XiaoQing
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An average fantasy drama that does not live up to its potential, with outdated character dynamics
SPOILERS BELOWThis drama had a promising start and and interesting setup. A secret princess and a wolf boy who was turned into a killing machine go from lovers to enemies because of fate and the evil machinations of the higher powers. Their relationship is repeatedly said to be “cursed”. But will Zhai Xing and Lang Zai’s love triumph in the end?
…No, it won’t. Because this drama’s promising setup turns into a mess of recycled tropes and predictable, cliché storylines as the episodes progress. The characters also lose the freshness they had at the beginning and become walking tropes repeating the same lines and doing the same things over and over as the story drags on. By episode 30 I was ready to drop this drama because the eye rolls were getting too frequent, but I kept watching to stick with the few storylines that I liked and to see if the ending had any redeeming qualities. It didn’t. The ending was actually the final nail in the coffin.
THE GOOD:
The best aspect of this drama is the higher-than-average production quality, that can be seen in the sets and the costumes. The CGI isn’t top notch but is also not bad for a production of this kind. The battle sequences are also well made.
The story is also not all bad. There are some beautiful scenes, some good character moments, some emotional parts. The first ~15 episodes are good and don’t drag that much. Ji Chong’s arc is, for the most part, good. He is the most normal and relatable character and I enjoyed most of the moments the FL spent with him. He’s smart, capable and caring. The FL can actually grow and develop thanks to him. He was honestly the only breath of fresh air in the middle part of this drama.
THE BAD:
My biggest problem with this drama are the two main leads and their dynamic.
Nowadays, overbearing, jerky and brooding male leads feel like a thing of the past that new dramas are moving away from or are trying to put a new spin on. But The Wolf doesn’t do that with Bo Wang.
The ML is constantly humiliating, putting down, lying to the FL to “make her stronger” or because of some other excuse. I couldn’t keep count of the cringey moments that are played as “romantic” but it’s actually the ML being an a**hole to the FL, pinning her to the wall, throwing her on the ground, physically hurting her, forcing himself on her etc. This is such a bad and outdated drama trope. You might find it sexy once or twice, but beyond that it just makes you feel uncomfortable.
I would understand the need for those moments if Zhai Xing actually got stronger and was able to strike back at Bo Wang as a result, but no, he always overpowered and outsmarted her. Even when they’re enemies, in charge of opposing armies, they’re not equal. He still treats her like a child who needs to be coddled and she just lets him degrade her.
And in the end she always falls back into his arms and he gets forgiven for the horrible way he treated her because LOVE, I guess.
The FL is mainly a plot device, with very little agency, tossed from one place to the other, from one role to the other, in service to the story and to the ML’s manpain. She can’t even get her revenge through her own determination and hard work, because it’s the ML who does everything and decides that he has to sacrifice himself to give her her revenge. And in the end they didn’t even give her a good and happy ending, but a contrived and baffling one which was the biggest eye roll of all. She truly only existed in service to the ML’s manpain until the end.
Finally, I have mixed feelings regarding the acting. I think the actors did the best they could with the script they had, that leaves little room for character depth and constrains them into too many tropey and repetitive situations. I also heard there were reshoots that probably had an impact on the performances.
In the scenes where the actors can express themselves more or play different emotions than those usually assigned to them, their acting shines more.
Xiao Zhan is probably the one who gets to play his character with more freedom and range. Li Qin is not exceptional here, but she does her job well. Out of the main cast, my the biggest problem is with Darren Wang: if he’d been able to give his character more humanity, letting us see the Lang Zai under the surface a bit more, I think Bo Wang would have come off less of a wooden jerk. But again, it's probably not all his fault but the script’s and the direction’s.
CONCLUSION:
The only reason I would ever recommend this drama to anyone is if they're a big fan of any of the actors and are just satisfied with seeing their idol on screen. If you're looking for a fantasy drama that explores love, friendship and revenge through a good story and well-written characters, The Wolf is not it.
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On the stage, our souls face each other, and I'm a little bit ashamed.
