Honestly, I think this is one of the best Chinese drama I've watched. It is still lacking in many ways and many areas but compared to some of the mainstream ones out there, this is gold. IF you are tired of watching dramas with typical storylines and back stories, or melodramas where the main characters are petty and jealous, or typical rich boy/poor girl romance, then this is for you. I know this review is 2 years overdue but I still have to write it. Let's start!
1) Casting
So for casting, I liked it. One aspect that I liked the most was the maturity of the actors and actresses. They seemed to be older men and women and therefore gives the show an all-around mature vibe. Even the actions and the body language of the actors/actresses seem to be more mature. They also casted the right people for the role. The visuals of the actors/actresses fit the role that they were playing. For example, the female lead has a visual that is quite normal but upon closer look, she actually looks really pretty. Her visuals fit well in the traditional era as well. Qianhua was also really pretty and fit her role well as well. Perhaps it is the camera work or something, but the casting overall just gave the right angles
2) Storyline/Plotline/Backstory
I liked the plotline and especially the backstory. The backstory was interesting and it was nice how they slowly reveal the past at the start of each episode, so you are growing along with the characters and understand the characters more each episode. Although I know other Chinese dramas have done this, I liked the simplicity and the straightforwardness of the start of each episode. For me, I feel like there was no 'dumb' starting scene; no scene that was unnecessary. If compared to another drama, maybe the backstory can be compared to 'My Love from Another Star', but the execution is definitely better than the Korean version. This one has more 'feel' I guess and it is a tribe and not a single alien coming by himself. At least I liked this backstory better than the My Love from Another Star (korean edition).
The ending as written by other reviewers was very lacking. They rushed the ending plot and then gave viewers something they don't want. It didn't turn out well for the '3 musketeers' (Xiaoju, Kuanyong and Xiuxian) which I was thoroughly disappointed, perhaps even more disappointed than how the main characters turned out. They also obviously didn't give the main characters a good ending. (Spoiler) If it was a sad ending, I would have accepted it, but the ending was dumb, where he supposedly lost his memories but still remember his own name. Like, we could all have done without that information and still lived on with our lives. The Zhao Song character could've been written a little better. He actually is nice but for some reason just has to be the super bad guy, no character development, could've done a lot more with this character as well as with the Wang Xuan character. But although the ending was thoroughly disappointing, I would honestly watch the whole thing again because from Episodes 1-24, it was all gold. Even how they spun the story with the ex-boyfriend. It was realistic and there was no melodrama. I also like how the female lead handled it.
3) Overall Production
I liked the overall production. The budget seemed to be well spent. The clothes were fitting (i.e. the rich looked rich and the not-as-rich looked mediocre/not special). They made good distinction between the Fox people and humans, at least in the feel of the character (perhaps thanks to the casting), at least for the main characters. Each character had their own unique wardrobe which was really nice and showed off the personalities of the characters. The locations were well chosen and I didn't even notice any really major CGI flaws or really fake CGIs, if there were even any. The house was nice and showcased the wealth of Helan since it was by the water (which means super expensive) and the size of the house in general. The only thing was at the start of the show when the girl was picked up in an old BMW (2000's) and I was like what the heck? No way this guy is uber rich but drives an old BMW. The house for the female lead was fitting too. It showcased her family background well and what sort of family she comes from. I also liked the female lead's house as it has a very old, 90's vintage vibe and I liked it.
4) Final comments:
The overall plotline was realistic. This was a nice breathe of fresh air from the typical, sometimes non-artistic Chinese dramas (despite their big budgets). It was simple and more mature I guess, is the vibe I generally got from it.
I really hope you guys will enjoy the drama as I did!
1) Casting
So for casting, I liked it. One aspect that I liked the most was the maturity of the actors and actresses. They seemed to be older men and women and therefore gives the show an all-around mature vibe. Even the actions and the body language of the actors/actresses seem to be more mature. They also casted the right people for the role. The visuals of the actors/actresses fit the role that they were playing. For example, the female lead has a visual that is quite normal but upon closer look, she actually looks really pretty. Her visuals fit well in the traditional era as well. Qianhua was also really pretty and fit her role well as well. Perhaps it is the camera work or something, but the casting overall just gave the right angles
2) Storyline/Plotline/Backstory
I liked the plotline and especially the backstory. The backstory was interesting and it was nice how they slowly reveal the past at the start of each episode, so you are growing along with the characters and understand the characters more each episode. Although I know other Chinese dramas have done this, I liked the simplicity and the straightforwardness of the start of each episode. For me, I feel like there was no 'dumb' starting scene; no scene that was unnecessary. If compared to another drama, maybe the backstory can be compared to 'My Love from Another Star', but the execution is definitely better than the Korean version. This one has more 'feel' I guess and it is a tribe and not a single alien coming by himself. At least I liked this backstory better than the My Love from Another Star (korean edition).
The ending as written by other reviewers was very lacking. They rushed the ending plot and then gave viewers something they don't want. It didn't turn out well for the '3 musketeers' (Xiaoju, Kuanyong and Xiuxian) which I was thoroughly disappointed, perhaps even more disappointed than how the main characters turned out. They also obviously didn't give the main characters a good ending. (Spoiler) If it was a sad ending, I would have accepted it, but the ending was dumb, where he supposedly lost his memories but still remember his own name. Like, we could all have done without that information and still lived on with our lives. The Zhao Song character could've been written a little better. He actually is nice but for some reason just has to be the super bad guy, no character development, could've done a lot more with this character as well as with the Wang Xuan character. But although the ending was thoroughly disappointing, I would honestly watch the whole thing again because from Episodes 1-24, it was all gold. Even how they spun the story with the ex-boyfriend. It was realistic and there was no melodrama. I also like how the female lead handled it.
3) Overall Production
I liked the overall production. The budget seemed to be well spent. The clothes were fitting (i.e. the rich looked rich and the not-as-rich looked mediocre/not special). They made good distinction between the Fox people and humans, at least in the feel of the character (perhaps thanks to the casting), at least for the main characters. Each character had their own unique wardrobe which was really nice and showed off the personalities of the characters. The locations were well chosen and I didn't even notice any really major CGI flaws or really fake CGIs, if there were even any. The house was nice and showcased the wealth of Helan since it was by the water (which means super expensive) and the size of the house in general. The only thing was at the start of the show when the girl was picked up in an old BMW (2000's) and I was like what the heck? No way this guy is uber rich but drives an old BMW. The house for the female lead was fitting too. It showcased her family background well and what sort of family she comes from. I also liked the female lead's house as it has a very old, 90's vintage vibe and I liked it.
4) Final comments:
The overall plotline was realistic. This was a nice breathe of fresh air from the typical, sometimes non-artistic Chinese dramas (despite their big budgets). It was simple and more mature I guess, is the vibe I generally got from it.
I really hope you guys will enjoy the drama as I did!
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