead a lot but once I showed Love O2O, she liked Yang Yang more instead hahahaha.... But still, it showed the impact of this drama's romanticness. 

In short, it is a very good drama, I will list it in one of my top romance Chinese dramas. I highly recommend trying it if you're okay with a lot of romantic gestures. Or if you're like me who can't stand romantic gestures but still like watching it, then go ahead, join the club. If you've already watched and would like to share your thoughts on it, let's discuss in the comments! Do take note, there's a season 2!

When We Were Young (Chinese Drama)

Genre: Youth, Romance, School, Friendship

Episodes: 24

Main Cast:

Neo Hou Ming Hao as Hua Biao

Wan Peng as Yang Xi

Gala Zhang Yao as Li Yu

Li Ming De as Si Tu Er Tiao

Pan Mei Ye as Yang Xiao He Mei

Dai Lu Wa as Huang Deng Deng

Synopsis:

A nostalgic story that revolves around high school students during the year 1996.

While chasing down a bike thief during the summer, Yang Xi gets injured by a lab explosion that renders her unable to compete in a long-distance run. When school opens, she realizes that the culprit behind her misfortune has transferred to her class and has even taken her position as class president. He is Hua Biao, a hot-blooded, rash and gifted genius of the science department. Hua Biao's arrival immediately puts his classmates on guard and he must prove himself to be accepted by the class. Later on, they go through lots of ups and downs in life.

My Thoughts:

At first, I wanted to watch this drama since the plot seems interesting but when I noticed it's set during the year 1996, I shelved it. But thanks to my sister noticing the drama, I finally got to watching it and I liked it more and more with every minute watched.

The reason I was apprehensive about the time setting is just because it's 20 years to the past. The technology used were so different from the ones now. I was afraid it would feel old and boring. But as the story goes on, it becomes a wonder instead seeing how people used to interact during a time when technology was still starting up. How much it led to people meeting more and communicating more. Technology is convenient but in those days, people lived happier.

Other than that, everything is pretty much similar to modern day, with these teenagers living the final year of their high school life, the most critical moment for all teenagers, full of uncertainty and brewing with troubles and fear. Through them, I got to relive my days as a high school student as well preparing for the most important exam at that point in time, the college entrance examination. This drama is really a coming-of-age story, telling how teenagers start to mature, by learning from mistakes, by exampling others, by being encouraged by others, by just growing up.

About the romance factor which I can't not talk about, I really loved the interaction between the main leads. They just somehow fell in love but they never actually flirted with each other, all they did was spend time together and began caring deeply for each other. And despite all that, they were still worried the other person would not like them and held back from confessing, afraid that doing so would change their dynamic. They were extremely adorable, that's for sure and there was no excessive drama over their relationship which is realistic and good since this drama centered on them living their youth. For the other couples, there were some whom you kinda wish more to happen but suitably, it was best that at that point, it was left as such and there were some who begin to develop beautifully at the end which is lovable.

I also deeply loved the friendship factor here as it was really explored and developed. Their friendship really felt genuine, how they cared and covered for each other, not letting anyone talk bad about them. They were always the first to notice if any one of them were off and even have days where they would skip school together and this is a gang with a mix of smart kids who stereotypically would not want to skip school, which shows how much they value their friendship and their time together. They went through a lot together and would not mind sacrificing for any single one of them. A true definition of the friendship made during youth.

In conclusion, there's lots of words in the world but I can only think of this much. There's a bit of contents that can be developed into a second season but I will not hope for it. I was overall very satisfied watching this drama and absolutely loved reminiscing my high school days which is a determining factor since this drama really showed the spirit of teenagers during that period of their lives which was amazing despite being set in 1996 as it shows that there is no difference between what youths go through even through the changes of time.

So, how do you feel about this drama? Drop down in the comments on how vivid was the experience that this drama had.

It's Not Easy Being King (Chinese Drama)

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Historical, Supernatural

Episodes: 20

Main Cast:

Zhang Yi Jie as Ji Man

Bai Lu as Da Xi

Zhao Yi Qin as Shao Yong

Synopsis:

Da Xi, a girl who is very good at cooking has only one dream: find a peerless beauty husband. One day she met a Royal Guard, Shao Yong, and fell in love at first sight, so she decides to stay near him and the only way to do it is entering the palace. Da Xi became a maid, only to find themselves fooled, so she decided to escape palace, she ran overthe wall, but she met by chance the emperor Ji Man. The emperor thought that she was an assassin, so he tried to stop her escape but instead, an accident occurred: their souls were swapped, she became him, and he became her.

