In Blossom (2024)

In Blossom is a great thriller, romance, fantasy drama written within a historical setting. There are some gory scenes, necessary due to the nature of the female lead’s profession, very detailed and smart murder investigation with logical deductions and conclusions that give us glimpses of the leading couple’s strong and intelligent characters. There are very well done action scenes and bloody tortures coming from the antagonist and his henchmen, mysterious and complex characters that help shaped the validity of the plot, a fantasy element that, although it was interesting and the leading actress tried her best in her characterization of Yang Cai Wei I, it is true that the fantasy element would have worked better if they would have chosen an actress for the real Yang Cai Wei whose body was anatomically closer to Ju Jing Yi. The cinematography was well planned and executed with glimpses of Gothic elements and the cast did a good job bringing their characters to life. In the romance department, it would be right to say that it is more about a soulful than a physical connection. Pan Yue, exceptionally portrayed by Liu Xue Yi, is a man with great moral character, integrity, and above all, a man that steadfastly loved the souls of his woman. Ju Jing Yi did great portraying her character as the infatuated and self-centered Shangguan Zhi and she tried her best portraying Yang Cai Wei, but the Ju Jing Yi, although she captured the awareness and ability to express the intelligence of Yang Cai Wei, she didn’t get the body language right. This might have been due to the fact that the casting director failed to recognize that it was just a face swap, not a whole body swap, and Ju Jing Yi’s body is too frail looking compared to Zheng He Hui Zi’s that played Yang Cai Wei in the first two episodes. Besides this oversight, which was just a bit odd, the drama is an excellent thriller, with a heartwarming and sometimes heartbreaking steadfast romance, and a very pleasing intellectual connection between the leading couple. The supporting cast did very well and provided side stories that gave mystery and depth to the story. Enjoy it!

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Witchcraft and face swap in a thriller-packed drama

Hi guys, I'm back again after hiatus for quite some time due to final exams and lack of spare time. I've done watching In Blossom some time ago, but I only get my time to work on this review today. In Blossom is not a drama that I expected very much, I was obsessed in Burning Flames and didn't plan to watch this beforehand. After scrolling through the comments, I decided to try it and check out my review below.

In Blossom tells a bittersweet story between two childhood sweethearts, Pan Yue and Yang Caiwei. Yang Caiwei was in a disgraced situation after having escaped from the attempted murder which successfully killed her parents. Subsequently, she went to the Pan Mansion and wanted to meet Pan Yue. But Pan Yue wasn't there, and his father refused to let her in. Filled with grief and resentment, Yang Caiwei wandered around Heyang City and was taken in by a retired coroner, who worked as corpse taker now. Together with her lunatic master, Yang Caiwei became a corpse taker and did everything to relieve her master's burden.

She accidentally encountered Pan Yue again. Originally, Yang Caiwei gave him a cold shoulder and ignored him as possible. Pan Yue, of course, didn't give up and tried his best to woo her back, even wanted to marry her. A spoiled and pampered girl of the wealthy Shangguan family, Shangguan Zhi, witnessed this event and was furious. The day before their marriage, Shangguan Zhi used witchcraft to switch her face with Yang Caiwei's. After that, she pushed Yang Caiwei and her subordinates to a narrow cliff, thinking that she had erased every trace of her evil deeds.

Things became more and more unexpected. Shangguan Zhi (in Yang Caiwei's persona) was suddenly murdered which aroused fear and suspicion. Yang Caiwei soon learned about her 'own death' and vowed to find the culprit and uphold justice for Shangguan Zhi despite the latter's treatment towards her.

In order to investigate her murder, Yang Caiwei had to work with Pan Yue in the county yamen. Originally, they were at odds because Pan Yue didn't like Shangguan Zhi before, not knowing that the latter has swapped her face with Yang Caiwei. Thus, their sweet love story began.

So far, the plot is woven in intrigue and mystery, which can attract the audiences to skim in, especially mystery and thriller lovers. However, after the case of Gu Shan, I started to fast forward and skipped a lot of the main leads' scenes. Don't get me started at the capital arc. That arc was rather boring and dull. Even with skipping, I could still grab some details of the case and in short, I didn't lose anything from skipping here and there.

