Elfy
Ireland
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Thank You Cheng Yi.
*edit*Rewatch Value Rating has changed from a 1 to a 7
I am now such a kiwi that not only did Cheng Yi get me to watch this show for him, I have now found myself rewatching it because of him as I understand that a lot of his characters are tragic with sad endings, whereas this one is a satisfying conclusion. People are more than their face. This was his breakthrough role and I can see why 💕
***
I was told that Cheng Yi is still alive at the end of the series so I made it to the end alive with him but feeling just as comatose.
I am starting to pick up on cues in the first few episodes that tell me whether or not I'm going to like a show. This is one of those shows. I initially dropped this at episode 3 but Mysterious Lotus Casebook is defeating every other C-drama as my favourite C-drama right now and I'm a little in love with Cheng Yi and I wanted more of him so I picked it up again just for him. I was honestly not interested in any one else. I was skipping the sister (I found her very annoying) and 6th senior scenes loads of times before I was interested in them. I skipped a lot of side stories. It was around episode 21 when Cheng Yi starts getting tortured was when I finally stopped skipping and paying attention.
The FL not having her 6th senses didn't make a lot of sense to me because she could still see and hear and smell etc so she technically still had them but a minor thing I could overlook. The one thing I had a big problem with was the cheesey battle moments. I found this very cringey at times when Xuangi would unleash her powers and you would get this Power rangers style level up. I would burst out laughing when I was supposed to be cheering her on. She starts off as the typical FL in too many asian dramas. Naive, childish and a little stupid passed off as innocent. Listen, I get that she doesn't have her senses and doesnt feel the same way as others but she falls face first into Cheng Yi's lap while he's sitting in a bath and just continues like, oh, wait, I dropped something and just smiles happily while she gropes around the tub, and my sweet boy is just sitting there, cupping his manhood, speechless. I mean, I laughed but really? That's not innocence, that's just dense.
This pretty much continues until she realises that she's the reincarnated God of War. After that, we lose the naivety, and we get a deeply manipulated and emotional FL instead. Again. This is where Cheng Yi saved me because I would give up with this kind of character and would make jokes about taking a shot every time you hear 'Si Feng'.
But Cheng Yi. I like his work. I like his face. I like his voice. He calms me and I was able to find my grounded centre every time he appeared. He did the best with the character he had been given. He does seem a little bit more stiff in this series but that may be how he's was told to play the character, who's whole purpose is to get beaten and abused through out most of the series. His whole purpose is to love and redeem and the FL which can feel a little flat after a while. But again, my bias saved me here. If it had been anyone else or if I didn't know Cheng Yi, I'd have dropped this series really quickly.
Another notable mention is Liu Xue Yi. This is the 3rd series I've seen with him and he's creeping up beside Cheng Yi in my favouritism. If I didn't know this actor, I would have been wanting to rip his eyes out but I actually enjoyed watching him play an incredibly hateable villain, which makes it easier when you are faced with a character like Hao. He's the worst kind of villain because he's obsessed with his own self righteousness and he's a little psychotic, that I honestly found it a little strange at the end that everyone felt sorry for him while he just faded into dust to be reborn as a mortal, WHILE MY BOY is lying fricking bleeding and dead for the 100th time.
The Jade Emperor is probably the most useless, all powerful character I think I've ever seen.
By episode 40, I was back to skipping again. It lost it's momentum for me and as per trend, the last stretch of episodes just went off the wall crazy that I was rolling my eyes at just how ridiculous and off the wall the plot got. It wasn't enough for Xaungi to be the God of War, she's the Devil Star as well. And was a man. So I can imagine a lot of people just being like huh? by the time they get to those episodes. The ending was also ridiculous but at least it was a happy conclusion. Cheng Yi was Momma while Xuangi ran around drinking and enjoying her mortal life, seeming to have reverted back to her old clueless self. AKA. Si Feng continues to get walked over but this time it's in the name of having fun.
I really loved the characters Teng She and Liu. If I had seen more of them earlier on in the series, I'd paid attention quicker. They were great to watch.
An unexpected big hit of this show is the soundtrack. I am absolute Si Feng in love with the song Love like Coloured Glass. It was ep 28, with a scene on the bridge when I suddenly clicked on the song. If it played before I hadn't noticed but that's what happens when you're not fully invested in a show. You miss things. I immediately stopped the video to look up that song and it's been played ever since.
So again, thank you Cheng Yi. I enjoyed watching you and I got introduced me to a new favourite song.
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Love Better Than Immortality
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Tries to be deep but fails
This is my 3rd series with Li Hong Yi where I feel like he's played the same character. I definitely feel like he's been type casted now as this silent and brooding mystery guy, and if it's a romance, he'll utterly adore you type of character. Whether this is a deliberate play on his good looks or he just likes these characters, who knows, but I hope he gets a different kind of character next time. I feel it's a shame as a viewer to see an actor just play the same character over and over, just in a different story so I can't imagine how frustrated the actor must feel at not being allowed to stretch their wings and see what they can do in their craft.This story starts of on a very unusual note and then it just kind of forgets about it. We start off in the future with our FL telling 'the system' what she wants in her partner, then getting into the machine and waking up in her new reality as a girl with amnesia and in the middle of a crime scene. Since we never go back to this future life, there's no mention of her life there, family friends, there's nothing, so I can't help but feel like it was a little unnecessary. I understand it's the opening to the show and the reason why this girl is dropped into a mid-plot story, but I feel like there could of been other ways of conveying that without giving you visuals of a future reality and then dropping you back into ancient China because I then spent the rest of the series thinking all the other characters were other people within the system and everyone was just hooked up to a machine like a sleep project. It was very disjointing for me but that may just be me.
