Rare Occasion When SML & FL Deserved Each Other More

This drama has been a proverbial elf on a shelf for 2 years. It's low budget with a fairly unknown cast. Personally watched only for XYL, who played Ma Zi Xuan and not only did he deliver but plowed over pretty much every male character and some of the women. This to me was a very rare occasion when the SML and FL deserved each other more and fit way better; though thankfully wasn't a love triangle. I've never seen a doppelgänger drama before so the plot fascinated me as well.

Pros: Very proud of XYL as MZX, as he was able to show a very broad range of emotions from best friend and protector to vulnerable, wearing his heart on his sleeve while crying his eyes out where your heart just ached for him. And then of course as the mafia boss type just wailing on people and getting justice for the woman he loved as well as the man he would always consider his best friend. Though he didn't get the woman he loved, he still was able to be in the lives of the two people he helped protect and their son as the cool uncle. I hope this series allows for XYL to get better and more versatile roles because he can definitely handle them.

The doppelgänger storyline was cool but a bit cringey when they swapped lives in the beginning and made decisions that would snowball the other's life in some direction. My other favorite characters were doppelgänger junior and his group of friends because though they start out as annoyingly voiced children, he especially grows into someone who is resolute in his decisions, knows right from wrong, and has a solid determination of who he wants to protect. Most of the comedy was appropriate.

For a 24 episode series, this had way too many antagonists, but the one that stood out the most and made your blood boil was Jiang Xia. Her thought process and actions were that of an obsessive lunatic only caring about that she got LM, forget what means she used. Her dirty, underhanded tricks and getting that petty Lo Man to help her was rotten to the core. However, that's what made her a great villain that one didn't really suspect until the later episodes.

Cons: The plot could have had way better structure and needed to tie up a lot more loose ends like; how did Lo Man get into cahoots with Wang Tong or Jiang Xia in the first place? What happened to her afterwards? Did LM also get better from the mental disorder? Because that entire portion was completely forgotten. Where was HYY and how did LM find her? She had essentially fallen off the face of the earth that even MZX with all of his resources couldn't locate her but a year later, she and LM were back together, she'd successfully published a book, and they were raising their son with the help of MZX. The timeline didn't make any sense.

LM was a ridiculously weak ML character. In the beginning it was understandable because he didn't have to face much other then letting his girlfriend down by not getting married with dumbass excuses but once the villains deployed their scheme all he could do was sit, get drunk, stare blankly at a wall and let others like his junior and MZX essentially fight his battles and find out what really happened. He was what I would call a wuss. In episode 21, when MZX ran to beat the stuffing out of him after the "alleged affair", the difference between the two men's reactions were staggering. Both love the same woman, but one is willing to go to the ends of the earth for her and to get justice while the other one is just a blubbering sack of self-pity. It really just brought home how much even though MZX could be extreme in his handling of things, his love and protection were pure, guaranteed, and never faltered, so out of the two, he was the best choice if there was one.

Putting a huge mess, breakup, investigation, secrets, and villains revealed into the literal last 4 episodes was very dumb. It should have been in the middle or not at all. Already had the doppelgänger story to work with. Furthermore, OSTs and other characters were very forgettable or annoying like Wu Sai's stuttering brother who took years off your life before he could get a sentence out. Editing could have been way better there.

Would I recommend it? Only for XYL and the doppelgänger's storyline. Otherwise, it's relatively a boring and confusing one. Though auto-translated originally on IQIY where I watched it, it is available for free on a YouTube channel now with proper subs thank the lord; so favorite parts are easier to rewatch.

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An honest Review

This series had its pros and cons for me but I was happy to watch it and the ending was quite satisfying for our leads and other couples. So let's get into this review, shall we? I never read the novel but knew from fans who had that production deviated heavily from it but am not surprised as many series and films do on an international scale. Let's get the bad news out of the way first.

