Enigma05

Which Season Did I Like Better?

(First review of a 2025 show) Creepy, crawly, great CGI, and performances. I was interested in season 2 to see the continuation of Season 1 but that didn't really happen. Other than the backgrounds and names of characters we had already met and more or less a conducive original story, these could have been 2 totally different shows. Which season did I like better? I liked them equally the same.

The most fascinating character this season was Chen Dou; it's a shame we really didn't get a deeper dive into her but kept trying to capture the MXH guy. They really didn't go too deeply into his storyline either. And why did WY say that he and WCL were similar? I was hoping they'd go deeper into the mystery of FBB's past but that wasn't done. The entire show was about great fighting, some humor, nice CGI; a leg up from season one. I did like when they did show CD's storyline come full circle that she made the right choice for herself. That was her dream after all; was to have the freedom to make a choice.

I'm glad WCL matured a lot here and was more strategic as opposed to just out of control; FBB was also acting more human though still her quirky self. Definitely wish WY had more screen time but with only 13 episodes, things were bound not to go the way we wanted. The new people in the group were definitely an interesting bunch and I feel like the organization they work for needs new leadership as they're shady AF. I do hope if there's another season eventually, it'll be longer and started explaining things not just adding layer upon layer of questions. We have very little answers now after 2 seasons. I could say this second season just scratched the surface of a story that started in season one. Plus, not having a lot of the same characters from season one made it slightly confusing and added a lot of plot holes.

Would I recommend it? For those who are fans of the comic or want to see some growth in the characters from season 1, then sure. It was a cool watch for sure.

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The Script that Barely Scratched the Surface & Fizzled Out

I wanted a strong wuxia and this author has been spoken about by many people as being basically the creator of the genre. I know a lot of the actors from previous dramas but with this first compilation of 30 episodes, it was a watered down version of what I had seen in other adaptations. The script that fizzled out with the actors going along for the ride. Not doing pros and cons this time.

I liked the fight scenes; wish there were more of them and that they were more defined. I think the actors did the best they could with what was given to them but felt that what was written lacked any sort of depth and I've never even seen any other adaptation nor read the books. Just as a viewer, I felt that the romances were bland and there was very little chemistry between the characters. I didn't really know why they made it so shallow seeming. YK wasn't as complex as people said from the original and he was just a straight up evil narcissist that didn't struggle much with being good. GJ had very low IQ when it came to everything except martial arts and I still don't know how he "leveled up" each time. The senior martial artists were always asking subconsciously "how did he get this powerful so quickly?" And I was right there with them lol. Unless they showed him practicing, you had no clue how in a span of 2 mins he went from a certain level to full blown grandmaster especially at the end. HR was spunky and smart but her Jing gege voice and way too cutesy behavior was a bit much. The older actors were great to watch fight but I wish we saw more about them.

In any case, my main review will be added to this one on the main page once the other compilations are done but for now, I think this could have been amazing with a strong script.

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Cute and Quirky Drama, w/a Messy Start and Wonderful Surprise Ending.

While I originally intended to watch this series for ZZJ and QPX, after viewing TBOY, I wanted to see how LHY would handle a romance drama. This series would have gotten a lower score had it not been for the surprising and very cool ending. I'm very glad they deviated from the book because it would have been a confusing mess otherwise, when usually it's better if they stand by the book.

Pros: Though it claims to be both a wuxia and Xianxia series, it has very little of both. But that's alright because instead of focusing on the fantastical elements you get to see how the actors carry themselves. Favorite characters include the ML or LHY, I already knew from TBOY he could play aloof, arrogant, and narcissistic well, but when he finally began to soften up and reveal his secrets and love it was just melt in place time. Just a heads up, in no way am I comparing this drama to TBOY; firstly because they're completely different genres and secondly because I just never compare dramas regardless. It's a pet peeve and preference that each series even if they are exactly the same genre, gets a proper review.

The FL, I didn't like very much at the beginning because it just seemed like a hamster wheel of mistakes and men she wanted to save. And each time they ended up harming or "killing" her. But as time went on I realized that she was just a lonely girl who would lose her memory but not her nature and extreme penchant for helping people. She would go to great lengths to help a guy out and each one turned out to only want to use her and ultimately take her life. They supposedly fell in love at first sight with her but it was obvious from each one that there was something wrong with them. The only man that went to equally great or greater lengths to protect her was the aloof ML and not until one of her suitors and main antagonist attacked the Fenghua Valley did he finally open up to her about his love.

The entire storyline which I won't get into was as summed up as; a female ginseng root, 4 bouts of amnesia, her hexagram-harem, & the miracle doctor who loved her regardlessly. She didn't have a heart but somehow managed to have a pulse which was pretty funny. The comedy in the series was very tongue in cheek. The other characters in this section, were her BFF and later on flamboyant hubby. Uncle Hui who was always giving the best advice and the ultimate matchmaker for the two even though he didn't know about BY's curse, was heartwarming. I loved how YX would always initiate the kissing scenes and many of the hugs between her and BY as this woman knew who she loved and went after him with much fervor which was always cute and funny to watch. No matter how many times she lost her memory he was the one man that sooner or later she would still remember was her soulmate, her destiny. She could forget everyone else but he would be in first place of recognition.

Even though he was annoying as nails and yet another attempt at a bromance that didn't quite work out after mister purple flamboyant guy, the beyond obsessed emperor played by the very talented ZZJ definitely took the cake. Though we wanted to hit him with a stick and send him back to the capital without anyway to return, what made me put him in pros was just how similar his life before he became emperor was to that of his breakthrough character in CQL (TU) as Jin Guang Yao. It was almost eerie of how both were abused and tortured by their biological fathers, the only difference was that one became a worse monster then his father while the other was obsessive and domineering to the woman he loved but ultimately a good ruler of the people. It was great to see him let go of his obsession at the end (even though his main general helped BY win the bet as it was very obvious to everyone but CQ that his obsession and love was one-sided) and decide to follow the wishes of BY and YX. He definitely brought much comedy and eye rolling to this series.

Costumes were beautiful though this was a lower budget drama, I do wish the FL had better costumes, as only one of her red ones that seemed to have jewels and lots of white was very stunning. The amount of magic used was minimal and that is actually a good thing because Xianxias usually use so much CGI, it may blind you. So I'm glad there was minimum of it here.

Cons: This series had a very messy start. It made very little sense and was one of the many reasons I was looking to give it a lower score but if I decide to stick a series out, I'll wait until the finale before making up my mind. I'm glad that I stuck it out because as we got past the campy confusion, it started to come together and you understood what was happening. OSTs were for the most part forgettable.

I like QPX but casting him in the role of this monster antagonist was absolutely the wrong choice. It was too much and too hard for him. I also got to know him from CQL and there he played a bratty, arrogant, nosey kid that only really wanted to be loved. Those are the roles he should be doing; youth dramas, but not hardcore main villains. He bit off more then he could chew and the character fell completely flat. With the hairdo and facial expressions, he looked like a confused teenager not an adult with murderous tendencies and schemes. Poor casting decision here. I hope his work in the future is better selected.