Because even if I don't say anything, you always understand everything."
(–My translation of some lyrics from the ending theme)
TL;DR: if you're put off by the "Beijing Opera" theme of this drama, that may look old-fashioned and boring at first (it was for me), don't be. Watch it. You'll end up wanting to learn more about Beijing Opera and falling in love with the characters and their relationships. And crying too.
Winter Begonia is, in my opinion, the best long-format Chinese drama of 2020. This series does something that was never attempted before in any drama, and it does it beautifully: it takes us behind the scenes of the Opera world of Republican-era Beijing and lets us look closely at every exquisite detail that made up that world, from the precious costumes, to the colorful makeup powders, down to the clinking of the porcelains and the fuming cups of tea. And it takes us into the lives of people who lived in that world letting us taste their joys and their sorrows, always in such a vivid and evocative way that I've rarely seen in other dramas.
This drama has no filler scenes, no overused tropes; every character and every detail has a purpose and is treated with love and care. This level of care also applies to the technical aspects such as photography, editing, color grading and music. The music is especially beautiful, and the opera melodies are perfectly blended into the score. The costumes and makeup are gorgeous, and the Dan (female role) costumes and makeup look sooooo good on Yin Zheng. He's like a doll. And watching this drama is like looking at a series of paintings.
Shang Xi Rui, played by Yin Zheng, is undoubtedly the star of this drama. A genius performer who's only known a life on the stage, he's stubborn, hot-headed and has got the heart of a child– qualities that cause him to be unfit for a society made of rules and courtesies. When we meet him and for most of the story, he's like a cute puppy that turns feral when he's angry. But he also grows a lot and has great character progression, which is beautiful to watch.
At one point, Cheng Feng Tai says of him, "The other performers look like the characters they play. Mr. Shang IS the characters themselves." I think this quote also applies to Yin Zheng in his phenomenal portrayal of Shang Xi Rui. After watching him you won't easily forget the way Rui-ge runs, eats, laughs, cries, pouts or smiles. Or the way he speaks, with that unique, cute way of speaking and soft Beijing accent. It's a fantastic performance that will live on for the ages. A comparison with Leslie Cheung's Die Yi from "Farewell My Concubine" can't be avoided because of the similar roles, and Yin Zheng passes with full marks in my opinion. He's honestly just as good.
Dashing businessman Cheng Feng Tai (Huang Xiao Ming) is Shang Xi Rui's "god of wealth", patron, pillar of strength and his perfect counterpart. Where Xi Rui has his head in the clouds, Feng Tai has his feet on the ground; where XR is the reckless and pure-hearted child who always wears his heart on his sleeve, FT is the one who knows better how to navigate the nastiness of the world and keeps all the pain inside him. They also come from opposite social backgrounds as XR is basically illiterate and belongs to a profession that is treated as pariah, while FT is the richest guy in town who's studied abroad.
Cheng Feng Tai is not a really complicated role to play, but it would have been easy to slip and make this character too dull or too cheesy, or without chemistry with SXR. Huang Xiao Ming instead plays him as a well rounded character that balances the worldly, dashing hero part of FT with the conflicted, often flawed one. And the chemistry is there. He IS Shang Xi Rui's own beloved Er Ye.
The ensemble cast is excellent, and all the subplots and the background elements stand on their own and are never just filler in between the main leads' story, or wallpaper. But the dynamic between the two leads is of course the highlight of Winter Begonia.
知音 zhiyin is the word used to describe what they are to each other: closest friend, confidant, soulmate. Someone who can understand the other with no need for words. When others doubt Feng Tai's alliances, including FT's own wife, Xi Rui trusts him completely; when XR is hungry or hurt, FT is there to feed him or take care of him; when XR is lonely, the only thing he wants is having FT next to him. They're fully devoted to each other and would die for each other (this is not an exaggeration, it's what they really try to do). One of my favorite lines by Feng Tai to Xi Rui is "You think I won't be there to care about you [when everyone else abandons you]? Only when I'm dead!"
