Love Yunge from the Desert (2015)

The reason why the story part gets an 7/10 has more to do with the original novel written by Tong Hua. I would've given Tong Hua's story a 10/10 but the drama version has changed parts of the plot and development of characters to suit the likes of the production, and while not all that bad (some I liked and others not so much) it isn't commanding nor does it leave an emotional impact - an emotional legacy if you will, on the readers like the original does. Tong Hua's story makes you feel for the characters and did what they did, and as depressing as it makes the story - one will be left with a deep impression of each by the end of the book. The drama does rather the exact opposite, manages to make the characters and story more simple but less memorable. Gray areas turned black and white. For those who have read the book and are interested in starting the series, if you don't mind the book being 'watered down' and some of its central elements of subtlety, complexity and pragmatism being exchanged for more romance then this may be what you're looking for.



I understand that most good books out there adapted into television will never quite be what its original created. Nor do I expect it to be as good, that's not a fair standard to judge any adaptations by. However it seems out of touch with the mood and style of the original, which is what sets and moves the story along all the developments and contrasting relationships between characters.



Moving on, I think the drama is inconsistent. It either gets UNNECESSARILY draggy (had no business being such for those parts) or it moves too fast on things that could use more development or elaboration to say the least. The only thing that remains constant throughout is that the series eventually gets better - the best parts of the series are near the end.



By far the weakest link is the chemistry. There is none between the leads, and that is the make or break factor for a story that bases heavily off that. You will find yourself much more impressed by the secondary characters and their relationships than the leads.This is Angelababy's first TV series and I actually think she does a fairly decent job although her acting leaves much to be desired. Unfortunately the chemistry with her two male leads is also affected because of it. There is no standout performance in this, but a few decent performances in particular among the supporting leads and other secondary characters.



It is a very visually stunning series, with gorgeous costumes, sets and people. However I will probably selectively rewatch this for the good parts near the end.

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