Suzie Queue

How Many Times Can You Stab the Hero and Not Kill Him?

Light watching when you need something in-between serious titles. The ML's character got stabbed by the FL's character so many times it became tedious. Her quest for revenge became tedious. One minute she would realize the truth of the situation, and then in the next breath go right back to her revenge quest. Not too smart, that one. And then there was the 'twin' fake-face twist that was just unnecessary after a while.

I like this ML and he was just playing the part he was given. I hope to see him in better and more worthy productions in the future.

It was very uncomfortable watching the torture scenes - stabbing and more stabbing. I think the writer and the director must have some kind of fetish.

Again, not to be taken too seriously - this one really is just for weekend watching of filling time.

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A handsome ML and some satisfying PDA

OK - so the story was full of holes and didn't have much substance - but the chemistry between the actors was terrific, and I appreciated the little twists in the story along the way and at the end. The ML was worth every scene he was in especially because he's gorgeous - but the FL was irritating as hell. Maybe her sister would have been a more fitting FL.

The best part of this production for me was the PDA - real kisses, not those pressed lip fake kisses. Not overdone or shocking - but real and romantic, and that made the series for me and earned a 7.5 rating. That's why I look for ROMANTIC historical stories. If you're looking for something light to watch in between serious drama, this one will do! (And looking at the ML is worth it!)

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Oh, My Goodness, Liu Yuning!

I had to give this drama high marks, but not a perfect score because I felt cheated out of happy endings that some of the characters deserved. I know, I know, life isn't all happy endings, but this one should have and could have been all around (except for the bad guys, of course!)

That being said, Liu Yuning! His expressions! His fierce persona, his gentle persona. The battle to let his feelings grow and come to fruition. His performance in this one was masterful! And it helped that he had such great chemistry with his FL. I don't know why some haters get on him so much. He is drop dead gorgeous and looks smoking hot in historical army gear, and he is a good actor!

This one definitely deserves rewatch, for me, if only to stare at Liu Yuning and watch him fall in love with his leading lady.

I think Prisoner of Beauty merits all the high ratings and accolades it has gotten. The story was well written; the characters were well-casted and very well played. I loved the 4 Wei generals. Loved Bai Zhi. Loved Qiao Ci and Qiao Ping. Absolutely loved Wei Shao's military advisor Gongsun Yang - his expressions were delightful! Even the villains deserved to be despised. Great acting from the entire ensemble!

(Did I mention how sizzling hot and gorgeous Liu Yuning is in this one?) 😉

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Silly, Short, and Sweet

The episodes are so short that if you blink, you miss most of it. The story is weak, but the characters are likeable. ML & FL have a fun time and are cute together. No real plot, but some silly, funny moments that had me laughing out loud. Lots of holes in the plot, but it doesn't really matter in the end, because there was little time to develop anything deeper.

For a little weekend watching, or just for something so light you can't take it seriously - this is good for a few laughs with a cute cast.

Downside, the sound quality was AWFUL. Dialogue cut out most of the time, and so did the subtitles. Then in the middle of one episode, that awful crappy music started playing over the dialogue. Really cheap production, and it showed.

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The awful subtitling spoiled this for me, but...

I was hooked on this story - not overly complicated, but with characters I liked and others that I deplored. If I could have followed the story much better and understood the plot more. The chemistry between the ML & FL was fantastic - and carried the whole series for me.

Nothing complicated about this story - just short and sweet - both seasons. A little more effort could have been made for the final episode, but I was happy with the way it ended, so no real complaints for a mini-series.

All that being said, I really do NOT like these mini-episode dramas. I prefer the regular format and longer durations so that the story can be developed (hopefully) and the audience can get invested in the characters and the story itself.

I would probably re-watch this if I could find it with decent subtitles - that would make all the difference in the world.

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Love Wins

I really wish this could have been a full-length drama and not a short-episode series.

