Xing Han Can Lan
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Primarily Focused on FL's Storyline
This "2 part" drama, I'm going to review separately on here because I feel part 1 is different from part 2. Watching it solely for Wu Lei as he's one of the people I follow. I love him in these commander roles plus the man can have chemistry with a pet rock at only 22 years old. I never read the source material so I'm sure many of the novel readers will disagree with me and that's ok.Pros: LBY played by WL never disappointed when he hit the screen for the very short amount of time he was in this part. Not only was he lethal and ruthless but he also knew who he wanted from nearly the first episode and was just bidding his time for the sake of the familial politics working around him. He however was also not without flaws and that showed a lot at the end of part 1. CSS/NN played by ZLS was always on her game though also a flawed character. I really appreciated how smart she was without the need of traditional learning. With so many odds against her, she still not only managed to survive but make something of herself.
Other favorite characters included NN's brothers, third uncle and aunt, LBY's guards, Yang Yang, QiQi, emperor and empress. All were very helpful and caring where most of NN's family fell short. Ah Yao was alright but just a sweet kid and I'm glad he was maneuvered accordingly out of her life. Music, costumes, scenery, and that part of production was quite beautiful and I enjoyed that very much. Also the comedic elements helped move many of the slower scenes along.
Cons: This part of the story was slow; like snail paced slow to the point where it was very draggy. I ffw a lot of NN's family drama in the beginning episodes because it was legit yawnsville. I get that they were trying to show how hard she had it and all but it was just too much. The only bright spots were when LBY came into the picture or she traveled to Hua County. Otherwise, it was all very similar and lackluster.
Really poor characters were all the Princesses especially princess seaweed who's whining just made me want to stuff said seaweed down her throat. All they did was bully NN and with the same old tired crap, like ladies can y'all sing a different tune? You're all boring. Mommy dearest took the cake and the award for worst mother of the year and I couldn't deal with her; dear lord what a horrible woman. I'd say she was the main antagonist of part one. Dad was ok but essentially had no spine. YS aka pompous ass didn't need any scenes. He is a contender for NN's heart but each of his scenes were just of him being an asshat to the woman he liked.
Just a lot of unnecessary tropes and cliches, in this first one. I know all of the meat and potatoes will be in the second one but I do wish that the first part had an even backstory on the ML not just a rinse and repeat of FL's crappy home life dynamic, it would have helped a lot with what's coming and made the first portion more even keeled.
Would I recommend it? It's beautiful and if you're a fan of any of the leads or support and are ok with a really slow start, then sure, I would. Because I'm looking forward to part 2 and what it has to deliver.
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Misunderstanding, Misinformation, Misleading, Misinterpretation; Just an Overall Miss
Have never seen the leads before this so was interested to see how they did. All I can say is that I hope their past and future work has better scripts than this absolute mess of one. The novel readers made it sound great and interesting with a new concept but instead it was a misunderstanding, with misinformation, misleading, misinterpretation, basically an overall miss.Pros: Literally the chemistry of the leads and second leads, working relationships. The business aspects of it as it showed how different firms worked. Some comedy. That was it! The actors did as well as they could with the shredded mess they were given. I under no circumstances fault them.
Cons: Who in the 21st century still writes FL's with zilch EQs? Nearly 30 episodes of 36 revolved around a misunderstanding so absurd I don't know how it was even pulled off. FL took some dumb chick's who broke up her already ridiculous relationship words as gospel instead of finding out the truth as she was supposed to be some brainiac reporter and with that proceeded to act cringey beyond belief trying to get close to ML a CEO at new but major company. The bestie with her dumb as bricks advice that made things worse when she couldn't make her own life work made you want to scream.
When the truth came out finally, the FL still didn't reveal it to ML even though both had genuinely fallen for each other. Their relationship was originally built on a lie and once exposed it naturally crumbled. The FL was a selfish, self-absorbed moron that I wouldn't have forgiven as easily as the ML did. This show could have been made just fine with 24 or 26 episodes. The dragging of the ridiculous lies and misinformation, was unnecessary.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely not. This is probably one of my shortest reviews but nothing after the leads got back together even redeemed it for me. I am watching BL in a costume drama right now where she's killing it and I hope to see Dylan in the future in a great written drama. Save yourselves the aggravation and just run.
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My Roommate is a Detective
4 oamenii au considerat această recenzie utilă
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Train Wreck in a Fancy Wrapper
Only watched this because I really liked Checkmate and this had the same theme and cast. However, I didn't expect a debacle of these proportions. How this has an 8.4 rating here is beyond me, unless its because of actor fans; but then different strokes for different folks.Pros: Literally the SML or QCS carried the entire show on his shoulders. His character was intelligent, gutsy, had great martial arts skills, loyal, caring, supportive to all he cared about. Maybe not the full brains of the operation, but very close. Other likable characters were Old man Bai, Adou, and Salim. They rounded out the support nicely. Production when it came to sets and costumes was gorgeous as all Republican era dramas are. That's it, there were no other pros for me.
Cons: I could just say everything else and that would suffice but I will elaborate a bit. The ML had serious issues of laziness, greed, and multiple personalities that only seemed to slightly disappear towards the end. The FL was the usual toxic, prepubescent voiced, self entitled brat that thought the entire world owed her for her father's lack of parenting skills. There was zilch chemistry between the leads other then constant bickering, so them getting all lovey dovey towards the end and getting hitched was very much an afterthought that felt more like incest because they acted like siblings with QCS having to essentially babysit both even during cases, which made things look very unprofessional and half-assed.
The plots and cases were rather dull and unsatisfactory; all suspects confessed very quickly after always repeating the same remark about evidence; there was no real pull between ML and murderer. Like "Yep ok, I confess". The European additions to the cast had to be the worst and what got hit for ratings first for me was the nasty anti-Semitic remarks by both the Chinese and European cast. While I understand the time period and things were up in the air in China politically, Jews never posed a threat and therefore the Fascist comments were not only unnecessary but revolting. Had that continued, I would have dropped the series on principle.
The lack of cohesion of the Europeans speaking English, with their lips moving inaccurately to what was being said was sometimes hard to watch and often caused a headache. Also what was the point of them speaking English to their Chinese counterparts only to switch to Mandarin? It looked very sloppy. The ending was rushed and felt like it was filmed in a day. This was basically a train wreck in a fancy wrapper.
Would I recommend it? No, I absolutely would not. Yes, this was somehow a spoof on something to do with Agatha Christie, but for the life of me, I don't know how or where. This is probably one of my shortest reviews for a show, because it had literally just about everything wrong with it. So, save yourself the headache and find something else.
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Yin Yuan Da Ren Qing Liu Bu
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Cute & Corny Rom-Com
I was watching this only because I follow CYC and XYL; I knew CYC could hold his own in a costume drama but was interested how XYL would fare and his acting didn't disappoint. Going in, I knew it was a low caliber drama so CGI and whatnot wouldn't be very expensive looking. Still though, the story looked interesting.Pros: As expected, CYC in his character and development went very well. His portrayal of the immortal with few emotions who slowly learns how to feel and love, was very well executed. I really liked the plot and its progression was very well paced. XYL as the cute 3rd wheel did a good job in this rom-com of sorts. I liked how he wasn't made to be some evil, jealous buffoon as many times in these love triangles/quads this happen. His character genuinely felt love towards the FL but at the same time, he understood when it was time to give up and move on. He didn't stick around to badger her, but gave his blessings. Even when he learned the secret about the ML and others being deities, he still wouldn't hurt FL by disclosing the information. I felt his character, though like every other, with its own flaws, was evolved very well.
