HarryHoudini
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For a Hammer, everything looks like a Nail!
I think that saying fits this Series quite well. Our Female Lead is good with Poisons, so everything becomes somehow Poison related, sometimes to the point of hilariously, comically contrived and laughable.This series tries to commit every possible Sin dramas can commit. Tropes, Cliches, BS Devices, generating Drama out of thin Air etc. etc. you name it and it probably does it.
Lets do it Morricone Style with Good, Bad and Ugly:
the Good:
It starts quite well and has some things going for it. I mainly stuck to it because at first I thought that this was a lighthearted Drama that didnt take itself too seriously (what with all that Poison gimmicky stuff like a literal Poison Wall). I expected a Mix of Drama, Comedy and Parody which I like a lot. At first it looked like it and some of the Side Characters started quite goofy and entertaining like the side couple that always fights. It was those Elements that were Entertaining and about the best thing in this Drama.
the Bad:
Acting is overall mostly on the mediocre side. The ML is too wooden, the FL is too boring, the 2ML is too flamboyant and the 2FL (if it can be called that) is ....words fail me but more on her in the Ugly Section.
The Story is all over the Place. I found myself asking "what was the Story again?". The FL is good with Poisons....and thats the Story right there. I had the feeling that the Writer just had this one Idea to make an FL that is good with Poisons and then simply made up everything else from that point. The FL is good with Poisons so everything that happens has some connection to Poisons even if it makes no sense whatsoever. Barbarians attack the Nation? it turns out they are "poisonous Barbarians", a Meteorite hits the Palace? it turns out its a "poisonous Meteorite", Godzilla comes out of the Ocean? well you guessed it, it actually turns out to be not Godzilla but Godzillas Chinese Cousin who conveniently is also poisonous, you get the Point! It becomes really tiresome after a while.
The CGI is worse than a joke. Seriously, with CGI this bad, it would have been better to use practical effects. Even some guy in a Costume would have been better than what they tried to pass for a "monster".
the Ugly:
Flashbacks, lots and lots of Flashbacks. Deus Ex Machinas, lots and lots of Deus Ex Machinas. BS Devices, lots and lots of BS Devices (super effective magical Poison Powders in this case that work better than Gasses in the first World War...or any Gasses even today). As I already said, the amount of tropes and cliches in this Drama is quite critical. I am aware that Dramas like this utilize such "gimmicks" and have to utilize them but there are differences of what is useful and necessary and what is lazy and cheap. How many times can you see the mains get rescued "last second" before realizing that they are never really in danger? When I dropped this Series I had lost ALL Interest in any of the Characters. I couldnt care whether they lived or died or loved or hated or whatever, they bored me out of the series with constant repetition of the same "dramas" over and over and over again.
The 2FL has a special place in my heart as the most idiotic, stupid and utterly retarded villain in any Drama of all time. She has triggered me more than any Character in any other Drama I watched and not for lack of competition mind you, she is just that worse! What was her plan again? to DIE for the ML so he can "fall in love" with her Corpse? now there is a "great plan" if I ever heard one. She starts crazy evolves into psycho and ends a complete lunatic and none of it in a good way. This Character harms the Series in a serious way and I would deduct at least two Stars just for this Character alone. Very annoying.
Summary:
Its not completely bad and has its upsides but cutting it down to at least half the Episodes would have improved it a lot. This Series was clearly artificially kept running for 50 Episodes to make Money, avoid Taxes, pay Bribes/the Mafia or whatever and it shows.
I had the time to waste so it was not that big a loss for me but those who dont should check twice before committing.
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Secrets of Three Kingdoms
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Suffers from the Chinese Drama Syndrome
I have now watched around a dozen Chinese Drama Series and only managed to finish 3 of them while dropping the others mostly midway through. The Chinese have a remarkable propensity to pull off a "Game of Thrones" in nearly every one of their Dramas. Only 1 of the Dramas I watched managed not to completely ruin everything towards the end.This is not the one!
To be fair, it started incredibly strong with an engaging Story, interesting Characters, good Actors and an overall good "feel". The first 20 Episodes just flew by and would be easily worth 9/10 Stars. The next 20 Episodes were a little bit draggy and it could not keep up the momentum but it would still have been worth 8/10 to me. Its the last 10+ Episodes that really jump the Shark in ways that I cannot accept, ignore or forgive. I would consider 3/10 as a very generous rating for those.
But lets get through the Categories shall we? starting with the least important (to me).
