In Blossom

Watch this for Liu Xue Yi but not for a tightly-written mystery plot.

Subjective Gut Rating: 7.75

I went into “In Blossom” blind without reading the synopsis or watching the trailer. All I knew is that Liu Xue Yi is the male lead and that’s the only reason I need. LXY did not disappoint, though I think his voice acting could be better. This is not a big complaint because aside from him, the main cast and most of the supporting cast used voice actors. I always appreciate actors dubbing themselves, even though they are not perfect. If you don’t practice, how can you get better, right?

“In Blossom” has a little bit of everything - slow-burn romance, crime investigation/mysteries, action/martial arts and some comedic moments. I do think the drama balances all these elements pretty well. More on romance and mystery in a little bit. I want to comment on the action scenes. I know this is not a wuxia drama, but I feel that the fight scenes are below-average to average. There aren’t too many, but enough for me to wish they are better choreographed and actors fight a little harder and faster. It’s not going to ruin your enjoyment of the drama, but I am a little picky in this area. Comedy is enough to be sprinkled throughout the drama. I enjoy the little comedic moments by the supporting cast, or just a sarcastic remark here and there. Humor brings some light-heartedness to this somewhat serious drama without going over-the-top.

The romance is slow-burn but is developed nicely. ML falls in love with FL again, not because of her looks and wealth, but because of the person inside. They started out as enemies, then frenemies, then partners-in-investigation and eventually partners-in-love. Even though I like the writing of how the relationship is developed and written, I found the chemistry lacking. Liu Xue Yi is only 4 years older than Ju Jing Yi in real life, but when they stand next to each other, LXY looks so much more mature and older. In fact, he seems better matched with the original Yang Cai Wei in the first few episodes and have much better chemistry. LXY and JJY seem more like siblings or best friends when they are bickering. I wonder if it’s because there also seems to be a personality change between the original and the new Yang Cai Wei. The original YCW appears older and more mature, after all she had a really tough life carrying corpses everywhere. The new YCW seems younger and more outgoing and friendly.

That brings me to mystery and crime investigation. There are MANY small investigations in these 32 episodes that tie back to the main plot and mystery. I am usually a fan of how these mini stories, that are not episodic, integrate to the main storyline. But in this drama, there are just way too many, and eventually I lose focus and don’t care anymore. There are also some plot holes and illogical inconsistencies. I do not think the mystery part is tightly written. I feel that if I want to fully enjoy this drama, I need to turn off my brain and not think critically. If you are a big fan and a veteran of crime investigation and mysteries, you might not be satisfied.

The acting as a whole is pretty solid. Liu Xue Yi lives up to my expectations. Ju Jing Yi has a bad rep, but I think she did fine. Not exceptional but also not horrible. 2ML Li Ge Yang might be the weaker of the younger cast.

Lastly, I want to comment on Liu Xue Yi’s wardrobe. He has some beautiful costumes that do not look cheap! You can see the quality of the cloth and the beautiful designs and patterns. Even though Ju Jing Yi’s costumes aren’t bad, I can’t keep my eyes on how handsome and dashing Liu Xue Yi looks. And he looks great both with his down and up in a bun.

I would only recommend this drama if you are a fan of the leads, especially if you are like me, watching this solely for Liu Xue Yi. It’s also not bad if you want a drama that has a good mix of romance and mystery. But if you are picky about tightly written plots, intricate and sensible crime investigation, then you might not find this drama enjoyable.



Completed: 4/8/2024 - Review #425

Read More

A very good suspense drama

I started In Blossom with a little hesitation - Ju Jingyi's (JJY) last few shows have been quite underwhelming with all the dangling hair bits. I absolutely enjoyed her performance in Yunxi (and even in In a Class of Her Own) but everything else has been quite lacklustre. Nonetheless, beneath all the focus on beauty, I do think Ju Jingyi has potential, and I have been waiting for her to pull another Yunxi. Is her performance in In Blossom as good as Yunxi? I would say it's much better than everything else she has done recently - I can see the effort she has put in, and I hope that she would pick better projects that allow her to go beyond her comfort zone

That being said, I wish to state this- focusing on JJY alone (with the criticism of her makeup and all) takes away from a very solid original story. Yes, In Blossom starts with another actress and then JJY takes over- the other actress was very good but JJY was by no means bad. I found her chemistry with Liu Xueyi to be very good, and one of the things that I really loved was the love story - the love and respect that the two characters had for each other, particularly Pan Yue's devotion towards Yang Caiwei. This was a slow burn love story - Pan Yue's childhood love and his early marriage to Yang Caiwei (well, to Shangguan Zhi in reality) was borne out of his commitment towards her. However, as we watch the interactions of the two, a true love story emerges - out of a deep understanding and mutual respect. It was a joy to watch these two develop their feelings for each other.