It took me a while to warm up to the FL, because though intelligent and witty, she couldn't speak like a normal human being but instead screeched like an entitled howler monkey. Only when she started speaking like a woman did her character make more sense and I was interested in seeing where everything would go. Her cousin Ah Jing and Li Fu were probably the oddest balls in the entire thing; to me it felt like they switched genders but their match up was a good one though way over dramatically done.
Last favorite characters were grandma, who honestly had "selective" dementia and understood way more than she was letting on. Even in the last episode when talking to the sky she said "but he has to go back soon" so she knew what was going on before many others did; her character was one of the funniest and forthright out of the bunch. Xiao Ya's two servants were very cute too.
Cons: Thanks to the help of another viewer (@Jamilla), we were able to come up with a nickname for a particularly horrible and unnecessary character; Tong'er aka "Thing 2 Gorilla Glue". Entitled is an understatement; this whiny, stalkerish, chick with a voice of a prepubescent child clung onto ML like they had some sort of predestined arrangement written in blood. It was a one-sided love or obsession rather and she stopped at nothing trying to get him including nearly killing the FL twice. Because of her nonsense, the story took a serious hit in both the rom and com sections. There were enough subplots to keep the story interesting without the necessity to add such an absolutely useless character. I was very glad when she finally disappeared.
XY's father was one weird dude; I know it was slapstick comedy but nothing he did was funny to me. It looked forced and quite dumb actually. The OSTs weren't memorable in the slightest. Usually, music stands out but not here. The styling of many of their clothes was very off. XY's entire wardrobe looked like it belonged on a teenager and not a woman of marriageable age. Poor XYL's wig looked like a pineapple because of all the knickknacks they had stuck in it; everything was swinging every which way and it was quite distracting. His costumes always looked one or two sizes too big. Budget for production was definitely on the lower side. Considering all of that, the fact that he was still able to portray the character as believably as he did, makes me look forward to even more great things from him.
I like the 3 extra episodes in the end but they would have been a lot better if they were incorporated into the actual series. The last two episodes were very angst filled because everyone knew that CY had to return to heaven no matter what. Literally squished into the last 10 or so minutes was him leaving and all the sadness and then later him returning 3 years later the same way he arrived the first time with only Li Fu knowing who he was. That is essentially how they ended the series and it was both confusing and bizarre. Now if they took the extra episodes and made one extra episode explaining how somehow within that time, everyone remembered who he was and so forth, it would have made a lot more sense. Because there was very little cohesion in how the ending happened. It was very abrupt and left one going "that's it?" Better editing would have done wonders.
Would I recommend it? If you're a fan of CYC and/or XYL than yes, regardless of the other stuff, both actors did very well. I do wish they had better quality scripts. Also the plot itself was interesting and the development went smoothly; misunderstandings were resolved relatively quickly. So it's a pretty decent drama to watch.
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The Lost Tomb 3: Ultimate Chronicles
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When Indiana Jones meets Harry Potter and Lara Croft--Great as A Stand Alone
When Indiana Jones meets Harry Potter and Lara Croft. This is a very good stand alone action show. Yes a lot of questions left unanswered as well as a bit of a cliffhanger but there is hope to return Zhang Qi Ling and the team because Wu Xie would never just let his soul-brother perish. I am not interested in any of its prequels or sequels unless the cast was exactly the same plus I noticed that some of the sequels were aired before this which doesn't make much sense. I do wish that for this last expedition, Wu Xie and Zhang Qi Ling weren't split up. I don't think there could have been a cliffhanger otherwise. The con aspects were that there were characters that made an appearance and then disappeared without rhyme or reason that didn't pertain to the show.Though I started watching for LYN and his character Shades or Mr. Black didn't disappoint as an opportunistic dork, it was the actor that played Zhang Qi Ling that got my attention. He did a fantastic job as a monosyllabic Kung fu master because of the way he was able to emote with his eyes be it annoyance, fear for his friends, or any other emotion. That's very hard to do in acting when there aren't a lot of lines. The young man (Xiao Yu Liang) playing this role is a novice to acting as he's part of some boy band but he was very convincing. I wish there were more scenes of him and Wu Xie and they left Fatty somewhere behind. That dude just had way too many lines and got annoying quickly. I saw some ppl complaining about too many episodes. Actually, I wanted more. Joseph Zeng also was able to do a great job as the inquisitive nerd with a knack for solving riddles and getting ppl out of hairy situations. It was great to see him in this role aside from the one he's currently in that's not doing him any justice. I really like all of the special effects in this drama and the martial aspects as well.
I also liked the friendship between Shades and Xie Hua. Though in the beginning it seemed very annoying, it grew and developed into respect even when you wanted to smack Shades upside the head, he was still quite dorky. These actors do a great job portraying their characters and making each scene believable no matter what. I wish they continued this series with the same main actors because their chemistry was undeniable. I know I want to see more dramas with Xiao Yu Liang as he has a future in the industry.
I would highly recommend this as a stand alone drama even though it has a cliffhanger ending; it's one with hope.
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Black Lotus Tactics Manual
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It Grows On You
I picked this up for the two male leads as they have both impressed me with their characters in several previous series. The story line was also kind of different so was curious about it. I will say that I dropped it twice before just jumping to episode 5 and fast forwarding until 7 when the plot actually picked up. But it did grow on me.Pros: I really liked the group dynamic and how they were--once formed--very "leave no man behind" no matter what the situation is. Because this was a transmigration into a book thing, the characters could be reborn or healed by unlocking certain elements of the game. Both ML and SML played their parts well and I was happy to see more differences and versatility from them. When they were together with the two female leads (both of whom had their own strengths and abilities plus evolution) and the kid, they really were a force to be reckoned with. I like the different mysteries that they solved on the path of eliminating an evil woman; this was another drama where demons were often misunderstood and way better than humans.
The ML was half demon and actually the author of the novel as well as a series of books which the FL was a fan of and followed but when this novel came out, it was really bad as it was his first book that he wrote when he was a teenager and diagnosed with a disease that could only be treated when he was an adult and his parents fought all the time so he was writing from a place of anger and dejection. So both he and the FL were thrown into the book with her determined to rewrite the ending and him not knowing anything really or pretending not to until the very end. To make it more predestined, they had actually met in middle school where he developed a crush on her (but his first book ended the way it did was also around the time that the FL left the school due to the loss of her father) and as he grew up he basically wrote all of the books for her. As he saw her comments online which encouraged him, he grew to love her even more and after going in for surgery decided to revise that first novel. It was while he was in surgery that his trip happened while for her it was an overnight dream.
Costumes fit each character accordingly, as do the OSTs, sets, and CGI.
Cons: Though it did grow on me; the fact that I couldn't watch the first 5-7 episodes without dropping or fast forwarding due to the beyond ridiculous slapstick humor that didn't land from the FL and the plot not going anywhere was hard. Dramas need to hook you from the beginning and this one just didn't. If it wasn't for the people I really wanted to see in different roles, I probably wouldn't have stuck around though it got a lot better with more episodes.
