To Leave A Trail For Future Revenge Dramas

THE DOUBLE is WORTH all the hate, anger, tears, love, and time you will devote. Pinky swear.

I saw the first episode on YouTube as a pastime while having dinner. The opening scene where Xue Fang Fei in red, slowly running, enticed me. The way the camera slows down and she looks back was truly gripping. Then, she learned of her husband's betrayal. This was not just any betrayal. Her husband loved her very much, but he was unable to avert the circumstances, so he succumbed to cowardice. When I realized this was a revenge story to this extreme, I knew I wanted to watch it until the end. I've been wanting to watch one after I read The Rebirth of an Ill-Fated Consort which led me to read Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage. Then, I learned this is from the book Marriage of the Di Daughter. According to the book, it was a reincarnation, however, reincarnation stories are not allowed to air in China, so they had to change it. So, then, it turned out like Princess Weiyoung. Nevertheless, I was after the watching the book on screen part, so I continued.

CINEMATOGRAPHY
This movie is revolutionary when it comes to cinematography. The angles it offers to the audience give a really fresh perspective. From the opening scene to the part where Duke Su breaks the door and the umbrella raises to reveal his face, the slow motions in between, the fight scenes, and especially the use of close-ups to reveal every character's emotions were all on point. It's about time we put some more creativity into the mix.

CAST / CHARACTERS
I'm not very fond of the main leads tbh. I got bored in Yanxi Palace, so, I didn't finish. Don't even mention WXY!!!!! His horrible character in One and Only stuck to me and I hated it. So, them together got me meeehhhhh. But, I guess they did justice to their characters. It's good it's not focused so much on the romance part or it will be cringe. Anyway, I'll talk about the characters more than the cast.
1. JIANG LI: She reminds us that sometimes we have to crawl from hell before we can bring out the best in ourselves. As Xue Fang Fei, she had an angelic, almost perfect, character. As Jiang Li, she turned out almost the opposite. I mean, the hole here would be obvious that it took too long for her real identity to be exposed especially when she returned to and from Huaixiang. My favorite part would be that she embraced Jiang Li's family as her own, especially her father, and he embraced her as his Jiang Li.
2. DUKE SU: He is supposed to be perfect in skill, looks, and cunning, but has faced injustice in his family (just like all of them). His quest to find justice for his father's death added depth to his character and to the plot's roundness. He was not just there to assist the female lead, he also needed her at some point. He had an infallible character. He had to be, otherwise, he won't fit the Chinese standard of male lead hahahaha.
3. SHEN YURONG: Let's talk about tragic. Yes, that is him. Every time this man appeared, and he looked into the camera with red dead eyes, I flinch. I feel his love for his lost wife through the screen. The rage, the regret, and the longing all hurt. I know it would be terrible to choose him again after he didn't grab the chance to change but there's a small what if inside me. Liang Yong Qi, the actor, had a splendid performance. He was perfectly blank most times, but when he's angry, he is amazing, especially when he calls Wanning or Xue Fang Fei. Although I did not read the book, I think this drama made better alterations with the characters. I predict I would hate Shen Yurong so much in the book, but, in this drama, no I couldn't.
4. WANNING: Speak of terrible and she appears. She was twisted right from the onset. The more twisted she was, the greater was her retribution. Just like all villains, she had a tragic backstory. There was a point of sympathy on her character. She couldn't be totally blamed for how she turned out to be. The most scarring scheme done to her, however, was the fake pregnancy part. She deserved better. cryyyyy! But then again, it was her karma.

PLOT
The plot is something within my expectations. Jiang Li having an evil stepmother, stupid stepsisters, perfect mother, good maternal family background, and the schemes were all familiar. I badly wanted to watch what I read come to play, and it didn't disappoint me. Although I almost got disappointed when the marriage talks for Jiang Li and Shen Yurong and Duke Su and Juiyue were tossed in the mix. Thank goodness, they didn't last too long on that. Also, I admit I forwarded a few scenes which were unnecessary.
As for the ending, I expected this to end happily because both characters were too cunning. They already exposed their plans to subdue the rebellion 5 episodes before the ending. As for the REAL ending, I was only ever disappointed that Xiao Heng's right and left hand men died during the battle. C'mon. That battle was even unnecessary. I expected that we won't be indulged in an ending too detailed because this is C-drama, but, the poetic portrayal of the ending for Jiang Li and Xiao Heng was a cinematic treat. We always have to fill in the gaps.
I stayed up until 3 am for two nights for this hahaha. I think that explains why this is worth it.

MUSIC
Ohhhhhhh. Ohhhhhhhh!!!!! This is my favorite part. I need help looking for a copy of "Spring Fading Into White Blossoms" - the one Jiang Li performed during the exam. It sums up Shen Yurong and her's past love. All the sorrow and love were poured into the melody. My heart feels chills every time. It breaks my heart. Listening to it as we speak. Gonna have to keep playing the list for a while now. All the other songs were quite sad as well. They accompanied the story loyally.

