Half of Us (2023)

second leads outshining main leads?

i honestly don't understand why this plot was so weird. the main leads are literally zhang linghe and esther yu yet the script and plot literally just showcases the "BETTER" chemistry between lu yuxiao and ryan cheng, the red flag couple.
yushuxin's acting was quite good, the contrast of her in lbfad and in my journey to you was really huge, her cuteness in lbfad and the cold vibe she's giving off in this show as the wufeng spy in this show was really great, showcasing her strengths in acting cute characters and cold/evil characters. she's such a great actress!! the casting was actually a solid 10/10. just a very unexpectedly weird plot, it seemed like the directors only used the main leads to gain fame for this show just to project viewers to enjoy the acting of the 2nd couple more. If there was more scenes and chances for the main leads to showcase their romance/chemistry in this show more, im pretty sure we can see how their relationship deepens. the ending of this show was also pretty abrupt and seemed rushed? i hope there's a 2nd season where we can see what actually happened in the end instead of an inexplainable and "forcing viewers to guess" kind of ending.

Citeste mai mult

the cinematography is crazy!

I found this drama from the teaser on the wetv application and decided to wait for it to air. I felt sad when I heard that this drama had problems being broadcast, but finally it was able to be broadcast.

I've been watching it since the drama was released because I was waiting for it. I saw that the teaser was very good because I really like dramas with dark and cool tones. Very much my type!

I immediately liked the first episode, the actors' acting was also good. I like Esther's type of acting in this drama, I think she suits her role and she is very beautiful with a calm and cool character in this drama.

The story is good, I like the plot even though I felt confused about the family tree in this drama. But I always find it difficult to understand the family tree in historical dramas hahahaa

What I like most is the CGI, cinematography, visual effects, the shooting is very beautiful to watch! All the scenes are worth looking at more carefully because they are really good!

But I was very annoyed with the ending of the story, why does it have to be an open ending? And even the two main characters haven't had much time together

For the OST, I don't remember hearing any songs in this drama, maybe because I was too serious when watching it

Citeste mai mult

Catch me if you can

I was actually surprised by this drama, as the description didn't give too much away and I avoided any potential spoilers, so I went into this blind.

As for me, I loved the dynamic between the three brothers. Each had their own character and back-story and there was some character developement as well.

As for Yun Weishan and Qian, they both have been interesting as well, with the ladder being more complex, yet less likable to me. I appreaciated the tone of romance for both of them as it suited both their personalities.

The plot left me guessing until the end. I am afraid I am not so smart and I enjoy the plot twists as I usually do not see them coming. It was a gripping story, with enough suspense for me to keep binge watching. I love undercover stories, schemes and a good "cat-and-mouse" game.

The ending could have been executed in a better way, but after reading some of the comments, I kinda get it. Still, I think the plot is lacking in this aspect and some scenes dragged on too long.

Citeste mai mult

Beautiful dark and riveting

I keep going back to how genuinely gorgeous this drama was. The colors, aesthetic, every shot was so beautiful and cinematic I couldn't get enough. I think a lot of dramas are beautiful but suffer from low budget and these days the 3D printed costumes and props are cheap and common. This drama doesn't rely on any of that but solely on the beauty of the environment and the actors themselves. God, every single person in this drama is beautiful. When Esther said that the director promised he would give her the most beautiful shots, he was not lying.

Watching this show felt like reading a book in the best way possible. The plot was intriguing and I was obsessed with every character's thoughts and motivations. I will admit the ending fell and I was quite disappointed but I still very much enjoyed every minute of watching this.

I will be watching everything this director does from now on because he is my new Greta Gerwig.

Citeste mai mult

I watched this drama twice before writing my review

Let’s start with I like or love about this drama:
1. OST - idk but it has me in a spell
2. Aesthetic/visual/cinematography - I saw the trailer of this drama and I told myself, “wow I’m going to watch that for the vibes”
3. Acting - I know how some didn’t like Esther here but this was a breath of fresh air for me. The dramas I’ve seen her in, she’s always the vibrant, cute character. Here I think she was able to pull the “no feelings, I’m supposed to be blank assassin” 😂. But really I think everyone was pretty good but Cheng Lei, Lu Yu Xiao, Tian Jian Rui, eldest young miss, Hanya Si, and the back hill boys stole the show for me
4. I love the characters, I think they all served their purpose. My Back Hill boys have a special place in my heart

What I didn't like:
THE FACT THAT THERE IS NO SEASON 2 OR CONFIRMATION OF IT!!! Because after watching this twice, that was the gate opening!!! What a literal open-ended ending

Citeste mai mult

Great Action! Second Lead Couple Amazin!

