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I want to start by warning others from making the same mistake that I did and pre-judging the show by the reviews. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but in my opinion Lady and Liar is a million times better than Cruel Romance. The story (with the exception of episodes 20-42, I'll elaborate on this in a bit), the acting, the music, EVERYTHING is better than Cruel Romance. To be honest, I only watched the first two episodes of Cruel Romance and I could barely get through it. but after one episode of Lady and Liar, I was totally hooked.*SPOILER ALERT* Okay so I'm going to put a ton of spoilers because I need to vent about my frustration of this series. I LOVE IT so much I gave it a high rating because it did start out as the BEST love story I've seen in a Chinese drama. But as I mentioned above (episodes 20-42) broke my heart, but because I love the first 20 epsidoes so much I only deducted .5 stars from the story. See? That's how love works, maybe someone should have explained this to the writers before they butchered what could have been the most epic romance drama EVER, by making the characters behave out of character, just in my opinion to keep viewers on the edge of their seat . *SPOILER ALERT*
This love story is comparable to that of the King and I, where the story begins with the leading actress having a love interest before she meets her the leading actor. And then using blackmail, the lead actor tries to get the lead actress for herself, leaving her former love interest heart broken and me, as the viewer as well. I wish the writers would stop making it so difficult to dislike the character competing with the male lead. He is honorable, loyal and loving. Fortunately, unlike the King and I, the male lead (Bai Zheng Qing/Bai Lan/Er Ye) is just as honorable, loyal and loving, except for when he is trying to make Tiffany Tang's character (Jian Xing) fall in love with him, then he does get a bit sneaky, but he is sooooooooooo devoted to her, that I can forgive his less than honest methods of courtship. And it's not like he ever forced her to do anything she didn't want to do (I really don't like story lines when the male lead is violent towards the female lead). True he took advantage of her memory loss to get her to date him, but their dating was so sweet and innocent. He wouldn't even hold her hand and she had to initiate the first kiss. And he was willing to stab himself nearly to death to save her life. which to me is the ultimate proof of love (not the stabbing part, but the willingness to lay down your life). What MORE DOES SHE WANT? I also like that his character has this dual nature of being incredibly confident, but at the same time a bit shy and vulnerable when it comes to being with the woman he loves. And very fortunately unlike the King and I, there is no cruel treatment of the leading actress by the leading actor, which totally ruined that particular drama for me. I hate when the story plot takes such a unexpected turn that it pulls me out of the drama and back to reality and makes me question how realistic everything is. Unfortunately that also happened for me int his drama. I was so engrossed in the love story that I felt my heart break when Jian Xing left Bai Zheng Qing to go back to her former fiance even though she still hadn't regained her memory and in her current mindset was in love with and MARRIED to Bai Zheng Qing. I capitalized the word married even though I'm a modern woman myself, but I thought in these type of historical series they like to play the we're married card and marriage trumps everything, especially in the historical periods. If this drama took place anytime after the 70s then yes I could buy that she would just be like" screw this I'm going to get myself a lawyer and divorce your lying ass", but during the time period it was set in, I just didn't feel like it was realistic how she tried to end their marriage. But regardless of the time period, my biggest point of contention and frustration against the writers is how quickly she was willing to believe her former fiance (Sheng Jie Wen) over her own husband (granted he's a dishonest husband, but like I said I forgive him because of how devoted he is to Jian Xing). I've never experience memory loss thank goodness, so I can't relate to how she must feel to have to rely on others to tell her who she is and how she is related to others surrounding her, but I can relate to having feelings for people and you don't just fall out of love with them even if you're mad at them. It just doesn't make sense, how quickly she decided to leave a man she claimed to love, married and been living with and went through life and death experiences with and then walks off with another who she doesn't know anymore due to memory loss and starts living with him and dating him just because he tells her she's supposed to? If you don't remember someone, I'm guess you don't have much feelings for them compared to someone you are MARRIED to. How stupid is she? And if she's that stupid, then I can't watch the drama anymore if I don't respect the female lead. I love that Tiffany Tang always portrays these morally strong characters, but in this particular series she kinda took it too far to the point that it compromised her love. I mean she married into the mafia, what does she think that she married a saint? He already compromised so much for her and changed his ways to make her happy. Anyway, this is why I skipped over nearly all the episodes between 20-42, because I couldn't watch her keep getting stupider anymore without wanting to throw something at my laptop. And I felt so bad for Bai Zhen Qing cause he just lets her do whatever she wants. In the end I also lost respect for him because he just stands by while his wife moves in with her former fiance and treats him like dirt beneath her feet every time she meets. Like I get that she's angry and I actually enjoy when the female lead gets mad at the male lead because then it's another opportunity for the viewer to watch while he proves his lover to her yet again. But I think Tiffany Tang's portray was a bit too self-righteous to the point that whenever she runs into Bai Zhen Qeng after leaving him she doesn't even seem like she's conflicted between love and hate. It seems like she just straight up hates him as if he was the villain in the story. Like, how could the writers ruin the story so badly? If I can't believe that their love for each other is undying (which to me is the whole point of watching these types of romances), then I can't enjoy the series. And Jian Xing's incredible stubbornness bordering on incredible stupidity, just made me want to tear out my hair. Like how could she claim to have ever loved her husband when on the word of a stranger (to her anyway) she just ends their incredibly romantic and hard earned marriage to go back to a life that she doesn't even remember? Like if she had regained the memories on her own then I would buy some of it. But who leaves their husband to go away with a stranger, who they don't remember?
