For clown and country.

Fighting For Love is a drama adaptation of a novel with the same Chinese title Ā Mài Cóngjūn/阿麦从军 or A Mai Joins the Army. The novel enjoys an impressive 8.6 score on Douban. It is a female centric story about A Mai, an orphaned noblewoman who seeks justice for her family's betrayal. She joins the army and works her way up to become a fierce and undefeated general. She discovers a greater purpose along the way, which is to defend her country. This takes place during the Northern and Southern dynasties, a period of war, chaos and political turmoil. It is not a romance and there is no real male protagonist; it is about one brave and patriotic woman's awesome journey. I abandoned the book because of its intense and graphic focus on war.

Clearly the original story does not fit with the typical male-centric costume drama formula with plenty of romance tropes. What a breath of fresh air, right? Wrong. In the adaptation, Shang Yizhi is elevated to male protagonist and his story arc is as central as A Mai's. Which in and of itself, is not a terrible thing. Like A Mai, Yizhi has a hidden identity and was a victim of foul play. His cause becomes hers as she rescues him and helps him outsmart his enemies. She discovers her military prowess, forms life and death bonds with her troops and finds meaning in defending the citizens of Nanxia. They have a shared purpose and are catalysts for each other's growth. It is natural for attraction or feelings to develop between them though it does not need to be romantic.

The critical fail in the adaptation is they wrote Yizhi as a kind hearted and playful anti-hero character. While some of his comedic scenes are witty and funny, this diminishes him into a parody role. This should be a complex character who does consequential things; a once carefree young nobleman whose world changes overnight. Instead, the writers stuck him with a love brain and Peter Pan syndrome until the final arc. As he is pushed first to survive and then to reclaim his birthright, all of his motivations continue to simply revolve around A'Mai. A character that chooses each time to save the girl and let the world rot does not deserve to end up where he does! This devalues A'Mai and the Zhenbei army's achievements and sacrifices into a fight for clown and country. Even though he becomes morally ambiguous and utilitarian at the end, this evolution is too abrupt. His character progression should have begun well before he returned to the capital. Zhang Haowei did his best with this role but the character is just too poorly designed.

A Mai is quite consistently written throughout even though it is difficult to connect with her feelings for Yizhi. Even though she is too lovely to ever be mistaken for a man, Zhang Tianai does a wonderful job with the role. Her mannerisms are very masculine and she literally shakes with rage and hatred in her scenes with Chen Qi. Best of all, she is no Mary Sue in need of constant rescuing even though all the men fall for her. She just has terrible luck with men; she gets involved with a backstabber, a clown and an enemy with a choking fetish. The one good man she meets is brother-zoned, father-zoned and what happens to him is definitely over-kill. Chen Qi is the most interesting and conflicted antagonist and his and A Mai's story is really sad. Wang Ruichang is very charismatic and the fan favorite but his Chang Yuqing has no development and no real story arc. He just pops up whenever something needs to go wrong for the leads.

The first few arcs of this story are quite good and the cinematography and action scenes are pretty awesome. The story falls apart mid-way and snowballs downhill into the palace arc. It is yet another perfectly good drama that is ruined by ignorant and silly romance writers who can't write palace intrigue (i.e., Destined, Legend of Zhuohua, Wonderland of Love etc etc). This arc is ridden with predictable villains, plot holes, clichés and a flabby dancing emperor who looks like a sloppy fashion mistake. To my surprise, the story comes together again in the final episodes to end fittingly and on a strong note.

It is not easy to rate this because there are many good parts. The first 12-15 episodes and the ending is good and worth ~8 but the middle and dreadful palace arc are only worth ~6+. I think ~7.5 overall is fair but I am only going to call it a 7.0 because the production deserves to be spanked for desecrating a fantastic novel.



Scroll down for SPOILER ending thoughts.







ENDING SPOILER

The final showdown between A Mai and Chen Qi is exciting and moving and it finally gives her closure. Poor Chen Qi is such an interesting, conflicted and ultimately tragic character it is a shame he was not better fleshed out. In the end he probably loved A Mai best.

I don't believe it is in character for A Mai to go off with Chang Yuqing at the end. His feelings for her are not better developed than Yizhi's and at least in the drama, they are one-sided. He is a rising star in Beimo and if A Mai were to marry him, she would have to defect to the enemy to be another caged bird as the wife of a Marquis. After just escaping the terrible fate of being the favorite concubine of an emperor?!? As advisor Xu points out, the countries are at perfect stalemate because their top generals A'Mai and Chang Yuqing don't really want to fight each other. There is peace with them glowering fiercely at each other across the border. A Mai is simply setting off for a well earned 3-year vacation while Beimo's internal palace politics play out. It is a perfect, strong independent woman ending in the spirit of the original novel; one that says A Mai does not have to be someone's arm candy to have a meaningful life.







X

Citeste mai mult

How to train your dragon koi.

This rom com xianxia is a barrel of laughs. It is about an ancient spirit dragon Tian Yao who falls for the wrong woman, a rancid Taoist harpy called Su Ying. She steals the guileless Tian Yao's heart and scales at the altar, dismembers him and stashes his core magical parts in different directions. A shadow of his former self, he encounters a dauntless, money loving, ousted Taoist disciple Yan Hui. They form an uneasy alliance that subjects the embittered Tian Yao to the indignity of becoming her demon familiar, a dragon koi. His plight wins Yan Hui's empathy and she vows to help him recover his shards. She soon discovers that learning how train your dragon koi is an arduous and dangerous task. Despite his deceptively benign appearance of an odd hybrid of koi, deer, pony and dragon, Tian Yao is a very dangerous creature. Apart from having deadly taste in women and friends, he also has a nasty habit of stabbing first and asking questions later.

The interference of a mysterious shadow cupid Bai Xiaosheng comically advances their romance until the enabler turns into an obstructor. It is pretty much three's company as they go on many adventures, picking up lifelong friends along the way. Despite some run-of-the mill xianxia tropes and cardboardl villains, the friendships and adventures shine and are the high points of the drama.

Zhou Ye again proves her mettle as one of the most promising young actors out there. Her Yan Hui is spellbinding. She infuses the role with that effervescent joie de vivre and passionate idealism of youth that inevitably eludes older, perhaps lovelier and more seasoned actors. She looks shockingly good with Hou Minghao, whose acting is to say the least, a work in progress. But dang, he is so drop dead gorgeous that I barely register that he looks constipated at the most inappropriate moments. In some ways, his casting is brilliant as a rather uncomplicated and overly good character that loves and hates with equal ferocity. After all, dragons, kois, ponies, deers are all creatures with bigger hearts than brains. So he does some really (let's admit it) not smart things but he is so pure hearted it's almost impossible to fault him. Notwithstanding some acting rough spots, this splendid pairing had me rooting hard for them all the way.

As for the plot, its biggest criticism is that it strays from the original beloved novel in some unforgivable ways in terms of both Yan Hui and Tian Yao's characterisations. I didn't read the novel so I won't opine on that. What I can observe is this drama hooked me from the start despite the low budget and the somewhat cartoonish CGI with phenomenal storytelling. I loved Bai Xiaosheng and found him to be a wickedly good accretive addition to the original story. Unfortunately, about halfway through the characterisations of Bai Xiaosheng and Tian Yao take an abrupt nosedive. It is as if a different writer took over and defaulted into the worst, laziest tropes out there. Although the narrative recovers from a massive hiccup in the middle, it falls well short of the beginning momentum. The writer failed to capitalised on such a fresh and unusual character such as Bai Xiaosheng and turns him into a tired trope that gets sidelined toward the end. Nonetheless Wang Yilun is hugely entertaining in this role and though not as pretty, he is incredibly charming and out acted Hou Minghao. As for how Tian Yao's character is assassinated, I have no words and although he more or less redeems himself, I wish they had not gone there. I am told Yan Hui is also diminished in this adaptation but as far as I am concerned, she is perfect in her imperfections. She elevates Tian Yao to the extent, that I can forgive his character's stumbles in the middle.

While I enjoyed this drama from start to finish, there are too many shallow sub-plots in the latter half and the theme of love obsession is over-exploited. The ultimate antagonist had repetitive indifferently narrated motivators that while hateful enough, lacked depth and complexity. In fact, Su Ying was a more interesting villain than the final boring mastermind who is just beyond meh in terms of motivation, acting and complexity. Overall, this is a humorously told story that re-hashes well explored xianxia themes with no profound new revelations. Indeed the underlying substance, emotion and message of the original works is perceptible but is neglected and abused in the telling. I had big fun and many laughs with this drama but I can see how it missed the opportunity to be a whole lot more and can only rate it 8.0/10.0. I may have gone with an 8.5 had they rolled out Hou Minghao in that spectacular white wig earlier on in the drama.

Citeste mai mult

Journeys end in lovers meeting.

Pearl Eclipse is adapted from a beautiful, dark and tragic novel Madame Huzhu 斛珠夫人 set in the Novoland universe. It is an unforgettable and heartbreaking story about guilt, obsession, love and the futile struggle against fate that inextricably entangles the three main protagonists Fang Jianming, Emperor Dixu and Fang Haishi. Although the plot and many characterisations deviate markedly from the novel, the core message that we can choose our destiny but cannot overcome fate remains. Although not quite as dark as the novel, this is an angst filled, tortured tale about tragically flawed characters that won't appeal to everyone.