FL is in this reality because she gave up her immortality to find her idealistic version of true love, hence the title but funny enough, the whole basis of the plot is a supposed 'fruit of immortality' that we spend the whole series watching all the righteous sect leaders massacre each other in search of.
In the midst of this we have our FL, and 2 ML. I opened this review stating that I hope Li Hong Yi gets a different character next time but in this show, I feel like he carried most of the weight here. If it wasn't for his character, I would rate this show more around a 5 or 6. But I've given it an 8 simply because I love anti heroes like the one he plays and he kept me watching.
Qui Yue is scheming, suave, very powerful and a little unpredictable. I really hated his main wig. They have it brushed back and tight to his head which kind of gave him a slimy, creepy vibe. I much preferred it parted in the middle that we see for a while later on. He also was very bent over in this series as well. I don't know if is bad posture for Li Hong Yi because this was 2019 but it was giving Severus Snape LOL Hard to see Li Hong Yi's beauty kind of spoiled a little by bad styling.
From the get go, we know that Qui's wants our FL, badly, and apparently has already had a love affair with the owner of her body. This, much to my disappointment was never really explored and really wish they had, to give some sort of weight to the drama that Hua wakes up in. But it was left open and just kind of brushed away, only brought up when it was convenient. He's clearly seen her body but it's later, with one sentence, Qui says that she took her clothes off in front of him. She liked him but he didn't like her but from the start was clearly a little obsessed. That was very confusing for me which is why I wish the 'affair' had been explored more because it was almost like baiting you with complicated entanglements and then the writers chickened out and focused on everyone killing each other instead. Qui's character is the reason I finished this series because he's my favourite kind of character and I kept waiting to get more about his background and the complications that have made him the way he is, but I only got crumbs. So as much as I loved the character, I really hate the writers for not giving me what I wanted.
Our other ML is Xiao Bai and he's your typical lawful good character. He was another character that the writers tried to be deep with and then they just kind of give up. Once we get to the what I call 'breaking the ego' scene that you get with very stoic characters, he becomes possessed randomly and then once the star item is returned, he goes back to normal. Once again, a plot device that just kind of falls away. The writers were trying to do something here and it never works out. Why did that happen? Was he being poisoned or was this a type of curse from the ice star thing? I was a little confused because they never really explained it.
I did feel kind of sorry for XB though because he was guarded from the start against Hua, who just throws herself at him and between his friends, eventually develops feelings and then is left to look like the villain because he stuck to his values when his values have always been apparent. At least to me, this not a choose his lover type of man. He's the son of the head of chief of all the clans, he's going to pick his responsibilities first and expecting anything else is a kind of unfair.
Poor CaiCai gets cast aside as a love rival but quickly shows herself to be very compassionate and emotional mature, in comparison to Hua, and I'm disappointed that there was no real ending for her. We got baited again that perhaps XB would recognise her feelings but it's made out that it's because he's possessed, he's rebounding and she's just kind left at the end with no real closure on anything. I wish there had been some sort of understanding between them in the end rather than just leaving her with the knowledge that her father was a crook. We don't know what happens to her after that and for such a supportive character, who doesn't act vindictively towards the FL, which is highly unusual for c-drama romances, I'm kind of angry on her behalf that she wasn't given a conclusion.
Our secondary couple are a sweet breath of air amidst all this confusion. They are sweet and funny and for me personally, both give off a little BI vibes and perfectly OK with that LOL And we get a brief conclusion for them thanks to the chopping editing, which becomes increasingly more choppy half way through. It's very apparent at times, that a lot of scenes are being cut to fit into the time frame. Which is sad from a story telling pov. The audience is not meant to see that. It breaks the flow of the narrative.
The music and sets are pretty regular for these types of shows and honestly, my favourite set was the flower field.
As the styling, OH. MY. GOSH, was it a failure like I have never seen before.
I could see the wig lining to every single male character's forehead, just caked with makeup. And at times, Li Hong Yi's eye make up looked smeared. I don't know what happened there but what on earth was hair and make up doing?
Li Hong Yi is a gorgeous young man to look at and I've never been so distracted from a beautiful face, with cakey flour make up, smeared and sometimes uneven eye liner with a wig line in full view. It would seem all the men had the same problem yet the women looked nearly flawless. I don't understand what happened there.
As for the ending, I'm satisfied with it. It was an emotionally mature approach to the series of events and I guess for our FL who starts off like a love-struck pre teen with a very idealistic expectation of love and romance and ends much humbler and confident in her choices.
Overall, my full rating should be a 6 but I'm giving it an 8 simply because I also include how I feel watching a show as well as the logical breakdowns. And I was pretty invested and at point, did feel emotional. If I wasn't so interested in Qui's character, and for that one scene that had me misty eyed, this absolutely deserves a lower rating. I probably won't be watching it again but I enjoyed it for what it was.
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Accidental Hilarious Fluff
After a long deep dive into more serious 40+ ep c-dramas, I honestly think I enjoyed this more than I would have because it reminded of the kind of manga's I enjoyed as a teenager and it was only 22 episodes.Plot - The overall story is of a Ginseng fairy who keeps finding herself believing in the wrong men while her 'true love' is standing on the outskirts protecting her in secret. We go back and forth, back and forth uncovering the mystery of the past for the first half of the series before moving forward towards a conclusion.