For them, the unspoken is heavier than the spoken. They never outright say what they feel about each other (of course, due to drama censorship too) but they still say it with their actions and expressions. XR says it singing on the stage, FT says it with THOSE LOOKS when he's looking at XR sing.
Finally, I won't say this drama has no flaws (that's why I couldn't give the story a 10/10). I think it has flaws in the stereotypical portrayal of most of the Japanese characters, in how some secondary characters could have been written better, in the not-very-clear passing of the time (it's always winter, the babies are always infants, the women are always pregnant). The execution of the story is also not flawless in terms of how the story beats connect to each other. But honestly, these things don't really matter when you look at the bigger picture. Which is an incredibly beautiful one.
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A true gem of a drama that turned out to be much more emotionally impactful than I expected
Premise: I'm totally unfamiliar with the manga/anime so I will only talk about this drama as its own thing. Spoilers ahead.Qi Hun might speak in different ways to different people. Some might see it mainly as a story about friendship, others as a story about following your dreams and finding your passions, others as a coming-of-age tale, others just as a sports manga adaptation. It’s definitely all of these things, but for me, Qi Hun is first and foremost a story that teaches you about loss and how to deal with it.
Because the drama peaks when Chu Ying disappears, with everything that’s happened before leading to and being in service to that moment, that leaves behind a heart-wrenching void I could only start to process at end of the next 3 episodes of mourning.
I’ve seen some people criticizing the final episodes saying they spent too much time on Shi Guang grieving. But for me, those episodes were sorely needed. If you look at this story as a reflection on loss, you cannot dismiss the healing process with just a couple of scenes. You need to painfully go through the grief so that the reason to live on that you’ll find during that process is truly meaningful. The final, joyful episode 36, which has such a different tone from the previous ones, only works if the 4 episodes before it exist. Shi Guang finally finds in Yu Liang not a substitute for Chu Ying but a new stage of happiness that's only possible thanks to his previous journey with Chu Ying by his side.
The loss this drama is about is first and foremost Shi Guang losing Chu Ying after spending half of his life together, but is also simply losing a Go match and finding the strength to win the next one. Most of the characters are losers each in their own way, as they all lose something important at some point in the story: Hong He, Gu Yu, Shen Yilang, Bai Xiaoxiao, Fang Xu, Yu Liang… each of them has to deal with losing something and overcoming it.
I don’t want to spend too many words on the technical aspects of this drama because the emotional impact it had on me overshadows everything else. It's not a perfect drama quality-wise but it’s solid in every department, from the acting/casting, to the sets, to the direction, editing etc.
I especially love the chemistry the actor playing Shi Guang has with the actors playing Chu Ying and Yu Liang. I think they're the perfect choices for those roles. The child actors shine too.
My main complaint lies with the pacing/writing of the second third of the drama (around episodes 12 to 24) that I think could have been handled better and sometimes felt filler-y. That part felt a bit like a downgrade compared to the very strong first part.
In conclusion, I went into Qi Hun thinking it was mainly a successful sports manga adaptation, but for me it turned out to be a different thing entirely. It also helped me deal with my personal losses and appreciate some things in my own life, and it will forever hold a special place in my heart for that.
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Mr. Perfect and Miss Almost
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A cute and funny drama that is really worth watching
I think this is my first review because while I watch a lot of dramas, I almost never finish them or feel the need to talk about them. But this drama, for a relatively small production with no big-name actors, REALLY surprised me in how much I loved it and kept me glued to the screen, and I want to recommend it to anyone who is looking for a sugar-filled, funny and heartwarming drama that is not too demanding.The story
The contract marriage trope is nothing new, and a lot of drama clichés are all there too, but this drama manages to do them in a way that is never cringey or too forced. It never takes itself too seriously, and it’s like the writers know exactly what they want to do with the story and the characters and what they have to do to elicit a certain reaction from the audience– which they always succeed in, at least in my case. This drama is funny where it wants to be funny, and dramatic where it wants to be dramatic. It's never too tragic nor it reaches any emotional peaks, but it does its basic job well.
