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Worth the 1 year wait for me, albeit having some plot inconsistencies
• Read the top part for a review with NO spoilers• Read the bottom part for an in-depth analysis of the plot, comparison with the original novel and interpretation of the ending WITH spoilers
< Review >
1. Storyline
In my opinion, the story was a decent adaptation of the original novel. I enjoyed the novel and the drama, not to the extent that I love it but it was likeable. The story has a lot of sad parts with sweet parts hidden inside. There were some sudden transitions here and there, but overall it was understandable. To me, it was worth my 1 year wait for it, watch it if you think you enjoy a more sad storyline throughout with sweet parts interspersed and don't mind some inconsistencies!
2. Acting & casting
I liked the casting (mostly). I felt that the two main leads, Ju Jingyi and Guo Juncheng did well. Their characters are individuals who speak through their eyes more than their words/actions and I thought they did pretty well in that. I also enjoyed the casting of Song Xinran as Lan Su and Zhang Zhihao as Ou Ya. The duo was very funny and added flavour to the story. On the other hand, I felt Lu Tingyu as Yi er was a bit out of place (?) I think her style suits modern dramas more.
I personally feel that Ju Jingyi improved in her acting from when I saw her in Yun Xi Zhuan. I think Song Xinran is also more natural now. Not sure about the actors as I have never really seen their dramas.
3. Music
I love two of the OSTs - 仍寻 sung by Ju Jingyi and Guo Juncheng, as well as 剪不断 by Jin Wenqi, have been playing them repeatedly since I heard them in the drama. The other three OSTs are average to me.
4. Special effects
Special mention to the special effects team. The special effects are pretty good for a drama!
5. Rewatch value
Frankly, I feel like rewatching it already to further analyse the story and because I was confused at some points of time, so I may rewatch the parts I like to think deeper about it.
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< Analysis >
1. Characters
The characters in the novel and drama are rather different. In the novel, Wei Zhi is someone who is very 痴傻 (silly and persistent; apologise for the lack of a better word, but I'm not very sure how to translate it to the same meaning), in the drama, she is not silly but still persistent, and also quirky and kind. In the novel, Yan Yue is a very cold person, with little emotions who is only gentle (at times) to Wei Zhi, because he is the reincarnation of a land or something. Conversely, in the drama, Yan Yue is more cool than cold and very gentle. All in all, I feel that the drama Wei Zhi and Yan Yue are more realistic to me.
As for the other characters, I think the ones who are the most different from the novel are Ou Ya and Lan su. In the novel, Ou Ya was the one who gave the Qian Ji Luo to Yan Yue and Wei Zhi saw him as a very annoying character who was trying to get close to her. Novel Lan Su also had her marriage with novel Yan Yue cancelled and hated Wei Zhi (this story was not seen in the drama). However, in the drama, Ou Ya and Lan Su were really supportive and nice to Wei Zhi and Yan Yue till the very end, which I found as a sweet adaptation.
Do note that many of the characters are quite different from the novel though, but I won't go into detail.
2. Storyline
I've seen reviews saying that the drama storyline was dragged out, overly tragic and confusing. Frankly, the novel one was even more tragic and sometimes more confusing, requiring a lot of interpretation on my part. Below is a summary of the novel storyline, do note that it is not 100% accurate as I cannot remember the entire storyline.
