Enigma05

Building 19; An Underrated Show

19th Floor or Building 19 as I think it should have been called because we never really saw 19 floors but the number on the building itself. This show was ridiculously underrated and that's sad. I didn't expect it to be good and only really knew ML, FL, and Bai Shu's characters from a few previous series. But it had a great storyline that never dragged and only a few baubles.

Pros: A show has to be good for me to watch it with AI subs as it's something I very rarely do because they give me a headache. But even before I knew when Viki was actually going to drop with subs, I was invested in watching. I'm so glad that romance wasn't the priority shoved in there like most even sci-fi shows have done. The teamwork and friendships built gradually amongst the players of this life or death game was the main theme. We did end up with two couples ultimately but it was a very toned down process that wasn't forced.

Favorite characters were def ML and FL; the essential high IQ and EQ alpha male (GX) and female (CY) who really in a sense were childhood sweethearts. He had searched for her high and low and they ended up in the game together as her father helped him find and protect her. All of the members of the team went from annoying, having issues, or jackasses to great friends and supportive of each other. Absolutely everyone evolved and grew. I'm actually glad Uncle Lin never regained his game memories because someone else taking over his body and the rest of that would have been pretty traumatic. There were 3 fathers in this series that had daughter issues including the villain but he was just insane. I wish GX hadn't sacrificed himself to save him. I would have let him fry. Thankfully it didn't take GX too long to return to the land of the living and have his memories restored.

The basic premise of this show is that a villain (YML) hijacks a game from two other creators and creates a horror show where players must "die" somehow or figure out a way to pass each level to survive. Players never choose it, but a chip is implanted in their heads because they tried a free VR game and the device implemented it. Those that die in horrible ways, end up in a coma with their lives basically in this dude's hands. And all of this because of his own selfish actions and being unable to save his daughter but because the paramedics didn't get there in time, he blames the world and wants everyone to suffer.

The CGI was truly amazing how realistic they made each world. They showed a video of each level in the game and how it's created. There are comical moments too and tear jerking ones. They also showed each important person's family life and how imperfect it already is plus each night, they get sucked into the game no matter where they are; sitting, standing, on the toilet. All of the twists and turns of this series really had you wanting more. Even YML up until his last episode, you wanted to use a flamethrower on.

Cons: Starting with YML; he was just a loony that deserved jail time or to die in his own game. So him being saved by GX and from just a few of GX's words understanding his mistakes that for 29 episodes he didn't get wasn't very believable. Yes, this was an AI-VR sci-fi show so reality was superficial but this was basic human nature stuff and a leopard doesn't change his spots so fast.

The fact that the group actually believed him when he said he'd remove the chip was poor writing. Also when they sneaked into a high tech building on some occasions but got caught in others was unbelievable. A place like this that had guards and cameras everywhere, how could you not get caught? Or think you were in the clear? It was very unrealistic and this happened like 4 times. Another weird plot hole was that in the last episode the policeman speaking to the press said they'd been investigating this for months and had "the masses" tell them this was going on; what masses? Her dad that was in Uncle Lin's body? Only the ones in the game knew about it and the doctors that were made to disappear or director of the hospital. Where did this mountain of evidence come from that they'd been compiling? The group was afraid to go to the police because they didn't think they'd be believed. Meanwhile, the police supposedly knew and yet didn't do anything about it until they mysteriously and randomly showed up at the place when YML was chucked into reality by GX in the second to last episode to arrest him? Makes no sense.

Personally, though they made weird overtures with that random dude in the last 3 minutes of the show that there may very well be a season 2, I don't want it. Cast will most likely be different and the reason for it wouldn't make sense anymore. Leave well enough alone. Should have just ended it on our group walking away together from that alley fight.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely! Just wait for Viki to drop with proper subs; it's a great series if you like sci-fi despite some flaws in the cons. All of the actors did a good job. Worth the watch.

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Same Formula, Better Actors & Wu Lei Can Have Chemistry w/a Pet Rock.

Watched this solely because I follow Wu Lei and wanted to see both badminton and tennis on a more prominent scale as someone who played both in her youth albeit not professionally. This series was very nostalgic to me because of both of those. Was this show fresh otherwise? No. I've seen at least one other drama very much like this; in other words same formula, better actors & Wu Lei can have chemistry with a pet rock.

