The Beauty of Mongolia

I've watched this series raw, couldn't find any subs at the time. So far I could see The Legend of Jasmine is a luxurious production with beautiful costumes and locations.

Summary
A historical drama set in the beautiful surroundings of Mongolia at the early years of the Qing Dynasty, how good is that! The story begins with an energetic Mongol girl, Su Moer, who disguises as her brother to compete in a horse riding contest. Of course she wins, and her fierce competitor, Dorgon, is soon smitten with her.
One day an army invades her country, her parents got killed and she’s sent together with the Mongol princess to the Great Jin to receive his protection.
There, Su Moer and Dorgon meet again. It appears he’s a man of consequence in his homeland. Is there a possibility to stay together or was their romance doomed from the beginning?

The Good
This series is partly set in Mongolia and that is a big pro for me. The wide grasslands, round tents, costumes, are simply beautiful. The soundtrack fits the story, and the cast did a good job as well.

The Bad
It pains me to admit this, but I wasn't a fan of the actress who played the heroine. I got distracted by the plastic surgery on her face to a point I could no longer relate to her character. I felt myself looking at a modern day diva in historical clothing. Such a pity.

Verdict
My advice is to watch this series if you're a sucker for historical drama with colorful costumes. You’ll have to be a fan of the leading couple though.

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Teasing or Pleasing

Oh joy, another office romcom from Taiwan. This time with a serious undertone, Hello Again! is about the distinction between teasing that draws us closer, and teasing that pushes us apart.

The plot
Year after year the nice but serious bluestocking Chang Ke Ai (played by Amber An) ends first of all students at her local school. She has friends and is generally admired. Still there’s one person, rich boy Yang Zi Hao (played by Bruce Hung) who goes out of his way to tease her whenever he can. However Ke Ai keeps her cool, completely ignoring him when she passes him at school.
One day Zi Hao intentionally disturbs her class while Ke Ai is giving training course to fellow students for college entrance examination. This time she gets very angry, commenting on his easy life style, saying his rich family will help him anyway, urging him to think of other people for once, because “not everyone is as fortunate as you”. Knowing this is true Zi Hao gets also furious. Wanting to proof himself in front of everybody he swears he’ll get the same results as Ke Ai. Laughingly she makes a bet to carry his schoolbooks all year long if he’ll ever succeed.
After that Zi Hao works his head off, and of course, he succeeds.
Full of teasing intentions Zi Hao starts at university in the business management department, eagerly awaiting Ke Ai to join him, until he discovers she isn't there. For mysterious reasons she gave up her education and decided to stay with her mother.
Ten years later, the two meet again, the gap between their worlds has become even bigger. Yang Zi Hao is now the executive vice president of his family business "Gorgeous Department Store", while Chang Ke Ai is a market vendor. Their story unfolds...Hello Again.

Cons
This show has the usual, fluffy officeromance but the first half was really depressing. I like to escape the daily struggle for life by looking at beautiful actors, but this time I felt confronted with the constant sorrows of the female lead. Of course the makers have to proof she’s completely worn out, out of luck for the past ten years, but it didn’t make her attractive. Also given the fact that actress Amber An is five years senior to actor Bruce Hung didn’t help, it just showed. It made me wonder why the male lead would fall for her, other than the urge to tease her, which made him even more immature, and younger than her.
Another thing is the unneeded love triangle with the good looking friend she met in front of college. Themes as loan sharks, team building, family business are really enough.

Pros
However, I like the theme of a rich male lead who is driven by comments of a poor girl in his youth. In return I would love to see he has a purpose for her as well, in other ways than good looks and status, but that will be another story.

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Sexual Education & Product Placement

Always eager to watch romcom that test some boundaries I watched Love and Leashes until the very end. I saw the FL/ML frolicking on a comfy bed; she with Timotei wavy hair, he with a cutie pie smile on his face uttering "Saranghaeyo Ju-in", and I just sat there on my couch, thinking WHAT?!

