This review may contain spoilers
Deadpan male lead & Female centric stories left me feeling "jaded"
If you are here for the male lead, he gets alot of screen time, but don't expect him to be the physically protecting type as the female lead will frequently obstruct his view or cover his face to keep him from seeing something grisly or violent in order to protect his delicate sensibilities.
So romance ? Well, this is about mutual respect & problem solving with the leads giving each other meaningful looks & preference rather than lingering warm fuzzies. So be warned: the romance is tepid at best & they dole out the warm fuzzy moments sparingly .(But yes there is a "happy" ending for the leads.
Do expect : ALOT (no kidding), Alot of suicide as many mysteries had a good bit of crazy/Looney people in them.
Also: people seemed to be coughing & spitting up blood with an alarming frequency (I thought it was a right before you die thing, but apparently it's not, at least in this drama) .
By episode 16
it started to feel draggy as the majority of the "mysteries' revolve around how powerless & abused women were in this era.
At this point the drama seemed to be at a point where they'd be able to tie up loose ends within an episode or two. With so many more episodes left I had high hopes that it would eventually become less a drama about how sadly downtrodden women were, but, No, it continued on with the majority of men being villains, idiots, power abusers, useless, inferior & totally unnecessary to women.
So far the mysteries have been diverting, but not enough to keep you awake if you are sleepy & 1/2 through an episode . There is a tendency to draw out the mystery past being interesting just so it fits the episode time.
The leads are attractive but both are stuck in a character that aren't given much variety in what they do.
By Episode 20
the amount of episodes specifically about women' "sob stories" were making me disinterested. The drama sometimes excused the wrong doings of women due to them being abused or oppressed in some way.- so "justice" was not very balanced all the time.
Since the start they have driven home the fact that women in this era are unequal & down trodden. {yeah, we Know, it's kinda "built" into the genre!} But, the drama is bloated with the issue & it became a bit "loud". I just wanted to move on & not have to have them try to wring out every last bit of sympathy from me. This is yet another strong female centric drama where she's the champion with special privileges & the male lead is basically in awe of her audacity,(& of course her looks.) He's the romantic, she's pragmatic. The trait that endears him to the female lead is his ; "what ever you want I defer to you" attitude. Afterall, he does not fight. He uses his mind. That said, his cleverness IS part of his charm AND the female lead IS a champion for ALL underprivileged ,(not just the female ones). Still, with so many episodes left and it NOT being a romance (in the traditional sense), would there be more variety in whom/what the mysteries revolved around ?
Answer: not really
By the time the drama ended I was slightly gratified at how all the mysteries were tied together ,but mostly I was feeling jaded . It felt like the female lead begrudgingly gave into the male lead out of lack of purpose/direction .What could be more romantic that saying "yes" just because you're activist with no cause to champion so yeah, you have free time on your hands. Not being the kind of woman that embraces domesticity, nor being a nurturing sort- we realize that the male lead IS after all an idiot for pursuing her :P
Are the kisses warm fuzzy inducing ? well let's just say that the closeups of them are not as great as the pan back of them.
This could have been a much more satisfying drama if it hadn't insisted on making the female lead so hyper focused on her job & her own vendetta at the expense of every relationship she has. It's ridiculous how she struts around as if she were the ruler of the realm. Further more, it is inconceivable that the king, the male lead & her subordinates are in constant awe of her-acquiescing/deferring to her at every turn. She will rant at the male lead EVEN right after a romantic moment. She will blame the male lead for not doing enough & not knowing more concerning things that are obviously beyond his powers to control or know. She's not just a strong capable women with an ax to grind, she's a stubborn insufferable bore,(Who, against all odds & lacking in self preservation, DOES get her happy ending -which we all know will last only until she gets bored or finds the next cause to champion.
Chinese dramas infused with feminism may be trendy but the industry is in danger of losing viewers as the reason many viewers show up is to experience something other than what they can already get thier our own culture.
