Mediocre story but good acting from the cast. To me it is more of brotherhood story than romance
The Youth Memories is A melodrama in the 70s with a group of high school friends. Xiao Chun Sheng and his two buddies Ye Guo Hua and Chen Hong Jun, are children of military families and government workers who grew up in the same courtyard. They share many experiences, like joining the army, taking the gaokao, going out to sea, and starting a business while supporting each other the entire way. They also meet Tong Xiao Mei, a Beijing girl pursuing her dream of becoming a doctor. This is an inspirational story of the growth and transformation of ordinary people during the 1970s reform era in China as the country was opening up to the world.To me, this drama is about brotherhood, where the focus is on the male characters, especially Chúng Sheng, and his relationship with others. The acting of the entire ensemble is good, especially Xiao Zhan, the ML of this drama.
I feel bad for Li Qin, the FL of this drama, but she has less screen time in the first almost 20 episodes than the supporting actress who played Chúng Sheng's first girlfriend. Her character didn't show up much until halfway through the drama. In addition, there are no romantic scenes between the two leads, which is disappointing.
I enjoyed the drama overall but didn't like the script much. I give it a 7.5 rating.
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Excellent crime drama that left me on the edge of my seat. Highly Recommended
Drifting Away is a crime drama and part of iQiYi short series, and they did a great job. I have not seen any crime drama out of China that left me on the edge of my seat. It was brutal and scary about a gang who kidnapped, mutilated, and killed people, especially prostitutes.I like it a lot. It had good acting, a good script, and good production quality.
Synopsis: In an ordinary residential building, a tragedy of mutilation occurred. Even experienced criminal police captain Peng Zhao Lin couldn't help but feel horrified when he saw this scene. What he couldn't forgive himself was that he once passed the criminal suspect Deng Li Gang in the corridor. Deng Li Gang and others traveled across the country to commit crimes, specializing in kidnapping, extorting, and killing "nightclub girls." The task force traveled to many provinces to hunt down the murderer but failed. The criminal gang suddenly disappeared. They launder their identities illegally and live a peaceful, contented life. However, Peng Zhao Lin often wakes up from nightmares. The girl was like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, her miserable cries lingering in his ears. A piece of inconspicuous information pried open a long-standing unsolved case, and Peng Zhao Lin embarked on a thousand-mile journey to find the murderer.
My Reviews:
1. Acting: 7.5
2, Script: 8
3, Music/OST: 7
4, Production Quality: 8
5. Cinematography: 8
6. Rewatchable: 8
Overall Rating: 8
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It was great to learn how it was all started for 鄧麗君 and learnt about her humble beginning.
Teresa Teng is based on the true story of the life of 鄧麗君, a well-known singer around the world, whose life was cut short at the age of 43.Synopsis: The story begins with the unexpected situation of the concert in Shanghai in 2008. Lying on a stretcher, the third brother, Deng Chang Fu, recalled that on the morning of the early winter of 1953, the fourth child of the Deng family, "the girl," was born in a village in Taiwan's family. The girl's talent in singing appeared when she was young, but her father, Deng Shu, firmly opposed it. Deng Shu retired from the army and began his career as a market stall. The girl was puzzled by the depression and homesickness in her father's heart, but she became a little helper for her father to sell steamed buns. After graduating from primary school, the girl was not admitted to junior high school. However, winning the singing competition through the radio has become a regular shift for singing programs. Deng Shu clashed with hooligans at the market stall, was beaten and injured, and went into a lawsuit. Late at night, the couple felt all this was due to the lack of a fixed store. The girl listened in her ear, loved her parents, became a signed singer, paid in advance, and used the money to top the store for her father. Deng Shu was moved when he knew. The girl finally made it to the stage and got countless good reviews.
My Reviews:
1. I idolized 鄧麗君 and grew up listening to her music. My parents adore her music as well.
2. It was good to see how she got started in the entertainment business. She came from a poor but loving family. Her parents and four brothers protected and supported her dream.
3. It was also sad to see that her love life did not plan out how she expected, and she was lonely and unloved by her lovers.
