Orchid Blossom
Atlanta, GA
Story: Beware; some of the synopses around the internet are a bit off from what the drama is really about. The plot is developed pretty well (although there are a few holes, here and there). The plot is intricate, and at some points left me 2nd guessing what I would predict would happen (I like that because it means it doesn’t FOLLOW the basic C-Drama line). Anyways, just be prepared for plot twists.
Acting/Cast: I don’t speak Chinese, so I cannot comment on whether I think their speaking is on point. However, I feel most of the acting was genuine and sincere. I cried with some of the characters, and smiled at all the lovey dovey scenes. The kissing on this drama is pretttttty “MEH.” The drama was well cast and everyone seemed to have harmony. I like supporting roles and support love lines. I also liked how badass all the female characters were! Not all of them were weak women that needed “saving.” Even Feng Huang, no martial arts skills, was pretty badass and so strong of a character that Lei Jing Hong got his sh*t together! I also wanted to note that Dilraba and Vin Zhang's acting has gotten so much better than the King's Woman!
Music: Very catchy theme songs and especially the ending theme song. The ending song is sung by Dilraba. It sounds so nice to the ears, I would download it if I could.
Rewatch Value: I’d definitely add this to watch again list. I think it’s a pretty overall great drama. Cinematography is great, the landscape and scenes are beautiful. I liked the courtyards in Liehuo Manor. I.e. Maple had all the maple trees, Plum courtyard had all the plum blossoms, etc.
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I have seen Swords of Legend (2014) featuring Yang Mi & Li Yi Feng - which also had a very mysterious and intriguing plot. This "sequel" is not directly tied in with the previous but continues with having introducing new legendary and powerful swords to us. In SOL2, we are introduced to the Hanguang sword & Zhaoming sword. Hanguang is supposedly an evil sword that's cursed It’s a powerful soul that requires strength as it can decrease the energy of the person that wields it. Zhaoming is a sword that was used during the ancient battle of the gods (see below) but was broken into many pieces after the battle, and never seen again. Zhaoming sword is so powerful it can cut off the “spiritual energy” of a person.
The plot of the story is that during ancient times, during a mythological battle the sky was damaged so God Shen Nong had to slay a giant turtle to help hold up the pillars of heaven. He used the colored stone to help repair the sky. During this battle, an ancient group of human beings "Leishan tribe" assisted in this battle. As their reward, God Shen Nong granted them to live in a floating island above the earth and presented them with a tree that can give them "immortal" abilities - such as longer lives, super strength, etc. in return the Leishan tribe worshiped God Shen Nong. However throughout the years, the barrier around Leishan's tribe starts to deteriorate and the tree starts to die and people start to get sick, but the god is nowhere to be found. A demon, Li Ying, sees this opportunity and sneaks into their city and grants them help. But in turn, must help him spread demonic tree-roots throughout earth. A group of four heroes from earth discovers the truth and help rally up the martial sects to fight against the atrocities caused by Leishan’s tribe and Li Ying.
Yue Wu Yei (Fu Xin Bo) - Is a spoiled brat and Yanjia enthusiast. (Yanjia is like robots/steampunk type of creations). He is actually of royal lineage of the Wolf Clan of Jiandu (they were destroyed by war) and adopted by “the enemy” General Yue. He’s raised in a lavish environment, being given all by his adopted parents (they do love him though). He was rescued by Xie Yi (Yanjia expert) and later becomes his protege and inherits his skills & powers.
Wenren Yu (Ying Er) - Is a warrior from Baicao valley. She left the valley and now “wanted” by her clan. She is on the search for her master, who went missing after discovering Leishan’s tribe's diabolical plan. She ends up falling for Wu Yei.
Xia Yize (Aarif Rahman) - He is part of the royal family of Chang’an. His mom is consort, who happens to be a mermaid so he’s considered half-monster. He doesn’t want the throne and instead wants to practice Taoism cultivation with his master, but is thrust into palace intrigue. He ends up falling in love with “Fairy of Mount Wu” - Ruan.
Ruan (Jiang Coco) - Initially we think she’s “Fairy of Mount Wu” but she has lost her memory, as Xie Yi had locked her in stone for 10 years. She gradually figures out who she is in the end. She is very sweet and naive and gradually falls for Yize.
Important Side Characters we should know.