(Review) My Thoughts:

I first saw this drama because the photo looked interesting and the fact that it had the genre 'Supernatural' involved means that things could get out of hand and I loved it that way but the moment I saw that it had soul-switching involved, I almost passed it over because that plot is just too overused that the storyline is cliche. I thought I should find another one but I can't. I got so damn bored and then I thought why not give this one a try. One episode won't hurt.

But that one episode took me. The story is actually very comedic that I love it so much. They did a good take on an overused cliche. I was floored by their humor and antics. It was just so cringy and funny for my little heart to take. Knowing the gist of the story line makes it better for this drama for I am left wondering when exactly will they choose to let a specific plot twist happen? The transition between scenes for the most part was smooth and I can't help but say this story is so much comedy that that is where it slightly failed. 

They put so much effort on the comedic and humor that I find it hard to keep up when they went all serious. It's like two different extremes in there. I definitely enjoyed the casual way they bring along the plot but when it got too heavy all of a sudden, the story suddenly lost its charm as it focuses on the heavy matters and the lighter ones are hardly seen. Sometimes changes are too abrupt and makes no sense at times too. I find myself questioning how the characters can suddenly adopt a certain manner suddenly? And of course, I get confused by the advances a male soul in a female body can do. But well that's nothing much but still, I get confused.

Oh well, that's just the later parts of the series and what's for sure this series has a sequel and I'm wondering what kind of sequel it will be. I hope the ending skits are still being utilized. Did I mentioned they also involved future versions of the characters as a skit as the ending of each episode? Because they're so damn funny and perfectly executed. If you can't go for the drama at the later parts, go for the skits, they always deliver no matter what! Anyways, there's that. I hope to give this a try despite my bad comments about it, it's still a decent drama to watch to relieve some stress and fatigue. Have fun, drama-watching!

Because Of Meeting You (Chinese Drama)

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama, Family

Episodes: 56

Remake of : Come, Jang Bo Ri

Main Cast:

Sun Yi as Zhang Guo Guo/ Jin Yi Bei

Deng Lun as Li Yun Kai

Wu You as Zhang Yu Xin

Dai Chao as Li Yun Zhe

Synopsis:

Zhang Guo Guo grew up in a Wonton shop and is also the food-delivery girl for the town. Although Guo Guo did not receive very high education, she is loved by her neighborhood because of her enthusiastic and sincere personality. But what people don’t know is that Guo Guo is actually a famous embroidery workshop boss‘s daughter, and an accident caused her to grow up in the small town. Guo Guo has a unique talent when it comes to embroidery. Even though Wang Ai Yu strongly opposes it, Guo Guo worked with dedication and persistence until she gained approval and earned a chance to study at her biological mother’s embroidery workshop. 

Guo Guo is very grateful for Wang Aiyu for raising her, so she views Wang Ai Yu’s biological daughter, Zhang Yu Xin, as her own family. Unexpectedly, Yu Xin turns out to be Guo Guo’s biological mother Xu Hui Jie’s apprentice. Yu Xin had studied design overseas and integrated that knowledge into her embroidery, and became Guoguo’s rival. 

On the road to pursuing their dreams, the two girls meet brothers Li Yun Kai and Li Yun Zhe, and love blossoms. Yu Xin lost herself to fame and wealth, but Guo Guo, despite challenges and setbacks, never changed her goal to learn embroidery. Ultimately, Guo Guo used her heart to awaken everyone’s conscience and made great achievements in embroidery.

My Thoughts:

Okay, another remake drama, I know. Why go through the trouble of watching a remake when there's the original and it's shorter and faster. But, I will elaborate on that later. Hehe... I always keep myself updated on any dramas from a few main countries and this pop out one day. I read the synopsis and thought hmm... should I give it a try? I read the comments and found out it was a remake and the commenter was doing spoilers according to the original. That and the fact that it is a remake got me interested since I was not too fond of watching the original at all years back. So, on with the show.