Cons: As a writer and published author myself, plot and character development are essential especially when creating a character or making a written one into a 3D version of itself. There were so many useless or underdeveloped characters that it was honestly confusing to follow the storyline sometimes. For starters, why so many villains? A proper series needs maybe maximum 4 antagonists but they need a base and development where you could see them progress with the series, not just laugh evilly, narrow beady eyes during conversations, and disappear without a trace somewhere towards the end with a soft explanation (ex. Yu WenZhi). I legit lost track of the bad guys and had to ask someone. Some were turned into bad guys but the attempts were lackluster at best. The two real proponents of evil in this series were Shen TianShu and Pathetic Clam. The two of them would have been enough. And of course Yin Pei's transformation but his entire storyline was very short lived and wishy-washy. Perhaps add the Eunuch but for more then a few episodes that killed Xie Yun's father as an extra.

So many great or interesting characters were never really explored or were given fast deaths like Phoenix, the lady in red as I called her who fell for ZF's grandfather or Old man Chonquio while useless characters like the 3rd prince and I don't recall his name weak kid who had a crush on Ah Fei but his family was massacred and he joined Yin Pei's cult of crazy were created to confuse. There are probably other characters too but they were so underdeveloped that I forgot all about them.

It was also sad that even though Xie Yun was the ML his backstory was barely explained in tiny flashbacks. I wanted to know; how did he get poisoned? Where was he? Why? Who gave that order? Why the worst poison on earth? He was just a kid. This was a fascinating arc which was never properly explored. Where did he learn his footwork from? How did Yu WenZhi know him and vice versa? Not to mention the whole mystery of The Color of Ocean and Heaven; no one knew what it was, but ppl got killed for it and I felt like I was in a game of "Clue".

Continuing on to costumes and scenery. This was probably one of the saddest parts; this production had such a huge budget and I wonder what it was used on? The forest surrounding the fortress and every other location was so fake it was cringeworthy. They were filming in Hengdian where there's great terrain all over the place; why not use that? There are trees and bamboo and forests that were perfect for every outdoor scene. Rocks and hills could always be built in. The leads ever changing costumes made me dizzy. Why so many? Pick a few really well made ones and stay in them. The fake facial hair was atrocious at best. I can now understand Zhao Liying's post on Weibo last year after filming wrapped showing two hamburgers; one was the real deal and one was half the size of the original with discoloration. The first was of the expectation for the series and the second was the reality.

Ok, now that I have everyone depressed, let's get onto the good news.

Pros: The primary reason I watched this in the first place was because I'm a fan of Zhao Liying and Wang Yibo. She was the first actor I saw in c-ent that I really liked in Princess Agents and she pulled me into this rabbit hole. Wang Yibo I first saw as many did in CQL a month later and so started following him as well. Knowing that this was ZLY's first wuxia drama since PA and since her pregnancy, I was very excited and she didn't disappoint. I wanted to see Yibo in a totally different character to the ones I've seen him play, now as a chatterbox with martial arts and sweet talk; he too pulled it off.

I loved their playful banter, their bond before love set in. Though he was the flirt, there was a difference between that and when he really started to have serious feelings for her. The same thing happened with Ah Fei, she was stiff at first always smacking him or pulling her sword on him which made for very comedic scenes, but it was obvious with her too when just liking him as a friend or traveling companion turned into love. There wasn't a hot and heavy romance but it was still obvious and most importantly they formed the bond of trust and friendship before love. Both actors gave their all and it showed. Does this mean they stop growing in their profession? No. Yibo still has a long way to go but with time and different roles, I believe he will be a wonderful actor; at 23 he's already accomplished so much that he's really a prodigy in many ways. Liying has done many different roles and I appreciate all the hard work she puts in, I look forward to more things from her and already added both of their upcoming works to my watchlist here amongst others. The other actors that impressed me were named above but sadly weren't given enough screen time to have their stories flushed out. The second leads held their own but Ah Fei's female cousin I wanted to strangle. She acted 12 and her voice was like nails on chalkboard; if it wasn't for Bonehead and the doctor dude with the snakes for some comedic relief, I probably would have skipped more if not all of her scenes.

To tally it up;
The winners were Ah Fei, Xie Yun, Shen TianShu, Pathetic Clam, Yin Pei, Madam Nichang, and Xie Yun's masters on Penglai Island.
Ok characters: Li Sheng, ChuChu, Bonehead, Poisoner snake dude, Grandpa Li, parents of Ah Fei, Mr. Bai, General Wen.
Sadly not developed: Phoenix, Lady in Red, Old Man from Qi School, Eunuch killer.
Everyone else had massive character flaws, were unimportant so didn't need to speak about them or they didn't belong and should have been cut. Not the best series I have seen but certainly not the worst and there were very cute scenes between our leads to rewatch.