I personally, don't like this method of story telling. I prefer one long flashback and then move on, whereas this one flashes back a few times. That can be a bit disjointing for me as a viewer but I kept watching because, and here's the kicker, I found the whole concept accidentally hilarious. The whole idea of dying and resurrecting without your memories to find a few men who are full blown yandere for you kind of funny. I shouldn't have and I'm pretty sure that wasn't the idea but I'm me, and I did.
Another aspect of the plot is the yearning. There is a fine line for me between unnecessary angst and understandable silent yearning, and I feel like that's really up to the viewer to decide which side they're on. For me, I understood Bai Lu's silence this time. It made sense to me and it was pitiful so for me, it's a silent yearning. I didn't feel stressed or annoyed with characters while watching. The bad guys did bad guy things, and the good guys did good guy things.
As for the ending, if it had been 40 episodes, that last little dilemma would have been a whole new arc LOL The big problem is quickly solved and it's Happy ever after manga ending. I would have liked to have seen Bai Lu's promise to Xi but maybe it has to be skipped now? I wonder how this reality deals with that final reveal which is not really a final reveal. If anything it just cemented that shoujo ending that the clueless, innocent lead had to be told LOL
Characters - The FL might be a character who could easily annoy you though. I viewed her almost like a perpetual 15 year old. Flighty, impulsive and in love with life. The only character she actually falls in love with is our ML. The other characters she's just trying to be a good person to in accordance with her beliefs. However, I didnt feel like she was childish. Just free spirited. She had her own morals and held to them in however she was treated.
Our ML is the glorious Li Hong Yi. I stated in my Blood of Youth review, I would be happy to look at him all day and I didn't lie. That man is Fine. He held a similar vibe as his character in Blood of Youth though. I don't know enough about him or have watched enough shows to say if he feels a little type casted but it kind of suited his character Bai Lu. Just brooding in the background added to his 'tortured prince' sort of character. If that's a character he gets a lot of or is something his good looks plays on, I felt it in this one.
As for the side couple, I'm not normally interested in the side couples because they often feel forced but because this one developed off screen, by the time we get back to them, they're just being cute, so I didnt mind them so much.
Music and Set - The music and set were nothing to stand out to me. I feel like we were outside a lot for this one, but I did love the set pieces for the Valley, Bai Lu's house. It looked very spacious and zen. I think it was the high ceilings. So far, a lot of chinese interior for these types of show tend to be more horizontal and low. Whereas Bai Lu's house seemed to have a lot of open space and breathing room. It looked like something I would live in, here in Europe, only with chinese furniture and decor.
Overall, I think it's one of those shows you'll either enjoy the cuteness or will just feel annoyed. I might be a little biased with this one because it really did feel like a fluffy, romantic pining for you forever kind of story that I used to love as a kid. I didn't feel like there was unnecessary drama which these kind of shows often use. There were a few guys after our FL but it's pretty clear she has no romantic interest, and she stands her ground when she does make up her mind, and the other female character is friendly without any jealous plotting. She's pretty supportive of our FL. There was nothing that created an annoying love triangle arc. Just the usual randomly obsessive characters you get with this sort type of FL character.
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Hint - It's only an hour & 20 minutes LOL
Do you know those really random and bizarre dreams you have after a late night curry that has you waking up at 3am in a haze wondering what happened? That's what this movie feels like.It goes off with a bang. No warning. No introduction. No reasoning. Just bam. Demon wife. Random General clearly in love and fought for her hand but she hates him and wants the prince. Cue the shortest quest for a cure I've ever seen ending in an anti climatic big reveal that's not really reveal if you any kind of foresight. And then it just kind of ends.
I guess it's meant to follow one of those folklore style stories that always seems to have a randomly depressing ending but hey, it was Friday night and I wasn't doing anything LOL But hey, it made me laugh so sure. 10/10 LOL
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Don't think about it
The whole premise of this is pretty goofy in a comic book way but I like that. I watched this show a few times last year before netflix took it down.The first several episodes were pretty entertaining in a fun sort of way then it tried to get into the bigger part of the plot and it floundered a bit. I was a little disappointed in the ML's back story because it was set up to be a bit more exciting. He was too brutal of a fighter to be what he was. I was expecting something more political, even underground, which is what the plot tried to do eventually, and I kind of wish it was but that's when I learn that this is a 'don't think about it' kind of show because that's how it ends. It has a pretty ridiculous ending, a complete ending for the actual plot used but one that left me feeling a little, meh, you could have done more with that. It was also left open a little in the case of a season 2 and trying to force a romance between the leads.
I did not care for the brother's scenes. I skipped him. His pitches were meant to be seen as humour filling in the gaps but it didn't appeal to me.
As for the villains, one seems sort of legitimate and the other was melodrama. Both at least had a part to play in the ML's past so there's that.
The side characters were the usual random, cartoonish side characters I'm used to by now so they are what they are. I don't really have much of an opinion on them.
The other ML was also just sad to watch honestly and the FL was the usual ditzy but will get the job done sort of lead.
I remember only rewatching the first half of the show for fun because I just enjoyed the idea of a zombie trying to exist in the real world without getting caught. I was more entertained by the lead up to the actual plot than the actual plot.