While I enjoyed the love story, the greatest pull was the plot - an original story, very well crafted (although by no means perfect) with some really enjoyable and unpredictable cases which our leads work on. I even shed a tear or two over these cases, with great performances by several guest actors. These cases made the show very engaging - individual cases interwoven into a larger one. The characters were very well-written and acted, and while some actions may not have had much sense I can see why they headed in that direction. Yang Caiwei/Shangguan Zhi is an intelligent woman, although she is no martial artist, and it's enjoyable to watch her crack these cases, together with Pan Yue.

That brings me to Pan Yue, acted perfectly by Liu Xueyi. I was delighted to see Liu Xueyi play this character, as the male lead, so different from the ones he has done in the past (he was brilliant as Wuxin in The Blood of Youth too, and in every role he has played including all the antagonists). Liu Xueyi's performance was nuanced (and I couldn't help saying aww many times he was on screen).

It would have been great to solve the face swapping issue - the show doesn't exactly explain how that happened. Nonetheless I have to say that this was one of the better shows this year - I highly recommend it, particularly for its cases. I greatly enjoyed the story and the beautiful cinematography, the acting and the OST. I happily rate it 8.6/10.

Read More

So when are we getting a spin-off focusing on Xiao Sheng and Lan Jiang?

Expectations can ruin this drama. They definitely made me enjoy it less than I could have. With the angsty set up, I did expect the show to be a bit more dark, the stakes to be higher and the leads to be in constant danger. What I’ve got was a light version of that.

The tone of the show was probably what I found the most disappointing. The number of times the plot hit the point when they could have easily leaned into a more serious and angsty story, yet more often than not it was used for comedic undertones. Why?

What’s more, I honestly did not care that much about the “big picture”. Separate cases were interesting, well written and engaging, but the overall plot and the mystery I could not care less about. They kept the bad guy in the dark for too long so when he was finally revealed I was like “okay” and then shortly after that the drama ended. Last episode was basically an underwhelming podcast - all talking, no action.

The separate investigations were interesting, told in an easy to follow, but engaging manner. With every story we’ve got some info about the overall plot too. They were setting it up close to perfection. Loved how they were morally not clear - the victims being perpetrators, the abusers becoming victims. They left a lot of room for reflection and many uneasy feelings. Sadly it’s like having great materials, but the final design needs improvement. Separate stories were great, the final main plot was mediocre.

Then we have the romance, which was fine, but not really enticing. Surprisingly more in the background than I expected. I don’t mind, since it was the weakest part of the whole drama. If it was in the front and center, I’d probably drop the show mid way through. I think the moment that Pan Yue started to develop feelings for Cai Wei with her new face is unclear and questionable. They did hint at him being confused about his feelings and starting to develop them before he found out the truth and it honestly bothered me. He was devoted to one girl from his childhood, but now shortly after what he thought was her death, he starts to warm up to a girl whom he remembered to be an awful human being and had zero interest in? Even with her reminding him of his lover, it still did not make much sense for me.

Casting wise… you do not put the stronger actress to first portrayal the character that will be replaced by the actual leading actress. It took me around 15 episodes to truly warm up to Ju Jing Yi. I felt like there was no communication between her and Zheng He Hui Zi about who the female lead is and how she should be played. Cai Wei from the first two episodes is not the Cai Wei we see in the rest of the show.

I don’t really have much to say about Liu Xue Yi. He looked extremely fine throughout the drama, but Pan Yue was such a mid character with not many ups and downs I was getting bored. On the other hand Li Ge Yang completely stole my heart as Zhuo Lan Jiang. The way I wished him and Wu Jia Yi were the leads, the way I found their story to be more engaging and interesting. They were criminally underused.

Visually speaking, I enjoyed it a lot. I’ve seen a few dramas that tried to make every shot visually stimulating, and it does get exhausting. Here they kept it well balanced - highlighting specific moments with more grand visuals, while keeping the rest pleasant to the eye, but not overwhelming.

Overall, it was a fine show. The first half was for sure better than the second. The more they focused on the main mystery, the more boring it became.

Read More

Soulless and Dull

This drama has great plot potential but I really hate the writing which is stiff, soulless and dull.

This is actually a mystery drama, but because of the poor presentation and writing, it just feels like watching a cheap soap opera. All the patterns are shown clearly, so the audience doesn't have to bother guessing them.