And throughout all of her stupidity and stubbornness, Bai Zheng Qeng continues to remain loyal and devoted and protective of his wife. He's so stupid too! I wanted to shout at him, where are your balls?
In summary, I had to stop watching the King and I because the male lead became too cruel to the female lead, but in the Lady and the Liar, i couldn't watch anymore for the opposite reason, the female lead became too cruel o the male lead. Conflict is good for building suspense, but I can't believe in the love story when the leading characters try to kill one another. It kills the story.
Anyway, now that I got the venting part of this review out of my system, lets talk about what I did love about the series. EVERYTHING in episodes 1-20 and also the last 3 episodes when Jian Xing finally gets off her self-righteous high horse and realizes what an amazing husband she has. Hopefully his balls are still in tact.
Bai Zhen Qeng is my new favorite leading character in a Chinese romance drama series. He's all my other favorite leading characters (Tuoba Zhen from Princess Wei Yang, Chu Bei Jie from General and I and yes even the despicable King Ying Zheng from the King's Woman before he tried to kill and torture Lady Li) rolled into one. Loyal, kind, loving, devoted and courageous (maybe a bit underhanded) when it comes to being with the women he loves. And he's a bad ass when it comes to martial arts. He faces danger and death without ever flinching and without needing his loyal henchman to do it for him. And he's known by all in Shanghai as the wolf. Enough said.
The leading female character Jian Xing is just okay. She is reminiscent of Tiffany Tang's portrayal of Princess Wei Yang, except a bit less mature, and very innocent and naive (probably due to memory loss, which is understandable).
If I could re-write the series, and I will do it here just because I need proper closure (yes clearly I get a bit too invested in these dramas lol), I would re-write the episodes 20-42. Beginning with the fact that Jian Xing doesn't so readily believe whatever her former fiances says. Granted he is telling the truth lol, but still, what happened to being loyal to your husband? Especially when he's super sexy and good at kicking ass and willing to die for you? And then maybe Bai Zhen Qeng has her former fiance locked up for breaking into his house and startling his wife who is suffering from memory loss. And yes of course because Jian Xing is no submissive leading lady, she will question the truth of her former fiance's words and maybe she will even believe them and be a bit mad at Bai Zhen Qeng, but she will also realize it it late to do anything about it, not just because she they are married or even because her husband is clearly so devoted to her and saved her life over and over again, but because she has fallen in love with him and she can't stop loving him even if she tried.
And then to throw in some conflict maybe she does leave him, but not to be with her former fiance, but to sort out all the conflicting feelings she has about being in love with someone who has been lying to her all this time (albeit for good reasons). And then maybe she tries to live on her own for a while, but then she find herself in a dangerous situation again and of course her yummy husband has to come and save her, proving yet again how brave and loving he is. But he almost dies in the process and watching him almost die makes her realize that she doesn't care that he lied and then she forgives him and says goodbye and sorry to her former fiance, because he's not a bad guy (again the writers should make it easier to dislike the second male lead) and tells him maybe in another life time, but she can't find it in herself to leave her husband even if she wanted to. and of course Bai Zhen Qeng is so grateful to his wife as he always is whenever she forgives him for something or shows him even the tiniest bit of kindness (his character is almost pathetic in this sense) that he even has compassion for her former fiance (his brother) and helps him start his life over.
