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The Omen Odyssey
In an era dominated by rom-coms and censorship, horror-thriller dramas are a dying breed. So when The Seven Relics of Ill Omen—adapted from Weiyu’s novel Qi Gen Xin Jian—finally aired on Youku, I knew I had to give it a try. Despite knowing it wouldn’t rake in high ratings, my love for suspense and supernatural thrillers won out.Long ago, demons invaded the mortal realm, triggering mass bloodshed. A righteous official, Bo Yangzi, sealed them using a scroll of imperishable wood—split into seven bamboo slips—while three phoenixes sacrificed themselves to form the seal. These slips became known as the “relics of ill omen.”
Centuries later, the relics began stirring again, unleashing chaos across time periods—from ancient Fengzi Ridge to the republican era. Enter five unlikely heroes—Mu Dai (an adorable martial arts prodigy), Luo Ren (a brooding mercenary), Yi Wan San (a sharp-tongued barista), Yan Hongsha (a fearless treasure hunter), and Cao Yanhua (a reformed pickpocket). Together, they form the “Phoenix Squad” to confront the seven relics and their dark histories.
Fishing Line Doll – Luoma Lake (Relic of Blade)
Centers on Mu Dai’s adoptive mother, her tragic love, and a parasitic relic haunting Luo Ren’s family. Powerful themes of identity and revenge.
Fairy’s Guidance – Wuzhu Village (Relic of Water)
Yi Wan San returns to his cursed hometown and confronts family grief, survivor’s guilt, and a giant clam harboring the relic.
Rouge Amber – Yueliang Mountain (Relic of Hang)
Yan Hongsha’s past unravels, revealing an eerie tale involving a savage child, betrayal, and jewel greed. Mu Dai also develops a split persona here.
Wind-Blown Dust – Nantian (Relic of Mouth)
Mu Dai’s painful backstory surfaces—an abandoned child, a friend’s tragic death, and repressed trauma culminating in a gripping mental battle.
Cao Village in the Mist (Relic of Earth)
Cao Yanhua’s cousin gets possessed. Deep caves, eerie coffins, and star-related legends make this one suspenseful and myth-heavy.
Hunting Shadow and Leopard – Old Heisha Island (Relic of Human)
Luo Ren’s past resurfaces in the form of Leopard—a villainess with a dark ritual past. It’s intense, and yes, their chicken sidekick steals the spotlight.
Phoenix Reborn – Fengzi Ridge (Relic of Heart)
A powerful finale. The Phoenix Squad confronts their deepest fears in an illusion realm. No death ritual this time—just growth, unity, and healing.
Weiyu has once again delivered a fantasy-mystery marvel. The script, though slightly adjusted for censorship, retains her signature otherworldly vibe. Each relic arc is compelling, and the backstories—especially of the antagonists—are nuanced and emotionally gripping (Leopard excluded, but she’s a fun villain).
Liu Haocun is phenomenal, seamlessly switching between the cheerful Mu Dai and her darker persona. Despite past backlash (notably in Be Passionately in Love), her performance here is a revelation. Song Weilong perfectly balances mystery and tenderness as Luo Ren. Ao Ruipeng (Yi Wan San) is hilarious as ever and forms a fun duo with Cao Yanhua. Wang Yiting also impresses in her first major role I’ve seen.
From visuals to OSTs, everything is top-notch. Despite its supernatural setting, the production feels grounded and atmospheric. Massive credit to the crew for pulling off a genre this hard to air under strict censorship.
Is it worth watching? Absolutely—if you’re into well-written fantasy thrillers with emotional depth and a touch of horror. It does drag in parts, and Leopard’s strange accent can be jarring, but the overall experience is a rare gem. A well-earned applause to the creators for making this happen in today’s industry climate.
If you want to read the full-length review, you can click on this link yes...
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/8126149196342022378/6038927938275854787
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The Feeling of Being Put Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Okay, so I found this drama in Desire Catcher's recommendation lists, and I thought the premise is quite intriguing given its genre for a suspense thriller drama. To be honest, I'm not supposed to watch any dramas until In Between airs because I've got a lot of tasks going on right now (monthly quiz and so on). However, because of this interesting premise, I was tempted to jump back to the drama world and here we go to the review...The story tells about Luo Jian and Zhuang Wenjie who cooperate with each other to solve numerous cases linked to a mysterious mastermind. Actually, we are supposed to have an enemies-to-partners trope given the leads' identity - one is an experienced yet lowkey detective while the other one is a genius aka straight-A student who comes from a family of thieves for 3 generations (big whoop, right?). So, as we dig more into the plot, we are told that Zhuang Wenjie unintentionally involves himself in a painting robbery case, claiming that it is his late mother's most favorite painting. At first, he and Detective Luo don't seem to have a good start, but later on, he begins to acknowledge Detective Luo as his life mentor. Somehow, the villains happen to discover of Zhuang Wenjie's existence and make him their puppet because of his very special identity as Zhuang Yaobai's son (his father was one of the best thieves back before he married Wenjie's mother). Caught amidst the conflict between the police and the thieves, Wenjie has to make a choice for himself - to uphold the justice and law or to unravel the conspiracy behind his father's death 10 years ago.
In the beginning, the plot hooks me from the get-go, and I immediately binged up to 10 episodes. However, the plot starts to go downhill after Ding Shenghuo (one of Zhuang Yaobai's acquaintance) is arrested. The remaining villains are bland for me including Monsieur, the ultimate villain behind all of these crimes. I skipped nearly all of the scenes while trying to piece up everything by envisaging here and there. Also, the writer seemed to have toned down Wenjie's character by making him into a super freaking dumb boy. Come on dude, you shouldn't listen to those thieves' words and just stay still just like how Detective Luo tells him to do - he even doesn't know that he's in cahoots with Monsieur himself, who claims to be his father's senior. Born into a family of thieves has granted him a sense of vigilant and alertness, but why don't you use it in front of Monsieur and instead treat everything as if nothing happened at all (if you just listened to Detective Luo, things wouldn't do haywire, and your life probably wouldn't be in danger since the police is handling the case)? However, I must say that he's good when it comes to deception, better than me of course (it's shown when he keeps making excuses and lies to his friends).
Zhang Yi steals the show's limelight and showcases his acting talent seamlessly as the kind yet wise Detective Luo whereas Karry Wang of TFBOYS is still overshadowed by Zhang Yi's character despite him having more significance and depth. The supporting characters have done their parts well and I'm surprised to see that Fan Shiran is also participating in this drama (still can't get over her toxic character in Dashing Youth lol).
I don't pay much attention to the songs and BGMs so it is a pass to me.
Overall, an eight out of ten. If you're a fan of suspense thriller drama with complicated characters, give it a go. But I do have to warn you that the second half may not be as captivating as the first one. Good luck and happy watching!