*SPOILERS*
My only complaint is that I think the last two/three episodes, including the "will Yun Shu go abroad" plotline, were a bit unnecessary and they could have ended the story with Yun Shu's graduation and them getting officially together no longer bound by the contract. Because at that point, the story had passed its climax and resolution, and anything that came later felt superfluous to me.
*/END OF SPOILERS*
The characters/acting
The chemistry between the main leads is off the charts and the main reason I was hooked. They complement each other so perfectly and you always want them on screen together. The other couples are not that interesting, just average, and I admit fast-forwarding through many of their scenes. But when the main couple is so good, you can overlook the others.
The side characters themselves are pretty average (except the grandpa who I loved) but none of them really displeased me, and the offer a nice contour to the main couple’s relationship.
I’ve seen too many times the ML’s role – the icy genius with a hidden soft/broken core – being played like a caricature and ultimately coming off as pretentious or just boring. But Wei Zheming plays him with a softness that had me in awe the entire time. I had seen this actor only once before, in Find Yourself, and even there the secondary couple he was part of interested me more than the main couple, so I believe he’s really that good.
On the other hand, the FL’s performance just feels so natural and real you wouldn’t even say she’s acting, and is so cute in an effortless and never cringey way.
So, yeah, if you need your dose of sugar, giggles and cute moments do watch Perfect and Casual.
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Highly recommended to those who are looking for more grounded, bleak and R-rated stories
This is my first Light on Series drama, so I can't compare it to any other and I'm reviewing it as a standalone work. I liked this drama so much that I'm going to check out the others soon.The Long Night follows two different timelines spanning a decade, revolving around a series of interconnected crimes.
The present-day (2010) timeline sees detectives Yan Liang, Ren Yueting and others deal with a puzzling murder case that has its roots in another case from the previous decade, that saw procurator Jiang Yang trying to right the wrongs done to a friend. The second timeline follows Jiang Yang himself and his story. The two timelines come together in the end, culminating in a spectacular finale, with plenty of shocking turns and emotional moments.
This is a bleak story about injustices and a group of people determined to stand up for those who were wronged. It's also a story about those people's faith in their ideals and their dedication to pursue justice by (ab)using the law and the judicial system as a means to do it.
The bleakness of the reality depicted is reflected in the grim and washed out visuals and the joyless, unembellished environments. The theme of "longing for a ray of sunlight" is strong throughout the story and comes from the words of the characters themselves. But for the majority of this story, there is no sunlight for them. Only cloudy skies and darkness.
One of the strongest points of this drama is definitely the acting, which is solid on all fronts. The cast is phenomenal. The realism of the sets, which are accurate to the time period(s) and adjust to the passing of the years, draws you into the story. This drama has a movie-quality look overall.
Finally, this review won't be complete if I didn't mention the small flaws that are the reason I'm not giving it a 10/10 score. I think some of the flashback sequences in the early-to-mid episodes weren't as strong as the present-day ones and dragged a little. In those episodes, I didn't find Jiang Yang's story as fascinating to follow as the present-day lead Yan Liang's, so I sometimes fast-forwarded through the flashbacks. I also think the present-day storyline is enriched by supporting characters Iike Ren Yueting, Zhang Xiaoqian and Gu Yiming while the past storyline has weaker supporting characters. However, this changes as the past storyline moves closer to the present and the two stories become more and more intertwined.
I don't think I'm going to rewatch this drama any time soon. I see it as a one-time, very depressing yet so enthralling must-see experience that is best enjoyed once. And the mind-blowing effect of the reveals only works once, after all.
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24 over-one-hour-long episodes flew by. This I the first drama I've watched where I never skipped a scene once. I admit I was more interested in the romantic subplot(s) than in the general historical plot – also because I already knew what sad and terrible history Korea was about to go into so I wasn't exactly on the edge of my seat – but the political scheming was never boring, and the villains and the antagonists were never flat or too stereotyped.
