Embrace in the Dark Night (2024)

Short and sweet for that "cold winter"(Insert wink emoji)

I normally dont watch short dramas,which are becoming increasing in the world of dramas..Due to the fact that they are low budget and often a times the quality of everything is wanting so am always skipping no matter how the edits good are the on tiktok or IG.But Embrace in the dark night hit different,If you ignore the storyline and the old martial art Hong Kong like plot,you will enjoy it,especially when you find the full version on youtube wich is 5 hrs,you dont have to keep playing next after every 15 min.
The editors did a great job that you eager to know what happens next.
The actors,the main lead especially carried the whole show on his very sexy shoulders,He was extremely good that i started looking at his other projects.Needless to say that he is young so within the next 10 years he will be a force to reckon with.
The chemistry from the ML will keep your feet kicking,while you cling to your pillows,just WOW.
I understand that CP does not censor short dramas so this is a paradise for directors and writers wanting to push the envelope...and boy did the director allow the ML to get out of the whole postal office..Read many many kissing scenes including the famous French kiss,the first in the Cdrama history
The OST was suprisingly amazing and most of the songs are in engish so this part was really satisfying.
Overall,If you are looking for a quickie,medium action,hot romance and over the roof chemistry without caring for the plotline..This is for you

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A story that teases, anticipates and creates excitement

The leads have super chemistry, we have a ML who is handsome marksman with intellegence who is also a flirty daredevil .He loves to challenge death. Contrary , we have a petite, vulnerable innocent FL who is very intelligent. The ML brings out her daring nature but shes too shy to take her dares through. The flirtations between these couple is like no other. We begin the show with The ML rescuing the FL in a foreign country, instant sparks flew between them. When their ordeal was over,( a few kisses and near death experiences), the FL demanaded a discount for her rescue, so as payment she teams up with the ML in a few gigs. They shared a few heists and as they draw closer to each other their risks became complex. Go figure! I believe their team spirit broke when the ML found the FL pretense seduction of another man distasteful. So they parted ways , the FL returned to China and the ML promising to look for her when he returns . They lost contact and then found each other after 3 years.

The FL assumes the identity of her twin sister ,who apparantly died from a car accident. Both leads end up working in the same company. The FL initially pretends to not know the ML; however , with his persistence and his unquenchable desire, the FL finally surrender. There were some misundertandings cause the couple to breakup . However the show does answer the questions and unsloved mysteries got resolved. couple gets back together and we get a happy ending.

However there is a hint of a season 2 ,there was a tinge of who contacted the couple in the end.

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Little gem of action & sensuality

A short format series (24 x 15" + some "Specials") with a very hot Jesse Ren as ML.

PLOT: The FL is kidnapped at the border by a gang and the ML (elite security consultant) comes to save her. The circumstances (struggle to survive) created a strong bond for both of them. 3 years later, they meet again, working in the same Cie, where the FL is investigating the death of her twin and for him, the bankruptcy of his father.

+++ A hell of chemistry in this CL 癶(癶✺౪✺)癶
+++ Steady pace
+++ Excellent action scenes, but also a lot of sensuality
+++ Perfect OSTs to enhance the atmosphere
+++ The “behind the scenes” are welcome, because we have difficulty leaving this couple.

### Some inconsistencies & plotholes & cliches in the storyline, but it works well.

=> I loved this series and I would love to have a season 2 with that couple !!
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Petit bijou d'action & sensualité dans un format court (24 X 15" + qq "Specials") avec un Jesse Ren très hot en ML.

PLOT: La FL est enlevée à la frontière par un gang et le ML (consultant en sécurité d'élite) vient la sauver. Les circonstances (lutte pr survivre) leur créée un lien fort. 3 ans + tard, ils se retrouvent ds la mm Cie, qd la FL enquête sur la mort de sa jumelle et lui, sur celle de son père.

+++ Une alchimie d'enfer dans ce CL 癶(癶✺౪✺ )癶
+++ Rythme soutenu
+++ Excellentes scènes d'action, mais aussi bcp de sensualité
+++ OST parfaites pour sublimer l'ambiance
+++ Les "behind the scenes" sont bienvenues, car on a du mal à quitter ce couple.