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One of the Most Brutal K-Dramas that Ever Existed
Back in late 2023, I happened to find this show as a very high-rated show in MDL, so I decided to give it a try. However, I only watched until ep 6 then stopped, never touched it again, and marked it as completed in my watchlist.To be honest, the plot and storyline is not that bad, and I like all of the fighting scenes and violence depicted in this show. Nonetheless, I started to lose my interest when the third male lead popped up amidst the show. I never understood why he should turn against his two buddies who had protected him at the first place - it's like biting the hands that feed you, if I must say. Other than that, I don't seem to have any troubles regarding this show.
Acting is superb and most of the casts have done their best to bring out the essence of their characters (I only realized that Park Jihoon is one of Wanna One's former members wkwkwkwk).
Overall, a nine out of ten from me. Highly recommended for violence, bullying, gangster tropes' lovers :)
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An Addicting Wuxia Fantasy Drama with Spectacular CGI and Bunches of Superb Characters
Well, I'm supposed to write this review a long time ago, but I'm just... to lazy to write because I've forgotten most of the key scenes in the show. However, watching 'Dashing Youth' has encouraged me to do so. Sorry for the late review, guys...This show revolves around the F6 of TBOY (Xiao Se, Lei Wujie, Wu Xin, Sikong Qianluo, Tang Lian, and Ye Ruoyi) as they traverse the jianghu world. As you can see, the storytelling and the story's pace are directed well. I really like the first half of the show when they are travelling through the jianghu. However, things start to turn over as they delve into the political intrigue. I admit I skipped a lot of scenes, especially the emperor, the princes, the pathetic eunuch, and also Yi Wenjun's.
My favorite characters will always be Wujie and Tang Lian - I adore them very much and wish they had more screentime instead of the sly little fox Xiao Se. I have no problems with the female leads - they're likeable haha. However, I don't like Wu Xin as much as everyone does - I don't know if it is just me or is anybody feeling the same.
CGI, costumes, and props are crafted exquisitely and look high-budget.
Nevertheless, a ten out of ten for me. I've rewatched for the third time and definitely will recommend it for those who love wuxia with a tinge of fantasy element in it. I'm currently watching 'Dashing Youth' and see if the prequel lives up to the sequel's reputation. I'll cover up 'Dashing Youth' review when I'm done watching. Good luck!!!
Note:
There are bunches of characters that you will need to remember from time to time in order to grasp the story.
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Life is not as Simple as It Seems...
Okay, so this is my third mini drama after 'A Familiar Stranger' and 'Seal of Love'. I've never had much expectation of a mini drama, given their low-budget and average casting. But, this one had me hooked up right from the beginning and I just kept watching nonstop until the end.The plot is centered around two skilled assassins (ML and FL), who were somehow drawn to the political scheme of the first prince and even served under the same commander (you'll notice this in the later episodes). In their daily lives, FL was a clothing merchant whereas ML was an ordinary physician. I'm not sure whether they're betrothed or not, but they married... and tried to hide their real identities with a great deal of difficulty LOL. One more thing, we also have a second couple which consists of FL's blind younger sister and ML's sidekick. Though they didn't have much screentime, their presences also played pivotal roles in aiding the main couple to complete their missions.
My slight complaint is about the villain's arc. Somehow, the villain betrayed the main couple and tried to get them killed. But, he, himself, wasn't dead and... done. What kind of lame plot is this? They could've revised the script and made a proper ending for the villain though.
Surprisingly, this mini drama had done well in every aspect including the sets, costumes, fighting scenes, and more. The actings are on point and I begin to ship the main couple (hoping for a future collab LOL). Second couple is also nice and cute tho.
Overall, a highly recommended mini drama! You won't regret investing your time in this!
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An Unexpected Good Watch
Firstly, I came here without any high expectation and only watched this to kill my time as there was nothing to watch back in January (after I dropped Sword and Fairy 6). I only find my time tonight to work on this review. So, this is a live adaptation based on 'Cream-Flavored Unrequited Love' by Zhu Yi who also writes Hidden Love, When I Fly Towards You, and First Frost.The story is set in the college times of Lin Xichi (FL) and Xu Fang (ML). Both of them attend the same university but taking different majors. FL is a veterinary medicine majoring whereas ML enters the university with special admission due to him being an archer. The plot is a simple one, exploring the love life of the leads and how insecure they feel on the inside. You will expect all of the college drama tropes used here, so there's no surprise as this is a typical college drama. I love the bickering and banters of the main leads - also feel the superb chemistry and have butterflies in my stomach. (giggle... giggle...)
We have SML (Ye Shaowen) pursuing the FL and SFL (Xin Zhidan) doing the same to the ML. At first, they may come off toxic, but fortunately, the leads state that they only like each other and reject them outright. After getting rejected, they realize the truth and acknowledge and become supportive of their relationship. It solves pretty fast after 2 or 3 episodes - they're not annoying out of my hell, anyway.
Second couple (Jiang Zhengxu and Nie Yue) has a healthy relationship and support each other when one of them is in the darkest moment of his/her life. I'm moved by how Nie Yue defending Jiang Zhengxu from those debt collectors - it's just so, so heartwarming. Also like the way he proposes to Nie Yue before they graduate.
Third couple (Lin Xigeng and He Liyang) get off on the wrong foot when they first meet but slowly begin to attract each other. He's just so protective towards his girlfriend and his sister too. He's a good husband material. The girl is quite independent too, however after a motorbike crash, she will be a cripple, but that doesn't stop her from wanting to become a professional racer.
Annoying parents trope is played heavily if you notice the unstable relationship of the FL's dad and mom. I hate both of them and skip their scenes. Thank goodness, ML has more supportive parents and they immediately accept the FL without further ado.
This is one of the best college dramas I've ever seen even though the rating is kinda low in MDL. Happy watching and you can also check out Zhu Yi's other works (I will be waiting for First Frost - maybe until 2025 or longer than that TT).