I would have loved to see the back stories of our ML & FL - two flawed, broken people who come to know and accept love despite their past. I loved the chemistry between them. I loved that he was the weaker of the two, but he loved her enough to let her go. I loved how no matter how much she denied it at first, she finally let him love her till she was able to love him too.

Their love scenes were tender and sweet, even with the chaste kisses. The cinematography added to the unspoken romantic interactions of the lead couple and was quite appealing and effective.

Loved the interjection of the time traveler and her sweet (well-deserved) ending. Hilarious!

I will definitely watch this one over and over again.

*Update - I had to amend the rating I originally gave this drama because I have come back to rewatch so many times! I hope there will be a Season 2.

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Dai Gao Zheng

I will shamelessly admit I watched this drama for the ML Dai Gao Zheng. Standing still with those smoldering, soulful gazes and his kissing scenes. He's simply gorgeous. The SML and the brother were easy on the eyes as well, but their characters were not appealing to me at all.

Equally unappealing was the FL. Whether it was the way her character was written or her acting, it's hard to tell. There was very little chemistry between she and the sizzling ML. He carried all the intimate scenes on his own. After a while I wished I could have muted every time she said his name (which was almost the entire dialogue for Episode 22. The writers must have run out of lines for her). The character was silly and clueless and just plain blah, and she played it that way.

The story itself had promise, DGZ could have done a little more acting and the villain could have been a little more dimensional than he was. He was just so bitter I couldn't feel any pity for him. And the female character attached to the brother was kind of one-dimensional herself. Not interesting at all.

So... if you're looking for a riveting story with award-winning acting, this isn't it. However, the eye candy is well worth it, and there is a lot of that!

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A pleasant surprise!

I started watching to kill time in-between episode drops for my regular dramas. I'm glad I did.

Interesting story line, and pretty well-executed. No dragging or tropey scenes. The chemistry between the ML & FL was cute, and the other players were pretty good too. The story didn't have too many loose ends or holes, and everything wrapped up nicely in the end. I wish the villains had gotten a little more Karma, but even that was done with finesse.

Can we talk about the ML? I liked him a lot and look forward to seeing him in other dramas. He wasn't wooden or clumsy - looked calm and reserved when he needed to, but innocent when he had to be. Loved some of his expressions when the FL took the lead and romanced him.

I'm liking these detective-type storylines, and this was entertaining to see the characters work together to figure things out, look for clues, and let the situations play out.

Re-watch? A definite maybe when I'm looking for something to fill my time, because I didn't have to fast forward through any of it!

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When You Only Watch for the Male Lead

Admittedly I gave this as high a rating as I did because of Li Jiu Lin. I love this guy. He is gorgeous. He has such an expressive face; he doesn't need a lot of talk for you to know what he thinks or feels - and that body! Wow!

Didn't care much for the FL, nor the SML, or the SFL. Their characters were weak and useless. Their story arcs were sloppy at best. The story itself was vague and going nowhere fast. It had potential, but the writers do what writers seem to do best these days, made a mockery of it. There wasn't even any real sizzle between the lead couple despite such a smoking hot ML.

Talk about not tying up loose ends? The SFL got away scot-free with her shenanigans. She even wrangled the ML into her bed, which made me sick to my stomach!

The direction of the writing and quality of Chinese dramas these days is falling fast. No matter how good looking, appealing, or even talented the actors are, they can only perform the roles they are given. I stick mostly with period dramas anymore because the modern-day ones are fraught with domestic violence and abusive relationships.

Is anyone paying attention to the rapidly falling standards of these dramas? Doesn't seem so.

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Finally! A Story with Substance.

I admit, I choose dramas with hot eye candy leads and a whole lot of romance. I have only recently started watching modern day dramas, preferring the historical costume dramas instead. All the Way to the Sun made me happy I have crossed over.