### Qq incohérences & plotholes ds la storyline, mais ça passe bien.

=> J'ai adoré cette série et j'aimerai bien avoir une saison 2 !!

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Stilted is best word to describe this mini drama

I watched this minidrama after heavy promotion on Youtube especially that bold trailer. If someone asks me to describe this drama in one word, I'd say 'stilted' is apt. Stilted acting, stilted character growth, stilted romance, stilted plot.

What I liked:
1) Qiao Fei characterisation - She is one of two characters that I like in this mini drama. Despite having less screen time, actress Zhang Ya Meng managed to give life to what could be a 2-dimensional character. I like her take charge nature, which is contrast to Female Lead Wen Xi.
2) Ren characterisation - He is the other character that I like in this mini drama, ever since his first appearance in the women's boutique. He is resourceful assistant to Male Lead Zhe Qing but he is his own person.
3) Qiao Fei - Ren romance - I prefer their romance to Zhe Qing-Wen Xi romance. Better chemistry & execution of their love story. It's cute that Ren felt challenged by Qiao Fei's remark of not dating younger men.

What I disliked:
1) Wen Xi characterisation - Gosh another damsel in distress. It's good that she came out of the "helpless girl shell" after her sister's accident. However her way of solving her sister's accident wasn't smart. She should have partnered up or "used" Zhe Qing.
2) Zhe Qing-Wen Xi romance - Gosh I cannot stand the manhandling! Some may find Zhe Qin's aggressiveness as hot but to me, it's just wrong. His moves were unnatural and stiff to the point of assault. Even most of kissing scenes were hard to watch because there were too much push factor rather than pull factor in their dynamics. Wen Xi never seemed to enjoy kissing.
3) Plot - just messy. I don't understand why Wen Xi was kidnapped in the first place. She was a nobody. Wen Hao's situations (being a whistleblower and having a secret romance) made this drama interesting but they became lost momentum once Wen Xi's romance developed and the villain had more screen time.

Favourite scene
When Wen Xi was drunk and Zhe Qing wanted to confirm her identity. What a smart way to validate your suspicion!

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Started with a bang and ended with explosion and confusion

PLEASE DONT BELIEVE THOSE 9.0 reviews! this drama is horrible! started interesting but slowly got abusive and manipulative.

1) the female lead is plain dumb! She tries come up with her own plans thinking they will work and doesnt consider danger as an issue , like she is naive in a lot of situations . She probably one of the dumbest female leads also getting manipulated the male lead.
2) The male lead fail to communicate and trust the female lead, like if he has just told the female lead maybe they could og work together.. It was the male lead bailing the female lead ass' every single time! Also he is very controlling a bit too sensual?
3) The bad guy is played pretty well where you hate him. He was abusived by his father which made him turn into a two face person .Like seemingly innocent but also a psychopath

The only good thing was the steamy romance but too much and always forced feels a little to much .

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The story is nonsensical, but the leads' chemistry makes up for it

The problem here is that this is a super low budget drama, and therefore the plot is rushed and weird. However, the leads' chemistry is so good that it oddly makes up for the bare bones production and story. It's like an AI wrote a script with the primary objective being to put the leads in as many tropey, contrived situations as possible. And then the actors were so good and had so much chemistry, it made the astonishingly bad script almost passable.

If you ignore the story and production values, it's watchable. I hope the ML and FL actors get bigger (better) dramas because of this one.

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Le nanar romantique de l'été...

Prendre de l'eau dans la bouche et faire boire son/sa partenaire, c'est aussi dégoûtant que de partager une brosse à dents. Il faut vraiment arrêter avec ça ! Maintenant que c'est dit…

Il ne faut pas attendre grand chose d’un drama typique de l’été qui a pour unique intérêt de mettre en scène des personnages stylés, tout en faisant l’impasse sur la logique. Le scénario est un prétexte au rapprochement physique. C’est un drame de l’été dans les règles de l’art, peut-être même un peu plus. Les coutures de l’intrigue ont lâché avant même qu’on ait tiré dessus pour tester la solidité. Et si l’histoire n’est pas folichonne, les personnages non plus.