Novel: Yan Yue sent to the academy to undergo his Qing Jie -> almost killed by Wei Ling Yue -> went to Yao Cheng -> Wei Zhi activated her bloodline for the first time when saving Yan Yue -> at one point, they had to escape because the Mo Zu Da Zun (Mu Nan) was trying to find the phoenix -> spent some happy days as a normal couple, this was also where Wei Zhi transferred the Qian Ji Luo to her body -> thrown into a dangerous desert world by Mu Nan, Yan Yue was severely injured and saved by Qing Huan, and brought into another world where time flows faster to help his injuries heal (around 1000 years passed in this special world for Yan Yue) -> Wei Zhi on the other hand, was taken by Mu Nan (or someone else) and lived 8 years on a boat -> Wei Zhi managed to escape and went to the city Yan Yue was controlling -> Yan Yue told Wei Zhi to leave when he saw her (Imo, he was trying to keep her safe because there is a high risk she may be revealed as the phoenix) -> Wei Zhi refused and stayed on, taking on some position due to her powers -> Things happened here and there and then Yan Yue and Wei Zhi drank a magical wine that made them follow their wishes and they had some alone time together -> Long story short, afterwards, Wei Zhi transformed and Yan Yue became the Mo Zu Da Zun -> She spent a total of around 20 to 30 years in the Mo Jie as a hostage -> Eventually, Yan Yue tried to die together with his father to save the world from his father who wanted to become a God but Wei Zhi came and saved both of them by using his Phoenix magic -> Afterwards, they were reincarnated every lifetime to be together, but with no knowledge that they used to be a Shen Xian or Phoenix
Overall, I enjoyed the drama storyline in a different way I enjoyed the novel storyline. The drama storyline was tragically sweet but the novel storyline was tragically heartrending except for very little sweet parts. I found the romance more realistic in the drama though!
3. Interpretation of the ending
Okay, so yesterday I watched the ending and in my mind I was like "???", so I spent the night and this morning pondering about it and this is my interpretation...
In the ending, Wei Zhi gives her Hua Rong to Yan Yue, which means that she'll die (somewhat like how Mu Nan died after he destroyed his Yuan Shen). 6 months later, we see Yi er becoming Tian Di, Ou Ya lamenting the loss of Lan Su and Wei Zhi's child being born. The story then cuts back to after Yan Yue returned to his own body 6 months ago, it showed Yan Yue sending Hua Rong to the sky and into the Time Palace, and time moves back.
From my interpretation, Hua Rong is the symbolism of peace, innocence and renewal, so by sending it to the sky, it purified the destruction caused and that is why the soldiers' weapons were removed. Afterwards, it was sent into the Time Palace. Remember that before this, Yan Yue said "Life is meaningless without you even if I can live forever, Wei Zhi, wait for me". By sending Hua Rong to the sky to purify the land, I believe that this is building good karma for Wei Zhi, often emphasised in Buddhism/Chinese culture.
By sending it into the Time Palace, I have two interpretations, (1) one is that both of them travel back in time and live in a separate timeline from the existing one the rest are in where Yan Yue never killed Wei Zhi and they live happily, (2) the second is that by turning back time, present Wei Zhi returned to the past Wei Zhi and took over her body as Tian Hou showed us that it is possible. This is because past Wei Zhi has the Hua Rong while present Wei Zhi does not have the Hua Rong. This would mean that past Wei Zhi would be replaced by present Wei Zhi who would go back into the present. And then Wei Zhi would still die in the past as she was meant to in order for everything to happen as it has already happened.
Regardless, it is clear that they are still alive as their child, also a Phoenix was born. We know that Wei Zhi's life is closely linked to her child, so if her child is born then Wei Zhi must still be alive. Additionally, Phoenix is the symbolism of rebirth, so we can take this as a symbolism that Yan Yue and Wei Zhi have found a new life. However, where they are is a big mystery, but if I were them, I would probably just live my own life in peace, to avoid any more tragic events from happening.
Thanks for reading my super long review and hoped you gained something from it!
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Wonderful acting, mediocre story.
Story:Overall, the story was rather boring. At the beginning, it felt that some parts were rather confusing and I thought they were going to develop the story as it goes by to fill in the gaps but nope.
Acting/Cast:
I honestly finished watching the drama because of the wonderful cast. I think both leads portrayed their roles really well and I believe there was a scene in Ep 14 or 15 where Kim Junghyun acts a very emotional scene and I felt goosebumps.
Veteran actors Kim In-kwon and Cha Chung-hwa who were acting supporting roles delivered great acting as usual. The younger supporting actors also acted satisfactorily, although sometimes they were a bit stiff (?) but I think they still have a long way to go to continue improving their skills, looking forward!
Music:
Music was quite lovely. My favourite is Secret by Han Dong Geun, it makes me relaxed. Kudos to Kim Junghyun for singing I am as well, he has a very gentle voice. On a side note, the song Latte latte by Jihan from Weeekly is a pretty a fun song when it plays during the drama.
