Rather Bizarre Ending
Believe in Love is a partly xianxia, partly non xianxia drama. The xianxia elements are not pronounced throughout the story, as most of the characters are all normal humans living an earthly life, until towards the end when some elements of xianxia come to light. This is another story revolving around cuisines and food, and it is my fourth one in a row. Despite the tag that says “comedy”, there is very little comedy here, or comedies that don't make people laugh. Nonetheless, it’s quite an enjoyable light watch with some “angsts” for some viewers.Hua Yinan (Huang Shengchi) and Lu Yue’er (Zheng He Hui Zi) were lovers in their previous life as General Mu Yuan and Xiao Man. Mu Yuan died and Xiao Man perished while trying to save him. Thousands of years later, they meet again living on an island -- Hua Yinan as the son of the owner of the island and Lu Yue’er as the daughter of the owner of a small noodle shop. With mysteries and unexplained circumstances, Hua Yinan is told to marry Lu Yue’er in his father’s will before he can inherit his father’s legacy as the rightful owner of the island and all his properties, including the biggest and best restaurant on the island. Hua Yinan is reluctant to marry Lu Yue’er as he doesn’t like her and the feelings are mutual. Through various encounters that make them save each other’s life, Hua Yinan begins to fall in love with Lu Yue’er. So when she agrees to marry him, Hua Yinan is overjoy. He inherits everything the will promises he will. Comes our antagonist who was the antagonist in their previous life as well. What follows become a test of their true love for each other.
The whole cast is new to me including the main leads. Huang Shengchi is good looking and despite having acted in many dramas, this is my first drama of him. His portrayal of Hua Yinan is convincing with a mild demeanor and a soft romance towards his love. Likewise, I have never watched any of Zheng He Hui Zi’s dramas, and her portrayal here is equally convincing as the naïve Lu Yue’er or the arrogant Tang Yingying. Her outfit is rather unconventional with bared shoulders, accentuating her narrow frame, making her looking like a little girl. Their dynamics together are sweet and authentic with a lot of intimate scenes. The antagonist is vile and hateful, and Xiao Kaizhong's portrayal is very convincing. The second couple, Su Tang (Zhu Rong Jun) and Du Ruo (Hou Dong), is quite a joy to watch, and the stepmom and step sister are so horrible that you want to slap them. These supporting actors are great in their respective roles.
My Verdict
This drama is not great nor very bad. It’s easy watching though it can be rather slow pace as there is a prolong romance play which can be welcoming for some romance buffs, but boring for others. The last episode turns into a love triangle with a xianxia fight with superpower. The endings have multiple plot holes and questions not answered. It's rather bizarre. Overall, watch it for light entertainment and don't be too bothered with the details.
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not sure how i feel about this drama...
First of all , cant believe this drama is only 24 ep, feels like so much more!! because of how the storyline was.They introduce some kind of xianxia in the beginning but didnt fully explain of developed that story well enough.
I would give the leads and their chemistry/relationship a 10/10 ! but the storyline just messed it up. Honestly the first half was pretty good. and they messed it up the other half towards the end.
Too much stories going on like their first life of the leads but evil guy, then their current life, the mystery of the female lead's mom death, etc....
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Laughed a lot and shed a few tears
ML callously and aggressively woos FL to fulfill the requirements of his father's will. Had he used honesty rather than subterfuge, he might have eliminated a lot of heartache and headache. ML assumes his father demanded he marry FL because he wanted his son to vicariously fulfill a personal desire for FL's mother. In reality his father was much more noble, only attempting to right a moral wrong that had been done to FL's mother by ML's mother. This becomes quite obvious early on, but is not "revealed" until much later. It is also predestined, to fulfill the desires that their previous incarnations were prevented from doing.Needless to say Mr. Callous falls hopelessly for Miss Obtuse, in short order. Our FL has no clue what the difference is between platonic and romantic love. Had she had a clue in her previous life, she would not have made a hash out of it by hanging with the smitten SML for a millennium. Mr. Obsessed, after cultivating for millennia and almost ascending to immortaliy, didn't learn a thing and proceeded to spiral down the same path of greed and destruction his previous incarnation had tread. He only learns his lesson after the leads give him enough rope to hang himself with in the last 5 minutes.
After being torn apart by the tragedy of the previous generation and previous incarnations, the leads finally get their happily ever after.
Story was cute, sweet and just a little sad. It even included an annoying, evil, greedy step-mom and step-sister. ML's sister became the ugly mother-in-law character, blinded by their deceased mother's lifetime of lies. This is one of the first times I fell in love with the leads love rivals and their own little love story.