MUSIC: the Intro is brilliant and fits the Series very well. It has a memorable Tune and gives the whole series a unique Character. However, it is completely countered by the Outro, which is an abomination I could not wait to skip. I dont know what they thought when they introduced that song into the outro but its just ear cancer to me. Also, there were some background music during scenes that was so annoying that often times I though that my Sink was defect and water was dropping from it. The 5 Stars are all for the Intro while the rest is either unnoticable or straight up bad.
ACTING: some great some pathetic! The Actor that plays Sima Yi is the clear Winner here. He does a great job overall and is only let down by the Story towards the end. On the other Hand, some Actors were so over the top "dramatic" that it bordered on comical and the actor playing the Emperor was just annoying towards the end.
STORY: This is based on the Historic Events of the Three Kingdoms Period. Arguably one of, if not the most Interesting Period in Chinese History. So the Story is based on very solid Foundation. Lets not forget though, based on History does not mean "historically accurate" and this series is clearly not historically accurate and takes a lot of creative freedoms, which sometimes works, sometimes doesnt.
The whole Twist with switching off the Emperor is interesting at first but becomes actually a weak point towards the end. The "holier than thou" attitude of the imposter should have better been left to Cartoons and simply looks misplaced in this Series. His actions are laughable and can only be accepted by those who are unknowing in Political Reality. I dont mind having a "cartoon character" in Cartoons but since this Series is clearly not a Cartoon, it just doesnt fit. There is a reason why History celebrates those who had little to no compassion and killed whole Countries. Thats the Reality of life. Jesus was compassionate, he ended up tortured and crucified, Gandhi was compassionate, he was shot, Luther King was compassionate, he was assassinated.....those are no accidents.
This gets even worse later in the Series by the Actor that plays the Emperor (they could have easily replaced him with a cuddly animal and nobody would notice the difference), who I would suggest should take the role of a piece of driftwood next time.
The "Romance" between him and the Empress is LAUGHABLE!!!!! Its really really cringe and catastrophically bad. We are supposed to believe that she is an Empress under constant threat, he is someone who replaces the Emperor and later even becomes a major Player but the two are so full of "Teenage Angst" that they cannot even touch each other.....riiiiiiiiiiiiiight! This is clearly targeted at said "angsty Teenagers" and does not make any sense in the series overall serious tone. The writers even go so far to insult us viewers by suggesting that their chastity was because their enemies would use it against them (they were in laws and that was supposedly a problem). They were living in the same Palace, in the same room, sleeping in the same bed. Do you really think once this came out people would care whether they really slept with each other or not? do you really think once it comes out that he replaced the Emperor this would be their main Problem? Its just insultingly bad.
On a positive Note, I liked nearly everything that was Sima Yi. Even his Romance. However, they even managed to ruin that by letting his Wife die in what must have been the most pathetic, forced, idiotic self sacrificies I have ever seen on film.
CONCLUSION: I am really thinking about watching Chinese Dramas only half or 2/3 max. The way they manage to ruin everything in the last couple of Episodes is nothing short of remarkable. This series is like a Gift wrapped Turd, as long as you only see the packaging, its great but the more you open it, the more it stinks.
Such a shame, there was great potential!
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The Romance of Tiger and Rose
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The Crown Jewel of Chinese RomComs (thus far)!
What can I say about a Drama Series that I have rewatched (complete or certain scenes) more times than I like to count?This Drama just clicked with me instantly. I am not even sure I can write an objective Review and I dont know If I even want to try it or simply go over to praise it as much as I can.
Lets do it this way, I will first say what I think may have been done better and/or was unable to keep up with the rest!
- the Music was good but nothing really Memorable. It is really no weakness but this series deserved better
- the second Leads were ....."disappointing". This is a hard one for me because I am not sure whether they fail to impress because of the Stellar performance of the Leads (more on that later) or if it was the Script or the Actors but they really could not make an impact on me. When rewatching, I often skip their scenes entirely.
So, now that we are done with that, lets get to the praises that this Drama so much deserves!
- the main Leads, both of them, were absolutely phenomenal. I have never seen such a great on (and off) screen Chemistry between two actors as with these two. Everything they do just makes click. I am not just talking of Romance, in fact its just a small part of their interaction but also their interaction in general. No matter if they fight, argue, flirt, hurt, protect each other, its always a delight to watch. Its just convincing and you dont doubt for a moment that those two fictional Characters could not fall for each other. It seems very natural.