Xie Yi/Chu Qi - Is a Yanjia mastermind, and priest from Lieshan’s Tribe. He initially doesn’t agree with causing their people to suffer from the foul-air so he creates yanjia creations to try and break the barrier set by God Fuxi, but he inadvertently lets in Li Ying (the demon). He ends up rebelling against the Supreme Priest because he doesn’t think they should save their people by sacrificing earthmen for Li Ying.
Li Ying - scary/smoke demon. He feeds on people’s emotions and fears.
High Priest/Shen Ye - He is the leader of Leishan’s tribe. All he wants it is to solve his people’s dilemma of sickness, and he is willing to sacrifice earth people’s to Li Ying’s plan to ensure that his tribe can survive. He’s like a good anti-hero of this series.
Yu Qi - The sword spirit inside Hanguang. I liked how cool they made the sword spirit is portrayed in here. He randomly comes out to scold Wu Yei but also gives him advice. He later helps the crew by melding together Hanguang and Zhaoming sword.
Overall, this drama isn’t terrible. I thought the plot was intriguing and I was captivated and wanted to see how it ended. I wasn’t in love with the cast, I thought it was meh (but I thought the same for SOL). I just didn’t feel “connected” to our cast. The romance isn’t super cute, but the ending was overall happy for most characters.
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Acting: I thought all the actors did a great job, and the transition and character growthw as great.
Music: I watched on Viki and they subbed the songs. I thought the songs were great and fit each scene beautifully.
Rewatch Value: MEHHHH, If I'm bored and want to see Kenny Lin or Shawn Dou, yea.
The ending as many have wrote about, SUCKS. I did enjoy the build up but the latter part of this drama did not live up to the hype. I was hoping so much for Chu Qiao and Yuwen Yue but nothing came of it, and she ended up figuring out she liked him on the last episode (yikes). I did like the beginning of the series and seeing everyone's relationship and them being playful and funny. I never thought that this series would take such a dark turn. This drama is also one of the MOST violent dramas I've ever seen. The opening scene is literally guys hunting slave girls for fun.
I'd only watch this if you want to check out hotties, since this drama included many of them even the some of the antagonistic characters and side characters.
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good for those quarantine days....
I saw clips of this drama on FB. I thought it was one of those Asian PSA type of commercials, but now it was a whole clip of how Rendong (One of our FL)'s family treats her like shit. No, idea why I chose to look up this drama and keep watching but I was really interested in the ending once I started. Of course, I don't see any spoilers or reviews online for this drama either.Basically, our two female leads are switched at birth. Rendong, is supposed to be born in a rich family and become a doctor is raised in a struggling household where she is the breadwinner by dangerously climbing the hillside/mountain side to gather herbs to sell. Although she had a hard life, she has a optimistic attitude and it makes her likeable to many. Qiangwei is an illegitimate daughter stemming from an affair her bio-mom had with a servant of the Gu family, he ends up switching the babies because of his own hatred. She's spoiled, and has a bad attitude. It's what turns a lot of her close friends/family away from her. This drama follows the two girls and on they deal with and discover their true identities.
Although, the moms in this drama are pretty SHITTY. I did enjoy the fathers in this drama. Rendong's "father" Wang Yao, although at first hates her existence later realizes how filial and a great daughter Rendong is. He does his best to offer her a good life, and even sends her to the city to get better work opportunities - under the guise that he hates her and doesn't want to be around her. But he really does love her as his own. Rendong also acknowledges him as her father. I also though Mr. Chen was also a great father-figure for Rendong too. He always treated her well and took care of her family, despite Mrs. Chen being a greedy MF about Rendong working for them.
Overall, this drama was simple and not overly exciting but enjoyable. I wouldn't watch it again.
The main theme song really gets stuck in your head though.
Although, this drama is set in the republic of china, there is no overly communistic themes in this drama.
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Female Assassins in the Palace
6 mensen vonden deze beoordeling nuttig
It's actually a very good drama, it is intense, filled with mystery, drama, and love triangles (or square). Basically the drama involves a treasure map in which the Qing Royal Family were all fighting for in the beginning, but was later reclaimed by Yun Xiang (Yongzhen's brother) and kept in imperial court. A lot of royal members of the family ended up being persecuted for being involved with the treasure hunt. A lady named Mo Yun (Leader of Assassins), helped Yun Xiang retrieve the map from the other members of the imperial family, but in the end gets betrayed by Yun Xiang. 20 years later, she comes back seeking revenge with the help of a mystery person (later revealed at the end, BIG plot twist). The 2nd generation ends up helping their parents figure out the mystery of the map, and the assassins that are killing officials.