Scenery:
The scenery, the lighting and the artistic production of the show is really pretty.
Summary:
The only reason I will recommend this drama is if you like the actors in this drama as they do have pretty solid acting! But otherwise, I do believe there are other dramas which you may better enjoy watching.
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I love "Threesome"! This is a really nice TVB drama and I enjoyed it from the first minute to the last. It is a light-hearted take on multiple personality disorder (and others such as anxiety, suicidal thoughts etc.) and how such a mental disorder affected the lead's life. Unlike other similar shows like "Kill Me, Heal Me" (Which I feel had a darker tone based on the snippets I saw), this drama is more comedy-like, and I was laughing throughout the show. The drama also had sweet romantic elements between Kai and Evie - showing how they became closer in the process of Kai helping Evie to hide her secret. I thoroughly enjoyed this drama, and found new things that I had not noticed before when rewatching. Anyone looking for a refreshing psychological drama would find this wonderful.Production/Story:
The story was well-paced, engaging and funny. It used a comedic way to explore the adverse effects of how having a psychological condition can affect one's life. I really liked how Kai and Evie's relationship progressed too. There were so many funny/touching scenes, like how Pina Colada married Dominic, and Evie had to deal with the situation, or when Evie's mother finally reconciled with her (I cried...). In short, wonderfully written!
Acting:
This show was such an acting breakthrough for Mandy and Ben. I feel that their acting abilities were really put to the test and they showed me how great their acting was. Not to mention how much effort they put in. For example, in an interview of Mandy, she mentioned that she only slept 1 hour ever day while filming the show as she had to act 3 "characters". Ben also really entertained me when he had to act out Evie's different personalities in place of Evie to ask Dr Bean how Evie should be treated, I've never seen him act like that! Other than that, the supporting cast was pretty okay too, they acted out their roles well, the only shortfall being Arnold who I felt was quite stiff in his acting, but I'm sure he can improve.
Music:
I love the opening theme song -《无双》by Miriam Yeung. Mandy and Kinlas even have a special choreography for this dance which I went to learn, although I don't have someone to do it with me, oh well. I also went to download its piano score, that's how nice the song is, full of meaning and really suited for the drama.
Rewatch Value:
Would definitely rewatch this again, I've already done so once and found some details that I missed out. I feel that this drama is that kind of show where you'll find something new or have new reflections when you rewatch, so this is definitely high on my rewatch list.
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Having watched the original Taiwan version years ago, I was excited when I learnt that this show was a Thai remake of the same drama. From my personal perspective, both dramas have their own unique points which is why I love them in different ways. For this drama, it essentially retains the "skeleton" of the plot, however, I found that it was much more mature and less comedic as compared to the Taiwan version. This definitely made the whole plot much more believable and realistic. Towards the end of the drama, I also cried a lot because it was very touching to me. If you have enjoyed the Taiwan version, I would recommend this, it is nostalgically similar yet refreshingly different.Production/Story:
I was surprised by how realistic the plot was, it wasn't as exaggerated as the original version. I could imagine the scenes happening in real life. I liked the styling of the different characters and felt that P'Esther really suited her character. I also appreciated how the male lead's grandmother was supportive and how his ex-girlfriend did not do despicable things to get him back. The only things that I felt was a bit meh was how the male lead was only realised to be misdiagnosed in the last episode. I feel that a doctor would normally have done thorough checks to ensure that they were diagnosing their patients properly, especially when the diagnosis was such a serious disease. The development of the female and male lead's relationship from awkwardly together to true romance was also too sudden - I felt a bit like "Huh? what just happened?". Nonetheless, I feel that the story gets better as it progresses, it feels very slow-paced at the start but the pace picks up later on.
Acting:
Everyone's acting was mostly on-point. I loved the different characters, they were relatable. The only time when I felt that the acting fell short was when the female lead's mother did not seem to be emotional when she knew the male lead was diagnosed with ALS. This is considering how the fact that the female lead's mother treated the male lead as her own son was emphasised throughout the show. So it was a bit strange for me, but not a big deal since it's just one scene.
Music:
The songs are quite nice, they actually grew on me. I liked the ending song more at first, but grew to like the opening song too.