- the Sidekicks deliver Comic Relief moments of the highest Quality. Sometimes they make you laugh with nothing more than face expressions or hand gestures and they are never over- or underpresent. They also provide great support for the Leads and make scenes with them all the more memorable, funny and touching.
- overall the Series has a great Cast (I mentioned the second Leads above but even they were at least "decent"). Although they could not keep up with the mains and their Sidekicks, their performances were solid and never really gave reason for complaints. The side Romance was a gift that kept giving and provided a nice and smooth experience to counter the wild and turbulent Romance of the mains.
- the Story is surprisingly brilliant even though somewhat "banal". Time Travel, Twists, Misunderstandings etc. are normally recipes for Disaster but it works great here. Mainly because there is some thought went into the Story and one can see it. The ways the female Lead is trying to navigate through the unexpected and strange predicament she finds herself in, might look ridiculous at first but when one thinks about it, especially from her point of view, it makes a lot of sense. The fact that it took her a while to accept her feelings for the male lead is no weakness but a strength in the Story, since a Situation where you are not sure whether your "real self" is in a Coma in "real life" and whether your actions in your Dream will have negative effects on your "real self" is quite serious and should not be simply brushed aside. Of course its not perfect and has plot holes but none of them real disturbed me or took me out of the experience in any way.
- the Ending is one of the best I have seen. It is done in a way that makes sense especially the reactions of the two leads in "real life" are what one would expect from two people who just had some "otherworldly" experience and trying to come to terms with it while still delivering a more than happy End.
Conclusion: This Drama introduced me into CDramas and boy did it set the Standards High. I am about to give up looking for another CDrama that can reach this level, it simply doesnt exist. This is an absolute Gem not just among CDramas but in Entertainment in General. Even other works of the main Leads failed to reach this level of greatness imo. If this Drama didnt strike your fancy....I am sorry for you because my enjoyment was off the roof!
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Well, its a Drama!
It really is a Drama, very much so!With that I already touched on the subject that caused me to not give this Drama any higher a rating than 6/10. While this Drama has a lot going for it, interesting Characters, good acting, nice chemistries and so on it unfortunately suffers a lot from the "Drama Syndrome" where Drama is generated for Dramas sake and feels extremely unnatural and artificial.
Basically it can be summed up as the Drama being generated where it is needed by the Script and not necessarily evolved from a coherent Story. Things are about to calm down? oh look some incriminatory Document finds its way through the most convenient way possible in the hands of the "villain" (that of course later turns good). Not enough? well how about phone ringing EXACTLY the time when our main love interest is about to confess something important....not once, not twice but pretty much all the time and lets not even mention the incredibly convoluted ways the Characters make decisions.
To make sure I dont remain negative since I did watch the whole Drama so there must have been something to keep me interested after all, I am now gonna mention the things that worked for me.
The main couple has a good chemistry and they work quite well most of the time (if the script allows it). The few occasions where they can be "relaxed" and interact with each other "normally" are a treat to watch. The funny parts work also quite well and manage to lighten the mood a little between all that forced Drama. There are also some good and well thought out dialogues here and there. Some supporting roles do an exceptionally good job in bringing more "color" into the series, especially the main leads friend and father and the main female leads mother.
While I did watch it to end, I had to skip couple parts that were simply annoying to me and were clearly there to needlessly generate more Drama so I cant really say I watched it all.
The ending was disappointing though! not only did it pull of a "love interest pushes her away because of own insecurities, realizes mistake/love, runs after leaving love interest to catch it on the airport" trope but went further and let him miss her only to make a montage in the faraway place where they meet in total cliche and ...the end! poor, expectable and boring and also done to death already.
All in all its an okay Drama and I am sure people who dont mind or even love "excessive" coincidental generating of Drama will get way more out of it.
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Came for Han Shou, stayed for Ning Yuxuan!
Since there are already great and detailed Reviews by better Reviewers than me, I will try and keep it short and focus on some of the strengths that enabled me to watch this to the End.As my Title suggests, I discovered the male Lead in Romance of Tiger and Rose and found him so convincing that I decided to check his other Dramas as well. I have watched a couple but dropped them halfway through, only this one I watched to the End and Boy was I rewarded for it.
To spoil it right away, the acting ability of Ding Yu Xi blew me away but more on that later.
The Story is alright. It has some glaring flaws and plot holes that really push the boundaries but it does get countered by the positive Elements. It does have its moments though.