The novel has heavy BL elements to it and the incredibly dark, complicated and almost parasitical relationship between Dixu and Jianming is quite well portrayed in the drama. It is by far the most uniquely fascinating relationship in this drama because they are so entangled neither has free will. Poor Haishi, hers was a lost cause from the start because Jianming already was inextricably bonded to Dixu by ties far more powerful than the baixi. Their depth of shared history and sorrow and Jianming's sense of guilt and his obsession with putting Humpty Dumpty together again are practically insurmountable challenges. And to Jianming's credit, while undoubtedly tempted, he avoids Haishi's many overtures because he already pledged himself to Dixu.

The drama seems slow to start because it took all three leads a surprisingly long time to get into character and to convey the many layers of their intertwined backstories. This is made more difficult because their backstories are told in flashbacks which works well in novels but is harder to do onscreen when the actors are not in character. I don't think it is particularly fair to pick on only one of them but they are all rather seasoned actors so it is disappointing. Xu Kai Cheng overacted in the beginning and he and Chen Weiting were not connecting. Their unspoken rapport only becomes evident later on and that is when the drama starts to get interesting. Even though I find Chen Weiting incredibly handsome despite the terrible wig and enjoyed his performance overall, I don't think he managed to convey the multifaceted, fascinatingly complex character that is Fang Jianming. While he nails it as the archetypal ice-block, noble idiot shifu, a more daring and intense portrayal should have delivered a better glimpse into the dark ruthlessness, frustration and temptation that torments the character.

Haishi of the drama is well fleshed out and far better dimensioned than the novel. It is refreshing to see a brave, capable female character that speaks her mind and goes after her man relentlessly. And her outraged and shocked reaction to rejection just cracked me up because I am sure it is something that a flawless beauty like Yang Mi is personally not accustomed to. While Haishi and Jianming make for a stunning couple, their chemistry emerges slowly and it does fall far short of the sizzle of TMOPB. This is partly because it is supposed to be a hidden, taboo romance; one that is so incredibly ill fated that knowing better, Jianming avoids; while true to her nature, Haishi rushes recklessly headlong into. As much as I applaud Yang Mi for doing her own voice work here, it is a mediocre performance that reflects years of neglect in this area on her part. She already naturally has a young and very feminine voice that should not have been made even younger and quite so girlish. It does not fit the role of a woman passing herself off as a man and it conjures up uncomfortable images with respect to this already forbidden romance. Although she improves towards the end, I can't help but think her usual voice dubber would have elevated her performance considerably.

While I do not like the way Tilan was written, she is the catalyst that enables the drama to take another path. But it is unfair to have practically all of Dixu's darkness heaped upon her and their relationship got so toxic I struggled with the turn around, in particular on her part. She also seemed a lot stronger and smarter in the beginning where she passively aggressively standsup to Dixu. Unfortunately her character was truly thrown under the bus to enable the end outcome. Zhuoying and Zheliu have the only non dysfunctional relationship in this drama that is s welcome relief but oddly boring at the same time.

What I like most about the adaptation is how it is faithful to the novel in terms of how it takes us down the path of the dark, hopeless entanglement between the three main protagonists and then turns it around. At the darkest moment, Haishi convinces Dixu to give himself a second chance which sets in motion an unwind of this vicious circle into a virtuous one. One change leads to another that reveals another layer of each character and get to see them change and grow into a formidable, united force against their enemies. It is a very strong message that we can choose our destiny, ie. how we live our lives and even though ultimately we may or may not be able to overcome fate, the journey is more important than the destination.

This is a very high value production with lavish costumes, sets and some intense and brilliantly choreographed action scenes, notably the epic battle reminiscent of Lord of the Rings at Hangguan Pass. Yet despite a few riveting action scenes, this is largely a character story with very little plot movement. Despite a few thrilling encounters especially in the early episodes, the various sub plots to overthrow the emperor Dixu are not properly fleshed out and don't tie well together. There are interesting villains in the book that get dumbed down to obvious cartoon characters with boring motives that can't even hide well in plain sight. The ending feels like it is missing scenes and beloved characters like Zhuoying and Zheliu's story is ended cursorily almost as an afterthought. The final plot is anti-climatic, predictable and completely premised on the stupidity of two characters. The plight of the mer-folk, their tears for pearls and how this fantasy story that begins and should end with them gets lost as a result of changes made to the character stories.

I have very mixed feelings about the ending. I think the most fitting way to end this is about 20 minutes into the penultimate episode (47) where journeys end in lovers meeting. The final episode and outcome for most of the couples are not deserved, made worse by a weak and rushed end plot that is not earned. They ought to have stopped while they were ahead. That said, Haishi and Jianming's final scene is both actors most moving and resonating performance in the entire drama. But while superficially the important aspects of the drama are faithful to the novel, the final product lacks the finesse, symmetry and haunting dark and cruel inevitably of the novel. The novel is fated and inexorable while the drama is fated and unnecessary. I rate this between 7.5-8.5; it will feel more like an 8.5 to those who stop ~20 minutes into episode 47.

Citeste mai mult

In the land of the scorpion the rooster is king.

This drama adapts Wei Yu's well loved romantic and suspenseful adventure novel Xī Chū Yù Mén /西出玉门 or West out of the Yumen (Jade Gate). The spirited and mysterious Ye Liuxi's first waking memory is of the desert with scant personal belongings to point to who she was and where she is from. A picture links her to Chang Dong, who lost all he held dear in that same patch of sand. Liuxi persuades Chang Dong to return to that most treacherous part of the desert with her. Together with a team of three others, they set out to crack the mystery of the Yumen Pass. On their quest to face their past, they stumble into a different, frightening and dangerous world where they find love, adventure, friendship and betrayal.

The most fabulous thing about this drama is that Ye Liuxi is a force of nature that simply sweeps you away with her beauty, strength and charisma. It is a role that must have been written for Ni Ni, whose portrayal of Liuxi is nothing short of iconic. Bai Yu's rendition of Chang Dong's quiet might and reserved brilliance is the perfect foil for Liuxi's more vivid personality. Their chemistry is so natural and shockingly scrumptious that I replay most of their couple scenes with a silly, lovesick grin on my face. I now have a whole new appreciation for Bai Yu's hotness. The other two romances are quite cute and endearing but neither is compelling or even necessary. Skipping or toning down one or both of these secondary romances could have helped the pacing of this drama.

The acting, rapport and comedic timing of the main cast is terrific and a heavier focus on their friendship over romance would have been no less enjoyable. It was a lot of fun to watch them humorously pull off their clone geminus selves. It is nice to see Jin Han in his element again as a misguided and flawed character. Lu Yuxiao makes an impression again as a young actor to watch. I also found both Gao Shen and Ding Liu's kick ass youthful exuberance a joy to watch. Sadly Meng Ziyi is the biggest let down in the cast. Long Zhi is an interesting role, a character with a world vision and the ruthlessness to achieve it. Sadly Meng Ziyi delivers a shallow and uninspired interpretation with two expressions - stone-faced and pissed off. She manages to turn a layered character into a cardboard and archetypal one. I used to wonder why such a lovely and charming actor didn't get more lead roles. Now I know.

Where this drama falters is in the pacing and narrative style. The transitions between sub-plots are not well handled with abrupt cuts to a side romance or worse, the narrator and the painter in the middle of action scenes or as momentum is building nicely into an interrupted reveal. The world within the Yumen Pass itself is well designed, rich in history and lore and occupied by dangerous and fascinating characters. The world building mostly takes place via exposition and usually right before the viewer needs that information. This kind of heavy foreshadowing diminishes the surprise factor in what comes next. This also comes with few pay-offs; in the end all I really needed to know is that in the land of the scorpion the rooster is king.

Even though this drama wraps up nicely with no major loose ends, the ending is anti-climatic. With one notable exception, most characters have fitting endings. However, the climax on the action adventure side takes place very early in the drama and the main romance peaks shortly after the mid-point. After that, the pieces of the puzzle fall into place and the plot seems to build towards a final, badass showdown that doesn't quite materialise. The writers decided it is better to jaw jaw than to war war which would be fine if this weren't a fantasy action adventure. I am also miffed that my thirst for justice and symmetry that demands some serious loss of limbs is not satisfied, nary a hair was even harmed! I console myself with the fact that the roosters once again show the scorpions who is the boss!

This is a must watch drama for just Ni Ni and Bai Yi's acting and chemistry alone. If anyone else were in the lead roles, I would only rate this an 8.0/10.0 but I am bumping my rating up to an 8.5 to recognize their riveting performances.

Citeste mai mult

Dumbed down to the point of fatousness.

Let me keep this short to avoid wasting more time on this mind numbingly boring 39-episode revenge drama that was 40 episodes too many. The original works The Emperor's Book 帝皇书 is a dark and complicated tale of a love, duty, revenge and atonement. The adaptation has been dumbed down to the point of fatuousness in a misguided attempt to make the intricate plot more accessible. The broad plot outline is unmistakably Nirvana in Fire lite with swapped gender roles and a ton of romance.