This may not be as re-watchable as "Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms," but it is worth a first viewing.
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A story cute enough to keep me watching
I really liked the ML. The FL was ok in moderation, and irritatingly dumb sometimes. Or maybe she was just playing dumb? I don't know, but I didn't find it endearing (as some viewers did). There was definitely chemistry between the two leads, and I wish the director had used that to their advantage more. The second couple had chemistry from the get-go, but their story was just kind of thrown together instead of developed.Some characters deserved some Karma, which they never got. It seemed like the writers were intoxicated with happy endings, so they gave them to everybody - even the undeserving! That disgusting stepmother & stepsister, that equally disgusting sister-in-law and her servant. I like some comeuppance in my dramas.
The story itself was simple but had too many holes - and jumped from one scene to something totally different with no segue in between. There was a lot of potential in this story, and the actors would have been great playing the characters with more substance in the drama. Maybe that's why I watched all the way through - because I liked the actors a lot and hope to see them in other productions (preferably costume or historical dramas which are my favourites).
Would I rewatch this? I might. It was ok enough for me.
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Belongs in an Abandoned Volt
If there was an abandoned volt we could put dramas in that are so forgettable, so utterly without purpose or art, this would be one of those dramas.Let's look at the positives:
- TFL gave a decent performance (LOL, not FFL or SFL).
-SML was quite good with the little he was given to work with.
- Costumes were fantastic!
- Sets were pretty good too.
- CGI was Okay. Not terrible at all.
Well, that's really all I've got. If I hadn't seen the ML and FL in "Ugly Beauty", I'd say neither of them could act. I'd also say that they had no chemistry. This is the responsibility of the director, mainly. The story, other than just to say that it's a reincarnated lovers story, there isn't much to it! The SML had more character depth than the ML or FL. There is the usual Mary Sue, brainless FL character that doesn't have the ability to love (when in reality, she is missing the ability to use her brain instead). There is the stoic, cold male lead, and there is the SML who sacrifices everything for the FL, but she chooses the ML for no logical reason except that is the one and only motivating factor of the story.
I can't honestly suggest that anybody should watch this drama, unless you like the ridiculous plot point that the FL will have some sort of heart attack if she has sex, because her ability to love is blocked. Who the hell came up with this crap?
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“Believe in Love” is a historical romance drama with some comedic undertones that is enjoyable to watch while waiting for a great one to come. The leading couple has great romantic chemistry and nice interactions that bring out authenticity in their numerous intimate scenes. This drama could have been a great one if the last episodes were not charged with bizarre characters and plot holes towards a playful ending that could’ve been fantastic if the leading couple shows how they overcame misunderstandings and managed to remain steadfast to their love and mutual understanding instead of giving the viewers an insipid and childish happy ending that lacks substance. Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Crazy about Asian dramas
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It is like a fairytale
Good chemistry between leads , all supporting actors were good. It was just like a fairytale .Story started with the love story of immortal and mortal and they sacrificed each other life inorder to save each other. Reincarnation had taken place ,both were reincarnated . Then. Beautiful love story had started. . At the end thay faced ups and downs and after that happy ending .
End was little confusing ,she told him that you were reincarnated but you were not the one whom she loved . What was that mean.
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Nice, romantic drama to pass the time
It's a nice drama to watch while you are waiting for your top dramas to air. It's lighthearted and romantic, not to be taken too seriously. The story takes place on an island and I enjoyed seeing a historical setting but with summer vibes and more revealing outfit choices.The story starts as ML’s father dies and in his will decides that ML as an Island Master will get power to defend the island only if he marries FL. So ML tries everything in his power to marry her. First half is FL falling in love with ML and about her heart disease. Second part is about ML’s parents' connection to FL, also about ML and FL connection from a past life.
FL is very silly and childish and ML is more mature and handsome, they have plenty of romantic scenes together which is the highlight and main focus of this drama. There is a side couple that gets together in the second half of the drama. I enjoyed seeing them even though their relationship didn’t get enough screen time. The side couple starts with unrequited love but unlike most dramas, instead of obsessing over the FL and ML, they actually move on and fall in love with each other.
The ending is happy which is rare these days for a xianxia. It's not a bizarre ending but there is unusual magic involved in defeating the bad guy. Overall it's an enjoyable drama to pass the time.
