Another Novel Ruined
There is really no end to this trend. Production team take up a project based on a famous novel which ensures them good viewership because of the fan base. Then they choose amazing actors to do the project and again increase the number of viewers. The drama will be a hit no matter what. Now what they have to do is follow the amazing storyline (with a few changes due do censorship) and get done with this. But guess what!!!! Someone shows up and suggests to change the ENTIRE SCRIPT!! Because they think they can write a far better story with their cliched ideas and so called plot twists, love triangle and over the top nonsense while keeping the main characters same as the original.*Face palm*
I am really surprised by all the ratings on MDL for this drama. I mean what in the world did they see in this drama to give it such a rating is beyond me. I get that people can have different tastes but for me who has read and adored the story of the novel it was a complete disaster.
They introduced the characters like Bai Xiaosheng and Changlan (forgive the spelling) to drag the story. I got bored amd irritated in several episodes like the' moth one' because it neither added anything to the plot nor increased my interest. There were many filler episodes because they thought original story was not worth it!! I tried very hard to watch the show mainly because of the actors whom I loved a lot throughout the episodes but there is a limit....When there is no story to tell, actors cannot lift the show either. The CGI was so so. I liked the songs and costumes a lot.
I kept reminding myself to stick to Wuxia but once in a while whenever I watch Xianxia due to my favourite novel adaptation it turns out pretty disappointing. I am really afraid for 'Lengend of Shenli' now. A humble request to the makers" For god sake please do not change that plot as well to show your creativity." This drama was really not my cup of tea but you can watch if you prefer cliched over the top storyline of costume dramas. Slapstick comedy Or simply because you love the actors and their chemistry.
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Unpopular opinion
This drama is one of the most talked about dramas that one sees everywhere and to be honest it really did justice with the concept (especially in the beginning ), the cinematography and the way all the actors performed their roles. Everyone looks perfect and special mention for Allan (ml) who is in his element here. I have seen him in many dramas and this one is really made for him. His chemistry with Omar(FL) is the most outstanding part of the drama for me. The colourful costumes and the overall desert look makes it stand out from the rest especially with their pale looking filters. Now lets move on to the bad part of the drama which could be an unpopular opinion so just bear with me.-Makeup of FL. The actress is already really pretty and I don't understand what is point of so much makeup especially when we are talking about a desert climate. They could have toned down it a little bit.
-second lead couple. I just can't wrap my head around their romance no matter what. The whole scene was absurd how they met and how it turned them into a romantic partners. That whole scene was so questionable that I felt like dropping the show right then and there. No one falls in love with a person especially a kidnapper whom you just met. Maybe yes, but only if you have Stockholm syndrome! They could have kept it raw made it into something for her to learn and take revenge or something along the lines but no they showed how the tables have turned in her direction and she is the boss. My question is- did she has any other option? She had to be subservient in front of that ranger no matter what or maybe she had to be someone really smart to get out of that situation with her expertise as she was ready to travel alone in that dangerous world leaving problems of her clan in the hands of a total stranger. A normal person can't and won't romanticize such things.
- I felt action scenes were kind of okaish. Now that I have seen many dramas with exceptional action choreography, this one seems pretty normal in front of that. I read people found the dance sequence of FL not that great but for me it was beautiful.
- Loopholes. I am finding so many loopholes in the storyline one after another that I have decided to throw my logic out of the window while watching it. I only and only completed this drama for ML.
-characters turned from dumb to dumber. I can't believe they ruined so many important scenes and especially our FL was the worst hit in all the mess. The weakest part was it's script and editing made it worse. The drama definitely had so much potential but what a let down!
You can try it for the main couple's chemistry and beautiful cinematography but for the rest it will only damage your brain cells.
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Hilarious Treat!!!!!!!
I wasn't sure before starting it whether I should continue or not. But after watching only first episode I knew it I was in for a treat. What a hilarious drama. It's been a while after LLTG when I enjoyed historical drama. In few episodes I laughed so hard that Ihad tears in my eyes.Every moment of the show is pure bliss. There are no overwhelmingly sad scenes. Even if you get one emotion scene it will definitely be followed by some comedic parts. But first of all hands down for all the actors and not just the main leads but even the extras or side characters. The cast is not only beautiful to look at but they also portrayed their characters so well that you will think that this role was made for him/her. I never skipped any single scene of the side characters. Their arc was as good as the main one's.
