Wenxia
Hopefully hiking somewhere in the world's mountains as far away from civilization as possible:)
The Longest Day in Chang'an
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Something is rotten in the state of Tang...
I started this drama on a dare with myself. I mean, who makes a 48-freaking-episode drama set in one city over the course of just 24 hours?! Well the joke is on me, cause I just spent a week binging this show.The first half is a thoroughly engaging mystery/action joyride and a feast for the eyes, featuring explosive horse cart chases and parkour on lantern-lit rooftops. We get to explore this marvel of a mediaeval city, while dragged on an immersive and spectacular journey from the highest seat of power to the darkest underbelly - meeting on the way a gallery of people who were made or broken by it. Action/superheroes/comics lovers will find a lot to keep their interest here, with the all-powerful boss of the underworld that likes to play cruel mind games, Wolven squad with a set of fantastical beliefs, parkour-loving prince of Persia and an unbreakable superhero Zhang Xiaojing who can win against any odds:D
The second half though wasn't an easy watch for me, as the heavy choices that the characters had been forced to make earlier in the day, started to catch up to them. It was actually quite refreshing not to care as much about the protagonists and sympathise with the troublemakers. Too many shows nowadays lead the audience by the hand, telling us who are the good guys that we should root for… Here, we get to see everyone's humane and inhumane sides, and most of them get to say their piece before the end… And they actually have a code of morals that fit the times! Not like the recently prevalent modern-day thinking people wearing costumes. By the end, the script started to gnaw on its own tail a bit though, with a few too many twists, confrontations and unlikely outcomes. It slightly muddled the characters' motivations and relationships.
In short, the mood and pace of the storytelling differs a lot between the two halves of this show. The first one is gripping and exhilarating, while the second one takes its time to peel the layers off characters, schemes and past events. In any case, this show is well worth watching as a visual masterpiece with authentic feel, memorable characters, unique plot points and one sexy villain in Zhou Yiwei's Long Bo;) Highly recommended for history and art lovers!
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My new comfort show:)
For how short of money this series was, I didn't expect such an explosion of beauty on screen. I don't just mean the actors^^, but the overall cinematography, color schemes, dance-like fight sequences, flowy vibrant clothing... The main director said in an interview that to him this story was about two desperate people, who come from very dark places, finding light in each other. And this motif of seeking light and hope, sun and warmth is one of my favourite visual and storytelling themes in this series. But there is so much more to unpack here with foreshadowing, hidden clues, overdubbed lines as well as poetry, culture and classic Wuxia references galore!I couldn't be happier that the entire team seemingly embraced the danmei origins of this story and didn't try to twist it into something else. WOH remains first and foremost a love story told in a very poetic and emotional way, with heaps of flirting, play fighting, sarcasm, sparkling banter and smouldering chemistry. Though the last six episodes are very rushed and a bit of an illogical mess, all in all, the witty and insighful script is definitely one of the series' strongest points. The other is quality of acting, which is good overall and outstanding when it comes to the main leads! I love the subtleties in Zhang Zhehan's acting, turning from stone-faced to mischievous, with the long, fond looks and small teasing smiles. Gong Jun was brilliant in the high-impact emotional scenes (he does vulnerability so well!), and had this charisma on screen as Wen Kexing that was very compelling.
Altogether, this is a beautifully shot Wuxia tale brimming with humour and feels, made with a lot of careful thought and effort, worth many rewatches.
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The split narrative between the 'police group' and poachers group, where each side had things to resolve between themselves, worked quite well. There was a slow rising tension as more light was shed on the characters' pasts, new issues kept surfacing, and both sides kept moving slowly towards another collision point. These explosive or suspenseful 'encounters' between the two groups were the best and most spectacular parts of this series.