There were definitely a lot of times where I had to rewind because the segmentation of the subtitles were just too fast to keep up with and wish there was better job done with that. Some loopholes were never explained or if they were, they didn't make much sense. Like how could YX have a pulse but not a heart? One is directly connected to the other; no heart, no pulse. But I guess she is a special root where common sense doesn't apply. She explained that she just wanted a home for herself and to not be lonely, but that didn't explain why she still got into two of the relationships that ended up killing her if she never loved them. Or why she only helped men in need but never women. She'd traveled far and wide and never ran into a single woman in distress? Hard to believe.

Would I recommend it? Actually, I would. If you can get past the messy beginning, you'll have a great time with the funny, nonsensical, and just cute series. This is one of those to watch without expectations and just for fun. The ending is worth it all for sure.

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Fluffy Romance & Nice Comedy (Just FFW 2nd Leads Until Episode 24)

I didn't know any of the actors but I wanted something fluffy that had a lot of romance and no need for thinking capacity. It had very little in the terms of cliches, but tropes and annoyances were mostly for the second leads, which I explained below.

Pros: I adore the main leads. Their chemistry was wonderful and the unwavering commitment of ML for the love of his existence was something not often seen in any of their modern dramas. The comedic aspect between them and the others was also on par. I loved the kissing, both subtle and not so subtle flirtation of the leads. It was a bit draggy but I was very glad when he finally told her the entire truth about them being childhood sweethearts and the man she's been searching for while he's waited for her. It's a very rare occasion nowadays for childhood sweethearts to wait for each other. Many forget. The ML definitely knows how to kiss and their wedding night was very sexy; wish there was more of it but I doubt that would have passed censorship. It was still very nicely done. The ending was very well executed.

Great OSTs and once they got together and got past that one misunderstanding, I loved every moment they spent together though I wish FL didn't always look surprised/petrified when ML was going to kiss her; it was quite silly. I think the only real time she looked totally comfortable was on their wedding night lol.

Cons: I do not understand this need in many cdramas for whiny, pouting, crying females. The SFL was a hot mess; I legit ffw'd a lot of the episodes because I just couldn't deal with her personality. All she did was cry, whine, bitch, moan, and complain in a pre-pubescent voice. The SML also had a lot of problems including an identity crises and not knowing what he wanted or when he wanted it. Honestly, if this was a drama with just the main leads and the supporting cast, it would have been so much better. The second leads didn't bring anything useful to the table.

The FL's cousin was an absolute nuisance; he popped up in the most in opportune moments and honestly, I'm surprised he didn't interrupt them on their wedding night. Dude was as dense as a rock. Good kid all around but just no contemplation of when to go somewhere or say something. It was because of the SLs that this drama is getting rated as I did it. I shouldn't have to fast forward full episodes because of the ridiculous and cringeworthy SL characters.

Would I recommend it? As a filler fluff drama full of romance, yes. Just concentrate on the main leads and you'll get your fill of fluff and comedy.

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ADWAD; Historical World, Real World...Both FAKE! The Bar Has Been Set!

I started watching this show for LYN; was very interested in how he would handle this character since he essentially was playing 3 of them and this supposedly regular transmigration story into a book. I knew many of the actors including the FL and support so it was fine; they all did a wonderful job for the most part. What I completely didn't expect was that this was totally not a regular story but that both historical and modern worlds were fake! Ep. 1 and 40 show things as well in the story itself that not all is what it seems especially when what I call the "glitch in the matrix" starts happening. The ending itself is an LSD trip of epic proportions and both as it ends and after the credits so don't forget to watch that. The bar has definitely been set for future both regular historical ones and transmigration dramas.

Pros: LYN nailed his performance as both NH and Zorro as I called him or LSL. This was such an unconventional role and series for him that he just literally seemed to be rolling with the punches. His crying scenes were so spot on. It's like LYN both put himself and at the same time totally disappeared when he embodied those roles. I remember reading an interview that he gave where he said when he first got the script and read his character, he wasn't sure he would be able to portray him properly given the fact there's literally two fake worlds and understand everything, but after much thought and contemplation, he decided to give it a go, and I'm very glad that he did because I don't think any other actor would have been able to portray this role the way he did. His ability for ruthlessness is already known well as is the softer side of him but being able to show his silly and romantic side was also awesome. Playing a figure at first who's "an A-List celebrity" but in the transmigrated world a man wronged and blamed by the world for things he never did (death of the Empress and not coming to the aid of his so called childhood friend at the cost of that person's father and 20,000 soldiers; called the God of Death trying to have himself vindicated as he's being set up continuously. Imprisoned in the cold palace since childhood, then sent off to the border to fight as the emperor in his blind and sadistic hatred towards him wanted to control and take away his power and if he died at the border, all the better for everyone who didn't know the truth.

The FL or SYM/SYX played by LYT who did very well playing her parts; both of them. Who would have thought that both she in her real world and the historical one as well as the ML were both fake characters and in the mind of the scriptwriter not that we later meet in the historical but the writer of the show we are watching and is a woman. That part was brilliant. Anyways, in episode 1 the FL was a lazy Z-List actress that was the last on a list to be chosen to play the FL plus for some reason the ML had specifically chosen her. So when she transmigrates, she's in fear for her life based on what she little read from the fake script & of the ML so she tries desperately to get out of that marriage & run to SML to get married however, every single time she tries, she ends up hysterically dying only to get resurrected to try time & time again & it being put into this humorous montage, she is just trying to save her family & avoid ML at all costs, which also does not work at least avoiding the ML. But she does save her family. Plus, there are certain tropes in the fake script that say things like when FL is in danger, ML must save her so she tries very hard to avoid those but unfortunately they still happen whether the ML is the one trying to kill her from the original script for whatever reason he still ends up saving her & even he doesn't understand what's going on because a lot of the times it's his intention to kill her because he's still going by that old script & if he kills her, then he may get the support of her family which is written in that old script but then because everyone hears typing sounds; so he ends up basically harming himself when trying to harm her because he saves her.

Then comes the creation of LSL and the Crescent River Nightwalkers who weren't in the original script but obviously there because the real scriptwriter wrote them in to counteract FL's hate and fear of the ML to someone who wears a mask and so obviously him to everyone except FL and SFL (who later also falls for him but thankfully that is worked out and quickly). Now FL quickly without fail falls for LSL or Zorro as I call him but that's the real NH. I love Zorro and his nightwalkers. They are great characters all of them, especially SGH who falls for SYM's sister SYT; they are a couple number two. And I have to say SYT is ridiculously smart in this series fake script not the original story but in this one she reads SYM to rights in regards to treating NH the way she does after the whole he's tried to kill me thing is over. And even after the leads have gotten together, she still tells her what she has done wrong; she's just smart in general. She's very feisty and knows what's going on, doesn't drag stuff out, knows what she wants. She's a great character.