The bright, over-lit palette sets the wrong tone for this kind of dark story of betrayal from the get go. The action heavy open sees swashbuckling badass pirate Ren Anle proposing to crown prince Han Ye with her dowry of 30,000 elite sea troops. Despite Dilraba's impressive flirting skills, Anle's shameless pursuit of Han Ye went on for too long and seems heavy handed. There isn't much natural spark between her and Gong Jun even though they look fantastic together. Despite her exquisite beauty and charisma Dilraba's acting in this is disappointing. She comes across as someone who never suffered or experienced profound loss. Her best distressed or traumatized expressions smack of someone whose favorite pair of Jimmy Choos got muddied; a far cry from someone whose entire clan down to nine generations got unjustly wiped out. The collaterally damaged characters Luo Mingxi, An Ning, Lin Lang and even the delusional Chengán are more convincing as deeply scarred and haunted by the Di family massacre. To be fair, the titular role of Anle is not well written. She barely gets to do any of the hard stuff. Everyone from Luo Mingxxi to An Ning steals her thunder in terms of the scheming, making ruthless decisions and even fighting.

"My heart was once stirred by a woman called Ren Anle, but all my life I will protect Di Ziyuan/ 我对一个叫任安乐的女子动过心，但我这一世都会护着帝梓元" is the novel's best line that encapsulates what Han Ye is all about. If Gong Jun had to get one line right, it was this one. His expressionless lacklustre delivery of this line epitomizes his vacuous, uninspired acting throughout. The only characters that made me care are Wen Zhou and Lin Lang. Liu Yuning also does a decent job largely because he dubbed himself. Sadly his character has no development and doesn't do much other than to mope and slouche around plotting with a sinister twisted smile on his face.

There is too much standing around and talking in this drama but there are only a few good lines that are repeated ad nauseum. Of course the Di family army lost 80,000 troops; more than the 70,000 strong Chiyan army! The sheer hubris and audacity of these third tier writers to repeatedly allude to a masterpiece and hint their Di family suffered more is pathetic. They neutered an amazing plot and weighed it down with a pedestrian rendition of the Romeo and Juliet trope. The revenge arc climaxes too early and the showdown lacks intensity. The narrative further devolves into a bunch of silly sub-plots that are just juvenile attempts to squeeze some angst out of viewers by unimaginatively throwing a few characters off a cliff and killing a few others gratuitously. This just made me laugh instead of cry. This drama seems to drag on forever to the point that the hair turning white oddly makes sense! Only watch this if you are die hard Dilraba or Gong Jun fans. I rate this 6.5/10.0.

Citeste mai mult

Lukewarm.

Warm on a Cold Night is a fantasy historical investigative drama set in a fictional Qian kingdom. Qian is a rich kingdom that attracts immigration from the neighboring Qi kingdom. The Qian are more cerebral and capable administrators with strong legal frameworks and institutions. The Qi subsist in the cold and harsh Northern climate and are ridden with internal strife. They are more primitive shapeshifters with formidable and fantastical physical powers. A longstanding treaty enables Qi immigrants to better their lives in Qian defending the border and engaging in more physically demanding professions.

A young Qian constable Su Jiuér questions a hot-blooded Qi suspect Han Zheng in connection with a serial murder case. She discovers that he has a strange ability to alleviate the incurable cold disease that afflicts her and latches on to him like a lifeline. They work together grudgingly after it turns out that Han Zheng is also after her suspect Mu Yan. They get off to a bickering start but predictably fall for each other as they investigate a series of mysterious cases that stoke tensions between the Qian and the Qi in the Qian capital. They are aided by friends in high places including Jiuér's admirer and budding playwright Prince Wen Jun, his brother Crown Prince Wen Ying, and the gorgeously spectacular Qi general Chi Lan.

The main romance is carried by Li Yitong's and Bi Wenjun's chemistry; their stunning visuals and incredible charisma. These compelling actors are short-changed by two-dimensional and inconsistent character designs and a frustrating script that is lacking in both character and relationship growth. Jiu'er is a smart and logical character, a keenly astute investigator of consequential crimes in Jiuxiao City. Except when she regresses into childhood, talks to herself in a whiny and high-pitched tone, and behaves like a complete nincompoop. I was dumbfounded at this exaggerated and shallow character interpretation. Still, Li Yitong is so innately likable that she successfully pulls off such a difficult character to connect with and invest in. Although Bi Wenjun delivers a more nuanced portrayal, Han Zheng as a character is equally exasperating. All this grumpy 60-year-old Qi shapeshifter seems to do is scowl, get jealous, lose his temper, and become reckless; rinse and repeat. This is a role with the potential to be interesting and multi-faceted but that is never realized. Initially, I was too busy marveling at how he makes a fanny pack and flowery kimono print robes look so hot. As I soak up his bold, expressive eyes, the high-tanned cheekbones, haughty nose, down to... dry, chapped full lips... wait... did they run out of money for lip balm? Ouch - hope they didn't need to do too many retakes of those kiss scenes. Fabulous visuals don't cut it for long - I was quickly left wanting more from these stagnant roles locked in a juvenile romance that moves at a snooze pace.

In sharp contrast are Chi Lan and Wen Ying's much more complex and interesting stories. Both personas were clearly written by a much more sophisticated and mature writer and they anchor the show. Chi Lan is an awesome female role; measured, analytical, poised, and as cool as a cucumber with a barely perceptible air of danger about her. This lady knows when her head is being turned but if it pleases her, she permits it anyway. And you don't want to mess with her because she makes for a deadly adversary on any battlefield. Her interactions with Wen Ying are laced with tension and have real depth and complexity. Wen Ying is her true equal, another fascinating and layered personality who is at the surface cultured and sincere yet incredibly difficult to get to really know. Theirs is the romance I cared about and they are the main reason I did not drop this drama. I would love to see their story continue down the road. He Ruixian proved to be the true star of this show with her incisive portrayal of a remarkable character.

In terms of world-building, this is a wildly imaginative one that is original and different but errs on the side of being overly far-fetched. The world's "rules" are not firmly established and seem to be made up along the way. This is especially true in terms of the many functions and effects of the cyborg like the Qi vitality stone stuck to the chests of these shapeshifters that are wolves until they become apes. The writer also unnecessarily creates insurmountable biological obstacles between the Qi and Qian races just to impress upon us the depth and endurance of the main love story. It smacks of the work of an immature and lazy writer who couldn't be bothered to show us that their love is epic instead of forcing it upon us. What I like best about the world is the Qi's superpowers and how they engage in combat. The fight scene choreography is amazing; energetic, hard-hitting, lethal, and thrilling. I especially enjoyed watching Chi Lan's badass and deadly grace in combat.

As for the mysteries, they run too long and while they are quite interesting, the only memorable one is the painting case. Their strength is not in the plot but in the wonderful job the production does humanizing the victims as people who lived, laughed, loved, and will be missed. They also tie in nicely with the main conspiracy which is well-conceived. While some of the villains are too obvious, the mastermind hides in plain sight and surfaces with a nice twist. Although I suspected them quite early on, the acting was so masterful I doubted myself until the reveal. As for the ending, it was a mixed bag - an epic showdown, a great escape, some noble idiocy, a bizarre reversal, a ruler is anointed and loose ends aplenty. All things considered, this drama is true to its hot and cold theme in leaving me lukewarm. I rate this 8.0/10.0 simply because of the mastermind twist, without which it was a solid 7.5 all the way for me.

Citeste mai mult

Survivor: The Mother-in-Law Obstacles.

Xu Lingyi, marquis Yongping is all that a mother could ask for: a patriotic high ranking court official, ethical, cultured, responsible and a shining example of Confucian filial piety who asks not if he is happy with his wives, it is enough that his mother is. When his official wife dies, he takes her younger half-sister Luo Shiyi, a lowly concubine's daughter as his official wife, thus preserving the marriage ties between the Luo and Xu family. But Shiyi is a talented and resourceful woman ahead of her times and values her freedom and independence over making such an excellent match. She has her own agenda and unlike his fawning concubines, is quite happy to be neglected by Lingyi and left to her own devices. Her attitude bemuses and intrigues Lingyi out of his indifference and he finds to his dismay that he is increasingly attracted to her.

The best part of this drama is how the romance blossoms at a realistic pace between Lingyi and Shiyi, leisurely exploring important phases from distrust, to mild annoyance, to intrigue and blossoming attraction, to collaboration with some conflict and a healthy dose of jealousy thrown in. Neither character is perfect - Lingyi is a workaholic, neglects his harem, is aloof, overly strict with his children and his brother and just generally comes across as no fun at all. Except for the flashes of subtle humour that emerges when he deals with impertinence from his close aides or criticism from his family. Wallace Chung really delivers a very nuanced portrayal as a lonely and kind nobleman beneath a strict and unapproachable exterior. I really enjoy watching him come out of his shell and become a more complete person as he discovers happiness with Shiyi. Shiyi grows from a rather headstrong and defiant young wife into the caring, responsible and capable mistress of Yongping manor. This is a very different kind of role for Tan Songyun and although I feel her interpretation of the role is not that inspired, her Shiyi is likeable and pleasant to watch. Both leads are consummate actors with very solid chemistry, delivering many sweet and thrilling romantic moments as they fall in love and grow together as a couple.

Even though I don't expect much from the plot when it comes to character dramas, I have to say that the writing overall leaves a lot to be desired. It actually starts out fairly well even though it is incredibly tropey from the beginning. That is because there is a satirical approach to the writing, with subtle humour nicely woven neatly into the dialogue that had me grinning away. And some of the characters, especially the hateful concubine Qiao and Erniang were such parodies and so well acted that I got many chuckles and base enjoyment out of their setbacks and defeats. That fizzles out after the Qiao arc and at that point the mystery and defeat of the mastermind should have just been quickly wrapped out instead of dragged into repetitive plot lines and themes. The writer with a sense of humour must also have bowed out at that point because it wasn't funny anymore.