It started off good. But then not much was happening, then something happened, and then back to not much, and then right at the end too much was happening.

I love the action here! The fighting was impressive! To my surprised was seeing the actresses get dirty during those scenes were they are fighting in water mud through Wufeng's training ground or whatever, idk usually even until the character's death the director's would preserved their beauty or not to get their makeup ruined so I do appreciate little moments were actresses would get dirty for role/scene. I'm back to watching cdramas again so excuse me if this note was random.

I do like the second lead couple a lot more. There's so much complexity and depth into those two characters that made them so interesting to watch every time and how they are both unpredictable characters makes it also interesting to watch as compared to the main lead which they more stale, predictable and quite boring. As much as I wanted to root for the main couple since I loved these two in Love Between Fairy and Devil, I can't say the same for them in this drama. It's just they are too plain, though there were a few cute moments I enjoyed them! I lowkey have a ghost ship between Yun and Yuan Zhi, they would honestly make the best enemies to lovers ngl.

Shang Jue was a character that was supposed to be like an antagonist brother, idk what to label him anywho, even so, I couldn't help but agree with him a lot of the times even though he was making it harder for the ML. Even if I didn't like his attitude before I wouldn't hate the idea of him being the next Sword Wielder, in fact I be all for it because nothing he said was honestly wrong. His intuition and lead was spot on most of the time.

I do find the defeat of the Elder brother a bit underwhelming? I also felt like a lot of things were happening in an episode all at once during this battle which is understandable since lots of things can happen during a big battle however it was just a lot to take in idk. Especially the Young Master Hua's death, his character was so minimal his death was so unexpected especially when we barely just found out about his identity as a Young Master, and his little backstory that we are suppose to care about I mean it's still pitiful and sad, but like there's not much to build off his character and story ngl especially since he rarely ever gets scenes.

Honestly, this could be said with a lot of the character's death here, like the ML's father (the transition to his death wasn't impactful enough to make me feel sorry for the ML or the father, the only time i actually connected to the ML's father was when the flashback scene of him doing gardening for the ML's mother, seeing that made me empathize for him and how his love wasn't being send the way he wanted it to unknowingly. This was more impactful than him being a typical harsh father who pushed his son to success out of love. I think the bother, Shang Jue did a better job doing the emotional push to make the ML stronger. However what shouldn't have been surprising but was still surprising for me was that before the father died, his choice to pass on the Sword Wielder position was to Shang Jue cause typically I'm used to just the father always choosing the ML regardless of how unfitted they are for the position starting off.)

ML's mother death (personally, i didn't care about her, in fact I actually was really annoyed with her, like i get it, she misunderstood the ML's father's love nor did she wanted to understand it since she loved someone else, but all the talk from Wuji about how "even if she was emotionally unavailable to be your mother she still loved you", like i know deep down she cared about her own son, but truthfully i can't sympathize with her character. She gave birth to him so yah she's a mother, she showed him one act of motherly love in which he cherish that memory but like, that's only one memory of her not neglecting her child so of course he cherished that memory and mask which he doesn't care for anymore lmfao because it was brought up and never brought up ever again, but other than that TO ME she really hasn't earned her right to be a mother. But the ML loves her so what can I really say, if he recognizes her as his mother then I can't really say much about it only about the writing/character).

To my surprised was Shangguan Qian win against Jin Fan. Go girl. Honestly I think I have more to say but I'm going to leave it at this until the next season? If we do get it lmfao...

Citeste mai mult

this is okay the best for me but the ending could have been fixed the way it ended so suddenly was not expected but ik it will be hopeless wishing for season 2 knowing it is imposible. but hopefully u dont watch it during finals cause it is really interesting to watch with those plots going on one after another.the love story might be not what u expected but for me its pretty watchable 100% tell u guys to watch it

the start is cool,fine but it gets bitter and more complicated as it moves forward better to pay attention to some clips cause some people like to skip a lot but trust me dont .

Citeste mai mult

Interesting Journey

At first I have read so many good reviews about this series so I started to watch. But at the end I almost regretted it.
Not many actions, beautiful costumes and good casting. I like these.
I like fact that they put more energy in family conflicts and relationships than romance. It wa sa very good choice and it was very interesting to see how they act and interact as a family.
There was one plot twist that surprised me and i love that. But there was another (it includes Shanguan Qian - in the last episode what she said to Shangjue) which was silly and i started to laugh. Did they really use this? Oh my god! Such a silly trick from writers and hope it is just a lie.
It was so hard for me to like any characters in this whole story. It is not a bad thing but it can be easier to understand their character and motivation if you can connect to the characters.
It is a very slow story but good acting and conversation. I almost stopped watching but at the end when told everything about those plans and plot twist started to come I was so happy. I was like "finally it became badass" but then it hit me in the back and after the last scene with Gong Ziyu sitting at the gate (hope it is not counted as spoiler) I wanted to see who will come in when the door opened. But they just finished it this way. Oh come on! Please continue. I just want to see who is coming 🤣
And I hope Gong Shangjue gets his brain back and realise what he needs to.

