Luar (2021)

This drama was good because of the acting. The story had some depth to it as you get to understand more about the publishing world, but I found it difficult to swallow that her male supervisors were such obvious haters of her and trying to sabotage her work. The lead and secondary couples were both good even if I hated that deep red lipstick the secondary FL always wore to look tough/cold. I watched this twice and picked up a few points I missed in the story. The FL needs to just work on lowering her voice - these actresses with their baby voices are kinda irritating but at least overall she comes across smart and hard working. Give this a try

Leia Mais

The best Cdrama ever

I finished all the episodes. I really like Ryan Ding Yuxi’s character in here and looking forward to watching more of his drama series.

I watched Ryan first in the Romance of Tiger and Rose, I also loved it.

Thinking of watching Intense Love after this.

Hope Ryan will continue to choose great drama to act on.

As for Esther Yu, I do not like much of her acting but her character is great in this drama.

I like also the story of the 2nd Female Lead and 2nd Male Lead.

Great Cdrama to watch this year, never a dragging moment in any episodes.

Leia Mais

DRAMA HACK: Watch this AFTER Love Game in Eastern Fantasy

This drama has been on my radar but I never got around to starting it. Wound up watching Love Game last month and it left a lot to be desired. The drama hack is to watch Moonlight AFTER you watch LGIEF because then you can just pretend that Ziqi and Miaomiao's relationship just continues in the real world ;P Even the bunny shaped apple slices make an appearance in both!

Actually, in all fairness, I do believe that this drama is good all on it's own. Ding Yuxi is such a dedicated and talented actor. He has one of the most expressive faces in cdramas. While I didn't care for LGIEF story that much, his acting is undeniably great in both of these dramas. You can tell he definitely puts his all into his acting and truly became Zhou Chuan and Mu Sheng. As for Esther Yu, I really love her singing voice and her comedy is always spot on. No one else can deliver the facial expressions that she perfectly nails every time. She just falls short in the emotional scenes in every drama for me. I think it's because she does so well in the funny/silly scenes that I don't take her seriously when she's trying to be sad. But her chemistry with Ding Yuxi is undeniable and I love watching them together all the same.

What surprised me with this drama is how engaging it was. I think what made me procrastinate on watching this was that the story didn't seem that interesting but the reviews were all good. The workplace story wasn't boring to me at all. I had no prior knowledge of the publishing process before and how intense of a job being an editor could be. The writing and pace were both perfect in my opinion. Every character's growth was both substantial and realistic, especially ZC and his father. Their ending scene almost made me cry. The balance between the comedy and romance while also portraying their career stories was done really well.

I also credit the actors for keeping it interesting. ZC was your typical grumpy tsundere but I felt myself siding with him. He hated most people but loved his dog. I think a lot of us are like this! To me, he was just an introvert and his reasons for disliking the people he did were actually justified because a lot of people in his industry were just trying to take advantage of him. I also really liked that Chu Li came off as sweet & silly but she was actually pretty straightforward, fearless and intelligent. Watching their love grow was so sweet from start to finish. The more you see them together the more it becomes apparent that they are made for each other. When Chu Li is in trouble at work or sad about anything, ZC scrambles to do anything he can to make it right and it's the cutest/sweetest thing. Throughout most of the show ZC is pretty strong and independent when it comes to his career but when the ghostwriting scandal comes up you can see how much Chu Li loves him because she cries more than he does when she sees him breakdown and become sad and vulnerable. Neither of them are perfect people but they really do make a perfect couple.

It's also nice to see that their are no other serious competing love interests for either of them. ZC only has eyes for Chu Li from the beginning and rolls his eyes at any other female attention. Chu Li only gets excited over the small things with ZC and gets so giggly when he does anything for her. Although his best friend seems to find her cute and interesting and openly confesses to wanting to date her, he's really doing it to agitate ZC and scare him into showing his true feelings. Also, Chu Li's reaction is more horror than her being happy or flattered and she quickly tells him she likes someone else.