Which brings me to the mother-in-law from hell. This MIL is a real piece of work - she picks all of her sons wives, she is snobbish, biased, hypocritical, is completely illogical and plays the matriarch card all the time to get her way. This character turned the drama into some bizarre edition of Survivor where the contestants are parachuted into Ming Dynasty where they need to survive the mother-in-law of all obstacles and win the heart of the dude. Shiyi and all of Lingyi's wives are pitted against this troll who thinks that the ultimate reward is marriage to her son. The most unbelievable part of the story is that none of these rather ruthless and resentful bitches took the initiative to poison her. It would have made for an excellent Murder on the Orient Express kind of murder mystery if they all did it. As for Shiyi, her winning strategy is to kill everyone from her MIL to her love rivals with kindness. This took so long and we have to endure so many ridiculous, lazily written and repetitive arcs that I couldn't help but think poison would work so much faster.

The two main takeaways from this drama is it really sucked to be a woman during Ming Dynasty and bad shit happens when your mother picks your wives. Overall an ok watch to pass time but nothing to write home about. 7.5/8.0 overall, maybe 8.0 for just the first ~half.

Citeste mai mult

Could have, would have, and should have been epic but just isn't.

This drama's thrilling opening had me on the edge of my seat with my heart in my throat. It is one helluva start that brilliantly sets the stage for the backstory. We are immediately transported to ancient Wei, a wicked, immoral, debauched kingdom where the dissipated nobility hunt slaves for sport. Our titular character Xing'er/Chu Qiao is no ordinary slave she is a superhero; assassin, gladiator, warrior and survivor. Her courage and fiery fighting spirit draws the interest of many suitors including her owner and spymaster Yuwen Yue, Yanbei hostage prince Yan Xun, Prince Yuan Song of Wei and Prince Xiao Ce of Liang. If not for the fact that she pulls her weight when it comes to the rescuing, this would sound absurdly Mary Sue. As it turns out, the most powerful men across three rival kingdoms simply have a death wish and are fatally attracted to dangerous, irascible and bad-ass women. Recognising her indomitable spirit and lethal fighting ability, Yuwen Yue trains her to be a top notch spy and assassin.

I enjoyed every moment of the first half of this drama - despite some discontinuity in the editing, the plot is intriguing, the characters are flawed and complex, it moves at a fast pace and the fight scenes are powerful and exhilirating. The chemistry between Zhao Liying and Lin Gengxin is off the charts and their supercharged one on one fight scenes are hot, hot, hot. The way Yuwen Yue grooms her, her gratitude and resentment and the push and pull attraction between them and their strong personalities results in a highly combustible build-up in passion between them. I just love how his eyes reveal how vulnerable he is, his grumpy sullen glower conveys his displeasure at being enslaved by his slave while the tiniest wry smile suggests a sense of acceptance and humor about it. The fierce answering spark in Xing'er's fiery eyes and her combative, resentful stance is a dead giveaway as to who this spitfire also most unwillingly longs for. I believe she would never have left with Yan Xun if her pride had not been so wounded at the thought she was nothing more than a lean mean killing machine to Yuwen Yue.

I have always considered Zhao Liying a vastly overrated, creepy life sized LOL doll with her gigantic head and eyes. This drama has given me a newfound appreciation for her acting skills and commanding screen presence. Her fight scenes are phenomenal and it is obvious that she immersed herself in this fabulous, kick-ass role of a fearless heroine with a big heart and bold dreams. It is hard to pull off the typical cold male lead well but Lin Gengxin effortlessly depicts the iceberg that conceals a dormant volcano. It is such a waste that his masterful articulation of such a complex and interesting character does not get nearly enough screen time. With one glaring weak link, this boasts an all star cast with complex, interesting and funny supporting characters with Xiao Ce (Deng Lun), Yue Qi and Yang Song being my favourites.

After peaking near the middle with a barbarous, heart wrenching massacre that results in irreversible divisions, the plot digresses into a long winded, meandering, melodramatic and ultimately trite tale of revenge as the focus shifts to the second leads Yan Xun and Chun'er. They are parallel selfish and amoral characters who go off the rails albeit for good reason and become consumed by hate and revenge. Although Li Qin does a fantastic job making a delusional, entitled and spoilt princess somewhat empathetic, the character Chun'er is not smart or interesting enough to command the amount of screen time she got and in so many gratuitous sub-plots. Xing'er/Chu Qiao's character is thrown under the bus in these arcs where she is dumbed down, stagnates and even regresses on several fronts when she excuses Yan Xun's misdeeds and lies at the cost of many lives. Like Chun'er she closes both eyes to the fact that Yan Xun sold her an empty dream and is nothing but a selfish, heartless prick with no game plan, is of mediocre ability and has no vision.

Yan Xun is a well written, complex and interesting antagonist. It is hinted from the beginning that he is innately selfish and quite manipulative, traits that rule him after the loss he experiences. This has to be said - this role however was badly miscast and that is why the drama pretty much implodes in the second half, from the moment Yan Xun takes centerstage. Shawn Dou is a blank actor that never compelled me because underneath the surface of his toothy, million dollar smile, there is not much to him. He can only pull off easy going, laid back two dimensional good guy roles and from his blank placid gaze it is clear he never really gets deep into character, he is the epitome of still waters run shallow. They would have been way better off sticking a Darth Vader mask over him rather than to inflict the wooden, constipated expression he wore for over half the damn drama on us. And the annoying sibilant "dark" whisper that became his voice made him the first male character I have ever been tempted to mute in a c-drama. To me, there is no believable triangle in this drama because there is zero spark between him and Zhao Liying. Put against an intensely masculine actor like Lin Gengxin, Shawn Dou's utter lack of sex appeal (男人味) is painfully obvious. I don't mean to offend his fans but this is too important a role that got way too much screen time to have been so poorly cast. I struggled to complete this drama because I lost all interest in the Yanbei arcs and the last few episodes are simply incoherent.

I was well warned that this drama has the worst open ending ever. The problem is that unlike The Rise of Phoenixes, it is not just about one bad ending episode. This drama starts to sink from about the halfway point where my intriguing historical spy / assassin drama turns into yet another boring revenge drama and my strong female allows her dreams to be subsumed by someone else's agenda. The only reason I didn't drop this is the remarkable chemistry between Yuwen Yue and Xing'er. I am reading the book (which is long but riveting) so I know their story does go on and the portrayal of both characters are quite faithful to the novel. Many much more interesting sub-plots didn't play out because they wasted 15-20 episodes on the most boring Yan Xun and Chun'er. Sadly the odds of this ever being completed with the original cast are low.

This drama could have, would have, and should have been epic but it just isn't. All it is is unfinished. Thus I rate the first few arcs 9.0/9.5 but the second half is at best a 5.5/6.0. My overall score is 7.5 which I consider generous. This is one that must be watched with adjusted expectations.

Citeste mai mult

Drink the finest wines, look at lovely girls, make the best friends, and fight glorious battles.

Spymaster Ning Yuanzhou and his elite Liudao Tang spies are tasked to escort a Wu diplomatic delegation to An to pay a king's ransom for their captured ruler. He encounters the stunning and deadly Ren Ruyi, a vengeance driven assassin nonpareil who defected from An. They have overlapping goals and form a wary alliance. Predictably, these aging-out, disillusioned operatives from opposite sides fall in love and indulge in a mid-life crisis amidst a suicide mission to rescue the foolish Wudi. This is an unexpectedly funny drama and the humor works well but masks the monumental task ahead of the delegation. Its best achievement is it makes us fall in love with a motley crew of unforgettable, flawed characters to the point we root for them against all odds and beyond reason.

This is a rare drama where I am more invested in the supporting cast than the main leads. Written by a feminist writer, Ren Ruyi is literally superwoman; independent, ruthless and indomitable; an indestructible one woman killing machine with fantasy level combat abilities. Ning Yuanzhou also walks on water; a master spy whose machinations decide who sits on the thrones of both states. Together they are so formidable that it seems more efficient to skip the mission or war as they can easily topple any ruler in their way. These over the top character designs with exaggerated abilities and superficial flaws rarely resonate with me. But I did derive petty enjoyment from their bitch slapping, scolding and kicking ass through the two kingdoms.

The casting of Liu Yuning and Liu Shishi in the leading roles is brilliant. While there are better actors, these roles play to their individual strengths and they both executed well. Liu Yuning plays a character that hides in plain sight. A too pretty actor would not work in this role. And Ren Ruyi the stone cold killer is perfectly reflected in Liu Shishi's stoic expressionless face and bright hard eyes. Even as she becomes less guarded and warms up to the delegation, there is bare of relaxation of her taut features; every frown and smile is controlled. Her head is at an exhausting elevated angle that made me wonder if she has frozen shoulder. Even her grief is so beautiful in a restrained way that I was unaffected, even mildly irritated at her cry scenes. Such an aloof portrayal made their chemistry seem decent but did not light up the screen . So it didn't matter to me if they made it out at the other end. As fully realized characters that live and die by the sword, they know the score. Their romance peaks too early, had few true obstacles and repetitive fan service sweet nothings moments . The heavy handed messaging about women's biological clocks annoyed me.