Moving on to the story, there are two sisters born with good and bad omen to marry in particular realm. They get swapped and for the rest you need to watch. Till episodes 10 the drama is entertaining but it becomes hilarious when the mortal arc begins. I always loved DID sort of dramas. You can see real prowess of an actor who portrays many characters at the same time. But here it is totally different scenario yet shows how great ML is in each of his roles. He played 4 characters here. FL is so cute and cunning amd reminded me of Zhou Lusi a lot. I loved her acting. Second ML looks a bit annoying and you would feel like why I am watching his parts sometimes but but BUT...you won't be able to skip his scenes. They are the most hilarious ones.
Hahaha... Beast prince and bird are also one of my favs. They made me laugh so much with their silly gestures. Special mention for mortal king. I won't forget that ceremony episode for sure. ;P
It is still ongoing and I am sure whether you are a fan of historical drama or not. It is worth watching.
Just don't skip this hilarious treat.
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Throw your brain out of the window and just enjoy.
People are already familiar with this show if they are watching its season 2 while those who are completely unfamiliar with this show (though possibility is pretty low as S1 became really famous) and are contemplating whether they should watch this or not or whether they need to watch season 1 first to understand season 2...then just go watch it. You won't regret, whatever season you feel like watching it won't be much of a problem to guess the story so far...because you can easily understand the storyline within few minutes of the show. Though it was pretty much similar to the first one there are few new characters to pose challenge in the lives of our leads.(cannot spoil it for you) . To conclude the story- 'Alien on earth and her funny and stupid interactions with earthlings'.S1 was silly yet good however I loved S2 more. I dunno why...maybe both actors are now more familiar with each other and their chemistry which was good in S1 became REALLY good in this one. ( I loved ML's hairstyle more in this one🤭). Plus comic parts looked more enjoyable and less cliched this time. I must say shows like this can really fall flat because ... tbh storyline is something which anyone can guess. There are no such complex turns of events that would make you perplexed or anything its simply cute story of an alien and handsome boss. While in first one FL was not familiar with Earth this time she is the real boss and knows how to deal with others in her own way😂. She is such a pure delight to watch. I really liked her acting. ML is your typical boss you will find in every modern drama...(he is hot) who would fall for her eventually... So here comes some problem with FL and she ended up in the wrong time and had to start all over again with her mission without much memory of her earlier visit. All of the characters are same as the first one but as she landed in different timezone nobody remembers her anymore.
Was I the only one who missed boss's assistant of S1? Though I am not complaining, the actor is different yet I enjoyed his parts a lot. He was a real shipper that every person needs in his/her life🤭. Her mission was to get hormone element and she gets attracted to ML's hormones is just like first Season...hahaha the second hand embarrassment I got every time she tried to grab him...🤭🤭 * Ahem* ...moving on, this time our little Xiobu (alien tortoise) is in human body too and she is really adorable. Her storyline is really cute. While I usually find myself skipping second lead's storyline in most of the modern Cdramas because they are usually not very engaging yet I find them quite enjoyable. You will also adore their cute romance here.
Shoutout to the designer and stylist. I loved all of their dresses in this one❤️.
Show is still ongoing and so far I loved watching it. This is a perfect light rom-com type of show that you can watch after a heavy dose of suspenseful, sad or political dramas( which I was watching recently).
As I said don't think too much while watching this, just relax and watch the show you will definitely be smiling from ear to ear throughout the episodes. Its silly yet enjoyable. Just watch it😉.