Side stories: It's very rare that I don't find the side stories boring but I actually didn't fast forward these scenes. They perfectly weaved in Chu Li's efforts at building her career into the story and made it relevant to her relationship with ZC. The second male lead is also lovable and his love story is just as sweet, that and his bromance with ZC. I actually found him more likeable in Moonlight than as Liu Fuyi in LGIEF. He was adorable, caring and way more expressive as Jiang Yu Chueng imo. Liu Fuyi was too stoic for me to really care about.

The ending: The ending was beautifully done as well. I won't go into detail but they did a great job with closing every character's story. I also love that Er Gou stayed a relevant character in every episode and they didn't phase the pet out after some time like I've seen in other dramas. This drama was tasteful, heartwarming and satisfying from start to finish. Definitely recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the two leads and definitely recommend watching it AFTER Love Game in Eastern Fantasy.

-----Favorite moments:
- when ZC gets drunk the night before and Chu Li teases him the next morning, making him think he proposed.
-also the following scene and how mad ZC gets when JYC is confessing to Chu Li
-when ZC finally gets his revenge on Chu Li when she gets drunk the night before and he makes her think they kissed. The scene in the living room is comedic gold and just spectacular acting from both of them.
-ZC & JYC's "big fight". Their friendship is as hilarious as it is endearing.
-ZC internet searching how to apologize LOL
-ZC internet searching how to not break up on vacation LMAO. He's so emotionally inept but his efforts are too adorable.
-ZC is doing research at Yuan Yue and Chu Li tasks him with listening to pitches from new writers. His reaction to the 1st horrible writer had me in tears. Needless to say the task was taken from him after that.

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Comedia romántica sobre escritores y editores.

Comedia romántica que pude ver en Amazon Prime, que ahora tienen un montón de series asiáticas.
Como todavía no le he encontrado el gusto a los dramas históricos chinos me suelo inclinar por las series actuales, o por películas, algunas de las cuales son muy buenas.

Luz de luna, o Moonlight es la historia de Zhou Chuan, un escritor de fantasía de unos veintisiete años, que se encuentra con Chu Li, una recién licenciada que desea ser editora, y que debe rondar los veinte dos años.
Chu Li acude a la editorial de sus sueños y después de demostrar su desparpajo es contratada. Ya sabes que para tener el trabajo que deseas solo tienes que ir a esa empresa y decir que quieres trabajar para ellos, porque es tu sueño... En fin, que Chu Li es contratrada pero debe mostrar su valía y para eso le imponen la tarea de conseguir que Zhoy Chuan, uno de los escritores jóvenes más valiosos del país, firme un contrato con ellos. O sea, llega una joven a la oficina, les dice que quiere trabajar para ellos, porque es su sueño, consigue el trabajo y su primera tarea es conseguir a la gran estrella literaria del momento. Es importante porque es lo que define toda la serie, lo que Chu Li quiere conseguir lo consigue, no hay frustaciones, pesares, odios, o nada malicioso alrededor de ella, salvo un jefe editor que no la quiere mucho. El resto es un baño de rosas para la protagonista.
En cuanto a Zhou Chuan, lo mismo, un protagonista que no tienen ningún pesar salvo una visión de la literatura distinta a la de su padre. Él escribe fantasía y su padre literatura clásica china, con lo cual hay una ruptura generacional que nunca llega a ser un gran conflicto abierto. No grandes dramas, la madre de Zhou Chuan actúa de conciliador en todo momento.
Como pareja no dan para mucho. Su relación desde el primer episodio hasta el último no varía, es la misma. Lo más curioso de todos es que puedes verlos como novios, o marido y mujer, porque son tal para cual.
La pareja secundaria, la del escritor Jiang Yo Cheng, y la de la editoiral, Gu Bai Zhi, es un poco mas compleja porque fueron amantes antes, y ahora no quieren verse, pese a que se aprecia desde el principio que ambos aún se quieren. Esta relación es mucho más madura, y hace que la de Zhou y Chu Li parezca el noviazgo de dos niños de secundaria.