That ending was a total mess. It's being questioned whether or not it's an HE or OE on Weibo by fans. What were the editors thinking? Did they unscrew their brains for a day or something? The ML filmed the actual ending as he calls the FL's name; he was there! Yet they cut that part and had just his voice say her name and her stare beyond the camera in shock and then smiled as the paparazzi behind her all called his name and said that he was coming. What in the what? They had the kid and his grandpa in the real world selling ice cream at the event location, but they couldn't show the ML coming over to her and at least hugging her or holding her hands? Plus what happened to the second couple? They don't get roles in the real world? They were just left without proper closure creating that ladder to heaven and that's it? Someone help me out here? It's ridiculous! I was very displeased with that and it knocked .5 off my rating automatically. Endings are as important as beginnings; so if they're screwed up, the drama will take a hit.
Would I recommend it? Honestly, this is a good drama if you need something to tie you over between something anticipated or if you're a fan of any of the actors, then sure. All in all, a decent watch.
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As Beautiful As You
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What's Love Got to do with Business?
Had been waiting for this because I've never seen XK in a modern and also to see how he and Seven would work out chemistry wise. Overall, the story in particular didn't disappoint. I had seen a few of the supporting cast before but was unfamiliar with many others. The story had a few couples but the main theme was separating business from emotions, what love really meant, and not regretting the choices you made; giving those that deserved it a second chance. A play on the famous late Tina Turner song, what's love got to do with business?Pros: The chemistry between the leads HT and JX was off the charts. They were just too stinkin' cute and you were laughing at the silliness and being giddy with all of the sweetness. Plus the comedy from the others, was great or when you had a sad/tense moment, a little comedy made the scene so much better. XK nailed the part of the domineering, ruthless CEO HT with a heart of gold to a T. Man could undress a woman or in this case JX with just his eyes any day of the week. It was sugar and spice and everything very meow. For the most part, the story was incredibly realistic and refreshing when it came to real life world things and people. Both leads had great friends and wing people. JX was a person who started at the bottom of the business ladder and slowly rose to the top, though of course with HT's help. My other favorite characters were XM, LL, LLJ, SZZ, TS, XYX (though he sucked in relationships, he was a great friend to HT and others), and unlike many others, I had no problems with QZZ and SYC getting together, though I really didn't know why, after her wedding, QZZ basically disappeared from the show. Also LLJ's mom, JX's parents, and grandpa Han were awesome as they weren't toxic but just genuinely worried about their kids and did the best they could to help/advise them.
The other couples ended up being QZZ and SYC but they seemed to get together quickly, like the show was trying to rush along their stories as well as XM and LLJ; though both liked the other, they didn't really get together until the end and the love triangle of LL, XYX, and SZZ. Honestly, felt like LL and XYX were the most compatible but it was also understandable that he had serious insecurities that he hadn't worked through and SZZ finally grew up enough to deserve her as she slowed down to understand that she really needed stability and not just money and power. So in this case had they shown XYX working through his issues for her, they would have worked out too. But at least he became a good friend to her as well admitting where his faults lay and that he lost her because of them but to not regret letting SZZ go. So that was very intelligently done.
HT and JX got together really quickly and the phrase "I love you" popped out way too soon. Their biggest issue lay in their very horrid lack of communication. He kept business secrets from her that she should have known about and important as well and she basically ran her business with her emotions, even listening to ZD (a villain) over her own boyfriend; here's an intelligent woman doing really dumb things. She treated all of her employees like they were supposed to be friends; which when they backstabbed her, she was shocked about but it was her own fault. Furthermore, she couldn't separate love from business (hence the title of this review) and her view of love was a little too grandiose to reality while his was subtle and in the way of "actions speak louder than words" manner which is more realistic. Their breakup was needed and mandatory to grow into evolving themselves. That said, I will speak more about that in the cons.
The antagonists (4 in total); cousin (who finally towards the end figured out that blood was thicker than water and to leave HT alone or he would ruin her), Zhu asswipe (a criminal that kidnapped JX and really hurt HT; hopefully got life in prison), Chang He (HT's competition but also did plenty of illegal things himself like enable Zhu and other business dealings, got arrested), ZD. I will talk about her in the cons because out of the 4, she was the worst and probably the most annoying antagonist. She started morally grey and then they turned her into a stalker and I was done.
All of the settings, especially faux Germany was really nice, glad they taught the leads some basic German. The OSTs and most of the costumes fit too. Also the fact that not only had he loved her since college but that they had actually met somewhat as kids was a nice touch of how truly destined they were. I like the extra episode as it shows what his version of love for life meant.
Cons: I have to speak about the break up because even the book readers said it was off. I was able to fast forward most of it and not miss much because while HT was poisoning himself with alcohol, crying, lighting sparklers, just pining in pain; other than their initial argument, JX didn't shed a single tear. Sure she was sad but she cried more over her breakup with SYC than HT. She just went home, moped a bit, and then quit her job, leaving her company to merge on its own and flew to Germany to study more. Like what even? She opened his safe without permission to find documents; that was so weird to me, a total invasion of privacy. I don't know why he didn't call her out on it. If it wasn't for HT she wouldn't even have had her company let alone what it became. There were some things he couldn't have told her due to confidentiality agreements, yet she threw a tantrum at him. As soon as things she didn't like in her personal life happened she bailed out on her company and left. Yet returned to a VP position. She was upset when some other company had thousands of employees go jobless overnight but her own team; she was ok to dump on LL and SZZ like it was no problem. In the real business world, that's a career killer right there. Like damn girl; emotions and business aren't the same thing! They should never be combined. He apologized 7 (no pun intended) ways to Sunday including during their public forum and even after the kidnapping thing when he was already very injured; meanwhile she never uttered the phrase “I’m sorry.” He was always her buffer and it wasn't fair to him especially in business at all. Yet she was as much part of the problem as he was, if not more so. In her mind, he had to conform to her standards but she didn’t have to reciprocate. I hate it when they gloss over women's accountability like that. According to readers, a lot of important conversations weren't included and that would have helped bring more gravitas to that part of the drama.
Also her lightning quick transformation into understanding business and finally pulling emotions out of it was way too fast. It was like a flip of a switch. Wish there was more cohesion and a smoother transition of that. Furthermore, how he just randomly came upon her in Germany though he was looking for that same guy she met, also could have been done smoother. Another contention I had was what I call the "Superman effect." When characters charge into a dangerous situation alone without backup or with backup far away. She was kidnapped and held on a high floor of an abandoned factory at knife point and you don't call the police until you're literally nearly there? Why bother? Because you're Superman and you can take a beating with a lead pipe to the back and fall 4 flights into a very conveniently placed air mattress set up by first responders because they somehow telepathically know exactly where you might fall. For a realistic modern drama, that was a huge issue.
I wish they had shown CH and ZD being led away in handcuffs for their actions in everything they had done against the leads both personally and professionally. As mentioned up top, ZD started as a morally grey gorilla glue character to HT, who never gave her the time of day in that way, but then she just didn't stop; no matter how many times HT told her to back off and even sold her shares and after he got hurt in the end she was still there like a bad dream asking him whether he regretted it and trying to get into JX's head a second time about how he'll cheat and lie in business to her again but thankfully this time JX didn't let her get the upper hand and stood her ground. This crazy idiot grew up with him and thought she owned him; she followed him to Germany, started a company in the same industry as him, and so forth just so she could somehow be with him. It's scary and quite pathetic that a person couldn't or wouldn't have their own identity just because they were so obsessed with someone. By the end of the show, I wanted her gone. Out of all of the antagonists she was the most ridiculous and annoying one and hardly realistic; no idea why HT never got a restraining order against her.
