The Wildest Ride
This show, while not necessarily my favorite or flawless in any respect, is nevertheless one of the most extraordinary pieces of media I've ever consumed. Some things it does, I would argue, better than any other show. Period. Other things, it simply omits altogether. The experience of watching it is infused with the oddities of chinese dramas and a healthy dose of identity crisis. It repeats itself in many ways but is somehow always riveting. There's so much to unpack it's almost daunting.
The pace is perhaps the greatest defining feature of Wild Ambition Bloom. It is, simply put. break-neck. Absurdly fast. At times, even abrupt. This is a plot that grabs you by shirt and whips you around for 30 hours until you're left in a daze at the end. Do I wish it took its time more in some places? Uh, let me think... No! Absolutely not! Somehow, this show is able to compress multiple seasons worth of plot into the tightest space imaginable and *it works*. Sure, it's a little clunky when it rolls the credits for an episode halfway through a pivotal scene (pretty standard cdrama stuff), or when it fades to black immediately after the climax of one arc, and then fades in on a new one already full steam ahead. And sure, it's easy to get lost in the details and the many characters if you're not paying full attention, but that just makes it all the more engaging! Things are always happening, and it feels continuous throughout the whole thing because there's no breaks, ever.
Of course, none of this would work were it not for the fact that the contents of said lightning fast plot are astounding smart. Here we have, as is so rarely the case, a writer who understands business and is able to concoct cunning and convincing plans for the characters to out-maneuver each other to get ahead. After every reveal, twist, and victory I am left gaping and cheering. And after each of the several complete upheavals in the story I am left in shock and awe by the sheer audacity of the writers. My only gripe in this department is that after a while they do start reusing tricks, but they were able to make it unpredictable enough as to still be enjoying.
If those were the only things of note, this show might rank among my all-time favorites. Unfortunately, when you venture into other departments things get a little weird and a little less positive. The biggest thing missing here is character growth. I noticed very few instances of characters changing, and when they did it was always for the worse. A corruption rather than a redemption (except for *maybe* one exception in a very minor character). Characters deemed bad never improve on themselves, they only (sometimes) receive justice. Good characters either stay the same the whole time and are never rewarded or eventually spiral into evil and are smited for it. Actually, there is a ridiculous amount of smiting. Like absurd. Most of it not even deserved.
When it comes to relationships, again we've got a very mixed bag. On the one hand, there are some very strong and compelling friendships and romances. On the other hand, there are also some very ham-fisted and unearned friendships and romances. They do get resolved, but all but one ends in failure, casting a very negative outlook over the whole plot. Which is not helped by all the smiting. I would say the most egregious relationship is the one with Xia Chu, our "communist hero." This romance is not established at all, and we only learn of its existence through a five second flashback when it starts to have plot relevance. In fact, the whole start of the show is the only place where the pacing was really a detriment to the experience. Things started out moving so fast it was difficult to figure out what was going on.
But, speaking of communism... yeah. Some weird stuff going on here. This show is, at its core, pro-capitalist. The main character runs a business, and runs it well, and the plot is entirely focused on her battling it out in the free market. Love it. But at the same time it tries to get away with a pro-communist viewpoint by shoving in some communist characters (namely Xia Chu) and some very unmotivated sympathies to the communist movement on the part of the main characters. Think about it: why would Shauhua, who was notably very adamant about retaining ownership over her business and assets, support a movement which seeks to end ownership altogether? I'm not buying it. But I suppose it's very emblematic of the current state of China: singing the virtues of communism while reaping the rewards of capitalism.
A very unique aspect of this show is the amount of death. There is a crazy amount. And not even in a way which can be theoretically justified, like Game of Thrones. The amount of death is above-average and exceeds the random chance of death to make our main character absurdly unlucky. I've got mixed feelings here. On the one hand, it is a very effective way for, in a very long show jam-packed with plot, things to basically reset and move us into a new era to start fresh. It allows the show to reinvent itself multiple times and not get bogged down in its own baggage. On the other hand, it is often used as a very lazy resolution to character relationships and conflicts. "Oooh, I wonder how these two characters are going to resolve this heated argument! Oh, never mind, one of them died." Cool.
When I finished this show, I was left with two thoughts: "wow, that was crazy," and "so what was the point?" Despite its lengthy runtime, gluttony of plot, and ensemble of characters, the biggest struggle that Wild Ambition Bloom can't overcome is deciding what it is at its core. It may be a business drama, sure, but that's just the container. What's missing is some human theme, some journey of growth or meditation on the human condition. When it ends, you can't help but think, that after all that happened, has anything really changed?
