Grew up in the US but have always joked with friends that I was partially raised by Chinese/Hong Kong movies/series. Although there is a heavy appreciation for all genres and cultures, there is an inevitable soft spot here. Prior to our worldwide issue with Covid-19, work has been the main consumption. But now that some life time has been saved from not having a long commute into the office, I've found some solace in re-entering this world of drama again.
Don't usually like writing reviews but due to the volume, using it for personal purposes of keeping track. Similarly keeping that tracking list on MyAnimeList. My lists will be lacking as I'm only reviewing the ones I've seen post-joining the sites, unless there is a re-watch.
There is a preference to the older-school movies/series because there was more emphasis on the acting itself with actors who are multi-talented. The fight scenes also tend to not look as tacky or surreal because they'd hire more actors who had some real background in martial arts, etc. It is just too unfortunate that so many don't have available subs. But this will be one reason why I may be particularly critical of some series.
Not a fan of many of the newer series (especially with the beloved wuxia genre) due to the lack of attention in details, the attempt to have the actors look "pretty" instead of semi-realistic for the era they are in, and the poor CG work. But having coming across a few jewels among poor imitations, I am hopeful again.
Scoring:
-My lowest scores won't be lower than a 4.0 just out of respect for the efforts of those who put it together.
-There's a pretty large differential between the half scores.
-My ratings are not always based off of a perfect plot or cinematography but an overall enjoyment factor.
-Anything rate 6.0 and above are watchable as that is my base for average.
-Anything 8.0 and above are likely ones I want in my files for keeps.