Story
I THOUGHT I was going to see an office romcom with two colleagues exploring their sexual wishes, a BDSM version of the wonderful phonesex romcom Whatcha' Wearin? (2012). I expected they would use the Korean office hierarchy as the perfect breeding ground for humiliation kinks, but what I SAW was a sexual education class; a BDSM kiddy version with commercial incentives. This time no rings, shoes or designer bags, but collars, dildos, candles, leashes. I do admire the Korean business attitude, but really, I expected less toys, more arthouse, and creative kinkiness.

The Good
Love & Leashes isn't romcom, it's a warm and sweet opinion on sexual self-exploration. Ji-woo does research on the internet, and the audience looks over her shoulder. Kinks are explained in voice-overs, distinctions are made between D/S and SM play, we see the use of safe words, aftercare, and the whole shebang.

The Bad
What I personally wanted to see though, is the BDSM psychology. What makes it good to feel pain, why do people love to bound someone literally, is BDSM in our nature or is it nurture? There were some hints to the answers, but not much, and not really funny.

Overall
BDSM can be interpreted in romcom style, and there are good examples from more than 20 years ago. Try Pedro Almodóvar's "Tie me Up! Tie Me Down" (1989) with young Antonio Banderas; or Secretary (2002). The only newness I could find in Love and Leashes was that it is Korean, with product placements in style.

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Revenge has many faces

This series can be seen on YouTube with English subs. The heroine is Zao Er, a cute but spunky girl who’s revengeful and endearing at the same time.

Synopsis
Zhao Er decides to crossdress as a male doctor to enter the house of the prestigious Family Ji to find out who was responsible for the demise of her parents. Her father was once the respected family doctor, but when she was still young he was wrongly accused for poisoning a concubine, and soon after murdered together with his wife. When Zhao Er finally makes it into the Ji manor under the disguise name of doctor Tian Qi, a series of murders and conspiracies unfold. Will she be able to revenge herself?

The Cast
I’ve seen actress Sun Qian in Take my Brother away. She was a cutie then and now, really expressive in her facial features. Huang Jun Jie is more than just handsome. I’ve read some complaints about his stiff acting, but I disagree. He has to play a stickler-for-the-rules kind of guy, so it’s kind of fitting, and they both are more compatible that way. Of course there are others at the cast, but I tend to forget them since I’m completely absorbed by the fluffy romance of the leading couple.

The Story
I know it’s silly to watch a girl playing a boy, and a boy who doesn’t recognize her at all. Imagine this boy is a bully too, and you’ve got all the drama cliches bound together from the past ten years. Still I love this stuff, knowing she’ll have her revenge later on.

The Music
This drama has some catchy tunes, but not too memorable. Thank g*d they didn’t fade out the songs due to copyright issues like some other series on YouTube.

Verdict
The good thing about this drama is there’s each for every one. Some traditional romcom with crossdressing, hate turning into love, a love triangle. Some who-done-it episodes for thriller lovers, and melodrama for couch potatoes with a tissue box aside. Of course, the heartbreaking moment arrives when our leads discover they've known each other from youth, only to be teared apart by their dark past, each on opposite sides. So, will they have a happy ending? Just watch the closure theme, and you'll know.

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Living with Debt or Guilt

Being warned by earlier reviews not to waste my time on Hi Flower/Ugly Girl Hai Ru Hua I still couldn't resist watching this series. I like the actors, both played in Ten Miles Of Peach Blossom, I love romcoms about student life, and I don't mind if the story gets darker as long as I can relate to the characters. Just like watching Moon Lovers Scarlet Heart Ryeo. This k-drama started very light, but before I knew it, I could only watch it with a tissue box at hand. Still I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Synopsis
Hi Flower is a romcom/drama about growing pains at campus and living with debt, or guilt. Female lead Lu Ruhua (Zhu Xudan) suffers from heavy debts of her family and high medical bills due to the heart disease of her twin brother. Eager to earn every penny she can get she's a jack-of-all-trades, selling all kind of services at her university "except for my body". One day she encounters the male lead, wealthy heir Wen Chu (Lai Yi) who immediately clashes with her because of her materialistic attitude. Eventually his hate turns into love. Still their budding relationship is full of misunderstandings and unlucky events. Will they find happiness together, or do they have to live separately, feeling guilty for the rest of their life?