The acting is so-so. This is my third time watching Liu Xueyi after 'The Blood of Youth' and 'Love and Redemption'. I think he did pretty well in this drama and his persistent love towards Yang Caiwei was one of the best aspects of him. You could see him conveying his eye expression when he was staring at Yang Caiwei and you'll know why. Meanwhile, Ju Jingyi's acting is a bit of lackluster. Like other reviewers, I also prefer Zheng He Hui Zi's portrayal as the real Yang Caiwei. Ju Jingyi's Yang Caiwei is a little spoiled but thank goodness they didn't make her into a damsel-in-distress (she's still as intelligent as her old self).

Personally, I'm rooting for the second couple (Zhuo Lanjiang and Bai Xiaosheng) than the main couple. They're a cute bickering couple and help the leads to solve cases too. My only complaint is why should they KILL OFF Ah Jiang. He didn't deserve it and should have got a happy ending with Bai Xiaosheng.

OSTs are nothing special, but still commendable.

Is there any rewatch value? Nah, that will depend on yourselves. The plot is good in the first half but falls in the second half. I myself won't be rewatching this drama as this is a one-time watch for me. Nonetheless, I'll give this nine out of ten stars for the great plot and the case solving. Give this a try if you want some case-solving drama, but you can skip the rest of the scenes if they've arrived at the capital. Happy watching!!!

SPOILER ALERT:
The real murderer of Yang Caiwei points to Shangguan Zhi's brother, Shangguan Lan. I'm not entirely sure of this, but given that the Shangguan family has good connection, a private army, and witches, everything is possible for them. To please Shangguan Zhi, her brother must have intended to kill off Yang Caiwei from the beginning so that Shangguan Zhi can marry Pan Yue - and that's the only reasonable thing to do (in my opinion).

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about the series

The best TV series I watched after Ingenious One, the plot, music and casting were amazing, I found it exciting until the last episode. Liu Xue Yi's amazing performance was, in my opinion, the best TV series. Also, I had watched two of Ju Jing Yi's TV series before and found them ordinary, and in this series, her performance was top notch. They have brought it up to the level, and they suit each other very well as a duo. The series will have a second season. If they do not deviate from the subject, it will be watched with the same pleasure. We would like to watch more such series in Chinese historical dramas. We would like to thank everyone who contributed to the production and broadcasting.

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The lightness of Face Swap

First of all, our series started well. I loved the story. It was beautifully constructed. What I liked most was that there was a mystery. It was intriguing to pursue this. In this respect, I liken it to a detective series. I felt the tension and mystery. The activation scenes were also nice. Everything was suitable. So it was progressing well with a measured distribution. The thing that bothered me the most in these episodes was the face changing incident. It's too fantastic. Let's get over it. It seemed a little strange to me that after changing the face, the person continues the same relationship with another face that replaces the person he wants to marry and is in love with. Maybe this can be said. I loved his soul, not his face. If we look at this, things such as inner beauty, character, approach to events and people, and temperament are the factors that affect the other party. Even though this still convinces us, isn't it possible that the more we look at his face, the more he reminds us of the other person? Can a person love like this? I thought about this often while watching and it didn't seem believable to me. Even though people stand out with their actions, it seemed repulsive to me to see someone else with whom you have the same antipathy, standing in front of you with their face. I deducted a point from the story in this aspect. I should have broken it more, but whatever. Likewise, while everything was going well in terms of plot, towards the end, nonsense started to occur in the processing and flow. It's as if they decided not to make the series this good, let's make it a little worse, let's make it cheaper. For example; Although the character Jiang could have killed the character Jia Quan with a knife in his hand when there was no one around, he does not, but he is in prison, easily captured, and tries to kill him and is killed. It was so ridiculous and simple. Similarly, why does Jia character's assistant, Zuo character, run away and get killed when he could have killed this person hundreds of times? Illogical. He knows everything about the man, and if he tries to do anything bad to him, he will kill the man from thirst. He escapes and is killed when he could have been eliminated so easily. It has zero credibility. If the princess is going to kill herself, why does she bring the character Sima there as a witness? So that he could testify and destroy them? It was an irrational approach. The scriptwriter is literally unconscious, so did he have a hard time writing these, did he make mistakes, did he do things that are thousands of miles away from believability. Doesn't a person read what he writes, and doesn't the person who filmed it say that if you fix this, it doesn't look appropriate at all? They didn't say. Why was there a showdown in the presence of the queen? It's not understandable. According to the story, if the character Jiang was not returning, Pan Yue should have gone looking for him. She had to save him, or if he couldn't, he could have tried to kill the Marshal. Or he could report him to the authorities. Supposedly you need a notebook. They didn't take the notebook while they had it, so while that person was identified at the academy, the man runs away. How does he escape? If you had made a raid as soon as you found out about the incident, you could have obtained everything, including the notebook. The person takes that notebook and brings it to the capital. Pan Yue, who has authority and men in his hands, does nothing. I don't know what his father is. Some help, some don't. It is impossible to understand how difficult it was to prove it. While everything was against the man, there was no proof every time. What a queen. Is there no king? Isn't there a Minister of Justice? The marshal will be given army authority and many royal decorations will be given, there is no king, there is a queen. It hasn't happened before. Afterwards, for some unknown reason, Jiang's body is brought to the place, and through the holes he opened, Cai Wei and Pan Yue with his excellent talent say, "Here is the place of the notebook." Unbelievable. It's a shame for the beautiful series. Screenwriter, I especially hated you. In all TV series, your incompetence in concluding events frustrates and frustrates the audience. Their beginnings were good, but their endings were terrible. He was wrong. It was simple. It hadn't happened. I felt sad while watching it.