The mystery was amazing. It was pretty easy to guess who the hairpin killers turned out to be (two of them shocked me). But figuring out the ultimate mastermind and the big plot twist at the end was also intense. Kent Tong just has the look of a bad guy!
The love aspect was so cute. Ciadie and Batu, who literally hated each other in the beginning, ended up getting betrothed to each other (due to a childhood promise) and still hated each other, faked their marriage, but later fell in love with each other. Their scenes were cute, and I loved their interactions. Batu of course has MANY suitors including both of Ciadie's sisters, and this causes a lot of strain on Ciadie's relationships w/ her sisters Duan Min and Guo Xin.
** I've read on many forums and on Drama Fever that a lot of people hated Ady's acting because she was whiny, but I didn't think she was whiny or annoying. She is suppose to play a young, spoiled and immature lady.
I'd rewatch again. Steven Jiang rocks in this drama.
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This is a comedy, it's light hearted and very hilarious. You also see growth in compatibility between our two leads Charmaine and Moses (so unlikely to be together at first!). I'd recommend it because it's funny and cheesy. Currently available on Drama Fever 02/01/18
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This was a cute drama, and the ending was satisfactory to me. Plot/Story: The story and plot was interesting. From the beginning we only know that Qu Tan'er tried to commit suicide when her love the 1st prince is married to her sister. From that point, she has amnesia, not realizing it's because there is another "person" (Qu Xiao Tan) sharing her body and when it's their turn to "sleep" they do not have any memory of what the other person has done/said. The plot/story was enough to keep me watching, so that I can find out WHY Xiao Tan suddenly was sent to this world.
Qu Tan'er is a noble lady. She's soft-spoken and very polite, but also intelligent.
Qu Xiao Tan is from the modern world and is a real-estate agent, at times she seems selfish and narcissistic, blunt and loud. She's also quite intelligent, and makes a lot of modern day references especially to movies, "Avatar, Matrix and Avengers."
Acting: I was only familiar with one cast member and that was Xing Zhao Ling, whom played the 8th prince (main male lead). The rest of the cast I was not familiar with. Liang Jie does a great job switching between both Qu Tan'er and Qu Xiao Tan, going from subtle to loud and crass. Xing Zhao Ling also does a great job as playing pretty boy that is arrogant, but sometimes caring. He has a really pretty face. His role was almost like YWY from Princess Agent, which he also starred in along Kenny Lin. Overall, I thought the cast did a great job.
I'd rewatch this drama because it was moved pretty fast, kept on point, had enough "drama" to keep me interested, and it's pretty short.
*I'll post spoilers in my comment below. So please go to the comments and expand if you'd like.
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The New Heaven Sword and the Dragon Sabre
5 mensen vonden deze beoordeling nuttig
*Note: I watched Alec Su's version before this one, my mom told me this was one of the original ones that TVB made, so I ended up watching this one. I just liked the cast better, because I grew up watching these ladies and gentleman in these dramas.
If I had the availability to, I'd rewatch it over and over. I'd also watch it in order from LOCH, ROCH to HSDS. :)
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First off a few things:
* I'm not familiar with the cast, at all
* I've never watched similar dramas, in which there are two male "soulmates"
* I've never seen the anime, manga, or read the books.
I did enjoy this drama though, the plot was so intriguing. I loved the mystery behind the whole series. After the flashback scenes are over, I kind of guessed the villain at the end of this drama. However, we were still trying to figure out the motive. I thought the cast and acting was great. The cast did a great job, the interactions were great. I even liked the interactions with the 2nd generation of cultivators. As mentioned, I never read the novel but our two male leads kept me captivated. WWX was so funny, outgoing, arrogant and cocky, on the other hand LWJ is quiet, reserved and cool. They're like polar opposites, but somehow it works.
Although, I had the sound on mute most of the times (I was trying to watch at 2am while fiancee was sleeping lol), the score was beautiful from the times I had the sound on.
Overall, I really enjoyed the drama. If you're like me and stumbled across this drama, but saw this was "boy love" do not fear. Due to China being super "conservative" there are no intimate scenes between our male leads. If you watch this drama w/o reading about the whole sexuality thing, you would just think there's really strong bromances in this drama. Each group had their little pairings.