4. She died at such a young age, 43, without having a family of her own.
5. I am curious to know how true the drama portrayed her best friend, Duan Ning. If it was true, 鄧麗君 should cut ties with her because I hated this character in the drama. She was selfish and not a true and caring friend for 鄧麗君. She only thinks of herself and does not allow Teresa to get involved with Zhou Tai Sheng, whom she had a crush on. He did not love her the way he loved Teresa Teng.
6. Peng Guan Ying, who played Zhou Tai Sheng, did a mediocre job playing this character. He did not show good emotions when he felt he made a mistake and lost her.
7. Peter Ho did a good job playing Wang Zhong Wen; at least, I can see his emotions when he called off the wedding. He felt guilty about hurting Teresa.
8. Michelle Chen did a good job playing 鄧麗君; the last few episodes were so good that I was balling.
I enjoyed this drama, and the music brought back good memories of my childhood listening to 鄧麗君. I give it an 8.0 rating.
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Decent acting talent from Vin Zhang, but the story is unrealistic. It went downhill after episode 6.
Live Surgery Room is a medical melodrama starting with Vin Zhang. He is a decent actor, and it was the first time I saw him act so emotionally in a drama when he found out why his dad committed suicide at Haicheng Hospital.It was convincing, but the story went downhill after he found out the reasons why his dad took his life. Streaming surgery Live in real life is unrealistic, and this drama had no romance.
Synopsis: Zhen Ren is a surgeon who achieved his father's dying wish. With the help of ER director Pan, he joined Haicheng Hospital. He took steps forward to save a patient during a Whipple procedure. Zheng Ren devoted everything to being a doctor, and his skills caught the attention of genius doctor Su Yun, who began to study Zheng Ren's methods. Su Yun accepts and admires Zheng Ren as a colleague after witnessing his selflessness when they both signed up for the frontline rescue team after an earthquake. To treat a case of conjoined twins with arrhythmia, Zheng Ren and Su Yun join hands to form a team formed by a group of medical professionals that includes equipment nurse Xie Yiren, attending physician Lin Yuan (Wei Wei), consulting physician Chang Yue, and German professor Rudolph.
My Reviews:
1. The entire cast's acting ability was okay. Vin Zhang performed a decent job in emotional scenes. He is a decent actor, but he has appeared in many dramas in which I felt the scripts were not good, which makes his acting ability mediocre.
2. The first 5-6 episodes were engaging as Vin Zhang's character, Zheng Ren, tried to discover why his dad took his life.
3. Zheng Ren is a genius surgeon, but he cannot be the only one who performs all surgeries successfully in the entire hospital.
4. To have a story about how to survive in a hospital, they have to stream the surgery live, which is unrealistic in real life.
5. There was no romance in this drama, so if you are looking for it, you will be disappointed like I was.
I give it a 6.0 rating for bad scripts and unrealistic storylines.
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It is good crime investigation drama about intelligent humanoid. Good watch.
The Bionic Life is another light-on-series from iQiyi, and they are the leader in this type of short series. I have watched many of their light-on-series, and they are excellent, and this drama is another good one.The plot is about investigating which humanoid is the killer of humans. Song Wei Long and Vicky Chen are this drama's lead actors/actresses.
The acting is good for both the lead and supporting cast, especially Vicky Chen. She is young and talented, especially in this type of genre. Song Wei Long acted his best in this drama compared to others he was in.
I enjoyed it and highly recommend you check it out. My only complaint is that humanoids are intelligent robots, so why is their blood when they die? Not realistic. I give it an 8.0 rating.
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This review may contain spoilers
It is a suspenseful spy drama with many twists and an open-ended ending.