This is another take on heavily-used cliche. If you read my other posts, you know me with cliches. I just love them so much because of the excitement and expectation they give me. The excitement in seeing how the writers is going to make a cliche story into a unique story of their own, this was further enhance with the spoilers the commenter gave based on the original plot line. The expectation in waiting for certain things to finally happen since I know it's going to happen sooner or later. So, I went with a few episodes. And honestly, it was not too bad. A few key events that I love in the prologue, the embroidery competition, to see the characters doing embroidery was a sight and the highlight would be the interaction between Yun Kai and Yi Bei, they are just too cute. Hahaha...

So, about the reason I chose to give a remake a try rather than the original, every country has their specialty, Japan with plain humor and slapstick comedy, Korea with its dramatics and unrealistic situations. China on the other hand, there's just something about the way they handle remakes and their own dramas that really pulls me in. You gotta have skills to drag a story out and still be able to get me tuning in, a person who is easily bored and lack patience. China has that ability, no matter how many times the story repeats itself or the enormous time skip or the repetition of the same lines and plots, I still watch it, expectant to see how the story unfolds. You can't imagine the satisfaction I had watching Chinese dramas as everything reveals itself finally and it leads to a conclusion. The wait is always worth it with Chinese dramas.

There's that and I just love the way Chinese drama are toned down, not too much dramatics, no dramatic cliffhangers. With Chinese dramas, I want more not because I was left hanging but because voluntarily I want to know more. The slow paced, and humble nature of the drama is pretty much what makes this drama even that much more worth the wait and expectation. Less is more as the saying goes. They don't need to go out of their way to get me excited, just focus on how they will lead the story excellently is all I need, and that's exactly what they gave me. I was pretty satisfied with how things turn out so far. The romance, I need not say more than just pure adorablely cringy but not uncomfortable. They presented the perfect balance there and I love it. Not only there, but many other areas as well. Well, find out yourself.

If you read my posts, I'm all about knowing the characters in depth, the numerous episodes provides the foundation for just that, I get to know more about the characters and get surprised by their different sides. If not for the many episodes, I would never feel that much pity for a character or an understanding for an antagonist's actions. I really really love this type of dramas and now I am finally close to the ending of this drama, and I am feeling pure bliss for the harvest of the fruits I have planted since episode one. This time's post is not about the drama but is about what makes the drama that much more worth watching despite the many episodes. I just really want to talk about what makes Chinese dramas that much more worth watching despite everything. So, despite the lack of information, go ahead and watch this drama, binge-watch it, get mad at the characters, get attracted to the characters and support the drama! I approve this drama! Hehehe....

Pretty Li Hui Zhen (Chinese Drama)

Genre: Romance, Comedy

Episodes: 46

Remake of: She Was Pretty

Main Cast:

Dilraba Dilmurat as Li Hui Zhen

Peter Sheng as Bai Hao Yu

Sierra Li as Xia Qiao

Zhang Vin as Lin Yi Mu

Synopsis:

Li Hui Zhen used to be gorgeous, but years of declining family fortune added much pain to her life, and her looks slowly drifted away. Her friend Bai Hao Yu, on the other hand, was once an ordinary looking guy and grew up to be suave, successful, and immensely likable. So when she comes across him years later and witnesses their reversal of fortune, Li Hui Zhen is too embarrassed to even meet him and instead asks her stylish friend and roommate Xia Qiao to assume her identity. 

However, that amazing plan also has a problem in that Bai Hao Yu is actually Li Hui Zhen’s boss, and she now has to pretend to be someone else while working for him. Slowly, even without knowing her true identity, Bai Hao Yu becomes attracted to Li Hui Zhen. Li Hui Zhen's supervisor Lin Yi Mu also starts to take an interest in his new intern. Can Li Hui Zhen break away from the insecurity that came from once being pretty and open up to the man she truly cares about, or will she forever live in fear because she thinks she once was pretty?

My Thoughts:

I just recently watched this drama and also binge-watch it all the way to episode 30. I gotta say this is pretty much a cliche love story of a reverse-reality of the leads. Like a pretty young pre-teen into a not so pretty adult and vice-versa. It is usually the cliche stuffs that get me watching because I want to see how a team can make something cliche into a unique item of its own. By the way, this is a remake of a Korean drama, She was Pretty which I once was interested to watch but rejected due to my disinterest in the actors and actresses and besides too much Korean in my hands already. This drama, I accepted due to it being a different language and the actors and actresses are an unknown to me. I would love to see how an unknown portray a character in a story that is cliche. Hehe...