Unfortunately, the pacing lagged in some episodes. Unrelated conversations kept happening one after another, while the plot didn't move an inch. I think ep5 suffered the most from this. But don't drop it there! Cause in ep6 the tension skyrockets:)
Another small annoyance was needing to suspend my disbelief much too often. I even got to rolling my eyes a few times watching how the events unfolded. If you like to see a well trained, professional, physically fit police force working together or are allergic to stubborn heroic fools with minds and mouths filled with glory, duty and noble sacrifices, then you might be a tad frustrated with the plot;)
The highlight of this series is definitely the visual storytelling! - not only incredibly beautiful landscape shots of snow-capped mountains, lonely roads and arid plains, but also very intriguing compositions that go for your emotions. I loved both the dynamic fight sequences and the long static shots that let me fully digest all the visual elements.
The director knows how to build a deliciously tense atmosphere, giving enough breathing room to bask in the simmering tension, search for clues, consider the situation from all angles, and wonder who's gonna make the next move in this game of wild hunt...
Final thought or a bit of extra (skippable) complaining:
I've seen a few comments that this series got cut by four episodes, which I think really clipped its wings. Not sure if the censors or the network are to blame, but it's very frustrating to see another good, original story get somewhat ruined by thoughtless editing. I think 'Hunter' had the potential to be exceptional if:
- it either got the chance to tell the full scripted story - giving us better developed characters, more cohesive storyline and a proper closure
- or it got further cut (prefereably removing any mention of the police - perhaps changing the MLs into ex-poachers or roque forest guards), turning it into a no-frills psychological thriller.
At eight episodes, this show is regrettably stuck in between, shooting itself in the foot with unbalanced storytelling, weak characterization (except the poacher brothers! They were the most compelling by far) and overly solemn, rushed ending.
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This will be short, because I already talked myself out on the comments page. I'd just like to summarise quickly why this drama caught and held my attention despite it not being my usual genre:
1. Overabundance of creativity and bold ideas. Honestly, not a single boring cliché on the horizon. Every character has a distinct personality and style. The action takes place in an interesting fictional city where nothing is what it seems. The storyline packs an insane amount of clever schemes and challenging plot points, balanced with funny or unexpectedly moving moments.
2. Original premise/script with a host of very well-written characters. Two things about the writing really stood out to me:
1) logical and undisturbed flow despite people constantly lying and messing with each other, ever changing loyalties and multiple schemes playing out at the same time.
2) three-dimensional characters and complex believable relationships. The writers let us learn about their pasts/goals/hopes/mistakes/regrets in little bits and pieces over the course of the 24 episodes. It really ropes you in and gets you emotionally engaged by degrees.
3. Dark humour<3 mainly courtesy of one inspirational, stylish, clever, audacious, mercurial, murderous maniac named Liang Long!
4. Keeping my mind and emotions fully engaged! I'm emphasising this as it's pretty rare for me - my mind loves to wander and the rest is cynical to the bone;)
This drama moves at an insanely fast pace that barely allows you to blink, in case you miss sth. At the same time, keeping it real when it comes to people, their struggles and life stories unexpectedly squeezed a lot of genuine emotion out of me. Especially since most of the characters' arcs get tied up in a way that packs an emotional punch.
5. Top-tier direction and cinematography - a great mix of fresh ideas and experience. I liked the mind-gaming narration with contradictory hints, that kept challenging my perception of who each character was and what they're capable of. Loved the amazing locations, spectacle-oriented action sequences and hyperkinetic editing. The story flows pretty seamlessly for the first half …by the time the intensity picks up and the plot goes on a mind-bending trip you're already too deep to back out;))
Tbh I'm not sure if this deserves a 9 but that's what I'm giving it anyway - and not just for the fact that I took two hours off work to watch the finale …though how many dramas make you want to do that?;)
I was wondering if I should mention some flaws too. Because there were parts (few) that felt anticlimactic or just plain frustrating… But I don't really care about those at the moment. So let this be my most biased review to date:))
PS: Endings in c-dramaland suck, just saying...