The good
I know there are a lot of complaints about the characters. The female lead is too much of a saint...the male lead is immature, self centered...the girls are either highly naive or mean...the boys are lazy, a bunch of users. Yes, agreed to all that, but isn't this picture quite realistic too? Naturally we like to see kick-ass heroines, relatable boyfriends, understanding parents and such, but my experience is this takes a long haul in real life, with obstacles and unruliness along the way, and the end not yet in sight. I found myself drawn into the story, it had a nice flow as well. Also I loved the chemistry between the actors.

The Bad
This drama contains a lot of clichés like in Boys over Flowers. There's this poor, hard working girl, troubled by the debt of her family, she's loved and admired by several men, and she likes this rich, arrogant boy, against all odds, despite of his antagonistic family. Moreover the light and funny events in the first season change into angsty, tear jerking moments in the second.

Still...if you like a student life romcom blended with melodrama this is for you. The ending isn't all that bad.

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Gourmet & Tang can Tango!

This speedy historical romcom attracted my attention with favorite tropes like time travel, body swap, food, unlikely romance. Soon I was drawn into the story.

Story

In the first episode we meet a modern plus size heroine, Xiao Xiao, who curses the social norm to be lean and mean; she loves her food and longs to live in a tv drama set in the Tang Dynasty, where voluptuous women seemed to be the rage. One day she chokes on her food and her soul is swapped with a girl in the Tang Dynasty, Yuan Wan' er, making her wish come true.
At first Xiao Xiao is delighted, but soon trouble is ahead. Wan'er isn't voluptuous at all, even ugly in the eyes of people from her era. Her older sister, a big dominating woman who manages a tavern and a slender husband, positively hates her; Wan'er seems to be engaged herself to a good-looking fiancé, Bai Yi Ming, but he's angry too, demanding the return of his bride price; and her brother-in-law is worried about some object she seems to have stolen from him. Xiao Xiao realizes there's work to be done. She puts all her positive energy into her new ancient life. Will she succeed in getting her memory back, giving people the things they want, while enjoying her stay with cooking, eating and real life drama adventures?

Acting/Cast

The whole cast seems to enjoy this production, and it pays off. All actors have good chemistry; the result is very agreeable, light-hearted comedy in an un-Chinese fast pace. I only knew Li Zixuan as Wang Yibo's heartthrob, but she deserves making a name for herself. She's perfect for the role of Wan'er that demands a quick silver attitude, light footing and cutie-pie insta-pouts in close-up camera. Liu Run Nan nails it as her grumpy fiancé who knowingly lets himself led by the nose, because he's already head over heels for her. The scenes between the older sister and her husband are a story on their own, just watch episode 13 to know what I mean. In short, I laughed out loud, a lot.

Music

The OST is easy to the ear, following the pace of the series.

Rewatch Value

The choice for 10 minute episodes is a risky one. I wonder if people stay tuned if they aren’t paying for a streaming service. This influences the rewatch value as well.

Overall

Gourmet in Tang Dynasty has an interesting theme that pays homage to the ideal of enjoying food and accepting whatever body size. It's a modern day dilemma. On one hand, there's the abundance of deli food, but on the other hand, there's this development of body ideals over time; and we all know, It Takes Two To Tango.

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I've Fallen For Fluff

As soon as I read the synopsis I was sold on this story, and I'm sure I am not the only one. Trust iQiyi with series like I've Fallen For You, and you know they do well without much investment or advertising.