The female lead was at first annoying (especially her voice) but strangely enough, she grew on me and I even liked her at the end. This can be a personal issue though, since I got so used to the insane chemistry between Yu Xi and Lusi in Tiger and Rose, she had quite a high hill to climb.
The supporting roles are overall great. Guo Bai is simply on another level. He does such a good job portraying the "Shadow Guard", tossing in the occasional "comic relief" moments and provide a side Romance that rivals the mains. His romantic partner is also not to be underestimated. She is beautiful (yes more beautiful than female lead imo) and her overall calm but lovely attitude complements Guo Bai perfectly. Overall the cast left nothing to be desired.
Now lets dive in to the main Event, the Boss, the phenomenal, outstanding, brilliant Ding Yu Xi. What an Actor.
In the End, when he seemingly loses his love interest, Yu Xi delivers such a stunningly real scene of utter despair and pain over the loss of his beloved that I basically got Flashbacks watching it. Since I went through something similar (not quite that dramatic but still painful) it was hard for me to watch and even jerked out a tear but boy was I amazed at his delivery. Ding Yu Xi is a talented Actor and he surely can act comedy just as well as tragedy. Looking forward to see more from him. Needless to say, he was one of the main reasons to watch this Drama.
I know this ended up more a "love letter" to Yu Xi than a real Review but I think this talented Actor deserves it.
Conclusion: I enjoyed this Drama Series despite its flaws and would watch it again if time permits.
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A Game of Concubines
This CDrama started as "Once upon a Time in the West" and then turned into Seasons 5-8 of Game of Thrones.As you can see, I have not finished this CDrama. I watched it till Episode 38 and then basically "rage quit". Though I know the full Story since I have then read Spoilers of the Story of the remaining Episodes. It only served to justify my Reasons for quitting.
To be fair, from Episode 1 to 27, I was completely hooked and could not stop watching. It was basically like a Drug and I could hardly stop. Although it was nowhere near perfect and had some issues, the overall premise and the "Revenge Arc" were so well done and engaging, that I was more than willing to overlook small issues.
One such small issue was the waste of otherwise incredibly promising Characters, among which the Character of Consort Gao stood out the most. She was portrayed so much as a stereotypical and one dimensional "Evil" that it bordered on Cartoon Villain levels. The Actress and the Role could have offered so much more than that, that I felt it was a huge waste but as I said, I was willing to let this go and up to Ep. 27 would have given this Drama still a 9.5 out of 10 without thinking about it.
Then came the "Lightning Strike" moment, which I now define as the "Jumped the Shark" Moment of this Drama. Up to this point, the main Lead was basically this "Supermind" who could come up with all kinds of sneaky plans to get things done but suddenly she becomes a crazy lunatic who bets her life on the occurrence of something whose probability is possibly less than winning the Lottery. It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.
The main Lead was already bordering on "Mary Sue" with her abilities to fool basically the whole Court including the Emperor. However, I could live with that and excuse it as "superpowers granted by the goddess of Revenge". Since she had such a huge motivation driving her (finding the murderer of her Sister who was like a Mother to her), one could still suspend disbelief by thinking "yeah this is a little over the top but Revenge, like love, is a strong emotion that can enable People to exceed their Limits". However, after her Revenge Plot was basically completed and she got the Murderer, this motivation was gone and what remained was no longer feasible. What was her Reason to become Empress again? might just do that as well while I am here? very weak Motivation that no longer serves as a good Excuse for her ridiculous "superpowers".
Another Problem I have with the main Lead, she was quite fitting as the young Girl seeking Justice for her Sister but unfortunately she remained that "young Girl" up to the very end where she is supposed to have given birth to not one but FOUR Children. I have seen the End of the last Episode where she sits on the Throne in her magnificent Robes and it just looks like a Teenage Girl Cosplaying, hardly convincing.
Her Romances also took a wrong turn. The Guard was believable enough to some degree but the Emperor? complete nonsense! I saw little to no reason why the Emperor would fall for her. The reason given (because she has a big mouth and she cant stop insulting him) is so weak and nonsensical, that I take it as an insult to the Viewer honestly.
Then there is the "Court Schemes" of the Concubines. They are repetitive, little thought through and rely too much on tropes and accidents and conveniences. When I read in Spoilers that the Empress loses her second Child as well because of some scheming, I could only shake my head. This is what I like to call "generating Drama for Dramas sake". It feels forced, artificial and unnatural and it is really tiring after some point. Also, none of the Consorts/Concubines had the same screen impact of "evil" as Consort Gao did and they felt like cheap knockoffs.
