I agree with you. It is actually better than a lot of c dramas. It is also fun to watch.v
Agree with you both. I actually enjoyed the depiction of Dee Ren Jie here, although more sombre compared to the usually more glamorous portrayal in the movies.
I also thought that this was one of Allen's finer performance as an actor. There's a lot of depth and authenticity in his demeanour throughout.
I feel like this drama should be renamed, "The Accidental Hero" or "Heroes - A series of Unfortunate Events". Lol
Sometimes I feel unsure of whether to admire his heroic resolve or to empathise with his predicament. Every single situation (so far, I'm in episode 12) that our hero finds himself in is not of his own making. He's either framed, tricked or just being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying this show. But I don't think I've ever witnessed anyone as unlucky so far in a drama :O
Just started watching a part of ep 1 to get a feel for the show, now that all the english subs are released (wanted to watch earlier but only raw eps were available then).
Really starts off with a bang - dramatic scenes and frenzied fighting. All this amidst a sombre colour palette that evokes memories of classic HK filmmaking.
This appears to be the kind of drama that demands your undivided focus and attention, otherwise the subtle meanings of the dialogues and flurry of details might just get lost on you.
Looks good so far but based on most of the earlier comments, seems like this show doesn't end well. So not sure if I'm willing to invest into this.... hmmmm
Dropping dramas is something I've only started doing in recent years.
I think the reason for this is because of the accessibility to so many choices of dramas to watch these days. Probably in the past, due to limitations then, dropping dramas wasn't really an option given the lack of alternatives to follow. Now, in addition to countless dramas being produced, there are multiple platforms for watching them.
So what makes me drop dramas? The first major criteria - if I happen to find out the ending is going to be devastatingly sad and tragic (or perhaps not even at the ending but along the way), I would immediately stop to save myself the heartbreak.
Second criteria - if the first couple of episodes do not hook me in, then off it goes to the dropped list too. No regrets and no angst either.
Probably the hardest ones to drop are those that started with a bang but somehow tailed off in the middle - this falls under the third criteria where I ask myself if this is worth investing my time further.
Interesting point to note is that even putting dramas on hold is in a way the first step towards dropping them. That's me anyway :)
Keep up the good work and hope to read more of your articles in future!
Beautifully written article and I do share your sentiments. Thank you for sharing :)
I absolutely adore period dramas, whether historical or fictional, mixed with wuxia or mystery or just court intrigue and politics. This is one phase I'm never going to get over lol
I have watched some from the list you mentioned, such as Six Flying Dragons, Mr Sunshine, Warrior Baek Dong Soo and The Untamed. And there's a bunch of others that I've managed to catch up on along the way.
For me, the main distinguishing factor with watching historical as opposed to modern dramas is that you are immediately taken to a completely different world (dimension?) when you watch them. The lavish sets, beautiful costumes, gorgeous cinematography and radically different societal norms. Even the classical form of language used is utterly fascinating.
Another distinguishing factor, and this is largely applicable to C-dramas, is the length of the drama. They are usually long! I guess in a way that is a challenge for the scriptwriters and directors to sustain the pacing in the drama and, ultimately, to maintain viewer interest.
Personally I'm fine with the length, in fact if it happens to be really good, I wish it'd never end :D
My favs? Too many to recall but I certainly enjoyed Nirvana in Fire and Six Flying Dragons. The Royal Gambler and the currently airing Song of Glory gets an honourable mention too :)
I'm a big fan of Bai Lu ever since watching her in The Legends last year, so your article came at the right time.
Apart from that, I made sure to catch her performance in Arsenal. I haven't yet finished the show (just started in fact) but I saw enough of the same quality in her acting and persona.
She is the type of actress who is meant to lead a cast, either as the main lead or FL. She projects a certain kind of charisma and aura that not many actresses possess. Truthfully I haven't seen her in modern settings but I think so far she has been perfectly cast in wuxia and fantasy genres. Hope to see more of her in upcoming projects and there sure are many from the looks of it.
I really enjoyed reading the article. Please keep it up and keep them coming :)
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This role seems to be made just for NGM. Or perhaps the other way round.
