Perfect Match (2025) - Final Review

Final review/rating: Perfect Match (2025) - On the ties that bind and finding perfection in the imperfect 

This is 7.5/10 stars ✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮  from Pandafan🐼

Overall rating:         7.5 Stars Plot:                       7 Stars Acting/cast:            7.5 Stars Couples chemistry:  7.5 stars Music:                    7 Stars Re-watch value:      7 Stars Enjoyment factor:   7.5 Stars

If Perfect Match (2025) was a novel, it could have begun as follows: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a mother in possession of five unmarried daughters must be in want of five good son in laws." However, the drama may not be everyone's cup of tea because it is a fairly blunt portrayal of the Northern Song marriage mart, warts and all. 

Whoever came up with the English drama title did the drama no favours (or was being rather tongue-in-cheek?) because Perfect Match (2025) is not a fluffy romcom in which perfect people pair up neatly. 

Instead, it explores conventional romance tropes with imperfect people. It is almost as if the drama is testing how much it can get away with in making each of the leads unlikeable in some way, though the way the drama is structured means you can pick and choose the trope/pairing of your liking. At the same time as the drama takes us through each of the Li sisters' path to domestic felicity, it also looks at the ties that bind and what it means to be family. 

SPOILERS AHEADS

  

Perfect Match (2025) - Synopsis

 

Drama info:

Title:                      Perfect Match 

Chinese title:         五福臨門 / 五福临门 

                              (Eng translation: "Five blessings come to this house")

Episodes:               36

Genre:                    Family, slice of life, romance, multiple couples

Original network:  Mango TV

Release date:        25 Jan 2025

Airing schedule:    25 Jan 2025 - 11 Feb 2025

Synopsis:

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a mother in possession of five unmarried daughters must be in want of five good son in laws. 

  

Romance on the Farm (2023) - Final Review

Final review/rating: Romance on the Farm (2023) - Not much romance but there is family melodrama aplenty 

This is 7.5/10 stars ✮✮✮✮✮✮ from Pandafan🐼

Overall rating:         7.5 Stars Plot:                       7 Stars Acting/cast:            7 Stars Couple chemistry:   8 stars Music:                    7 Stars Re-watch value:      7 Stars Enjoyment factor:   7.5 Stars

When I saw that Romance on the Farm (2023)  was headed by big eyed cuties Zeng Shun Xi and Tian Xie Wei, it went on my to-watch-while-airing list.  What's not to love about a historical slice of life drama set in a rural farming setting?  Historical/period dramas on commoners are far and few between, and there is an interesting twist in this one in that the female lead is a modern gamer testing a VR farming game.  Besides, having just watched Mysterious Lotus Casebook (2023), I wanted to see Xiao Bao again and that cute doggy Hu Li Jing also makes an appearance as Dai Wang in this drama...    

However, Romance on the Farm (2023) is not what I expected. Although the name, trailer, and marketing gave off a fluffy romcom vibe, romcom this definitely is not.  The Chinese drama title 《田耕紀》"Farming Chronicles" is more apt. If you watch this one, be prepared for what can often be a melodrama that makes your blood boil because Man'er's extended family are a toxic bunch and their machinations would not be out of place in a palace drama. I also think the drama would have made more sense without the VR gaming premise.  

However, despite the family melodramatics and some rather obvious logic flaws linked to the gaming premise, the drama (and Zeng Shun Xi and Tian Xie Wei) kept me watching till the rather sweet play-on-words ending. 

SPOILERS AHEADS

  

Romance on the Farm (2023) - Synopsis

Drama info:

Title:  Romance on the Farm 

Chinese title:  田耕紀 (Eng translation: "Farming Chronicles") 

Episodes: 26 + 1 short special episode

Genre: Slice of life, romance, historical

Original network:  iQiyi

Release date:        14 Oct  2023

Airing schedule:    14 Oct 2023 - 25 Oct 2023

Synopsis:

Lian Man'er enters a farming VR game set in ancient China as a tester, and soon finds herself on the Lian family farm.  To successfully win the game she needs to earn 1000 golden taels.  