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Okay
It was cute, lively and had some good moments. The wardrobe was a bit more modern/ revealing than traditional historical dramas. It had a comedic vibe as well as some sweet moments. I’m going to be completely honest.the serious was somewhat interesting to watch but I had no idea what was going on and why things were happening. Not sure if there was a plot, it was just stuff. Pleas don’t try to make sense of it. Although I think I figured it out later, there are still parts that had me confused.Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
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The plot is too ordinary!
The first hero Hua Yinan / Mu Yuan Jiang Jun played by Huang Shengchi is OK.The heroine Lu Yueer / Xiao Man / Tang Yingying played by Zheng Hehuizi used too heavy make up, it’s better for her not to use too heavy make up. She looks much better without too heavy make up.
The second hero Song Yan / Xuan Zhu played by Xiao Kai Zhong is OK too, his eyes are amazing, they look like the cat’s.
I almost dropped after watching 5 episodes, but I didn't expect that the more I watched it, the more interesting it became. Lu Yueer, who didn't compete, had a life to win her life every minute. I was so happy to watch all kinds of turning points. All the actings skills are average and the plot is too ordinary. The decorations, the clothes, the soundtracks and the sound effects too are too ordinary. There’s not much to say about it. Overall is simply enjoyable ancient costume drama not really boring.
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Tutto, in quest’opera, parla di basso budget: le ambientazioni sono variate pochissimo, ci troviamo sempre negli stessi ambienti. I costumi sono decenti (a parte le spalle scoperte della protagonista: si è visto mai?), ma cambiati raramente nel corso dei 24 episodi. La musica e le canzoni non ci lasciano alcuna impressione, la cinematografia è proprio basilare, con un paio di guizzi di fantasia quando girano una scena riflessa nell’acqua, lo stesso dicasi per la CGI, piuttosto anonima. Il comparto tecnico, insomma, è appena appena sufficiente.
La storia? Si narra delle avventure di Lu Yue Er, una ragazzina, bravissima cuoca, che pare avere una malattia congenita al cuore ed è per questo evitata da tutti. Un giorno, però, il Signore di un’isola dedicata alle prelibatezze culinarie comincia a farle una corte spietata, per convincerla a sposarlo a tutti i costi. Quello che la nostra Yue Er non sa, è che Hua Yi Nan, il Signore di cui sopra, è costretto a sposarla obbligato dal testamento del padre, o non potrà ereditare.
Su questo canovaccio si innestano circonvoluzioni assortite di reincarnazioni, demoni e fate, amori contrastati, triangoli, famiglie sgradevoli, complotti, perdite di memoria, vendette. Tutto, purtroppo, già visto e rivisto. Non sarebbe grave, se fosse presentato con garbo. Sfortunatamente, anche il settore interpretazione a volte lascia a desiderare. Non conoscevo i due attori principali. Lui, Huang Sheng Chi, è carino e “mediamente espressivo”. Lei, Zheng He Hui Zi, non è la tipica protagonista dei drama: di aspetto fisico ben lontano dalla bellezza angelica di molte colleghe, è stata pure mal servita dal comparto trucco, che l’ha resa un mascherone di colori accesi, ben poco attraenti in generale, e in particolare sul suo viso. Che si riesca comunque ad apprezzarne una performance tutto sommato molto gradevole e sul pezzo non fa che confermare che si tratti di un’attrice con potenzialità.
L’antagonista, Xiao Kai Zhong, l’avevo già visto come protagonista di Be my cat, dove ben interpretava un dolce generale alieno/felino. Qui, invece, è un demone innamorato da millenni della protagonista e il suo viso e le sue espressioni ben si attagliano anche a questo ruolo. Mi è piaciuto.
La coppia di spalla si è comportata bene, mentre la matrigna e la sorellastra di Yue Er sono ignobili ma ridicole e suo padre è completamente fuori scala, da umorismo involontario. Ecco, come drama sarà pure etichettato come commedia romantica, ma si ride veramente poco e di commedia vera e propria se ne trova solo a sprazzi ben distanziati. Come se non bastasse, quando inizia l’arco della “obbligatoria” perdita di memoria, tanto cara a tanti sceneggiatori, la storia precipita in una serie di puntate noiose, mentre la trama diventa sempre meno plausibile e inutilmente intricata, perdendo pure dei pezzi per strada. Il finale, quando giunge, cerca di sorprenderci, ma lo spettatore smaliziato non si fa ingannare!
In sunto, un drama parzialmente xianxia che non potrei nemmeno definire commediola, perché non si ride, piuttosto anonimo nella presentazione e nell’esecuzione, che non ha nemmeno il plus di inserire temi politici o sociali. In una parola? Mediocre.
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