Pull Strings

Stay Steady, Stay Alive

The drama begins with ML Li Changshou having worked hard to achieve success in life, only to be diagnosed with something terminal and end up lying in a hospital bed at the age of 30, reading endless comics and complaining, “Standing out can get you stricken. Moving rashly can get you hurt. Why can't these protagonists win with caution?”...only to fall out of bed and get transmigrated in front of a Fate Dial, which warns him of a Great Tribulation and throws him into the very world he was reading about.

Well, unlike others, our ML is no ordinary person. He doesn't want to be a hero, nor claim credit, and is well-read and knowledgeable about the world. He spends his time, almost 30 years, cultivating, lying low, planning, setting random formations, inventing modern-style straw and paper gadgets...all to live well, face what may come and possibly escape it. In his own words, “To survive, there is only one method. Stay away from all disputes and karma. Focus on protecting yourself.” His methods are all compiled in his "Scripture of Steadiness"--Stay low, Stay cautious. Stay prepared. Stay alive.

Everything seems to be under his control and proceeding well. But all the best-laid plans can go wrong. Enter the villain, who is just as intelligent and figures out LCS, eventually using his own tricks against him. And what follows is a lesson in growth, trust, partnerships and still staying true to one's way, without seeing that as a burden but learning that it can also be something to work on together.

"Pull Strings" is a comedic drama with some profound observations and lessons. Ao Rui Peng plays Li Changshou with ease, bringing out the humour without overacting. Some of the situations could easily have turned vulgar or cheap if pushed too far, but his performance lands the comedy without crossing that line. A Mi was equally apt as LCS's junior, with her expressive reactions playing off the situations and adding to the comedy.

The drama was a visual, goofy yet profound treat until the last few episodes...this is where I have a problem. The ending really confused and disappointed me. Unless there is a S2, I don't see the point of such an ending...why take us on a ride all over the place only to stop it like that? Points deducted.

Overall, a different C-drama where the ML is not relying on brute strength but on preparing well, lying low, and fighting from the shadows when needed, often guiding others, pulling strings behind the scenes.

Read More

The silliness entertained me for about ⅔ of the show

This show is pretty silly. It’s so silly that it can get away with a lot. Super bad CGI and ridiculous SFX? Nonsense plot developments? Idiots everywhere? All in good fun, haha!

I took it easy and just let it roll. And I really was entertained and having fun for a good while, happily blowing through episodes. But then I don’t know if it got less funny or I just got over it, but by 2/3 of the way through or so, I started to sour on it, and by the end I was struggling to finish.

The main character, Li Changshou, is extremely overpowered, but he hides it. His schtick is that he is “steady”, ie doesn’t like risks, plans carefully, anticipates all the different outcomes. This is the theme that a lot of his characterization and development revolve around, but most of the time it just means we get a lot of grand scheme reveals (“it was part of his plan all along! Wow!”)

There is a transmigration framework that’s largely irrelevant, except that a lot of his spells are inspired by modern technology. It took me a moment to realize that it’s not the tech itself, it’s still magic (ie he didn’t actually recreate the transistor).

Changshou is goofy and funny, and it’s fun to watch an OP character with this kind of personality. Most of the time he’s likable and fun and I was rooting for him. But other times, he just... isn’t very nice, and it started to bother me more and more. He is pretty unapologetic about using people with no regard for what they want or even their best interests.

This does go hand-in-hand with his “play it safe” attitude which avoids sticking his nose out for others. But if you really look, he does try to protect the people he cares about. It's just that, being a jerk to those he doesn’t is apparently not a thing the show has any problems with- eg nobody is pointing it out or debating him about it (instead, his character development and growth seem to be more about overplanning). I think it’s even supposed to be funny- like, omg, he was a jerk to somebody he shouldn’t have treated so badly, thus setting back his own plans! Haha!

Well, things tend to work out. But not because he cares; more because it just gets brushed off with some laughs. Gosh, I felt like I was getting gaslit. I still overall liked him, since he’s rushing around saving the day for everyone, but I did also get more and more irritated watching him emotionally manipulate people with no consequences.

