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Amarina
This Short OTT Angsty Trope-packed Melodrama Won't Be For Everyone
This series will absolutely stand as either a love it or hate it type series for most viewers. The synopsis is just detailed enough to entice a viewer but honestly if only going off the official synopsis you'll be blindsided by the truly toxic relationship Gu Yi (Luo Zheng) and Qiao Jing (He Rui Xian) have developed over their three year time together.
From the first episode tropes are thrown at the screen in record numbers. It would not suprise me in the slightest if the writer began this project with a sheet of paper detailing a list of tropes and put a check mark next to each one each time one was used. This makes for an over the top and highly dramatic show that has the viewer wondering if they even want any of the characters to even survive the shows ending, let alone have a Happy Ending.
Tonal shifts among episodes zigzag back and forth to the point of whiplash, especially in the first half of the series. Reality is thrown out the window as we have a front row seat to a ML who defies logic of having had a heart transplant as he eats and drinks whatever he wants and even runs miles after being hospitalized so he can see the FL. By the last four episodes though, even with the dramatic events still occurring and needing to be uncovered, the tone definitely shifts to being more easy-going and uplifting instead of leaving you with heart-pounding anxiety.
Characters:
Gu Yi - Beginning the show he starts as a stereotype of a possessive, self-entitled, mentally ill male lead and descends into stalking and emotionally blackmailing QJ to force her return to his side. He goes through several trials in his effort to redeem himself, failing in his sincerity until his ultimate fall allows him to prove he is capable of more.
Qiao Jing - This is definitely a complicated woman and if anything I wish the show could have been longer to have explored her emotional turmoil more. When she walks out on GY the first time you want to cheer after what she's gone through. When she drags her suitcase back each time something happens and she gives in it hurts. The criticism though comes from the drama being as short as it is and not allowing enough time to fully showcase her feelings of turmoil between Gu Yi/Su Juan/Bai Yun.
Bai Yun - The first third 2nd ML, BY is the foil to GY. His strength is his kindness and patience and he is willing to take a punch and go toe to toe to protect QJ from GY. Unfortunately, once he defeated as a rival he literally disappears from the drama never to be seen or mentioned again. This leads the viewer to unintentionally wonder if he will pop up again in the plot but this doesn't occur.
Bai Yan - The 2nd FL, BY is the childhood friend of GY and is a renown pianist. Returning home their families arrange the marriage of the two and she is over joyed. Her actions within the show have severe consequences and she is sent to prison just before the 2/3 mark. Both ML and FL refuse to forgive her to the very end but FL does accept her apology letter in last episode which may infuriate the viewer.
Su Juan - The catalyst for QJ seeking out GY originally is the mistaken thought he carried Su Juan's heart inside him. Overall most plot holes within the series have to due with this character. Again, more episodes could have allowed for him to develop further. He has a very minor arc with Bai Yan due to time restrictions on episode count that I wanted to see more of, especially in conflict with QJ. Because of the lack of time to develop scenes the viewer is sometimes left with doubt as to what his actual emotion is or if he is acting in a particular situation.
Fang Pei (GY mother) - Stereotyped and needed more time to truly showcase a change of heart, especially towards QJ. However, at the very least with this character the writers were able to find a way to express her true feelings during a scene with both GY and QJ mother's getting drunk together. Here we finally see that her opinions on the relationship haven't truly 100% changed, she just loves her son enough that she's given up fighting. Especially after the "other option" of BY is no longer socially or morally acceptable to her. In the penultimate scene of the series she tells her side of the events surrounding Su Juan and it will probably have you rolling your eyes in disbelief.
Zhou Yue - As a supporting character always by Gu Yi's side his relationships to and with everyone appear to almost be made deliberately vague. Bai Yan refers to him as her brother despite having differing last names and he refers to Bai mom as Auntie. His story development at the end of the last couple episodes makes for one of the least punished characters as his lawsuit had been dropped and Gu Yi is seen having a beer with him and calling him brother even as ZY is letting him know he's turning himself in. Honestly, he needed at least a minute or twos worth of time within the show to have focused more on his facial expressions. That or have switched the actor to someone more nuanced with microexpressions. Then maybe every thing would be slightly more believable from a viewers point of view.