Story

Two cute, little kids, a village girl and a rich boy with a mysterious background, share many romantic moments, they promise to marry each other when they've become adults. Alas, they get separated when the boy mysteriously disappears.
The village girl, Tian San Qi, becomes a forensic assistant to the local police, until she is suddenly ordered by the Lord of the country to marry his only son. The whole village waves her goodbye when she steps into the carriage in bridal clothes, and she suddenly becomes a stunner for all to see. She never arrives at her destiny, because she runs away to stay true to her vow. She swaps places with another forced bride who doesn't want to be married to the rascal son of local Magistrate Zhao. Tian San Qi decides to take her place beside this bridegroom, Zhao Cuo, because she has already seen him , and she's convinced he's her sweetheart from the past.
Somehow Zhao Cuo doesn't share her memories, moreover, he's reluctant to marry. However, it doesn't take long before she wins the hearts of her in-laws and eventually Zhao Cuo himself. Nothing seems to be in the way of a happily ever after for the young pair, until the Young Lord shows up to claim his intended bride. It's the starting point for a strange and dangerous adventure, that will lead to the mysterious past of everybody involved.

Acting/Cast

The main actors look beautiful, they have chemistry, but they both need more acting lessons. Still, I could relate to them and to all the characters involved. They really form a winning team put together.

Music

The soundtrack has some catchy songs and beautiful dreamy tunes that start playing in the background when childhood memories are shown from the leading couple.

Rewatch Value

The story may be unbelievable, but I've Fallen For this Fluff alright, and I will definitely rewatch this series.

Verdict

If you like light-hearted romance like me, with a bit of friendship, family, love, suspense, intrigue, and action, this is for you. Don't miss this heart warming story about a nice girl whose firm believe in a roguish boy makes him a strong and reliable man in the end.

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Love or Hate, That is The Question

Under The Power a.k.a. Beneath the Brocade Robes refers to the brocade-clad secret police during the Ming Dynasty. The series has a total amount of 55 episodes based on a historical thriller by Lan Se Shi and can be seen on YouTube.

Story
Our heroine is the tomboyish Yuan Jinxia (Song Yun Tan) an orphan who’s brought up by a detective policeman. She works as a private detective with her foster brother, both can get along very well. During a chase Jinxia clashes with an officer from the secret police, the cold and ruthless Lu Yi (Allen Ren). Once again she meets him by chance when searching for imperial funds that has gone missing. Lu Yi is also set on the case, and reluctantly they begin working together. Gradually they develop feelings for each other, until Jinxia discovers the secret police has been responsible for the demise of her family. Question is what will prevail, love or hate? Will she be able to love a man who wears the brocade robe or should she go on the path of revenge?

Acting/Cast
Series are made or broken by the cast. In this case the leading actors, and their chemistry, are on point. Allen Ren (Glory of Tang Dynasty) and Tan Song Yun (The Fox 's Summer) both have a unique screen presence despite not being mainstream handsome. She has this spunky tomboyish attitude, with underneath a bright observant mind. He has this imposing personality, quiet but vicious. They start off in a clearly servant-boss relationship but soon they complement each other so well, they can't do without. Also jealousy enters whenever one of them interacts with a potential lover. It's a pleasure to see both can act, their facial expressions are priceless. Last but not least, kudos to Han Dong who plays a villain you love to hate.

Music
The opening theme is beautiful but a bit on the melancholy side, and there's the usual music at the back ground, but nothing special. They've faded out a lot of tunes during the episodes, especially when there's a lovey-dovey scene. Perhaps this is a license issue? IDK.

Rewatch Value
Both the music in the background and the CGI effects are badly done. Still I like to rewatch this drama. There are clues to the mysterious past of the leading couple, interesting side stories, and slow burn romance. You better not miss it.

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My Little Sadness

When I saw the hash tags of My Little Happiness I was sold immediately. Childhood friends, height difference, fated love, count me in! Alas, after the first 10 episodes my endorphins started to decrease, reaching an all time low at episode 20, making this My Little Sadness.