That aside, we also have a FL in Yunxiao. I think they tried to make her too distant and unapproachable at the beginning, so that later when she gets humanized into something more suitable as a love interest, it’s jarring and confusing.

The show is actually just very confusing about the different factions and cultivation levels and types of beings, and how they relate to each other. And there’s no sense of scale for the power levels, like the discrepancies seem huge- it’s all very muddled. Plus too much grandiose Daoist mumbo jumbo, overusing the term “karma”- come on, facing the consequences of your own actions is just basic cause-and-effect. Yunxiao's weird transformation from mythical being to love interest is just another symptom of the poor world-building.

And then, in the end, I did not care too much for their relationship. For a few episodes, their story resembles a classic drama romance with contrasting personalities, minor clashes, and relationship building. It’s alright but not enough, and moving on from that, something about the dynamics and/or level of development just didn’t do it for me. In fact, I feel like I still don’t have a good read on Yunxiao’s personality or goals, nor do I even know what she is (some sort of cloud?)

But on the bright side, the show does have a lot of pretty great side characters. Ling’e is funny, cute, and a good sport; Ao Yi the dragon prince is cute too; but my favorite character is probably Zhao Gongming, the FL’s sect brother. That guy’s deadpan muttering is hilarious. But he only seems to do fly-ins, showing up occasionally, and is not even important enough to factor into the ending. Boo.

By the 20s of episodes, the show starts to get more serious. It still has some jokes to the end, but the tone feels very different. And without all the lighthearted fun that kept me entertained, I realized I didn’t really care that much about the characters or their story.

Near the end, the constant stream of unveiled schemes honestly made my eyes roll to the back of my head. From what I understood of it, I was satisfied by the villain motivation, seems unique- but then it all got weirder and weirder. The last few episodes are honestly kind of a mess. I got the gist, but I was also very confused. To be fair, my poor viewing comprehension probably also had to do with not caring very much about any of it.

For acting, I thought it’s pretty good. Ao Ruipeng is great for goofy roles, and Ai Mi does such a good job too. But my favorite is still the vastly underutilized Zhao Gongming... I never saw He Wunjun before but I hope he gets more roles.

I think the styling is fine, people look quite nice and there are a good variety of costumes. The sets and scenery look decent. Some of the CGI/SFX are pretty fake, but I thought that’s part of the joke. I think the music is done well, always appropriate. And I liked the OST, which covers lots of different styles.

Overall I found this show fun and entertaining for a good long while and I was ready to give it 8 or 8.5 just because I had fun watching it. But as you can see, my rating plummeted. Not only did some of Changshou’s actions bug me more and more, but also once the fun and games ended, I realized that I really didn’t care too much for anyone. Plus the ending is a mess.

By the way, I was surprised at the beginning to recognize this story from a forgettable donghua I watched awhile ago and quickly dropped. In the donghua, the number of buxom young women throwing themselves at the main character got to be too much, and I dropped it because it reminded me annoyingly of those harem animes- written by boys for boys. I don’t actually know how the romantic entanglements end up developing for either the donghua or source material. But for the drama, I’d say the shape of the harem is still here, but it’s very toned down. The girls have a lot more going for them than just their romantic interest, and their crushes feel more like a joke. They aren’t that clingy or obsessed; Ling’e for example, mostly just acts like a little sister. So I had no problem with it and don’t know if I would have even flagged a potential problem if I hadn’t seen the donghua first. I have to say, though, Ao Ruipeng in this show looks uncannily like his cartoon counterpart.

ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS





This ends on a cliffhanger. If you ignore the cliffhanger, it’s not quite a happy ending, but it has hope (Changshou will need to take some time to bring back Yunxiao).

Leading up to that point is a mess of tragic sacrifices, confusing time travel, and things you didn’t know were allowed by the world’s mechanics. And who/what even is “Fate”, who plays childish games and talks like a human? Ok, whatever.

Most of the tragic sacrifices are undone, but you know who stays dead? Dragon crown prince. See, the characters couldn’t be bothered turning back time an extra hour or two to save him, because nobody cares about him. His girlfriend remembers him for about 5 minutes after he explodes in her face, and then everyone forgets about his existence.