Spy Game is a spy drama that turns real-life spies through an online game where the organization crime recruits players and turns them into real spies.The Synopsis: In Jinhai, China, a spy game has become popular among young people. As it turns out, the game was developed by an overseas intelligence organization known as "Night Fog." They are using players to engage in espionage activities without their knowledge and seizing the opportunity to cultivate spies among them. The evil seeds of the game have been spreading silently throughout the city. At this time, Gao Tian Yang, the head of reconnaissance at Jinhai National Security Bureau, works with intelligence officer Wu Xi to dive deep into the game as they investigate a case surrounding leaked laboratory secrets. During their investigation, the two rescue Huang Zi Cheng from a conspiracy, who is like a little brother to Gao Tian Yang, and in turn, he becomes their informant thanks to his rich experience in the spy game.
It has a good start and supporting casts like Li Yi Tong, Wei Da Xun, Wang Li Kun, Tony Yang, Wang Yang, etc.; it is an interesting story with decent acting from lead actors/actresses and supporting cast, with interesting twists.
The only complaint I have so far is the synthesized voices that they use to distinguish the characters in the games vs. the real voice in the present time of the drama. It is watchable, and the ending is open for Spy Game 2 since it is open-ended. I give it a 7.5 rating.
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Short and watchable drama about infidelity and revenge.
"Women's Choice" is a short web drama about women's choice. It is about infidelity and revenge.The Synopsis: In the eyes of outsiders, Su Yu Ning almost has a perfect life: a thriving career, a gentle husband, and a well-behaved daughter. Unexpectedly, this wonderful life fell apart overnight. First, her husband cheated, and then her daughter was injured and unconscious. Soon, Su Yu Ning discovers she was already part of and amid a calculated conspiracy. And what was entrenched in the center of the plot was the person she never expected. To protect her daughter, Su Yu Ning had to stand up and declare war on "her."
The acting is mediocre, from the main CP to the supporting cast, but I like the script and the scheme of Su Yu Ning as she is fighting back for what is rightfully her. I can't wait to see the ending. I have watched 17 episodes already and enjoy the drama. I am giving it a 7.0 rating.
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Excellent crime drama with suspense and thrilling. Highly recommended.
I usually don't watch much drama from Taiwan, but Copycat Killer is one of the best crime dramas I have seen. It's much better than crime dramas that come out of China.It is short, only 10 episodes long, with 60 minutes per episode that you can binge-watch in 2-3 days. It was suspenseful and thrilling, and I didn't expect the killer to be someone else, and the person who played the killer did a very good job.
The only thing I didn't like was that in each episode, a woman got killed; not to spoil the ending, but his ex-girlfriend got killed, and Guo Jian went ballistic. The killer was narcissistic and crazy; he still wanted the camera to be on him even to his death.
The acting is good for the entire ensemble. Highly recommend this drama, and I give it an 8.5 rating. The production quality was good with realistic facial colors, and everyone was painted white like dramas come from China.
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If you enjoy crime solving murder mysteries in WuXia setting, you may enjoy this drama.
"Mysterious Lotus Casebook" is a Wuxia CSI drama that involves solving murder mysteries of various clans in a historical setting.The Synopsis: Ten years ago, Li Xiang Yi, the master of the Sigu Sect, dominated with his superior swordsmanship and was a symbol of light in the martial arts world. However, he suddenly disappeared along with Di Fei Sheng, the leader of the Jinyuan Alliance, after they arranged to battle in the East Sea. Ten years later, Li Lian Hua is a countryside doctor who travels dragging around a lotus tower. Li Lian Hua, Di Fei Sheng, and Fang Duo Bing gradually formed a deep friendship and joined hands in solving mysterious cases to uphold justice.
The acting and the kung fu in this drama were good; however, the first 30 episodes were about solving murders. I found it boring, fell asleep watching it, and even skipped around. It only got interesting from episode 32 onward, and the ending is a cliffhanger.
I don't enjoy it much, so I give it a 7.0 rating. The production quality was not good either; the background was too white.
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A mediocre romantic drama and on-screen chemistry of main CP is not good.
"Sweet and Cold" is a RomCom series about the relationship between Meng Hao Tian (played by Wang Zi Wen) and Leng Si Ming (played by Jin Han).Meng Hao Tian is a woman of strength, beauty, and an entrepreneur who met Leng Si Ming, a CTO, at a wedding and how their relationship started.