I would totally go for a sequel, or even spin-offs with the original cast making appearances.
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Nirvana in Fire 2: The Wind Blows in Chang Lin
4 mensen vonden deze beoordeling nuttig
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WOW! I was one of those that when I first heard of this drama, I was thinking "Oh heck no, I would NEVER watch this." I LOVED Nirvana in Fire 1, it was different from other dramas in terms of schematics and revenge. After I started watching NIF2, I was like WOW!!! It took a while to recall characters from part one, and figure out who is who, but after you do it's a really great drama. The storyline and plot moves well, and doesn't drag. The writers did a really great job with this sequel. Although you do not need to watch the first one (you should anyway lol) to follow this drama, it's nice seeing all the easter eggs and cameos/mentions from NIF1. The thing that makes NIF and NIF2 so captivating is the writing. Usually when I'm watching dramas, I can GUESS what will happen. I could't ALWAYS guess what the outcomes would be. For example, I thought Ting Sheng just had a evil face and would have thought he WOULD take advantage of the emperor(s). But I was sooooo wrong!
Cast: I'm not familiar with any of the actors in this drama (that's why I didn't want to watch it lol), but everyone did a great job. Liu Hao Ran came through shining, his was BLAH in the beginning but he did great in here. I'm surprised. Huang Xiao Ming also was fantastic. The supporting cast also did well, and I really enjoyed watching all the supporting cast as their characters develop.
Overall, great drama. I'd definitely watch this again! Drop some easter eggs in the spoilers if you caught any!
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*SPOILERS (just a warning)*I thought this series was pretty cute. The beginning started of REALLY funny, you can tell it's a comedy (probably an indication from the themesong).
Da Xi is the main character starting off the series. My first impression of her was that she was a horn-dog, since the opening scene was here judging the appearance of other men and deciding what makes a good "husband." Her character is refreshing to see in "costume" dramas because she's not the typical damsel in the distress, she's blunt, funny and knows what she wants.
Ji Man is the other main character, he plays the Emperor of Zhou. There's no real impression of him at first, because right when he emerges they do the switcharoo.
Acting is quite hilarious. Especially is Da Xi is in the emperor's body, the actor Zhang Yi Jie had AWESOME expressions of when he's suppose to be Da Xi, especially squealing "like a girl" when she sees her crush Shao Yong. Our main actress, Bai Lu, also does great acting as a man in a woman's body. When the two switch back to their normal bodies, I was so confused seeing Da Xi being goofy in her girl's body!
Like many comments on here, the drama took a weird twist and ended weird. I thought it was interesting. The plot twist where they reveal the "dream sequence" was confusing and left many questions unanswered. For example, if it were a dream why did members of the palace remember Da Xi, if she was only in his dream? O_o There are also plot holes in regards to the Western Goddess Tribe and who they are, and why they didn't just use their magic in the beginning to whisk away the King's men that were ravaging their lands. Oh whale.
The ending was a definitely interesting, I've watched enough time travel dramas to enjoy it. I thought it was funny at the end how they end up in the future, and even switched bodies in the future (perhaps a part two?). My take on it was that, they (Guardian and Mountain Spirit) sent Da Xi to the future w/ an indentity and erase her memories. In the future she's an artist of a manga and pretty much draws out her love story of Da Xi and Ji Man. Ji Man gets sent there with his memories, and finds Da Xi (who has no recollection of who he is). And theyn their love story starts all over, and their soul switches again at the end of the drama.
To me, I feel like its more of Bai Lu gets reincarnated and maybe she subconciously remembers her previous life and thus came up with the idea for her manga. I didn't think it was as terrible as people were saying. The drama is really short, and cute. I'd watch again if I were bored.
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The cast was likeable even the bad guy. Male protagonist was casted well. The romance in this drama, we should just recategorize this dramas as heartbreaking drama! Dang! But we do have one happy couple (I guess??) at the end.
This is a wuxia drama so expect lots of blood being spit out. Fight scenes are decent. Most newer wuxia dramas do not focus on action scenes these one was good! There was CGI thrown in but it did seem like the actors made an effort.
If you're bored or in a show hole, I'd recommend it. It's not a terrible drama.