Rewatch Value:
I believe I would rewatch this (considering I rewatched the Taiwan version thrice), but I would probably skip the first episode because nothing much happened haha.
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Production/Story:
As a person who has watched my fair share of historical dramas, this drama impressed me with the beautiful costumes, filming location... The costume for each actor was perfect and helped to bring out their character. The setting was also lovely and I felt that I was being transported back to Ayutthaya in the old days. On a side note, this drama is a nice way to learn some Thai history. The story is in one word - amazing. I watched it without any expectations and was blown away right from the first episode. It had many unexpected elements that made this show a notch above others. For example, it didn't have any over-the-top annoying antagonists and inconsiderate in-laws which is a great plus. I've had quite enough of such characters that just make me frustrated. In this show, I first thought that Janward, the second female lead, would thwart Khun Pi and Karakade's relationship and was pleasantly surprised when she did not do much, with the most she did being ignoring Karakade, and for some time only. Her reaction suited her shy and dignified character well, I am glad that the scriptwriter didn't decide to make her suddenly become an annoying or evil person. There are probably still a hundred things that I love about this drama, but I shall just summarise by saying that it is a sweet soap opera to watch, with almost no frustrating moments which is what makes it so amazing.
Actors:
This drama had a perfect cast, every single actor was perfect for their role and acted out their characters to perfection. Be it the leading actors, P'Bella and P'Pope, or the supporting actors, P'Noon, P'Most, P'Susi...all were wonderful. Every single facial expression and speech was just right and made me love this show even more.
Music:
I love the music in this drama, most of the OSTs even have special versions sung by the leading actors. For example, if I'm not wrong, P'Bella sang "Thou no Thou" and P'Pope sung "Or Jao Oie". I have added their songs to my playlist and am learning how to sing the Thai lyrics properly hehe. The original versions by the respective artistes are also great and I did not have any OST fatigue at all by the end of the 15 episodes.
Rewatch Value:
While I haven't rewatched this drama fully, I have been watching snippets here and there. I am certain that this will be my go-to drama if I'm ever feeling stressed because all the sweet and fluffy moments will probably be enough to drive any stress away.
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A Fist Within Four Walls
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Production/Story:
The story is near perfect. It is engaging and the setting is great. However, one thing that I disliked was how the story resulted in Fa Man and Mao Zai dying. Personally, I am fine with characters dying if it adds value to the drama, for example, an exemplification of fate, the tragedies of life etc. In this drama, however, I felt that their deaths were rather unnecessary, and only the main couple ended up living "happily ever after".
Acting:
Being a fan of Nancy, this drama really showed me a different side to her acting. In her shows, I usually see her as someone who acts in rather serious roles, such as in "The Ultimate Addiction" and "Forensic Heroes 3". Thus, I was really surprised and entertained by her acting as Tiu Lan, her actions and emotions were rather exaggerated in a good way that made the show fun to watch, and I must say her acting bought me the most laughter, especially in the first part of the show when the mood was lighter. I was also impressed with the casting of Moon as Audrey and Philip as Mao Zai. Both of them really suited their roles and I feel that the usual impression they show rather suits their characters. Other than that, all the actors, including the three bad guys, Mao Zai's mother also acted really well and I feel that their costume and make-up enhanced their characters. When I was rewatching, however, I found that I did not enjoy Kuen Lo's character as much (I enjoyed Ruco's acting though), he felt overly naive and insistent on things, but I suppose it is to show his great sense of loyalty.
Music:
The opening theme song was meh and I skipped it throughout the whole drama. The ending song, on the other hand, was great and I listened to it on a continuous loop. In my opinion, it is a song which has great meaning and would be a nice song to listen, even for those who are not intending to watch the show (从未知道你最好). And did I mention, it is sung by Ruco and Nancy, please go and listen!
Rewatch Value:
To be honest, I wouldn't rewatch this show even though I really loved it. I tried rewatching a couple of episodes while looking for a new drama to watch. However, I felt that watching this again made the show a bit dry and I found myself skipping large parts. Hence, I would say that watching this drama once is the best way to enjoy it.