But actually, the sacrifice that bothers me the most is from Li Changshou’s sifu’s story. This man’s girlfriend and sifu went on a journey to find a cure for him; I was so confused because the sifu is never mentioned, all the waiting and hoping is for the girl. Then in a random scene he is shown dead, but he isn't mourned or even mentioned. Am I missing something?

Read More

WHAT THE HELL

done watching!! and WHAT THE HELL li changshou gasted all of my flabber with his schemes and plans, not really a fan of non-romance centric dramas but this drama got me hooked to the core!!! stayed up all night to watch until the final episodes. I loved all the characters (except probably for the problematics), i feel what they feel, clearly conveyed the emotions that they want the audiences to feel

and ofc for the romance subplot, doesn't feel forced imo, they're just in denial of each other but you can actually feel the tension hehe

overall verdict: I LOVE THE DRAMA (also I love the ending, i hope it's the same cast for the 2nd season)

Read More

Tutorials on How to Stay Low-Key by Li Changshou

After the end of the carefully crafted masterpiece "Mystic Nine", Youku decides to drop two bombshells simultaneously, which are none other than "Pull Strings" and "The Early Spring". However, I'm not fond of office rom-com, given my awful experiences of rom-coms over these years, so picking up "Pull Strings" may not necessarily a bad thing. FYI, "Pull Strings" also has its anime version released on Youku with different title, "Big Brother". Let's see my take on "Pull Strings" and here we go...

"Pull Strings" tells the chaotic story of Li Changshou, a terminally ill patient who's been idling away in the hospital by reading his favorite fantasy novel. A little accident causes him to transmigrate into the novel's universe and he has to face the Great Tribulation (I'm sure xuanhuan fans are aware of tribulation - tribulation is defined as a cause of great trouble or suffering, usually by heavenly lightning strikes - and if you can't withstand those strikes, you're potentially doomed for good). To evade from this calamity, Changshou keeps a low profile from the public eye's and becomes a disciple of the Ascendance Sect, specifically entering the most unassuming division in the sect, Jade Division. Changshou's shifu is Qi Yuan, a lovesick yet clumsy old man whose foundation was destroyed early on (by his junior brother Kuai Si). His shifu also yearns to reunite with his past lover, Wan Jiangyu (also killed by Kuai Si due to his unrequited love). However, Changshou's tranquil life is turned upside down when shifu brings a brand-new junior sister for him, Lan Ling'E. Since then, Changshou can only haplessly save the day to ensure the safety of everyone while hiding his true nature. Changshou meets his match, the unruly Fairy Yunxiao, who shares similar passion with him. Together, they create schemes after schemes to save the world from the upcoming calamity. Anyway, the lore is divided into several arcs - ranging from Formation Test of the Ascendance Sect, Dragon Clan's banquet, the discovery of Pregnesis Sword, the history of Bear Island's folks, the Blood Gnat/Westdawn Clan's impromptu ambush, and eventually the showdown at the Dragon Palace, near the Sea-Calming Pillar to be precise.

To be honest, I feel the comedic timing is more amplified compared to the anime's as I didn't feel the humorous side of the story back then. The screenwriter is crafty in amalgamating the dialogue in exhilarating and maudlin atmosphere at the same time. Not many dramas can achieve this equilibrium, as some tend to transform into second hand-embarrassing slapstick comedy, while some become disconnected as the plot turns 180 degrees without proper pacing. I also like the modern jargons and technology used in the drama (we've got washing machine, mobile phone, telescope, mosaic blurring technique, level 1 tsunami warning, mind mapping, spa treatment, photo pose, inhaler, mosquito swatter, and more to go). The supporting characters don't serve as the one-dimensional cardboard, instead they become the catalyst for the main protagonists to show his trump card repeatedly, enhancing the probability of character development without being too obvious. All of them have their respective comedy scenes too, which I savor thoroughly (this is my second-best comedy drama of the year, after "No Pain No Gain"). Meanwhile, harem-thingy is alleviated to escape from the censorship's austere gaze, and I totally appreciate that as I loathe harem trope. But I suppose Changshou is falling hard for Yunxiao without him noticing lol.