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Bless and honor all of frontline personnel fighting the pandemic!

Though not watching on CCTV and without subs, most of it is pretty common sense, I'll rewatch on the 23rd once the subs go up. The 8th episode with the doctor who got ill and the entire co-op was yelling "Jiayou" brought tears to my eyes. Not going to lie that I came to watch for Zhan and though he only had 5 minutes of the entire two episodes, his interaction with others were very cute. This mini-series is to honor all those on the frontlines fighting this pandemic. G-d bless them all. May all of their courage be a blessing to everyone because we have to remember we are one world, one people under one sky.

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Rushed Chinese Jurassic Park with a Volcano Instead

I'm a natural disasters nerd and have been for nearly 30 years; I've read and watched everything I could get my hands on when it came to tornadoes, volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, rogue waves, meteors, comets, asteroids, and occasionally hurricanes. Was just cruising Prime Video for any not so great natural disaster flicks and came across this one. Was very surprised that it was a Chinese film and found it here on MDL. It came out on prime two years after its initial release in China, so all of the actors voices were completely dubbed over but done well. I was familiar with only a handful of the actors; though the science wasn't there, this was like a rushed Chinese Jurassic Park with a volcano instead.

Pros: What I liked the most was the CGI which was top notch and all of the actors really played their parts well. Very typical of a state of the art hotel built on an active volcano; so greed over safety. It was entertaining to watch and I gave it the score I did for these pluses. The story needed to be longer and it would have been better if done so.

Cons: The total lack of science. First of all, an explosive eruption doesn't happen in just 20 minutes. This was a typical cone shaped volcano but both of its eruptions resembled those of Krakatoa, Tambora, and Vesuvius though on a much smaller scale. The fact that no one took the time to explain that those ash clouds racing down the mountain were pyroclastic flows that could reach up to 500 mph in speed and 1,000 degrees F, was ridiculous. ML aka dad survived not once but twice even though he was in the open where the flow reached him even if he hid in the hole in the ground; just look at the citizens of Pompeii and Herculaneum for that explanation. It's literally impossible to survive at all with just minor burns; each person would be incinerated alive. The ejections out of the volcano are called lava bombs and not only do they explode but they create their own lava flows.

I wasn't looking for a whole lot of accuracy it being only 1.5 hours long but just some basic volcanology would have sufficed; something they teach you in elementary and middle school science class.

Would I recommend it? Yes; as just a natural disaster flick with special effects and good acting. Grab some popcorn and relax.

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After All It Was David Who Beat Goliath

Watching a 2019 show in 2023 just hits differently; especially with 55 episodes lol. I haven't watched a series with that many episodes since 2020. Only reason I watched it is because I wanted a series where Allen Ren actually was convincing in acting, because what I've seen of him thus far wasn't all that great. Other than looking constipated while saying his lines, I wanted more substance and a trusted source recommended this.

Pros: In the very beginning, I wasn't at all sure he could pull it off, but once he fell for FL, I was pleasantly surprised that he was able to emote and really give his all to his character. Seven Tan I really like and think she does a great job when it comes to strong feisty characters be they in costume or modern dramas; though here she too annoyed me a lot in the beginning. But I actually have to say that the character that caught my attention the most was the morally gray Zhan Lanye; many a time these kinds of characters are played by men but here though she was basically obsessed with the main antagonist, killed many people, but still had a soft spot for SX and helped her out as well as get one of the biggest pieces of the puzzle to turn on big bad. It was good when all of the characters evolved because in the beginning you wanted to hit a few with bricks like Xie Xiao (I'll talk more about him below). All of the people the leads met along the way that became their friends or extended family were great. The big bad, Goliath aka Yan Shifan though a vicious, obsessed, greedy killer, was a good villain up until he crossed a few lines, then you just wanted to off him immediately. The storyline actually for the most part was decent until in the late 40s and early 50s of episodes; this series could have done much better with just 40 or 45 episodes. LY really was the David that brought down Goliath, I just wish it was more satisfying. Costumes especially for the embroidered guards were quite rich and beautiful.