Only real point of contention with JX's clothing was why she had to look so matronly in the beginning? ZD and LL working in the same industry looked like professional businesswomen; only after her return from Germany that second time did she finally look and dress her age and like the VP she was.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely! Despite the cons, the pros definitely outweighed them. Though I do wish they had stuck some things from the novel as it would have made it better, it was still a very good show. I really hope XK does more of these types of modern romance dramas; he's very good at them. If you like great comedy, romance, and an overall good story that's very realistic, this is the show for you.
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The Story of Mystics
31 oamenii au considerat această recenzie utilă
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My Most Anticipated Drama of the Year & It Landed!
What a journey! My goodness! In the 5 years since I fell into the cdrama rabbit hole, this is the first and only drama that I followed since the very first day of filming (primarily for TJR but was glad that 60% of the MJTY cast was in here too), through the grueling 5 month shoot, every day watching many of the scenes we saw being shot because unlike every other drama, it was like fans were welcome to film whatever they wanted as it was free advertising and no one cared about leaks. The multitude of costumes and that the wrap on set at the end of February to see it come to our screens in late October. It nearly got a perfect score if it wasn't for some writing and editing issues I had. This was my most anticipated drama of the year and boy did it land!Pros: Lord, I don't even know where to begin. The CGI was phenomenal and it never felt like a computer was doing the work instead of the actors. The gorgeous costumes and sets. I wonder if this was an S++ drama because of how expensive it looked and was. Favorite character was ZYC with ZYZ coming in close second. Both of them, be it their bickering or stronger than platinum bond were such dynamic characters. Both actors are still young and for one this is only his second series to air while the other has had several but both showed tremendous growth from what I had seen from them previously; the versatility was insane. The demon hunting bureau became a family stronger together than many you'd see in real life that had to go from case to case and from tragedy to tragedy as they were being set up by asswipe camp and ZYZ's former best friend who was ridiculously misguided but gained his redemption at the end. BJ was a riot though all the shrieking did kind of get annoying after a while; that said when he was possessed by LL until nearly the end, you missed the kid. PSJ and her puppet brother were also indispensable to the team as was cheesy mountain God YL; he and BJ made a great pair. I have never seen CX act before and felt she gave a strong performance here. WX had her strong moments, being the common sense voice in the group/family and scenes of sisterhood and encouragement with PSJ.
When this thing was filmed, none of us who followed the actors—day in and day out—knew that it would have any comedy in it (it was an original IP after all) so were totally caught off guard with the first episode and onwards. It wasn't a lot but it certainly made for some interesting situations especially when BJ yanked ZYC's hair repeatedly and the sound effects, that part we actually saw filmed as in real life TJR and Lester are really close since their MJTY days and Lester turning 13 on set plus going through puberty, it made for some really funny scenes both BTS and on screen because whether in real life or not Lester/BJ clung to TJR/ZYC like crazy gorilla glue lol! One of those yanks off screen nearly pulled TJR's wig off; it became a DY masterpiece. I'm personally extremely proud of TJR as new and green as he is to show business; with now only 2 series out, 3 filmed and currently working on a 4th. He couldn't play that character any different or better; it’s mind-boggling that he only debuted last year.
While filming, the entire cast including the guests had to perform a certain dance in various locations and we were puzzled about how it would be used; we counted over 30 by the time filming ended. They even filmed one in the snow which was followed by an epic snowball fight that had crew joining in and GJM being lambasted by everyone as he tried rather unsuccessfully to get away. It seemed the cast was giving him payback for the extreme dieting and hours of work. That was made into an MV but when this thing premiered we realized that the dances were edited in a way to become our ending credits that would change every few episodes. It was quite smart and resourceful; because the show was emotionally heavy and the credits added that light and warm touch. So it became a wonderful combination.
All of the supporting cast were great as were the guests. So many wonderful characters to show that not all demons were inherently evil; some were born with fates they didn't want like ZYZ and Fei. And that humans could be far worse like leader of asswipe camp. He became immortal and so many had to sacrifice so much to take him down especially BJ. Losing YL and BJ were the hardest for me; I legit cried. ZYZ, you were prepared, still hard though there's hope for him returning someday. Maybe one of the characters could go into the sundial and wait until he cultivates into human form again, like WX did with the tree.
All of the OSTs and BGMs were amazing but my number one liquid fire favorite was by LYN. It was his first time doing this genre of hip hop/rock and it absolutely blew my mind. I have it and a few others now in my Spotify OST list. Maybe it's because I followed this show from the beginning but I feel like when it ended (after the special episode), it took a part of me with it. Like I'm extremely satisfied but wish we were with our characters longer.
Cons: Though this section is small, unfortunately it still was there. I absolutely did not like how the majority of the character of WX was written; (this is no reflection on the actress at all; only about the writing of the character) I don't know why GJM decided to make her so one dimensional. She spent many of her scenes for 34 episodes crying and yelling either for ZYZ or ZYC. The writing of this character reminded me of her character in MLC due to the weepiness of it, though there she at least talked and acted tougher and carried a sword. Everyone else who cried which they did often given the amount of tragedy in this had a lot of depth and you felt the weight of their tears but with her it became almost a waiting game of when will she start per episode or numerous times per episode. Even in the end, it threw a heavily emotional scene off; like stop already, do and say something else, please! So the writing threw a monkey wrench into this whole character for an actress who could handle being complex and should have been allowed to showcase that. Also could have had the good guys not lose so much when it came to asswipe camp's strategies. Felt like they were given the upper hand way too much as opposed to the push and pull that would have felt more appropriate.
Editing was off as some scenes came together very suddenly and you didn't understand how this person was there or why. Or wait did she cough up blood? When did that happen? I felt like many scenes were cut altogether which was kind of weird since the episode count actually went up and there was an extra episode to boot. It being a fantasy drama, suspension of disbelief had to be deployed a bit especially when our group was so obviously spied on and they didn't realize it at all or some characters disappeared without a trace and we didn't know what happened to them. But that's it.
Would I recommend it? 100% would! This show delivered in so many ways. The cons were nothing in comparison to the pros; writing and editing but the richness of the story, music, locations, costumes, and the absolutely phenomenal performances by the actors should give you a very satisfactory experience.
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An Ye Yu Li Ming
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Team Cop vs. Team Darth Vader
Chose this for CZY as a completely different genre from anything he'd previously done. Though not a fan of propaganda of any country, I liked the case solving/cop aspect of this. I knew various other actors from other series. We really got to witness team cop vs. team Darth Vader duke it out.Pros: As I've mentioned in the comments, I'm very proud of CZY for taking this really complicated character on that's completely out of his usual comfort zone and to be able to hold his own with such veteran actors was quite impressive. LSB was the naughty one that was incredibly intelligent and whose ability to adapt to all situations no matter what, was remarkable. As the city and country around him was essentially going through a civil war after the Second World War, his sole determination was to be the best cop he could be and protect who he loved and the city he loved so dearly. While his best friend and brother in arms (XW) turned to the dark side and essentially became a serial killer and an assassin for Team Darth Vader, his newfound police family from the new government consisted of a very rigid cop/military director LZY who he butted heads with but ultimately they developed a tacit understanding and strong bond that went just as far as the one he had with XW. Not to mention the FL JY played by Xing Fei, impressed me a lot. Another young actress that did very well in her very serious role; she always played by the rules but never let LSB down even when he stumbled and made mistakes as he grew and changed.