Speaking of turning Evil, the amount of Bait and Switch in this Drama is sadly too much. "Look how nice and friendly this Lady is....oh no, she turned evil because of a good looking Palace Guard" is done one too many times. Twists dont work so well if they are overused.
This Drama is somewhat of a "Dr. Jekly and Mr. Hyde" kind of thing for me. The Revenge Arc is brilliant and kept me hooked but the "based on History" Arc is nonsensical and lacks a solid Motivation/Foundation.
I want to end this Review on a positive Note because I think this Drama overall deserves it and I dont like to cheapen the great Efforts that clearly went into this by many talented People.
This Drama was very near to perfection and shows what Chinese Movie Industry might be capable of in the Future. It has a lot going for it and although I was ultimately disappointed, the parts I enjoyed were true and deep Enjoyment. I look forward to more of this kind of Dramas where maybe lessons are learned and some of the more glaring mistakes corrected.
Disclaimer:
This is a personal Review by a private person and is therefore subject to personal bias or taste. I do not claim to be objectively perfect in any way and therefore implore you to keep this in mind when reading my Reviews. My main goal with this Review is not to harm or boost a series but to help Audiences by offering one particular Viewpoint since I am profiting from others who do the same as well. If you made it this far reading this humble amateur Reviewers "Opinion" than I thank you very much and hope there was something useful in it for you.
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Royal Feast in Yanxi Palace!
I am pretty sure that many People will watch this Drama after being disappointed by Leads "romanticus interruptus" in Story of Yanxi Palace.So I will start my Review with exactly that.
- the Romance between the Leads:
If you expect to get satisfaction for the disappointment in Yanxi Palace, you MIGHT, but only to some degree. Yes the Leads are romantically engaged to each other but it is slooooooooooow and takes ages to take off. It had some moments but overall it did not satisfy or engage me enough to consider it worthwhile on its own. It also turns into planned/forced Relationship later on. The Romance is there but it could have been done better.
- the Story in general
this series is basically an Advertisement for Chinese Food that is disguised as a Drama (not necessarily a bad thing). Neither Actors are the "main Leads" but in fact Food is the "main Lead". Do not watch this Drama on an empty Stomach.
Overall the Story is ok but nothing to write Home about. Besides, it makes the same mistake as Yanxi Palace did and later foregoes the main Story centered around the Kitchen and Food and turns it into "Yanxi Palace light" with again female Lead ending up as the Consort of Emperor!
I didnt like it in Yanxi Palace, I didnt like it here (thats why I dropped it around Ep. 30). This might be my personal Bias but I find Romances on the highest level of Human "Status" completely unbelievable and have a hard time to suspend my disbelief. Believing that an Emperor, who basically has nearly unrestricted access to ALL the best and most beautiful women in China, would simply settle for what is the historical equivalent of "high school love" is something I leave to Teenage Girls.
- the Music
nothing Noteworthy but also nothing really disturbing. The Intro overall is great though.
Conclusion: as far as Dramas go, its nothing really bad but its nothing really good either. If its unique premise (the presentation of lots and lots of food) strikes your fancy, you might get a lot more out of it.
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basically a variation of Mulan!
I dropped this series after 16 Episodes!The "disguise" of the FL is laughable! I recognized her immediately as a woman with no knowledge of plot or actors with my "western eyes", it is impossible to think that actual Chinese would fall for it.
There is more chemistry between a Misogynist and a Feminist than between any of the males and the FL. I havent found anything that I would even remotely call romantic. Even the kiss they shared is more like a kiss an Aunt gives to her Nephew after which he goes "bääh". Not that I care much about romance at all but either do it right or dont do it at all.
Her "anger" when she sees the killer looks like a Chihuahua barking at a Rottweiler. She is supposed to look menacing yet only manages to look ridiculous like a child whose toy has been taken away. Not convincing at all. I have to mention though, she does a good job overall in portraying male mannerisms but its just not enough!
I spoiled myself the rest of the story (which was the main reason for dropping it) and oh boy, it looks like the usual contrived Drama BS story.
Its not all bad and will probably work for others who can better manage the points I just criticized but it surely isnt working for me! Besides, I will admit that I have a personal bias. I am sick and tired of the "strong woman" trope with 100 pound women charging into the ranks of elite Soldiers some weighing twice as much. Especially as a man who has actually fought (boxing), knowing what that means, there is no way I can suspend my disbelief enough to be able to enjoy this. Its hard and unbelievable enough when its men doing it.
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