When Man'er meets the mysterious Shen Nuo, she ropes him into helping her in various farming and business ventures.  As they work hand in hand, romance blossoms. But making 1000 taels is no easy task as they are repeatedly thwarted by events outside their control, as well as Man'er's problematic extended family. Shen Nuo is also not who he seems, and has a secret quest of his own to achieve.

  

Mysterious Lotus Casebook (2023) - Final Review

Final review/rating: Mysterious Lotus Casebook (2023) - All aboard the Lotus Flower RV for a fantastic tale of wuxia, mystery, and brotherhood

This is 9/10 stars ✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮ from Pandafan🐼

Overall rating:         9 Stars Plot:                       9 Stars Acting/cast:            9 Stars Chemistry:              9 stars Music:                     9 Stars Re-watch value:       9 Stars Enjoyment factor:    9 Stars

Mysterious Lotus Casebook (2023) reminds me of why I love the wuxia and detective genres so much - the drama is a fantastic combo of both.

A wonderfully witty script, fascinating characters, and action packed scenes full of thrilling choreography as befits a wuxia, this drama had me hooked from the first episode right to the very end.  The ten cases are certainly interesting enough, but the draw for me was the bromance between the trio of male leads (Cheng Yi, Zeng Shun Xi, and Xiao Shun Yao), which was both hilarious and deeply moving. 

For those who find the staple fluffy c-drama romance tiresome, this drama largely eschews the usual romantic tropes and instead focuses on the close bonds of platonic male friendship and found family.     

Honestly, I wanted the trio to continue their travels in the lotus tower RV, solving mysteries and having jianghu adventures together forever. But in many ways, this drama is about letting go and saying farewell. There is bitter-sweetness in having to acknowledge that all good things come to an end, but sometimes the journey is more important than the destination.    

Also, can I just say I want a lotus tower RV of my own. The one in the drama looked so damn cool...

SPOILERS AHEADS

  

Mysterious Lotus Casebook (2023) - Synopsis

Drama info:

Title:  Mysterious Lotus Casebook

Chinese title: 蓮花樓 / 莲花楼 (Eng translation: "Lotus Flower Tower") 

Episodes: 40 + 1 short special episode

Genre: Wuxia, mystery/detective, historical

Original network:  iQiyi

Release date:        23 Jul 2023

Airing schedule:    23 Jul 2023 - 9 Aug 2023

Synopsis: 

Ten years ago, the leader of the Si Gu sect Li Xiang Yi was the best swordsman in the world and the shining light of wulin. But both Li Xiang Yi and leader of the Jin Yuan alliance Di Fei Sheng disappear after a deathly duel in the Eastern Sea, leaving both the Si Gu sect and Jin Yuan alliance in disarray.  

Ten years later, countryside physician Li Lian Hua travels the world, with his faithful dog and a lotus tower in tow.  He inadvertently becomes famous for his medical prowess and is reluctantly dragged into the jianghu which he no longer wishes to be a part of. 

Along the way, Li Lian Hua meets Fang Duo Bing, who dreams of becoming a hero. Fang Duo Bing suspects that Li Lian Hua is not who he seems and is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery.  Meanwhile, Di Fei Sheng remerges in jianghu, recognises that Li Lian Hua is none other than Li Xiang Yi, and demands a rematch.

  

Heroes (2022) - Final Review

Final review/rating: Heroes (2022) - True blue wuxia that falls short of greatness 

This is 8.5/10 stars ✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮ from Pandafan🐼

Overall rating:         8.5 Stars Plot:                       7 Stars Acting/cast:            7 Stars Couple chemistry:   6 stars Music:                    7 Stars Re-watch value:      7 Stars Enjoyment factor:   8 Stars

I've been missing traditional wuxia lately.  The most recent offerings have been an alloy of other genres...  For example, the brilliant Sword, Snow, Stride (2021) was definitely wuxia with a xuanhuan /fantasy bent (ie. slow-mo and CGI heavy), and whilst Who rules the World (2022) was marketed as wuxia, it was primarily a political drama with some jianghu thrown in.  

When Heroes (2022) came along, I was therefore very excited by the prospect of some true blue wuxia.  After all, 《說英雄誰是英雄》is one of Wen Rui An's seminal works, and Wang Xiao Shi's part of the story is a prequel of sorts to, and set in the same universe as, The Four Constables 《四大名捕》, which has been the subject of many drama adaptations.  Short of some Jin Yong or Gu Long (who have both been endlessly and not necessarily well adapted for the screen), Heroes (2022) offered the chance to witness traditional wuxia done right.    