Every scene is written like just reading a school history book. There is no soul in it. The author just wants to complete the content of the story.

Ah, I need 3 weeks to finish this drama.

Luckily ML and SML were able to act well. Even though FL's acting isn't as good as ML's but yeah they still have a little chemistry

Read More

It could have been much better…

I have a moral aversion to face-swapping plot lines, but I thought I’d give In Blossom a try. For the first few episodes, I enjoyed it enough to keep going, but after a while.. it became tiresome.

There was a lot the writer did not decide to explore. For example, how the parents traumatized all the main characters, how the characters built themselves up from the trauma, and also making sure the characters could stand on their own without attachment to romance.

Pan Yue is obsessed with Yang Caiwei, and it ends up being that this is all we know of his character. It’s a shame, because we get small glimpses into his tough childhood, with his father suspecting Pan Yue of not being his. But alas, the romantic plot is the focus. We lose out on watching Pan Yue become loving and kind after healing from his past.

Yang Caiwei is the only character that develops. She is strong, but very insecure about Pan Yue’s love towards her at the beginning, and at the end. She becomes more self-assured once she realizes that he does care for her. However, Yang Caiwei already had a lot of agency before she met Pan Yue. He simply enhanced this.

Additionally, the SFL and SML relationship was icky to me. I could not romanticize the SFL being second choice for him. It was obvious she was a rebound, and ready to be one, which I think also comes from her parental trauma. She was ready to be used, and I feel really bad for her. Especially because the SML dies.

Overall, I think the characters were not explored as well as they could have been, an it lays in leaning too much into the romantic aspects, when these characters clearly have more depth, that we are given glimpses of.

I do also agree that the FL in the first 2 episodes would be been a better choice, but I still enjoyed JJY performance regardless.

Read More

I love you, not the state of you

2024 has been a somewhat disappointing year so far. Many shows that had great starts ended way lower than their intial high. In Blossom was a surprise in this aspect. It maintained the quality of script right till the end. Considering that it was not an adaptation, this is even more impressive. There are many reasons as to why you should try this drama, let's dive into them.

--Refreshing plot
I have seen multiple investigation dramas and in a majority, the cases are too high arched and loose touch with the actual case the leads are actually investigating and they connect the dots right before the climax with a hint lying right in front of them. This is not the scenario here. Each case being investigated was directly related to the ultimate case and the relations were drawn at the same pace the investigation proceeded.
In terms of inter-character relationships, I was not let down either. There were no unnecessary or baseless and senseless misunderstandings between the characters. YCW's initial distrust towards the ml also had reasons stated very clearly.
In fact, there were some twists that I was unable to figure out, which in hindsight, even if they lay right in front of my eyes.

--Relationships
For all the three main pairings, their feelings developed at a steady pace. Their care and concern was visible clearly. Each pairing had its own distinguishing dynamic.

The third pairing, A-Ze and Ling'er were the classic 'My Lord saw the Lady, and I saw the maid beside her,' pair. They start off with a mutual dislike because of their views about the other's master that gradually turned into friendship over a shared interest. Before YCW's identity was revealed to the ML, A-Ze had already fallen for Ling'er and didn't hesitate to acknowledge his feelings, despite knowing that their masters didn't see eye to eye. Overall, these two formed a really cute pairing that was delightful to watch.

The lead ship, Pan Yue and Yang Caiwei- Engaged since childhood and parted for a decade, reunite only to separate soon after again. Their relationship is where most of their characters' development is shown. PY's feeling for YCW may have been there since childhood, but they were no-contact for ten years. So, it can be said that the two really fell in love after the face/body swap, as that was the time they started to know the present of each other and not muse upon their past. Pan Yue acknowledged that he was attracted to Shangguan Zhi before he knew she was actually Yang Caiwei, who in turn also became more optimistic after the switch, as opposed to her initial emo version. The two took their time falling for each other and developing mutual trust. While both care for each other deeply, they are also willing to do what it takes to achieve their goals. Once PY discovers her real identity, he transforms into a teenager who is both excited and nervous to be around his long time crush. PY shows what means to love inner beauty and not outer. Time and time again, he chose YCW's personality and stuck by his choice. Moreover, neither of the leads loose their characters to love, they maintain their individuality at all times.