I also really enjoyed the visuals. The opening scene with the yellow and red looked awesome, with the Moonlight sonata playing, and I wish they had kept that gritty, comic look through out to go with the mad scientist but they eventually drop it as they try to get more emotional.
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For the Fans
I went in knowing this was going to be more for fans of the show but I was about 45 minutes in when I realised that this whole film, 1hr 20 mins, is going to take place in a tomb LOL Damn, I was so excited hearing the Untamed theme song play as they marched off on their horses LOL.Consider this film being more like 2 cut episodes of the Untamed rather than a stand alone movie. It pretty much just gives a little bit more insight into why Huasung does what he does in the Untamed series. I imagine most people get the point anyway but this just gives a little extra information, with a ton of computer game cgi. The brothers were close and the elder brother wasn't such a tough guy, he genuinely cared about people, which is why he kept sparing Yao. And we all know that Hua trusted Yao, so the hurt runs deep.
Alas, again, I was robbed of the Ghosts. The film opened with some promises of giving me what I didn't get in the Untamed and then just resorted to this cgi fight.
Since it's depicted as an extra episode, I would have loved to have had it end with some sort of throw back to the original series like Hua meeting Mo or lingering outside the Mo Manor while the sacrifice ritual begins, or even how he came up with his revenge plot to start with, but it just sort of ends with Hua realising he was tricked by Yao. Revisiting the sets might have been difficult but I would have liked something like that.
Overall, it's really just something for the fans to enjoy esp with they loved the Nie brothers.
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True to the Hype
Untamed and it's corresponding animes were all over the internet in 2019 and I deliberately ignored it. I don't usually trust anything with that much hype because it's usually fans of the actors just getting really excited. I've also never watched a wuxia before and wasn't sure what to expect.Having said that, I got bored one day and decided to watch it. I was pleasantly surprised.
Plot Pacing - Possibly one of the best ways to open a series I think I've ever seen. I was instantly hooked. The pacing for the first 30 episodes is perfect as we find out what actually happened to get the starting scene, which from a visual story telling pov, I really loved that. When we get back to the current time line, it does however slow and takes on a shorter chapter pacing to reach the end. The big finale fight is more of a reveal than a fight. These last 20 episodes are the reason I marked this down a little. After the onslaught that is the first 30 eps, I honestly got a little bored from 34 - 42. There were also a few things I feel weren't explained very well or were just left out entirely. It never mentions what exactly the true plot was and what was being searched for.
Ending - Surprisingly didn't mind the ending as much as I'm pretty tolerable of open ended endings especially since this is a BL in China. I summarized that it was Wei Wuxian who returned to Lan Zahn. Lan did enough running after him and also feel he's too noble and loyal to run off into the sunset. His 'ice' melted and gushed like the waterfall behind him in those last scenes. He had gotten the resolution he wanted, and his emotions were set free. I like to think even physically, he got to love his lover finally, and knew his love was returned, and so was contented to allow Wuxian to go be himself while he sorts the mess out. The conversation that happens at the mid way point to me is almost like 'the after glow' conversation where both know they are parting ways for a while, represented by the parting of the water.
I also clocked that each of the clans is represented by an element, with the Lan clan being air and the Jiang clan being water, however the guys represent each other's element. Lan Zahn is water, or in his case, ice, trapped emotion, whereas Wuxian is like air, and he's tied down with rules, so the ending scene taking place at the top of the Cloud Recess's waterfall, where air and water meet is very poetic to me. The emotions now run free and the wind has willingly come home.
When I came to that conclusion, I find myself really loving the ending.
Visually, absolutely stunning. I have never watched a chinese fantasy before but I've always been aware that a lot of effort goes into the set and costuming and I wasn't disappointed. It is a beautiful visually. The make up department for the enemies did well, however I did find the lava people a little corny. That whole set up felt a bit like power rangers. I do wish they had used more ghosts as that one ghost scene was awesome and I really loved her entrance.
There is some homo-erotic imagery in the last episodes to slip through the censors that can also be read as a physical relationship 'behind the scenes' of the characters or can just be left as they are. I honestly kind of liked that. I feel like chemistry between the actors is a very a subjective thing and I didn't feel like there was a lot of 'heat' between the leads but there was definitely a deep bond feeling between them which, like the ending, allows the viewer to create their own opinion about what's happening without the censors.
I do wish Wei Wuxian had been a little bit more vengeful though, I cant lie. There were times when he could have legitimately been more brutal and it would have been justified as a viewer, but, at least for the show, his 'big bad, evil dark lord' turned out to be all rumour which did leave feeling a little cheated. Another reason I've marked this down. I do genuinely wish they had gone deeper into the plot morality of what is right and wrong. The scene opens with this broken man being painted as an absolute monster and I was genuinely expecting a brutal anti-hero character and it turned out to just be people talking crap. I was a little disappointed with that.
Overall, still did really enjoy it and is definitely on my rewatch list.
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Cute
A pretty cute BL I binge watched one Sunday.It's pretty standard material but I like that the show started with the start of the relationship rather than the progression, so it was more about about trying to navigate how to be with each other, as opposed to wanting to be with each other.
The drama was up and down, every other episode but I've come to expect that so it doesn't take a lot of thinking, just let it unravel and it's sorted out by the next episode.
I did appreciate the attempts at communicating each other's desires for one another, allowing a natural progression of sexuality within the relationship rather than just jumping each other's bones immediately.