A lo largo de los treinta y tantos episodios no hay nada interesante que decir, y siendo sincera si quitara todas las escenas que son copias de otras escenas, o copias modificadas de otras escenas, nos quedaría una serie de dos episodios de una hora cada uno. Y soy generosa.
Le debo añadir que casi todos los secundarios son adorables -salvo claro ciertos compañeros de trabajo trepas- pero en términos generales es una serie llena de buenos personajes. La mejor amiga de Chu LI, es una diseñadora de pelo rizo y grandes gafas que parece tener la personalidad de un pez. Luego otra editora que también es adorable. Su jefa, que ronda la perfección. Su jefe mayor, otro dechado de virtudes. Los padres de ella, adorables a pesar de que su madre tiene un gran cáracter. En el caso de los padres de él, es al revés, el padre es rígido en sus pensamientos y la madre es la adorable.

¿Recomendaría esta serie? Yo la he visto hasta el capítulo 30 y luego he saltado al 35 y al 36. Estos últimos de modo rápido, y la razón es simple. Me gustaba la relación de Zhou y Chu LI cuando no estaban juntos porque él podría llegar a ser bastante simpático cuando estaba celoso, lo que le llevaba a ver a su amigo Cheng para quejarse y pedir consejo. Ella en su modo de lerda, al no enterarse de nada, daba ese toque infantil dulce que no resultaba empalagoso en exceso. Que sean capítulos de cuarenta minutos ayuda mucho. Pero una vez que son pareja, ya no hay ese tira y afloja, y los elementos inocentes que provocaban una sonrisa cuando no eran pareja y no sabían aún definir sus sentimientos, se vuelven estúpidos. Puede que sea porque mi visión occidental sea más explícita pero el pudor excesivo de Chu Li me resultaba muchas veces irritante.

Como nota final algunas consideraciones. Zhou Chuan, o el actor que lo interpreta, Ding Yu Xi, me pareció excesivamente delgado. Muy delgado. Hay planos en los que la delgadez que muestra, sobre todo en la cara, es impresionante. Sé que es un hombre delgado, pero aún así dan ganas de plantarle un bocadillo de chorizo en todo los morros.

En cuanto a Chu Li, o Yy Shu Xin, también es delgada, pero tiene la cara redondada y se la ve más sana. Que su novio de diga que está gorda o que tiene la cara grande no es algo que me haya gustado mucho. Por cierto, tiene una voz de pito -no sé si lo hace ella o no- que se vuelve más irritante a media que pasan los capítulos.
Ma Yin Yin, me parece una mujer muy bella y hace una buena pareja con Yang Shi Ze.

Resumiendo.
La historia es excesivamente larga, si ves los dos primeros episodios y los dos últimos estás servido.
Producción, excelente, Se nota que hay dinero detrás. Los decorados están muy bien, y los actores tienen un guardaropa que es mayor que la ropa que tiene el Corte Inglés en cualquiera de sus centros comerciales.
Interpretación. Es correcta rozando al notable. Para un guión tan pobre creo que lo han resulto bastante bien, aunque hay momentos en que los actores están un poco acartonados, pero puede que sea más problema de direción artística que de talento. Eso sí, no creo que tengan grandes recursos en las escenas dramáticas, aunque si en las de comedia.
Música. Muy bien. Me ha gustado mucho, aunque no hayan sido muchas canciones. Muy escasa la banda sonora, supongo que gastaron todo el dinero en ropa.
Sigo sin entender porque los actores se doblan a si mismos. Hay momentos en los que parece que no hay doblaje, en otros sí. Raro.

En general no ha sido una mala serie, es de esas series románticas amables que están destinadas a ser puro entretenimiento sin ofrencer grandes dramas al espectador. ¿La volvería a ver? No, con una vez es suficiente.

Leia Mais

It’s good but not that good.

Looking at the high rating, I had the urge to watch this series. However, it doesn’t satisfy me enough.