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Pretty promising
First impression: BANGERS from the get go.From costume to set design plus war scenes everything is top notch. It reminded me a lot of 'Nirvana in fire' and Game of thrones maybe because of the cinematography, costume and complex political plot. I did not read the synopsis of this drama before starting it and had no idea I was gonna see Liu Yunning in this one. (He is pretty much in every show that I watch these days. So busy!) Man!! he looked really intimidating here especially his entry scene. ( Did he just put on some wait for this one? Not that I am complaining. He is definitely giving proper warrior vibes). There are many familiar faces in this one. Overall a solid cast. The first episode shows the intriguing politics that was brewing behind all the sinister smiles. The cuts in between are really adding to the suspense factor. This show is not simply a political drama. It has many elements in it. I am sucker for supernatural stuff in this genre. I am loving the way they showed the conflict between the characters yet added humours factor in it to tone down the seriousness. ML(Zichuan) reminds me of Liu Yunnings character from his last drama. I think they could have tone down his character a little bit and some characters could have given extra screen time. Bromance was worth watching atleast. You might get irritated by one of the female characters but I guess that was how it was written in the novel. Overall a very good impression. Waiting for season 2.
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Watched it for Liu Yuning
Never really watched the actress before or maybe I just can't remember. I was not familiar with other actors as well so it was all because of Liu Yuning that I started this show with little to no expectation especially with this kind of storyline (read the summary if you don't know). I am still in confusion how I ended up watching the whole show even though I was skipping many parts which was outright boring and even after skipping I could still understand the story.There are three couples and most of the time I skipped the parts of the one who was the head of reporters (forgot her name). I just didn't understand her character. Maybe because she was just not sticking to anything. Giving resignation then coming back like nothing happened, insisting to fire her friend from job then asking for not doing it because as usual she was wrong :/ She behaved like an angry bull who just hits anyone without any reason. She never tries to understand other's perspective and SHE WAS A LEADER ( sigh...)
The FL was a good actress but but but...she was too perfect as described by ML in a scene. In reality her character was the perfect image of THE perfect citizen, wife, mother, daughter and add as many perfect role you want to put before her name. Which was just so not real. I can't believe there was not a teeny tiny bit of imperfection in her that could make me see her as a real person. Anyways ML was the one that made me love her scenes. He was quirky and fun guy that I enjoyed the most. It was a breather for me to see him in a different kind of role.
The most annoying character was the third FL. and the funny part was that she was the most real character in the whole show. She had all the negatives and conniving scenes. You might hate her but you won't be able to because THAT IS WHO WE ARE. Yes...she represented many women struggling out there in the professional sphere who strives to do anything to earn her living without connections and try to achieve her dreams at all cost and guess what she was the one who actually did not get a perfect ending like other two FLs. (Eye rolls)
I don't know how well they represented media's role in China. They tried very hard to portray a media which is very honest and doing its job to represent truth without any bias. ( which I highly doubt). Rest of the cast is just there for show you won't even remember them. I liked mom's role to bring out more emotions from FL. The ending looked rushed and I just couldn't digest the way FL ended up with ML while she was about to forgive her husband seconds ago. ( It was not a spoiler you can just guess the storyline right away). Overall it was one time watch and I watched it for Liu Yuning who overshadowed everyone. I was not even that much interested in their cases related to their job. Oh! I forgot to mention the kid of FL. He was the best part of the show apart from Liu Yuning. Acting wise it was really good, music was ok and that is all.
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A beautiful drama ruined by annoying characters
I always had this problem with Cdramas where they don't understand what a normal/ not so well off family looks like. They usually show these " poor" characters with an extravagant lifestyle, beautiful clothes, an expensive apartment and so on. For a change they finally showed a poor household which looks believable. A small apartment with small rooms, stuffed furniture and not so elegant looking interior.What is good:
This story is something that you can watch with your family. It revolves around family values closely knitted together in many Asian cultures, FL's relationships and her struggle in a competitive work environment. The story is not something that you haven't seen before and I have seen Xu Kai and Yang Zi portraying similar roles before yet this drama is much better than all of them together. It is obviously slow burn and little draggy especially with second ml's storyline and fl's overbearing and nosy mother but you will enjoy the two main leads and their interaction a lot. Grandma's character is the best for me. She had a different aura altogether. You will totally adore her. Storywise it is not the best but not too bad either. Writer do not shy away from showing competitive and greedy human nature in the drama. Acting is really good whether it is the main lead or the side characters. Believe me you will literally hate some characters. They are just that good.