Story

Favorite tropes are one thing, a sound story, and fleshed-out characters another. In my opinion the female lead character, Cong Rong, is messed up. They've made her so childish, and stubborn in the wrong way, she's more adult in her youth than in the present time. How can she be honest, and strong in her childhood, and a little liar in her twenties? First against her mom, second, against her own feelings, third, against Wen Shao Qing who loves her. I couldn't relate to her character at all when she acted jealous, and pushed him away to another girl, like he's some kind of chocolate box.
Also the male lead is inconsistent. Wen Shao Qing seems to be a character with a strong sense of purpose. In stead, he waits way too long to tell the truth, and he uses petty tricks to reign in Cong Rong. What kept me hooked however was the subplot with the secondary couple. Their story made me angry, but in an empathic way.


Acting Cast

Kudos to the cast. My Little Happiness is watchable thanks to them. I love the flirting scenes with Fair Xing and Daddi Tang, he surely can act up on his name, in a sensual way. I felt myself drawn to the character of Huang U.Lin. It's no surprise Leon Li plays her love interest since he has proven his worth as the grumpy, suspicious general in the Legend of Hao Lan. Even Deng Xin is as good as it gets. She made me think of Wang Yibo, a calm face with subtle micro expressions.

Music

I can't remember the theme of this series, only piano music at the background and crescendos in line with the dramatics, nothing spectacular. Perhaps this could have been different if I felt moved by the story.

Verdict

My Little Happiness gets points thanks to the actors. If you like homely scenes with people kissing while doing the dishes, or fighting and getting back together, you probably like this series.

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What is Love Anyway?

There are a lot of Japanese BL movies, also a homosexual office romance Doushitemo Furetakunai (No Touching at all) but to my knowledge Ossan’s Love is the first and only BL dramaseries that is mainstream broadcasted in Japan, so I was very curious.

True Love
Just like the other BL movies Ossan’s Love is based on a manga, and it shows. There are a lot of cartoon-like characters, and scenes, that made me laugh and eager to follow the story until the end. Perhaps because of this I started to stare and compare with another BL dramaseries, Diary of Tootsies (Thailand 2016)
Both series follow a couple of friends in their search for true love. The Thais series has a more western touch like Sex &The City, the leads are very straight forward in their desires with hilarious sex scenes. Ossan’s Love is more asian in the willingness to remain aloof in a traditional society. The chemistry between the leading couple is absolutely there, but the emphasis is on platonic love until the very last episode when their days of holding back seem over.

Summary
Ossan’s Love, literally the love of a middle-aged man, is about the love life of Haruta Soichi and his colleagues at an estate office.
Haruta is a good looking 33 year old man, also well hung if we have to believe the stares he gets at the men’s room, but with a goofy personality. He’s always ready to please everyone, perhaps because he’s too lazy to fight, which brings him in awkward situations. To make things worse he’s also lacking in social skills. That’s why he’s unlucky in group dating, but he enjoys a small circle of good friends.
Haruta still lives with his mother, until she gets fed up with him and leaves. Since Haruta can’t do any basic housework he asks co-worker Maki Ryouta to live with him. To his surprise Maki is the best partner he could dream of, but it seems life has more for him in stock. One day both his roommate Maki and his middle aged boss Musashi Kurosawa confess their ardent love to him. Also one of his female friends, Chizu Arai, goes into love mode. This is really too much for Haruta to handle. As his roller coaster journey to love begins, Haruta is constantly screaming and falling all over the place. Just like his friends and colleagues, who turn out to be exactly as ignorant on love and their desires as he is.

The Pros
Ossan’s Love is watchable for everyone, a warm and sweet opinion on humans and theirs struggles in life. Themes like group pressure, status in life, keeping up appearances, marriage, divorce, midlife crisis, it’s all there. The homosexuality makes it only more gripping. The cast is superb, not only the leading couple who gave me the feels. I also could relate to other characters, sympathized with the slighted lovers.

The Cons
This series is simply too short and way too platonic. Just like other fans I’m waiting for the sequel, what will happen to the relation of the male leads, and everybody involved?

The Verdict
I could see five seasons of Ossan’s Love and still be hooked, I guess. Please let this be the Modern Family Series of Japan.