OVERALL, this drama is highly recommendable!!! If you like revenge stories, this is THE ONE. It has a strong cinematic impact and a polished ensemble. If you are after the sounds like I am, try its soulful taste. If you're after strong female leads, Jiang Li x Xue Fang Fei won't disappoint.

Kudos to the whole production team.

PS. Crossing my fingers for The Rebirth of an Ill-Fated Consort and Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage to be filmed as well. Huhu. Do reply if you feel the same. :)

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Love Is Its Own Reward

What comes after love? - a pensive title for a nostalgic story. What indeed comes after love? In asking, it is already considered that the love has ended. Now, questions arise. Why did it have to end? Was there no way to fix it? How heartbroken will I get?

Such were my questions when I encountered this title. I was hesitant to venture, however, seeing the trailer, I knew I needed the poetics that came with it. Like I predicted, I fell for it right away... but like love, it's easy to fall, it's a struggle to stay. And these are why.

What I Love:
1. As a romantic, my need for a poetic storytelling was fulfilled: a) The use of flashbacks and symbolism (Beni's hair being curly in her in-love phase and being straight in her moved-on phase), b) The use of quotations from Dongju Yun's Counting the Stars at Nights to introduce and conclude the story, c) The use of snow and sakura adds much-needed drama, and d) a soulful melody to sing the melody your heart wants to play. So much love.
2. Lovable casting. I guess they're one of the pairs you would watch even if, theoretically, the plot is a flop. Seyoung is so yeppeoda. I love her in all her phases, even when she's angry. Kentaro plays as his character requires on top of being striking of course.

What Are Lacking:
1. Story Pace.
I said I loved the poetic storytelling with the flashbacks, but hey, too much flashbacks is annoying. This could have been done in one movie - 2 hours only. Show the past, show the present, then show the ending. Use in-medias-res, sure. Use flashbacks too, just not too much. There are a lot of poetic movies that executed excellently - The Lake House or August Rush. This took an unnecessary 6 episodes and weeks. I go whaaaatttt happpeeeennneeddddd? did the story progress? at episodes 3 to 5. Move!

2. Characters. Ugghhhh!
Jungo. I can't believe it. I went to the point of hating how timid he was. I have high expectations from him because he was supposed to love her which meant fight for her. But, he didn't. I guess he didn't love her enough to pack the bag and bring it to Korea. She basically gave him a chance by giving him her address. Also, yes, I have the same question as Beni, why did he just let her go? And the most annoying part about him is, he can learn English and be so fluent at it, but how come he did not consider to learn Hangul????? If he ever considered reconnecting with her, he could have tried to find a way to talk to her, so then, he could be the one to try to understand her like she understood him? I'm so annnnnooooooyyyyyyeeeeeeddddddd!

Secondly, fate gave him a plenty of chances to talk to her, but, he mostly just ended up riding the taxi away or her driving away. Then, when given the chance during his last night, he just had to flunk it. Why can't he just tell her that he loves her still? He should have held her hand and begged her to stay.

Lastly, I wondered if he ever planned to find her. What if the publisher of his book wasn't her father? What was the goal of him writing the book at all? Just to reminisce? If he ever thought the book would get to her, why did he not prepare? If this were real, I hope he truly learned to keep her.

Beni. Alright! So, maybe I was a too harsh on Jungo, but he deserved it. I am naturally on Beni's side, not because we're both women, but because, she was very giving without getting back what she deserves. She was in a foreign country. Initially, she was happy because she's hyped up by all the excitement and that her friend was there. However, loneliness soon got to her because, well, she was technically alone. It could be depressing to a lively character such as herself. Some call her needy, but not without reasons.

What I love about Beni is her spontaneity. She jumps on the plane to escape her family. She falls in love. She doesn't hold anything back. However, because of this, she jumps back to the plane, buries everything, and acts like she moved on already. I don't even know where she left her shame to make Jungo pack all her belongings and send them to her. Lol. I wonder if she left some cash for the transport. Haha. Kidding aside, she has indded changed a lot, but her love for him never changed.

Comment on the Ending:
So, I was seething about the ending of Episode 5 because hey, where are we headed? The last episode is almost here. Halfway through Episode 6, I was like, ok, I think this will end in mutual and happy separation (60%) and Jungo will stay (40%). Although, in my heart, I was hoping he will stay, because hey, love could also be what comes after love. My mind was made when she started running. I just know (hope actually) Jungo got down from that taxi and would soon come running with (not after) with her. And he did. And my poetic heart understood. That was worth all the frustration.

Overall:
If put on a scale, the lacking will surely outweigh the loves. However, this is still recommendable. To all poetic authors - for inspiration. To all who experienced the same - for a deeper appreciation of what comes after every failed journey. To all romantics - to feed your hearts.

Theme:
Love is its own reward. Love is what comes after love. It's the consolation prize, but, it is also the ultimate prize. A consolation for a love that is lost. Ultimate for a love that was treasured whether it was lost or kept. For a love as pure and true as they both have experienced, there are no regrets. That love will be a part of them. For that, their life is worthwhile.

One star for memory.
One star for love.
One star for sorrow.
One star for longing.

What comes after love is all of the above. Now, I see, the lines that open, close.

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