On the side note, the drama shifts 180 degrees to angsty tone as it approaches an end. Furthermore, we also get a plot twist about Jin Chan's origin. I have a hunch that he's also a transmigrator (but highly unlikely) like Changshou. He claims that he has faced 4 consecutive Great Tribulation and is the main cause of the deathly catastrophe. The motive behind his vile deed is quite simple, which is to be recognized as a savior by the heaven. However, he was never chosen in his past lives, driving him to become a ruthless cultivator and hunt every 'chosen-one' and obliterate them before they ended the Great Tribulation. Jin Chan masters Time-Space Stasis to stop the movement of time and space as long as he likes. In this stasis, Changshou spends 3600 years to count every single probability of saving the world without sacrificing other people. In the end, he'll combine himself into the Sun Dial and controls the Fate, helping everyone eschewing the Great Tribulation and ensuring peace for the world. Yunxiao, who is possessed by the Demon Emperor, has transformed herself into the new Sea-Calming Pillar, thus sealing the Demon Emperor once again. Nevertheless, she leaves a trace of her soul behind in the form of a strand of hair.

Despite all the pros listed above, the show has its own weakness as well, which refers to the confusing timeline at the end of the show. Moreover, little information is given to explain what truly happens at that era. And doing mental arithmetic to count the years definitely does you no good (if you just watch "Pull Strings" for relaxation).

Once again, Ao Ruipeng proves himself as one of the most versatile actors in C-drama land, able to transition between exuberant and serious character in one fell swoop. His micro-expressions are pretty on point, as I can sense a turmoil of emotion through his body language. I hope he can bring another masterpiece in "My Queen, My Rules" with Shen Yujie. For Sun Zhenni, she's quite decent as the tsundere yet rebellious little fairy - while she indeed has less screentime than Ao Ruipeng, she still shines in her role and becomes Changshou's emotional anchor whenever he's stressed out. In "Pull Strings", Ai Mi doesn't need to face criticisms about her young age or older pairing which prompts people to jump to pedophilia's conclusion. She totally fits Lan Ling'E's bubbly personality and is one of the most loveable girls in this drama. On the other hand, Changshou's potential love interest also includes Youqin Xuanya and Jiu Jiu (played by Zhang Changning and Jenny Zeng respectively). Despite their hidden romance sparks, I kind of feel like they still respect Changshou's wish to be a rational man (a delulu would've forced her way with brute force). Shout out to our little baby dragon Ao Yi (played by Ao Ziyi), our art-fanatic Celestial Emperor aka Hua Ritian (played by Li Zhehao), the Bear Island's gang, the older actors (who portray the elders of the Ascendance Sect), and more.

OSTs are surprisingly pleasant - I particularly like the tracks sung by Dai Quan, Wu Yi, and Bai Jugang (I strongly suspect this track is written by the composer who also made the score of 汇 (Convergence) by YoungG). Sets, backgrounds, and costumes are meticulously crafted, and even the CGI doesn't look that fake (low-budget ones usually have the fakest of the fakest LMAO).

Overall, it's a ten out of ten. If you're burnt out in the real life and want to shut your brain off for a while, "Pull Strings" may be the best antidote for you. Be ready to have the heartiest laugh all the time (I always have to suppress my giggle, or else my mom thinks I'm going insane). That's all for "Pull Strings", good luck and happy watching!!!

P.S.
I can relate with Changshou because I tend to stay rational and cool-headed all the time, having to make three plans ahead of everyone, plus we've got a huge amount of trust issue against other people. Even if we're stressed out, we don't want to look for others' help and still solve the problem on our own. Yes, this may come off as being selfish, egoistic, or individualistic, but trust me - people are hard to trust nowadays (some may even betray or use your trust against you). Only you can save yourself in this 'rat-race' society. One more, I need his spa treatment and washing machine theorem. The breakdance at the party is very fun too.

Read More

Ridiculous, Random, and Impossible to Look Away From

I liked this one. It’s not something I would rewatch in its entirety, but there are definitely clips I would watch again. This wasn’t really a drama I followed for the story, even though, strangely enough, it did have a somewhat deeper angle to its narrative. For me, the real appeal was the antics and extreme absurdism. That’s what I was here for.