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Jekyll and Hyde on the Roll
After witnessing tons of awful histrionics from "Dazzling", I hope I'd never touch youth idol dramas anymore, except for the fact that I can't resist eye-candy. So, thank goodness, iQIYI immediately aired "Archives: The Nanyang Mystery", which happens to be on my waiting list. I was so excited when the release date was announced that I began bouncing back and forth due to irrepressible thrill. FYI, "Archives: The Nanyang Mystery" is a spin-off or compilation story from "The Grave Robbers' Chronicle" by Kennedy Xu, which has been a popular IP and adapted into different dramas and films until today. The latest are "Time Raiders" and "Adventure behind the Bronze Door" though.Set within the world of "The Lost Tomb", this story follows two orphaned boys, Zhang Hailou and Zhang Haixia, who are adopted and trained by the secretive Zhang Family. Under the strict guidance of their mentor, Zhang Haiqi, they grow into skilled agents tasked with protecting the family's legacy. Their first major mission takes them to Nanyang, where they investigate a series of supernatural incidents involving mysterious shrines, strange deaths, and legends surrounding an "Evil God." What begins as a routine assignment gradually expands into a decades-long struggle involving secret organizations, political conspiracies, deadly biological threats, and ancient mysteries hidden beneath forgotten cities. As the years pass, Hailou and Haixia establish themselves as investigators while confronting increasingly dangerous cases tied to a mysterious plant known as Twilight Grass. Their missions expose them to warlords, underground factions, hidden archives, and powerful enemies seeking to exploit ancient forces for their own gain. Along the way, friendships are tested, loyalties are questioned, and the bond between the two adopted brothers faces its greatest challenges. As they search for answers, they uncover clues connected to an ancient civilization, bizarre creatures, forgotten ruins, and secrets that may explain the origin of many unexplained phenomena that have haunted the region for generations. At its heart, however, the story is less about monsters and mysteries and more about brotherhood. It explores the relationship between Hailou and Haixia as they struggle with duty, identity, sacrifice, and the question of how far one person should go to save someone they love like family. Framed as a tale recounted by Wu Xie, the drama serves as both an adventure-filled prequel and an emotional character study, expanding the lore of the Zhang Family while shedding light on one of the most enigmatic clans in the world of "The Lost Tomb".
As expected of Kennedy Xu's story, we'll get to see high-stake missions and adventures, mystical Chinese folk tales, the essence of brotherhood and friendship, and lastly, the good and bad side of humanity. Every episode will bring out the deepest emotion out of yourselves - when they are happy, you are happy, and vice versa (you'll never know what will happen in the next episodes). Guessing game isn't an ideal method to predict the plot, as Kennedy Xu has turned the tables and keeps Haixia alive (Haixia is supposed to have die in the ship and never survives). I particularly feel the pain and regret of Hailou as he realizes his greatest mistake and is willing to repent by obtaining those herbs in dangerous circumstances and limited time (Haixia doesn't have much time to hold on any longer). Meanwhile, a lot of people are bashing Zhang Haiqi for being a cruel and apathetic shifu, but I'm on the opposite side of the public. Why so? Haiqi is probably crushed after the deaths of her many comrades. She's not done grieving and must pull herself together to venture deeper into the enemy's lair, while having to berating Hailou for making such a lousy mistake. As she had previously mentioned to Hailou, only he himself can control his life and he should be grateful for having Haixia as his partner, because nobody will take care of him in this cruel world. My civics teacher also reminded us of this philosophy, and maybe that's why it strikes harder for me than anyone else.
The acting is truly phenomenal especially our dear Salty and Shrimpie. I've never been a fan of Steven Zhang, but he truly nails Zhang Hailou's character and blends himself seamlessly into the fiction, while maintaining his humorous side which is only shown to his loved ones. Ryan Ding isn't an exception too, as he also portrays Haixia as a deeply conflicted man who must decide between his fate and his wistful desire of staying together with Hailou and shifu - and his smooth transition between the calm and psycho version too (he reminds me of Kaz Brekker from "Six of Crows" and "Crooked Kingdom" if you're into Grishaverse. Also, kudos to Jiang Peiyao for being a strict yet secretly caring shifu. I don't care whatever they want to say about her, but she aptly captures Haiqi's essence of a badass 100-yo girlie. Meanwhile, I also want to praise Li Huan, who plays our cranky accountant He Jianxi, for creating such a hilarious ruckus that I can't get over with. Special mention to Zhang Chenxiao and Liu Lingzi as the unexpected couple of the drama - the unlikely pair of a gullible little Taoist and a badass yet streetwise bandit leader really hits me hard. Well, a lot of people have been calling names due to a certain scene they consider as rape/sexual assault rather than a comedy one. I don't think much about it, but all I can say is that I wasn't that uncomfortable and even had a good laugh about it. As for the entire casts, they've also done well and I think I can't ask for more (that will be selfish of me, don't you feel?).
OSTs are heart-wrenching as well, especially the ones by Kang Ziqi and Steven Zhang. Duan Aojuan's song isn't as cringy as the one in "Dazzling" anymore, but I don't think I'll download it on my phone. Liu Yuning's needs more listening. And I have a particular fondness of the rap song by Wang Shuye and Weng Yiming, though plagued by the short duration. Backgrounds, settings, CGI, costumes are crafted spectacularly and bring about the vibes of the republican era. Usually, I can't stand this period, but this time, for the sake of the leads and compelling story, I'm trying my best to stay in this ship until the end.
Overall, it's a very good watch and as usual, a ten out of ten from me. If you're into intricately woven story, heartfelt family bond, or perhaps tired of the usual idol romance cliche, then this drama may be made for you. However, beware that you need to follow the story carefully as the plot unfolds, otherwise you're going to be left in the circle of confusion and bewilderment as to how this and that event can happen. That's all for my review, thank you for reading my positive rant. Good luck and happy watching!!! See you again in another lifetime, my Salty and Shrimpie!!! I love you!!!
For those who are eager to know to the whole plot without having to watch, just check the full synopsis on my blog site. Here's the link...
https://myreviewforcdrama-bycv58.blogspot.com/2026/06/archive-nanyang-mystery-full-synopsis.html
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Fiasco in Styles
Prior to watching “Veil of Shadows”, I admit that I have a lot on my plates right now, with “Love beyond the Grave” still ongoing and other stuffs catching behind. I wouldn’t have been tempted to have a peek on “Veil of Shadows” if it hadn’t been for my pretty boys (Tian Jiarui, Yan An, Chang Huasen, and more on the deck) casted in this drama. To be honest, I try to remind myself to be as realistic as possible to the painfully obvious fact that we’re dealing with the one of the most notoriously controversial directors, Guo Jingming. Back in 2024, I had an unpleasant experience of binging “Love Game in Eastern Fantasy” and “Fangs of Fortune” simultaneously – and ended up giving the latter a 9.0 due to my gullibility. But this time, it’s going to be another way round because I won’t be deceived for the second time anymore. I’m also fully aware that this may be an unpopular opinion, yet I still have the urge to pour out my inner words in this review, because I can’t bear to see a lot of people wasting their time on this type of drama. There will lots of yapping below (I can even yap about Youku as the laughingstock of all C-drama's platforms, or even Ju Jingyi's controversy about tax issue with Siba Media and yeah, I know that company is always up to no good), so please bear with me.Edit: You can simply skip the first paragraph as I've changed my mind quite a lot from my earlier perspective.