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Initially, I found myself a bit puzzled by the storyline, prompting me to pause and backtrack to Episode 2 for clarity. Without revealing any spoilers, I must say, it's a series that truly demands to truly focus on the storyline. Ju JingYi delivered a performance that navigated through complexities effortlessly, portraying a role that could easily befuddled. On the other hand, the lead male actor left me indifferent; historically typecast as a villain, Liu Xue Yi surprised me with his adept portrayal of this character. His convincing performance left me eager to see more of him in virtuous roles. The supporting cast, including Li Gi Yang and W Jia Yi, impeccably brought their characters to life. Special mention must go to the writer for skillfully withholding the villain's identity until the final few episodes. Overall, a job well done to the entire crew.

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Great casting for this eye-catching Mystery/romantic series.

PLOT:
Pan Yue, the ML, illegitimate son of a nobleman, goes to Heyang in search of his childhood love Cawei, the FL, whom he has been searching for 10 years. She became a coroner, and they investigated numerous cold cases together, then married. But on the day of the wedding, the ML's one-sided lover switches bodies with Cawei's and throws her off a cliff. Then she herself is killed. Cawei survives (in the other's body) and helps the ML (and Lan Jiang) investigate a large conspiracy (which has been going on for 10 years).

PROS:
+ the storyline is intelligent, the story coherent (if we accept the body swap :)
+ a fast-paced, effective production, which keeps the viewer in flawless suspense.
+ great actors (all) and particulary CL = Liu Xue yi & Ju Jing Yi and Li Ge Yang.
+ well-suited OSTs (not memorable but amplify well emotions).
+ an ending which opens the possibility of a 2nd season.

CONS:
- Sometimes you have to be lenient when faced with obvious coincidences.
- Sorry, I don't really like the 1st Cawei.

=> A very good Mystery series in the historical genre.
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Super casting (CL = Liu Xue yi & Ju Jing Yi + Li Ge Yang) pr cette série Mystery / romantic accrocheuse.

PLOT:
Pan Yue, le ML, fils illégitime d'un noble, part à Heyang à la recherche de son amour d'enfance Cawei, la FL, qu'il cherche depuis 10 ans. Elle est devenue médecin légiste, et ils enquêtent ensemble sur les nombreux cold-cases, puis se marient. Mais le jour du mariage, l'amoureuse à sens unique du ML, échange son corps avec celui de Cawei et la jette d'une falaise. Puis elle est elle-même tuée. Cawei survit (dans le corps de l'autre) et aide le ML (et Lan Jiang) à enquêter sur une large conspiration (qui dure depuis 10 ans).