I am very proud of WYS who plays the main antagonist or CGH who I called Darth Vader. This is the actor's first real role playing a villain and he did so well; his psychopathy was evident from childhood making me think he was born with it. As the series progressed, we started to understand that he wouldn't just snap out of it when the truth came out but that you could write the truth in giant letters in the sky and he would still find fault with it and the way his face contorted with almost orgasmic pleasure when torturing one of our Nightwalker guys who he falsely imprisoned told me everything I needed to know about him. He almost reminded me of Richard Ramirez the serial killer who always displayed the same sick smile. Glad he was dead. The actor who played the Emperor was awesome in the way he played him going from sadistic emperor (who I still do not give the redemption arc to) to basically a pussycat simp was kind of strange and kind of funny. The way he treated NH and through most of it until he found out the truth of who killed the Empress and what really happened in that battle was so despicable and disgusting. He literally seemed to enjoy NH's pain and suffering that sometimes he himself inflicted. The definition of a true sadist. When they were changing their own fates in the script (going through the two reincarnation phases) did he finally basically in his own weird way apologize to NH for everything. It was too much for too long. Uncle villain was responsible for the death of the empress and the whole battle fiasco among many other things framing NH because in his words, he wanted to make his nephew ruthless, so he basically killed innocent people, and tried to kill and harm those that NH loved to create that; it was basically an excuse because he wanted to seize power himself.

Fake Scriptwriter who wanted everyone to get back and do the iconic scenes just so he could return to the fake modern world was a villain in himself, though no one listened to him even when he created havoc with ML's health. We started getting more glitches in the matrix that we noticed as well as a moth or a butterfly that had started to appear early on in the series and I personally was wondering about it, but later on figured out that that was the actual real scriptwriter of both worlds. In the end, the fake scriptwriter finally joined the good guys to defeat Darth Vader (that final battle with Darth Vader was so awesome because when the townspeople as well as FL's family and ministers who also helped out came running in, they called themselves like passerby F or folk D or passerby A, passerby B; they didn't have real names because they were NPC's lol and that was so funny but at the same time, it was so great when they were all coming together to fight this one major villain, and the rock music going on was chef's kiss).

Other great characters Nightwalkers along with SGH (only he knew NH was LSL), Yun Long & Shan He, who were both great brothers & arms to Zorro; he created them as Zorro because he didn't want them to know who he really was until eventually, he had to tell them, but they still backed his play, Fugui who was the hilarious assistant to NH but couldn't read the room for shit as well, but he sometimes said a simple sentences that in a complex world & mind of NH just made all the sense. Donkey for brains a.k.a. 18th Prince, became a little wiser mending his grudge with NH & always had a good heart. Jixiang, FL's father the sly fox; and the rest of her family. Finally, because we know that the series had a decent budget so the costumes, sets, OSTs, CGI and comedy was top notch.

Cons: The biggest problem I had was the FL or SYM in the second arc. My biggest problem with her was the way she treated ML after the first arc was over. He's no longer trying to kill her. He has changed. Everything has changed; the original script is no longer what it was even the iconic scenes that she's so terrified of are no longer what they were. Everyone around her has changed except her. She is so ingrained with the original script that she cannot go beyond it and her vile verbal abuse goes too far, she makes him cry with all of the God-awful stuff she says to him and it was because the arc was stretched for too long too many episodes. And she's always bringing up a script (that's already changed that she hasn't noticed) that he has no knowledge of like it's the damn gospel. Yes, they both had miscommunication because he kept stuff from her later on too, so he had his own faults 100%; but she goes way too far with everything else.

Would I recommend this? I totally 100% would. It is totally worth it. Not to mention that LSD trip at the end! So give it a chance!

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A Rare Gem in the Plethora of Detective Stories

And here I thought I was just going to see another crime drama....yeah right! This not so little rare gem came out of nowhere and jumped up to receive a perfect score from me; someone who doesn't give them out easily. Also something that literally becomes better in later parts of the series as opposed to the beginning. The entire cast for the most part did great and I know all of them save a few people. Despite the rating (which I never care about), this drama gave a lot of other detective/crime/conspiracy/supernatural etc genre shows a run for their money.

Pros: Dude, ML or BM played by WXY and TML or TS/BK played by HLL were my favorite though DK who played KY or Peacock 🦚 was hot on their heels. A serial murder occurs on a boat on a lake with only one guy left alive; BM who is quickly framed for it. He is shot with an arrow and falls into the water disappearing for 3 years, when he returns, his old sweetheart whose father was one of those that was killed, stabs him, shackles him, than poisons him with the most lethal poison instead of the one she wanted to give him. By her side is doctor/coroner Feng, someone she saved, while by his side is someone he saved named Tong Shuang or TS and secretly placed in the constable unit to seek information on the murderer known as Yesha who is getting revenge on everyone in connection with a mysterious case from 20 years ago or the 36th Ningtai year as it's known for a while from a town known as Haiya. Slowly the squad forms eventually also including HD a woman whose father is murdered and was part of the Haiya story.

There are 7 cases in total including the main large case. The squad solves each murder only to realize each one is connected to the original case. Hot on their heels is KY from the rival constable company wanting to catch BM as he's thought to be Yesha; the guy spends nearly the entire series trying to clear his name and get reinstated while trying to find a cure for his poison and find the real and very elusive Yesha. The killers and minions of Yesha are orphans of what turns out to be the massacre of Haiya. The twists are great especially of the poison of BM, the real Yesha (will be spoken about in the villains section), the fact that KY doesn't really want BM dead but loves the competition between them and ends up helping the squad a lot before joining them and becoming one of them. Dude was called peacock 🦚 first on Weibo then it made its way to MDL because of his wardrobe, hair (wig), and makeup. He was comic relief though second in intelligence after BM; DK played him to the hilt and it was awesome. WXY as BM was fantastic; he got all of the emotions & actions down pat; arrogance, maturity, loyalty, kindness, intelligence, anger, love, grief, depression, etc. still hard to reconcile how well he acts with his young age.

The main villain aka Yesha, made your mouth drop when you realized who it was because he was next to them the whole time. And not only that, there were two of them; first one (another general and original resident of Haiya) groomed or trained the second one before dying in that boat lake case 3 years prior and his well camouflaged protégé took his place. The actor, fairly unknown played the hell out of both characters in one person. He reminded me of Ted Bundy and the phrase “the mirror has two faces”; you never would have thought the handsome man with women on his arm and college graduate was a serial killer until he was caught. But he was none other than BK or BM's brother also known to the squad as TS until he faked his death and went full throttle on his persona and his horrifying plan. Turns out that both brothers and HD were Haiya orphans and 2 out of 3 turned out just fine; with the last because of who ultimately raised him, became a wolf in sheep's clothing, a killing machine.