Plot wise, it’s interesting but a bit too draggy and repetitive. Can easily cut some episode to make it compact. Romance and chemistry? Great! The sole reason that keep me going until the last episode. Their relationship are cute and fluffy. Definitely a good serotonin boost. Acting wise? Honestly cringing most of the time listening to FL high tone voice. I don’t mind if she want to baby talk to ML, but she’s also act like a child in front of her older colleagues. Doesn’t seem professional and it annoyed me so much. ML is also childish but at least, he only acted like that around his close ones. Despite FL being child-like behaviour, i still like her character, radiating positive aura and a happy pill. It will be 100% better if she act as a professional during the work setting.

Overall, still enjoyable if you crave for happy couple moments.

Leia Mais

honestly one of the best c-dramas in 2021

note: mandarin is my mother tongue, i speak it almost everyday
long story short if u wanna know if this show is good... i bought all 4 books of the original novel lol... :D

lets start off with the actors shall we?
visuals are OFF THE CHARTS!!! male 1, female 1, male 2 and female 3,, my goodness !!!!!! male and female 1 are the cutsie couple while male and female 2 are the cool and chic couple!! not to mention the 2 girls, they sing so well in real life!!! i recommend GWALLA and ChuLi is Here both by Esther Yu [ChuLi] and Reverse - Ma YinYin [GuBaiZhi] Both guys are smoking hot as well hahahaha

now the story -
unlike what esther yu dramas were always like, this sotry is more on the maturity side, like entering the workforce for the frist time, pursuing dreams and goals. this show is worth to watch because of the meaning of the story and basically how the show progressed and how the characters were portrayed. the main couple being goofy and finding love with each other while the second couple finding their love and passion for each other. so it is right for me/us to say that this show covers everything from different aspects. its like a whole package. story summary that is more in detail: chuli works at a book publishing company of her dreams ever since middle school, she meets her favourite novel writers, zhou chuan and jiang yu cheng respectively, coincidentally both of these writers were best friends since young! zhou chuan and chuli relationship grows steadier and closer as they work on publishing books together and.......living with each other under the same roof! and as for jian yu cheng, he meets his ex again, gu bai zhi and like the latter, they work together on books and also their broken relationship as to ge back together! overall, like ive mentioned, the story is lovely and very whlesome and family oriented as well. oo and honourable mention: er gou!! the doggo of the show hehe

acting skills,
well ding yu xi who played zhou chuan has already captured my dear old mum's heart so what else can i say! as for esther yu and chu li, their personalities are EXACTLY THE SAME! goofy and ambitious, no one can ever take place of acting chu li!!

music -
very nice! my favourites would be ChuLi is Here and NiuNiu! very cute songs!

and of course 10/10 wld rewatch! i even bought all 4 parts of the novels, which are VERY aesthetic. book 1 to book 4 is a spectrum from white to gray to black! :D

Leia Mais

Charming, with a takeaway lesson

Super cute drama, with lots of fluff. Solid acting across the cast. Decent storyline.

Female lead is well done, as you root for her every step of the way. Even though she may act cutesy, you see she is not a dumb girl and she works very hard to advance her career.

Second male lead is super attractive!

The colleagues are the main points of conflict in the drama and while annoying, the plot lines do wrap up by the end of the drama.

The overarching plot about publishing novels is also a refreshing one, and a great setting for a fluffy enjoyable romcom. Highly recommend.

Leia Mais

it's my first most favorite c drama and destined love story

after I completed watching the immortal samsara, this was my favorite c drama . as for the female lead and male lead strong bound together with their love and sacrificing each other. it's very journey that enable to understand and immensely in each other worlds. they overcome all challenges together which make their affection fully growth and able to understand each other's presence anywhere. their journey from strangers to soulmates in every life , happiness and tears , marriage with their hopes and aspiration unlike other individuals.

the drama attention with different colors and visual's of the drama and theme of drama created best and visual pleasing experience . as for the success of drama, The combination of strong writing, skillful direction, committed performances, stunning visuals, and thoughtful design culminate in a drama that is more than mere entertainment. It becomes a work of art that stimulates thought, triggers emotions, and leaves a lasting impression on those who engage with it.

