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Wealth is too much but love is never enough
A mini series that rivals many high ranking full series with its simple and yet endearing and at times powerful portrayal of reversing fate and overcoming trauma. This mini has some of the most cinematically stunning shots I have seen on screen, a somewhat repetitive but beautiful soundtrack, and a few of my new all time favorite dialogue exchanges. For its short run time and relatively basic plot this show packs a punch and deserves high praise.Ning Chu Xi is a college student that is pulled into a novel she has read and becomes the side character that is destined to die at the hands of her husband. In order to avoid this fate she immediately leaves the capital and flees her future husband to instead spend her days in comfort and wealth staying uninvolved with palace conflicts and power struggles. News of the Emperor choosing brides for the Princes reaches her and she determines to return to the capital to avoid being forced to marry the Third Prince and following the original plot. Ning Chu Xi ends up capturing the attention of the Crown Prince Xiao Xing Heng and they start down a path of friendship and love that changes the story revealing revelations about the original story that Chu Xi did not know.
Does this drama have plot holes? Yes, it absolutely does which become more apparent in the last stretch. However, this show ends up giving one of the healthiest relationships between two emotionally mature individuals that actually communicate and that is so incredibly refreshing to see. Chu Xi and Xing Heng have chemistry in spades and their ability to use words and actions to convey their emotions makes them one of my all time favorite couples in Cdrama-land. This relationship is what carries this drama as the romance is organic and endearing making it impossible for you as the viewer to not root for them.
My two favorite interactions:
"Do I have many flaws?"
"As many as the stars in the sky"
"What about my strengths?"
"As few as the sun"
"Then why do you like me?"
"Because when the sun rises, all the stars grow dim"
And
"I love you without any reason and without any conditions."
The team also did an excellent job choreographing and shooting action scenes in ways that are beautiful and believable without actually having a large cast or technically perfect martial arts. By using simple props like leaves or water and the ability to choose camera angles wisely the director is able to create visually impressive scenes that have a big impact.
I am not personally a fan of the styling and makeup for this drama, specifically for the women. Leaning more into a fantasy style this drama has elaborate hair accessories, flowing gowns, and heavy makeup. I assume they chose this style to portray the fantasy element of being inside a novel but the setting and story line lends itself more as a historical about romance and palace power struggles. The men tend to have much better styling that is attractive but the over the top hair dressings and makeup on the women were distracting for me.
There is also no real follow through with Chu Xi's transmigration. The original plot of the novel is eluded to fairly often but how and why Chu Xi came to that world is never addressed. Even with its flaws I would still highly recommend this drama. With a short watch time and phenomenal elements you won't regret having seen it.
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While this is very cute there is not much else there for the story. Most of the other characters are very superficially created with one or two character traits that help push the plot and that is about it. For example the fiance is just there to create drama and try to separate the couple, the cousin is there to create tension and a sense of urgency/danger, etc. These characters motives are almost juvenile and lack any real depth which leaves the drama feeling a bit flat when it comes to the plot. Did this effect my enjoyment of this show? No. Does it make for a great story? Also no.
But if you came for the chemistry and the romance then you will find it here. It is sweet and easy to watch like one of your favorite desserts. Not necessarily nutritious but definitely delicious.
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Here's to the friends we wish we had!
First this show really needed a better title. My Calorie Boy did not pique my interest at all nor do I feel like it really sums up the drama well. I picked this up on a whim when I was mostly looking to watch something with a good friendships and found this as a recommendation for that. This did indeed fit that bill but also did so much more. It kept me laughing and smiling but also did not shy away from skirting around some very difficult topics such as parental expectation and pressure, body weight and image, teaching differences, and grief. This slice of life drama will keep you interested through the casts chemistry and infectious comedy.The two main leads were exceptional throughout the drama and their chemistry together was top notch. Their friendship was so realistically portrayed and acted as they went from wary strangers, to allies, to best friends. Between their bickering and light-hearted teasing you see as their relationship grows and how they naturally gravitate toward each other without realizing it. I also like that this drama does not shy away from the natural skin ship that is normal in young relationships such as the girls linking arms, holding hands and best friends playfully batting each other or sitting close. The feeling of friendship through their actions is felt through the screen. And as the friendship goes these two are the types of friends you wish you had or were. JingJing's overflowing generosity for her friends and JiaWie's unfaltering support.
But this show did not create perfect characters which I loved. Each one is flawed and real. From the teachers that still have lessons to learn, to the parents that hold on too tight, down to the students that grow and change. Everything is seen through the lens of your 17 year old self experiencing the same life lessons and challenges.
My biggest complaint about this show however is the editing and the time lapse, specifically in the last 5 episodes. The majority of the drama takes place in their second year of high school and then as senior year starts time moves very quickly which feels disjointed from the first half of the show but understandable since they primarily need to study and take tests anyway. There are parts where it feels like scenes were cut out as it seems to set it up for something and then move on to something completely different. And then the last episode happens where there is a complete jump over the college years and it is 4 years later where everyone is now in their career and it felt so unrealistic and unsatisfying. It does have a happy ending in the last 3 minutes which is far from enough for me. Still with these flaws I still really really enjoyed this drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
I decided to watch this after seeing a lot of the reels from different moments of the show. I grew attached to the characters after seeing them in those little snippets so many times and wanted to watch the show. Unfortunately it felt like the reels that I saw were the best moments of the show. This just did not live up to the hype for me. It was enjoyable enough but missed the mark in other ways. Story: the basis of the story and the title is about how the main female lead Joo Gyung was always called ugly for having an acne filled red face, big glasses, and large eyebrows. She was maliciously bullied in school for her appearance until one day when she was able to transfer schools. At the new school she had learned how to apply makeup and wear contacts which changed her appearance so much that she was then considered a real beauty. Life was dramatically different for her because of the makeup and she was always worried that her true face would be revealed. Of course she meets someone that finds out about her secret and he ends up falling for her and not caring what she looks like with or without makeup. This concept last until about the halfway mark. Then the second half of the drama focuses more on the love triangle of the 3 leads where the 2 male leads are best friends and an unexpected event separates the main couple for years but the secondary lead stays by her side.