Cons: The tired trope of "your father killed my family so I have to take revenge on you even though you were like 10" was first introduced in the late 40s and into the 50s and it was a mess then on out. Killing off a good character essentially without rhyme or reason in the last few episodes was just dumb. As mentioned up top the character XX was essentially a 12 year old in an adult's body. Some people called him comic relief, I considered him fast-forwardable. His crush on the FL going onwards past two rejections was pathetic. The love triangle or quad took like 40 episodes to resolve and had really blockheaded men I wanted to smack. It was just unnecessary from the main plot. The emperor was a very peculiar man; didn't trust anyone supposedly but really let himself be led by the nose by the Yan family for decades, killing innocent people just on words and false evidence. Ironically the actor looked older in this series then in The Blood of Youth where he too played the emperor which was filmed over a year after this was released. Maybe it was the wig.

One concern I had was how they threw rape around with the bad guys like it was nothing. Especially with that one who wanted SX and had 9 lives; stabbing didn't kill him, falling off a cliff didn't either, but some poison in some noodles in a jail cell and adios. Very unbelievable. Big bad was also pro rape and torture but his death was a total copout in the last episode. Beheading? Really? Y'all tortured smaller fries but the one who had orchestrated it all....nothing, zilch? Not to mention his nasty foot fetish and obsession with Dr. Ling plus what he did to Jinxia.

That last episode was taken from some LSD playbook and didn't make any sense. Why would LY act so rashly and out of character? I watched it being very confused. Many of the interior sets looked like they belonged in a carnival funhouse or a Bollywood musical. And lastly, why the closeups of the leads' eyes? That reoccurring theme looked ridiculous and had me laughing; the camera would be so close you could tell Allen Ren was wearing contacts and Seven Tan had an occasional pimple. No one needed that.

Would I recommend it? If you like the leads and good mysteries, then yes. But the fast forward button may be required especially with certain characters and when the plot took a downward turn in the late 40s.

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There Are Way Too Many Wheels on this Car

Only watched this for Yin Anan Wong and I have to say from last summer to this miniseries, his acting has improved a lot. I do however in the future wish he would get a role of the protagonist for a change. Not saying Rico Suave here wasn't a delight to see but I don't want him to be typecast as an antagonist before he really had any experience in mainstream entertainment. Because this miniseries is an anthology, my manner of review will be different than usual. Based on a true story usually means that while dramatization exists, the basis is real and therefore I will discuss each character as I saw them psychologically.

Mei - The original 3rd person, played the victim a lot and though I understand different cultures have their roles, she blamed way too much on karma instead of taking responsibility for her own actions. While the start of her relationship with Thiu was anything but consensual, pretty much every other thing she did on her own, had very little to do with bad karma and a lot to do with very poor decision making. She could have taken herself out of both equations at any time instead, she just dug herself a deeper hole. I was very glad that it took the car accident and her dear friend to finally make her wake up to the truth.

Thiu - Master manipulator and I have no idea how he wasn't in jail for sexual assault. If it really happened the way it was portrayed, then he got Mei drunk and forced himself on her when she essentially said no and tried to leave a few times. After that, he kept forcing himself on her even at the office, I had no idea how she felt love towards this man. Was it desperation, a weird version of Stockholm syndrome, you start to sympathize and love your attacker? His actions towards his wife were nothing short of verbal abuse. The man had zero concept of being in the wrong. I would classify him as a sociopath.

Atom - For someone who loved one night stands with random women, this walking STD still had some pride and wherewithal to take care of his own girlfriend though he was jobless. His relationship was salvageable because he and his girlfriend were both equal train wrecks. They both had vices that used other people for their own gain. He and Mei got the most out of whatever they had; they used each other and then it imploded. One could see it coming from a mile away. Would he really change? Who knows?

Khim: One loud mouth diva who made some kind of nasty masks that harmed others and considered herself an online influencer dishing out advice she had essentially no right to give. While Atom cheating on her left, right, and center wasn't a good thing, she could have just broken up with him and called it a day. Instead she turned herself and Thiu's wife into APEX predators by hounding the woman both men were seeing. One bad decision led to many others. Who really needed the confrontations, hair pulling, attacks and whatnot? It was really trashy and could have gotten her in trouble with the law had Mei decided to press charges. One of the reasons I think her and Atom would work out because they were both low class people.