PROS:
+ la storyline est intelligente, l'histoire cohérente (si on accepte l'échange de corps :)
+ une réalisation rapide, efficace, qui tient le spectateur en haleine avec un suspense sans faille.
+ de super acteurs (tous)
+ des OST bien adaptés (pas mémorables mais amplifient bien les émotions).
+ une fin qui ouvre la possibilité d'une 2e saison.

CONS:
- Il faut parfois être indulgent face à des coïncidences évidentes.
- Dsl, je n'aime pas trop la 1e Cawei.

=> Une très bonne série Mystère dans le genre historique.

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**NEWSFLASH** JJY can act better than academic Yang Mi, so take that~!

1) TRIPLE THREAT: JJY is a triple threat, like JLO, who can act/sing/dance;
2) MUCH BETTER ACTING THAN YANG MI!-->JJY may not be a great actress, but she's not wooden, unlike lots of other actresses, because she can act with lots of eye/facial/crying movement/emotions, like she can emote, unlike lots of these other A-listers without any real emotion or wooden faces, i.e. stiff-acting Zhao Liying in Shen Li [very disappointing, i.e. I like Kenny Lin's acting's far better than hers!] or as a mindlessly lethargic spy, Yang Mi in The Name of The Brother;
3) BANKABLE STAR: JJY is the main star here, even listed even above LXY, so it should be her vehicle to start & finish, not the guest ZHHZ, like guest-FL was a mere underwhelming stand-in for 1.5 EPs, out of 32, like ZHHZ's simple acting was the least memorable & should not be a deterrence from a soul-like face-swapping trope;
4) PER AVENUEX: Bad script writing is backward, like JJY s/b the main FL, right out of the gate, versus this other guest/ZHHZ, so this is not JJY's fault, but those 10-yr-in-the-making 3rd rated scriptwriters!
5) MOST RIDICULOUS: Trolls are bashing JJY by boasting ZHHZ- guest appearance more than its worth, from insisting that her next drama be modern w/ more serious acting emphasis since she transitioned over from singing/dancing, unlike Yang Mi's academic acting pedigree failing her dramas miserably, so apparently, acting in itself in C-dramaland ain't worth much to these retarded trolls any which way, i.e. just a mental haranguing case of bitter-hateful jealousy of those hapless toxic obnoxious trolls when paired up w/ LXY.
6) NICE BINGING: This drama is worthy binge watching overall, but the subpar 3rd rated scriptwriters fail to emphasize FL JJY's SZ to start the face-swapping trope from the get-go & a cliffhanger open-ended with missing Token No. 1 without any reasonable explanation, leaving plot holes everywhere when it took them 10 yrs to write it in the 1st place, like whassup w/ all the rush?!
7) DEMAND FOR MORE: Since they've a low budget production for this season, but with great profit margin, they should re-invest in S2, hello to Youku?!?!?!

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Why "In Blossom"

Blossom, in the context of love symbolizes RENEWAL, growth, beauty, and flourishing of emotions. It represents the DEVELOPMENT and expansion of love over time.

I am just sharing my thought and feelings while watching this drama (writing this after I watched episodes 1-15). The genre tag as fake identity, suspense, and investigation must be taken into consideration before watching it.

I said that I prefer reincarnation or going back from the past than body/soul/face swapping because I feel more connected to the main leads.I'm one of those people who wanted evil Shagguan Zhi must only be evil Shagguan Zhi and same goes to Yang Cai Wei. But I did not conclude too much since the plot is just in its beginning and this is my first time finishing this kind of drama

After the swapping, I admit that it feels weird, and I hate that. I still kept thinking of ZHHZ (only means that she is a good actress) is more likely the lead than JJY especially during the interaction of good SGZ (YCW) and Pan Yue. Of course, I have my sentiments towards JJY because I am a fan. I was sorry because I cannot like the real Yang Cai Wei in Shangguan’s face ?. Though swapping seems already a norm to them, I was touched to see how BXS and ZLJ accept SGZ (YCW) for whoever she is.