Length of drama :
The last episodes are time waster/filler & very tedious.
OST: the music is sometimes so loud it masks the dialogue
So romance ? Well, this is about mutual respect & problem solving with the leads giving each other meaningful looks & preference rather than lingering warm fuzzies. So be warned: the romance is tepid at best & they dole out the warm fuzzy moments sparingly .(But yes there is a "happy" ending for the leads.
Do expect : ALOT (no kidding), Alot of suicide as many mysteries had a good bit of crazy/Looney people in them.
Also: people seemed to be coughing & spitting up blood with an alarming frequency (I thought it was a right before you die thing, but apparently it's not, at least in this drama) .
By episode 16
it started to feel draggy as the majority of the "mysteries' revolve around how powerless & abused women were in this era.
At this point the drama seemed to be at a point where they'd be able to tie up loose ends within an episode or two. With so many more episodes left I had high hopes that it would eventually become less a drama about how sadly downtrodden women were, but, No, it continued on with the majority of men being villains, idiots, power abusers, useless, inferior & totally unnecessary to women.
So far the mysteries have been diverting, but not enough to keep you awake if you are sleepy & 1/2 through an episode . There is a tendency to draw out the mystery past being interesting just so it fits the episode time.
The leads are attractive but both are stuck in a character that aren't given much variety in what they do.
By Episode 20
the amount of episodes specifically about women' "sob stories" were making me disinterested. The drama sometimes excused the wrong doings of women due to them being abused or oppressed in some way.- so "justice" was not very balanced all the time.
Since the start they have driven home the fact that women in this era are unequal & down trodden. {yeah, we Know, it's kinda "built" into the genre!} But, the drama is bloated with the issue & it became a bit "loud". I just wanted to move on & not have to have them try to wring out every last bit of sympathy from me. This is yet another strong female centric drama where she's the champion with special privileges & the male lead is basically in awe of her audacity,(& of course her looks.) He's the romantic, she's pragmatic. The trait that endears him to the female lead is his ; "what ever you want I defer to you" attitude. Afterall, he does not fight. He uses his mind. That said, his cleverness IS part of his charm AND the female lead IS a champion for ALL underprivileged ,(not just the female ones). Still, with so many episodes left and it NOT being a romance (in the traditional sense), would there be more variety in whom/what the mysteries revolved around ?
Answer: not really
By the time the drama ended I was slightly gratified at how all the mysteries were tied together ,but mostly I was feeling jaded . It felt like the female lead begrudgingly gave into the male lead out of lack of purpose/direction .What could be more romantic that saying "yes" just because you're activist with no cause to champion so yeah, you have free time on your hands. Not being the kind of woman that embraces domesticity, nor being a nurturing sort- we realize that the male lead IS after all an idiot for pursuing her :P
Are the kisses warm fuzzy inducing ? well let's just say that the closeups of them are not as great as the pan back of them.
This could have been a much more satisfying drama if it hadn't insisted on making the female lead so hyper focused on her job & her own vendetta at the expense of every relationship she has. It's ridiculous how she struts around as if she were the ruler of the realm. Further more, it is inconceivable that the king, the male lead & her subordinates are in constant awe of her-acquiescing/deferring to her at every turn. She will rant at the male lead EVEN right after a romantic moment. She will blame the male lead for not doing enough & not knowing more concerning things that are obviously beyond his powers to control or know. She's not just a strong capable women with an ax to grind, she's a stubborn insufferable bore,(Who, against all odds & lacking in self preservation, DOES get her happy ending -which we all know will last only until she gets bored or finds the next cause to champion.
Chinese dramas infused with feminism may be trendy but the industry is in danger of losing viewers as the reason many viewers show up is to experience something other than what they can already get thier our own culture.
Length of drama :
The last episodes are time waster/filler & very tedious.
OST: the music is sometimes so loud it masks the dialogue
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