First of all i want to dwell on Wang Duo as the prince/young master/Gong Zi.
This is my 1st time watching his craft and oh boy oh boy was i blown off my feet. I loved, absolutely adored his acting. All his tumultuous heartfelt actions and thoughts were all displayed by his facial expressions. This guy literally left my jaw sweeping the ground. I loved him to bits.
I found this story very refreshing and it provoked my imagination and let it run out of control. The locations i mean Gong Zi's bamboo manor left me in awe. His laid back attire, his lazy postures, the way he carried and conducted himself in his manor i must say it was all befitting of his character, looks and that manor itself.
I loved the new feel to the story. If there are other dramas done with a similar storyline and locations then i probably missed it and this is my 1st drama. I enjoyed it so much. It was full of twists, turns and surprises along the way. I did muddle headed quite a lot along the way and that was the magic of the drama. It constantly kept me up on my toes paying close attention to all going ons and all the suttle emotions and gestures. This got to be one of the best dramas i watched in 2018. A true hidden germ.
As much as i loved almost everything about this drama i hated how the female lead kept on going back and forth. I hated her indecisiveness. It was kinda hard to figure out if she was an assassin or a spineless wimp. That is how the writers intended her character to be. She played her role well and she was such a bore and a wet blanket to the story.
As for the main villain Cha Luo i hated her cruelty and wickedness and i fell in love with the actress playing her role.
I can go on and on mention each and every character but this review will be too long.
So if you are looking for something refreshing, something new, something out of the norm then this drama is the perfect catch. I found everything refreshing. Even the locations, customes, hair and make up. They went a little out of their way with the hair and make up esp with Gong Zi and that pathetic emperor.
This is a must watch.
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The visuals (cinematography, editing, color palette) was indeed undeniably beautiful. Especially adored the animated narration, it was gorgeous. The coloring gave the whole series a movie-like vibe, unlike the usual cheap looking bright-colored Chinese 'idol-drama'. (sorry)
The early episodes till halfway into the series, plot/storyline was interesting and enganging with a lot of mistery and characters' complicated background stories, but the characters were not well written, imo. I just can't understand what did the writer wanted the main actress to portray. (She was definitely the most impulsive, whiniest, clueless, scaredy cat assasin i've ever seen, instead of a mighty, level-headed killer i thought she was supposed to be).
Not really feeling the chemistry between the supposed OTP too. A lot of agst, stupid sacrifices, and a bunch of life threatening tortures and yet i couldnt feel (or see) the 'depth' of their relationship aside from a merciful, caring but stupid master and her ambitious, revenge driven 'shadow/chef/bodyguard/hairdresser'.
Ended up dropping this drama halfway (and read some of the later episodes and ending recapss)
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This review may contain spoilers
The story goes straight to the point what the female lead has to do to survive. She meets her love, and together they face a bloody and cruel world, People only want to seperate or kill them.Cast: Many new faces to me, but overall they did at great job. I could feel anger, compassion, sympathy and sorrow to most of the characters because of their background and life experiences.
Story: I love the contradictions the main couple went through. But also the many obstacles the support roles were facing throughout the drama. I was not bored, and I especially loved they way they animated the stories behind each character.
Disliked: The slow dialogues, taking a lot of breaks to finish a sentence. I am sure if the actors could move normally when there are sad scenes and talk in normal speed, it would be at least 5 episodes less.
Liked: I love the content in the dialogues. The fighting scenes are amazing and incredible to watch. Beautiful OST. Realistic description of Gui Hua City, the city of asassins and their brutal daily life. Cha Lua is straightforward evil leader of the city. Chang An IS THE BEST!! I loved everything about him.
Watch the whole drama, it is absolutely worth your time.
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Summarizing drama was good and had the very beautiful set design.
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There is no unnecessary cheesy scene between lead couple. You know they love each other just by their acting, how they protect each other and with the look in the eyes.
This drama deserve recognition and have I mentioned how great the lead male and female acting were?
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In my opinion, the two leads acted very well. There were no kiss scenes in the show, but it was at the level of chemistry where you could tell they loved each other simply from the looks and occasional hugs they shared with one another. I am also very picky with background music, but Bloody Romance really nailed it - Especially with tragic/heart-wrenching scenes. The music really drives up the sad factor, loved it!
I didn't read the novel so I can't comment on what's different, but from the perspective of someone who's watched only the drama, my main gripe is that while the story started off great, it felt a little rushed and slightly unbelievable towards the end. It also felt as if the relationship of the main couple wasn't happy for that long. In fact, they suffered from misunderstandings more often than not. It got to a point where I was just sick and tired of the continuous tension in their relationship (I was also sick and tired of crying..... my heart hurt so bad seeing them suffer). But nonetheless, the romantic tension is so strong in some scenes you can almost taste it.
