Enigma05

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

Watch for the Romance

I was recommended this drama a while back but forgot about it and then was reminded again because I'm watching Tiger & Crane with ZLH and this was his first drama. Though called Maiden Holmes, there's less emphasis on the case solving and more about the Romance of the leads. So watch for the romance.

Pros: I love the Fab 5! Their dynamic is great from episode one. You've got the FL who pretends to be a man by cross dressing to clear her family's name after being what she thought to be the sole survivor of that massacre. Her detective skills are pretty good and she has solved many cases. ML is the prince who is ousted from office by his rebellion seeking uncle (also the main villain of the piece). Thankfully his brother was the new emperor and had a good relationship with him where he could help him out. SFL is a genius doctor and SML is a great martial artist though can't read the room for nothing is quite dumb most of the time. Adding on is ML's teen aid who's a great cook. The chemistry between the leads is obvious especially when the ML turns those seductive eyes onto FL, it's like ok it got a bit warm in this room. Furthermore, the kisses are real! And there are enough of them. For ZLH's first gig ever, he was hella convincing especially in terms of being intelligent and trapping the bad people. The entire group really complimented each other. Misunderstandings if not immediately cleared up, are done so in a smart fashion. There are a few baubles with FL temporarily seeming to lose her sensibility but she regains it more or less quickly. Good fight scenes when they happened.

Obviously a lower budget production but it worked out. The villain was obvious from the get go. The one moment that made me legit shed a tear was when ML's guard sacrificed himself to protect his prince towards the end. That guy was awesome the entire time and it really brought forth their strong friendship. Comedy was decent.

Cons: The cases though leading to the main antagonist weren't very strong and they could never bring someone in alive. Once our group had the evidence, the evildoer was either disposed of or killed themselves. Every single time to the point that it was laughable. You were just waiting for it each time a new case popped up. Also while the SFL thought the FL was a dude, she developed a crush on her and that whole thing was rather cringey. Suspended logic also was a must for a lot of things; like the cave thing because they had to figure out their misunderstanding and realize they were soulmates from a young age, add a really great kiss at the end and then it was worth it lol!

The showdown in the last two episodes was relatively lackluster as it just had the villain walk around the throne room yakking about his plans only to be outsmarted by the ML.

Would I recommend it? Only for the romance of the leads and the moving along storyline. It's a good in between series especially if you like an intense seductive ML ;).

Read More

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.

Read More

An Underrated Gem

Personally, I decided to watch this because I'm a fan of Ma Ke or Kyle Ma from his Journey of Flower days. I personally think his character saved that show. But here I wanted to see him in something modern and more of a detective type series. All three of our leads did a fantastic job and the stooge detectives were funny and sincere in their practical adoption of ML. The ending was sad as our ML lost both his brother and father on the same day and just as he met/reconciled with them. I had expected it but the emotions were still very real. ML reminded me of the young version of Gil Grissom from the original CSI (for any Americans that may read this); first super awkward young scientist on bugs but gradually warms up to everyone and they all want to learn from him and protect him. Ma Ke plays SML with a dark secret that he keeps from his youth that he was basically used as a tool to kill someone when he was barely a small child. A lot of interesting twists and turns and feeling bad for SML because both brothers got the short end of the stick with all of the conspiracies swirling around them and people constantly wanting to harm them or blackmail them. This is a psychological show and a serious who-done-it. I really fell in love with all of the characters except that one woman doctor that did end up dying but I didn't feel sorry for her because she just stuck her nose into SML's business way too many times and it led to her undoing. Ultimately though, everyone behind all of the murders were either arrested or killed. I would highly recommend this because it just grabs you by the hooks and keeps you. Only real negative was the 5 versions of the same flashbacks. Very unnecessary. But do give it a go if you're into detective shows, with many winding parts, and secrets getting revealed.

Read More

Wonderland Power Couple

Finally a good series for XK. I've watched two misses he was in and knew if only the story was good enough, he could have a better shot at winning. Though far from perfect, the story did carry itself and our leads had wonderful chemistry hence I dubbed them the Wonderland Power Couple.

Pros: I think XK is one of those actors that can have chemistry with a pet rock. Not to take away from JT as she nailed her character as well. But XK has the ability to go from deadly to smoldering gaze in a heartbeat. Their love story was epic because it began from competitors to confidants to lovers and the transitions were nice. I also loved their sidekicks Taozi, Ear, PY, the brothers in arms, her dad, Consort Xiao, the kid, general Han (another immortal that got sent off a cliff harpooned but reappeared to save the day) and even LYN with his guest magician appearance.

The only real villain was Sun Jiang; once his arc ended it was only dumb villains. The ending was overly dramatic but nicely done. I love all of the fight scenes. Fight scenes for me, make a show extra special and this one had plenty. The ultimate "big bad" was nothing to cry home about. But what was done extremely well were the deaths of ML's brothers in arms; that was prolonged agony on the audience as well as the FL's fake death as both sets took at least two episodes. Those two moments in the drama broke your heart and made you cry but they were done exceptionally well and made for the ending that much sweeter. Sets, costumes, and a few OSTs were memorable.