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Man gets a Harem

Let me start with saying I just can't get enough from time travel shows, so perhaps I'm biased with this series. Still I recommend Man Comes to Tang Dynasty. The time traveling aspect is more about adapting to life in the past, and less about changing, or going back to, the future.

The Good

Just like the female leads in Faith, Scarlet Heart, and Cinderella Chef, the star of this show earns a lot of respect and love by using his modern knowledge for solutions to ancient problems. It's very funny to see how he develops from some kind of loser in present times to an intelligent hero in the past. He's also adept in living the ancient life of officials and people at court. He takes in concubines, he dabbles in ancient politics and schemes, which is very refreshing in comparison to other heroines of time travel shows. Those girls were always on the verge of a nervous breakdown, because of these nasty pastimes of the past.

The Bad

Okay, this is not an elaborate or luxurious production, so don't expect authentic costumes and such. The intro-music is modern too, sounding like a smooth singing boy band surrounded by girls, which is actually compatible with the harem-theme of the show.

I don't know if this show is somewhere to watch with English subs. Last time was on Viki, but these episodes have been deleted. The raw version is still on YouTube and there are subs available on Subscene. Anyway, if you like a lighthearted romcom that is set in ancient China, this is for you.

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Love and Pain

Bloody Romance kept me hooked till the end. I knew this would be a heart wrenching story, but the plot unfolded beautifully. No one is really good or bad in this series, several characters change under endurance or by unhappy events. They all make mistakes and exactly this makes them human. I won't say too much about the storyline, just watch it for yourself, but I have to say this: there are a lot of scenes where love is mixed with pain. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the original novel seems to be a bit on the SM side, I don't know. I'll give you one example of these twisted feelings, the scene where Gong Zi is forced to torture Wan Mei by carving her face. Although he intends to be his very levelheaded, calculating self Zing looses himself in the end. It's like a love scene he's never experienced before: https://youtu.be/RW2For449-8?t=18m38s

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No Light Without Darkness

Ever Night depicts the adventures of characters in the Empire of Tang. The Emperor of Tang rules over several kingdoms with different religious sects trying to maintain a balance of power and peace. He’s hindered by his own royal family, due to rivaling siblings, and the opposition of the conquered kingdoms. Other troublemakers are the religious fanatics of Xiling and the barbaric Demon Sect in the North. Both parties believe in the foretelling of “Ever Night is coming” a.k.a. the Legend of the Child of Hades who will destroy all light and happiness in the world. Their mission is to kill this child of darkness as soon as possible.
Both sects are highly skilled in martial arts leaning on mystical power from some kind of energy field that is created by light/angels/heaven or darkness/demons/earth. They are able to perform super powers like telepathy, telekinesis, and manipulation of physical energy. Apprentices are aided by their masters to obtain higher levels in power through training and meditation.

Summary
The protagonists of Ever Night are Ning Que and Sang Sang. They’ve lived together since early childhood, being both survivors from a massacre. The 5 year old Ning Que has found baby girl Sang Sang under a pile of corpses protected by a big black umbrella. Wherever they go they take this umbrella with them like a symbol of their relationship, a strong protective bond against all evils in the world.
Ning Que is driven by anger and revenge, Sang Sang is motivated by loyalty and love. Their story unfolds 15 years later. Ning Que (Arthur Chen) earns a living thanks to his natural fighting skills. One day he’s hired to accompany the royal princess of Tang to Wei City, where he decides to stay as a professional fighter while Sang Sang (Yiren Song) takes care of his basic needs and house hold.

Once they are settled in the city they become entangled in the power struggle of the palace factions and religious sects. The fanatics of Xiling believe Ning Que is the child of darkness so they try to kill him. Somehow every battle is won by Ning Que gaining him even more powers. One day he gets the chance to be trained by the Head Master of the Martial Academy of Tang. Ning Que grows into fame as Mister 13, the 13th disciple of the Academy, envied and admired by many people including beautiful ladies. More and more he’s driven by his testosterone levels and the iron ambition to kill the culprit of the massacre. This attitude puts pressure on his relationship with Sang Sang. Main question is: what’s more important, Ning Que’s passions or his lifelong habit to live with Sang Sang? Will they end up together or on opposite sites? There are no spoilers available, just an universal truth, There’s No Light Without Darkness.