Citeste mai mult

my confort drama that i didn't expect at all

From the start it was a feast for the eyes with beautiful camera work and color tones that matched my preferences. In some parts there is an impression that is too melancholy and the characters speak at a slow speed almost like a whisper, some people complain about this too. I have no complaints about the OST, I really like it and still listen to it since they were released. I have to say that the characters in this drama are often misunderstood, such as Gong Shangjue who is seen as not having the courage to pursue love or Gong Ziyu whose character is limited to his stupidity. The development of each character is very interesting to me and it would be a loss if you immediately judged at the beginning of the episode. As for the ending, I think it's a common problem for all viewers hahahhahah

Citeste mai mult

So much potential

This TV drama had so MUCH potential!

Finally we have the pairing of the FL and ML (I've seen them not together in Love Between Fairy and Devil) and Esther is not being her annoying, cutesy, whiny, child voice. She actually is mature, and graceful.
Except when she only has one whispery sad voice, and facial expression.

The cinematography, the lighting, the REAL voices (as opposed to annoying dubbed) and the start had so much potential to get to something REALLY good. There was mystery, there was an interesting premise... and even some good romance from the 1st ML and FL and 2nd ML and FL...

But I began to get really lost, confused half way through.

There are too many prolonged conversations which I think were intended to be loaded and filled with clues, but they just go too long winded.

Then there was the strange flashbacks that sometimes revealed something, but most times started to make me wonder the point of it all.

It didn't make sense, then I read that the ending was not just open ended but that it just seemed UNFINISHED. Like it had the potential to finish up properly, but ended up being vague and just incomplete.

So comes down to bad planning, bad writing.

Sadly I dropped it even having got so far as 21 episodes, because I preferred to spend those hours of my life watching sometimes that paid off rather than this that had the sparklings of a good story, but fell flat on its face.

I wish I could say the OST was good - but there was just some weird background music most of the time, not in line with the atmosphere or mood of the scene. There is again potential good songs on the OST, but just wasn't used. Usually I'd be like, oh good they did overuse it or variations of it, but they didn't use the music well for the scenes that needed it!

Don't bother. OR watch first few episodes to appreciate the filming and scenery and then ditch it because you'll end up frustrated and confused by the end. I totally wasted 21+ hours on this and wish I could have spent it reading or sleeping instead.

Citeste mai mult

"Dark and Captivating: "The Journey to You" - A Must-Watch Chinese Drama That Keeps You Hooked!"

"The Journey to You" has quickly become a dark and enthralling Chinese drama that has me eagerly counting down the days until the next episode. With five episodes already watched, I can confidently say that this series has managed to maintain a captivating story arc from the very beginning. The darkness that permeates the plot is a standout feature, providing a refreshing departure from the typical light-hearted romances often seen in dramas.

One aspect that leaves me both satisfied and craving more is the drama's episode count. At 24 episodes, it strikes a perfect balance between delivering a comprehensive story and preventing unnecessary dilution of the narrative. This concise approach ensures that each episode packs a punch and advances the story in a meaningful way.

The frenemy relationship between the two female leads adds an intriguing layer of complexity. Their dynamic is a source of tension and suspense, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats as they navigate their intricate power struggles and personal vendettas. This element sets "The Journey to You" apart from similar dramas, and I can't get enough of the character dynamics.

Drawing comparisons to "Bloody Romance" is inevitable, but "The Journey to You" manages to outshine its predecessor in several aspects. The writing is sharp, allowing for deeper character development and nuanced storytelling. The costume and set design are exquisite, immersing viewers in the historical world of the drama and enhancing its overall appeal.

What truly sets this drama apart is its unpredictability. The plot takes unexpected twists and turns, making it impossible to predict what will happen next. This element of surprise keeps me hooked and eager to uncover the mysteries surrounding the characters and their fates.

As I eagerly anticipate the progression of the romantic storyline between the leads, my greatest hope is that "The Journey to You" maintains its dark and intense theme throughout its entirety. While the potential for romantic elements is exciting, I hope the drama doesn't compromise its unique atmosphere by veering into romcom territory. With bated breath and fingers crossed, I'm excited to see how this thrilling journey unfolds in the upcoming episodes.

Citeste mai mult