From the first episode tropes are thrown at the screen in record numbers. It would not suprise me in the slightest if the writer began this project with a sheet of paper detailing a list of tropes and put a check mark next to each one each time one was used. This makes for an over the top and highly dramatic show that has the viewer wondering if they even want any of the characters to even survive the shows ending, let alone have a Happy Ending.
Tonal shifts among episodes zigzag back and forth to the point of whiplash, especially in the first half of the series. Reality is thrown out the window as we have a front row seat to a ML who defies logic of having had a heart transplant as he eats and drinks whatever he wants and even runs miles after being hospitalized so he can see the FL. By the last four episodes though, even with the dramatic events still occurring and needing to be uncovered, the tone definitely shifts to being more easy-going and uplifting instead of leaving you with heart-pounding anxiety.
Characters:
Gu Yi - Beginning the show he starts as a stereotype of a possessive, self-entitled, mentally ill male lead and descends into stalking and emotionally blackmailing QJ to force her return to his side. He goes through several trials in his effort to redeem himself, failing in his sincerity until his ultimate fall allows him to prove he is capable of more.
Qiao Jing - This is definitely a complicated woman and if anything I wish the show could have been longer to have explored her emotional turmoil more. When she walks out on GY the first time you want to cheer after what she's gone through. When she drags her suitcase back each time something happens and she gives in it hurts. The criticism though comes from the drama being as short as it is and not allowing enough time to fully showcase her feelings of turmoil between Gu Yi/Su Juan/Bai Yun.
Bai Yun - The first third 2nd ML, BY is the foil to GY. His strength is his kindness and patience and he is willing to take a punch and go toe to toe to protect QJ from GY. Unfortunately, once he defeated as a rival he literally disappears from the drama never to be seen or mentioned again. This leads the viewer to unintentionally wonder if he will pop up again in the plot but this doesn't occur.
Bai Yan - The 2nd FL, BY is the childhood friend of GY and is a renown pianist. Returning home their families arrange the marriage of the two and she is over joyed. Her actions within the show have severe consequences and she is sent to prison just before the 2/3 mark. Both ML and FL refuse to forgive her to the very end but FL does accept her apology letter in last episode which may infuriate the viewer.
Su Juan - The catalyst for QJ seeking out GY originally is the mistaken thought he carried Su Juan's heart inside him. Overall most plot holes within the series have to due with this character. Again, more episodes could have allowed for him to develop further. He has a very minor arc with Bai Yan due to time restrictions on episode count that I wanted to see more of, especially in conflict with QJ. Because of the lack of time to develop scenes the viewer is sometimes left with doubt as to what his actual emotion is or if he is acting in a particular situation.
Fang Pei (GY mother) - Stereotyped and needed more time to truly showcase a change of heart, especially towards QJ. However, at the very least with this character the writers were able to find a way to express her true feelings during a scene with both GY and QJ mother's getting drunk together. Here we finally see that her opinions on the relationship haven't truly 100% changed, she just loves her son enough that she's given up fighting. Especially after the "other option" of BY is no longer socially or morally acceptable to her. In the penultimate scene of the series she tells her side of the events surrounding Su Juan and it will probably have you rolling your eyes in disbelief.
Zhou Yue - As a supporting character always by Gu Yi's side his relationships to and with everyone appear to almost be made deliberately vague. Bai Yan refers to him as her brother despite having differing last names and he refers to Bai mom as Auntie. His story development at the end of the last couple episodes makes for one of the least punished characters as his lawsuit had been dropped and Gu Yi is seen having a beer with him and calling him brother even as ZY is letting him know he's turning himself in. Honestly, he needed at least a minute or twos worth of time within the show to have focused more on his facial expressions. That or have switched the actor to someone more nuanced with microexpressions. Then maybe every thing would be slightly more believable from a viewers point of view.
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