Wen Xi est d’une stupidité aberrante. Elle est le stéréotype de la demoiselle en détresse qui attire les ennuis par le simple fait de respirer. Bien sûr, elle enchaîne connerie sur connerie et ne remet jamais ses plans (foireux) en question. Après tout, ML est toujours prêt à voler à sa rescousse. C’est la première fois que je vois Fang Jin. Aucun doute sur le fait qu’elle est ravissante, mais elle manque cruellement d’expressions et de gestuelle.

Face à elle, le porteur désigné, Xu Zhe Qing. Un homme d’action possessif avec des bras d’acier. Le personnage est l’archétype du beau mec qui n’a pas froid aux yeux pour sauver sa belle. C’est une caricature assumée, et c’est sûrement ce qui le rend intéressant d’une certaine façon, parfois même ringard. Ren Yun Jie semble à l’aise, cela dit son jeu manque un peu de charme.

Comme dit plus haut, l’histoire est un fourre-tout. Tout est fait pour rapprocher les personnages, même lorsque leur vie est menacée. Pendant mon visionnage, j’ai eu l’impression que les scénaristes essayaient de rendre le couple « instagrammable » en les mettant en scène de façon à correspondre aux tendances couple des réseaux sociaux. C’est une idée intéressante. Embrace in the Dark Night se prête parfaitement aux formats des réseaux sociaux. D’ailleurs, le couple connaît une importante différence de taille (1m87 contre 1m60/65). Beaucoup d’acteurs chinois peinent à trouver des rôles en raison de leur taille. Et si, personnellement, je suis friande des petites différences, ici, j’avais seulement de la compassion pour eux.

Quoiqu’il en soit, toutes les cases (ou presque) du nanar sont cochées. Je ne vais pas m’en plaindre, parce que j’aime vraiment les nanars (de monstres), mais la romance est un nouveau cap. En soit, je n’ai pas débuté ce drame pour son histoire ou ses personnages. Pour moi il est amusant à regarder même si la cohérence n’a jamais prit racine. Autant se tourner vers My Lethal Man qui connaît une meilleure intrigue ainsi qu’une romance plus réaliste et brûlante (et puis, le regard de feu de Fan Zhi Xin est un sacré argument).

En bref, Embrace in the Dark Night n’est pas un drame que je recommande, pourtant, je ne peux pas cacher que son côté nanardesque m’a tiré plus d’un rire. Son scénario est jonché d’incohérences, son action persistante est ridicule (la scène des freins coupés est épique) et les personnages sont des clichés horribles. Pourtant, c'est un nanar qui obtient presque la moyenne, parce qu'il faut bien l'avouer, j'ai (beaucoup) ri.

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In una parola... Sconclusionato

Serie un po' assurda, nel senso che la trama non la si può definire nemmeno inverosimile. Investimento su coerenza, credibilità e senso logico pari a zero. Abbiamo un protagonista sicuramente affascinante e calato nel ruolo del giovane freddo e impavido e una fanciulla esteticamente graziosa e poco altro (il personaggio probabilmente non voleva essere insipido e fastidioso, ma è così che risulta per tutta la durata della serie). Una sfilza di scene romantico-provocatorie, sature di cliché ripetuti come cadute all'indietro sul divano, placcaggi al muro, agguati vari (perchè più che un corteggiamento è questo che sembra) che possono soddisfare gli occhi a cuoricino di chi cerca un romance con scene in parte appassionate (dico in parte, perchè la chimica può esserci anche in una scena non esplicita, paradossalmente senza nemmeno un contatto fisico...e, soprattutto, vale anche il contrario, ovvero scene d'amore che non trasmettono alcunché). Questo, sostanzialmente, quanto messo sul piatto. La storia - se così possiamo chiamarla - viene ricamata di conseguenza, dando vita a una trama allucinante che deve forzatamente portare alle scene prefissate. Ci sono innumerevoli situazioni e momenti - ma proprio innumerevoli - dove le possibili opzioni di azione e reazione sono molteplici, alcune anche di semplice buonsenso, che non vengono minimamente prese in considerazione, forzando la sceneggiatura a un'evoluzione davvero artificiosa e cieca. Non c'è trama, e soprattutto non c'è logica. Giusto molte scene tra i due, che alla lunga sembrano davvero tutte uguali e che possono essere valutate solo per quelle che sono: singole scene, non certo una serie. Visione che si può saltare senza tentennamenti.

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