Oil - While in the beginning I saw her and the baby as the only real victims in this story, her introduction to Khim, brought out a very nasty side in her. Who brings personal life to work? Even if it's an affair, get HR involved, don't show up unannounced and start a ruckus. She ended up being no less toxic then Khim. I hope for her sake, she divorces that hot mess of a husband and takes him for everything he owns, then it'll be revenge. She needs to think about her baby not threatening to throw acid on someone. That's a very harmful and unstable threat and makes Mei look like she was the only problem in that situation; when her husband started it all. Three sides to every story; his, hers, and the truth.

The miniseries was obviously very low budgeted because it seemed like actors either wore their own clothing or at least paid for it. Production used cheap locations and surroundings for places like the office or hotels. None of the places looked like real lived in homes. The car "chase" was laughable honestly, they were going no more then 20 mph while Khim swears she's flooring it. While the story itself makes sense as a cautionary tale, it's still very obvious that the Thai entertainment industry is new in comparison to others in the region. I hope for future works, they get more investors and better ones. Wish there was less screaming and yelling in each episode, definitely don't binge this unless you want a headache. This is an interesting miniseries for people studying psychology or psychopathy; you learn a lot about human nature.

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6 Piece X-Men

Was watching SOTM and the actor (Wang You Shou) who played He Na grabbed my attention, and though I ended up dropping that show, this one with him was recommended to me and I decided to give it a go. I loved the 6 piece version of X-Men just without the fantastical elements. This drama didn't disappoint me at all.

Pros: Loved the mystery and intrigue and how with the ML you never knew exactly what he was thinking and how many steps ahead he actually was. Also how even if he didn't have a plan, he could weasel himself or others out of nearly impossible situations under near death circumstances. There was a constant question of what was really going on but it never dragged until the end and nothing was what it seemed. My second favorite character was of course the reason I started watching or Wang Kuan played by WYS; man was like a walking Siri, encyclopedia Brittanica, and fortune teller wrapped up into one dude. He never told a lie, was loyal to a fault, and a wonderful friend and later on partner. Zhang Jian and Xue Ying were also great and I loved their strengths and weaknesses. Each character had flaws and that was very important.

I'd have to say my least favorite out of the 6 were Ya Nei because he was too flashy and though he did mature a bit as time went on, his arrogance just couldn't be tapered down. Also Ah Jing, she was the least qualified and though I felt that she did grow in strength as the series progressed, her outfits and the baby voice with which she talked made you constantly think you were leading a kid along on dangerous missions. It didn't make much sense. I wish they had evolved her more to fit a grown woman as the series continued. Even with WK by her side as protector and love interest, she still never came into her own. Hopefully that'll happen in part 2.

Other favorite characters from both the protagonists and antagonists side were Dean Lu, big bro of our Jack of all trades, old thief, instructor Liu, Old man minister of war, and even the creep Ding Er (I can't spell his other name). He really was the perfect antagonist and repulsively creepy at the same time. But it made him believable and therefore, he shall stay.

Loved the scenery, martial arts were awesome, OSTs, costumes, etc. just a nice round off of a lot of things.

Cons: With so much going on, many little variables were just left alone. Though the plot didn't drag until the end, it seemed many questions were left unanswered after each mission was completed. Like move on to the next one and the audience will forget. The last arc was an absolute mess. What was the point of any of it? To return Ding Er to annoy everyone and Dean Lu to have his final showdown, only to show YJX propose to ZJ and all be awesome and literally two scenes later in the same outfit and in the same location find out from the gang that the creep escaped from prison, kidnapped her, her father and sent a note to the team saying "he'll take good care of his wife and father" opening up the official season 2 approach. It was way too messy and could have been done way better.

All things considered a lot of the plots and subplots could have been executed tighter. That said, this is still pretty good for a lower budget 2019 drama.

Would I recommend it? If you like mystery, intrigue, light comedy, and great friendships, then yes I totally would. I'm very much looking forward to part 2 myself since they literally wrapped filming it a few days ago.