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It's hard to find words expressing what a treasure this series is. Hotheaded artist and a suave businessman intertwine their lives against the backdrop of a bygone era. Beautifully made and brilliantly acted, all-time favourite!
I noticed this series is not very popular and I agree it may not be for everyone. It is not bingeable. It doesn't speed towards an emotional high-point (def. not a cute love story). There is no mystery that gets revealed at the end. This is basically two people from very different backgrounds and social classes meeting, getting into and bailing each other out of trouble continuously, and weaving their lives and the lives of people around them together. There's another layer to the story being told through the opera performances but that requires interest in the art. It also requires a certain mood and full attention, because it's very easy to get lost in the many characters and sidestories. I watched it at the pace of 3 episodes every few days.
Still, I wanted to write a few words for those who may be hesitating because of other reasons.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS below......,..,.....
First of all, I'd like to stress that this is not a bleak, tragic or depressing series.
Yes, it's set in turbulent times. But the (very well-written) story mainly tells of ups and downs in the lives of all manner of people connected to our protagonists or the Beijing opera circle. The Japanese soldiers arrive to occupy Beiping only after 30+ episodes full of Shang Xirui's shenanigans and funny or emotional side stories.
Yes, it has an open-ending but it actually fits the story well and neither ML dies. Plus if you want a less ambiguous version, there's a 'gift ending' posted on bilibili by one of the screenwriters with an alternate cut of the last few minutes of the series.
I think the level of melodrama, or the sadness-happiness ratio, fits the slice of life genre. At least, there are no dramatics here for the dramatics sake.
Secondly, this is not some twisted heartbreaking love triangle story.
Yes, one of the MLs is married with a baby. It wasn't a love match though, but an arranged union in the past due to money problems. What this series has done incredibly well, is how well-written and fleshed out all the characters are, including Er Nainai. To me, the backstory fits the times well and adds an intriguing angle - the contrast between the two relationships in Cheng Fengtai's life. Not to mention, the curious interactions between the wife and the soulmate. Again, both from very different backgrounds.
Lastly, this may be worth watching just for the stylish visuals and artistic flare. I think this is the first series where I actually stopped the video to look at certain stills. There are so many insanely beautiful ones! Just take a look at the sequence in ep43 starting at 21:41. If I can get it in high-res this goes on my wall!
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Light on Series: Gold Panning
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Human nature is just more complicated than this!
I'm writing this out so I can try and put my thoughts in order about this drama - cause I have so many conflicting ones...First of all, communities existing outside of common law and the constraints of civilization is probably my favourite theme in the cinema as a whole. That's just to give you an idea how excited I was when I stumbled upon this show. And it did start very promising, weaving a pretty intricate web of suspense and ambivalence among several intriguing characters...
This doesn't follow the tired narrative where we'd see the younger brother arriving at the remote goldfield to unravel one big mystery step by step. Instead the story unfolds from several different POVs at the same time, with the brother just being one link in the chain of events. Thanks to that, there's a steady pace of reveals and new mysteries happening - you just have to have the patience to put together the various puzzle pieces sprinkled here and there by yourself. What's more, you get quickly and deeply immersed in this world thanks to the incredible attention to detail and quite creative cinematic style!!!
But then as I kept watching, I'd pause the video more and more often to let my mind focus on other things. By ep10 I had to actually force myself to continue watching.
I think the main reason for that is they just didn't delve deep enough into the psychology of the characters. Every episode has a sub-title that is like an aphorism about gold and greed f.e. "Apart from wildness, gold can lead to nowhere''. At some point, it became clear that whatever these characters do next - strike a deal, form a bond, etc. It would all just circle back to that message in the end. Which is fine, if they planned it like that - it's a storytelling device. However, what's missing is the struggle! Humans struggle with conflicting emotions (like I am now;), even if in the end we go with the predictable choice. That complexity is majorly missing in this script - and I needed that human quality to be able to connect to these characters.