“Veil of Shadows” is an original script written by Guo Jingming himself and is loosely based on one of his previous movies, Painted Skin: The Guo Jingming Edition. The story itself features four leads who are divided into two couples – the first couple comprises of a vengeful flood dragon demon Wu Shiguang and a cunning nine-tailed fox demon Wu Wangyan; the second an innocent-looking demon hunter who turns out to be a Dragon Deity himself, Ji Ling and an equally sly nine-tailed fox demon Lu Wuyi. Through interwoven fate, they meet in a chance encounter, when Xiaowei (a traitor of Formless Moon Sect) devours humans’ hearts and wreaks havoc in the human world, thus reluctantly join hands to catch Xiaowei. However, fate hasn’t stopped fooling with them yet, as they are faced with numerous life-and-death trials involving the blooming love of hundreds of years prior to this era.
Edit: The storyline improves gradually as the drama proceeds, even I begin to find my pleasure in watching "Veil of Shadows".
All the paragraphs below will be dedicated for my yapping session as I find numerous issues in this drama. Beware of spoiler alert too.
Firstly, the overly loud BGMs and the painfully inaudible voice-over. Honestly, I grow frustrated over times because of adjusting the volume of my buds and sometimes the BGMs are ear-splitting too. However, I still have to praise Guo Jingming for his bold move on using EDM-based BGMs with strong bass and beats in historical dramas, which is rarely seen in other historical counterparts. The more I listen to them, the more I'm getting possessed by those instrumentals.
Edit: I'm no longer yapping over the BGMs, rather I'm waiting for the production crew to release them globally. More people need to appraise those beautiful instrumentals.
Secondly, Guo Jingming still sticks to the so-called label of “all styles no substances”. Why do I say so? If you pore over the drama properly and strip it off from the xianxia trope, you’ll see that the main core of the plot is of murder mystery VR game-esque (if you have watched “Love Between Lines”, you can try to compare them), with the leads sitting and discussing what they should do to catch the murderer (Xiaowei) while trying to do something productive at the time being. Furthermore, the drama is plagued by tons of shallow empty talk which leads to nowhere and ends up becoming a humdrum to me, even ChatGPT can write a better script than him. Those dialogues aren’t even meaningful too, just an obvious attempt to force the plot to move from one scene to another. And who in their right mind would still flirt when murders are happening left and right (pointing out to Ji Ling and Lu Wuyi)? The only setback may be the main couple's interactions and the void conversation they have (sometimes I fast forward the second couple's scenes due to similar reason too).
Edit: EP 12 and 13 show remarkable improvement and no longer stick to the VR game's scripts, beginning to venture into a more intense game of manipulation amidst the hunt of the Star Stone. Another thing is that I'm completely invested in Li Jie and Yuan Wuhuo's backstory and I badly want to see how their arc will evolve (six-eyed butterfly demon is a nice choice, though. I always love butterfly demons). Also, EP 21 will become my latest favorite as my baby Tongguang finally shows up with his own love story (I mean Chang Huasen). In addition to that, we get a proper revelation of Li Jie and Yuan Wuhuo's flashbacks and how they are created. EP 24 showcases a lot of emotional impact regarding Ji Ling's flashbacks, why he volunteered to become a fake dragon deity, and his gradual transition from a simple-minded little fox to a mature and emotionless god.
Thirdly, Guo Jingming’s tendency to include sismance (and perhaps GL) stuffs as the girls always have intimate touch with each other. This also occurred in “Fangs of Fortune”, but it can be categorized as a minor issue to me.
Fourthly, Guo Jingming also loves over-the-top theatrical flair, which can be tedious over time. I know that he means to create huge emotional impact for the watchers, but I don’t feel anything at all – just staring blankly with a meh on my face. I’m not someone who can be affected by emotion, so maybe I’m an exception here, but who knows?
If you read this yapping session and perhaps, you’re a hardcore fan of Guo Jingming, you may see that everything is dedicated to castigating Guo Jingming. Well, I can’t blame the actors because they’re given those materials and have to make do with them. The boys are fine so far (but I don’t fast-forward Tian Jiarui and Yan An’s scenes only). For Joseph Zeng, I’m sorry that I’m no longer your fan, so let me fast forward a bit. The girls are more troublesome, and I literally fast forward all of their alluring tempting small talks – Chen Duling and Ju Jingyi have both worked hard to embody the vibe of nine-tailed vixens, but I still can’t help it and have least sympathy when skimping through their parts.
There are 20 OSTs in this drama, which is a shocking number for a moderate drama like “Veil of Shadows”, but my favorite will be Zhou Shen’s title song and Tian Jiarui's about the innocent fox. Other than that, I also like Yan An's song for Li Jie's theme. It hooks me up since I play the OST preview in loop.
I also want to commend the production team for creating grandeur background settings, beautiful costumes, and dozens of magic trinkets and artifacts. After a back-and-forth consideration, I decide to go all out with a 9.0. Honestly speaking, I should've made the score lower, but I can't bear to do it myself as I'm rooted deeply for "Veil of Shadows". Who cares about substances anymore?
All in all, I take back most of what I yap before, and perhaps I may rewatch the part where the over-the-top EDM tracks are played. One more thing I need to remind you is that don't get dizzy after going through the whole yapping. Good luck and happy watching!!!
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Stick Through Ups and Downs Together
Another day, another review. Just you know, I only finished LGIEF yesterday due to the fact that I couldn’t maintain my schedule properly and FOF was also airing at the same time (you can imagine how messy my life is). Thank goodness, after done with FOF, I picked this show up where I left off and continued through the story. FYI, I’ve been waiting for a year and had read the manga back and forth to grasp the leads’ explosive chemistry and the mesmerizing unique plot.So, the story revolves around a modern-day girl named Ling Miaomiao, who loved to read fantasy novels by her favorite author, Fu Zhou. One day, Miaomiao was writing an overly critical review about Fu Zhou’s newest book titled Catching Demons when she was suddenly sucked into the book itself. Miaomiao quickly realized that she had accidentally triggered the system and entered the world of Catching Demons. To return to the real world, Miaomiao had to complete the plot and also deal with the enigmatic tsundere boy Mu Sheng, his doting sister Mu Yao alongside her lover Liu Fuyi. As she navigated through this otherworld, Miaomiao decided to change the whole story and rewrite their supposedly bad ending into a good one.
I must admit that LGIEF’s script is a very intelligent one. As we all know very well, transmigration plot has been recycled multiple times especially in mini dramas, however this show proves me wrong about it. It is not your typical old school cliché and also incorporates modern and traditional culture in one go, which adds a breath of fresh air for those who loathe cliché scenes and stuffs like that. I also like the moral lessons sprinkled in this show especially the one that I write above (that’s the life lesson which Miaomiao always emphasizes whenever they’re in perilous situations). My slight complain is that they never explain how Fu Zhou can transmigrate into the novel too and why he doesn’t have any memory of himself, but the memory of Mu Sheng instead :(
By the way, Esther Yu and Ryan Ding’s explosive chemistry is the main weapon which makes the watchers ship them more and more. I love the way they always bicker with each other and the emotional scenes are also heart-wrenching. I personally find that Esther Yu’s bubbly voice doesn’t annoy me and her acting skill has improved a lot too (I’m sorry for dropping Love Between Fairy and Devil tho). This is my first show of Ryan Ding and I must say that he embodies the role of Mu Sheng really well, giving off sarcastic bad boy aura from the get go lol.