There were definitely moments when I wondered if I should just shut it off, but the silliness and ridiculousness somehow made it impossible to look away. I never knew what the script was going to throw at me and that unpredictability was what made it so much fun. Its deadpan delivery and random joke scenarios would catch me completely off guard, and there were times I would practically choke on my own spit because the humor got me that good.

So while this isn’t one of those deep and poignant watches, sometimes it’s fun to watch something that doesn’t take itself too seriously and lets you sit there giggling at the screen. Overall, I enjoyed this one.

Read More

If you like the funny, then 98% chance you'll like it

‒Review‒

For those looking for fast-paced, light-hearted comedy-comedy, this one is a treat. Based off of novel and donghua, This show is Xianxia parody with a clever twist. The ML is overpowered as usual, but rather than going through the vomit-blood-obliterate-enemy cycles, he uses strategy, ploys, and enchantments to achieve his goals in the safest way possible, while keeping a low profile. It's an impressive combination of actuarial skills and a giant, giant bag of tricks. Remember, it's a comedic parody and donghua-derived, so don't be bewildered by the whimsical elements. The first episode can feel like a bunch of people talking a lot and talking fast; I recommend giving it 3-4 episodes for the gags to drop and to see if the humor, characters, and vibes work for you.

What I Liked
✅ Humor and parody setup - mocking the usual tropes; punchlines and gags are fast and unexpected enough to keep things interesting. ARP and the cast has good comedic timing and delivery
✅ Jedi mind tricks - Overpowered ML is boring, but one that bamboozles his opponents by combining tricks and clever ploys is
✅ Character dynamics - with Junior-sis (Aimi), high-god on vacation, Junior Dragon-lord, and several others; there is romance w/ the FL, but it's definitely not the focus
✅ Visuals - Mostly decent and not cheap plastic looking. And what is cheap plastic looking can just be excused as parody.
✅ The story, gasp - It's a comedy-comedy, so not subject to the same demands on the story. Yet, its plot, character, and worldbuilding is actually more consistent than the average Xianxia, which is consistently awful. Also plenty of twists and turns that are not obvious.
✅ Happy ending - ||Big twist in the final arc, and a happy ending that is genuinely surprising and meaningful. Some call it an open-ending, just because it's not fully played out. Sure, while it leaves open the possibility of a second season, it's still a self-contained story with closure. ||

What I didn't like
❌ Sun Zhenni's acting - She's good in evil or grayish roles, but not as goodie characters. For the whole show, she was doing Multiple-Choice-Acting‒in that she turns every scene into a random selection of the same expressions A-B-or-C. Forget about nuance, you'd think she has at least a 33% probability to produce a directionally correct facial expression. But noooo, the answer is always D-none of the above. Her rendition of the zillion year Holy Saintess is just so hollow, so jarring. Only when she got demon-possessed later, did she connect with me. And then I figured it out, Zhenni is just born with that *yao-energy, and that's what she needs to cultivate. [yao is demon/demoness, but not so abhorrently and irredeemably evil as in the Western context.] So when you stuff her into these holy-goodie roles, it's like the whole Xianxia thing of cleansing her spirit and lifeforce, leaving her an sterilized, imprisoned shell. I know it's a better career move for actresses to choose the light, or freely trans-realm between good and evil. And I'm not yao-shaming her, but just saying...

❌ ARP's acting when serious - he's good in comedic roles, I mean he's basically playing himself. But when it comes to emotionally complex or powerful scenes, you get the same problem as Sun Zhenni. Except ARP's face is not as blank and more contortionary, as he's cycling through different expressions to hopefully land on the right answer. But the mad circling often results in selecting both 'D-none of the above' AND 'E-all of the above', and you end up with a facial paradox. When it comes to ARP, only the fake crying is authentic crying.

That said, the acting issues didn't bother too much as they were fleeting and ameliorated with the action and comedy. It's not JoL1 level funny or nearly as deep. But I would put it in the same category as Guardians of Dafeng, and slightly better in some respects. While not as expansive in characters and world as GoTD, Pull Strings deliver a more consistent pacing and humor, and a more manageable number of plot lines. Come with the right expectations, and this can be an enjoyable surprise.