Did Heroes (2022) deliver? Yes and no... There is enough fast-paced choreography, compelling characters, and jianghu elements to justify a spot on the wuxia mantlepiece.  The drama is also a visual feast for the eyes, gorgeously shot by a director (Li Mu Ge) who knows how to evoke beauty and atmosphere through his lens.  However, a less then deft mangling of the portrayal of one of the key characters which departs from the original source novel and the somewhat uneven acting by the trio of rookie idol actors meant this fell short of greatness.  

SPOILERS AHEADS

  

Heroes (2022) - Synopsis

 

Drama info:

Title:  Heroes

Chinese title: 說英雄誰是英雄 / 说英雄谁是英雄 (Eng translation: "Speaking of Heroes, who is a Hero?")

Episodes:  38 episodes

Genre: Wuxia, historical

Original network: Tencent

Release date:      23 May 2022 

Airing schedule:  23 May 2022 - 27 June 2022

Synopsis:

In the martial arts world jianghu, two leading sects dominate: the Six and a Half Hall/Liu Fen Ban Tang (六分半堂) and the Golden Winds and Light Rain Tower/Jin Feng Xi Yu Lou (金風細雨樓). The former values profit and business, while the latter values chivalry and honour.  The heroes of the martial arts world flock to both in the hope of making a name for themselves.     

When the innocent young Wang Xiao Shi 王小石 leaves the mountains to travel the world, he is tasked by his shifu with delivering a boxed secret that will determine the future of Jin Feng Xi Yu Lou to the young master of that sect, Su Meng Zhen 苏梦枕.  

Along the way, he meets and befriends the ambitious Bai Chou Fei 白愁飛 and the feisty Lady Wen Rou 温柔, as well as the famous red sleeve swordsman Su Meng Zhen 苏梦枕 himself.  The four become fast friends and the three men become sworn brothers. 

But in the turbulent waters of the capital city's jianghu, Wang Xiao Shi soon discovers that brotherhood and loyalty will be tested by the lure of power and ambition, and in the face of betrayal and heartbreak, he learns what it truly means to be a Hero...  

  

Rebirth for You (2021) - Final Review

Final review/rating: Rebirth for You (2021) - An exercise in exasperation

This is 4/10 stars ✮✮✮✮ from Pandafan🐼

Overall rating:         4 Stars Plot:                       3 Stars Acting/cast:            5 Stars Couple chemistry:   7 stars Music:                    7 Stars Re-watch value:      0 Stars Enjoyment factor:   3 Stars

Rebirth for You (2021) is, to put it mildly, an exercise in exasperation.  

It's a complete waste of potential, given what they had to work with in terms of the source material and two attractive and charming leads in Ju Jing Yi and Zeng Shun Xi.  Only for die hard fans of the leads, and even then, I would recommend judicious use of the fast forward button or perhaps skipping everything after episode 12 and resuming at episode 39.  Or episode 40.  Or not at all. 

*Sigh 😩

SPOILERS AHEADS

  

Rebirth for You (2021) - Synopsis

Drama info:

Title:  Rebirth for You 

Chinese title: 嘉南传 / 嘉南傳 (Translation: "The Story of Jia Nan") 

Episodes:  40

Genre: Historical, political, romance 

Original network: iQiyi

Release date:      17 Oct 2021

Airing schedule:  17 Oct 2021 - 22 Nov 2021

Synopsis:

Commandery princess of Jia Nan, Princess Jiang Bao Ning grew up in the palace and is beloved by her Grandmother, the Dowager Empress.  She is also loved by Emperor Zhao Yi, but she does not return his affection.  While Bao Ning is a bird in the gilded cage of the palace, she is intelligent and resourceful, and she successfully resists becoming a puppet in the palace schemes of others. 

Bao Ning meets the intriguing imperial army guard Li Qian in one of her expeditions out of the palace.  Li Qian has secrets of his own and strives for higher office in order to investigate a cold case close to his heart. The two fall in love but must strive against the machinations of others to create their own destiny, for the love of a lifetime.