What will make you drop this drama: *WARNING RANT AHEAD*
Among all the dramas that I have watched (and I have watched a lot) never have I ever seen a character as annoying, overbearing, nosy, without much dignity, full of selfish bul*sh*t, and totally without any hint of character development like that of the Mother of FL in this drama. In the beginning I sort of forgave her for everything knowing how parents could be little nosy in some families. Then I thought her character might change, something will develop in her arc but to my utter disappointment there wasn't an ounce of guilt or change in her character. I don't know but looks like writers were obsessed with her to an extent that she was more on screen than ML. There is a limit to bear with such a character but writers do not give a damn instead they will introduce a whole set of relatives to irk you further. Nobody really points out what is wrong with mother. Dad and brother's characters were the weakest. They just see the whole scenario like a passerby and even cajole mother despite her being super wrong. *Sigh*
I tried really very hard for Yangzi and Xu kai but I gave up after a while. FL's brother's arc wasn't really interesting plus I felt way too much second hand embarrassment for FL throughout the episodes. I would not recommend this drama to anyone just because of ONE CHARACTER.
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It is always the least anticipated one that does wonders
When everyone was waiting for all the big dramas of the year to finally air and end the wait...all they did were just to disappoint the viewers with mediocre acting or boring script. Excessive CGI and stellar cast cannot save the drama either if the plot isn't going anywhere. And we have been graced with such CDramas for quite some time in the last few months. I really find it interesting that most of the dramas that are not hyped much ends up being the best ones. It was the case for this drama as well.The story isn't too complex to give you headache but still makes you want to stick till the end and despite having many loopholes here or there you would still be on the edge and wait for the next episode. There is nothing much to nitpick about acting when veteran actors are in the side roles and many of the actors that we already love are in the drama. I was surprised by a few actors who didn't leave much impression on me in their other shows but despite small role they did really very well in this one. The main cast and and their characters reminds me of LLTG a lot. ML is just so Ling Buyi and FL is just like Shaoshang. (If you tone down them a little). I loved all the scheming and bonding of the characters. Though the main lead do not interact a lot (especially in the first half) but when they do it is all sparks. All the subtle expressions and longing eyes are enough to make your heart flutter. Towards the end it feels as if plot was dragged a little bit and the open ending leaves audience with bitter feelings but the special episode make up for it. For CGI: Special mention for the music competition episode- it was little too much but still very beautiful. From music to production design everything is top notch.
Overall it is one of the best dramas of this year which you shouldn't miss at all. I highly recommend this one.
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Visual Feast and I am not just talking about Cheng Lei
It is Cheng Lei's drama and he is the backbone of it. Now, this is what I can call unique. Atleast this drama tried something new (plot wise ) and the way Cheng Lei is doing three characters here is laudable for sure. He is breaking his mould. It is my first time seeing him doing comedy, goofy/innocent type of character. Obviously his usual indifferent one is also part of his other character but it is refreshing to see him doing something different than what he is already good at.If I have to describe cinematography- just pause anywhere during the episode and it looks like a scenery that you could use it as a background image, it is that level of beautiful. I am loving all the editing which is done smartly something that was completely missing in Legend of female general. That is how one puts 'impact' in a particular scene especially action scenes, even though Song Yi (FL) still doesn't have that physical apperance of a general but it still looks good and powerful. The one that really stood out to me was that herbalist girl. She is so natural in her acting. Maybe it is just the character but she is doing really great though I cannot say the same for her partner the other deputy general or something. I am enjoying side characters banter and obviously villain of the story. A well suited actress for Empress's role. She perfectly delivered those bewitching, obsessed and unstable vibes that was demanded by her role. There are some great action scenes and choreography is really smooth. Now the worst part- when someone writes a female general's character, the most important quality of a leader is his/her descision making abilities. FL is shown pretty smart/vigilant one here but all her decisions as a general are very questionable. She goes alone fighting, takes handful of soldiers to fight against a big bandit group and ultimately she becomes damsel in distress who needs ML to save her. If we really think about it she is not fit for a general's position who leads a huge group (mostly men). That is the worst thing of this drama. Why do they write female characters like that is still a mystery to me. Either make her so sharp to get out of trouble using her brain or simply make her physically strong to fight her way out or don't make her a general or leader. It can still be a great character without such position. It is VERY FRUSTRATING.