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CSI in Costume Drama

I watched this on the recommendation of two credible sources and am glad I did. It was witty, intelligent, and was a very serious whodunnit. What I liked about it was that all characters including the leads were very strong and equal to one another. I do wish there was at least one real kiss between the leads. Everyone had each other's backs and there was no jealousy or backstabbing amongst them. I enjoyed another drama without the cliche or tropes that these dramas are famous for. Very obvious the drama was lower budget but it really didn't need a large budget as it didn't have anything save martial arts which were done really well. Also obvious the main cast was compiled by new actors but they all held their own and were very convincing.

What I wished there was more or less of was more of our leads and their friends and less of the palace politics. The old evil eunuch guy looks like Grima Wormtongue and sounds like Gollum (for anyone who knows LOTR). I wish he was done away with sooner and the way he went was a total cop out considering this was a CSI crime solving story, not very convincing. The ending itself could have been done better and smoother for our two leads, especially since the literal last scene was of their marriage. Definitely some bumps and holes along the way but other then that, it was something that I'd recommend especially for crime drama loving people.

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An Honest Review

I watched this series for Dilraba and Ma Ke respectively as I'm a fan of both. I had read a lot of different reviews but I always like to watch and make up my mind myself. This drama is first and foremost about action, competition, and learning about teamwork. Romance is dead last. But I was expecting that. Ironically the most satisfying relationship was between the two instructors of LHSD. There was a romance triangle or quad. Two guys liked the same girl, and a 2nd girl all but stalked the main lead.

Cons: The title should have been LHSD not Hot Girl; didn't fit. The constant repetitive flashbacks weren't needed and were very annoying. Almost like the screenwriter thought the audience would forget who said what and when and to whom. What's the point of watching then? Least favorite character by far was Pink Panther aka Tianqi. She fell for the lead and literally stalked him; she had photos of him in her apartment everywhere. And in a secret box where she recorded every conversation they ever had. Yet when a celebrity entrusted their agency for the exact same purposes; she had a stalker, that person was considered psychologically unwell. He too had photos of her everywhere, followed her everywhere, and made constant phone calls. Yet Pink Panther's actions were considered normal even encouraged! It was mind boggling.

I felt bad for the male lead because his feelings towards the female lead were constantly trampled on by "but you can't hurt Pink Panther" or "you must be with her." Why should he be with a woman he doesn't care for in that way and a creeper to boot? It was a huge issue for many episodes. What compounded matters was the whole real probability of FL and ML actually being siblings after they fell in love. But even when that was cleared up, the FL was still pushing ML away towards the creepy Pink Panther; like girl are you really that dense or just dumb as nails? When first finding out that ML may be her brother, she turned cold and heartless towards him without any explanation. He was as much of a victim as she was. He meanwhile saved her life countless times and never gave up on her. What made it even more pathetic was that their "reunion" in the second to last episode was about as emotional as two old ladies playing cards. Very poorly written. She owed him an apology at the very least and a kiss would have been nice. As mentioned above the instructors relationship had more fireworks.

Sorry but Pink Panther is getting the punching bag here and it's because on top of being a creepy stalker that literally no one realized, she also spied on all of the people she supposedly cared for and worked for in order to help a competitor/misguided antagonist who hated the founder of LHSD. The SML was a dumb jock who couldn't take no for an answer, in love with FL and had the whole "if I can't have her, I'll just (try and) beat up everyone around me to show my manliness and endanger everyone's lives by joining the antagonist to show my jealousy." Very passive aggressive and just proved his uselessness.

Some scenes had me questioning the validity of anything they ever learned. In the second to last episode when SML holds FL hostage with first a gun, then a knife goading the ML to kill himself, the FL couldn't even subdue him? This entire time she was showing her almost gravity defying superiority in fighting and yet she can't get out of a hold? Probably the fakest scene out of the entire thing save for the paragliding experience which was obvious the production had a very low budget.

Next question, in 2015 or whenever this thing was filmed, was cancer the most popular thing people could come up with? Just about every other character had it. No variety or ingenuity whatsoever. Lastly the slow walking to music really brought back that Baywatch vibe and not in a good way.

After so many cons, how can this show possibly have any pros? But it does in fact.