What impressed me about this show was the ever flowing storyline; there were never any filler episodes, it never dragged or got boring. You were always wondering how Team Cop would finally get ahead of Team Darth Vader who were a step ahead until almost the very end; finding and breaking the mole was incredibly important. Even though the story was serious, the comedic placement was very well inserted and really toned down things in just the right way. Other great characters were Huzi, the rest of Team Cop especially the new addition Yaohang who was just as smart as LSB and LZY and the three of them got a lot done. Loved how it was a brotherhood with Xiaoman as the only female but how they took care of each other. The child actress who played Feihang did a fantastic job.
Darth Vader himself or ZLT was a great main antagonist; incredibly cunning and always had a plan B in foiling Team Cop's plans until nearly the end. Most of the antagonists though shown as being able to eat their own young to climb to power played their parts for as long as needed. XW was the one who was given the redemption arc death but that really was the only way for him to go out. He had to return to LSB and save him finally after everything that LSB had done for him. At first I wasn't sure I wanted that for him because he became essentially a demon, but the way it was done, I was satisfied with.
The Gang boss lady did a superb job as prior I had only seen her in antagonist or morally gray roles in costume dramas, so this was a such a refreshing take and role for her. The 3rd faction consisting of Mr. Jin, his assistant and the two assassins with two little boys that ended up without their father or uncle. I think Mr. Jin made a lot of mistakes; had he given himself up to Team cop and he had several opportunities to do so, maybe Darth Vader wouldn't have gotten as far as he did as he relied on Mr. Jin's funding. And JY as well as those two boys would have still had their dads.
OSTs, costumes, fight scenes (my favorite always), and sets were as usual Republican era beautiful.
Cons: Huzi's death was so unnecessary. We were coming down to the wire so they figured they had to kill someone from team cop and the reasoning was nonexistent. XW was going to return to the good side by dying; why kill Huzi? Makes zero sense. How is it that a hospital is virtually deserted in a gun fight but even so afterwards? Doctors usually hide but when the bullets stop flying they immediately rush to help or sometimes even during; in this series, people got shot, the threat is gone but people die because um where are the doctors?
The editing throughout the series had some issues, they randomly inserted real footage from that time period but got other facts completely wrong in basic conversations. What was the point? This is a drama not a documentary. Plus the translation of the anthrax pathogen to "anthrax germs" made me laugh. Another thing that just got me was yet another series fell symptom to the "Superman trope"; in the end LSB got shot in the gut but ran to stop ZLT from escaping. Also JY got ambushed and stabbed with a scalpel by that weird anthrax doctor dude (he died soon after because well never bring a scalpel to a gun fight; our girl immediately afterwards put 3 slugs into him and that was that), but with that severe injury plus exposure to the anthrax she somehow managed to locate the anthrax canisters and switch the lethal stuff with some harmless powder. Lastly, the actual ending could have been done better; instead of those words on a black screen, we could have ended both JY and LSB way better and we don't even know how much time passed because while confronting ZLT on the rooftop, LSB gets shot again and then repeatedly kicked by ZLT, LZY is then seen racing him to the hospital. Next scene is LSB obviously getting a haircut and joining the new government after which he visits a still unconscious JY in the hospital. He's sound as a pound but she's still unconscious and even Feihang had heart surgery and recovered. So how much time has passed? Literally last scene is LSB leaving the hospital and that's it before the black screen with propaganda information rolls out. But what about our characters? It felt very unfinished in that sense and totally different from the rest of the series. We've invested so much into these people that they deserve better endings than just being dropped by the wayside. That is where the series lost some of its score from me.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely. Despite the wonky editing, ending, and the propaganda undertones that could be ignored; this was a very strong series with a great storyline and characters that you were invested in. Where you laughed with them and cried with them too. Definitely give it a go.
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Great Acting but the Storyline was a Choppy Mess & the gun was STOLEN not lost!
I only came about this series last minute because I had previously watched DYX in 4 costume dramas this year so wanted to see him in a totally different genre. Now he and the rest of the actors (some I've seen while others I haven't) did a phenomenal job at their characters but the script was just a choppy mess and I was so sick of them talking about the gun being lost and how he had to take responsibility when the dude was knocked out and the thing stolen off his person.Pros: Honestly, just the acting of the actors; DYX did a wonderful job, just wish the script was strong. Every character was believable and did their part for as long as they were needed. DLE or as I called him the Hawaiian shirted gangster was literally the comic relief of the show. How everyone was able to convincingly speak in whichever dialect of mandarin that was, was very cool. Mastermind was truly cruel and used everyone to his advantage. The worst was NF; because he killed her father but made her believe he was her benefactor until right before she was shot by the SWAT team. He manipulated this poor girl her entire life into becoming a spy and assassin for him and then called it her atonement for what her father did. Losing LTY, then her, then Bao Ge (though that was inevitable) was hard. But the mastermind being very smart that he planned everything for something like 12 years and his actor played him well. Sad part was that LTY didn't like nor trust him from the beginning but no one believed him and than he was killed by the guy, that one hurt the most.
Cons: The storyline was a mess. Ok there's a mastermind that had ML's gun STOLEN but that was constantly referred to as a lost gun and he was suspended over it not to mention yelled at because all of these other cops SML included would somehow be super human if knocked over the head with a metal pipe and be able to retain his service pistol. That was a crock of shit. The cops themselves couldn't catch a bad guy red handed if he came to them on a silver platter which included whole departments, SWAT included. Meanwhile WBB (ML) and his best friend LTY were always in the path and somehow either slowed the person getting away down or caught him for said flailing cops.
Furthermore, no one could really tell when ML met NF; one moment you think they just got to know each other a little while ago and he just has a crush on her and then a few episodes later you find out he’s been in love with her since they were young. That’s what I mean by choppy and messy. There was absolutely no need for romance in this drama or even the slight possibility of it. And the way it was written, was screwed up as well.
For 26 or so episodes, the bad guys were running circles around the cops. They couldn’t put 2 + 2 together to save their lives. The flashbacks in the beginning were slowly necessary more or less to piece together who the mastermind was and why (he was of course right under their noses) but his why was just a self justification for the bad things his "nephew" did and why his sister and husband died. I also had problems with the way LTY and even NF died; they weren't given proper deaths; like ok killed, next scene. At least Bao Ge had a funeral but the main antagonist's death was a total copout happening in literally the last 5 minutes of the series with the reinstatement of WBB as an officer before stupid words about characters being charged (who cares, this was fake!) and role credits.
Would I recommend it? Honestly only for the acting because the storyline was just really dumb especially when you start to realize what's happening. It's a good in between anticipated dramas show but that's it. DYX did a good job; hope he gets better scripts for modern dramas in the future.