The second lead, Bai Xiaosheng and Zhuo Lanjiang- Their relationship can be summarized with this one dialogue of theirs: "If you don't want to say, I won't ask either. But if you do want to say, then I'll just silently listen."
This was the pairing that took most of us by surprise and is also my personal favourite. Vastly different in terms of status and upbringing, they were two lonely souls wandering the world who found solace in each other. While ZLJ initially fell for YCW's charming personality, he got over it after being rejected fairly quick. What he had for BXS, however is entirely different. At times, he got lost just gazing her and forgot what he was doing. While he knew, that it was very unlikely for him stay alive at the end of it all, he still spent as much time as he could with her. .
BXS saw him differently the rest of the world. When ZLJ was the Young Master with immense wealth and power, she treated him as friend, as an equal. When he had fallen from grace, she stuck by his side. Her love for him was selfless and truly unconditional. ZLJ was the man of her dreams who trusted her even when no one else did and risked his own safety to protect her. She maintained her sanity even after his death as she knew what was important. And the candy scene legit broke me inside. Undeniably in the early stages of love we couldn't see it maturing into the deep care trust the other pairs have. In the end, this was a very complex ship that I wish we could see mature.

--Characters
Each character was nicely modelled and developed very well with the plot. They were multifaceted and showed different characters different sides of themselves to each other. Once they fell in love, they didn't loose their individuality. Their love for their partner wasn't the only thing that defined them. What impressed me a lot was the writing of the side characters, especially Qing Di. She spent a decade patiently waiting, blamed herself for ten years for harming her dear friend, but when the truth was revealed, she didn't hesitate to do what she thought was right, showing she had a strong moral compass. Another character I like was the Princess. People like her were rare, those who held power but were unafraid to lose it for the greater good.

--Acting
Ju Jingyi doesn't have a great reputation for her acting, but she is the one who surprises me the most here. For once, her facial expressions are more than just a pout. However, her portrayal of the villainous SGZ was mindblowing. I had time adjusting to the fact that YCW and SGZ were being played by the same person. And though many wanted ZHHZ to play YCW, I found her portrayal underwhelming.
Liu Xueyi maintained his standard and he added these little quirks that made PY even more adorable. The chemistry between all three pairings is just perfect. Lastly, while Wu Jiayi did a great portrayal of BXS, I was simply left wanting more. BXS is character more complex that YCW, the fl herself. While her acting was good, I still felt that it could be more intense.

There are also some cons, but I promise I'll wrap it up quickly now.

--The swap
One of the few things that didn't make sense here, this is a part of the show that needs to be judged with dramaland logic. Miraculously, YCW and SGZ swapped bodies and faces, YCW survived an approx hundred foot fall and everyone who figured out her identity accepted it like it happened every once in a while.

--The CGI
This was a court intrigue, not a wuxia or xianxia, so it makes sense that not a lot was spent on the CGI. It was alright for most part, although the wolves were quite comical, it isn't that big of problem. Even if you are sucker for CGI like me.

--The soundtrack
While it was good, it wasn't great. Most songs felt similar to me, the singers chosen had voices too alike and the composition too parallel. While Lai Meiyun's Peach Blossom Hum broke the monotony to some extent, it could only do so much. Even the lyrics are repeated in some songs. However, there are two songs that I have been listening to repeatedly. One is the opening theme, Hu Xia's Nearby and Wang Jingwen's Send off Quietly. These two songs, the former belongs to the lead ship and the latter is for the second leads. It embodies their fates perfectly and are somewhat distinguished from the rest of the soundtrack.

The styling of most characters was great, the white streak's in PY, Qing Di's eye makeup and ZLJ's grey wardrobe were absolutely spot on. JJY's hairstyles were also made with the plot in mind and that side braid of hers looked really cute. The direction was also quite good.

In conclusion, there are some faults with this drama, but neither too huge nor so many that you should skip it. There is a certain rawness about the storyline and all the cases being investigated as they explore the darker side of human emotions.
It is arguably one of the best shows of 2024, and is one hundred percent worth an unbiased shot.

Read More

A Phenomenal Journey Throughout

A Youku original (albeit not an adaptation), this historical is definitely one of the best written scripts in a long time. Featuring Liu Xue Yi & Ju Jing Yi in lead roles, the storyline focuses on the resurrection of the female lead (who escapes death twice, miraculously). Once in childhood when her entire family is massacred and next on her wedding night, when the female antagonist does a face swap. As I have already mentioned in the “First Impressions”, face swap doesn’t make much sense; I’m still calling it “Soul Swapping”. The newly resurrected female protagonist Yang Cai Wei makes use of her beautiful face, and rich lifestyle to seek revenge. Easy concept right? Nope, it is easier said than done. The 32 episodes romantic saga takes us on a revenge journey where our odd couple counter each other, become allies, fall in love again and conquer the evil villain. This was a phenomenal joyride and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Read the complete article here-

https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2024/04/03/in-blossom-series-review/#more-706

Read More

Good vs evil in Heyang

Within this story is a potentially really great one if the drama had dared to push the boundaries of its storytelling a bit more. Set against the "evil" city of Heyang, where bad deeds go unpunished, our righteous male lead Pan Yue seeks to find his long-lost beloved Yang Caiwei and to right the wrongs of the past. Along the way, we meet a multitude of characters including the charismatic if headstrong Zhuo Lanjiang and Caiwei's plucky friend Bai Xiaosheng -- and solve some murder mysteries.