--Category Ratings--
- Overall - 7.5 --> 8.0 MDL
- Plot - 7.5
- Theme / Concept / Impact - 8
- Acting - 7.0
- Visuals - 7.5
- Audio / Music - 7.5
- Rewatch - 7.5
- Cultural/Topical Accessibility - 7.5
- Subtitle quality - 8.5

Read More

Such a fun ride!!!

I really didn't expect anything big from this show, but that's okay because it never promised that. Everyone involved in making this wanted you to have a good time ... and I really, really did. It was so much fun.

The comedy ranges from goofy to witty. There's a comedy scene in the later episodes that involves seamlessly tying together multiple plot lines, and it's executed so brilliantly that I never saw it coming. The show may be silly, but the writing is quite clever. And the acting delivers, especially from Ao Ruipeng and Aimi.

Unfortunately, the comedy disappears rather suddenly to make way for the 'true' storyline. At this point, a big part of your enjoyment depends on how invested you've become in the characters. Lots of people who dropped this show say they got bored from episode 20 onwards, which totally makes sense because the tone shifts suddenly and a new storyline emerges. Before you know it, you find yourself in yet another generic xianxia. And the last few episodes pull yet another sudden tonal shift, becoming a mind-bending story that breaks time and space. At this point I personally was checked out and gave up on trying to make sense of the plot, so I have no idea if the show's internal logic even holds up to scrutiny.

Suffice it to say that if it had started with the same storyline that it ended with, I would not have kept going. But the first two-thirds are so much freaking fun. This one is going on the rewatch list for sure.

Oh, and it ends with an ensemble musical number. Just fun all around!!

Read More

My 1st Ao Rui Peng show and I love it!

It's been a while since I had such a great time watching C-drama. Some might find it a bit goofy and not that funny based on first few episodes, but it does get so much funnier over time. There are cases where jokes are lost in translation simply because it only makes sense if you understand the language as it's playing with words. That said, I had a great laugh, at least for 1st half before the plot gets more serious. I also love how it doesn't focus on romance, so we can focus on just one main plot.

One of rare dramas where all the female leads are actually lovable, (not princess tantrum throwing or damsel in distress). I especially love Jiu Jiu character.

Then...comes the ending, not my favorite, yet reality hits me..."It's C-drama, a period drama at that, what did u expect?" Typical trope where sacrifice is seen as great virtue. That aside, I enjoy this drama a lot. Again, it's something I went through each time with C period drama and still find myself watching them 😂

Read More

the funniest cdrama i’ve ever watched

Okay so, I started watching this drama completely spontaneously. recently all i’ve been watching are emotionally heavy melodramas and i wanted something lighthearted and fun and i came across this one, i always wanted to watch ao rui peng’s drama so when i heard about pull strings i instantly got interested.

Let me just say i love how unserious this drama was ( at the beginning at least) even tho eventually things got escalated it still kept that unserious and funny feeling which is exactly what i wanted. This drama had BEAUTIFUL connections and relationships though family, friends and love interest i really felt their love.

So even tho this is not my typical pick for a cdrama AT ALL, i loved absolutely every second of it.

I will also continue to watch au rui pengs dramas because i really am fond of him.

Read More

Just not my cup of tea.

This felt more like a stage play (live theatrical performance). It had very few locations/set pieces, and they were very cheap, obviously fake. It was boring. There was no substance, no deep connections, and I had to watch a lot of this at 2X speed. This show is what it is; it was a slapstick comedy with very little substance. If that is what you like, then this is the show for you. If not, watch it out of curiosity, but you may come out a little disappointed.

Cast ... They acted very over the top (I am assuming this was just the style of show).
Characters ... Absolutely no depth and I felt nothing and had no connection with any of them. Little to no romance/chemistry.
OST ... It was obscure, I can't even remember.
Set design/quality of props etc. ... Poor, very, very poor.
CGI ... So bad it was funny.
Storyline ... This show was so poorly written that the story was secondary to the actors. This is something I very rarely come across which made it hard to enjoy.

Read More