However, the same can’t be said to the second couple. I’ve seen Zhu Xudan and Yang Shize back in Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact and I like their interactions there. Nonetheless, in this show, all they do is being poker-faced and never smile. I don’t whether the fault lies on the script (they’re required to act like NPCs cause they’re no real characters) or what, but I can’t detect any chemistry from them.
By the way, special mention to our bamboo kiddo Cuicui – he’s the cutest boy ever and the way he clings to his grandpa… SOOO CUTTTEEEE
Sets, wardrobes, cinematography, OSTs, BGMs are done right too. The ones that I particularly like are the Astronomical Bureau’s entrance and also the piano BGM when they’re forced to make a decision or complete a mission together.
Would I recommend it? YES, you should give this masterpiece a go! You won’t regret wasting your time in this show and my 32 hours is worth it. Good luck and happy watching!!!
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Despite the Glamorous Budget, the Plot is...
Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact aka Yue Hong is the first installment of the Fox Spirit Matchmaker trilogy. IQIYI and Stellar Pictures did spend a huge sum of money to produce the trilogy. While waiting for the release date, I kept searching for information on the manga's wikipedia site and also watched a tidbit of the anime. For your information, I've been waiting this show for a year and even kept fantasizing and imagining what the scenes in the show would look like. But my expectation is cut short when the actual release date is confirmed. Despite the stellar casts, aesthetic backgrounds, exquisite costumes, top-notch CGI, and high budget, the show falls short when it comes to the script. You can see just how disappointed I am. However, I don't want my one-year awaiting turns into a fruitless effort, so I keep pressing on until the final.(For the synopsis, you can check it out at MDL main page or at justjacky's review. I'm not going to copy it down because this is gonna be a very long rant.)
The plot is simplistic, dull, and bland as if it were an exquisite cake without any icing on top of it. I don't feel any emotions out of the dialogues, instead I just keep a poker face and stare at my screen as if nothing had happened. Moreover, the script is full of typical cliches of a childish rom-com drama like are you injured, are you hungry, try my new dishes, it's late now-go back and rest, and blah blah blah. This cycle keeps repeating for countless times and soon becomes very repetitive. To me, it's like the parents nag to their child to oblige to the rules and do what he/she is supposed to do and not to meddle in someone else's business.
After searching the wikipedia once more, I only discover that the writers ATTEMPT to cram several little arcs into the show in order to prolong the story. However, it doesn't work out because the story becomes more underwhelmed, and those couples barely have screentime of their own. Somehow, I kinda feel that they always prioritize the main couple over the others.
Aside from the bad script, the show also suffers from choppy editing. The transition between every scene is done haphazardly even though the post-production team is given a one-year time. When a certain scene has reached the climax/pinnacle, it will zoom to another random scene which has nothing to do with the previous one. I personally feel that this absurd scene jumping hinders some of the audience to understand the story thoroughly, but all we can do is to ENDURE it!
(Note: The choppy editing is resulted by using panoramic screen instead of the normal green screen, claiming that they wanted to try using a new technology that never existed in other Chinese fantasy dramas.)
As for now, I'm going to explain every couple's arc and the rant will continue below. Here we go...
- Tushan Honghong and Dongfang Yuechu (Yang Mi and Gong Jun)
Honghong is the chief of Tushan and the eldest of the Tushan sister. Being a leader of the Tushan fox clan, she shoulders a lot of heavy responsibilities. She is cold, aloof, and can be authoritative. She has been acting cold because she fears of falling in love and is still guilty of what happened to Dongfang Luo, her childhood sweetheart. Yuechu is the descendant of the Dongfang family and has been hunted since he was younger. He is intelligent, mischievous, and a bit cunning. To him, Honghong is his life savior, and he can't help but to have a crush on her. Despite her objections, Yuechu relentlessly pursues Honghong and never gives up when she rejects her. The two of them have the same wish, which is to see humans and spirits live in harmony. In the process, he melts Honghong's cold heart and she decides to fall in love once more.
- Tushan Yaya and Aolai SanShao/Ah Lai (Cristy Guo and Wei Zheming)
Yaya is the deputy chief of Tushan and the second eldest of the Tushan sister. Yaya has a carefree and reckless personality, which is the reason why both of her sisters prefer to keep her dark of the truth, afraid that her recklessness will bring chaos to Tushan. Aolai Sanshao, disguised as Ah Lai the Poison Boy, is one of Honghong's friends who had been helping her to investigate the black fox. He has an easygoing, cheery, and cheeky vibe. As he spends his days in Tushan, he is attracted to Yaya's carefree nature while Yaya also admire Ah Lai's cleverness and courage.
- Bu Tai and Shi Kuan (Zhu Xudan and Yang Shize)
Bu Tai is the princess of Spirit-Master Kingdom. She is a nice person and also filial to her kingdom. She has a secret crush on her loyal spirit guard, Shi Kuan. She is the first person who confesses her love to a spirit under the Grief Tree. Her love is later reciprocated by Shi Kuan. Unfortunately, Bu Tai was assassinated by Guoguo as one of Shi Ji's schemes. Later, Shi Kuan ascends to the position of Spirit-Master Kingdom's new emperor.
- Lu Jianwen and Yan Rushan (Sebrina Chen and Mao Zijun)
Lu Jianwen is a new constable of the Yiqi Alliance. As far as I know, she is a justice-driven person. She gets entangled in the women abduction case alongside Yan Rushan, also known as Thousand-Faces Gentleman, who is Rongrong's former disciple. At first, they never see eye to eye, but soon they are drawn to each other and stage another love story.
- Yueti Xia and Hu Weisheng (Chen Duling and Zhang Linghe)
Yueti Xia is the descendant of the Yueti Family who possess Seven-Treasures Bark. She has a playful and mischievous nature. Hu Weisheng is the disciple of the Ximen Family who takes part in the Seven-Treasures Bark's hunt. He is a naive guy and clueless when it comes to love. After escaping life-and-death situations and spending time together, they realized each other's feeling and love blossomed between the two.
- Tushan Rongrong (Hu Lianxin)
Rongrong is the third chief of Tushan and the youngest of the Tushan sister. Rongrong is more mature and meticulous compared to Yaya. She is one of Honghong's trusted aids in accomplishing Honghong's missions.