The more interesting characters are the young ones, Yang Ying and Li Tongguang, both on heroes journeys. He Landou delivers a inspiring portrayal of an uncertain young princess completely in over her head, overcoming fear, heartbreak and every obstacle to emerge as a purposeful person with the the courage of her convictions. At surface Li Tongguang appears to be a fascinating character; strong, smart, ambitious and charming. Unfortunately he has a dark side, an odd and creepy Oedipus complex for his shifu. Part of the problem is this narrative doesn't invest in villains; most antagonists are killed off so quickly they leave no impression. Thus Li Tongguang becomes the default fall guy; whenever something bad has to happen to create angst or move the plot along, it is pinned on him. Nonetheless the role is well played enough that I had a soft spot for the character throughout.

Saving the best for last, Fang Yilun's Yu Shisan stole the show as far as I am concerned. I love flawed, humorously self-aware, very mortal characters like this with no special powers or death defying abilities. Hopefully Fang Yilun's amazing comedic expression and timing gets noticed. His shock and aghast at the idea he was falling in love made me shake with laughter and moved me unaccountably at the same time. When he prosaically warns his love not to fall for a rogue like him, I knew she was as much a lost cause as I was. Shisan is the unsung hero of this story. He picks up the slack so that Yuanzhou can rescue Ruyi and was there for Qian Zhou, Sun Lang and Yuan Lu through the last legs of their mission. He remained true to his life's mantra to live fully with no regrets: drink the finest wine, look at lovely girls, make the best friends, and fight glorious battles. / 这辈子就要喝最烈的酒, 看最美的姑娘, 交最好的朋友, 打最漂亮的仗. It is too bad he did not dare to or did not believe he had the right to love and thus denies his heart to finish the job. If I could have changed just one thing, I would have had Shisan leap on to that horse along with his love. The other flawed character I enjoyed immensely is Wudi. After Shisan, he made me laugh hardest, especially during the great escape. He also moved me with his profound regret and intent do better.

This drama has a linear plot that is not well paced; it either advances at a high speed that glosses over logic holes or stalls out to dwell on repetitive romantic or delusional tropes. The harder you look at the plot, the less it makes sense. As it is more of a character story, I am willing to be forgiving as long as important characters are not destroyed along the way. In that aspect, the drama starts out exceptionally well with a fantastic core of well conceived, multi-layered and compelling characters. Unfortunately, the character designs start to break down quite early on, with Li Tongguang. The ending was rushed, had some sloppy edits and packs in an unnecessary Wu arc. Too many characters are destroyed into the finale including Ruyi and Yuanhou. Ruyi prioritizes her personal agenda, bites off more than she can chew (again) and had to be rescued (again); forcing Yuanzhou to choose his love over his mission. Consequently they were not there when Liudao Tang needed them most. Finally, Ruyi makes a decision that is not true to herself or to her beliefs about living well. After investing so much on Li Tongguang, this character has no development and mucks everything up in the finale. The ending was was bloodier than I expected and unnecessarily cruel. I didn't have a huge issue with the outcome in and of itself, just the figurative character assassinations.

As for the ending scene, upon re-watch, I realized it is not confusing, it simply pays homage to the meaning of the drama's title Yī Niàn Guān Shān / 一念关山 or A Thought of Guanshan and closes the drama on a note of finality. It is a line from an ancient poem 却东西门行/But the East West Gate written by Shen Yue during the Northern and Southern dynasties. It is a sad poem reflecting on life, the passage of time and destiny. Guanshan/ 关山 refers to memories spanning the mountains and rivers (meaning the far reaches of the empire); of past events joyful and sorrowful. It is an Auld Lang Syne moment where someone who lived on longs for the bygone years and lost friends. It is unnecessarily cruel to close the story with a character that was meant to move on with their life. The bigger point is everyone they are thinking of did not make it out at the other end. The ending to me is not ambiguous.

I enjoyed many parts of this drama which started out as an 8.5 for me but there were draggy parts, key characters got destroyed, all the holes become obvious with re-watch and the ending is just not good. It is still a wonderful watch with lovable characters, fabulous fight scenes and divine comedy. I am just petty and I won't forgive them for Yu Shisan. My final rating is 8/10.









ENDING SPOILER COMMENTS

The final scene is actually very clear.:

Ten years later, the countries are at peace. He County which was the frontier battleground is prosperous and thriving; children are well schooled but the naughty ones sneak out to play. Chu Yue visits the battleground which with a decade of peace is covered with grass. She takes a moment to think of the past, of everyone that sacrificed and imagines either what could have been or that they are in another place. Her fantasy doesn't have to make complete sense because it is just her imagination. The child she sees on the horse is not the same younger child that sneaks out of school. Ning Shisan on the horse is older, with loose hair in a pure white outfit. Chu Yue should not be in this scene. Shisan denied his heart to set her free. He saved her and meant for her to go on, to love and live life with no regrets. It enraged me that they did this to poor Chu Yue and it would have broke Shisan to see her like this.

Ruyi should have been in that end scene, possibly with a son and a daughter. She could have escaped and remained true to her promise to Yuanzhou to go on without him, that a woman can live well without love. The drama foreshadowed many times that she would be last woman standing and yet they both literally and figuratively killed her character when she chose to blow herself up after assassinating the Beipan king and prince. Ruyi had a choice and the one she made sends all kinds of wrong messages to women everywhere. The only woman who remained true to herself was Yang Ying. She moved on, made the best of her situation and lived well regardless. If Ruyi had to die, the end scene should have closed with Yang Ying instead of Chu Yue.

I also think they should not have killed off Wudi. The team put themselves in harms way to bring him back; he learned some hard lessons and would have been a much a better ruler for it. They killed him off so that Yuanzhou could play kingmaker. It was a rushed, completely dumb, ridiculous and gratuitous Wu subplot that negates poor Qian Zhou and Chai Ming's sacrifice. I could go on but these are some of the main reasons I am so let down by the ending.

Citeste mai mult

Three Blind Mice.

The Chinese title of this drama 天行健/Tiān Xíng Jiàn comes from a profound phrase 天行健, 君子以自强不息 from the ancient divination classic I-Ching. Loosely translated, it means in a dynamic world, gentlemen should constantly strive for improvement; to be virtuous. In the context of this drama, it alludes to how three very different individuals struggle for relevance against the overwhelming tide of history.

This production's rich historical and cultural texture has been widely praised by history buffs. The nostalgic opening sequence seamless weaves in scenes from the drama with real footage from that era. It is set in early 1911 which was a pivotal time in modern Chinese history. By then, impoverished by civil strife and foreign incursions, the Qing dynasty was on its last legs. While clearly the time of emperors was ending, China's struggle with what form of government it would adopt went on for almost 40 years. In this story, the court is divided between conservatives (Imperial Household Department) and reformists (Prince Qi); both of whom are trying to preserve some form of constitutional monarchy. Tongmenghui led by Sun Wen (Sun Yat-sen) are rebels who want to do away with the monarchy and go down the path of a democratic republic. The powerful Beiyang Army, (then led by Yuan Shikai, the unnamed fisherman) was a deciding player in Chinese politics right up to 1949 and beyond. At the time, foreign powers including the Japanese, actively meddled in Chinese domestic affairs. Thus while there are indeed too many factions, this accurately depicts the landscape at the time

There is a lot to unpack as this is equally a plot and character driven story. A map leading to a fabled treasure is stolen from the palace. The various factions realize that such a fabulous treasure could make a meaningful difference to the success of their cause. Thus begins a mad dash of a treasure hunt that entangles three individuals who are disenfranchised by the changing times: the personal guard of the deposed Guangxu emperor, a swordsman in the age of guns and a Confucian scholar after the abolition of imperial exams. Can these three blind mice grappling with their own outdated ideals be trusted to see the bigger picture and ensure the treasure ends up in the right hands?

Men Sandao was once the emperor's guard who dared to love a princess. He was imprisoned when the emperor's Hundred Days' Reform failed. Twelve years later, he is freed on the condition he retrieves the fabled treasure that is desperately needed to shore up the national coffers. He is pitted against Zhuo Bufan, the leader of the impoverished Rongtian sect who seeks the treasure as a means to make his sect famous. His nemesis Dagu constable Wang Jialuo doesn't care about the treasure; he just means to hunt down and hold Zhuo Bufan and the Rongtian sect accountable for nine murders in his county. They are all flawed and obsessive characters who are smart yet frustratingly intractable in their beliefs. Even Men Sandao, the fullest and most intriguing character remains true to the only two things that matter to him from the beginning to the end. Similarly, Zhuo Bufan refuses to ditch his cause until his cause abandons him. The greatest zealot is Wang Jialuo, who is the product of everything wrong with the Confucian exam system; a tradition so steeped in rote learning over original thought he is utterly incapable of operating outside of the Qing code.

Men Sandao is Qin Junjie's best role to date, one he delivers with a mastery that matches the stagecraft of the many veteran actors in the cast. The way he habitually held his hands as if they were still in shackles moved me as much as the forlorn tear he shed at Guangxu emperor's grave. His natural chemistry with the rest of the cast elevated the character interactions all around. Despite their conflicting agendas, Men Sandao shared a mutual respect and understanding with Zhuo Bufan and was also able to manage the more difficult Wang Jialuo. I laughed uproariously at how he turned Lucky into his lackey and enjoyed his spirited debates with Liu Lin. I could tell he saw a lot of his younger self in her and their relationship was the one I found most moving. All of the roles that mattered, including the villain roles, were well executed with many memorable scenes featuring Prince Qi, Cunqing and Zhong Haichao. Lin Anjing was the only notable weak link in an otherwise stellar cast.