Also, this drama had zero drama clichés, or at least they were very sparse. No stupid misunderstandings or jealous rivals; no clueless female protagonists or jerk male heroes; no situations that make you cringe or roll your eyes. It had more of a movie feeling than a TV drama's.
Every character, especially the main 5 (Eugene, Ae-sin, Hina, Dong-mae and Hui-Seong) was interesting and well-rounded and I really empathised with them all.
The funny bits were actually very funny, and the product placement was sparse.
The music and the cinematography were outstanding – though regarding the latter I think they put all their effort in the first half and the second half doesn't have as many gorgeous or iconic shots. If I have to think of the shots of this drama that are iconic for me, they're all in the first 15 episodes.
The acting was really good, with Kim Tae Ri and Byun Yo Han shining the most in my opinion.
I only gave 8.5 to the story because, just like with the cinematography, I had the impression it wasn't as strong in the second half. It got slower around episodes 15-20, then it got a bit more predictable and sometimes it felt like they didn't have a clear idea where they were going with some storylines. I also wish the ending was different in a couple of aspects. But overall it was a very solid story and they managed to juggle well the personal stories with the political/historical background.
I'm keeping this review spoiler free but in the next paragraph I will go into more detail about things I didn't like so if you want to stay 100% spoiler-free please stop reading.
I've already said that Mr. Sunshine is amazing and listed the good things, but I have a few small complaints I'd like to mention as well.
First of all, I'm a little disappointed that the romance subplot became less and less relevant as the episodes progressed, especially towards the end. While this won't matter to those who watch this drama mainly for the overall story, I'm a sucker for the romance and I wish the relationships had progressed a bit more. I think there were things that could have been done but sadly were never explored.
Second, towards the end they introduced interesting new characters and situations that were left as loose threads and never brought to a closure. That was also a bit disappointing.
I'm also a bit bitter about how a particular character's arc (my favorite character, actually) ended, and I think that, again, there was still a lot of unexplored potential there.
In the end, I'd give 10/10 to the first half of Mr. Sunshine and 8/10 to the second half, so my overall vote is 9. If I'm ever gonna rewatch this drama, I'll probably only rewatch the first half.
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Watchable
Positive aspects of this drama:- All the leads are interesting and well written, the scenes of the secondary leads don't feel like they're taking time away from the main couple
- The two main leads are really good looking
- Overall, this drama has pretty good pacing for 40 episodes (they're definitely too many though, but that's cdramas for you).
- The story starts from a VERY interesting premise: she's lost her memory and he pretends to be her husband. Seeing this kind of dynamic unravel is so good. There is also a cool plot twist along the way, and REALLY funny moments especially around eps 25-29.
- Finally, the main reason I never dropped this drama: Xueji's story. She was my favorite character and I wanted to watch her storyline until the end. Even when I stopped caring about the other leads towards the end, I was still sticking to this drama for Xueji and wanted to see how her story with her love interest progressed.
Negative aspects:
- The skin smoothing. Omg. I've never seen so much skin smoothing in a drama in recent years. The combo skin smoothing + heavy makeup makes Zhang Wanyi look like a corpse, and he doesn't need any of that?? He'd look so much hotter with less of the damn filter and a little bit of melanin showing.
- Abrupt cuts in the plot that left me a bit confused. There's a time-skip at one point where you're left wondering "how the f did this happen??" about a certain plot point.
- There are many technical aspects that are due to budget that don't really make this drama look high-quality: recycled Hengdian sets, no money to show actual battles and armies, very standard and bland cinematography for the most part. Costumes are also just okay looking.
- I didn't love the ML's acting in sad and tragic scenes. He's much better in comedic scenes though.
- [MILD SPOILER] In the second half of the drama, the main plot point around which the FL and ML's story revolved is no more, and a hundred very boring and predictable typical drama plots start (jealous love rivals, court schemes...), so the drama becomes just a very bland and standard one.
