K-Drama 
Couldn't bear to continue
Being a big fan of Zhang Linghe and after looking forward to this for months, I finally managed to grab episode 1 on YouTube - in the days before I had subscriptions :-)
Oh boy, what a disappointment. A lot of people have commented on the AI-generated titles and the use of CGI, but honestly I did not even notice that; what irritated me beyond belief from the moment it started was that awful, melancholic music that went on in the background relentlessly, regardless of what was happening in the action; the terrible, unnatural dialogue... And then there were the 'creative' visual choices. Why did we have to see the actors doing things through a bead curtain? Or a glass? Or reflected on a polished surface? Or their feet only? Was the director on mescaline?
The script was badly written. Everyone except Murong Qing Yi and his brother Yu were inexplicably awful. Qing Yi himself seemed liked the worst kind of scapegoat-come-whipping boy still trying to somehow ingratiate himself with the family from hell, and it seemed that the abuse he suffered as a child, for no real reason I could discern, just kept on coming. I found some of the scenes either ridiculous or cringeworthy, and it was really hard to take it seriously; yet at the same time there was nothing to laugh at because it was about as far from a feel-good show as you can get.
The dumb older sister Jin Rui was included, I suspect, to bring a bit of light relief to the production, but instead of the warm, funny antics of Jolin Jin when she played Gong Zishang in My Journey to You, Murong Jin Rui came across as a brainless, whining, selfish twit with all the appeal of a rotting banana.
Full disclosure: I am not a fan of Wang Churan. But I feel that this drama did her a disservice as I am sure she is capable of much better work. Her character seemed selfish, manipulative, secretive in the worst possible way, and insincere. She seemed to have no redeeming qualities whatsoever and yet still Qing Yi pursues her like a lovesick teenager.
Zhang Linghe... sigh. Gorgeous, emotionally intense, with powerful expressions and incredible presence as always; but even he could not make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. I managed five episodes but it was so depressing and awful to watch that I've filled in the gaps with spoilers and video clips, none of which fill me with the impulse to return to this show. Onward and upward, Ling'er. I've drawn a line under this one and am now waiting (im)patiently for The Road to Glory and Ci Tang. ❤️
Oh boy, what a disappointment. A lot of people have commented on the AI-generated titles and the use of CGI, but honestly I did not even notice that; what irritated me beyond belief from the moment it started was that awful, melancholic music that went on in the background relentlessly, regardless of what was happening in the action; the terrible, unnatural dialogue... And then there were the 'creative' visual choices. Why did we have to see the actors doing things through a bead curtain? Or a glass? Or reflected on a polished surface? Or their feet only? Was the director on mescaline?
The script was badly written. Everyone except Murong Qing Yi and his brother Yu were inexplicably awful. Qing Yi himself seemed liked the worst kind of scapegoat-come-whipping boy still trying to somehow ingratiate himself with the family from hell, and it seemed that the abuse he suffered as a child, for no real reason I could discern, just kept on coming. I found some of the scenes either ridiculous or cringeworthy, and it was really hard to take it seriously; yet at the same time there was nothing to laugh at because it was about as far from a feel-good show as you can get.
The dumb older sister Jin Rui was included, I suspect, to bring a bit of light relief to the production, but instead of the warm, funny antics of Jolin Jin when she played Gong Zishang in My Journey to You, Murong Jin Rui came across as a brainless, whining, selfish twit with all the appeal of a rotting banana.
Full disclosure: I am not a fan of Wang Churan. But I feel that this drama did her a disservice as I am sure she is capable of much better work. Her character seemed selfish, manipulative, secretive in the worst possible way, and insincere. She seemed to have no redeeming qualities whatsoever and yet still Qing Yi pursues her like a lovesick teenager.
Zhang Linghe... sigh. Gorgeous, emotionally intense, with powerful expressions and incredible presence as always; but even he could not make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. I managed five episodes but it was so depressing and awful to watch that I've filled in the gaps with spoilers and video clips, none of which fill me with the impulse to return to this show. Onward and upward, Ling'er. I've drawn a line under this one and am now waiting (im)patiently for The Road to Glory and Ci Tang. ❤️
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