My two favorite moments during the show is when BM told the Emperor, what was what essentially calling everyone out who participated in the Haiya massacre as well as the cover up that happened after including the emperor himself saying that there were survivors living in hellish conditions and they deserved better, enough of the cowardice. It was very powerful. And the second, even stronger scene was the face to face with his brother in the last episode when BM hammered into his brother that he used Haiya as an excuse for all the murders he did because he was manipulated and allowed himself into thinking the worst, and that he used other people who could have lived better lives but died tragically because of him after committing murder and those in the wilderness are living in hell in part because of his actions with that pill and mutations. That had their situations been reversed BK would probably had been a better constable and person but BM would never be a more wicked person than BK because even if he had to suffer he knew there was hope and there was always suffering and bad stuff in the world and it was their jobs as humans not to make it worse. He just kept chipping away at every excuse BK had until there were none left. Than he told him that he had plenty of chances to turn back and when a defeated BK said it was out of his grasp in this lifetime, BM reminded him that he had in fact had it in his grasp once meaning when he was TS; he had so many chances to tell them the truth as he had the love of a real family and not just his brother. That entire exchange was remarkable, raw, and powerful and BK took his own life as BM walked away after telling his "didi" that if there was another life, he hoped they wouldn't meet which I took to mean that he would still feel ashamed and guilty to face his brother even in the next lifetime. So thankfully no redemption for the ultimate predator but it was still so sad because it didn't have to happen that way and he was a character we had all grown to love a lot.

Everyone else whether squad members or others all did their parts well. And everyone was there for as long as they needed to be; no unnecessary appearances or disappearances. Great costumes (especially for peacock lol), sets, OSTs. I don't think this was a large budget production but it did well with what was shown. There was some comedy and though there were technically two couples, this was not a romance drama but more of a thriller which I was very happy with. The squad had 5 people at any given time with one single guy but it never felt like he was the 3rd or should I say 5th wheel. Everyone was equal or maybe because the leads always called each other "junior sister" or "senior brother" lol, kind of gave that incesty feeling though they were not blood.

Cons: Though I did give it a 10, it still had some flaws. It had many tiny inconsistencies like the dumbing down of the FL (going alone to rescue BM from Old Bug or constantly asking "what do you mean" when the answer was staring her in the face) or her having RBF for the whole first arc and well into the second though the actress usually does great with emotions so perhaps there was problems with the writing. Even with his redemption arc in the end after essentially being a glorified asshole the entire series, Mr. Zhuge aka peacock's father, I still couldn't get to like. The actor though did a good job playing him. Also found the poisoning portion of the story just slightly draggy; could have made it take up less episodes.

The largest inconsistency was why Mr. Zhong who was FL's dad and BM's Shifu didn't keep both BM and BK as he had carried both boys out of Haiya after the massacre. Had he kept BK and raised both boys, these tragedies may not have happened or at least BK would have had the same loving upbringing as BM had and not been abused so severely or found by first Yesha and turned into this monster. An answer as to why was never given. And it was very sad.

Would I recommend it? What do you think, with a perfect score lol? This is an awesome rollercoaster that ticks many genre boxes and where the second and third arcs were way stronger than the first. Will def be rewatching portions. Great job cast and crew!

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Emotionless Line Delivery + Fizzled Chemistry + Sloppy Script = 1st Dumpster Fire of 2025

Welcome to the first dumpster fire of 2025! My goodness what a mess! I forgot I had it on my watchlist plus it was airdropped with no warning or promotion which should have been a massive clue. I had wanted to see SWL in a different genre and it was my 1.5 time watching Angelababy as I dropped a previous drama she was in due to horrendous writing. This wasn't much better and I ended skipping some episodes towards the end as well as fast forwarding a lot of it during the entire thing.

Pros: Almost none other than the gorgeous costumes/accessories of the Beixuan people, the martial arts and acting of some of the supporting characters. SML and TML died for all the wrong reasons and I thought both were wasted characters though both nailed their parts. There was more chemistry between the guard and the sister than the leads. ML's acting has improved slightly.

Cons: Everything else! Atrocious script that literally threw every trope possible into the story but nothing new. Two horrible kings of two countries but you couldn't even hate them as proper antagonists because they came across as petty and insecure and one literally had some squirrel's tail for a mustache attached to his face. Chemistry between leads fizzled in the near beginning. Both leads were pretty emotionless; he always looked pissed off even when smiling and she was the opposite as even when upset she had like a joker smile glued to her face. No expression whatsoever from her but if his acting made up for a bit of it, in her case it was like a recital of lines with that creepy smile. I think I may stay away from her dramas from now on; she may be a pretty woman but acting requires more than looks.

Also the character of the princess was shudder worthy. Spoiled self absorbed brat from beginning to end. I never believed she genuinely loved SML; he was like a shiny toy to her that dared to defy her and she got a kick out of that. I wish she died instead of him; zero redeeming qualities. Cheap AF CGI, if you can call it that. The entire thing looked very cheap. I think most of the budget went to those stunning costumes and accessories. The story was like every other story you've ever seen crazy glued together. Boring. I have no clue how I got through it. It's very forgettable.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely NOT. This review should give you everything you need to know. Preserve your sanity and watch something else.

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XFN's Journey

I was actually very surprised that I liked this series. Many people I usually chat with, dropped it without looking. But it had many good qualities. XFN is officially more cunning then his father. That finale was something else; truly hope seasons 2 and 3 don't take 10 years to make.

Pros: Most of the characters were there for as long as they needed to be and greatly evolved. The main lead was the most obvious. His father was the 706 steps ahead thinking man planning everything in his son's path to both help him and test him. But as the series wore on he too became very much like his father; from a stubborn teenager who refused to learn martial arts until his closest friend and master martial artist died, did he realize he can still live his own way but be great at something.

It was great to see 3 actors from DC in this thing; old man booger aka Sword God, Ning Emei, and the death guard Qing. I totally saw the latter two as becoming a couple. The fantastical aspects were great but not overdone. Every loose end was one way or another always tied and not left along for too long. The ending episode was cool except for ZK talking for far too long after Xu big sister stabbed him. I particularly liked when XFN used the martial arts he learned to fight the bad guys.

The story in itself progressed well, with XFN growing, maturing, learning and ultimately embracing his destiny in his own way. The comical aspects were also a nice touch and progressing the story along. You never knew who was working for dad or by the end of it XFN himself and that was always comical when the audience learned along with other parts.

Cons: Many inconsistencies and really unneeded characters like the lady with the cat. I'll take the cat over the chick. Just the sheer number of people who wanted to kill XFN for reasons most of the time not well explained or if explained, didn't make sense. It reminded me a lot of Luoyang and the plethora of unneeded assassins. Ms. Hehe's sudden appearances, her lackluster explanation for why she was there and then final appearance, equally bizarre other explanation and disappearance. Her entire presence was like a whiplash each time.

I didn't see any point in the FL until she literally left. She didn't have (imo) any chemistry with the ML aside from wanting to kill him for reasons unknown. I know that readers of the book liked her and understood her purpose and perhaps she'll be given better development in the upcoming seasons but in this one, she just whined and repeated the same thing over and over; kill XFN, death and buying herself a coffin.

Each episode in someways felt like its own plot story or rather multiple episodes until yet another failed attempt at assassination happened and perps were revealed. Then we move on to the next plot and next bunch of assassins. It was very push and pull often and I wished other aspects of the series were brought. It needed smoother writing and overall transitions.

Would I recommend it? Sure. It's got great growth moments, funny moments, if you like fantastical stories and trying to figure out who's good and who's really not. It like everything else, has lackluster moments and errors, but overall it was fun to watch.