I do recommend this show. It has its flaws, but it has its gifts too. And it's a wild ride worth taking.
The pace is perhaps the greatest defining feature of Wild Ambition Bloom. It is, simply put. break-neck. Absurdly fast. At times, even abrupt. This is a plot that grabs you by shirt and whips you around for 30 hours until you're left in a daze at the end. Do I wish it took its time more in some places? Uh, let me think... No! Absolutely not! Somehow, this show is able to compress multiple seasons worth of plot into the tightest space imaginable and *it works*. Sure, it's a little clunky when it rolls the credits for an episode halfway through a pivotal scene (pretty standard cdrama stuff), or when it fades to black immediately after the climax of one arc, and then fades in on a new one already full steam ahead. And sure, it's easy to get lost in the details and the many characters if you're not paying full attention, but that just makes it all the more engaging! Things are always happening, and it feels continuous throughout the whole thing because there's no breaks, ever.
Of course, none of this would work were it not for the fact that the contents of said lightning fast plot are astounding smart. Here we have, as is so rarely the case, a writer who understands business and is able to concoct cunning and convincing plans for the characters to out-maneuver each other to get ahead. After every reveal, twist, and victory I am left gaping and cheering. And after each of the several complete upheavals in the story I am left in shock and awe by the sheer audacity of the writers. My only gripe in this department is that after a while they do start reusing tricks, but they were able to make it unpredictable enough as to still be enjoying.
If those were the only things of note, this show might rank among my all-time favorites. Unfortunately, when you venture into other departments things get a little weird and a little less positive. The biggest thing missing here is character growth. I noticed very few instances of characters changing, and when they did it was always for the worse. A corruption rather than a redemption (except for *maybe* one exception in a very minor character). Characters deemed bad never improve on themselves, they only (sometimes) receive justice. Good characters either stay the same the whole time and are never rewarded or eventually spiral into evil and are smited for it. Actually, there is a ridiculous amount of smiting. Like absurd. Most of it not even deserved.
When it comes to relationships, again we've got a very mixed bag. On the one hand, there are some very strong and compelling friendships and romances. On the other hand, there are also some very ham-fisted and unearned friendships and romances. They do get resolved, but all but one ends in failure, casting a very negative outlook over the whole plot. Which is not helped by all the smiting. I would say the most egregious relationship is the one with Xia Chu, our "communist hero." This romance is not established at all, and we only learn of its existence through a five second flashback when it starts to have plot relevance. In fact, the whole start of the show is the only place where the pacing was really a detriment to the experience. Things started out moving so fast it was difficult to figure out what was going on.
But, speaking of communism... yeah. Some weird stuff going on here. This show is, at its core, pro-capitalist. The main character runs a business, and runs it well, and the plot is entirely focused on her battling it out in the free market. Love it. But at the same time it tries to get away with a pro-communist viewpoint by shoving in some communist characters (namely Xia Chu) and some very unmotivated sympathies to the communist movement on the part of the main characters. Think about it: why would Shauhua, who was notably very adamant about retaining ownership over her business and assets, support a movement which seeks to end ownership altogether? I'm not buying it. But I suppose it's very emblematic of the current state of China: singing the virtues of communism while reaping the rewards of capitalism.
A very unique aspect of this show is the amount of death. There is a crazy amount. And not even in a way which can be theoretically justified, like Game of Thrones. The amount of death is above-average and exceeds the random chance of death to make our main character absurdly unlucky. I've got mixed feelings here. On the one hand, it is a very effective way for, in a very long show jam-packed with plot, things to basically reset and move us into a new era to start fresh. It allows the show to reinvent itself multiple times and not get bogged down in its own baggage. On the other hand, it is often used as a very lazy resolution to character relationships and conflicts. "Oooh, I wonder how these two characters are going to resolve this heated argument! Oh, never mind, one of them died." Cool.
When I finished this show, I was left with two thoughts: "wow, that was crazy," and "so what was the point?" Despite its lengthy runtime, gluttony of plot, and ensemble of characters, the biggest struggle that Wild Ambition Bloom can't overcome is deciding what it is at its core. It may be a business drama, sure, but that's just the container. What's missing is some human theme, some journey of growth or meditation on the human condition. When it ends, you can't help but think, that after all that happened, has anything really changed?
I do recommend this show. It has its flaws, but it has its gifts too. And it's a wild ride worth taking.
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