In the proceeding episodes, I started to like the character of the real Yang Cai Wei, and just today I realized that my love for her had already bloomed. I’m deeply engage in the drama to the point that my feelings resonate with theirs. Like Pan Yue right now, he begins to recognize his feelings towards Shangguan Zhi (YCW). I can’t find a proper way to say this that HIS LOVE IS IN BLOSSOM.

He undoubtedly began to fall in love with her and develop feelings for her, not only because she was his childhood sweetheart. It is better in that way (same as one user said here). The problems that they will face together are necessary for their deep connection. Just like a flower that starts as a seed and gradually grows, love begins with a spark and evolves into something beautiful and profound. ?

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No character consistency

This drama had potential, with a decent plot and the mystery elements but fell short in character consistency.

The Good

The drama started off strong with the 2 leading characters Pan Yue, played by Liu Xueyi, and Yang Cai Wei, played by Zheng He Huizi. The story was intriguing with the crime solving elements and decent chemistry amongst the characters. The acting was strong and made it an interesting watch. We also had Shangguan Zhi, played by Ju Jingyi, introduced as the obsessed 3 wheel who brought a twist to the story. The costumes and visuals were really nice and the OSTs were also good. That’s as about a good as it got and then it went downhill…

The Bad

The main issue was the lack of character consistency after the face swap. Besides her appearance, her character arc/personality completely changed from being either of the 2 characters. On the one hand, we understand that she is pretending to be someone else but at the core she should have pretended to be Shangguan Zhi. Yang Cai Wai was reserved, calm, independent, with her guard up. Shangguan Zhi was possessive, cold, calculating and mean. Introducing Ju Jingyi as the main leads, she was neither of these things. Once the two girls switched, there was a clear difference in the characters and it was hard to connect Ju Jingyi as either Yang Cai Wei or Shangguan Zhi. This further made things unconvincing to know that she was actually the original woman. I’ve seen Ju Jingyi in lots of dramas and have enjoyed some but can’t help but think that her character is a little type cast, in which she is a copy paste version of the same character in every show she is in. I don’t see clear differences in her acting style from one project to the next. The directors should have also known better to make sure that there was consistency with the characters because old habits die hard. No matter if their appearance changed, the underlying essence/nature of that person would not.

Some people or fans of the leads may enjoy this. I myself am a fan of Liu Xueyi as he is an amazing actor but I had to drop this one because even his acting could not keep me interested. Make your own decision on whether to watch. It was a no for me.

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Things doesn't seem to be what most of the watchers think.

At first I also feel flustered when I saw yang cei Wei was played by other actress instead of JJY(in ep1 and 2).
But the think at that time pan yue doesn't have proper feelings for yang cei Wei because they haven't met since 10 years and even if he loves her the most he didn't know how she looks like after 10 years when he saw characteristics of her and token then after he concluded that she is her childhood friend yang cei Wei. After body swapping he really fell in love with yang cei Wei in JJY body(at first he only wants to marry her because she was her best childhood friend and also a marriage contract was also there) so at first he didn't care about looks and wants to marry her(not because of love) but as they spend more time with each other(when JJY plays the role) he really fell for her.
This review is for those who dropped this drama because of body swapping and all.

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Face swap success!

Face swapping, changed identity, murder mystery, and a take on child abuse. This drama was interesting from the trailer. The actors were on point and intriguing. I thought the casing was very good and each one fit their part. Although I must admit the initial Yang Cai Wei (woman with the scar) was so good that I did not think the FL Shangguan Zhi would fit the role. I was wrong, she took over immediately and owned the FL role.

This drama had a lot of depth to it in that some of the focus seemed to be on abandonment and child abuse. It becomes sad at times. The detective cases were handled quickly so it was not boring.

I like the production the costumes were great, especially ML who wore something different every time you see him, and it looked good. FL's wardrobe was so, so. In all of the movies I have seen the FL she seems a little anorexic (IMO) so her clothes do not look great.

The soundtrack was good, nothing I remember.

The ending was a little underwhelming but still satisfying as it was a happy one. They left room for a 2nd season but not a watch for me.

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