It turns out that with each case solved, we are closer to solving the ultimate mystery -- who is the mastermind behind the deaths of Caiwei's parents and the dark deeds in Heyang? That, unfortunately, is never fully fleshed out. Our villains' motivations are presented only in broad strokes, making the ultimate confrontation a bit of a letdown both thematically and dramatically.

Which is not to say the drama is terrible -- far from it. Some of the stories within the main tale are quite moving such as the case of the Gu family and that of the twins and the academy. They show quite effectively the potential darkness within people and the struggle to overcome it without resorting to too much exposition, which is unfortunately present in other cases and parts of the show. If the drama had explored this theme than just at the surface level - the complexities of humankind and our capacity to do both great good and evil - it would have made for a very compelling drama.

As it is, this drama is worth the watch for the interesting cases (which actually are nicely interwoven with the overarching plot and our characters' arcs), a well-paced romance story, and some great performances from both main and guest/supporting cast alike. Liu Xueyi as Pan Yue and Li Geyang as Zhuo Lanjiang were standouts to me.

Read More

story takes center stage

I don't quite have time or mindset for a detailed review, but I'll just say this drama was a pleasant surprise. In Blossom is a show that lets the story take center stage. It's a complex murder mystery intertwined with an almost equally complex romantic tale of two friends from noble families, betrothed by royal assent since childhood, working together to uncover a deep political conspiracy involving the imperial court. The writing was very good & the show kept me guessing right until the very last episode with a cliffhanger ending highly suggestive of a sequel. There's comedy as well as tragedy. Highly enjoyable.

Read More

In Blossom is a great thriller, romance, fantasy drama written within a historical setting. There are some gory scenes, necessary due to the nature of the female lead’s profession, very detailed and smart murder investigation with logical deductions and conclusions that give us glimpses of the leading couple’s strong and intelligent characters. There are very well done action scenes and bloody tortures coming from the antagonist and his henchmen, mysterious and complex characters that help shaped the validity of the plot, a fantasy element that, although it was interesting and the leading actress tried her best in her characterization of Yang Cai Wei I, it is true that the fantasy element would have worked better if they would have chosen an actress for the real Yang Cai Wei whose body was anatomically closer to Ju Jing Yi. The cinematography was well planned and executed with glimpses of Gothic elements and the cast did a good job bringing their characters to life. In the romance department, it would be right to say that it is more about a soulful than a physical connection. Pan Yue, exceptionally portrayed by Liu Xue Yi, is a man with great moral character, integrity, and above all, a man that steadfastly loved the souls of his woman. Ju Jing Yi did great portraying her character as the infatuated and self-centered Shangguan Zhi and she tried her best portraying Yang Cai Wei, but the Ju Jing Yi, although she captured the awareness and ability to express the intelligence of Yang Cai Wei, she didn’t get the body language right. This might have been due to the fact that the casting director failed to recognize that it was just a face swap, not a whole body swap, and Ju Jing Yi’s body is too frail looking compared to Zheng He Hui Zi’s that played Yang Cai Wei in the first two episodes. Besides this oversight, which was just a bit odd, the drama is an excellent thriller, with a heartwarming and sometimes heartbreaking steadfast romance, and a very pleasing intellectual connection between the leading couple. The supporting cast did very well and provided side stories that gave mystery and depth to the story. Enjoy it!

Read More

Worth a watch but don’t fall in love with second lead or you’ll be heartbroken

Spoiler alert!!!!!!!




I’ve just got one thing to say….

WHY WOULD YOU KILL OFF JIANG?!??!!!! His death could have easily been avoided if they just never found the ledger on him. Baisheng and Jiang would have had their happy ending too 😭😭😭

Story was pretty good. Liked all the plot twists, it kept it interesting and made you wanna keep watching to see who the mastermind was. Again, ending could have been better if Jiang didn’t die.

Cast was amazing, loved everyone’s acting.

Music was beautiful! Loved the osts.

I wouldn’t rewatch it again because can’t help but be mad that they killed off Jiang. I love him 😭 he deserves a happy ending too!

Read More