Either way, this drama has been a pleasure to behold.
I also thought that this was one of Allen's finer performance as an actor. There's a lot of depth and authenticity in his demeanour throughout.
Sometimes I feel unsure of whether to admire his heroic resolve or to empathise with his predicament. Every single situation (so far, I'm in episode 12) that our hero finds himself in is not of his own making. He's either framed, tricked or just being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying this show. But I don't think I've ever witnessed anyone as unlucky so far in a drama :O
Really starts off with a bang - dramatic scenes and frenzied fighting. All this amidst a sombre colour palette that evokes memories of classic HK filmmaking.
This appears to be the kind of drama that demands your undivided focus and attention, otherwise the subtle meanings of the dialogues and flurry of details might just get lost on you.
Looks good so far but based on most of the earlier comments, seems like this show doesn't end well. So not sure if I'm willing to invest into this.... hmmmm
Let's enjoy together and spread the happiness, which is what this drama really is about in the first place :)
Honestly, I can't find a single fault with this show.
It's too good!
The production values are really high and loving it so far. Amazing drama!
Actually come to think of it, maybe at certain angles, a more puffy version.
He's rather fun to watch :D
If you like action and martial arts, give it a try :)
This almost reminds me of Rookie Historian.
I'm really gonna enjoy this :)
Hope the portrayal does justice to real life events.
Dropping dramas is something I've only started doing in recent years.
I think the reason for this is because of the accessibility to so many choices of dramas to watch these days. Probably in the past, due to limitations then, dropping dramas wasn't really an option given the lack of alternatives to follow. Now, in addition to countless dramas being produced, there are multiple platforms for watching them.
So what makes me drop dramas? The first major criteria - if I happen to find out the ending is going to be devastatingly sad and tragic (or perhaps not even at the ending but along the way), I would immediately stop to save myself the heartbreak.
Second criteria - if the first couple of episodes do not hook me in, then off it goes to the dropped list too. No regrets and no angst either.
Probably the hardest ones to drop are those that started with a bang but somehow tailed off in the middle - this falls under the third criteria where I ask myself if this is worth investing my time further.
Interesting point to note is that even putting dramas on hold is in a way the first step towards dropping them. That's me anyway :)
Keep up the good work and hope to read more of your articles in future!
I absolutely adore period dramas, whether historical or fictional, mixed with wuxia or mystery or just court intrigue and politics. This is one phase I'm never going to get over lol
I have watched some from the list you mentioned, such as Six Flying Dragons, Mr Sunshine, Warrior Baek Dong Soo and The Untamed. And there's a bunch of others that I've managed to catch up on along the way.
For me, the main distinguishing factor with watching historical as opposed to modern dramas is that you are immediately taken to a completely different world (dimension?) when you watch them. The lavish sets, beautiful costumes, gorgeous cinematography and radically different societal norms. Even the classical form of language used is utterly fascinating.
Another distinguishing factor, and this is largely applicable to C-dramas, is the length of the drama. They are usually long! I guess in a way that is a challenge for the scriptwriters and directors to sustain the pacing in the drama and, ultimately, to maintain viewer interest.
Personally I'm fine with the length, in fact if it happens to be really good, I wish it'd never end :D
My favs? Too many to recall but I certainly enjoyed Nirvana in Fire and Six Flying Dragons. The Royal Gambler and the currently airing Song of Glory gets an honourable mention too :)
I'm a big fan of Bai Lu ever since watching her in The Legends last year, so your article came at the right time.
Apart from that, I made sure to catch her performance in Arsenal. I haven't yet finished the show (just started in fact) but I saw enough of the same quality in her acting and persona.
She is the type of actress who is meant to lead a cast, either as the main lead or FL. She projects a certain kind of charisma and aura that not many actresses possess. Truthfully I haven't seen her in modern settings but I think so far she has been perfectly cast in wuxia and fantasy genres. Hope to see more of her in upcoming projects and there sure are many from the looks of it.
I really enjoyed reading the article. Please keep it up and keep them coming :)