401. Pretty Li Huizhen 漂亮的李慧珍 (2017) Chinese

Dilraba Dilmurat, Peter Sheng, Vin Zhang, Li Xirui

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A+

I knew I probably shouldn't have started Pretty Li Huizhen when Vin Zhang was the second male lead AGAIN, and he was just going to make me get SLS just like Siwon did in She Was Pretty, but I for some reason just did it anyway. Also, I probably should have looked up how long it was, because I struggled in the middle as they took a 16 episode K-drama (She Was Pretty) and turned it into a 40 episode C-drama. I did the math, removing the 5 minutes of intro and credits all C-dramas have, that's adding 10 hours to the story.... yeah, it got pretty draggy in the middle. Especially since I felt like all 10 of those hours were BEFORE he finally figured out who she was. Um, he's a very gullible, trusting dude, I guess. This did mean that there was way more time for character development for both our male lead and second female lead, but it also meant that there was a lot more time for them to stew on their life choices. She spent a lot of time feeling guilty (or justifying) about her lying and stuff. We did know what he was thinking more, but he spent a lot of time talking about his feelings with his friend and feeling like a cheater as he fell in love with real her while dating fake her...

332. Never Let You Go 小女花不弃 (2019) Chinese

Ariel Lin, Vin Zhang, Ausitn Lin, Tiara Huang

Drama Rating: 5/10     Neck Score: A+++

I am at the point where I will watch anything for Vin Zhang and I need to stop, because while he is awesome, not all his dramas are. Also, he is usually the broody second male lead who never has a chance. That's why I was so excited for this one. He was the male lead and he wasn't an evil broody one either (not that he didn't have his broody moments, but those are hot, so I wasn't complaining about a few). To make it even better, Ariel Lin is the lead, and I love her, so I was really excited for this one. But, in true C-drama fashion, the drama took some drastic turns to the point that it became completely unrecognizable by the end. But the redeeming quality was that the main couple is cute beyond all reason. Yes, I watched just for them, but it was too long a drama for just that. There was sadly not enough main couple being cute scenes. I would watch 50 episodes of just that, if they'd let us. But no, they didn't do that. There really might only be 5 episodes worth of good content. Sigh.

247. Three Lives Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms 三生三世十里桃花 (2017) Chinese

Yang Mi, Mark Chao, Vin Zhang

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A++

The biggest problem with me waiting until this was finished to watch it was that I saw every spoiler under the sun before I watched it.  In fact that is what made me want to watch it, but then it made me way too impatient while watching it.  I had to suffer through all the Su Jin crap while waiting for the cute stuff I knew was coming, because I had basically seen all the cute scenes.  Well, it didn't hurt it that much.  This show is literally crack.  I would be so frustrated with it, but I couldn't stop watching it.  I even stayed up way too late for the first time in a while (I've had lots of self-control lately) to watch more episodes.  I loved it, but also hated it at times.  I think if I lived in that world, I would be from Qing Qiu, because I absolutely hated most of the peeps from the Nine Heavens, like the Heavenly Lord, Su Jin (naturally), and even Ye Hua's parents.  They were just super dumb and drama.  However, one of my favorite characters in the whole show was the Star Lord.  Total favorite.  PS, his voice is sexy.  Also the Third Prince, he was pretty great too.

This show was very, very dramatic.  It was full of crappy things happening to our main couple.  That was especially infuriating when we just loved the main couple and wanted them to be happy and cute without all that Su Jin crap, etc.  But I also loved all the other couples, but their stories weren't quite as satisfying as the main OTP.  I kind of wish they had been.  I got kind of invested in some of them.  (Ghost Princess and Sixteenth!)  I have to give props to Mark Chao, because he was really good at being both Ye Hua and Mo Yuan, who were pretty similar, but still very different characters, and you could distinctly tell that.  Props to him in general, because he made everyone fall in love with him with his awesomeness.  Plus, every time he wore those robes with open neck/deep v.  Mmmmmmmm.  I absolutely loved Bai Qian.  She was a female lead worth loving.  She had a nasty temper, was apathetic, and loved passionately.  She also was super bad-a, especially when pissed off and getting revenge.  I thing Yang Mi did a great job, especially with the different versions of herself, mortal and immortal, or just when someone had stolen her face.  Claps for her.

With all the crap that happened in this, there were plenty of satisfying moments.  They made it all worth it.  I don't know if it REALLY deserves a 7, 6 might be more appropriate, but in sheer terms of addictiveness, it does, so I have to give it to it.  I loved watching the show, even when I hated what was going on.  The last few episodes were slow, but the cuteness of the finale made up for that.  We're good.