There is never a dull moment in this well-written screenplay that seamlessly weaves in multiple interlocking character stories into the action and adventure. Told with dark humor, wit and irony, the narrative does not shy away from blood, violence and sudden death. Though a bit a bit heavy on slow motion and close ups, the action scenes are intense and well shot; with the occasional dose of bizarre humor. I laughed hardest at Wang Jialuo's Tarantino like foolish bravado in the face of certain death and his absurd resurrections. But laughter aside, I really didn't much care for him or Zhuo Bufan and their romantic entanglements. The only characters I rooted for were Men Sandao, Gege, Liu Lin and the ubiquitous Lucky with his uncanny knack for popping up just when needed. Though some characters got endings they didn't deserve, the ending overall is quite fitting and not surprising. This is ultimately a dark story, reflective of the times. One of the better dramas of 2024 for me that deserves more attention. I rate this 8.5/10.0.

Scroll down for more detailed spoiler ending thoughts.









MAJOR ENDING SPOILER COMMENTS



I found both Zhuo Bufan and Wang Jialuo's ending very fitting and oddly justified. Make no mistake, Zhuo Bufan was not a great guy. He betrayed many jianghu codes of conduct in his quest for greatness and sacrificed his sect members with callous indifference. It is no wonder they turned on him. He arguably would have never really given up were it not for the fact that the Rongtian sect was no more. He also conveniently forgot he promised Wang Jialuo that he would settle accounts with him and tried to ride off into the sunset after abandoning the treasure hunt. There was so much blood on Zhuo Bufan and Huo Qin’s hands including Wang Jialuo's shifu and the poor, heroic Tan Xian that there had to be consequences. Of course Wang Jialuo was no better and ultimately also betrays his true love and his beloved Qing code in his obsession with closing his case. It is both ironic and fitting that he was his own judge and executioner. It cracked me up that Men Sandao went after him in case for the tenth time he didn’t really die dead.

The most undeserved deaths were those of Lucky and Liu Lin, who were the true heroes of this story. They represented the best, most idealistic and hopeful voices of their movement and the future their world had to change for. Their deaths were not necessary and far more cruel and pointless than telling us that Men Sandao and Gege never reunited after Fujian. In any case, there were no lasting good outcomes for anyone during that time in history. Any survivors would have had to face an ugly 40 years of civil war with Tongmenghui ultimately ending up on the wrong side of history. So it has to be enough that they fought the good fight that led to the movement’s finest moments. RIP Liu Lin and Lucky Hao Han who was definitely a hǎohàn/好汉/good guy but just not that lucky.






X

Citeste mai mult

The winds of change.

This slow paced suspense thriller by the director of The Bad Kids is told with such dry humor and irony that it initially conceals the story's intense, almost unbearable pathos. It is about how the irresistible force of the winds of change profoundly affects the lives of two generations of Hualin. Hualin is a fictional Northeastern town where the entire economy was built around a state owned enterprise, Huagang Steel, which is said to be modelled on either Angang Steel or Benxi Steel. The mill employs most of the town in some capacity and runs everything from its schools to its hospitals. This economic model collapsed in the late 1990s, displacing hundreds of thousands of workers across China. Towns like Hualin, where one enterprise comprised practically the entire economy were particularly hard hit.

The drama opens in 2016, where the main protagonist Wang Xiang, an irascible old taxi driver helps his brother-in-law Gong Biao hunt down scammers who tried to knock off his taxi medallion. They rope in Ma Desheng, a retired disillusioned cop turned ballroom dancer to aid them. Their determined, bungling poking around results in a murder that Wang Xiang insists must be linked to a cold dismemberment case at the mill that they had investigated almost two decades ago. This takes them back to 1997/1998, which was a turning point in all three lives that they survived but never quite recovered from.

Fan Wei's portrayal of the older Wang Xiang's grief frozen expression and his glittering angry sad gaze is brilliant and evocative. I almost couldn't see Qin Hao in middle-aged Gong Biao, who still somehow manages to hang on to that optimism and naivete of youth. And Chen Minghao never fails to impress with his ability to combine comedy with tragedy - his ballroom dancing left me speechless! I enjoyed the chemistry and rapport of the older cast immensely. Only veteran actors of this caliber are able to stay in character and wear the passage of time and hardship through multi-decade transformations so effortlessly. In the present, they are shadows of their former selves, displaced by the reform and changes that swept across China as it opened up to change. I am surprised by how candid this drama is about how these economic reforms did not benefit everybody.

Back in 1997, the three friends are in their prime. Wang Xiang is the important train driver that transports raw materials to the mill; Gong Biao is a rare young college graduate groomed to advance in the mill's senior management; and Ma Desheng is a hot shot detective in charge of shocking murders that shook the town. The young Wang Yang sees the writing on the wall with respect to the mill's future and resists his father's efforts to help him secure a position there, seeking employment in the nascent and seedier private sector instead. There he becomes fast friends with Shen Mo and Fu Weijun. Unlike the older generation who are still in denial, this youthful trio are quicker to accept and adapt to the rapidly changing environment. The bond of their friendship is just as strong and as real as that of their elders. The younger cast impressively hold their own well up against the veterans. This has to be Li Gengxi's best, least petulant portrayal but I still find her to be the weakest link in the cast overall. While her performance was quite good, I did not like or empathise with her Shen Mo the way I felt compelled by and rooted for both Wang Yang (lLiu Yitei) and Fu Weijun (Jiang Qiming).

In terms of the mystery plot, it is very well designed with a few good twists but is overall straightforward and easy to understand. The clues are intriguing and well planted early on and an outline of what happened emerges at a slow but riveting pace. When all is revealed, everything fits together and makes sense. It is true that this drama is a much bigger story than the mystery itself but the unravelling of the case is the centrepiece that pulls the sub-plots and narrative that spans two decades together. It is a very dark story that unfolds during a time of inescapable change that everyone is helpless up against. At the same time, they go through some utterly devastating events. The passage of time doesn't dull anything; in fact to them decades later it is still as if it all happened just yesterday. Poor Wang Xiang and to a lesser extent, his buddies are in limbo, suspended in this dreadful, long autumn. The drama tries to end with closure followed by a positive epiphany; to move forward and not look back 往前走/wǎng qián zǒu. Yet I can't shake the overwhelming sense of how beautiful but quietly helpless and tragic this story is. Not everyone will be able to understand or relate to the late 1990s backdrop or enjoy the slow pace but for me this is the best drama I have watched this year (as of May 2023). I rate it 9.5/10:0.

Citeste mai mult

Justice is blind and not heartless.

I have never had a good impression of China's opaque legal system so I was both curious and skeptical about Draw the Line. This drama is a fascinating tour of the inner workings of China's grassroots level judicial system. It shines a surprisingly candid spotlight on gaps in the Chinese judicial system from rapid economic growth, modernisation, changing social values and the proliferation of the internet and social media.

Fang Yuan is the presiding judge at the Xingcheng District Court, a local people's court of first instance which handles both civil and criminal cases. Fang Yuan's division handles civil cases while criminal matters are adjudicated by his colleague Song Yufei, a deputy chief judge of the intermediate people's court. What surprises me most is how hands on the grassroots judges are in the Chinese legal system. They do a lot of field work themselves from directing the gathering of evidence to personally interviewing plaintiffs, defendants and witnesses. The role of lawyers is so passive and marginalized it is as if they are for decorative purposes only. For civil cases, the court first seeks to resolve conflicts through court sponsored mediation. If an agreement, is reached, it becomes legally binding once it is reviewed and documented by a judge. Mediation can be a draining process, especially when dealing with less educated, unreasonable and belligerent citizens. Thus beyond legal knowledge it takes a combination of investigative and persuasive skills and a healthy dose of patience to be effective as a grassroots judge in China.

The arrival of Ye Xin, a young researcher from the Supreme Court is met with speculation and trepidation by the close knit community at the Xingcheng District Court. She is an annoying character in the beginning because she has no practical experience, and adopts a rigid by the book approach to interpreting the law. Experienced grassroots judges like Fang Yuan and his mentee Zhou Yian are more pragmatic about bridging the inevitable gaps between static legal codes and the myriad complexities of real life cases. Still it is never easy to figure out where to draw the line between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. Beyond the heavy case load, the courts also face the challenge of social media, where cases are tried in the court of public opinion on distorted facts. Although the judges do their best to weigh the the practical, moral and humane aspects of their decisions, they don't always get it right. They have their own flaws, biases and personal or familial pressures. These dynamics set Chinese Supreme Court down the path of judicial reform, where case law is increasingly implemented instead of just statutory law.

The impeccably curated cases create a fascinating mosaic of moral, familial, commercial and social issues great and small confronting the Chinese public today. They are based on thought provoking and relevant real life cases; some of which have sparked public debate and controversy. The drama is very even handed about presenting both the plaintiff and defendant's point of view. The writers very effectively showcase resembling cases to illustrate the range of different human emotions, motives and outcomes. There are cases where two sons are driven to kill because of their mother, sexual harassment cases with different power dynamics and common reasons for the breakdown of marriages and related child custody disputes. From the mundane and petty to the serious and complex, the cases strike a riveting, sometimes heart rending chord because we have all read about or heard about or experienced something similar. At the same time, these cases deftly illustrate the many challenges faced by grassroots judges. They are the everyday heroes who navigate the grey areas of the law and morality with compassion to deliver justice that is blind and not heartless.