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Raw & Edgy Meets Noble Idiocy; The Ability to Make A Choice is a Must for All.

I added this for HY having only seen him in a few costume dramas and wanting to see him in a different genre. I knew Esther but very few of the supporting cast especially the Thai folks. I remember when this thing was filming in Thailand and they had an earthquake but thankfully everyone was unharmed and production soon wrapped. It proved to be an interesting story and glad for the HE as well.

Pros: I'm proud of HY for this role. His story is raw and edgy in regards to the boxing, racing, and the undercover work for both. He really lived and breathe this character you could tell. It wasn't just about the romance, but it was about the story behind it, how his character had basically grew up suffering, because even though his adopted father and family fell apart soon And he had all those hardships in Thailand when they got there that he told the FL in the first or second episode, he chose not to repeat the cycle. He chose a more righteous path which was a lot harder to take and caused him to be hurt so often because he was involved with a lot of the stuff that was illegal. Granted he wasn't the only undercover dude they chose, but this story for him had a lot to do with evolution. He never had it easy until the end and being with the FL and coming to the realization that he did. Everything that happened to him after the crash and learning to walk again and going through that whole time where it was like he had a little bit of hope, and then it was taken from him again only in a different way. But he kept going. Also, very proud with how he dealt with PTSD and other psychological issues. It was very realistic.

The FL basically grows up in a rich and entitled household, where her mother spoils her with a big brother though obviously adopted and not buy blood so when she finds him again as a 19/20 year-old in Thailand, along with her biological father and new family they reconnect and she obviously has feelings for him that it takes him a while, but he does reciprocate. Unfortunately, their romance at that time only lasts a week before his big accident. She, however, is no slouch she does know how to stand up for herself for the most part. Their relationship after the fact, only happens because she reconnects with him due to the fact that They both returned to their city in China, and the whole story is basically about him being the sun, her being the moon because of their names. Their break is that of six years and in that time she gets to grow up and gets a job he gets to finish the education he never got to before and also gets a job, opens the café of their dreams that they talked about for her and she, because of her senior, and now that she works at the observatory finds the café and finds their supposedly lost dog.

I won't go into a whole lot of detail in the story because there's just a bunch of little nuances that people need to watch to understand, but that's the gist. All the characters were flawed, there was not a perfect character in sight and it made it even more realistic. This was a raw and edgy show and so were its characters. Comedy was on point and the chemistry was awesome. Especially after they get back together after the break toward the end, there was a scene or two where the screen was definitely smoking. Though I do have to say the stepmom of FL was a hell of a lot better than her actual mom though at the end her mom did get better come around and treat ML the way she should have when he was a kid. She made her amends in my eyes.

The other thing that I found interesting and very very rare was the fact of how closely the series followed the novel. I'm not a source material reader, but all novel readers when I inevitably asked for spoilers, literally went bit by bit by bit, and it was exactly like that in the series. So that was a huge plus as usually the series deviates heavily from the novel you don't even recognize the novel according to people, but here it really was on point. I felt that every character was necessary. I loved a lot of of those supporting cast like SL, Mike's character was comic relief with ML, Patrick's character, Nana, Crazy Jin or whatever his name was, even Snakey at the end was a good person and no longer a rival to FL. There were others I just don't remember who they were. Even the antagonists did a good job playing those roles.

Obviously location being Thailand, for the most part was beautiful and rich and great where it was, modern drama costumes and ML motorbike riding, OST's were on point. It was obvious everything else was done by professional racers or CGI and that was fine. My only question was was it really HY doing all those martial arts because it did not look like a stunt double to me.

Cons: I mentioned noble idiocy in the title and for sure, I had a problem with that. Though he didn't want to be a burden (post accident with the severity of his injuries) on her life given how young she was at the time and chose to separate himself from her and then cut contact so she could go to school, which she needed to do and what not and he could recover and he could heal, go through rehab and eventually also go to school, he still should've told her the truth. He could've waited a few years, but he should've never hid that from her or taken the ability to choose away from her. Even when they reconnected, it took her walking away and before that telling him well, "what if I had ended up with an abuser and a loser and someone who cheated on me, do you know that by cutting off contact you were also gambling with my future?" That was exactly what he needed to hear. He had essentially no right to take that choice away from her. She was not stupid back then and not only that, but they also lied about the dog saying that the dog was lost and had other friends not contact her. All these choices hurt her badly. Why not give her the dog? Why say he was lost? Even getting her own father, stepmom, and stepsister to lie. A lot of lies that shouldn't have been told and things that should've been done differently.

I don't understand why modern dramas have been cutting intimate scenes like kissing scenes and going straight into after the fact or just they start kissing and then fade to black and next scene? We're not talking about showing them doing the entire deed, but with this series, a lot of the editing was incredibly choppy, especially when it came to that part. Also, the ending was beyond rushed. That last episode shoved so much into it that no wonder they chose eloping sequence as opposed to the actual full wedding that was filmed and was caught by fan sites. They could've spaced it out so much better within those last few episodes but they shoved three episodes worth into one.

Would I recommend it? Yes I would because this drama was definitely different for most modern dramas you see nowadays. The rawness and the edginess of it with the boxing and racing, especially in the beginning how do you thinking fast and furious meets fight club with romance.

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All Over the Place Drama w/a Hard Nosedive Finish

It had a good premise and started out decent but then just literately took a left and it left. The drama was all over the place. For those who know how I rate and review, I always wait until I finish watching. Well after episode 31 and the return to Africa things took a nosedive. Anyways, let's do this.

Pros: My first favorite character was the kid! He was smarter than all of them combined. Great child actor and very believable; like a mini old soul. 2nd favorite character was SML, he was the most consistent and even funny. I've seen him in several costume dramas so first time seeing him in a modern and he was the one to watch. His relationship with SFL was goofy and cheesy but a worthwhile watch. I'm very glad he got his own chance to prove himself towards the end; that was great to see. While I enjoyed all the doctors and others as well as their lives outside of the hospital, I wish more of that was explored. OSTs were on point as was chemistry of the leads. It was watchable where you didn't have the need to fast forward or at least not too much. A lot of people had an issue with Xue lawyer guy, but I thought he added humor and care for FL when ML slacked off and even if he didn't win her over, he always took care of her no matter what. If nothing else, he was a fantastic friend and protector. Sadly, other than that this drama had no other pros.

Cons: The African arcs were beyond unnecessary and really poorly done. The blatant disregard for the continent as a whole and its people as third world monsters who could only rely on savior China for peace or treatment was pathetic. One doctor could stop a war? Give me a break. Propaganda wasn't even trying to be realistic. The fact that they were neurosurgeons but could only diagnose and treat cancer was laughable. There are many diseases these doctors could deal with but c-dramas have developed a flavor for cancer and that's what medical dramas (unless they are disaster relief) all show. It's like no other disease exists except cancer and they're number one at treating it.

