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Gobsmacked
I'm just an ordinary viewer with no axe to grind or any special connection with the film industry. I adored this drama. I'll just mention the beautiful cinematography and sets, the clever dialogue and mournful musical score. Those have all been remarked on by others.
In terms of sheer fun and pure entertainment, this drama can’t be beat. It’s funny and poignant--filled with amazing encounters between the various characters and surprises when viewers least expect them.
On a deeper level, this series is about love–and the longing for love. Each of the main characters embodies a certain aspect of love. For example, the most interesting and hypnotic character is Xiang Liu, a nine-headed demon. The FL usually encounters him at night or at the edge of the ocean or another body of water or when she’s unconscious. When she’s in a coma for 37 years, he’s the one who watches over her and nurses her back to health. Although she can’t speak to him during this period, she has a spiritual bond with him, and he senses her presence.
Another character, Cang Xuan, is torn between his need for power and status and his deep, abiding passion for the FL.
I’m not blind to a few glitches in the plot and other deficiencies. A certain character dies–but is she permanently dead or is there a do over coming? And when someone’s been in a coma for 37 years, could he or she really get right up and walk around as if nothing had happened? (Seriously, they’re not even a little stiff?). Some of the middle episodes in season 2 drag on interminably. Others are exhausting to watch. A certain crying fit goes on for fifteen minutes.
All three of the male suitors first meet the main character when s/he’s an energetic, kind, mischievous dude with a huge appetite and lousy table manners. Is he really a male? A female? It’s not clear and it doesn’t seem to matter–not to the other characters and not to the viewers--because Zi Yang is one of the few actors who can play an androgynous role like this and make it both appealing and convincing.
You never know what’s going to happen in this series. A menacing character swoops down on the back of a flying eagle. He and his victim end up floating under the ocean admiring the jellyfish, the sea anemones, and the mer-people. A certain suitor, trying to impress the object of his affection, juggles fireballs which suddenly explode in a cascade of sparks. During an archery lesson a few drops of blood turn into a red bird.
And then there are the details and subtexts that really sell the story. Whether it’s Chubby, the animated bird, stamping his foot in impatience–letting the main character know it’s time to GET GOING, or Xiang Liu trying to look scary but whose face melts for a second into a micro-expression of adoration when he gazes at the FL, or all the suitors overwhelmed with emotion when they first see Qing Shui transformed into a princess – the skillful acting and other elements combine to give viewers a multi-layered experience that’s truly impressive.
But don’t take my word for it. Read the number of awards this drama has won...
Consider my gob officially smacked.
In terms of sheer fun and pure entertainment, this drama can’t be beat. It’s funny and poignant--filled with amazing encounters between the various characters and surprises when viewers least expect them.
On a deeper level, this series is about love–and the longing for love. Each of the main characters embodies a certain aspect of love. For example, the most interesting and hypnotic character is Xiang Liu, a nine-headed demon. The FL usually encounters him at night or at the edge of the ocean or another body of water or when she’s unconscious. When she’s in a coma for 37 years, he’s the one who watches over her and nurses her back to health. Although she can’t speak to him during this period, she has a spiritual bond with him, and he senses her presence.
Another character, Cang Xuan, is torn between his need for power and status and his deep, abiding passion for the FL.
I’m not blind to a few glitches in the plot and other deficiencies. A certain character dies–but is she permanently dead or is there a do over coming? And when someone’s been in a coma for 37 years, could he or she really get right up and walk around as if nothing had happened? (Seriously, they’re not even a little stiff?). Some of the middle episodes in season 2 drag on interminably. Others are exhausting to watch. A certain crying fit goes on for fifteen minutes.
All three of the male suitors first meet the main character when s/he’s an energetic, kind, mischievous dude with a huge appetite and lousy table manners. Is he really a male? A female? It’s not clear and it doesn’t seem to matter–not to the other characters and not to the viewers--because Zi Yang is one of the few actors who can play an androgynous role like this and make it both appealing and convincing.
You never know what’s going to happen in this series. A menacing character swoops down on the back of a flying eagle. He and his victim end up floating under the ocean admiring the jellyfish, the sea anemones, and the mer-people. A certain suitor, trying to impress the object of his affection, juggles fireballs which suddenly explode in a cascade of sparks. During an archery lesson a few drops of blood turn into a red bird.
And then there are the details and subtexts that really sell the story. Whether it’s Chubby, the animated bird, stamping his foot in impatience–letting the main character know it’s time to GET GOING, or Xiang Liu trying to look scary but whose face melts for a second into a micro-expression of adoration when he gazes at the FL, or all the suitors overwhelmed with emotion when they first see Qing Shui transformed into a princess – the skillful acting and other elements combine to give viewers a multi-layered experience that’s truly impressive.
But don’t take my word for it. Read the number of awards this drama has won...
Consider my gob officially smacked.
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