The cast in this drama needs no introduction and does a stellar job in drawing out the complex human aspects of the cases. Jin Dong delivers a multi-faceted Fang Yuan who is everything to everyone at work - a stern and impartial judge, a tireless and persuasive mediator, a wise mentor and a playful colleague. This leaves him with much less to give at home as a father and husband. We see a very down to earth version Cheng Yi as the introspective Zhou Yian, the young judge who must surely cut his own hair! He convincingly navigates a crisis of conviction after making some mis-steps. Both Yian and Cai Wenjing's Ye Xin are the characters who show the most growth in this drama but the characters that move me most are either defendants or plaintiffs in some of the more heart rending cases.

The best, most thought provoking case to me is the one about the roommates that is analogous to tripping a friend to escape a bear attack. Even though all the cases are interesting, there are too many of the cases in the back half that personally entangle various court personnel. This requires repeated suspension of disbelief in terms of how impartial and self sacrificing the various protagonists managed to be. It also highlights in my opinion an area that still needs judicial reform, which is how conflicts of interest are handled. It seems there is no requirement for judges to recuse themselves when their colleagues end up as defendants. The ending case is just too personal with too many coincidences and conflicts and an outcome that I find the least equitable with some defendants getting off too lightly while others are very harshly indicted. It is not the right note to end on and as a result I rate this an 8.0 instead of an 8.5. Overall a highly recommended, eye opening, thought provoking and fascinating watch with heart felt performances from some of my favourite Chinese actors.

Citeste mai mult

The truth will make them free.

This is a review of The Blue Whisper in its entirety - I will not review Part 1 and Part 2 separately.

The Blue Whisper is an enthralling fairytale about how love can be both imprisoning and liberating. Set in a fantasy world where sky immortals or fairies instill order and earth immortals or demons are prone to chaos, romantic entanglements between these two clans are forbidden. This kind of inter-species ban pretty much ensures that sky immortals and earth immortals fall for each other with reckless impunity.

Ji Yunhe is the most consummate spirit master among Wanhua Valley's elite cadre of demon tamers. She longs desperately to escape from the Valley; to see the world and be free. Chang Yi, a magnificent and powerful merman is captured by the wicked, conceited Shunde fairy, who tasks the Valley to tame and enslave him. Seeing it as her ticket to freedom, Yunhe vies with her sect brother, the Valley Master's son Lin Haoqing, to complete the task. Where Haoqing attempts to torture Chang Yi into submission, Yunhe beguiles him with kindness, friendship and love. Yunhe successfully manipulates and entices the naïve Chang Yi's heart for her own selfish ends. Along the way, the player gets played as Yunhe falls for his sincerity and sees that it is wrong to enslave such a pure hearted and innocent being. But even though she sacrifices to free him, her well intended lies set in motion a cycle of half truths, sacrifices. betrayals and captivity that ensnares them both. After a long and difficult quest for freedom with many trials, they understand that it is the truth that makes them free.

The story is set in a stunning, enchanted fantasy world with a vivid magical color palette, mystical sets and the best costumes and styling I have seen in a long time. The CGI is well done but errs on the side of being heavy handed at times. The storytelling however, leaves quite a bit to be desired. There are way too many artifacts, especially pearls with endless magical properties to conveniently save the day. And when dead characters keep being revived, both the element of surprise and the emotional impact is diminished. In addition to unnecessary side characters, there are altogether five well developed CPs that explore repetitive tortured themes of taboo relationships, deception, betrayal and how love can both be both confining and liberating. A few of these side stories are not interesting and too long winded and the frequent alternating between too many CPs and plot threads breaks the momentum of Yunhe and Chang Yi's story and makes the main plot stagnate as well. Thus I did not feel Yunhe and Chang Yi's chemistry or get invested in their storyline until Part 2 where many threads converge and the storytelling improves markedly.

I am really happy to see Dilraba take on the role of such a complex and conflicted character as Yunhe; one that undergoes so much anguish and such profound change. Though she made me feel her love and pain many times, I still like her portrayal of the cunning, manipulative and self serving Yunhe in the beginning best. As for Ren Jialun, he is a master of the unspoken and of intense suffering in silence. I can't fault his performance and am simply tickled that he is willing to do so many kiss scenes with the exquisite Dilraba. They look so incredible together in this production that they must be the most gorgeous costume drama couple by a wide margin. That said, while Chang Yi is intensely single minded when it comes to love, loyalty and righteousness, this is not innately a complex character and thus the role doesn't quite do Ren Jialun justice in terms of broadening his acting repertoire.

The character that compells me to the point of stealing the show is Lin Haoqing; brilliantly and sublimely articulated by Xiao Shunyao. From the get go, I was more drawn to Haoqing's chemistry with Yunhe - they are on the same wavelength, bound by history and layered and complex emotions. Like Chang Yi, Haoqing is torn between duty and Yunhe but unlike Chang Yi who is more reactive, he proactively schemes ahead, takes bold risks and tries for win win outcomes. Lin Haoqing and Yunhe get to do all kinds of interesting and important things that advance the plot while poor Chang Yi is relegated to safeguarding Beiyuan and dealing with the petty, boring issues of the fox clan. Chang Yi only comes in useful in mighty showdowns and even then, his power ups are marred by unflattering camerawork that catch him scowling angrily as if he is trying to take a dump. I can't help but feel that the plot short changes my beloved sour faced Ren Jialun, an actor I am super fond of. That said, I only have praise Xiao Shunyao's ability to make me feel Lin Haoqing's suffering no less than Chang Yi and Yun He's. I hope good things happen to this handsome and compelling actor.

Though I don't consider Xian Shi or Shunde's motives as villains that convincing, both roles are very well acted. In fact, Guo Xiaoting's Shunde can give one of my all time favorite villains, Angelina Jolie's Maleficent a run for the money. Guo thrusts herself into the role with mesmerising relish and wicked abandon. A dash of dark humor would have rendered the portrayal incomparable. As for the rest of the (too) extensive cast, even though a few characters got screen time that was disproportionate to the substance of their storylines, the roles are well performed enough to win a place in my heart. The friendship, support and sacrifice from Fan Zhen and Lishu as well as the hilarious Kong Ming and Luo Luo is clearly what gets Yunhe and Chang Yi through the loneliness of their many trials and tribulations. And I just simply love the idea of such a youthfully adorable Tian Jun.

This drama finishes strongly with an exciting and well chareographed final confrontation. But I won't lie, the ending is a bit of a blue whimper. There are simply too many reversals that make me roll my eyes. As for the final 5 minutes, it succumbs to c-drama's nasty habit of wanting to be all things to all people. Nonetheless, it is still an acceptable finale that from a certain point of view can be seen as quite fitting. The storytelling in Part 1 tried my patience and is at best an 8.0 but I really enjoyed Part 2, which I can happily rate a 9.0. Since I don't think it makes sense to rate both parts separately, this is an 8.5 overall. As of end April, this is my personal top ranked drama for 2022.

Citeste mai mult

Let life be beautiful like summer flowers...

This tantalizing and poignant love story captures the spirit of carpe diem. It opens with a young girl's chance encounter at the hair salon. She is aroused by a strong and silent stranger from the way he caresses her ears and washes her hair. For most girls, it would stop just there; a titillating fantasy not to be acted upon. But He Ran is not like most girls. She throws herself at Xiao Han shamelessly; not one whit bothered that he is well into his prime. Twist and all, this is a simple and very cliched romance plot that hinges on the chemistry between the leads and whether they can convince audiences to root for them.

He Ran's relentless pursuit of Xiao Han can very easily come across as crude and thirsty but Xu Ruohan gets this tricky portrayal mostly right down to the small nuances. She is just an artless young, girl headily experiencing infatuation, desire, and possibly even love for the very first time. She can be incredibly petulant, unreasonable, and childish, like the protected and spoiled little rich girl she is. But she taunts and tempts him with the instinctive provocativeness and burgeoning sensuality of a child-woman. The way she looks at him with her heart in her eyes and the effervescent joy in her smile made me shake my head at the futility of Xiao Han's efforts to evade her charms.

As for Xiao Han, his genuine attempts to resist the ardent allure of this captivating young temptress is just the right touch. He rightly has misgivings - she is too young and they are from different worlds. Xiao Han is a man of few words; a gentle giant who is very still and seemingly unmoved by her attempts to seduce him. Only the smallest microexpressions give him away - the hint of a smile, a tensing of his incredible jawline, a barely perceptible slow sidelong glance, and a whisper of innuendo in his tone. While Xiao Han clearly looks and is more mature, the relationship doesn't come across as exploitative largely because He Ran is the instigator and calls most of the shots. Of course, it helps that Jerry Yan does not look a day over thirty and the only offensive thing about him is how well he wears those sleeveless wife-beater T-shirts.

Their love story unfolds against a lush, almost surreal romantic palette drenched with deep and lush saturated colors of the riotous blooms adorning Xiao Han's intimate seaside home. The couple's sultry chemistry permeates the screen, captured mesmerizingly by the director's avant-garde and sensual visual composition style. The superbly curated soundtrack supercharges the narrative with all the right emotions at every critical juncture. I was invested in their romance the moment I heard the first song, Cantopop hit (半點心 A Drop of Your Heart). At the time, they had barely even met! I am so busy being a Peeping Tom that it takes me a while to notice that the plot doesn't move much. He Ran is just escaping into Xiao Han's world and their relationship is built around "ask me no questions and I will tell you no lies". They are both secretive and repeatedly fail to communicate. Thus despite its addictive beauty, theirs does not bear the hallmarks of a lasting relationship.