The Pro’s
Ever Night has the look and feel of a Disney movie. Ning Que and Sang Sang seem like a leading couple in Star Wars sometimes. The cinematography is outstanding with glorious landscapes, buildings, close ups, time lapses of the weather, and slow motion scenes of falling rain. The music score is constantly pulling at our heart strings.
Then there's the cast. The 18 year male lead convinces as the apparently uncaring, selfish anti-hero whose only soft spot is his little “house maid”. Although the female lead is 6 years his senior she’s totally believable as the younger, loyal Sang Sang. I loved their teasing-caring scenes, and the painful awareness, eventually, of their own hidden feelings as shown in episode 45 and further.
Personally I’m not a fan of Wuxia battles, but if you are, you will appreciate the many fighting scenes, the choreography is A++.

The Cons
The characters from the supporting cast remain rather flat throughout the series. Take for instance the emperor. The way he calmly accepts the bad attitude from his siblings and political opponents keeps me wondering if he’s some sort of saint in stead of an absolute ruler. Also the antagonistic Prince Long Qing learns nothing from his faults, making his evilness somewhat dull and childish.
Moreover this epic adventure follows the traditional Chinese way of story telling meaning long winding scenes, endless repetitions, flash backs, and a lack of focus on the main story in favor of less interesting side characters. I had to resist the urge to use the fast forward button.

Verdict
The beautiful faces, places, and music, won me over eventually. Ever Night ends with a cliff hanger, but I am a fan waiting for the sequel. I really want to know who’s the Xiling ruler behind the mask. He made me think of a good guy turned evil like Darth Vader. Perhaps he is the legendary pupil of Tang Academy, the one and only love interest of Madam Jian Da Jia of Red Sleeves Bordello. Who knows?

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Wonder Woman meets James Bond in ancient China

I’ve this habit of rewatching drama whenever I drop new ones. When I rewatched Princess Agents I came to realize that I never wrote a review. So here we go:

Even if you don't like Wuxia/Fantasy you may rethink your opinion if you'll watch Princess Agents. I was totally hooked myself though this show has all the characteristics:
actors with long hair and large robes, jumping and fighting airborne, noble sects and families aiming for power with the most depressing endings for people in love.

Story

The Wonder Woman of the story is Chu Qiao (Liying Zhao) a slave girl with amnesia and a hidden past. When she finds herself thrown into a deadly gladiator game to entertain young lords, she catches the attention of two friends: the easy going Prince of Northern Yan, Yan Xun (Shawn Dou) and the fourth master of the Yuwen Manor, Yuwen Yue (Kenny Lin) who secretly saves her from a deadly shot. He introduces her into the Yuwen household, where she finally reunites with the siblings of her foster family. They’ve become slaves now, working under strict rules and evil slave masters.

The cool and aloof Yuwen Yue, surname "The Ice Cube", is the James Bond of his family. He is the head of the spying network called The Eyes of God and intrigued by Chu Qiao. He decides to keep her close by his side as his chamber maid calling her Xing’er and training her to become a secret agent for his own family.
Meanwhile Chu Qiao/Xing'er becomes acquainted with Yan Xun, who invites her to live with him in his homeland where slavery doesn't exist. That's why Chu Qiao becomes the close companion of Yan Xun. When his family gets slaughtered and branded as traitors Yan Xun starts a war against the emperor forcing Chu Qiao and Yuwen Yue to choose sides. Question is what will happen to everybody involved and their feelings for each other.

Acting/cast

The leading characters are well written, they aren't downright good or bad, and full of inherent contradictions. It's interesting to see them change by the turn of events and the actors nailed it. I loved the chemistry between them. Also the supporting cast did a good job, I love-hated the evil brother of Yuwen Yue: Yuwen Huai, and his grandfather Yuwen Xi, a creepy pervert. There was some comic relief too between the harsh scenes.