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Zao Zuo Shi Guang
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Royal Outwitting
Watched this solely because I follow MZY and wanted to see Jeremy act. I'd have to say that I liked the second part of the series way more than the first. It was all about who was smarter and could outwit whom.Pros: The series didn't have a shortage of people trying to get one up on the other but LL and YS were very well matched though all the slapstick things I did fast-forward. The costumes were beautiful as was the music and sets. I really liked how LL made friends even out of her "enemies" so most of the support were awesome like her maid and his assistant, the guards. YH was a really tragic character but I'm very glad he survived though I disagree with the decision of his to make YX think he was dead. Both deserved each other's love as they were essentially alone in the world other than their friends. I have faith that as they both grow in their independence, they will find their way back to each other. One was essentially sequestered most of her life from the outside world and the other was a tortured slave that had to fight on two fronts. Other than our leads, these two deserved a happy ending more than anyone else. RIP Uncle Song; now that's a real hero.
Cons: Didn't like the fake illness of FL in the beginning at all. The fake coughing was so obvious, anyone with half a brain saw through it. There were different ways of writing to show weakness without being so idiotic about it. Once they got rid of it, the series took on a stronger stance. The last episodes felt rushed; the introduction and subsequent reveal of the mastermind felt lackluster like even though they blurred him out most of the time, you knew it was him. The only real surprise of a villain was the consort that barely had any screen time so it didn't seem to jive with the story. All of her actions, seemed like an afterthought. It was abhorrent that though HT made an attempt on the CP's life, he wasn't dolled out any punishment but instead was just allowed to portray a victim going back to his country. He had no heart so there was no love for the FL; allowing innocent people to die for his greed, should have had him at least in prison. At least the CP killed the mastermind, though a poisoned arrow would have been more appropriate given what he'd done to YH all his life.
Would I recommend it? This is a series for those days when you just want to watch something semi-lighthearted. So if you've got those days and you like the actors, you'll get your proper fill.
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Jiu Xiao Han Ye Nuan
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Team Qi +Team Qian = Team Qi-Qian.
This show was something else. At first, I wasn't sure if I was going to pick it up but I had seen BWJ in Silence of the Monster and wanted to see him in a different genre. Other than a few supporting characters and barely, I'm completely unfamiliar with the cast otherwise. So which is it? Team Qi, Team Qian or better yet Team Qi-Qian.Pros: This drama had great OSTs and fighting scenes as well as a good fantasy angle. ML played by BWJ or HZ was my favorite even when he was rough around the edges and grumpy as all get out. I liked the mysteries when they had to do with the actual topic. The jealousy sequences were pretty funny too. I think more than fantasy, this had a lot of comedic elements, though HZ shape shifting that one time was pretty awesome. Reminded me a little bit of the movie "Underworld" with Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman. The ambiguity of the CP and MY until the second to last episode and reveal blew my mind and probably what hitched this drama from an 8 to an 8.5. I have seen many Scooby Doo reveals before but not on this scale. Out of everything possible, I never would have predicted that one. Though I must say, after CP's dashing good looks, getting MY was a total letdown lol. It all made sense as soon as things were revealed, why CP had that reaction to Chilan when she first arrived, how with the spoon and water and hand washing, he was able to trigger her memories of MY and of course the other things we saw in flashbacks; chess playing, the dagger gift, same wine, same bday, etc. With a drama still so full of unanswered questions, all of these were put to rest. Though a good villain, MY's actual agenda harmed his race just as much if not more so then the Qian folks, so there was no greater good in his plan. It was all about power and control.
My 2nd favorite character was Chilan; the actress nailed that performance to a T. She was badass and kickass in every way possible. The perfect general, advisor, protector, and helping hand to HZ and the other two. I'm glad she became queen of the Qi tribe, she deserved that more than anyone. She had a heart of gold and could handle diplomacy well. Even though the love of her life ended up being the villain and a crazy one at that, she was still able to rise above that. I hope she finds her happiness with a wonderful person from whichever race. Same goes for WJ; I feel so bad for him. But talk about someone who started immature and grew to be a bit more forthcoming and understanding. He had an unrequited love for FL but thankfully this was a peaceful love triangle that retained its friendship of both parties regardlessly. But the fact that he decided to be a monk due an unnecessary character's issues as well as finding out his older brother was a fake for a decade, I've got no idea how his mental health was still intact.
Other favorite characters do include the FL or SJR but only when she was smart and mature, her ditzy side was less tolerable. She was a walking contradiction; one minute she would Sherlock her way out of the largest puzzle, the next she'd be walking around like a grown doll, talking to herself. Keha, Liu Fu, SJR's mom, Lao Hu, and Kaka were all great as supporting characters and their personalities meshed with whatever was going on in the moment. Though this was obviously a lower budget production, the costumes and sets actually fit their parties.
Cons: The amount of unanswered questions, cases that had very little to do with the main plot save bring the leads closer together especially why turn the Qi people into monkeys instead of wolves through that poison. Monkeys and wolves aren't from the same DNA pile and it was just completely out of the blue. Poisoned his own people just to make HZ choose between the race and SJR? MY was a total lunatic, yet developed a brotherly affection for WJ that he himself couldn't explain; probably because both were outcasts and WJ was innocent and too nice. The unnecessary cases which showed Qian people getting harmed, obviously didn't show MY's plan that all Qian's needed to die, but it actually set HZ to understand both races in a new light.
I wish they revealed answers like what did that Ember look like? Was it edible and small like the Qi stone? How did SJR ingest it in the first place and how was it removed? How did CP and his wife die? Where was the king this entire time? He wasn't seen onscreen again after the last treaty talk with fake CP in the early 20s of episodes. How did the entire city plus royal family just forget about the disappearance of CP aka MY at the end? No explanation but at the wedding WJ was now the new CP? HY was chucked into maybe 4 episodes and then disappeared just as randomly as she'd arrived; what was her actual purpose? Other then make people's skin crawl from her child-woman "gege" babble? It would have been way better if WJ was just left with his unrequited love and could fall in love again in the future instead of the vow of celibacy. So bizarre and quite unnecessary.
I also wish the ending was wrapped up better. The fight was awesome and brutal but that last episode, SJR's choice and flashbacks and HZ risking his life to save her, while great, it should have not just had a fade to black and explanation by SJR that he saved her, with a quick cut to wedding and explanation of the treaty signed though we don't know why, WJ is now the new CP without any real anything, SJR has HZ's powers, while he's basically a regular Joe. Instead, they should have shown her waking up and finding him awake by her side in this new world of them essentially switching. Then show both kings signing the treaty and having that being properly explained even the whole fake CP thing, then have a full wedding and her showing off her newfound skills after the fact not in the beginning. The way it was done was just slapped together for some unnecessary slapstick humor. Given that the leads only got together a few episodes before, the wedding should have been done right. You can save the comedy for the post credit ending. So not a fully satisfactory ending; it deserved better.
Would I recommend it? Yes. This drama had a lot of good elements if you could get past some of the confusion. Great mysteries for the most part, good acting, though a beyond slow burn romance, great characters, decent comedy. All in all, a good show.
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Douluo Continent
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Bit off more then he could chew...