- Shi Ji (Wen Zhenrong)
Shi Ji is the former chief of Tushan and also Honghong's sworn enemy. She is a cruel, manipulative, and egoistic woman. Guoguo is her personal informant.
As expected of the stellar casts, their acting is actually top-notch if it hadn't been the stupid script. All in all, most couples have bare chemistry and the only redeeming quality so far is the fifth couple. I actually like Gong Jun, but his acting as a hot-blooded youth is so-so to me. He's better off to psychopath/unhinged/murderous characters. This is my first time watching Yang Mi. I have to say that she acts as the stoic and cold leader too perfectly - not even a smile appears once. Even if she smiles, it feels rather forced. Somehow, they have master-disciple dynamic or worse mother-son relationship. I keep feeling that Honghong looks like a mom nagging to her child to obey her, seriously?
And what's with the amnesia trope? Logically speaking, after sacrificing the Love Seed, Honghong should've forgotten both Yuechu and Dongfang Luo, but why does she only forget Yuechu? Very illogical, right? Anyway, this shitty trope is played for ten episodes until I'm fed up with it. In other words, it can be simplified as a push-and-pull game.
Another thing is that Yuechu suddenly has a crush on Hong Hong after being raised in Tushan for 16 years!! What on the earth is going on? If Yuechu were still a child, it was more understandable. However, he has grown into a teenage boy and suddenly falls for Honghong at the first sight. It's weird, isn't it?
The villain is too one-dimensional and boring. Unlike JOL Season 2 which has unpredictable villain, this show exposes too much of her true intention to usurp the 6 realms. They should've made her more mysterious to captivate the audience, but hell no! Every time her scenes pop up, I'll remind myself that an I-will-kill-Honghong-and-rule-over-the-six-realms sentence would spurt out of her mouth lol!
Don't get me started at the ending! It's a forced happy ending and the most ABSURD one! It's obviously a sad ending for every couple. However, they make it looks like they've entered an alternate universe and got together with their loved ones. Also, the last scene of the main lead doesn't make any sense. I just can't work out what the writers are thinking about. And we don't need the extra clip either!
Don't expect good fighting scenes - there are only hand-waving gestures and everything is done. I know using CGI in a fight scene is not a bad idea, but they need to combine with weapons too.
OSTs and BGMs are okay-ish, but not enough to hook me up.
I'm settling at the score 7.5. I DON'T recommend this show and will never rewatch again unless I need some brainless antidote after tiring out myself. I feel sorry for the whole assembles of casts who have obviously tried their best, but who knows this is going to be a flop?
For those who are casted in Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Zhu Ye and Wang Quan arcs, I'll wish you all the best and hope you won't suffer the same fate as Yue Hong does. This is the end of my rant and good luck!
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And the Award of the Most Hilarious Drama Goes to...
'Joy of Life' garnered high viewership and was a great hype back in 2019. To tell you the truth, I only watched two episodes of the first season, right before the season 2 started airing (the rest episodes have been blocked as VIP). You see, I only have slight knowledge about this series. Aside from Fan Xian, I only know Uncle Wu Zhu, Fei Jie, Grandma Fan, Fan Ruoruo, Teng Zijing, Yan Bingyun, the map seller Wang Qinian, and the young version of Chen Pingping. Despite my slight knowledge, I still enjoy the season 2 wholeheartedly. I'm ROOTING for every character regardless of their sides (good and evil). So, now let's see my take on this show and here we go...I'm sure that the first season ended in a cliffhanger and that Fan Xian was dead. But the answer is a big NO! He faked his death and resurrected again! Later, he returned to the capital again, dealt with numerous crises that involved the commoners, and even solved the royal palace's cases such as kicking out corrupt officials, dealing with money embezzlement case, exposing the royal family's crimes, and blah blah blah. Fan Xian is the type of a person that couldn't stand injustice - he will do his best to ensure the commoners' safety and expediency and will not let any officials harm them. However, not many people want to take Fan Xian's path and prefer to be indifferent towards the commoners.
One more thing, he also changed the emperor's mindset and won his trust! In the latter episodes, it is revealed that the emperor was Fan Xian's biological father, and the name Fan Xian was designated by his mother, Ye Qingmei. Logically speaking, Fan Xian's status was equal to that of the princes, and that's why the emperor passed down the Imperial Treasury to Fan Xian, believing that he could take care of his mother's old asset.
The plot is craved intelligently with a lot of riddles hidden in the dialogues; you can never guess who the ultimate villain is - whether it is the second prince, the crown prince, the empress, the officials, Chen Pingping, and even the emperor himself. Everyone has their own side to defend and they're all SUPER GREY characters! 'Joy of Life' combines the dark palace politic with funny humor *thumbs up*. I feel concerned to the characters when they're at the lowest point of their lives and laugh uncontrollably when they start to banter. I can list all sort of the funny things they did - Fan Xian's bickering with the four princes, Fan Jian and Chen Pingping's silly arguments, the emperor's handmade gunpowder, Fan Xian's chicken dance when trying out his new clothes, Fan Xian and Haitang Duoduo complicated relationship in which everyone was fond of, Wang Qinian's little family, and many more.
Not only is the plot beautifully woven, but the acting is also top-notch. Everyone casted in the season 2 is experienced and can act well according to the script. Despite the minor fighting scene, it is executed very well, especially Fan Xian and Shadow's duel and also Uncle Wu Zhu's qinggong. I know a lot of people have been complaining about the few fighting scenes, but to me, it doesn't matter. As long as the script isn't messed up, everything will be alright.
I literally skip the opening and ending OSTs, but the BGM is quite nice. I especially like the comedy BGM and just keep humming to myself haha.
I highly recommend this show - you won't regret watching every single minute of it! I'll be waiting for season 3 (don't know when it will air though, haha). See you in season 3, Fan Xian! You're the best!
Three best quotes from JOL Season 2:
- Fan Xian to Fan Sizhe
"You will only be mature if you leave your home."
- Chancellor Lin Ruofu to Fan Xian
"People's hearts will always change so don't trust people easily."
- Chen Pingping to Fan Xian
"Revenge is the most stubborn force of a man's life. This force will grow strong and stronger as time passes."
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This review may contain spoilers
A Fantastic Show for a K-Drama Newbie
Truth to be told, this is the second k-drama that I completed after Vigilante. Like everyone else here, I was attracted by the hot visual of the leads and the intriguing storyline. So, I decided to venture into this show and here we go.If you're a veteran in K-drama, you will find this boring and cliche in every way. Nearly everyone has noticed that this show only copy paste titbits of here and there (What I mean is all sorts of fantasy K-drama that already existed before). But, to me, it's still acceptable though they need to cut those slow-motion sleeping scenes. How many scenes do we need for every single episode?