It was very satisfying to see characters with such depth. It was even more satisfying to see female characters who were not silly, petulant, helpless ninnies swooning and fighting over men. Landy Li and Naomi Wang were superb in their roles of Li Mu Jia and Tian Rong. Very worthy of mention was Yuan Ran's performance as the lady boss. What a strong, classy woman! Wang Yang was swoonworthy as the older, wiser, more reserved leading man. Loved his expressions and the way they showed his emotions even when there was no dialog to go with it. Xu Shao Ying's portrayal of Wan Bing was so down-to-earth and sincere too.

The writer did a wonderful job bringing this story to the screen, and the director guided the actors to make the characters real and relatable. The OST was very appropriate and beautiful, enhancing the scenes and situations. All around, this production was so well done. I hope to watch more dramas by all of these players.

Dramas like these touch on so many relevant themes - family, culture, human flaws and weaknesses, relationships, romance (I would have loved a little more of that). These stories draw us in and make us feel like we know the characters or perhaps even have experienced some of these situations ourselves. I really enjoyed watching this, and did relatively very little fast-forwarding and anticipated every episode.

I will very likely rewatch some time when I want something that is not only satisfying, but doesn't rely on silly tropes and a lot of overdone dramatics.

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A Whole Lot of Li Jiu Lin Goin' On!

This story, confusing as I found it at times, had some potential. The writers didn't deliver. Li Jiu Lin carried this drama. He was divine in the lead role. I drank him up in every scene. There was just enough chemistry with the abrasive FL to make me want more of them and hope for a HE.

Did we get one? Well, it depends on how you think. I would have liked them to have had more time together as husband & wife OR give us some more time with them when they meet again in the present. I don't care much for those one-off meetings and then the rest is left to the viewer's imagination. That's why we watch these dramas - we want the action, not the imagining. They wasted so much time of petty kidnapping crap and fighting scenes. So, this tale isn't winning any writing awards.

BUT - I got me a good helping of watching this gorgeous ML strut his stuff in a uniform (oooh!! He carries military wear soooo well!) And enough shirtless scenes and a couple of bath scenes to make my heart skip a few beats. Shallow, I know - but these days, you take the eye candy where you can find it, and Li Jiu Lin is definitely eye candy!

Will I rewatch? Probably sometime in-between episodes of a current series I'm watching. or on a lazy weekend. Just to admire LJL!

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Much ado about ... not much.

Despite all the rave reviews about this drama, I was underwhelmed and disappointed in the lackluster job that the writers & director did. Certainly, there were moments of comedy and touching moments as well, but the story arcs were not as interesting or as intriguing as I had hoped. I hoped that they would tie up the 40 episodes nicely and neatly, to reward the viewers for their commitment to this series. Unfortunately, they did not deliver.

Can we talk about the actors in this series? They did a great job bringing their characters to life. You loved them, you hated them, you felt sorry for them, you despised them. You were happy with them, in love with them, sad with them, grieved for them. They all did a wonderful job of making their characters real - whether in the Heavenly Realm, The Beast Realm, The Mortal Realm, or (my favourite) the Void. I really can't single out one particular actor - they were all so good. They are the reason for any high rating!

To be honest, if I were to rewatch this drama, I would only be interested in the Void Realm. There were great possibilities there and those characters had depth and potential that sadly was not given enough screentime or attention. It will be interesting to see if there is a second season (the fans would definitely support it), but hopefully the writers/director will do a better job.

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What a good series, and honestly, Zhang Ling He!

I have to admit I had a little trouble following the story at first, but that's me. Once I got the characters down, I couldn't walk away. Despite some very unkind comments I have read, the ensemble cast gave wonderful performances and made me really like (or despise) the characters.

The couples were endearing and believable - and the chemistry between Bai Lu and Zhang Ling He was sizzling hot!! (He would have electricity with a stone, I tell you!) The villains!! What superb acting - I despised them intensely; proof of the great job they did bringing their evil characters to life. The characters that people thought were weak or unimportant, really had their purpose - and it took some care and attention to realize that. Even the character of Xie Wei - he was so broken, so lonely, a product of his past longing for the love he desperately needed to heal.