Overall it is a unique and enjoyable drama (minus above mentioned parts).
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Having a stressful day? Watch this one.
There aren't many shows like this. I can't believe how much I could relate to all the characters in the dorama. We all go through those times when we do some silly things. Sometimes it is funny and sometimes embarassing but we all relate to those clumsy moments. I remember the anime version of this one and to watch Yuta, Dori , Maito (all my favs) portraying these characters is a chef's kiss.These are about 25-30min. episodes each and you will be smiling ear to ear while watching them. It is pure stress reliever.
I wish I could watch more dramas like that.
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That's how you make a live action drama
I went in without much expectations to be honest and the sole reason for that was all the prior adaptation disasters that we were forced to witness. But this one made me believe that if you go all in with a good budget, a stellar cast, and amazing production team and most importantly give the due respect to the original work and take all the best things from it instead of changing the plotline at your whims and pleasure then the result would be something like this one.From acting and dialogue writing to amazing background music and wonderful CGI, this had everything that all the One Piece fans needed in their lives. Every character fits perfectly. There are no other actors that I could imagine would suit the roles so well as this cast did in this adaptation. Plus the CGI and the background score made this adaptation a huge success. After an amazing first season you won't be able to wait for more.
I would definitely recommend this one to all the manga/anime and non anime fans for sure.
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Forced chemistry but good story
Gyeonseong creature takes us back to one of the hardest and struggling phase of Korean history and mixed it with an appealing sci-fi plot and created a perfect recipe for mass entertainment. ( Read summary for plot you will get the basic idea) From cinematography to cast everything is well thought and I am sure it was something that people who are sucker for some more 'stranger things' and 'sweet home' would like to watch.First episode started with a bang especially the opening that already set the tone for the drama and you will find yourself at the edge of your seat from the suspense and the horrifying things that the army was doing to create their biological weapons and the tension between the two countries and then we are introduced to our main leads. FL: Cold, bold and have a mysterious aura. ML- Typical perfect, rich, know it all character but obviously with a difficult past. I love both of them however the more I loved their scenes separately I did not find myself feeling any chemistry between them whenever they were together. Even in the first meeting, that chemistry building looked very forced ( some people might not agree with me). That slow motion scene just took me out of a perfect action moment that was going so well. ( very typical Kdrama scene). I do not know why but ML is one of my favourite actors but here I just couldn't feel anything for his character same goes for FL. Like I really couldn't connect with his or her character throughout. I had nothing to watch so I continued watching it. I don't think this show needed romance arc but it garners more audience with that subject matter so why not... anyways that is just my opinion. The creature created good suspense in the beginning but the moment they showed it...it wasn't really that much frightening tbh. The mother and daughter arc was really good though and I really enjoyed the performance of all the side characters . And they could have explored their characters a lot more but they remained just side characters. There will be a second season and it remains to be seen how it will turn out. Overall it was a good drama no doubt but predictable after some time. Not much for a re-watch but yes definitely a one time watch for sure.
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My journey to you in S...L...O...W M...O...T...I...O...N
The drama looked pretty intriguing from the story. It started off with a bang which looked pretty promising then it began to drag in the middle, then accelerated all the way towards the end and finally stopped dead in the end. (That's the gist of the drama).All the things that I loved about the drama in the beginning began to irk me towards the end. One such example is the aesthetics. It was really gorgeous to look at the mesmerizing natural scenes now and then but they did it way too much that I began to skip them. Another example is slow motion, that is the biggest problem in this drama. It was good at first in some scenes but they were walking in slow-mo, running in slow-mo, drinking in slow-mo, fighting in slow-mo, talking in slow-mo and explaining things in slow-mo...tbh I had to watch all that in 2x many times. (I have never seen a bad guy explaining his plans for more than half an hour and that too so damn slowly that I even lost interest in the middle of his conversation. The closeup scenes for instance began to look funny because they did it way too much especially during the fight scenes which, by the way, showed really good choreography, began to look fake. It looked they were posing with a sword for some photoshoot.