I did find Fiat slightly annoying as a character, a babyish kind of character, pouting and seemingly unable to do regular activities because he's so rich and never had to, or because Leo indulges him. This dynamic is a matter of preference, not really my thing but I can see how indulging in a rich guy pampering your every whim is a bit of desire for many people and can be enjoyed as such.
Both actors are fairly easy on the eyes and seem to work well with each other. Fiat has very beautiful eyes and Leo makes me think he would do well in as a prince in a costume drama. The chemistry between them seemed pretty good and not too forced.
The plot was predictable with the usual melodrama for me but I admittedly enjoyed Fiat's sass to every 3rd party attempt at his man. I do like a bit of sass and it did make me smirk slightly.
Fiat's mother was a strange case but they handled the delicate scenes with child Fiat well. I did feel more for the character after that and makes his own behaviour slightly more understandable.
I would have liked to have seen more of the lesbian friends because they seemed like an adorable couple but as with most friends in BL's they were left to the side to explain the obvious to the viewers.
I also would have loved to have seen more of a punishment for one curly haired character at the end. What he did to Fiat was not ok and there was only a hint of justice at the end. I would have liked to have seen the police cart this slimeball off in handcuffs because that's what he truly deserved.
Visually, they couldn't get enough of the 'really wealthy family' backgrounds. I think we seen a few different mansions in this series and the rest of the time is around the university. The emotional scenes were little overdone and at times somewhat cheesy but sweet nonetheless.
I really didnt care for the sub couple, even skipping them at times but again, that's a matter of preference and I did find them a little awkward with each other. As characters, they didn't seem to fit too well together either and it did seem like a very random, why are you together? kind of couple.
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Hei Yue Guang Wen Na BE Ju Ben
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Wibbly wobbly timey wimey plus Karma and a Marvel amount of CGI
I initially dropped this at episode 2 after reading the reviews. I felt like this was going be a 'bully him until he snaps and then we'll congratulate ourselves on being right' sort of thing but reconsidered and started watching again. At episode 20, I've dropped it for good.I think it's best to decide for yourself if you like something or not and if you, like me, decide that it's not your sort of thing, it wasn't time wasted. You tried something new and made a decision on it. That's just life.
This whole plot really could have been something. It's main focus was on karma. Every action, every laugh and tear caused, will come back to you. There are 4 timelines to this story. The original that we open with, the 'past life', the 'ancient past life' and the altered timeline.
When reading the reviews, it would seem a lot of people didn't like the first time line of the Ancient past life arc, which we see second, between eps11. and 18.
Going back to what I just typed about trying things out for yourself, this was my favourite part of the 20 eps I watch LOL I wish that had been a series by it's self, I loved that concept and I actually really loved the set and designs. It felt like a fantasy fever dream and the drama kid in me is ok with that. It's also the basis of the entire plot. The whole story starts with what happens in this arc so it was meant to be there. It's the foundations of everyone else's karma. The past is paid for and the future is written with every choice we make, even if we're think we're doing a good thing.
Unfortunately when we came back, I could already sense that the writing would start to dissolve. When I start to feel that way, I watch the last episode and decide if it's worth it and have ultimately decided that it's not.
I probably would loved this kind of show as a teenager but I'm now well into my adulthood and this sort just doesn't entertain me anymore.
So I join the ranks of the more critical reviews where I feel like, there was a masterpiece in here somewhere, the general idea, the costumes, the superhero movie cgi fight scenes, but the execution was dissolving into something quite childish and some sort of lack of understanding of how to properly communicate with people. Emotional maturity will teach you that nothing ever good comes from lie. There is no such thing as a good lie. When I got to the 'he keeps his distance because he likes you, lets seduce him' story line in 19, I can feel the annoyance coming in the following episodes as though I was going to start schooling my teenage nieces. When I skipped to the end, I can see that that attitude doesn't change and when you are world weary, regardless of age, that isn't entertaining.
It's definitely has it's audience as with everything but I feel like I've long outgrown this kind of show.
Leaving on a brighter note, I actually really enjoyed the music in this one. I'm in shock. I genuinely loved the background sad music that was happening. There's a genuine ache to the pieces I was hearing along with just enjoying the emotion in the instrumentals. So silver lining perhaps? To my surprise I found some chinese songs to add my playlist. So you see?
Nothing is ever futile.
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The bone structure thing bugged me LOL
Rated 🧚♀️This started off not bad and I was genuinely enjoying it (and the accidental asmr in episode 2) but once the two characters got together, I kind of lost interest. There was also a disturbing scene that happens in a school that actually shocked me, that the chinese censorships let this through. I think that was my breaking point. I had decided to give it a rest for a while but after some time, I've just genuinely lost interest in the show.
Plot - The face swap thing kind of seemed a bit silly to me. A soul swap would have made more sense. We have a guy who can train bugs and the face swapping seems to have been done by witch doctors/dark arts practitioners anyway, so why not? Just peeling off someone's face isn't going to change bone structure or the body. If it was just her face, she would still have her body but the FL talks as though she is in another body entirely. (Or maybe it was just my subtitles.) So my brain kind of winced at that logic but I went with it. I did however, really love the slight chase between the FL and the ML because that is a perfectly understandable drama there. He thinks the FL, with her new face, killed the love of his life and the FL thinks the ML wanted to kill her.
Once we get through that trial, it becomes more of a build up romance with the leads that you would expect.