The characters are either perfect or lackluster (I can't tell for sure). Kim Yoo-jung (Do Do-hee) and Song Kang (Jeong Gu-won) did pretty well in their roles although there may be some flaws. However, there are some delulu characters in here as well. For instance, the cousin of Do Do-hee (Ju Seok-hoon) and the dancer that was hired by Jeong Gu-won (Jin Ga-young). Both of them had feelings for the leads, but unfortunately, they weren't reciprocated by the leads and became more toxic in each episode. FL's adoptive mom had a good dynamic with the FL though. I love it when they joked and teased each other. LOL!
Never paid attention to the OST but I'm sure it's a good one.
If you want to rewatch, just have a sneak peek on the clips. I don't think I can stand another 16 hours for this show. Go for it for the mystery thriller fantasy plot (not so much to make me intrigued).
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A Decent Reboot of "The Lost Tomb"
After the end of "Archives: The Nanyang Mystery", I feel there is no harm in continuing "Time Raiders" and pick up where I left off last year. Basically, "Time Raiders" covers "The Lost Tomb" by Li Yifeng and Yang Yang and the first half of "The Lost Tomb 2" by Neo Hou and Cheng Yi. Most casts are fresh faces or newbies - so, this drama can determine where their acting level is."Time Raiders" focuses heavily on the Iron Triangle trio - Wu Xie, Wang Pangzi, and Zhang Qiling - as they explore dangerous tombs and develop a strong friendship bond in life-and-death situations. Wu Xie is a naive yet enthusiastic young man, and expertise in tomb raiding and antique appraisal, courtesy of his grandfather, Wu Laogou, and his third uncle, Wu Sanxing. Zhang Qiling is the current patriarch of the elusive Zhang Family (you can read more about Zhang Family in "Archives: The Nanyang Mystery" review), has a taciturn and serious personality, but loses his memory upon entering the Underwater Tomb of Paracel Islands. Wang Pangzi is someone whom Wu Xie accidentally befriends during the chaotic adventure in King Lu's Seven Star Palace. Despite having no history whatsoever, Pangzi is willing to help Wu Xie repeatedly, thus making the two of them into best friends. There are also Uncle Sanxing - a cunning old fox who has raided numerous tombs across China, Pan Zi and Da Kui - Uncle Sanxing's loyal followers (as the first arc ends, Pan Zi is severely injured and in a coma for a long time when Wu Xie sets off to the underwater tomb, and Da Kui sacrifices himself to save Wu Xie), and A Ning - a badass and no-nonsense mercenary girlie who has her personal agenda to enter the underwater tomb.
I'm not going to blab about the secret trap and historical philosophy of each tomb here, but I can give a rough outline of what happens in this drama. The first half indeed takes place in King Lu's Seven Star Palace. It is an eerie tomb where a giant dead soldier resides and guards the tomb from intruders, tons of corpse beetles that can feed on your blood any moment, a green-eyed fox corpse which can make people hallucinate, and a nine-headed snake cypress which is a huge carnivorous tree feeding on surrounding creatures. If you're into this drama, you'll have to prepare yourself for sudden jumpscares, zombies, eating plants, and more - basically, a treat for horror lovers, but not me.
In the second half, the group will explore the Underwater Tomb of Paracel Islands, where Uncle Sanxing's teammates once vanished and never came back until today. I actually don't watch this part anymore as I can't hold up more jumpscares in the following episodes. Underwater Tomb of Paracel Islands is actually a massive shipwreck which was deliberately sunk in the sea, and was constructed by a prominent astronomer and feng shui master at that era, Wang Zanghai (for those of you who are curious, you can check out "Legend of Zanghai" by Xiao Zhan and Zhang Jingyi). There are a myriad of strange things happening inside the shipwreck and perhaps, Uncle Sanxing's story might not be as simple as it seems (Aunt Wenjin's diary recorded that it was Uncle Sanxing who had been ogling to see the tomb, not herself, while he tells Wu Xie otherwise when being asked).
From the casts, I only recognize Xu Zhenxuan, Cheng Xiang, and Daisy Li (aside from that, all of them are unknown to me). However, coupled with strong script and gripping storytelling, the casts utilize all of their acting skills and eventually bring out Kennedy Xu's masterpiece once again. I especially like Pan Zi's actor, Cao Lei - his micro-expression when showing affection to Wu Xie really hits the nail and I can't help but root for him. On the other hand, Daisy Li somehow lacks the ruthlessness displayed by other actresses who have played Ah Ning before, including Li Man and Hankiz Omar. Xu Zhenxuan, Cheng Xiang, and Sun Ge Chuan Ye manage to recreate the iconic moments of the past Iron Triangle, and well, I love their comedic banters despite the danger lurking nearby.
As of now, I have no luck in digging through the OSTs on either Spotify or Weibo, but I can say it's such a nice song. Anyway, CGI, sets, and backgrounds are perfectly done, as if we were thrown into the real tomb, and somehow the tomb look like natural-made. I keep wondering to myself how ancient folks could build such intricate tomb as their final resting places - but that's how reality works.
For those who are Kennedy Xu's fanatic fans, "Time Raiders" is highly recommended to tomb-raiding lovers. It has an equilibrium ingredient of action, thriller, suspense, comedy, and mystery in one pack. And if you feel "The Lost Tomb" in 2015 lacks something, then you can try to rewatch the scenes through "Time Raiders". I'll be waiting for its season 2. Thank you for reading, good luck, and happy watching!!!
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Meeting Another Transmigrator is Such a Blessing
Welcome back to my dear review section, guys! I’m really sorry for the delay, but I need to restrain myself from writing new updates due to overload schedule and grueling exam, which (thank God) was completed last Monday. Since I have a lot of free time now, I may as well do my little business right now before I become a total couch potato lol. Let’s go rocking, shall we?Disclaimer: I actually enjoyed and loved “How Dare You!?”, and unfortunately, I watched it later than other people, which meant the videos were removed by Bilibili and other pirating sites. At that time, I only managed to binge-watch until ep 13 (what a bummer!). What I’m trying to say is that the review will ONLY cover the first 13 episodes as I have no idea of what’s going to happen in the end. I know very super duper clear that I’m not supposed to make “How Dare You!?” as completed, but don’t you think it’s a pity to banish it to the dropped list?
The story is centered around a rookie corporate slave Wang Cuihua, who is tasked with reading a cheesy romance novel about transmigrated lovers in historical fiction setting (I forgot the title already) and finds it very hard to accomplish the assignment in one fell swoop. As she takes a subway back home, the time stops abruptly and another second, she is sent into the novel’s world, taking the identity of a cannon fodder character, Yu Wanyin, who is destined to die in the middle half of the story. As Cuihua navigates the palace politics and soap opera with the hope of returning back to the real life, she accidentally meets fellow transmigrator, Zhang San, who poses as a delusional emperor Xiahou Dan. Together, the two people on the same boat transform into an unbeatable duo as they concoct schemes after schemes to survive in the palace and ultimately find the path to go back home. Meanwhile, they also have to face interminable threats from Xie Yong’er, another transmigrator who has read the whole original source upside down, and Xiahou Bo, Dan’s little brother who’s been coveting his throne and is hellbent on usurping the power of the palace court.