Ultimately.. this is not the drama you wanna watch for a fluffy and lighthearted romance. But if you're in a masochistic, ugh-pls-just-let-them-be-happy kinda mood with a craving for good acting, you've come to the right place. I would definitely rewatch this drama, if only to see the main couple together again!
P.S. The male lead actor Qu Chu Xiao gets hotter the more you see him *squeal*
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Music -
As much as I loved the theme song sung by Tia Ray, it was very overused. They had about four other songs they could have used, but they only started using the other songs at the end of the drama. Even the BGM was beautiful... especially the ones for Chang An and Gong Zi.
IF you like a drama without a lot of kissing but a lot of passionate staring....then I TRULY recommend you this drama! <3
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A reserved drama.
This drama has no intimate couple scenes just so you know. Everyone went crazy in this drama I swear, but that's what made it interesting. I love how the ml was so strong and was able to withstand anything, but the fl was really weak compared to other female leads I've seen in other dramas. I understand that killing people randomly isn't right, but being slow on your job isn't gonna make the cut either. Wan Mei was really reliant on the male leads, she barely has any sense of independence so if you guys like openly independent and strong female leads then this might disappoint you. What made me get goosebumps in this drama was how the couple was willing to risk everything for each other, which was very touching, also everyone said Gong Zi is cute so look out for that.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
This show reveals a story about finding hope in the darkest moments of life, finding true love and devoting to it until the very end. It is a beautiful story of love between two people who seem to not be destined to each other as life keeps them apart. Apart from the main couple, the drama portraits the longing and sorrow of other people as they try to defy their fate.
At first I was really puzzled wether or not to watch this drama, and I dropped it once after the first episode but I started it again after a while and the story just grew on me.
I expected the female lead and wanted her to become a cold blooded assassin but she didn't. She went through so many death situations but managed to come back alive, stronger but worn out. She found hope in love and was devoted to it until the end.
The love story is full of sorrow, the main couple's love is so pure and strong but so sorrowful.. whenever they find relief in love, they get broken up by fate. They love each other without requirements and selfishness. It is so beautiful .. their story had me crying and hoping for them to never part ways.
The show overall is beautiful. I might have talked mainly about the sorrow in it because it is the main element (in my opinion). But this is not all.
In this drama, there is no 'bad guy' .. only victims of sorrow and injustices.
It shows that everyone has a good side, there is no absolute evil and that everyone has reasons for their wrongdoings.
The opening song portraits the whole atmosphere of the series. It is so beautiful, romantic yet sorrowful. Everytime I listen to it, I can imagine the love story of every character.
As I said before, I didn't plan to watch this show and I thought it won't be worth it but it proved me wrong. Definitely a must watch!
It is the most realistic drama I've ever seen.. everything, characters, development, behaviour, even the ending is realistic.
10/10!
The writer really managed to make a wonderful story, without clichés and unnecessary plots. Beautiful!
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Bloody Romance is Bloody Good
Let me start by saying this is one of my favorite shows I ave ever watched. It is not pleasant or romantic at all, but it is one of the most well written and well acted dramas you would want to see. For those looking for light, happy and romance this is not your show, For those looking for a great show with a not always happy storyline that can be disturbing at times, then this show is highly recommended.it is the story of Wan Mei who is sold to a brothel by her father, already not the typical storyline, for some rice, She manages to escape and ends up in a city of female assassins. She is assigned a shadow Chang An who is her trainer, body guard and servant, and as she is given assassination assignments she also ends up in the line of Dong Xi, a blind probe of the country. Not at all a typical story. Some of it is actually brutal to watch.
As for acting, all I can say is wow. The villain is a bit over the top, aren't they all, but the 3 leads are fantastic. Wang Duo does a really great job with his character Dong Xi who at times himself is not sure what he does or does not feel for Wan Mei. Shaw Qu plays the stoic shadow Chang An to perfection. I have written in other reviews, this is how to play stoic, His face betrays nothing most of the time but when out does it is magical to view, I cannot say enough about Li Yi Tong and her portrayal of Wan Mei, I have never felt so much with one character (except Ye Hua in TMPB) than I did with her. There are some heart-wrenching scenes that I will never forget and I cannot think of an actress that could have done a better job, I have not seen her in another drama, but I am actively looking for other dramas with her,
Rewatch - definitely! The show is 36 episodes with little filler time and moves along quickly. It is beautifully done from story, to acting, to production values, and the soundtrack. The music from the show is also one of my favorites of all time.
This may not be what you expect and it is not typical, but it is really worth a watch.
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