Moreover, the supporting cast deserves recognition for their commitment to their roles, creating believable and relatable characters that resonate with the viewers. They provide a strong backdrop against which the main plot unfolds, adding complexity and dimension to the story.

in conclusion, this drama is just beautiful and heart warming ,character portraying with ding yu xi and yang chao yue great acting skills and stunning visuals comes together with unforgettable drama and storyline with creativity and new standard in drama production which create a great and stunning , heart warming drama that will stay in our heart forever.

Leia Mais

All Chinese dramas should be like this, so refreshing!

Very refreshing- from the storyline to the production, acting and the music background. All future Chinese dramas should follow its lead, then it can be equivalent to Kdramas :) Very classy and sophisticated drama.

A big shout out to ML Ding Yuxi who played his role REALLY REALLY WELL!! He’s an author who has a hot temper, socially awkward and a coward when it comes to love! 😄👍🏼❤️ His previous dramas were Intense Love (I did not like because I couldn’t stand the actress) and The Romance of Tiger and Rose (which was good but I believe his voice was dubbed). In this one he really shines! 👏🏼👏🏼 He shifted from throwing tantrums, to being in love, to showing sadness and crying all with ease. He had a way of drawing the audience to feel and understand what his character was going through. I especially loved how he dealt with problems and issues he faced, which such class and maturity. The scenes which I particularly loved were when he was facing the ghostwriting issues and wanted to give up- he was holding back his tears in the kitchen; and when he received his award. His facial expressions were so real and deep. I also liked how his character was smart and mature when handling questionable circumstances- e.g asking his friend to accompany him to the hotel room when meeting with Song Xi, and keeping his distance from her and telling her off. Very man!

To me the FL Esther Yu was somewhat less desirable. Some reviewers enjoyed her cuteness and bubbly persona, whereas others found her voice and whining annoying. I am of the opinion of the latter. Yes her voice is very squeaky and high pitched, and she likes to whine- so unfortunately for me I did not enjoy her acting/ character.

The chemistry between both leads was pretty good, kissing scenes were nominal nothing great. I did feel towards the 2nd half it seemed that Zhou Chuan loved her more and was more invested in their relationship. She seemed to brush him off more often and focus on her career. I did enjoy the chemistry and storyline of the 2nd leads, although quite predictable. Their proposal was way better, I mean who goes to walk alone in the streets during New Year’s eve and your boyfriend has to search for you via a tracking app? Just sadddd...

BROMANCE!! This was one of the highlights. :):) The friendship between Zhou Chuan and Jiang Yu Cheng was very admirable, even when they were both chasing the same girl, they didn’t fight or get angry with one another, JYC even confessed in front of ZC! I found that so hilarious and never seen before in any drama! Lol.. love their brotherhood ;)

Music background was also sophisticated and relevant. Songs were alright, nothing really memorable. I did find the story to get draggy towards the middle till the end. They introduced more characters and side storylines, which I skipped. Some plots also became repetitive. I hope that future Chinese dramas could be shorter maybe between 25-30 episodes.

Leia Mais

Sweet Rom-Com + Challenges faced by Book Editors and Authors

7/26/2021

As part of the Sweet On series, it is to be expected that this is going to be a sweet and fluffy romantic comedy. I'm glad to know that there's more to it than the usual cheesy love story. I love books, therefore, I decided to watch this drama as it's about publishing companies and authors. It's a very different vibe from the K-Drama "Romance is a Bonus Book", but it's just as enjoyable. I am glad that the actors real voices are used and the drama seems to have a combination of live recording and dubbing (not that bad).

Setting/Plot: I am not sure how realistic this drama is in regards to the challenges editors and authors face each day. However, I enjoy watching how editors work with their authors and how much effort is put in to getting a book published. Though the scenes might seem overly dramatic, the gist of what's happening seems realistic enough. The drama also focuses more on the challenges of established/veteran writers, than newbie writers trying to break into the industry. In many C-Dramas, we always see overly-bearing and disapproving parents. This drama has it, too, but it's part of an essential plot and character development of our ML. However, I do have to say that the antagonists do seem quite over-the-top. If they are really working in a publishing house, they should have been fired long time ago for their unprofessionalism.