The main leads for me were the least interesting couple (I just did not feel anything for them. They were good in separate scenes but whenever they were together it felt .... boring.) Even the side characters were far interesting than them. The sister was hilarious (there was overacting but still in all the chaos she was the one who made me laugh). I loved yound elders and felt more connected to their stories than the leads. Plot wise it was really interesting but due to some reasons it looked the writers were justifying ML's every action right no matter how stupid it was. The interaction of two brothers and sister-in-law was something I enjoyed a lot. I felt more connected to young elders like Xue and Hua despite less screen time than anyone in the drama even the assassin mentor Hanyesi made me cry. It had great visuals, beautiful actors, well acted suspenseful story and good songs but it lacked chemistry ( FL had more chemistry with her mentor despite few scenes, two brothers had more chemistry than second leads) and sense at times. Plus the ending which wasn't even an open ending tbh. I wonder if there will be a season 2? (So many loose ends).
All I can say in the end is that it was a good one time watch.
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You won't lose anything if you skip this one
This comment might not be your cup of tea so...beware!Honestly I have been waiting for 'love beyond the grave' and ended up getting this one first. Despite everything I tried really really hard to watch this but it is beyond me how people are going crazy for such a bizarre show. (I mean yeah...there is nothing else to watch anyways) Aurthur is pretty much what he was in 'Lighter and Princess' (I really liked that one though) just change the timeline and make it magical. This type of roles suits him and I am only watching it (to a very large extent) just because of him. His cold demeanor and charming personality goes well with this character and visual-wise he is perfect for this role. Such characters do not require mind boggling acting anyways. As for FL I have seen her only in 'I am Nobody' and I really liked her in that one. If you could deal with first two episodes of that show then you are definitely in for a treat there. She played emotionless/lazy/robot like character there and it woked pretty well. The problem in this one is that she is still giving that vibe here. It usually happens when one character is emotionally restrained the other fills that gap by being a very strong level headed or bubbly or reckless sort of character. She is none. I have heard enough about chemistry here but this much chemistry is pretty much in every single drama if we go by the same rules. There are some desparate attempts at comedy and many lovey dovey scenes but I am not sure how to continue the show when there is nothing in the story to hold my interest. Side characters are completely forgettable as well. You can almost skip all of their scenes and believe me you won't miss anything. CGI is not even worth discussing. If you want to compare it then it is pretty much 'Love between fairy and devil' all over again minus CG and music. It was my fifth attempt at it where I failed miserably to continue it further. You can give it a try if you are LBFAD or main characters' fan but it is pretty much that... don't expect anything else.
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When a drama suffers from Kdrama hangover...
I have to get it out of my system before anything else... Does anyone know how far this drama is following the original book? Because there is no way this could be an adaptation of a best selling book. It feels more like a story written by a teenager on Wat*pad. I mean we all grew up watching Tokyo Paradise/Paradise kiss series and after that we were all inundated with such type of dramas. So originality wise it is just...that!If I could ignore all the messed up (forced) scenes, there is no way I could ignore all the scenes where everybody almost touches other person's nose even for a normal conversation, it just doesn't work well all the time. For the first time in the history of dramas I am only watching it- not for the story, not for the chemistry, not for any particular actor...it is only and only for FL and her bestie's scenes. I mean they have more chemistry than anybody. This show is waaaaaaay far from reality. It is like a dream school of a teenager. That dimly lit computer lab somehow setting the mood for everything but studying. That mean girl and her gang following ML for no reason whatsoever, (talk about being completely black or white characters), overdramatic teachers who just let you do whatever you want.
I genuinely need some outwardly powers to complete this drama with all my brain cells intact.
Watch it if you are into old fluffy kdramas/jdramas of early 2000s. Music is good, except for some weird cuts I really liked cinematography especially in the beginning. The dialogues will definitely give you cringe attack. Rest is...just...aah...up to your patience level.
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