In terms of story it has a very simple concept that has been seen many times. My gripe with the concept however is that while makeup can completely transform your face, it can't change the texture so often when they show her without makeup and she has acne but somehow has perfect skin with makeup I tend to roll my eyes. Also when her secret finally gets revealed its like all of a sudden her 'ugly' no makeup appearance is not that different from with makeup. She adds a pair of glasses and her skin is slightly pink but that is it so calling her ugly for that seems offensive. While her new skin care routine would have helped improve her it was still annoying to watch everyone around her act like she was so dramatically different without makeup.
The love triangle. This is one of the shows where I fell hard into second male lead syndrome. While the main male was fine and everything, I still felt myself leaning far more heavily into the second. His character was so endearing and relatable that it is impossible not to like him. And while you understand the ending I actually found that I did not like it very much because it felt like the female lead did not care about his feelings at all. It felt callous since he has stayed beside her for 2 years and they had gotten so close that even all their friends expected him to care for her when she was drunk. But her care of his affection was not handled well at all. While she did not need to return his affection she could have handled it so much better. It left me mostly just feeling sorry for the second male lead all the way up until the end.
Acting: as far as acting goes it was acted fairly well. I was especially drawn to and impressed by Seo Jun. He was by far my favorite character throughout the entire series. The actor portrayed him so well and he was so entertaining to watch in all of his scenes. Su Ho was also acted well and the actor did a good job of transitioning the character from arrogant jerk with a chip on his shoulder to shy and nervous teenager in love for the first time to the more grown up version. The side characters also all held their own and did great. Joo Gyung was the one that got on my nerves the most. The actress often used this baby sounding voice that I really did not like but other than the voice she did act the part well. I also had a very hard time liking the character very much pretty frequently.
This series had several fun and memorable moments but the writing really let the show down. Joo Gyung was a very hard character to truly like for me so this show holds little rewatchability for me.
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Things I like:
The costuming and casting
The premise and overall plot kine (I bet I would probably enjoy the book)
The CGI and sets are amazing
The soundtrack is phenomenal
Things I hate:
The slapstick comedy they use by making characters be dumb: Aunt and Uncle, Princess, etc
The main is too perfect; he solves cases so fast, his martial arts progresses too quickly, he is the best at literally everything
The lack of world building and the way they 'explain' Dafeng and the magic system too quickly and incoherently
I thought this show would be one of my favorites after watching the trailer and the first couple of episodes but the type of comedy used in this show sank it for me. Slap stick comedy or comedy done by making characters stupid just is not my cup of tea. It makes it feel forced down my throat and I end up gagging on it. If they had toned down their reach for comedy and focused on the plot movement then this would have been ten times better. The story itself is very interesting but the way it is shown is a miss for me. Xu Qi An is too perfect and progresses too quickly in a way that I feel cheapens him a bit. This a highly intelligent and compassionate character that does not want glory but instead cares for the people so he can't be bribed or swayed from his morals. But they make everything come easy to him instead of allowing him the chance to work for his successes especially when it comes to skills.
Overall if you enjoy that kind of comedy then I think you would really like this but if you find that it detracts for you then I would skip this one.
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master class in emotive story telling
Very much like my review of the first season you will find yourself emotionally invested in this second half of the story. The characters have survived the invasion but that does not mean the war is over. The remnants and all the things that follow are equally as brutal and painful to watch but so beautifully done and acted to perfection. I hated the King and is paranoia and cruelty. I sympathized with the Crown Prince and his struggle to survive a foreign land to finally make it home and find himself having to struggle to survive again. His want to keep promises and fear of what that would mean. I hated the Princess and her selfishness but empathized with her want to be loved. Every character, no matter how big or small was written and portrayed in a realness that will take your heart and pull it in a hundred directions.Cons:
-the timeline: I found the timeline on this hard to follow and still do not completely understand how long things happened and how one character had his hair turn white but everyone else looked exactly the same
-the constant push and pull of their relationship
-for me there was too much focus on the political aspect with no real follow through conclusion
-the ending did not give me closure, I felt like I needed more. Jang Hyun's past was almost glossed over, you don't get answers about Ryang Eum and why he ended up where he did, for how long, or what happened after, and while they tied the first and last episodes together by making the show as if it was the story being told from the character in the beginning I would have liked to understand the why a bit more
-amnesia used not once but twice on the same person
Pros:
-character development from start to end for all the characters was phenomenal from the main characters down to the side characters. Everyone went through change in whichever direction and it made sense according to their characters
-beautifully shot with appropriate camera angles
-the aesthetic for the post war world and the gradual change in colors that shows the maturity and aging of the characters was done well
-music was beautiful and accompanied their scenes very well without ever feeling repetitive or too much
-Jang Hyun is a major reason I watched this show because I am a sucker for a man that will do literally everything for his person
I can not say that this is a favorite of mine but it is a powerful work that will stick with me for a while.
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