I especially liked the time and attention to the final episode, and that bonus episode was just the icing on the cake!!! Loved that for the most part, they tied up the loose ends nicely - meting out justice and Karma, but wrapping up the characters' stories. I would have liked to have seen a little more of the end story of Xie Wei's two loyal aides and Xue Ding Fei. But I absolutely loved the lead couple's ending the best. The scene with Xie Wei and his kids was hilarious!

Now... why did I not go for it and give this a perfect 10? You Fang Yin & Lu Xian. They deserved so much more - and a little of the happiness that everyone else received. That broke my heart, especially for Lu Xian. Sorry, writer & director - that one cost you a perfect rating.

I will definitely be re-watching this, probably time and time again.

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A Disappointing Tale of Dysfunction and Delusion

The writer really dropped the ball on this one. Extremely unappealing characters with little or no redeeming qualities; absolutely no chemistry between any of the couples; no friendships or relationships that could be described as healthy or rewarding. This one was just a mixed bag of dysfunctional relationships and delusional behavior.

I like the ML - a lot - but in other dramas, not this one! I didn't much care for any of the other characters, however, to be fair, the actors played the (badly-written) roles they were given so this is not a criticism of the actors themselves. If I had friends like these characters, I would cut them all out of my life. The guys were less than loyal, and the FL's best friend was just plain self-centered and selfish, and gave really useless advice! The parents! OMG what is it with the portrayal of these interfering parents who would sell their children's happiness for financial or career gain!? And the FL! Her character was just plain weak, confused and unrealistic. BUT - The most dysfunctional and delusional character was the unaccepting ex-boyfriend. Wow! What a psycho!

There was nothing appealing about this story. Nothing that really made me want to invest in any of the characters. I wasn't even hoping for a happy ending for the lead couple, the second couple, or the young ones with health issues. This was just like watching a train wreck but not being able to stop watching because you just have to see how badly it will end. That the shoddy writing wrapped the story up with some sort of pseudo 'happy' ending - or hint of one depending on how delusional the viewer is - made no difference. Not even a 'happy ending' could save this one.

Since I have come this far with the story, I will complete the episodes - with NO chance of a rewatch and will try desperately to avoid the awful OST. It's really too late for redemption or salvation.

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Only Lukewarm

I don't have any rave reviews for this one. The storyline was weak, the plot was full of holes and loose ends; characters who served little or no purpose to the main story and did very little to develop the characters or the overall drama.

The actors did a fair job portraying their characters, and for the most part the chemistry was ok. Just ok. Everyone was believable as friends, but I didn't feel much heat in any of the couples (what couples there were besides the main couple). I loved Chilan's character the most and am sorry her 'pairing' was a non-starter. I'm still trying to figure out the CP/Mu Yan twist. Wen Jun deserved his own happy ending, but I suppose he was born to be noble. The side characters too - Key Yun Cha - so underdeveloped and underutilized. Liu Fu - loyal and protective. Uncle Hu - a potentially loveable character, again, wasted. And what was the real story with Su Jiuer's father!? There wasn't even a hint of a real connection between him and her mother. It just seemed like pieces of a puzzle, thrown together on a big table, but not all of the pieces fit or were even put together.

And the ending! What was that? Where did the villain go? How did Chilan end up fighting in the competition? How did Wen Jun become the Crown Prince? I figured out why Han Zheng lost his powers, but there was no explanation to come to a conclusion. Are we to just guess and figure out a rationale? I'd say that's pretty sloppy work after investing in 36 episodes. But, as I said, the story was sloppily told, and a lot of time was wasted on solving side-story crimes with characters who really never added to the main story - just took up screen time.

OST was pleasant thanks to Liu Yunning. Sadly, no rewatch value for me.

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