The flashbacks in the beginning though I understood their purpose were very cringeworthy; FL was basically stalking the ML the entire time up until out of nowhere she confessed and wham bam boom they're getting married. It was so creepy. She basically bent over backwards to get him and their marriage was just as weird. This series would have been more then enough with only 30 episodes, with the leads getting hitched before her father passed. The fact that they kept putting it off to add that secondary African arc and his incident not to mention the illegality of a director of a hospital taking an unconscious ML back to China without telling his fiancée and the last 3 episodes of whatever, everyone searching for him as his family who begged her to save them at one point, kept her in the dark for months and 45 minutes of the last episode of him having amnesia and remembering how to be a surgeon but not her? Are you kidding? After everything, that's how this series ends? Just no.

Would I recommend it? Nope. The awful African propaganda, the amount of illegalities and inconsistencies plus that dumb as nails ending. Had potential but almost immediately went haywire. Way better medical dramas out there to watch.

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Two Different Dramas For the Price of One but the Actors Delivered

(Edited rating and review) I wanted to watch this because of LXY and his versatility. Neither him, the FL, nor any of the cast disappointed. The writing was sloppy and filled with unnecessary deaths and plot holes. It literally felt like two completely different dramas in one with superb acting. But after thinking carefully, I had to amend my rating.

Pros: Every single actor nailed their role to a T. If it wasn't for them, this drama could have ended just fine at episode 24. LXY was absolutely amazing here though; each tear of his broke your heart and he cried a lot. The kissing scenes were well done by two adults. The first portion had everything; the frame job by the CP, the crippled and masochistic ML trying to clear his name and that of his army. Than the FL who lost her parents in the fire but was brought into what I called assassins creed to get revenge though the mastermind behind that was none other than the ML himself. The ML and FL worked very well together and the characters near them were fantastic especially YQ. As the main villain, the CP was narcissistic, cunning, and vicious. QY was necessary but not as a third wheel that hindered more than helped. The palace intrigue and winning against the CP and clearing his name was paramount. Falling in love with the FL was cool and their time in the village was awesome too but he shouldn't have done the nobility arc thing but kept her hidden and waited until the flower to detoxify her bloomed. Then he could have saved her and they would have married and the undying flower thing still held water. Though the second portion or what I consider a different drama altogether was messy, the ending though tragic was beautifully written and acted out by all. Costumes, sets, OSTs, fight sequences, etc were on point.

Cons: What was the point of 25 through most of 31? 32 was the poetic tragedy so I consider it a pro. Messy plot full of holes that was unnecessary, wasted people and characters and still FL wasn't cured because the flower was stolen. Why kill QY? Zilch sense. The reinforcements arrived just to scare off the enemy? Make it make sense. Regular civilians had to fight regimented soldiers was nonsense because the emperor for some reason didn't know his country and that city was under attack from the get go? How is that possible? And his relationship with Zigu was cringe at best; he was old enough to be her grandfather and they conceived a child but she died in childbirth because of her previous injury which was to her arms? How does one affect the other? Again plot hole.

The actress who played Luo Mei had way too much Botox because her face never moved on or off screen. None of her emotions were believable at all; she was totally stone faced. And how did she go from seeing ML as her unrequited love to whiplashing and loving that monster CP? It was so quick, you'd blink and you'd miss it. Another one was of FL knowing she only had an X amount of time to live but didn't reconcile with the ML until he dove into the river after her. She wasted so much precious time. For what exactly? ML only lived 13 years longer than she did and you'd think when you know you've got an expiration date, you'd want to spend every second with the one you loved. But he didn't even know she wasn't cured; that was a dumb plot move. He had the most masochistic role in the entire series. The entire second portion was totally unnecessary. Finish it at 25 episodes and it would have been an HE and matched with the book. Bringing all that nonsense in made me skip two episodes towards the end.

Would I recommend it? I actually would but for excellent acting and that first portion of the show. The rest you can just casually watch.

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Healing Through Patience & Love is Truly the Best Thing

I've wanted to see ZLH in a modern drama for a while now and though he had those before, only after he shot to stardom after his roles in MJTY and KP, did more audiences see him as a versatile actor. This drama was a perfect offset of all of his previous roles because it was calming, relaxing, while showing how love grows naturally. Healing through patience & love was truly the best thing.

Pros: This was such a lovely and fun in a subtle way series. I loved how every episode started with a particular TCM ingredient and it was explained how it worked and then it was incorporated into that episode for better or for worse. Both leads had their fair share of pain to go through and heal from and they found those ingredients if you will in each other. The ML or HSY was definitely the more mature and wise of the two. FL or SXF met him in the first episode just as she was going through a rough patch with her asswipe soon to be (like in the next episode) ex boyfriend. Due to the fact that all of the stress from that, work, etc, caused her insomnia, she was recommended to the neighborhood TCM doctor and that's how they met. Fate or the universe couldn't be more perfectly aligned for that meeting. For him it was like at first sight and this was he fell first and hard and it took her a much longer time to realize her feelings.

Let's not forget their chemistry! Well we all know ZLH can get it done; even XRH said that he is an eye-showing actor; so he shows you how he feels with his eyes before he says the words. But their kisses and even hugs were all that and then some! It got warm in my room quick lol! I also loved that she initiated a lot of their make out sessions and didn't just wait to be kissed. That was a lot more natural than the woman just standing there as the man goes in.

Their lives and romance were immediately intertwined because they also happened to live in the same neighborhood. He was the gentle healing soul that always told her to take her time and learn to love herself while he took care of the rest. He was literally the perfect man. You can call this a slow burn because it took her quite some time and funnily enough a push from her aggressive, arrogant ex to get her to understand what her heart and soul had known for a long time; that the right person was in front of her and next to her the entire time.

Though there was a third wheel in here, she was after the ML and once he found out what her thoughts were, he cut the cord quick. He wanted to be with one woman only. This was a mature romance with great characters. Not a single one took up space or needed to be tossed off a cliff. There was comedy especially the references to certain characters and series the actors actually played in was a great way to both promote those series and give it a real world feel. The leads way of expressing love was through flowers, sachets, nature, and cooking not always words and that was for the most part a great and symbolic thing.

The way they helped each other with things as well as their friends did; her bestie cleared the confusion of why XF rejected SY's confession in the first place; that it was out of fear not that she didn't care. Meanwhile, XF helped reconcile SY with his father towards the end after many years of estrangement. SY helped heal XF's existential identity crisis post breakup and made her stronger in her convictions not just as she even pointed out "an obedient dog that would follow your every command." I loved the united front that the parents and SY showed against the ex as he was kicked out of their house and also at the hotel, where even the GM stood up to him along with her two best friends and some other hotel staff.

All of the supporting characters were great! XY and LYS who were friends for 10 years and loved each other just as long but only got together after XF's constant pushing and prodding. XF's parents were funny and so great and supportive. All dramas should have parents like them. SY's grandfather was just awesome and comedic in a good way; when the families blended it was a very strong unit. SY's interns especially LJ are funny as well as the dude that's always single and his patients. You can see who all matters to them from who's invited to their wedding in the last episode. And the wedding was lovely especially the choreographed dance of the leads in the heart made out of flowers.

OSTs, extra info on TCM, sets though modern, we're all lovely and fit. For him the symbol of love was that keychain ring she gave him to ward off matchmakers and for her it was the satchet.