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Deep in the Realm of Conscience
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Production/Story:
Considering that the budget for this show is quite high, the costumes for the various actors were bad in the sense that the colours were overly bright and didn't really suit them. It feels that they're trying to show a rainbow spectrum of colours - which I personally feel is unkind on the viewer's eyes. More mellow colours or better colour-matching could have made this show much more enjoyable to watch. For the story, it is dry and only interesting at certain parts. One thing that made this show less enjoyable for me was how everyone was speaking in poetic words and rhymes. While this won't make the show less watchable because it is totally possible to understand what they say based on their actions etc, the sheer amount of poetic words just felt unnecessary.
Acting:
Acting was okay. They actually had a pretty stellar cast who I have seen acting brilliantly in other dramas. However, maybe because of the story or their respective characters, I didn't feel any special appeal from their acting. However, I must say that I quite like Alice's acting in this drama.
Music:
Being a fan of ballads and more "quiet" music, I liked the ending theme song -《飞蛾扑火》. The background music in the drama is decent and suitable for the respective scenes.
Rewatch Value:
I struggled to even finish the show, so nope.
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A meaningful drama about mental health albeit with some flaws
This drama has a touching storyline that encompasses education on mental health issues, realistic struggles working in the psychiatry department and relatable characters. In my opinion, the greatest strength of this drama is its relatability. It doesn't strive to be dramatic or over the top. Instead, it shows us the daily lives of the characters involved, just like its title - Daily Dose of Sunshine. As someone who has had mild panic attacks before, I found the illustration of panic attacks fairly realistic. Another good example would be the romance storyline, it is normal, it feels like it could realistically happen and does not involve any excessive development. However, if you have a history of mental health issues, I would suggest to spread out the episodes or just watch 1-2 episodes first and see how it goes because some episodes can be triggering for different populations.My only quip with this drama is its overt focus on clinical recovery despite its evident attempt to increase awareness about mental health. It seems like the story it is trying to express is "Ok, I give you medication that suits you and then you are on your own". There is little show of therapy, counselling and many other factors that help a person with mental health issues to not only attain clinical recovery, but also functional and personal recovery, which are the three domains of recovery. To me, it makes zero sense to discharge someone with little coping strategies or community/social support with just outpatient psychiatric appointments. However, considering that their primary focus was on nurses, it is still somewhat acceptable. Additionally, I have no knowledge of the healthcare system in South Korea, thus I am not sure what is their current clinical model for mental health.
Moving forward, if this drama has a second season or if there are other similar dramas, I do hope they put a greater focus beyond doctors/nurses to the many people who are involved in the therapeutic process, such as social workers, occupational therapists, psychologists and spiritual workers. I also hope that they apply models such as the Clinical-Functional-Personal Recovery model or C.H.I.M.E. model of recovery to spread the message on what comprehensive recovery in mental health involves. Alternatively, perhaps they could focus on community mental health, to show a different area of rehabilitation.
Overall, I did enjoy the story and pace of this drama and do recommend you to watch it if you enjoy slice-of-life and storylines beyond the usual.
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A drama that was completely different from my first impression of it, in a good way!
I initially thought this drama was of a horror genre and steered clear of it as I do not enjoy horror. But a comment that this drama has unexpected stories intrigued me and I decided to watch it. Indeed, it was a drama where I was constantly being wowed by the way they turned scenes that I thought were going to be jump-scares into solid plots with good stories.Story:
This drama is filled with the stories of people living in this building. Some stories are heartwarming, some disturbing. But all have a human touch to the stories and many talk about real-life issues in a way that incorporates symbolism. The story of Alex and Coco that spans the whole drama also keeps me in suspense and till now, I am still curious as to how their intertwined fates will continue in the sequel of this drama.
Acting:
Since this drama has many short stories, there are many actors. I really like how there was a constant level of good acting among the actors and this really helped to flesh out the story in a realistic and relatable manner.
Music:
You will hear the song《今宵多珍重》many many times, basically so many times it will be ingrained in your head. But even though I have heard this song so many times, I still love this old song because the lyrics are simple and relatable, such a classic oldie!
Overall a lovely drama with good, unexpected storylines for each chapter (2 episodes = 1 chapter) that will either warm your heart or make you sigh about challenges we might face in life.
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