Kylie
Singapore
九重紫: A hidden gem
was by far the best Chinese drama that I watched in 2024.This drama captured my attention from the first scene, and I thoroughly enjoyed the well-paced storytelling, free from unnecessary filler that often drags out. It was satisfying to see how Dou Zhao (the female lead) seized her second chance at life, with the unwavering support of Song Mo (the male lead). The drama beautifully portrayed their romantic journey ad the way they worked together to overcome various challenges.
Having previously watched Meng Zi Yi (as Dou Zhao) and Li Yun Rui (as Song Mo) in other notable works, I found this drama to be a standout in redefining my perception of their talents. Their performance in were exceptional, showcasing their depth and range as actors. Both brought their characters to life with such authenticity that I'm eager to see their future projects.
The original soundtrack (OST) also added a memorable layer to the drama. My favorite track, 不羡 by 伯远, perfectly complemented the emotional scenes between the ML and FL, enhancing the overall viewing experience.
Overall, this drama was fantastic, and I wouldn't hesitate to rewatch it if time permits.
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A flawed Sequel
Zombieverse: New Blood (ZNB) is a continuation of last year's Zombieverse. Picking up from the open-ended Season 1 finale, the remaining survivors - Dex, Lee Si Young, Din Din, Tsuki and Patricia managed to escape teh zombie-infested Seoul.ZNB introduced a fresh batch of cast members to the apocalyptic chaos: Taeyeon (SNSD), Sungjae (BTOB), Jo Se Ho, Defconn, Code Kunst, Kwon Eun Bi, Kim Seon Tae and Chef Andre.
However, the show's format takes a significant departure from its predecessor. Instead of the gripping narrative of survival and escape, ZNB adopts a more game-like approach, with quests like subduing zombies, rescuing stranded members, and battling the undead in a gymnasium.
This shift in focus dilutes the intensity and character development. While Season 1 highlighted Dex's resourcefulness and his physical capabilities, ZNB struggles to give him significant screen time. Sungjae shows promise, but his character arc feels rushed. In contrast, Code Kunst shines throughout the series, demonstrating bravery, impressive problem-solving skills, physical abilities and composure.
The large cast size also present challenges. Some members, seemingly added for comedic relief, undermine the show's survivalist premise. Moreover, a member only appeared in the show for 1 episode raises questions about the initial purpose of such a large ensemble.
While ZNB may appeal to fans of Code Kunst, it falls short of the gripping narrative and character-driven storytelling of its predecessor.
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Well paced Medical Drama in 2024
This drama got me hooked since I started watching.Each story arc was well paced without too much of “water injection”. The medical stories are also exciting.
The backstory for each character was well written, as well as the growth of each character over the 28 episodes. Personally like Su Yun’s character growth the most.
The acting of each cast member were superb too, and I think the made each character much more relatable and real life. The bromance between Zheng Ren and Su Yun also made the story light hearted and funny at times.
Overall, I think this drama is one of the best cdramas medical drama that I have watched so far, and I highly recommend this to those who are interested in a medical drama!
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Indescribable feeling
Credits to the producer and team for coming up with a new concept to the kvariety shows.While we do have zombie episodes once in a while in the current suite of kvariety (running man, the zone s1 and s2, great escape etc), it’s new to see a variety program dedicating an entire 8 episodes on escaping zombies.
The scale of the program is HUGE: ranging from the amount of zombies “hired”, the guest actors that appeared in some of the episodes, the venue where the variety was filmed, the effects, the cast etc shows how much effort was put into this.
I finished the 8 episodes but I still cannot tell if I like the show or not.
The show is not scripted so you get to see the cast at their very “raw” selves. It was good to see how the cast adapts to such extreme circumstances (escape or get bitten).
However, it was really hard to be fully immersed into the show because logically it’s hard to make sense. It’s either kill or be killed situations, but because the zombies are after all cast themselves, the only method to escaping zombies became nothing but bodychecking them (they tried to have some weapons at the later part of the show but…)
The satisfaction that one may get from killing zombies that you see in dramas such as Kingdom, walking dead are all non-existent in the show.
In fact, this could be the mildest zombie show I ever watched. And there are some instances where even the cast cracked up during filming because the entire situation is just so bizarre.
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But what came as a surprise to me, was that despite the fact I was struggling to be immersed into the show, I was able to finish all 8 episodes because I became so intrigued on the outcome.
At some point I am watching to see how the ending would be, like: will Dex and Siyoung be able to survive this? Will there be more variating factors etc?
To me, zombieverse became less of a variety show that I enjoyed, but more like a problem that I want to know what’s the outcome going to be like.
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This program is really an acquired taste. Either you like it or you don’t.
I personally don’t really liked it, but would I watch season2 if it’s out? Likely yes.
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Interesting concept
Concept: Catch the Ghost had an interesting concept as it was my first time watching a series on the Subway Police. The cases shown in the drama was entertaining too. I also liked how the drama weaved in real life problems, which made the drama relatable.Characters: Yoo Ryeong (FL) was not a character that one will like right from the start compared to Go Ji Seok (ML). However, things turned out better at the story progresses and at some point, I start to relate to her and the reason behind the things she do. Character aside, both the FL and ML looked quite cute as an on-screen couple with their small bickering and chemistry as partners at work.
The other police in the Subway Police force also added their weight to the drama, be it at serious scenes or comical parts to liven up the drama.
Recommendation: For people who like to watch crime genre dramas with some romance involved, this is a pretty good series to watch.
Where I watched it: VIU TV
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