Cons: Though very few I did have some issues. For starters, the FL had this annoying tendency to go all deer in headlights when she was around him and couldn't say a single declarative sentence and that got kind of annoying. Because when she had to ask him questions about TCM or things she was interested in or talk to her friends or at work, she could just babble forever. But simple conversations were hard won. And at 27, you should be able to speak like an adult all the time. Glad that once she realized her feelings and they got together, she "grew up" so to speak.

The old people clothing, I don't understand. Both leads wore clothes that were suitable for their parents and grandparents and you could see them wear that. I don't know why in modern dramas they do this to young adults making them look so elderly with the wardrobe. Only when at work and they had to wear a uniform or a suit did they dress their age.

Felt the ending was a bit rushed with her mom's illness and her again having thoughts of studying abroad. Also the fact that at the wedding SY said this whole monologue of things and XF said maybe a sentence or two felt uneven. They could have placed the illness somewhere else and then made her studying abroad, returning and having their wedding so much smoother. That's it.

Would I recommend it? I totally would. This was a breath of fresh air and homey and so nice like a warm hug at the end of a long day. A simple romance with symbolism, meaning, and a bit of humor. Definitely the best thing.

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And the Dangerous Delulu Award Goes To? SML! The Rest Was Solid Though

This is the 4th drama of ZWY that I'm watching this year after both LYFs and AYTO. I really like his characters; in this one he really was a chameleon of sorts. RM I'd only previously seen in TLP and I liked her here much more. Familiar with a lot of the supporting. The show wasn't a new concept but what made it good was the intelligence of our leads to outsmart all the schemers and villains. But the unfortunate part was that the SML and his dangerous towards FL.

Pros: As mentioned, not a new concept but strength in smarts. Was very much like the Double where you had a household of scheming wicked women but a very smart FL and her equally on point "3rd brother". The majority show was about how she would swart evil plans of the women in the Luo family. She also had the support of her adoptive mother and grandmother as well as 6th uncle and 6th sister. Though she wasn't related by blood to any of them as that was uncovered later, they still treated her like family. ML meanwhile, while finding out her about them not being related, still had her back and developed feelings first. He though was running an underground organization of fighters trying to overturn an 8 year old case of their master being framed for embezzlement and executed. While he acted like the slow witted guy in a side yard at home; in reality he was intelligent, had wonderful martial arts skills, and was very strategic. All that was brought home when he became the top 3 scorer on their exams; his disgusting father who hated his guts had to come to the realization that this son out did him in everything and even though many of us still didn't like the father after his evolution, at least he wasn't a rotten bastard anymore.

While FL was trying to uncover the secret behind her mother's early passing she also found her biological father who was literally father of the year in comparison to the Luo dude. This man was everything FL deserved in a father. Though the transition to the new family was bumpy, it was a lot better than where she originally came from although all of the wicked women were dealt with or evolved after being married off. By the end both families blended nicely, our leads were married with a baby boy and it was the epitome of tranquility. All of the antagonists plots were overturned by the persistence, patience, and hard work of ML and his people along with everyone who helped which included FL's father the Duke towards the end.

Costumes, OSTs, sets, were nice.

Cons: SML! Holy hell! Literally the most obsessive/possessive delusional 3rd wheel I've probably seen since introduced in whichever episode. He even ruined their wedding by abducting FL and killing people to make it look like her and was planning to leave town with her even though she was someone else's wife, didn't love him, etc. it was sickening. I thought the dude from "Girl Goes to Imperial College" was bad as he actually poisoned FL in the "if I can't have her, no one can" deal but thankfully the leads outsmarted him pretending she died. But this dude was savage; he harmed her, forced her against walls, and if got away with taking her away, probably would have raped her. He was a brute and his death was a total copout because not only did it take half of the last episode but they made it all soft and easy. He took an arrow for her and one minute she was the abductee to crouching and clutching his shoulders. I was in total shock! And I wasn't the only one. Like girl, what are you doing? Your husband is standing right there! Make it make sense please. Knocked half a point off the rating right away. The man made your skin crawl with how disgusting his obsession was and I would have personally sent him through a wood chipper and here she is after all the times he's hurt her and those around her, holding him. It was beyond stupidity. Can't hit my head against the wall hard enough. He took too much away from our couple and their happily ever after.

Also, how weird and creepy was the FL still calling ML "3rd Brother" after they were together, then married and even after the kid was born. Like is the boy supposed to call his father, uncle? Writers majorly screwed that up. It was completely out of place.

A few plot holes with Mistress Qiao's kids at the end; I thought both were sent away somewhere to reflect on themselves especially the scheming daughter but at the end she shows up all worldly with a mention of having married an official. Wasn't she sent to a temple though?

Would I recommend it? Despite the horrible SML whom you can ffw as he just adds more ick than anything else, this show is good and empowering because it has two beyond smart people dealing with both family and justice issues.

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The World's Smartest Young Man + A Great Martial Artist = 2 Formidable Twin Brothers

Watching a series 5 years after it was broadcast definitely shows how many things have changed. I've been recommended this one for a while now and finally decided why not? Primarily watched for CZY and the difference in his mannerisms. But I'm aware of both leads, the SFL plus many of the supporting cast.

Pros: The martial arts are my favorite. So well done and carefully crafted that you had to rewind some again and again. My favorite duel was between the brothers in the last episode. It was just awesome. All of the other ones were pretty great too. I also really like the fact that they gave an actual back story to the series and why/how the brothers were separated and their parents killed. You don't see that nowadays as it's covered in about 2 minutes with cartoons and a voiceover plus some flashbacks during the show. The twins were supposed to become enemies when they grew up and met each other just as the synopsis says except that didn't happen. There were some tense moments in the very beginning but they grew into actual friends and that was awesome to see especially when they would solve cases and problems together.

They couldn't be more different; one was a prankster trickster that could weasel himself out of practically any situation using his smarts but he was also a chick magnet because from the first one to his ultimate soulmate, there were at least 3 in between that were more ruthless than others, would fall for him immediately and it was quite funny. While the other one was cold, aloof, inexperienced in the world and tried his best to right many wrongs though he did fail a lot especially the first case which I called the Romeo and Juliet scenario. The things that they had in common was a sense of justice and were both warm-hearted. Plus XYR was a whole head shorter than HWQ and when the truth outed itself, XYR jumped like a monkey onto a tree with HWQ. They were the world's smartest young man + a great martial artist = 2 formidable twin brothers.

There were middle of the road villains like the 12 zodiac killers and the 10 great villains (one of whom was actually a good guy that loved gambling); the latter batch having raised XYR and though they ultimately betrayed him, if it wasn't for them, he wouldn't have become as clever and smart as he became though he wasn't as cold blooded and greedy as they were. He like his brother inherited their parents warm hearts and sense of compassion and righteousness.