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Beyond the Realm of Conscience
3 mensen vonden deze beoordeling nuttig
Charmaine (Sam Ho) and Tavia (Kam Ling) are besties, but as they grow up rivalry to excel in the imperial household (basically they are "maids" that are in charge of creating clothing and jewelry for the Harem), grows between them. Sam Ho is naturally kind and caring. Her mother was once a worker of the imperial household, and was considered one of their top jewelers, however due to a mystery she is executed for creating faulty jewelry. Kam Ling is raised along Sam Ho, but her ethics and moral are slightly different from Sam Ho and doesn't follow the teachings that Sam Ho's mother left behind for the two girls before she dies. Kam Ling eventually schemes her way to being a concubine, but cannot give up the fact that Sam Ho's kindness has "touched" many people including the emperor, so she consistently goes out of her way to "get her."
I thought this drama was done quite well. The costumes are beautiful, as well as the jewelry pieces. I also thought both leading actresses were great. Tavia is such a great evil b*tch! Charmaine can be kind of dull, but I thought she looked great in here. Kevin Cheng adds on the extra eye-candy for this drama ;)
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Wow! Nice follow up to the first part “Cuo Dian Yuan Yang.” I definitely suggest watching the first part, but it’s not necessarily needed. This drama picks up right after the last one. Su Huan Er gets caught in the middle of a human trafficking den (no idea why, but totally her to have these antics). This drama focuses on the two younger brothers Wu Hen and Wu Jie’s love life, and the brothers trying to make their business more successful but they keep getting hindered multiple times throughout the drama, and in the end figures out the true killer of their father and Su Guang Ping (Huan Er’s father). The entire plot/story ends on a happy note. I’m glad that even the “side” bad guy Murong Fu ends up turning into a good guy, and appreciates the girl that is by his side. Everyone gets happy endings at the end. I wish they would do a scene like fast forward to the next year, and they all got babies ^_^. Han Dong (Wu Hen) is great here. I felt his pain when Liang Yu Shi was thought to be dead, and his anger with his family and enemy for killing her. Gosh the torment was painful. He has an ugly cry, but I felt his acting was so on point. Guo Dong Dong (Wu Jie) is also a great actor. His character is very stubborn, yet rash and naïve. He’s very loyal to his love interest Qin Qiu Yu, even though she’s a courtesan (considered lowly back then) but still pushes his limits. I think he’s a cute actor, and did great. Wu Ji (Qi Ji) and Huan Er (Zanilia) are still my favorites. I love how Huan Er is suppose to be the main mistress of the household, but she still gets into a lot of trouble. Even when her long-lost brother comes back and plots again the Shi family, she unknowingly lets him in and he steals the deed for the land. Overall great series, I’d watch this again. P.S. Just like the first season, the kissing scenes in here are AWESOME for kissing scenes in c-dramas, they’re using tons of lip and tongue. Teehee. Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
First Impression (judging from cast/drama cover): I thought the cast would be too old to make this drama interesting. BOY, was I wrong!
Final Impression: I love this drama. I like the acting from our leads. I love the smaller plot lines. I watch a lot of historical dramas, and this one was pretty accurate from my research. I love the themes they introduce into this drama, some we've never seen before especially that dives into the lives of maids and eunuchs. Usually, I like to steer away from those dramas because eunuchs are always depicted as the old, creepy, scary, and manipulative guy (there's one of those in here though). But this one introduces brotherhood, love, loyalty, and friendship between our eunuch friends.
Story: This is based around the lives of famous Eunuch Li Ling Ying (Wayne Lai), and his friends and his relationship w/ Empress Dowager Cixi. They go through many "arcs" in here (I won't spoil it) but it's very accurate to history. As mentioned, I love that they introduce that eunuchs can take wives in here. There are three storylines involving our Eunuch friends that you can't help but to watch and "ship" the eunuchs with their respective lovers.
Acting/Cast: Was superb for all our leads and guests. Although I do not speak Cantonese, I can't judge if their speaking is great, but I really felt the emotion. Michelle Yim is a great Cixi and has such a stern, resting bitch face. I legit HATED her throughout the drama, but at the end I realized she wasn't THAT evil. Lol. I love Power Chan in here, he was a hateful character, but turned good and I just loved him from beginning to end. He and Wayne Lai are perfect buddies in this drama. I also loved Raymond Choi as An De Hai, Li Ying's bestie/bro. His character had a lot of development, and at times you're unsure of what side of the fence he is on. But that's what made this series so great, the character development and the outcome.
Overall, I'd watch this again and I'd suggest this for anyone looking for a historically accurate drama, with HK drama written into it.
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