Cons: The father and brothers were dumb villains as well as Ms. Gu and batshit crazy LCF. I ffw'd them as much as possible. I also didn't like how the FL threw tantrums and blamed ML for shit that wasn't his fault even when he came up with solutions to help matters. It made her seem like a child. She and her father pushed him to be CP; but she still wanted to marry him, keep the Cui army from disbanding, etc, as they were knowing full well what the dumb as nails king was like. Even in the second to last episode before her miraculous revival, the king was willing to believe the corrupt minister over his own son that had been instrumental in every war and strategy success for the kingdom. It hurt my head watching that stupidity.

This series would have been much better if it was only 25 or 30 episodes long, where you didn't have to deal with the stupidity of the useless loser villains that just made a mess of virtually everything. ML could be CP and marry FL and not have the rest of that garbage happen. It's like logic fell apart after the real villain was killed. Even father and son reconciling felt off because father was a hot mess. I spent a lot of time ffwing and just watching for the leads and the good guys.

Would I recommend? Despite the second later half being a mess; the leads and most of their friends pulled off a very watchable series. I hope XK gets even better scripts in the future as do the others.

Read More

Good vs. Bad; Fantastic Fight Scenes, Awesome CGI, Storyline? Eh Not So Much. An OE in Need of S2!

Wow, what can I say? Wanted to watch this for YY and know WD to be a good villain and even a funny one. Sad that 10 episodes were cut from this as that's where I think most of the storyline would have been.

Pros: I loved that we got to see HL's cultivation journey from a poor family in some village without a name to a master cultivator figuring the art of teleportation and getting the heck out of dodge. Many people said the CGI and fighting/flying was poor but I disagree because I'm not a fan of the Xianxia genre to begin with especially when they deploy colors bright enough to scorch your corneas. So having subtle CGI colors in formation array and weaponry was perfect for me. I really liked their flying and way of fighting. The entire series; apparently season 1 was centered around ML or HL and his cultivation plus every friend he made and lesson he learned. He was incredibly lucky in a lot of things including evading death. Loved the little mouse that lived with him and was sad that he had to leave it behind but I think it survived. His road wasn't an easy one and he lost friends and his Master at the end. But he was always not one to be a follower but one that walked his own path to cultivation and helped whom he sensed was a good person after learning the hard way who wasn't. Those who met him and liked him, ended up not ever wanting him to leave or wanted to follow him.

WD played who I called sarcastic evil or the bad guy and had more like one or two lines when facing HL (who used his old friend's name when he ran into trouble), but he himself was trying to get a foothold in his own kingdom as even the good sects betrayed their friends to join team evil for the strength and power. Greed was always a factor. But WD though bad, he was comic relief as he and his two monkey assistants were always cracking me up. He acted like a jilted lover as HL had become his inner demon when HL at the end used some ancient teleportation artifact to bail off the continent and who promised one day to return and reduce the evil sects to dust.

The costumes, rock and other OSTs, and certain outdoor locations were quite nice.

Cons: Other than for the ML, no real storyline or plot. No character really had a backstory other than Ms. Mo and the puppet dude. But everyone appeared and disappeared without rhyme or reason. This series had more holes than a planet dusted with craters be they characters or the plot itself. Once ML joined Yellow Maple Valley, many of the Masters spoke of "that person" like who? Uncle Bob? You couldn't say Demon Grandmaster Yunle as we wouldn't know who that was as we don't meet him until the second to last episode anyways? And that he and Master Hongfu used to be together and had a daughter but he hid his identity from her and she was already in love and pregnant by the time she found out. So he decided to start this war to get her back? Yeah great idea for an all powerful creep with a superiority complex; still lost even when he killed ML's master and her real love.

The ML didn't know what love was nor understood it but every woman he met fell for him automatically and you literally had to beat them off with a stick. He wasn't interested; though he treated them all with respect, only Miss Mo he treated like a sister giving her things to protect herself and whatnot but she would find every opportunity to be close to him even when she knew they couldn't be together and he made it obvious he wasn't interested. It was eye roll worthy as this was repeated about 3 or 4 times. The time could have been spent on something important. It was like when they cut those 10 episodes, things were just thrown into chaos and not properly edited so things would make sense. Even the FL felt like a supporting character. This show needs a season 2 and maybe even 3 with the same actors and I hope we don't have to wait for 10 years for it.

Would I recommend it? I would for the pure entertainment of it and HL's cultivation journey. Everyday was fun because there was a fight scene and cool things. Plot wise, obviously not one to look forward to unless you know the donghua. Just relax and enjoy the show.

Read More