I felt like the characters kind of accepted this face swap like they had ran out of milk. It seemed more like an inconvenience than holy snowballs, I have a completely new face and body and along with that a completely new identity and lifestyle. That would really traumatise me and feel like maybe that should have been showcased a little more, esp for the FL. She goes from being a very bullied and hated woman because of her job and scarred face, to being someone who is supposed to be the most beautiful woman around, also from a wealthy family. That's quite a jump that's not really explored fully. For the most part, the FL just mentions that she's stolen the other girls identity and she must be mad for being murdered in her place. Umm, honey, she stole your identity LOL
The side couple was just sad to watch. The side ML was clearly devoted to the FL and suddenly, and the most randomly I've seen so far, the side FL is in love with the side ML and acts jealous. It just comes out of nowhere. It has 'rebound' all over it.
I have read spoilers to the end of the series and if I continued watching, I don't think I would feel sad for the couple. I would feel sadness from a friend perspective.
Acting - The ML is really at good crying. I felt that.
There are complaints about the FL's acting not matching the portrayal of the first actress. I kind of agree to an extent. It does kind of feel like a slight dissonance between them. They tried to use the flower petal plucking as a habit but I feel like they should have used some sort of personal expression to bridge the visual crossover for the audience. Like each girl having a set of habits and expressions that the audience could pick up on, other than good girl and bitch, so when the switch is made, it feels more natural for the viewer to see the character just change faces. Instead, it does feel like there's a personality change as well. The FL as the second actress, although still very intelligent and kind, does seem a lot more outgoing. If this is the character's natural personality, it's not shown very well in the first two episodes.
Music- I remember liking the background tracks to this one, although nothing to add to my playlist.
Rewatch - Since I've decided to drop this, I won't be rewatching.
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The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty
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Game Of Thrones-ing the Past with the Food Network
I prefer to go into show blind as I find it better to reach my own conclusion and/or opinion on a show.I normally like detective style shows but this is one of those ones that I dropped simply because I didn't like the characters.
This show uses some pretty heavy material for it's mysteries which if you are anything like me, will put the anxiety through the roof as your watching. This show was not good for my heart in that aspect. So if you are sensitive to very violent source material, be warned here. When I meet material as dark as this, I need to have something to counteract that kind of information. I need deeply heroic people and compassionate people. I am fully aware this stuff happens in life and the people responsible get to walk. I do not find it entertaining to watch it in a show. I am a viewer who doesn't need step by step reality in my shows.
Having said that, the characters fail me in this. The leads are the only truly likeable people, at the start. Everyone else is a truly an evil person. There are no excuses here. It's a kill or be killed kind of reality. I get it. The past sucked.
Our 3 main leads are a stoic and solemn guy with a violent past, the effeminate baby girl genius guy with a sad past and the hard nosed palace eunuch that you're not sure whether or not to trust, and I couldn't be bothered to find out his past.
I can understand this set up in the beginning but they were still the same by episode 20. I knew nothing more about them other than Stoic guy is kind, everyone hates the eunuch and the effeminate ML is as annoying as all hell.
I don't do tsunderes. I don't find them cute or endearing or even funny. They just annoy me. 20 episodes in and our ML is supposed to be exceptionally intelligent. He is the 'sleuth' in the main title and yet he will pout and stomp is his feet like a baby, rush into a situation on emotion and will straight up tell the Emperor to go away because no one is above the law and I just don't want to. I'm sick, I'm getting married, I'm dead. Seriously? This is our Genuis ML? The Emperor could have you and your friends gutted on the spot. Is a bit of tact too much to ask for from our supposedly competent genius? Am I supposed to cheer this on?
The surrounding characters aren't very fleshed out by episode 20 either. We've got the super genius adopted sister who remains in the background eating sweets until she's useful and two foreign characters that are just kind of there. They fell into the plot randomly and now there's a romance trying to be pushed between foreign girl and the ML.
Also, the food p@rn. I really don't care for. Am I supposed to feel something? Was this to counteract the absolute devastation of the mysteries? It does nothing for me.
First time in my life, I also found the cinematography annoying as well but perhaps that's just the mood I had when watching. Someone really loved getting picture-esque shots between doors and at side angles with lots of props in view. After a while, this started to give me a slight headache as I tilt my head with the camera. Yes, the surroundings are beautiful but every other angle doesnt need to be up and down and side to side.
Overall, I can see the appeal if detective shows are your thing. Not alot of action. It's all sleuth or at least until 20 but it is an exhausting show to watch. From the annoying lead, the camera angles, the dark material and deep web of lies and deceit in the royal court, there was just too much going on for me to be able to enjoy it properly.
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Meh
Rated 👺 - 13/50I was swinging between boredom and wondering if this slightly racist.
Wealthy 'pale' Bangkok writer is tricked into going to a southern island as inspiration for his novel and conveniently doesn't believe in love because of family trauma, but continues to try and convince himself that the islander he's sleeping with is just a sugar baby.
The first 3 episodes reminded me of those tacky holiday romance novels I used to read as a teen and think that's what romance was. Then by ep 4 we switch to a contractual agreement because Rak doesn't believe in love, despite agreeing to stay on the island previously. There's also a lesbian side plot trying to happen but the assistant is just too much of a nerve grating character for me to feel anything for. The whole 'he needs to be tested for std's but I shouldn't be hearing about my boss sex life' may have made me wince like I had stubbed a toe.
Half way through 5 I realised that I don't care about any of the characters and I just wanted to join in on the chat in the BL thread because peeps were talking about whether or not they were going to finish it themselves.