This is my honest review.I'm going to start by saying this series gets a 7/10 from me and it's 100% on the screenwriter. Maybe it's because I'm used to American blockbusters, maybe it's because I have friends that are screenwriters in Hollywood whose work I've read and given critique on, maybe it's because I'm a professional writer/editor myself and have written scripts and novels over the years, or maybe it's all of the above. Fact remains, this screenwriter bit off more then he could chew and it fell short and I'm just a drama/lead actor fan; never read the novel nor am I into donghua. Though it's not even close to a comparison, Lord of the Rings: first film alone had 3 screenwriters. Maybe it was the arrogance of the screenwriter but he or the director or the production company should have brought more people to help him. There was simply no way for him to be able to take this project and do it justice himself. It is impossible given its size. I know there are people scoring full 10s and more power to them but with all of my experience in this and as mentioned above, this is an honest review that will get constructive criticism.
Under no circumstances can or should DC be compared to his other works simply because it's completely different. With the amount of CGI and other visual effects, it lands in a category of its own. Let me make myself clear, DC is not a bad series, especially for those of us that don't know its history; it's just not a powerful transition from 2D to 3D live action. One thing that is a faux pas for writers and screenwriters; it should not take 13 plus episodes/chapters to introduce main or supporting characters. If there is a concrete lead, that lead should always be around enough to remind the audience of who the individual is.
We were working with 40 episodes, 35 minutes long each (not counting credits) for part 1. I get it, you want to introduce everyone and set up their backstories. Very feasible but you're neglecting the reason the story exists; lead character must grow and evolve too. Between episodes 6-13 there was almost no plot cohesion. It was a roller coaster ride of let's randomly bring more people into the mix while running around doing tasks that don't have a meaning.
Furthermore, those episodes and some additional ones should have been called "The boring nonsense of OuSiKe and Rong Rong." Out of the 7 devils the screenwriter/director/producer made him look like Betty Crocker and his constant artsy fartsy monologues of Mr. Motor Mouth were enough to give most a splitting headache. Personally if he had signed with Prince ugly Eyebrows, left ShiLanKe and opened a theatre academy, I would have been thrilled. Again, I'm not blaming the actor for this as he was acting out the script. His character was the most lackluster and worthless out of the entire bunch. When he and Rong Rong would whine, it sounded like '90s dial up internet gone haywire. I fast forwarded a lot of their scenes as they added no value to the story.
It felt sad that so much good material was wasted. The battles lasted maximum 5 minutes while the conversations and needless explanations took the rest of the time. Growth of characters requires them doing things; just like the saying goes "actions speak louder then words", just dialogue will not evolve a character. Even without the background of the novel, I could tell the evolution of some characters and total standstills of others.
So many anticlimactic scenes and music. The OST's were gorgeous but towards the end were chucked randomly into parts of the episodes that didn't require them. The entire time the 7devils were in MSH towards the end didn't even seem like part of this series. Most were out playing Sherlock Holmes on separate mysteries trying to solve puzzles and save the ultimate villain who already knew everything that was going on. It seemed that the screenwriter ran out of material (shocking) and had to stretch to make it 40 episodes with a lot of nonsense. For 5 episodes, I felt like I was in the game of "Clue". It was a shoddy patchwork job that deserved way better; the actors taking on these roles and the audience deserved better.
I've mentioned some actors above and I'll continue speaking about them in their character sense again (I'll speak about the actual actors later if necessary). Mu Bai who started out as bossy and a total turn off, evolved into a mature and well prepared captain. Same goes for Zhu Zhu Qing, though from the 7 devils other then Tang San, she was my 2nd favorite because of her fierceness and I liked her character's growth. Master and Headmaster along with Ma Hong Jun were also heavily favored because of their comedic reprieve and growth.
I must say episode 40 left me scratching my head but not at the cliffhanger which was expected and yet even that fell flat. There was no great battle for the championship nor a fight between Papa Tang and the Pope. The finale battle was really one dude spouting arrogant nonsense who still got his butt kicked, and the way too obvious revelation of XW being a soul beastie with a side order of Papa Tang smacking the Pope around with his hammer, twice. Tang San trying to protect XW per usual was obvious but his serious lack of surprise about her identity and his proclamation (if the subs were on point) that she was his love or lover were misplaced because it was never shown before. Even in the most dense of moments he never uttered anything save she was his younger sister. Another point off from the script, massive disconnect. I can point out many points of disconnect within the script and this show but then I'd be writing this for days.
There were many people who didn't like XW's character; personally I felt very neutral towards her. She had her good attributes (she always had TS' back, could kick some serious butt in a fight, never backed down, was willing to do whatever it took to get stronger) and she had her weaknesses (sometimes too clingy, didn't understand the simplest things, a bit too bouncy for my taste). Again most of her lackluster traits are attributed to the script because what she read, she did. Episode 39 where she and TS are in the soul beast dungeon and she basically all but said who she was and Tang San was still somewhat clueless babbling theories; really that's like scriptwriting 101 and our pal screenwriter failed. Why wait? Especially when you're not going to make it into like an abracadabra super reveal anyways? Defies logical writing and progression.
Lastly for characters and actors, I want to speak on Tang San and Xiao Zhan. It's because of Xiao Zhan (not a solo fan; multi here) that I watched this. Is his performance Oscar worthy? No. But it was the only thing with a few other characters that kept me coming back every evening for my VIP. I loved his character. Even when it was at a standstill due to the introduction of others. He put everything he knew into it and I give him praise for that. The stunts, both on wires and without were wonderful. For him, I will absolutely watch part 2 (though hopefully it won't take multiple years to get there).
I also hope--because they took such a long time to introduce the other characters--they won't throw them away in part 2. And that they follow the novel a lot closer into the second part. Nothing will ever be 100% adaptable anywhere but it should at least come to some version of close.
Lastly, I want to thank the visual effects department and CGI crew for their hard work because they truly did a fantastic job on all of their parts. My favorite part will forever be the dreamscape or interspace that TS' mother created for him. It was truly beautiful and magical. I know this international team worked hard on all of their scenes and they should not be forgotten as neither should the crew who worked in lord knows what kind of conditions and how many hours. So hats off to them. Thank you Douluo Continent for the teamwork because it does make the dream work and I'll see you all again hopefully in Part 2!
P.S. Please add at least 2 more experienced screenwriters. Much appreciated!
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Take Me Home, Country Road. To the 1 I belong, 10 Years Later, My Wife & Child; I am Finally Home.
The title of this review I spoofed from John Denver's classic song as I felt it fit the overall narrative. Wasn't going to pick this up originally because it appeared too slow, but it was exactly what I found that I needed. A mature reconciliation of first love with two great actors. It wasn't perfect by any means but the love story was quite admirable.Pros: Both JBR and ST or LC and GX respectively held their own and then some. He looked at her like she walked on water from the first glance in episode one. I was glad the break up happened before the series and we got an understanding of it in flashbacks. But the story was about two adults that had healed especially reconnecting with one another because we knew that once this happened, they would never let each other go again. Now 10 years later and more mature knowing what was needed and wanted, was a lot easier to attain. LC was like the perfect man with a dangerous profession. He cooked, cleaned, could fix anything and everything, was incredibly attentive; he treated GX like a goddess and above everyone else. She was his one and only treasure. Who wouldn't want a man like that? He looked very handsome in his uniform. Both resolved that if they didn't reconnect, they'd never marry anyone else. That's pretty intense love and a connection seldom seen. Though mostly all of the flashbacks were from GX's POV, the last episode belonged to LC and it showed he noticed her way before the official introduction. I do wish that was placed somewhere in the middle instead.