I have not been able to finish anything that Jin Han has done since he played the bad guy in "Princess Wei Young."
He and Ava Wang's onscreen chemistry is okay but sometimes seems awkward. The script is mediocre. Her bestie is a divorcee and a grown woman but acts like a child, and Meng Hao Tian always comes to the rescue whenever she is in trouble.
As she moves forward with her life, I hope she grows up and is independent, and does not rely on her friends that much.
The drama is mediocre and watchable, but definitely not the best of 2023 Cdramas.
I give it a 6.0 rating.
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A worthy short web drama to watch about love and revenge. Good acting of the entire cast.
Provoke is a short web drama based in the early 20th century about revenge. It is a story of love and vengeance, Du Jing Chuan.Due to the recommendations of AvenueX and CDrama Invasion, I checked it out. Initially, I was bored by it, but I decided to give it a second chance and binge-watched the entire 25 episodes.
Jiang Ying and Du Xun Yu were childhood friends, and Du Jing Chuan harmed their families. They worked together to find the truth about the death of their parents and eventually got the revenge they needed and fell in love in the process.
It is a decent short drama to binge since each episode only last 15 minutes. I give it a 7.0 rating and recommend checking it out if you want to binge-watch it in one shot.
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Watchable Romcom with mediocre acting skills from the cast.
The Science of Falling in Love is a college students' RomCom drama that tries to prove the existence of love with scientific methods.It is an unrealistic plot, but I gave them a good effort to try. The acting is mediocre; the ML, Liu Yi Chang, is better than the FL, Wu Jia Yi.
The supporting cast is not bad, and I like 2nd CP better. Their onscreen chemistry is better connected than the main CP.
The dynamic and strict relationship between the ML and his mother is toxic that screwed his outlook on connecting and building relationships with people.
Overall is not a bad drama, and I am giving it a 6.0 rating. What is up with the bright light in the production quality around the kissing scenes? It was so bad and annoying.
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Definitely a mismatch couple with stupid ending but watchable
The onscreen chemistry of the main CP is not bad, and the plot is enjoyable. I believe the ML is being typed cast for the same role. He always played the cold, arrogant, and prideful CEO.I didn’t like his brother turned out to be the bad guy at the end. It is better if it was the uncle/auntie. The supporting assistant characters are funny. The ending is stupid. It would be better if it is finished in 20 episodes. it was unnecessary to add her master character toward the last 2 episodes.
Overall is a 6.5 rating for me.
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Cheesy and bad acting Romcom
The production quality of this drama is okay, better than Tencent.For this drama, the storyline is okay, and the female lead's acting was not bad. I wish I could say the same thing about the male lead. The intimate scenes between the three CP were not good, and the kissing felt forced and unnatural. Maybe because of censorship issue, all kissing scenes in Chinese dramas were quite bad, except for some good, favorable, and : .well known actors and actresses
The whole thing is so cheesy and stupid, but I will finish it because I think the ensemble is much better than "Fairy from the Painting." I am giving it a 4.5 rating.
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Not so Ingenious after all. 22 episodes in and I felt asleep watching it because it was boring
"The Ingenious One" is a wuxia drama about Yun Xiang, a disciple of Yuntai who seeks revenge for the massacre of his family after 15 years of cultivation. Along the way, he met up with several friends (Shu Ya Nan and Jin Biao) whose martial arts skills are better than his.Together they unveil secrets, investigate, solve, and take revenge for his family. The drama is highly anticipated with so much hyped; I am watching it, but found it dull and fast-forward to the boring part.
The acting is good, but I did not find the script interesting. I watched 22 episodes already and can't engage in it further. It has all the good stars, but the plot is dull, and Qin Lan's character is weak. I have not seen Qin Lan in costume drama; she looked stiff, and her acting in the role is mediocre.
The only thing good in this drama is to look at the handsome Chen Xiao. His onscreen chemistry is not that great with Rachel Momo's character.
I like the kung fu part, and Tang Xiao Tian and Xu Ling Yue's characters did not add any value to the story, IMO. I am dropping this drama and giving it a 5.5 rating.
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