He Ran and Xiao Han's relationship shortcomings are amplified by the too coincidental to be true gender reversed second age-gap romance. There the couple actually dares to call each other out and are open about themselves and their doubts and constraints. That said, their initial attraction is too tropey and not convincing and it is a major subplot that develops too late in the main plot line; right after He Ran and Xiao Han's relationship peaks. This long-winded and often boring digression annoyed me and disrupted the momentum of the main romance. Their sizzling chemistry also highlights a more adult passionate intensity that seems missing in He Ran and Xiao Han's encounters.

The Chinese title of this drama 夏花 / Xià Huā or Summer Flowers, comes from Rabindranath Tagore's poem "Let life be beautiful like summer flowers..." After Shakespeare, Tagore is the most widely read and well-loved foreign poet in China. Thus there is already a lot of foreshadowing in the Chinese title. But I think it is not that important how He Ran and Xiao Han's story ends. Because the story's real message is about living in the moment and daring to live and love with no conditions or expectations for the future. That they did and like summer flowers, their love bloomed with wild abandon drenching the earth with the radiant, ecstatic colors of beautiful life. With a little bit of help from Uncle Han, who is just the best fairy godfather ever.

As for the ending, I didn't like it. Not at all. It diminishes both main characters. It is why even though I love many parts of this drama, I can only rate it a 7.5. A better ending would have gotten an 8.0-8.5 from me. I will elaborate on why I am so disappointed in the ending below. It is of course a major spoiler so please don't scroll down if you have not finished watching the drama.









Warning - major ending spoiler way down below.















Major Ending Spoiler

To me killing off a character is a lot better than killing the character of the character. And that is what leaving the door open for some ambiguity does - both He Ran and Xiao Han's characterizations suffer as a consequence. The ending should have been clear and decisive. The drama consistently builds up to it. This loosey-goosey ending makes the timeline messy and creates unnecessary loose ends. Did Xiao Han not accompany He Ran to seek treatment? What about his promise to care for her? Surely he was not growing flowers at home while she was fighting for her life thousands of miles away. But what really takes the cake is He Ran's unreasonable demand that Xiao Han waits for her and loves no one else. It is utterly selfish and insensitive. What if his first love had demanded that of him and he never gave He Ran the time of the day? Dying is easy, it puts her beyond all further suffering and emotion. From then, the suffering begins for the survivors. She sets her mother free but poor Xiao Han is supposed to miss her for the rest of his life? Did she ever even truly love him? Wow! This cop-out ending made me intensely dislike He Ran instead of remembering her poignantly as the brave young girl she was at the beginning. A girl who chose to live life gloriously if briefly instead of wallowing in self-pity.

"Let life be beautiful like summer flowers and death like autumn leaves." - Stray Birds by Rabindranath Tagore

Citeste mai mult

Despicable Me.

This sublime wuxia revolves around two atypical protagonists and their scorching, profound connection. A bold BL adaption that makes no attempt to suggest the relationship is just a bromance, the love story is so charismatically portrayed that it will captivate even mainstream viewers. Both protagonists are morally ambiguous and flawed characters with their own code of conduct. They fall far short of conventional da xia/大侠 or martial heroes but still manage to beguile us into caring and rooting for them.

What elevates this drama is the scriptwriting , the writer put her heart into this and while I cannot compare it with the book, I couldn't be more satisfied with the drama's storytelling. Important plot and character points are planned and planted well in advance and the story unfolds in a way that pulls us into various the plot threads and the partial reveals. Many questions, including when Zhou Zishu recognizes Wen Kexing; are never clearly answered but can be surmised upon re-watch from  hints in the dialogue and the characters' subsequent actions. The playful, flirtatious dialogue heavily laced with double entendre and layers of meaning with its facile parlance of idioms and ancient parables has won widespread praise from educators and broad audiences, inspiring young adults to dust off their classical texts with renewed enthusiasm. This winsome first work of a young scriptwriter sets a high bar for historical dramas going forward and puts the often lazy and tired works of more experienced writers to shame.

At surface, the backdrop and many characters are classic wuxia themes and anachronisms - various jianghu sects are vying to recover five shards of liulijia, a glazed artefact that can unlock a hidden repository of the most elite martial arts and miraculous medical manuscripts. Sound familiar? Its been done many times. But it scarcely matters because the two main protagonists, Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing immediately sweep us away with their outrageous, titillating courtship. Gong Jun's shamelessly flirtatious Wen Kexing, is the most predatory, lecherous, and utterly delicious display of physical attraction I have seen since John Malkovich's iconic Valmont in Dangerous Liaisons. I am quite certain most of Zhang Zehan's eye rolls were not acting and I just love his improvised comment - even my fart smells good! Both actors deliver immersive resonating performances - Gong Jun with a wild vengeful ferocity behind flashes of vulnerability and Zhang Zhehan with a subtle nuanced complexity that hints at a multitude of emotions within micro expressions. Classic wuxia themes and archetypes are woven into an addictive tale of friendship, love, betrayal, loyalty, ambition, sacrifice and of course revenge.

While a bit heavy on the slow motion, the fight scenes are stunningly choreographed and delivers enough hairy, scary, dicey, slicey moments to have me at the edge of my seat. I was stunned by the raw ferocious rage and naked hatred that spilled out of Gu Xiang in the epic finale. The bloodthirsty, brutally lethal and absolutely berserk final mortal battle where the master of the Ghost Valley emits rage with the wild light of cruel insanity flashing in his eyes is without doubt the highlight of the action. This of course excludes Lao Wen and Ah Xu's exuberant fight scenes because everybody knows its really a mating dance where they are actually just ogling at each other. The story is well paced with a good balance of mystery, action and and ends spectacularly with enough twists, surprises and a breathless cruelty that pays homage to the true spirit of the genre. If I have to find fault, there are too many sects and side characters that don't advance the plot. The relationship between Zhao Jing and Scorpion King also feels off in a creepy way and even though the role is very well acted, Scorpion King's motives are not well developed. In general the villains feel rather two dimensional but perhaps this is unavoidable given how grey and complex both protagonists are.

Even though this is hands down one of the best wuxias I have seen in years, this is more of a character drama in the sense that the core characters are what really brings this story life in a differentiated way. I am going to discuss them in greater detail in the following paragraphs. Be warned there are mild spoilers so you may want to stop reading here and revisit after completing.

*Be warned - mild spoilers ahead!*

The narrator Zhou Zishu is a dark character and while he is not a villain, he is amoral and thus the story is told via the lens of a world view that is defined by personal loyalties and relationships rather than some over arching sense of morality. In Zhang Zhehan's own words, Zhou Zishu has thousands of layers and is thus the most fascinating and difficult character to both write and to portray. In this both writer and actor delivered brilliantly in striking that perfect balance of revealing not too much but just enough to create an enigmatic character with insidious lingering impact. Zishu is a cynical and disillusioned cold hearted assassin who is  only bound to and motivated by his word of honor - yes for once we have an aptly titled c-drama. He doesn't blame Jin wang for his fall from grace nor does he try to avenge his fallen sect brothers because like himself, they all must live and die by their oath, their word of honor. By the time he encounters Zhang Chengling and Wen Kexing, he is resigned to his self inflicted fate and means to spend his remaining days wandering the world drinking himself into oblivion. He epitomizes despicable me, stricken by self loathing for his weaknesses, for his failings that led to the deaths of his sect brothers and Four Seasons Manor's downfall.

Zishu is pulled back into the world of the living by his promise to see Chengling to safety - his intent is to do no more than that and is indifferent to the boy's pleas to accept him as his disciple. Although he was attracted to Kexing, he dismisses his outrageous overtures and distrusts him but lets him stick around to keep an eye on him. It is only after Kexing hallucinates and calls him Zhou Zishu that his attitude changes. That must be when he suspects who Kexing is and for the first time, sees a path towards keeping his promise to his shifu by resurrecting Four Seasons Manor and thus he accepts Chengling as his disciple. But he is really only putting his affairs in order so to speak. Even though he acknowledges Kexing as his soul mate, he does not deem himself worthy of a long and happy life.

Wen Kexing on the other hand is innately a good person, who is driven by hate and vengeance into doing some terrible things. Unlike Zishu, he still longs to be a good person and deep down still believes he is indeed a good person. While Gong Jun brings the many facets of Wen Kexing from the terrifying to the vulnerable alive vividly with his expressive eyes, the character itself is a more easily understandable, angsty, revenge driven wuxia archetype. Zishu is a much darker character than Kexing and he does not save or redeem Kexing, it is actually the other way around. Although Kexing at surface gets more screen time, as the narrator that always seems to know more than he reveals, Zishu is omnipresent and invites the most mind share. As they change each other and extend their found family to include Chengling, Gu Xiang, Cao Weining and even the irascible and hilarious Ye Bai Yi, Zishu subtly comes to embrace life again.

This drama peaks spectacularly in the gorgeously shot penultimate episode that has everything - clever final reveals, plot twists, shocking, shattering losses, violent clashes and epic showdowns. I screamed, I jumped up and down, I cried, I couldn't believe my eyes! This is the way a drama should end, at its peak. Yes, there are small loose threads but overall, I am very happy with the ending. True, the final afterthought episode is a bit of a non sequitur but everything else was so spectacular I am willing to not look that hard at it. This is by far the best wuxia I have seen in many, many years and I can happily call this a perfect 9.5.

Citeste mai mult