This is further compounded by a very weird narrative flow. There are quite a few scenes where we'd have a very suspenseful situation, at times turning into Mexican-style standoff ...and then ...nothing.
No blow-up! No tension release!
We go from build-up straight into the fallout.
Like we'd see two characters standing at the opposite sides of a door readying for a fight. The camera would switch back and forth several times between them racking up the tension… Then next thing we see, one of them is already tied up on the floor!
So disappointing. I was like: OK, thanks! Is this freaking IKEA for me to have to play this scene in my imagination and add it by myself?
Doing it once is fine. But after it happens several times, the story just becomes monotonous, especially as there's also no surprises in how these people would act in any given situation.
Hence, needing to force myself to continue watching. Maybe if they condensed the story into 8 or 10eps, this wouldn't have irked me so much.
In the end, there were aspects of this drama I greatly enjoyed, but as a whole it awfully tired me out. Zero rewatch chance for that reason.
Still, I'm not discouraging anyone from checking it out. Gold Panning is a uniquely themed and well executed series with high-quality production values! Plenty of people seem to love it too - just sadly not me.
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Visually rich, twisted fairytale. Best enjoyed if you let your imagination off the leash.
Once upon a time, there was a poor tender-hearted girl who got betrayed by her own father and sold to a brothel. Cruel fate then sent her to a hotbed of evil - a danger-filled city of assassins! There she encountered a handsome tortured prince in disguise. Oh wait, make that two! Sigh, if only it weren’t for the evil queen…:)Don’t watch this as wuxia, watch it as a collection of fairy tales tinged with the blood of many lovers. This drama has a distinct magical flavour, eerie and timeless, thanks to amazing art direction, imaginative use of animation and a vibrant palette of characters! Story wise, it’s wuxia meets gothic romance with a dash of mystery and horror. It's one of those dramas that you need to try before deciding if it's to your taste.
I have to applaud the creative team behind this drama for being able to build such a sinister, unnerving atmosphere even with all the mature elements toned down. There's no gore, no sex, not even a kiss on screen. Yet, this drama overflows with passion, allure, menace and dark morality.
Actually, it played with my imagination a little too well… There's a scene of three people eating soup. One is supposed to be blind, but isn't. The other two want to catch him out. Now, we never know exactly what’s in that bowl. Just that the other two are pretty horrified by it. It's all in the masterful acting and the tension building in that long scene. It created such vivid images in my head, I very nearly threw up… Ok, fun anecdote time over - back to review;)
Another thing that drew me in early on was , what I called earlier in a comment, bunch of nutty characters that I just couldn't help but adore. Starting with the sexually frustrated, ingenious torturer, cat mommy villain with a pastime of skinning people:)
The portrayals were just enough to give the characters an unconventional, eccentric feel, without crossing over into grotesque. As for the three leads, they were exceptional.
Wan Mei: My love for the heroine was of a tempestuous nature. A lot of the time I wanted to reach in and shake some sense into her. At other times, I felt like cuddling her to death. She was charming and clever, but also frustrating as all hell. I think her character suffered the most from the censoring of the original novel. She was a ridiculously unconvincing assassin. A big part of this drama is Wan Mei going on various missions. That arc was both too episodic in nature and brought a lot of inconsistency to the character. Generally, I felt her purpose wasn't written as clearly as the other two leads.
Gong Zi and Chang An: The two tortured princes! Complex and charismatic characters with very different understanding of what love is. They both have a classic wuxia thirst for revenge/hidden identity storyline in the background. I felt Chang An's story was underdeveloped. But it was pretty obvious they didn't have the budget.
Personally, I liked him best in their early scenes with Wan Mei. Qu Chuxiao infused the character with such a magnetic charisma I couldn't take my eyes off him.
If Chang An was irresistible, then Gong Zi was just striking! Wang Duo's stylish, melancholic portrayal of Gong Zi brought such a unique, unearthly feel to this series. One of the most memorable characters in the whole dramaland for me.