Meh. I'll move on. It's not my kind of plot and none of the characters are appealing.
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The Cop and His Semi Competent Thief?
Rated 🧙 with tea and cookies 🍪🫖At one point as a viewer, do we say, ok, this character is a little too good. Are we too used to leads who can just do everything?
I found myself at times wondering why the FL Rong, who is supposed to be this famous, elite thief, seems pretty average throughout the show. At first I thought, ok, this is just plot device now because that's what creates drama. Then I realised that the ML is very competent at his job and is often one step ahead of the FL. So I considered, hey, maybe she just can't be better than the ML because masculinity and all that. And then I realised, you know what? Perhaps I'm asking too much here. She's not bad. She knows what she's doing. She can fight her way out of situations. Heck the opening scene, she's taking on a several squads of police to escape. And escapes/out runs the ML 3 times. So I wonder am I being a little harsh? Thieves get caught. Ninjas and assassins eventually meet their doom because that's the nature of their job. And when you have 2 separate groups of people, lead by very intelligent and ambitious men, constantly on your tail, you're going to run into some problems.
I think it's one of those things that is really up to the viewer. For me personally, I think it's a little of everything I've mentioned. She has to be good enough for you to believe she's the best, but not too good in order to create problems and tension throughout the plot. This is not meant to be a super intelligent cat and mouse show ( which would have been awesome) but it's not. It's just a fun and fluffy show about a police detective from a ruined family, the ML, at first on the trail of the famous silver willow thief, our FL.
The set up is that our ML's father was accused of embellishment of funds for flood relief, and I assume executed, and the family has since been disgraced. It is mentioned later that the Emperor showed leniency which is why the rest of the family weren't hanging from the walls as well. They were reduced to the status of commoner although have kept their house and a few servants. Our ML is under the constant watch of his career rival who leads the Ministry of Justice, who from start, is ready and willing to have any reason to get him sacked out of sheer spite.
Our FL is a waifish little rogue belonging to a secret sect who's original purpose is never mentioned or I missed it.
The story begins with the ML getting an edict of an engagement to a Lady Su, the daughter of the Duke who over saw his father's trial. Yeaah. He's delighted. He immediately goes to the Duke's house in order to break the engagement only to be led to our FL by some sort of golden bug, who covers for the real Lady Su, hiding in the wardrobe.
As the marriage was ordered by the Emperor and the leads had seen each other, this is what leads to their forced marriage. Our FL is told to steal a jade pendent and once everything had settled, the Duke, who is the secret sect's benefactor, would see to a divorce. And thus the plot begins of unravelling what actually happened to the ML's father and the event that disgraced the family.
Overall, it's really nothing complicated. It's pretty A to B. Trauma and underhanded deeds went down, ruined a family, and is slowly resolved throughout the plot.
We never find out who the FL parents are. We're just told she was orphaned and begging on the streets before being caught in the flood and hauled out our drowning ML.
It's a pretty average but enjoyable drama of resolving a scandal while falling in love. I didn't feel overly tense or waiting to see the FL identity uncovered. It just slowly happens.
One annoyance I will mention was the maid. How embarrassing for two adults who are being pressured into making as many babies as possible only to have a maid walking, merrily, in and out of their room at will. I guess that was the writer's attempt at humour but I just found it annoying and silly.
On the bright side, when the leads eventually kiss, it is an actual lip pulling kiss, or at least for the ML because that's what I seen. So there's that. The FL wasn't too annoying. She was quite passive aggressive at times which, again, I guess was meant to be funny but it just seemed childish because she was forced to marry some random guy who offended her at first sight.
The ML seemed genuinely decent though and I did feel sorry for him at times.
I didn't find the sets or music too stand outish. The sets and clothing were pretty much what you see in these period shows and the music wasn't anything I'd listen to again.
Overall, I found it an enjoyable and short watch, if you're just looking for something cute to fill the time.
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Xianxia and I aren't going to be friends
I promised myself that if I can't make it through to the end, I'm crossing off Xianxia's in the future, unless Cheng Yi is involved. I only made it to the end of L&R through bias alone 😂 It's a genre I feel the culture clash in, really hard, and when you already have a belief system in place and notions of what a 'deity/immortal/God' is, it can be very difficult to watch a very human, politically motivated soap opera happen with divinities as the characters. And that's just the concept standing by it's self.This follows the trend of every Xianxia, I've tried to watch before it. Visually, gorgeous. Everyone is fantastically dolled up in plastic head gear and fabulous costuming and I usually enjoy the lore. This time round there was a lot of emphasis on the elements and how that creates the true form of the Immortal and the elemental power they can wield. That's a fun idea. It also ties back to the title and the 'water and fire dont mix' mantra. Jinme is a frost flower, water, Xu Feng is a Phoenix, fire, and Run yu is a Water dragon. She is engaged to Run yu, water with water, but is supposed to fall in love with Xu Feng. The fire will burn her.
Likewise, her mother also shared a similar fate. She was a Lotus, in love with Jin Me's father, the Water deity, and had a tragic affair with the Heavenly Emperor, who is fire.
The costuming and the lore. That's what I love about the Xianxia genre. It's incredibility creative and I enjoy that. But that's where the love ends. Just like the characters, the Xianxia genre and I are different elements. I don't know which one, but we clash a lot.