So, about the story and plot, it was smooth, like normal, there were some things that I did not expect and some I did. Some I sincerely hoped not to happen and some I hope it would. Hahaha.... Well, in the beginning chapters, I was just too disappointed with the female lead who was too kind for her own good and too un-energetic and not proactive. I get so mad at times that the male lead who was thought to be quite bad in the eyes of other characters but was actually saying the right things like how the female lead likes to make excuses instead of trying to fix her faults, justifying that she was not wrong instead of improving herself. Well, moving on, I just endured all that and kept watching. Slowly, other characters made the female lead wanting to improve and from then on, I begin to immerse myself in the story and the characters.

There were many things in the story that common sense-wise is not right so I just get uncomfortable watching it sometimes, like a best friend not doing the right thing for the best friend that is like family. A person who does not want to change herself after being nitpicked by the employer. But, I guess it was fine to watch that all because of the cute humour and the mental relief you get between each chapter.

The one thing that got me really motivated to watch this drama to the end was the episode where the female lead will finally, as predicted in the laws of cliche, get her makeover. I got really excited to watch that episode but when I watch it, I get really down because I find myself actually liking her former look now after so many episodes watching her like that. On another level, she got pretty so all's well that ends well.

This is a serious Chinese drama to watch because unlike cliche Korean dramas who can get so dramatic and over sometimes, this drama is more slow-paced(maybe because it is long) and more in-depth to the characters. I feel less suspenseful and feel kinda calm watching it. Like no stress watching it or what thinking of what twist can come in the drama's way. Not too much drama, just pure story-focused. Go ahead and watch this drama! You'll sure to love the characters so much and then hate them and love them all over again. Hahahaha....

Super Star Academy 1 (Chinese Drama)

 

Genre: Action, Fantasy, Comedy, Romance, Friendship, Youth

Episodes: 30

Main Cast:

Xiao Zhan as Fang Tian Ze

Wang Yu Wen as Cheng Zhi Er

Bai Shu as Wan Shi Cun

Xu Xiao Lu as Huo Bei Bei

Wu Jia Cheng as Shen Hao

Peng Chu Yue as Li Ya Dang

Synopsis:

In a parallel world, Super Star Academy ranks people based on one's horoscope sign. Cheng Zhi Er, who has been bullied all her life, was suddenly recruited for enrollment at this academy. Her own supernatural power is slowly awakened and thus begins her new life with the heirs in this parallel world.

My Thoughts;

This kinda reminded me of an anime I watched a long time ago, the whole school for the extraordinary hidden from the outside world and the lead girl who finds out she had had powers her whole life and begins a journey of self-discovering with a tinge of romance on the side as desserts. Anyways, the whole concept was creative and they even indirectly paralleled the thoughts of our original 12 Horoscopes with the 13th one not being very welcomed. You'll see how they envisioned the whole thing, it was innovative and excellent. 

I am Aries and truth be told, I am sad that they envisioned Aries as just someone who can run fast and sentimentally emotional though the latter may be true. Still, when I see all these cool powers the other horoscopes had, the character who was Aries paled in comparison. Anyways, if you're not Aries, you may be happy with how cool they envisioned the powers of your horoscope! 

One thing about this drama is that the actors and actresses are all newbies, rookies or debuting idols. But, they were very professional with the job in hand as I did not saw an awkwardness in their acting (maybe some) that could dull the drama at all. They executed it well and to that, I offer tons of claps. Since that is so, I included besides the main leads, four supporting characters up there to support them and hopefully they will make it big.

Okay moving on to the story itself, the comedy is so obviously funny that I die or had to pause the video for a while to laugh for a while. The inside jokes and everything. They are just too funny and the blatant advertising, I died for a moment. The romance itself was cool, not so much angst or internal conflict... just the mundane externals. They saw, they fell, they meet, they date..... Anyways, their interactions are interesting. I love that the female lead did not lose herself in this foreign world and remained true to herself. She really shines from the crowd. By the way, the comedy gets better the further you get into the series (damn.. I'm smiling right now just thinking about it) 

This drama is also great in the way that it put forth tons of variables making it possible to have anything to happen because I thought one is subjected to a fate and they can't change it. The possibilities are endless in the story and that's what makes it more exciting to watch. The drama editors are bad with cliffhangers but my last episode was on the 19th and this time they created a cliffhanger for sure. I really want to watch the next episode but currently, I have some research to do before I get to it. Did I mentioned that the episodes are 20-minutes long at most, that allowed to marathon it all the way to episode 19 within a day because I want to know more and more. 