And they ALL LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER. THE END.
oh and maybe throw in a pregnancy surprise in between all the conflict. That's always a fun twist, even if it is a bit over used. Also it makes total sense in historical times when there is very little to no contraception methods :D
If anyone knows of a similar series that doesn't disappoint me as deeply as this series does, but instead has less erratic plot lines for the love interests to overcome, please let me know? Thank you!
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Frist half good, second half not so good
I highly recommend this drama and I have never said that before, but first I have to say that I'm surprised that I haven't seen anyone comment on the parallels of the plot to The Eternal Love ( starring Zhao Li and Jie Liang). Unfortunately Unique Lady is not exactly a unique story, but it's still worth watching. I haven't felt this interested in a drama since My Fair Princess 1998. The chemistry and puppy love between the ML and FL is a throwback to the relationship between Xiaoyanzi and Yong Qi, but not before they get a lot of misunderstandings out of the way, mostly from the FL's side. The ML is consistent in his feelings for her.Even though it is similar to The Eternal Love, I think it is better in many ways. First, there are way more cute scenes between the FL and the ML. And I hate to say it but their chemistry and acting is also more believable. That's just my opinion. The jokes are better too, but that's a nod to the writers.
I also like that Unique Lady shows the development of the FL and ML relationship before the marriage, unlike The Eternal Love where Mo Lian Cheng doesnt seem to care that he's married to Tan Er until after he falls in love with her, which isnt apparent until several episodes later and after he constantly mistreats and threatens her, because he thinks she's a spy. In Unique Lady the ML is clearly in love with the FL before they get married, but he's afraid to show his feelings because she is always calling him mean names lol. Still, knowing she hates him, he does everything to make sure the marriage happens, including intimidating her father.
Also the development of the story is very quick paced. After marriage, the misunderstanding is not dragged out like in other dramas. They quickly overcome it and then there's cuteness overload in every episode thereafter. So cute!
I'm not finished the series yet, so I dont know how it ends, but I'm sure it will be a happy one, since this is a light hearted drama like The Eternal Love and the main characters are very innocent and kind hearted and completely devoted to one another. I can't wait to finish it. :)
Edit: I finished watching the second half of the drama and was deeply disappointed. The plot took a turn for the worst and the worst is that they used too many. First the ML and FL couldn't be together because of a misunderstanding involving a 3rd party, which I didn't mind, because it's a mild obstacle used in many dramas that usually brings the leads closer together. Not so much, in this case. The writers gave audiences one kissing scene when the ML and FL reunited, which could have ended the drama in a satisfying way (love conquers all, even stupid politics and attempted assassinatoons), but then the show would have had too few episodes, so instead of admitting they screwed up and built a plot that isn't intricate enough to last 12 episodes (according to dramacool, which is where I watched it, it is 24 episodes), they decided to start two different plots to separate the ML and FL again, just to fill episodes. I really can't stand dramas that think viewers enjoy watching dramas where the leads are apart for half the series. Especially when it's so predictable that the ending will be happy and eventualy all misunderstandings (love triangles, political struggles, choosing duty or love, and nearly dying) will be ckeared up. And this drama really surpassed its limit on using misunderstandings as an interesting and creative plot. What is the point?
I changed the score from 9 to 7.5
In summary, the first half of the series is similar to The Eternal love, the second half is similar to a horrible mess.
Too bad, I had such high hopes after the first half. Not at all looking forward to the sequel.
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However, unlike most of his other dramas, I feel like this is the first one where all the other cast members actually make him look like a mediocre actor (but still incredibly handsome and sexy lol). The level of acting in this drama has really raised my expectations for all Chinese dramas, especially the female characters. For once, I didn't just skip through all the scenes without Hawick (although i did skip quite a few lol), I actually wanted to see how the plot lines played out for all the other characters as well. As much as I love watching Hawick play the angsty yet romantic bad boy lover, I have to say compared to the other cast performances, he was basically just eye candy in this drama lol.
I genuinely and whole-heartedly gives this drama a 10/10. Each sister and even the female support roles have characters that are 3 dimensional and don't just sit around batting their eye lashes and crying (although that does still happen here lol). They each have their own goals and motives and agendas in life. And they each take their fate into their own hands. They are imperfect, although Anning is a bit too kind-heartedd to the point of being nauseating at times, she also has a feisty side that will appear when she feels she has been wronged. Ultimately she is a free-spirit that lives life fearlessly, but perhaps loves too fiercely to the point of being too self-sacrificing. Although unlike other dramas they don't just make the female lead kind-hearted for the sake of a love story, they do it to add to the plot line. I really love everything about Anning's character.