This is not a case of 'go watch disney' kind of mentally. Without drama, there wouldn't be a story. That's the point of fiction, to be entertained, to be inspired, to find something within the story to hold dear to your heart as you travel through your own trials in life. But when the drama doesn't make sense or is clashing with your own outlook in life, you're not going to like the story for it has nothing to offer you.
One of my favourite characters, is the anti-hero. I like watching the underdog win. In this story, it's very clear from the start who the underdog is, so I'm going to adopt him very quickly and cheer for him, and that is our second ML, Runyu, played by the very elegant Luo Yun Xi, who I must say, I've only seen him in Till the End of the Moon, which I also dropped, and I've already got a little soft spot for him.
(I really hope he's not getting the Cheng Yi treatment and just forced to play the abused Prince all the time)
So when the plot eventually arrives around episode 8, I know that things are going to get really messy.
Our FL is our standard, so innocent but is really just the usual village idiot that these genres seem to like having. Massive LOL to her guardians, who are told she is to have a love trial and protect her from pain and they basically bubble wrap her so she has no emotional intelligence to protect her from foretold pain. The seal is meant to stop her from feeling romantic love not stop her from using her brain. She clearly has one, as she's bargaining for spiritual energy to help her friend, who sacrificed herself to save her. Understandable. She's not unfeeling, just blinded to romantic love. And she has to stay in the flower realm for 10 thousand years so that she doesn't experience her love trial. So of course that's not happening.
As the plot unravels, we see that Jinme is going to have a similar situation to her mother, only this time, has not one clue how to navigate it because she's been emotionally and spiritually suppressed by magically seals and her Guardians. Ahh, yes, the Immortal's Wisdom at play here.....huh?
Our ML is our typical self righteous, golden child who is pretty aloof at first but somehow falls in love with Jin me like he's never seen another woman before. Was it her talking about putting on weight on her chest? The feeding you kiss? Trying to eat his testicles when they first met? Was he seduced as opposed to love? A lot of sexual build up with these two, but no emotional. We as the viewer know that he's feeling something very intense. Jin me is completely oblivious but I was going with it. Let it unravel.
Back to Runyu, it is shown that he is also feeling something but the big thing for me here is that he's distant despite his affection. And it's a gentle affection, like a crush almost but he has an emotional wall up because he's engaged. I understand by ep 19 that he's clearly been neglected and abused and the Heavenly Empress is trying to find a reason to execute him because he's a threat to the throne. And I'm guessing 'her' throne, not the ML.
Why are we using the word 'deity' for a very, very human situation? I clash with this narrative.
My interpretation here is that, this promise of a wife, has been what he's held onto and has been embarrassed repeatedly that this promised wife wasn't even born yet. So when he discovers that it's the girl he's been crushing on, he is naturally over the moon that he finally won't be alone. It was a cold move the way he made sure to secure that promise but I understood it. That's not drama for dramas sake. That was a clever move. I applauded. Not even a few episodes later, in comes the ML with his manipulation because he's 'in love' and it's meant to be justified.
I know where this is going and the other low rated reviews just confirm it.
I'm going to be on Run yu's side no matter how far he falls later because I understand him. When he finally breaks, it will be him I will be crying for and not the so called 'good guys' who pushed him to that point. And this is where I realise that me and Xianxia aren't going to be friends, because here we are again. The relationship between the audience and the characters is what creates the support for a show and the emotional drive of the audience. I can't support an eternally dense FL who is that way because it's supposed to be cute and it drives the narrative. Or a ML who so far, is just determined to get what he wants. I have no other reason to feel empathic for him. I haven't been shown any, other than he's randomly obsessed with the FL for some reason. Much like his father.
Nor an Uncle who is also determined to get the ML the girl he wants. While ignoring the feelings of his other nephew simply because he said so. That's also very painful favouritism to the golden child that everyone loves. To hell with Run yu right?
I'm going to cheer for the character trying to keep his or her head above the water and for some reason, in Xianxia's that's always the so called 'Villain'. I've danced this dance before, I can already sense how the writing is going to go and I know I'm going to hate it because that's not what I'm looking for in a story.
I don't even want to say this is for a 'younger audience' even though it's a knee jerk reaction to do so because it 'feels' immature, and that's not fair to the younger generation. Life makes the person regardless of age.
The narrative is to support the main couple but all I see is sexual tension and that's not love.
I see the potential for an emotional bond with Run yu because that's where my emotional connection is. I don't care about the leads because I have no reason to and at episode 20, that's a bad sign. To know that the writing is just going to make a villain out of him, then I'm going to be a villain too and hate everyone with him, and be left disappointed with him.
Jin me's father, mother and the Wind deity is what you are looking for. That is real love, loyalty and friendship. Unless it changes later lol
Damn, this is long 😂
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I'm actually about to cry.
We all have emotional boundaries when we're watching shows and this one crossed mine.I was LOVING this. It was sitting at a solid 8.5 rating. I was sitting thinking I had found another favourite for my list. A FL I could support. Humour that landed on me. A plot I was invested in. Gone in a 30 second scene.
My no.1 rule for writers is when you use violence against animals and children, you do it tastefully.
This 12 rated show can't show us a proper kiss but is perfectly happy to show us a baby getting his eyes gouged out. A BABY, screaming and crying, while a man puts his fingers through his eyes. Telling us is one thing. Actually showing us it, is another.
But heaven forbid you show us an actual proper kiss between two lovers.
No. Just No.
You suck and don't deserve anymore attention.
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