Pros: I loved the idea of the show and the thing that made it more interesting is that they weren't just a group of bodyguards but also private investigators it seemed. Just about every client they had was shady or had additional problems that required further investigation. Nothing was ever cut and dry. I enjoyed the fact that they all started out as snotty, arrogant know it all's but learned how to work together and even appreciate the "she-monster" instructor who in fact just wanted them to succeed through hard work. FL and ML went from largest rivals, to friends, to falling in love though with a lot of hiccups. But in the entire time they each grew and matured.

Many side characters helped like the old man cafe owner; he was sort of like their shrink when they were stumped. The bullies got weeded out fairly quickly and were eliminated. For a good chunk of the episodes, it was all about their training which was more like boot camp for the military then bodyguards. Life and death situations brought people closer and helped them learn to rely on one another both at and outside of work. The synopsis talks about the FL becoming this legendary bodyguard. I wouldn't go that far because she wasn't alone. The final group all became great bodyguards, she just became a more responsible leader. So over all, I give this series a 7/10 because I knew I wasn't going to find a romance but more of an action drama and in that aspect, it didn't disappoint in the slightest. So watch for action, character growth, teamwork, friendships. If you're looking for romance, this isn't the drama for you.

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Section 8 Overshadowed Section 7

I originally watched part 1 this year so it wasn't a 4 year wait for me like many others. Going from 40 episodes and mostly comedy with intelligence to 27 and a much darker tone, set part 2 apart greatly from part 1. That and the fact that we met 3 members of section 8 that were destined to die and to me at least, they completely took over the series in terms of both action and caring about them from our beloved 6 heroes.

Pros: I really liked section 8's 3 members and felt that when they were on screen, they were much more important to this part than our main leads. Though they still managed to grow and mature while away plus the really random three year time leap that was stuck in there for whatever reason. I'm very glad that Pei Jing grew up as her character was the deer in the headlights always, hiding behind Wang Kuan. The drama made me feel the saddest when section 8's members were killed because even in their small amount of screen time, they made us really care about them and their martial arts skills were pretty awesome; on par if not better then Xue Ying's. Also when WK lost his arm, he being my favorite character, was really a sad and hurtful time but at the same time, it was good to see that even the best and brightest were only human. We got one smooch finally from our second couple but both couples had a few sweet moments here and there. Wasn't sure how I'd feel about the new actor replacing Bruce He to play Ya Nei but he fit the part really well. I'd seen the actor before in a modern, so he impressed me with going from doofus with the facial expressions to serious and realistic.

Big man YH was a great antagonist; he was ruthless, a great strategist, and just freaking huge. It took a lot to put him down but I'm glad they finally did. Was really the only real antagonist that made sense, the others were just dumb ants between his feet. Other good characters were PJ's brother, the dude who thought PJ was a dragon God but was there for comic relief more then anything else, YN's dad, the girl leading the military who had a thing for XY but she disappeared from the scene without an explanation. Costumes were great as were some of the sets, though not all. OSTs were nice too.

Cons: More plot holes than you knew what to do with. What started out as a rescue mission for ZJ's father ended up being an assassination plot just to help NL? In reality, they just wanted to prevent a war. But to understand all that took many episodes then necessary. Why so many stupid characters; Ding'er or Ning Ling, his mom, the son of sections' Chief; that character was bipolar....he's evil but he's also there for comic relief? It didn't make sense and threw the scenes off. Glad when he was off'd, just a waste of time and space.

What was up with all of these fathers? Obviously there was a time jump in the beginning but the way it was shown and expressed made zero sense. One faked treason but we never saw what information he delivered, the other appeared out of nowhere to cripple his own son for 3 years that he didn't even consider a son? That guy was a bastard. He didn't even go after YH in the end but let S7 do it and then just left. Like what was his point? You have insane martial arts skills that you prance around for a few episodes here and there but when it really counted, you just took on a few guards? Useless!

Lord, those horse scenes. I have no words. Them faux horseback riding and it going on and on and on was like watching a 1940s Western with color. Yes, this had a larger budget than season 1 but where did it go? Because that's like sticking a human on a mechanical prop that you don't even show but they're making riding motions et voila!

The ending was so underwhelming plus the misplaced ending credits. The only way S7 brought down mountain man was because they had help from a solar eclipse and a sandstorm which was apparently calculated by the ML and told to us in the second to last scene but it was truly a 🤦🏻‍♀️ finale fight sequence, can't even call it a battle. I only gave it an 8 because of the acting and music and the fact that it finished out a cliffhanger storyline, so watchable.