Music/soundtrack

This series has a wonderful OST and I recently came to understand why I love the voice of Yuwen Yue so much: Kenny Lin is dubbed by the same voice actor who impersonated Lan Wangji/Wang Yibo in The Untamed, a voice so deep I can feel it in my liver like the bark of a rutting reindeer.

Rewatch Value

I can see, and hear Princess Agents anytime in spite of the bad editing that delivers an incomplete ending and the need for a sequel. Prepare yourself for that and some filming bloopers like close ups of male actors who have their sideburns visibly glued to their heads or CGI with the look and feel of a PC game in the nineties not to mention the traditional scene of a bamboo flute, played by the actor completely out of sync.

Overall

Nevertheless I love this drama, because I can relate to a heroine who wants to live her own life and fight for what she feels is right. Her story arc isn't entirely focused on court intrigue or martial arts. It's also about the admiration of individual qualities, about making lifetime choices apart from social status or family backgrounds. The fighting scenes are visually attractive, all characters are played by good(looking) actors, and the music score is great too. In short: go watch it!

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Searching For A Heart of Gold

Going through Li Hong Yi's playlist I stumbled upon The Legendary Life of Queen Lau. What a find! This is so much more than a story about a country bumpkin girl meeting a preppy flower boy.

Summary

Liu Jin Feng (Jackie Li) is living a simple country life with her mother until she's summoned by her father, the Grand Chancellor Liu Xie (Wang Dong) who lives at the imperial court as guardian of the late emperor's son, Duan Yun Zhang (Li Hong Yi) He forces a marriage between his daughter and the young heir apparent, and Yun Zang plays along under the motto Keep Your Friends Close, Keep Your Enemies Closer.
As he meets his bride on the wedding day Yun Zhang is surprised by her appearance. Liu Jin Feng turns out to be a small but sturdy country girl, courageous, spontaneous, easily fooled by the courtiers. It beats him why Liu Xie chose this unrefined girl, Liu's lovechild, in stead of Liu's official daughter who's famed for her finesse. The Grand Chancellor claims it was the dying wish of Yun Zang's royal father. So Yun Zhang decides to share his sleep quarters with his wife meanwhile observing her and testing her loyalty towards him and her father.
Jin Feng is oblivious to all of this, and completely swept off her feet by her husband's looks. She's putting all her energy and focus in meeting his standards, and she's stubbornly blind to his passive aggressiveness. Wreaking havoc with all her good intentions she angers Yun Zang in such a way that he spills the ugly truth. Heart broken Jin Feng leaves him alone and demands a legal separation. Now that she's gone Yun Zang begins to miss her. Can he re-evaluate his priorities, and will he finally win the power struggle for the throne without losing his wife in the process?

Acting/cast

The strongest point of this production is the cast. The role of Yun Zhang fits Li Hong Yi like a glove; I like his Soft Ice look in contrast to the Powder-Your-Face-With-Sunshine, Jackie Li. I hope she sets a trend with stars like Wang Peng. A breath of spring in the land of mass plastic surgery where faces become indiscernible at best. But back to the actors, kudos for Wang Dong as Grand Chancellor Liu Xie who maintains a believable balance between the dark and good sides of his character.

The Bad

Although the cast performs well, I see some flaws in the production. F.e. there are too many storylines, repetitions, slowing the flow of the story and leaving loop holes in the plot; there's a misbalance between romance, slapstick, and sentimental scenes; serious dialogues are abruptly followed by odd social media sounds that are somehow deemed appropriate for romcoms. Also the emphasis is on looks and appearances, in stead of character traits and inner growth.

The Good

Still, the emphasis on authenticity vs duplicity is a very good one, especially in the character writing of the leading couple. It gives this light romcom a deeper layer and some food for thought. Yun Zhang and Jin Feng get some real life lessons along their way.

Overall

So, if you like romcom combined with a coming of age story, this is for you. Enjoy the legendary life of the cinderella queen and her prince, searching for a heart of gold.

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