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One of the best in its genre
Another solid work by Sugarman Media, that keeps living up to its reputation as one of best production teams in the industry following the success of Hikaru no Go.Hikaru no Go is also the reason I decided to check out this drama, but Dear Missy stands on its own as one of the best life-in-the-big-city, female-centered, contemporary-romance dramas I've seen, for me only comparable to the Ode to Joy series.
What I liked:
- The cast/acting is excellent, as is the character writing. The characters feel like real, actual people; some are likable, some are annoying, everyone makes mistakes, everyone goes through ups and downs. And your perception of them changes along with the story as they grow and develop.
- The writing is solid and never insults the viewers' intelligence with cringy situations or overused drama tropes
- The cinematography is movie level. I especially love the lighting and the color grading that give this drama a very sophisticated look.
- Everyone uses their own voice (which is always a bonus point in c-dramas) and there are characters that speak with a strong accent just like people in real life Shanghai would. There are also scenes where cantonese is heavily featured.
- I liked the choice to use English songs for the soundtrack because it suits the "global city" feel of this production.
- The Hikaru no Go cameo is a must see for everyone who's watched and enjoyed that drama :')
What could have been done better:
- I think this drama could have benefitted from trimming down a few subplots and scenes involving secondary characters, that in many cases felt too fillery and prominent as if they were taking away screentime from the leads (yes, I'm thinking about Guan Yue). This is the reason I'm only giving the story an 8. A 24-episode formula would have suited this story better. Nowadays, 36 episodes for this kind of slice-of-life contemporary drama is already too long for me.
- A personal wish: I was hoping to get more flashback scenes with the two leads about their time in high school (same Fang Yuan high school from Hikaru no Go btw!). Instead the flashbacks were mostly limited to the first few episodes. I think it would have given the two leads' relationship even more depth, plus the two actresses playing their younger version are really good.
- It's a minor thing but I need to mention the Chris character. I know I just said that the characters feel real, but Chris is an exception that sticks out. He's too much of a foreigner stereotype and doesn't really fit in a drama like this. Thankfully he was only there for a few episodes.
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A must watch drama in the deity/fantasy genre. Amazing acting and a well-written story.
Where can I start? I was never the biggest fan of this drama genre. The complex celestial hierarchies, the "fake" sets, the heavy and often cheap CGI of these dramas have put me off many times. I've only ever liked Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms but it never really captured my heart. I recently tried The Pillow Book but I was disappointed. For this reason I kept this drama on my to-watch list for more than a year, and I finally decided to start it only because of Ni Ni. I recently dropped Legend of The Phoenixes and wanted to see more of her. So yeah, I wasn't expecting much from this drama, but to my surprise... I ended up ABSOLUTELY LOVING it.THE CHARACTERS/ACTING, A 10/10
The original title of this drama, Chen Xi Yuan, encapsulates what this story is about better than the English title does. Because this is the story of Jiu Chen and Ling Xi, who have quickly become my favorite power couple in this drama genre – I mean, they’re literally a dragon and a phoenix, THE power couple in Chinese culture. And it's the story of how fate (yuan) brings them together through a journey made of joy, suffering, sweetness and tears. And us along with them.
They are a power couple also because they are each other's equal, even if they start from very unbalanced positions. There is no overbearing male lead and powerless female lead; there's growth, respect and caring. There's saving each other and being each other's strength. Ling Xi is a FL who takes charge and takes the initiative. She's a tide (the "Xi" in her name) that sweeps away everyone and everything and especially a certain ancient, brooding high god. On the other hand, Jiu Chen ends up being the opposite of what you'd expect an all-powerful God of War to be: the most wholesome and adorable ML you could ask for – but still incredibly dashing and badass.
Ni Ni is gorgeous as always and is excellent at playing the cute and spirited Ling Xi and her evolutions: the sorrowful Lin Mo and the splendid high goddess she later becomes. Not a surprise as she's one of the most talented actresses around and always delivers amazing performances. Like I already mentioned, I started this drama because of her and she didn't disappoint a bit.