Would I recommend it? To finish out part one yes. But I definitely liked part one more because it made sense and was better written.

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A Hot Mess

This is what happens when screenwriters use outlines to put together a script as opposed to a fully flushed out plot with character development and cohesion. This was a huge mess. I understand 24 episodes but they were all over the place. No proper introduction to them and on top of that what was originally believed to be 3 fictional characters out of a diary, ended up being crossed over from Babylonian/Akkadian history. The only reason I didn't drop this like the majority of people I spoke with was because WRC or Richards Wang's character essentially carried the entire show on his shoulders plus the historical and international locations were beautiful. He was the only not over the top personality that honestly played his character without screeching, squeaking, and not making sense. I liked him in The Long Ballad as King of Mobei and he was able to do the same here and believably. Wish he had more screen time in both and I look forward to better roles from him in the future. For all of the insanity during, only one couple had a semblance of a happy ending while the others just matured but had to be heartbroken and separated by thousands of years and a different dimension; a real let down if there wasn't enough. Truly wish I hadn't started watching it. This series is only good for people who like chaos and insanity without a straightforward plot. Otherwise, please avoid.

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Aviation Fail

What promised to be a show about the aviation industry and people working hard within it, devolved into toxic office politics, an equally toxic relationship quad, an FL that was bashed with everything humanly possible and an ML with the EQ of a human rock formation. This isn't to dissuade people to watch if they're enjoying it but for me the constant stream of negativity was too much. I put it on hold for a while and now after thinking carefully, have decided not to pick it up again. Hope for those eagerly waiting for the ML to thaw, to get their wish. But I absolutely do not recommend this one. Plenty of others to choose from.

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Not perfect but binge-worthy show.

First meeting these characters in TMPB, I actually liked them a lot more than the two leads there. But knowing this was a totally separate story, gave it a go once it was fully uploaded and translated here. What can I say, I like to binge watch. Though, absolutely beautiful costumes, CGI, and script. It got a 9 from me because it got off to (in my opinion) a slow start. I love the chemistry between the leads and the humor of practically every character. The main antagonist could have laid off on the “evil laughing” all the time as it was not convincing in the slightest. Wish there was a more rounded ending of our two leads as that seemed a bit rushed. But overall, I’m satisfied with this series and would recommend it to friends.

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Couldn't Do It

I'm glad many people like this drama but I just couldn't do it anymore. I got through half and really wanted to like it too, but when you're literally just watching for the SML's 5 minutes on screen and he's carrying the entire drama for you, it's not worth it. They really overdid it on the CGI; it was like if TBW and Aquaman had a kid, just too much. Making the most delusional character into the main antagonist was a mistake when there are so many really awesome options. No real chemistry between the leads, a plot that couldn't straighten itself out, and quite a few miscast (can't act the characters convincingly) actors. It's Xianxia which is supposed to be about misunderstandings and lots of angst plus the technicolor dream world and while it had a boatload of the first and last, I felt nothing in terms of it with the leads. Again, this is just my personal opinion and therefore for those continuing to watch, please do. But I'm not recommending it and the actor who plays He Na is the only real rockstar in this plus I'm enjoying him in the series "Young Blood". I look forward to better work for him in the future.

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A hot mess

This is the first drama that I have dropped and so far along in the series. I just couldn't do it; it was a total disappointment because I like Zhang Han and loved his performance in "Boss & Me" with ZLY. He typecast himself into this CEO role and this storyline was just unrealistic and impossible to deal with. I'm not sure the director and screenwriter were sober when filming. Literally every single cliche and trope of a stereotypical Asian drama got hit. Love triangle that turned into a pentagon eventually, toxicity towards the FL from every side imaginable, a stalker SML, jealousy, unrealistic expectations. Just no! The only reason it is even getting a 5 instead of something lower is for the very few sweet moments of the leads, the few decent characters like ML's assistant, and their overall acting. Absolutely nothing could save this mess for me. And it's very sad. Many people like these roller coaster shows, but if you're going to call yourself a modern drama, it's got to be realistic. None of this was. I wish them all luck in their careers and better roles. Do NOT recommend.

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