Her best friend and husband were wonderful people and friends. And the kid was literally the best wingman ever! I loved his maturity and helpfulness. The supporting cast were all awesome individuals and the bonds formed were very obvious. I also wish they had balanced his job more in the story; secret missions I understand but they really didn't go too much into much of it even if it was training. For me personally though not enough was shown, the wedding episode I considered the last one. It brought things full circle.
Cons: The second couple was an underdeveloped afterthought and they had no chemistry. They should have just been kept as friends and it would have made much more sense. It felt very forced. The last mission we saw of LC's which had him gravely injured but no explanation was ever given seemed like things were left out. When his captain died and he was grieving his loss in the beginning, we saw that sequence on repeat but why couldn't it be shown how LC got injured? For as much talk of propaganda, what was most unrealistic in the SWAT team that they portrayed was that each SWAT officer had to be a bomb technician, K9 trainer, sniper, hostage negotiator, etc. and that's just not how it works. You can't be an expert in each field, there are too many components and too high a probability of things going wrong.
The constant spotlight in the background of their kissing scenes was very annoying; there was never any lead into a love scene though she did get pregnant somehow. That's pretty strange for a modern drama. Sure, censorship and blur it out but have a lead in so people didn't think they were always sleeping separately or fully clothed. But probably the biggest whiplashes were the leads fathers and how they got ridiculous redemption arcs that came straight out of nowhere. One was an alcoholic, abusive bastard who essentially sold his own son for money he borrowed and lost that all of a sudden became a saint acknowledging all of his mistakes and the other who was a cheating deadbeat also without warning became a caring father and no one stopped to question what just happened? These were my issues with this series.
Would I recommend it? Yes. It's very slow burn but different than other dramas because they were reconciling and growing together as adults now as opposed to kids. Their moments together and there were many were just too stinking cute so don't miss the opportunity to watch this if nothing else for just a true love romance.
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Intelligence & Amazing Chemistry Worthy of 2 Lifetimes
Picked this up for both leads though only follow MZY (I’ve loved her acting since CQL) and the plot. Originally this was supposed to be LYR's first ML role but his modern drama aired first and he did really well in both. I didn't know this was a rebirth type of deal but they actually just turned it into a dream which was a nice departure from the usual transmigration storyline. The leads intelligence & amazing chemistry was really worthy of both.Pros: Let's clap for the finally promised and attained HE! The storyline was always moving along. There was never any dragging. I loved how smart both leads were and their intelligence made them into the ultimate power couple. I like how the first life was handled in the first episode and it was a called a dream by the FL as only she and SML remembered it. I also really love the fact that though this was only 34 episodes, it felt like a lifetime literally since the first episode. And also that in life number two, she went back to being a child as opposed to the usual first life adult, second life adult. How she followed the book at first and then just went with gut instinct. DZ and SM were destined in every life and their chemistry was palpable and it was like they could finish each other's thoughts.
Learning how to kiss from the director and his wife BTS was hysterical and they actually mentioned in an interview that they watched something like 800 videos on kissing. I always found it funny when human beings nearly in their 30s had no idea how to make out and directors had to even explain that portion. Some people may think that MZY was expressionless but I disagree; she showed contemplation, happiness, anger, fear, exhaustion, embarrassment, surprise though many a time the expressions were on a smaller scale, I think that is better than over dramatic in a drama like this. LYR was fierce and at the same time protective and loving as SM. Made all of us want an SM in our lives. The small things they did for each other to protect each other meant a lot especially when they were taking down the antagonists big or small.
I was very glad JY (SML) was playing double agent and not really turned into a traitor in life number two. I think his job was the hardest having to do all that while all of these chess pieces moved around. He knew how things were going to go from life number one but still unexpected things were going to happen and he had to be ready for them. Him unexpectedly falling for DZ when he never had any feelings before was a bit of a hindrance. I loved the side characters like the twin maids and twin guards though sadly we lost one, GY was hysterical and I loved how he took care of SM though wish we saw more of him, all her bookstore intel gatherers, General Yan, Mr. Chen, his uncle Meisun (his death was the catalyst in both lives; though with different outcomes, still painful), CJ and JR made for a cute couple. Grandma rocked and I love grandma's like that in series. Crown Princess and CP's wife. DZ's dad took a little time to thaw but finally he got it right, her half sister also in the second life was good though tragic, Ansu was nice though love dumbed her down, she eventually did the right thing when she came to her senses of marrying a monster. I liked how the emperor was grey but ultimately made the right decisions as did the CP.
There were a lot of antagonists in this one from her step monster and shitty fifth uncle, to his father and brother, LQ, that horrid eunuch who killed them in the first life, and of course the mastermind being the empress. They were all about power and it didn't matter who they harmed to get it, even each other. LQ, eunuch, and empress were the best antagonists as was his father. Everyone else will be spoken about in the cons.
The emperor choosing to save SM from the hate poison instead of using it on himself was probably one of the best decisions he made the entire show. Also, it was funny how once peace was achieved and the 5 year time jump happened, the leads had a daughter but complained that raising a child was harder than doing business or fighting on the battlefield lol! The comedy though not often in this show, came through when necessary. Little girl had both of her parents courage and intelligence and they were suffering for it. Thankfully, when she was old enough to start school, they sent her off to her great grandmother and grandfather and ran off to travel and just have alone time as well as probably work on baby number 2 😉. There is a small funny scene with her after the ending credits of the last episode that you should watch. Brings the word fate into the forefront again.
Costumes, sets, OSTs, and some of the fight scenes (especially in episode one) were on point.
Cons: Not a lot of these but they were here. Starting with the antagonists that I didn't like; the step monster was an annoying pawn that I had to use the ffw button on and really was the only time I did that in the whole show. She was desperate and horrible. Her actions (coupled with those of the other villains) caused her own daughter's death. But still they didn't off her. That said 5th uncle was even more rotten but his death was a copout. After everything he had done to DZ and others, even though he "went out on his own terms after clearing the rest of the D family of any possible retaliation", it just seemed too light for him. Death by arrows while protecting the woman who recommended him to the emperor in the first place was just eh to me.
SH, the psychopath that supposedly only turned into that after he lost his status; I don't believe it. They shoved his emerging psychopathy into like two episodes and the way he treated Ansu before and after he married her and even before when his "mom" was alive was questionable. You could tell there was something wrong with him from the get go and it should have been more properly fleshed out. But his death at the hands of Ansu was very appropriate though I wish she had told him she knew he killed her brother.
That last fight scene in the palace; yes I know the guards had limited bullets as I was explained the history, but why didn't the main palace guards use those crossbows then like the other army soldiers running into the palace as they fired multiple rounds and reloaded or even regular bows and arrows are a lot faster than swords. It sure as hell beats just standing there. That entire scene was just thrown off for me. Help the Ding Army out! Don't just stand there watching them die until reinforcements rush in. It was off. The fight scenes could have been a bit better towards the end. Felt the last few episodes were definitely rushed, could have slowed that down a bit with more fleshing out earlier on.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely! The storyline moved along very well and it was the second chance, don't accept fate, and love with all of your heart show that you just want to hang onto. Great characters and actors; one of the better dramas of 2024.
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