Chang Chen plays Jiu Chen as the aloof and respected Shen Zun perfectly, but he's also able to effortlessly pull off those little smiles he only has for Ling Xi and some of his closest friends. You can really see his character gradually softening and opening up due to Ling Xi's influence. I think Jiu Chen grows on you as the drama progresses just like Ling Xi grows on him. I also love how Chang Chen's eyes can speak without need for words. He's truly an amazing actor. I’ve seen some silly comments say that he’s too old, when maturity is precisely what this role requires. No 小鲜肉 (young and pretty idol actor) could have pulled off Shen Zun. An ancient God of War who has been carrying the weight of the universe on his shoulders for hundreds of years is just not that kind of "pretty face" role, and this is not that kind of story.
And can we talk about the kissing scenes? This is one of the few fantasy dramas I've watched where the kisses and the love/comfort scenes are actually in an adequate number, plus they don't shy away from showing real, actual kisses (you know, with the actors actually moving while kissing, which doesn't always happen in dramas) and showing characters yearning for physical contact. I love it.
I also want to talk a little about Jing Xiu. He's an amazing second lead/antagonist/villain, with a great performance by Ethan Li. Usually I dread the scenes where the second lead interferes with the main couple, but here I was looking forward to every interaction between him and Lin Mo during the mortal arc because they form such a beautiful bond born out of compassion and sharing the same mortal misfortunes. You never feel like the main ship is threatened by him, you just want to see how this interesting secondary relationship develops. And finally, I love how the final villain isn't just Very-Evil-CGI-Smoke-Demon-Lord but is a complex, well developed character like him.
Finally, a special mention to the supporting cast, particularly the Fuyun Dian squad. They're all fantastic and none of their side storylines ever feel like filler or like they're unnecessary.
THE WRITING/STORY
For a 60-episodes drama, the writing and the pacing are extremely good. You can feel this is not an IP novel turned into a drama and therefore subject to cuts and the addition of filler. This is a script thought, written and executed with a TV series in mind. The comedy and the fluff are also on point. This is a drama that had me laugh, giggle, and *muffled scream* basically every episode.
I'm giving 9/10 to the story for the reasons above, but I also have three main complaints with it:
1) The three big chunks in which the story is divided could have been better balanced, with a shorter second arc (mortal arc) and a longer finale. The final arc was good and satisfying but it deserved a liiittle more time.
2) The mortal arc starts dragging a bit around episodes 35-40. Those fluffy or comedic scenes, those moments when nothing really significant happens are cute and all in retrospective, but they do slow down the momentum of the story.
3) The story itself is nothing new in terms of genre or plot. It doesn't invent anything new never written before. It can be summarized as "good deities defeat bad guys and fall in love" like many already existing stories. BUT it does this better than most of the dramas in its genre. It doesn't drag or go off on a filler tangent for 10+ episodes; it doesn't overuse cheap misunderstandings or recycled tropes; it always treats its characters well and with respect.
THE MUSIC & TECHNICAL ASPECTS
I'm not a music expert so I'll just say that I like the OST and the songs, even though it wasn't "love at first hearing" with any of them. But they grew on me. "Shi Yuan" 是缘, the opening song, is probably my favorite. I also love how there are many song that are used rather sparsely in different moments and it's not just one or two songs being played every 5 minutes.
The production quality is very high. The sets are really beautiful and well made, the CGI is good. The backdrops are always gorgeous and look like paintings (I wanted to screenshot everything). The costumes and makeup are flawless, although I have to say I'm not the biggest fan of the male hairstyles, particularly Jiu Chen's standard, long-hair one. Chang Chen is still handsome, but with more hair volume on his head he would have looked sooo much better. Proof of this is the mortal arc scene when he lets his hair down. That's the volume he should have had in every scene *sigh*.
REWATCH VALUE
10/10 because on a rewatch you're able to pick all those details sprinkled here and there from the very beginning that only become very important later on, and notice once again how well-crafted the writing is.
But also, I believe these characters are so lovable and the acting is so good that they deserve more than one viewing. I'm definitely going to watch it again soon.
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