There were 3 main villains; the master of Yihua Palace who raised HWQ and her sister (though the latter had a warmer heart); it was because of this crazy train master's revenge on the man she loved who was ultimately the twins' father because in her twisted mind, just because she saved him and he was grateful to her for that, he was supposed to marry her. She had no idea that love and other emotions had to be involved for marriage so the obsessed bat set this plan in motion for the brothers to become enemies and HWQ only finding out when he supposedly killed XYR (our smart kid took a special medicine made by his friend the medicine doctor from wicked canyon where he grew up that could fake death) that they were twin brothers so he could suffer for the rest of his existence. I mean how much more evil and delusional can you be? Punishing the sons for her one sided love that didn't happen? The look on her face when XYR popped back up like nothing happened was priceless. Though I did feel for HWQ and the roller coaster of emotions he must have felt as this was going on; first thinking he killed his best friend even though he set out to kill himself, than hearing how the insane one set the revenge plan in motion, that the boys were twins, that he actually killed his twin brother, to seeing that she killed the other "aunt" and wanting to end himself and than when XYR popped up the joy and relief that all of this was his plan and trick and being upset when the crazy bat walked off a cliff. It must have been exhausting to go through so many emotions in such a short period of time. But he did it well.

The other two villains were a father and son duo that were basically causing havoc in Jianghu stealing money and other things while framing good people for their deeds. The son was creepy not just evil, while the father was considered the number one hero in Jianghu and also had a hand in the deaths of the leads parents but more for trying to kill the real number one hero YNT (who was sworn brothers with JF; dad of the boys) and though he crippled the guy's martial arts skills for 18 years, he never mastered the manual he stole. The creepy son got his comeuppance finally from the woman he SA'd and lied to repeatedly; awesome karma.

Other great supporting characters were the medicine man who only pretended to be evil but in reality was biding his time to get rid of the evil around him, YTN and his other sworn brother who pretended to be him while he slowly healed himself. Gambling villain guy was of great help as well as the two assistants of HWQ; both FL and SFL once they stopped crying and pouting at every step and really started to show their smarts and helpfulness, were really great partners to our boys. I didn't view romance as important in this series so I wish it wasn't pushed on us. Comedy fell properly especially with our ML; it wasn't slapstick but well done. I felt that out of the two, the FL evolved the most and she was indispensable to both guys. I also don't feel it was a love triangle but more like a love quad though one that was only connected to whom they belonged to. FL did have feelings for the ML but once she spent time with SML, that's who she really grew towards.

Though at first Little Fairy, that Gu guy, and Murong Jiu were more of unnecessary characters as well as side stories that required fast forwarding, once the amnesia arc took place and MRJ became Ms. Meng and HZZ came into the picture, they made the right kind of sense. Especially at the end when they came to support XYR during the duel. It was nice to see he made friends for life.

Costumes (though I have an issue with HWQ's wig; poor guy had the forehead of a Klingon with it), sets, OSTs were all on point.

Cons: I really wish our brothers had more time on screen together. That was my biggest complaint. After they met officially and figured out that they were supposed to be enemies though no idea why other than an order given by the crazy bat, they kept going their separate ways though solving cases that for the most part were related to that main villain and his uber creepy son. However once they decided on three months to the duel they did spend more time together, even causing HWQ to seriously waver in his mission. I still wish we didn't spend a solid 20 plus episodes with one brother in one episode and one brother in another.

Wish there weren't so many unnecessary side stories that had nothing to do with the main plot and where more women fell for ML. That was also something I didn't understand; was it love at first sight for them all looking at this scraggly kid with patched worn clothes and thinking "oh baby, that's the guy for me?" I mean come on now, not realistic at all. They were already smitten before he opened his mouth. Same happened with both leading ladies, though one evolved and matured, the other one though a total match for him, I had no idea when she had time to fall for him? Big disconnect there each time and there were at least three other women in between.

The endings of both big bads was super anticlimactic. One was crippled of his martial arts and just sent away to live somewhere, while the other in her delusion just walked off a cliff. Like what? These two people brought pain, suffering, and death to so many and that's how they ended things? Not good or satisfying enough for me.

I also wish that at the end, the last scene was of our brothers drinking somewhere together instead of separated yet again but with their significant others. It was very unsatisfactory. The story was about them not their romantic relationships. They could have had the women with them and the foursome standing together and maybe hugging while smiling at each other and swatching the horizon. That would have been perfect and would have left the audience feeling and knowing that they would now forever be together as a real family making up for a lost 18 years with their parents looking down at them from heaven and smiling. That's how I would have ended it anyways.

Would I recommend it? I really would. Despite the annoying cons, this really was a great wuxia and if you like martial arts and a decent story, check it out; it doesn't matter how many years later.

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Modern Vintage

This plot intrigued me. It was different than your run of the mill romance with a touch of weirdness. It wasn't a perfect script or acting by any stretch of the imagination, but it had something unique and attention grabbing. I was unfamiliar with the cast but really wanted to give this a try. It really was a modern vintage.

Pros: Out of the 4 leads, I have to say I liked HCF the most. Even though he started out a bit stiff, he was always aiming to improve and once he fell in love the man was a goner. Their chemistry was very cute (do wish they knew how to kiss better lol), I found myself rewinding all their together moments; just melting cute. Two live together in a cinematography masterpiece and the women blow in by fate. The way we learn about each person's backstory slowly, opens each character to us in both good ways and not so good. Costumes, OSTs, imagery, surroundings, were sometimes straight on point and other times missed the mark.

Though there were 3 antagonists total, the one who lost his mind was the most prominent and understandable probably more to the audience than to the characters until the ending 4 episodes. Plus he was HCF's master so harder to let that sink in. I really liked the case solving in the first portion of the series and how many people they actually helped. But as time went on, it seemed all of that was forgotten. The comedy and the bonds in their community were cute and funny and added that time, in a way, stood still there. I liked SY when she was balls to the walls no nonsense speaking common sense but then she would turn around, her eyes would start rolling around on her face like they were escaping somewhere, it left you wondering where the smart young woman went. Time to visit the cons.

Cons: The script had way too many loose ends. Continuing with SY, why must women constantly in these dramas forget they have an inner monologue instead of just yammering away in public nonstop and then looking all shocked when someone catches them? It never fazes to amaze me. I wasn't at all sure the casting of Xiao An was a proper one as she had a stone cold face even when she cried. I didn't feel much of a connection nor chemistry between her and Robin. He was great as a melodramatic performer to the point of eye rolling but she was just a block of granite.

Then there was Shifu and his total break from reality from his getting out of prison until when he orchestrated the kidnapping first of Robin, then of SY. Why didn't HCF go straight to the police? The same people who he'd helped and vice versa all these years. Plus who was that guy in the park that HCF was supposed to meet if Shifu wasn't already dead and SY rescued? A ghost? It made no sense. How does involuntary manslaughter get you 6 years in prison? Shifu had Robin kidnapped, drugged, beaten, then kidnapped SY nearly killing her, but when he and Robin fight and he ends up dead, could have gone either way there, Robin still must serve time in prison? Something is seriously out of whack with their laws. Many loose ends that didn't get solved though there was a happy ending.

Would I recommend it? Despite much confusion, a young cast, and many loose ends, I still would because it really was a nice and easy drama. Plus it was very entertaining and a new concept one. Not to mention when the leads are together after they're official, they're too stinking cute! So give it a go.

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