Basically, there is nothing new about the plot except that we have two transmigrators instead of one (as in the case of other dramas with similar themes). The production team utilizes the source material shrewdly and create a combo duo who are always engaging in comedic bickering sprinkled with modern jargons and ancient speeches as well. The drama does sell a point in its comedy and humor aspect, which wins the heart of all watchers. On the other hand, we also get the glimpse of the life in harem and how consorts’ positions are being elevated at one time and discarded at some other point. However, sometimes I do feel exhausted with all this scheming here and there, especially Bo. I don’t really understand what his ultimate goal is, other than toppling down Dan. And we haven’t gotten the slightest idea of how Yong’er enters into the novel as well (or maybe it is exacerbated by lack of episodes that I watched back then). Overall, if you overlook the inconsistencies and focus on the humorous side instead, things will be much better for you, I guarantee.
Both Ryan Cheng and Wang Churan deliver strong acting with perfect timing in terms of micro-expressions. I totally feel the emotional scenes between them two and I wish so badly I had taken up “How Dare You!?” earlier. Daddi Tang and Hu Yixuan also perform well despite the stiffness in several scenes, but I won’t complain further. And shout out to Cui Yi, who plays Bei Shu (female version) so convincingly comical that I keep laughing out loud, with the most memorable scene being her digging up Bo’s kitchen courtyard to search for Xu Yao’s strategy book.
OSTs are nice, but I think they are decent at best, if you compare them with the OSTs of other dramas. Costumes, settings, backgrounds are lavishly styled as per a historical fiction drama would apply.
For the rewatch point, I’ll make it 10, but I’m afraid I won’t be rewatching myself as I have many more upcoming tasks plus I need to catch on with other ongoing dramas before they are removed abruptly as well. I guess that’s all I’ve got to say, thank you for reading, good luck and happy watching!!!
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A Resplendent Utopia of Satire Comedy
Truth to be told, I totally have no slightest idea of this drama’s existence until I personally see Tencent’s February watchlist on Weibo. I tried every single endeavor to absorb myself in the OG source, to no avail as I’m not that overzealous of spending a generous amount of time to complete the whole 2000 chapters in one go. Nevertheless, the drama still gives me a memorable experience and I must say it’s one of the most meticulous drama ever produced in C-drama land. Let’s get down and see my take on it, shall we?Disclaimer: As I’d said in the comment section before, I have no single penny to pay for neither express package nor VIP subscription, which means I have to wait the illegal sites to upload those videos. Per this day, I’ve only watched until ep 21 and will be waiting for the rest of the episodes in the following days. But I’ve decided to write this review while I’m having a ton of spare time (it’s Chinese New Year LMFAO).
The story is centered around the freshly-sacked corporate worker Pei Qian, who was a game designer in his previous company, Fuhui. He was kicked out because of writing a self-help guide for fellow workers on how to fighting for their rights in a ruthless working place. After being made redundant for several days, Pei Qian is suddenly invited to be a CEO for a startup company under the financial aid of the enigmatic billionaire Mr. Sima. However, there is a special clause where Pei Qian must make sure his company is going bankrupt so that he can earn some remuneration for himself. Thinking that losing money is as easy as a piece of cake, he establishes Tengda Corporation in a whim and recruits slackers and job-losers instead of high-end professionals. Joining his comrade are his goofy BFF Ma Yang, the unknowingly hardworking novelist and screenwriter Huang Sibo, the couch potato Bao Xu, the eccentric coder Lv Mingliang, the cat lover Li Yada, the clumsy yet kind-hearted accountant Hao Qiong, the intellectual and stubborn-as-a-mule chaebol heiress Lin Wan, the no-nonsense special assistant Xin Hailu, the wacky frenemy and Fuhui’s heir Li Shi, and more on the go. Nonetheless, things never go according to Pei Qian’s wish as Tengda’s income keeps shooting up in every sector including gaming, internet café, private restaurant, fitness center, web novel platform, film production, and real estate business (through Sibo’s lover Hu Yue’s effort by creating a vlog to promote the Four Wall Apartment). Despite knowing that he won’t get a lot of money as he expects, he feels proud for his workers who have all worked hard to prove their worth to him even when he demands nothing from them.
So, “No Pain No Gain” becomes the maiden avant-garde in C-drama world to utilize satire comedy as a means to convey a deeper emotional message related to our daily life, which involves the grueling vicissitudes of life, the rat race within every single blue-collar worker (visibly shown in SkyFire Studio arc), and the delight of watching the employees wholeheartedly devoting their time to please their boss. Furthermore, “No Pain No Gain” isn’t afraid to embrace the cruel reality of life, which has been avoided by most dramas, to connect more seamlessly with the watchers young and old alike. At first, it’s all about comedy, laughter, joyous moment of the life. But, as the drama keeps rumbling on and on, it starts to lean more to a melancholic phase as we see how Pei Qian is portrayed as an ordinary person with a little money to fend for himself (which he spends for his apartment mortgage), instead of a ruthless domineering CEO we’ve always seen in mini dramas before.
For the acting department, I want to say that all of the casts’ performances are laudable especially for Peng Yuchang. It’s been a while since I last saw him in “The Outcast/I Am Nobody”, but he still has the similar charm as back then, being able to embody Pei Qian’s character flawlessly as well as portraying his micro-expressions to the point of exceed expectation. I’m looking forward to his new drama “Wan Gu Zui Qiang Zong” too. As for Jelly Lin, I’m not sure what to say, but I suppose her acting as Lin Wan is kind of lacking a bit or perhaps the forced romance vibes makes me troubled. The rest of the casts do an absolutely good job and I’m surprised to see several names as supporting characters as well (namely Wu Junting, Chang Long, and He Ruixian).
OSTs, background settings, costumes are mesmerizing and depict the urban life of China accurately, to the point that I have no more complaints to yap about.
Overall, it’s a big 10/10 for me. It’s such a shame that “No Pain No Gain” is a super-duper underrated hidden gem buried beneath those high-profile dramas. I hope that one day, it can gain a strong foothold in the C-drama world and be the best of the best. I’m not sure if this drama is your cup of tea or not but do try several episodes if you’re that curious. I bet you’re going to be hooked sooner or later. Okay, time to end my review here, good luck and happy watching!!! Happy Chinese New Year in advance too!!!
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