But I think my favorite performance overall is by the actress that plays Jiajia. With the exception of the scenes where she's constantly coming between Anning and Tianming, I love how she is a go-getter who isn't afraid to after what she wants and who she wants (if only who she wanted wasn't Tianming). If I wasn't already in love with Anning's character, I would like to see JiaJia be the female lead in her own love story plot, because she is so much fun to watch.
Plot wise, I also feel like this is a series that could have also been a film. Unlike so many other unfortunate dramas, this is a drama that doesn't create the kind of unnecessary conflict that makes me bored to tears even though I'm pretty sure it's supposed to elicit shock. The story moves along pretty nicely and there is a lot of humor. I actually did laugh out loud, especially between Anning and Tianming. They are super cute, but also super funny together! It's nice to see Hawick portray a female lead that doesn't just frown and act tough all the time. He has a soft side, especially around Anning and he acts really funny to make her laugh.
I can't believe this drama only got an 8 star rating. For me this is a must watch and unlike other dramas, there is a ton of cute scenes between the female and male lead, so even when there is drama between them, you don't feel like you're waiting too long for them to have happy moments. I will definitely be rewatching all of Anning and Tianming scenes.
ENJOY!
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Novoland: The Castle in the Sky - Time Reversal
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Classic love story with unique storyline
This is a love at first sight kind of romance movie, but it is delivered very well so that it appears like a unique story.I love Zhong Dan Ni as both Fang Qi Wu and Hong Luan. She has a classic and elegant beauty paired with killer acting skills, which made her a delight to watch. The ML was also a great actor, but at times his closeups made it obvious that he had way too much foundation on his face, which kinda ruined some of the scenes for me. Anyway, it's minor mistake that didn't take away from the love story.
My only complaint is the lack of development in the FL and ML relationship. Even though they were convincing as lovers, as a viewer, I kind of had to adjust to how quickly their relationship developed in order to enjoy the romance.
Although I appreciate this not being a long drawn out drama where the leads take 35 episodes in order to finally admit they like each other, it would have been nice if they had thrown in an extra 5-10 minutes of footage where they run through the hills together or something else along those cheesy lines, just to confirm that they are in fact head over heels for each other and not just trying to play the other side for a fool in order to get revenge. I had to be suspicious because the entire plot is rushed. Although, everything wraps up nicely, this movie really should have been a minimum of 90 minutes in order to do the story justice.
Otherwise, the rest of the drama is like poetry. It's so romantic, beautiful, poignant, magical and emotionally captivating.
I highly recommend. Enjoy!
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A Murderous Affair in Horizon Tower
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Overwhelmingly suspenseful
I just finished this drama 3am last night. The buildup of suspense starts immediately. That's good. I like dramas that have me hooked from the get go.I read all other reviews before writing my own. I pretty much agree with everything everyone else said except for AngelBaby's acting. I honestly don't understand why everyone says she is not a good actress. I thought she was the only good actress in the drama. I love watching her on screen because I don't have to consciously understand her character and motivations. She makes acting look effortless. Whereas with most other actresses I find I'm distracted by their strange attempts at portraying their character in ways I find unrealistic and unrelateable.
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This is an epic drama with one huge flaw. The second fl was killed in episode 2 and the ml was over it by episode 3. Why is this a problem? The second fl is deaf and the male lead is written as being dead from birth, but somehow still living amongst those who have actual beating hearts.
This kinda ruined the entire drama because it sends the message that in popular Chinese dramas, viewers prefer watching a female lead who is not handicapped. Even though the male lead is walking around without a beating heart, the second fl is still not good enough for him simply because she is deaf. She is brave, beautiful and kind, but she is still killed off because she has one flaw.
This is how patriarchy oppresses women. Men are allowed to be imperfect and women cannot be less than perfect.
I actually like the female lead character very much, but the fact that she is used to replace the second female lead whose inly mistake is being written as a deaf person, ruins the love story for me altogether.
I am upset because i expect more from a Chinese production. Chinese people are polite and this starting storyline is a mistake and unnecessary. If the script writer wants to show the male lead is compassionate and caring, then Suma's chracter could have been replaced by a best friend or sister.
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