Characters: FL at first glance seems to be another cliché female lead that is innocent and naïve. Many give up on this drama because they find FL's real voice annoying. It does take a little bit to get used to her "childish" and "whiny" voice, but once you do, it's a great story to uncover more about her. She is independent, energetic, persistent, NOT a pushover, and a go-getter. I enjoy discovering her personality throughout the show. ML, on the other hand, has more character growth. He started as an introverted, arrogant yet childish and petty famous author, to becoming more open, caring and mature. FL is more of a discovery throughout the show, and ML is more of a character development. In contrast, the secondary leads are much more mature, and go through a different set of challenges in life and romance. At the end of the drama, they have changed to become a better partner and better versions of themselves. The supporting cast has their individual role in the drama. The antagonists make your blood boil and you really want to slap them in the face for their unprofessionalism.

Acting: This is the second drama I've seen FL in after "I've Fallen For You". Both her roles are quite similar that she's bubbly and high energy. After getting used to her voice, I enjoyed her performance as she could be cutesy but you still love her, and want to root for her. It's also my second drama of ML after " The Romance of Tiger and Rose". He did a good job in playing this awkwardly cute guy, and then changed into his author character. I am especially impressed in Ep 35 in the scene with his father. You see his eyes slowly welled up and all the feels! 2ML is a handsome guy but I feel that he could look a little wooden at certain scenes. His best scenes are when he's bickering with ML. As for 2FL, she did a decent job but I find her crying scenes not believable.

OST/Costumes: I scored the OST lowest in the categories because they play the title song a little too much for my taste. It comes up every time there's a romantic scene, and it's quite unnecessary. Give us some peace when we enjoy such romance. I am especially disappointed in the last episode when the two male leads are delivering their heartfelt monologues and songs started to play. The volume is as loud as their voices and it's really distracting. I want hear their voices and feel their emotions, and not the loud music. Having said that, Ryan Ding's song "月光变奏曲"/Heartless Poem" makes me happy as it's so upbeat (his singing is just OK though). On the other hand, everyone has quite a nice wardrobe. You see different looks - for work, for play, for outdoorsy activities and formal events. Our four leads look amazing.

Bromance: The bromance between our two male leads is the best part of the show. When they are together, you feel their chemistry and laugh at/with them when they are bickering like children. 2ML is most lively when he's with ML. I want to see more of them together as they have such a fun and supportive relationship.

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bingeing on sleepless nights

as a book lover, this series tickled my fancy as it shows what happens behind the scenes in the publishing world. i know that the romance aspect is what the audience is looking forward to, but i love the fact that the background of FML was a little more complex, not complicated nor exaggerated as some dramas would normally have, but was eventually taken care of with the help of SFL.

this is the first drama of Esther that i've watched and i'd have to say that i wasn't disappointed in her character nor by her acting. i've read some reviews that her pitch is quite irritating - hers isn't the first high-pitched voice i've heard on a Chinese drama and there are others that are more annoying than hers. i think her laugh is quite contagious, i actually giggle every time she does! she played her role very well and i'm looking forward to watching her other series.

i've watched Ryan in TROTAR (LuSi) and IL (YuXi) but this is the best one i've seen of him. he exudes that certain air of arrogance and gives intense stares that just gives his audience butterflies in their stomach. he had me at TROTAR but totally captured my heart in Moonlight. his character's attitude is literally something i would want to acquire: not really caring much about what others think as long as you believe that what you are doing is right and that you are not harming others.

ShiZe and YinYin... where do i even begin? the chemistry between their characters is undeniable. it is my first time watching them and despite them pretty new in the industry, they were able to portray their roles very well. they will surely have more projects to come - i hope they'll get the FML & FFL roles soon.

PS: the bromance chemistry between ZhouChuan and YuCheng is pretty strong and competitive with that of their female leads hahaha! oh, and don't tell me that am i the only one who thinks that there's really something between YuYao and SuoHeng ? i didn't read the manga so i've no idea if it's there. ^_^

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