Now, on to negatives
Well, this is a medium-budget web drama from 2018. The CGI is better not mentioned:)
For wuxia, the fight scenes are nothing to speak of. The final battle between our heroine and the evil queen was extremely underwhelming. Li Yitong is a wonderful dancer. But a fighter? Not so much.
As I said earlier, the plot in the middle is meandering and episodic. I put it on hold for a few months because the story seemed to be going nowhere. Also, the whole Wan Mei being an unwilling assassin part is far too sentimental for my taste. It lacks any real sense of danger or thrill.
Even though the music is quite beautiful, I felt it was overused and oft-repeated. Seriously, I challenge anyone not to know the lyrics to the theme song by heart after 30 episodes.
Not enough attention to detail. For example, I got confused about who knew of Gong Zi's cured blindness at which stage. The actor seemed to randomly alternate between the two looks.
Can’t remember any more. Go watch the drama. Enjoy the magical spectacle, Wan Mei’s awesomeness, Chang An’s devotion and Gong Zi’s wily ways.
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Just too short...
Aya, this left me with such mixed feelings! There was a whole lot I liked about this tale of a man going to Yunnan to try and find himself and of course finding love:) The visual mood and beautiful scenery of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain massif for one. But then, you can't really have both internal and external conflicts with such a short runtime and resolve everything in a satisfying way ...or not make the plot feel a bit contrived.I wish Qingyu and A-ren were given a chance to decide on their own what they wanted to do with their lives, before outside forces interfered. There's enough tension in a love story between a man trying to find his own path in the sudden absence of his father's strict guidance - dealing with both the unlimited freedom and emptiness that followed, and a man who has a responsibility to a tight-knit community he grew up in. The film never made it as far as choosing between tradition and love. It was more like one blockhead with prejudices against outsiders, finally found a convenient excuse to go after the person he'd been gunning for from the start.
From what I've read, this movie references an old legend of the Naxi people about Jade Dragon 'disanguo' - the guardian spirit of people in love. According to the legend, couples whose love clashed with traditional social ethics, and who found it impossible to face reality, could choose to sacrifice their lives to gain access to another living space - an ideal/dream country. Leaving aside cultural implications, this was just too short to convincingly set up such a dramatic finale. Fortunately, the ending is quite ambiguous and really depends on your own interpretation of events and the titular third country.
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The guy may try to be good, but the people who cross his path have the worst luck.
I wish more people watched this because there is so much to discuss and joke about in this drama:) The story centers around a security guard at a thermos factory who gets it in his head that if he commits meritorious service he'll be able to score a job with PSB. He's both stubborn and determined but most unluckily creates havoc wherever he goes. He also sets up a lot of events in motion that unfold over the course of the series to often tragic results. I should mention here that the comedy genre is definitely the black and deadly - not the feelgood type.Other key characters in the story are Hu Ting - Old Shang's nephew, policeman and husband of Lv Ling. Their marriage problems are one of the multiple story threads.
Then we have Shang Jin - Shang's somewhat estranged daughter and the youngest doctor in a county hospital, who tries to investigate mysterious symptoms on patients rumoured to have visited Laoyao Mountain. It's a mysterious place featuring in a lot of town legends that is home to either ghosts, aliens or Japanese gold depending on whom you ask.
There's also Xueqin - a dumplings shop owner, who often acts as a sounding board for Shang's crazy ideas and has a brother who's walking trouble. Not sure why she's listed as a main character. Her storyline and acting are both on the weaker side.
Finally, in the background we have two local "crime lords" battling it out and an out-of-town criminal gang 'tiger brothers' who are one of the most unfortunate to have ever crossed paths with the good guy.
Stylewise the series is a mix of black comedy, crime thriller and life/family drama. There's off and on screen violence and some genuinely tragic moments. A lot of the humour is a miss for me but overall it's engaging fun.
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