Final words, come and join me while we wait for it to subbed till the final episode which would probably be by next week!!! It is a super fun and if you've have read me for some time, you would know that I really love fantasy stories and this truly is one to watch! =)

Just One Smile Is Very Alluring (Chinese Drama)

Other Names: A Smile Is Beautiful

Genre: Romance, Youth, Contemporary

Episodes: 30

Main Cast:

Yang Yang as Xiao Nai

Zheng Shuang as Bei Wei Wei

Synopsis: 

What is it that makes a man fall in love with a woman at first sight? Appearance? Aura? Wealth? NO, when campus prince and gaming expert, student Xiao Nai first saw Bei Wei Wei, what made him fall in love was not her extraordinary beauty, but her slim and slender fingers that were flying across the keyboard and her calm and composed manner!!! 

Bei Weiwei is the school's beauty, who also excels in her studies. She aspires to be a game designer/engineer, and goes by the alias of Luwei Weiwei in the online role-playing game Dreaming of Jianghu. After she gets dumped by her online husband Zhenshui Wuxiang, she gets approached by the number one player Yixiao Naihe, who suggested that they enter into a marriage so they can both level up in game. The newly formed couple instantly hit it off, and undergoes many adventures together in game.

However, Weiwei never expected the identity of her gaming husband to be her college senior, Xiao Nai, who is described as the cream of the crop in both sports and academics. When Weiwei discovers his real identity, they have already fallen in love with each other

My Thoughts:

First things first, I have to say that this drama just went out last week and it's already released more than 10 episodes. 10++ pure awesome episodes. If you have been with me for a long time, then you would know fantasy and romance is my favourite thing ever and to have them blend so well in this, I am just beyond astonished.

Okay, calmed down a bit. No, I just can't. Argh!!! This drama came from a novel which I haven't read yet but am dying to read because I am so immersed in this drama right now. Urgh! If only I can read and understand Chinese, that novel will be on my computer now. Anyways, I totally admire the author for coming up with such a story. Maybe Chinese authors are amazing, urgh... my multilingual skills....

Back to the story, I have so much to say but then no right words to type. I was attracted first from a clip of the drama and it got me intrigued to find out more. And I was glad I did because the story was just given right to me for me to easily process. I fell in love from the first second. Maybe it was from the lack of expectation or the trial drama I was watching ended up kinda suck. But, easily 40 minutes went by just like that and I gotta say this, seriously 40 minutes. Everytime I'm like, "Oh.. Oh...Oh...It's coming.... Damnit!" Am I sadistic to say that this is torture yet satisfying. Short and compact but keep you wanting more and also most importantly, slow enough to not be too rushed. 

One thing that I actually admire about this drama and story is that the lead girl is actually very good in her studies and stuffs. I see trends like smart guy and not very smart girl and I don't really dislike as long as the story is good though I will vent out once in a while. This story depicted females as capable people and I like that about this drama. GO GENDER EQUALITY!!! The lead girl is like a role model and that's just perfect. I support this kind of character. Please don't criticize me for this.

Another thing is that I love love blossoming like that with just a little push, no need all that "Hate turns to care and then love" Just love, let all the troubles happen later. It's always I hate you, quarreling and then in the last 10 episodes could you see them actually being happy together. The couple here just hit it off right from the start. And in an interesting way as well. That leads me to my third love for this drama, which is that the author plans very well. I'm always surprised like "So all this was for that!" The author really knows what he's doing and knows his direction well and then the creativeness. Seriously, so damn well executed. Tai li hai(So great)! I like the way he moves his story and me with it.

I really don't want to reveal any spoilers this time because for those who wishes to see this drama, I wish for you to come and watch it with the least expectations I can manage to give you for you to enjoy it better.  What I can say though is that this drama has my approval as top ranker in my list of dramas to watch and then also to rewatch again. Like I said, 40 minutes pass by fast. I am like a child while watching this drama, everything I see just seems fun, exciting and interesting. Every new scenes and dialogue exchange is just mesmerizing. 

If you have came this far, I would like to say that you should head out and google search this drama already and start drama-watching. For a picky and analyzing person like me to watch this drama and say it is fun is like a film critique saying it's nice( a little narcissism wouldn't hurt) WARNING! Don't watch too fast, you're gonna suffer like me unless you are like me. Then, HAVE FUN!!!