Pros: I loved the fact that SC played by WL, essentially played someone his own age but as a ridiculously old soul. Very rarely did his character actually act his age or younger. At the same time because of his love for FL which developed fairly early on, he carried their world on his shoulders all on his own volition. Every goal he set for himself, he met and never backed down. It was awesome to see WL take his character seriously and really train himself for the challenges of tennis. He's already an athlete but this was a different skill set and it was great to see him and the other tennis playing actors be so serious with that. I actually really enjoyed watching all of their training sessions as much as the rest of the story. The FL or LYA was also one who stood her ground. I liked their funny and cute moments but save their "one night stand" when she royally screwed up the next morning, SC's eyes always sizzled when he looked at her in their times alone but hers always had the same gaze. I wish she could have emoted the romance more once that got started, considering her character was a 30 plus year old woman. My only real minus in their chemistry. The comedy though was able to cover for what was lacking there.

All of their friends and colleagues like LN, AN, CZ, DY, JJJ, his mom, Alex, even coach unorthodox evolved from a solid douchebag to someone rather likable and his two assistants and though thankfully she didn't have a lot of solo scenes LT was alright too. I really loved the OSTs, they all fit accordingly. The storyline was split down the middle for me; half of it was great and really had terrific substance while the other half was a mess and I'll discuss that below. The good portion of the storyline was the evolution of each character including the growth of friendships where anonymity started in the beginning ie SC and JJJ. Or when the spoiled rich kid started to understand what being the opposite was like. The final closure for SC, AN, and his mom, getting passed and through trauma both psychological and physical. Most of the trauma was bore by SC though we saw a bit of it on LYA and her parental relations. Switching from badminton to tennis was a great main focus and should have stayed essential to most of the plot and then moved onto now as a professional tennis player, let his story move upwards. This is where, unfortunately we visit the cons.

Cons: The other half of the story was focused on so many problems that were chucked primarily at SC it got to be too much. Or other characters and their plots were rushed through like their asses were on fire, it was unnecessary. Though I understand the point was to show people getting through difficulties, they still didn't need to bring so much junk in. Especially with the company Young Space and its antagonists who never got any real resolution in the end. They were just left hanging. After LYA opened Top Smash that should have been the last time we heard of Young Space or their BS, but no they kept being dragged through with their problems, demands, making things harder for our leads because why? There were no other company they could work with? I understand the need to show the divorce of boss Jiang and his wife but later on with that other asswipe in the company; it was a constant hamster wheel of unnecessary problems. The wild card thing, possible doping scandal, rumors of love affairs and bastard kids, the constant lying and using by boss Jiang and basically everyone at Young Space, signing a deal with the devil, then being accosted when training for crap promotions, only way to get away from the Devil is to go train in Europe (just like in Falling into You and I never compare dramas) and separate the leads for two years after which they decided to get married in the last 5 minutes of the last episode.

Though it was a good touch in the psychological scheme of things, medically they got this wrong; phantom pain only exists after an amputation or if a person is born without a limb or body part, not if something is torn like ligaments, tendons, muscles, etc. the body part will swell, ache a lot, may require further surgery but there's no phantom pain. Really wish they did better research on that part. I looked it up myself as I've had a torn tendon in the past that thankfully didn't require surgery thanks to a top orthopedist but I've never ever heard of any variation of this having phantom pain especially not from him.

Couple number two aka JJJ and LT had zilch chemistry. They were just thrown together for the heck of stretching out the story; everything for them was missing. She was like an overly peppy cheerleader even when she was giving her best RBF and he was essentially bored or annoyed through all of their times together. Keep them separate and it wouldn't have looked any different. At least coach unorthodox and LN had real comedy and no one pushed them together. The other two were just there to be there. Lastly, just like there wasn't any resolution with the antagonists, same went with the parents of LYA and LT, the cancer arc was very predictably chucked in towards the end and then it was just as quickly forgotten; only good thing was that LYA and her mom worked out their differences. The ending was all over the place and very rushed but a happy ending for basically everyone that mattered anyways. Granted the after cut to black part and their after getting married hair cutting scene was too funny but the ending still could have been better.

Would I recommend it? Yes. Though there were a lot of issues with this series storyline wise, I wanted to come back everyday and watch the two episodes plus purchased the express so I did enjoy it very much. Take from that what you will.

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A Young Actor Gave Men with Combat & POW PTSD a Real Voice!

All hail Chen Zhe Yuan as Li Zan! This has been one of my most anticipated dramas since it was filming. I knew it was going to be heavy and deep given the subject matter of PTSD and survivor's guilt. Though the writing was off here and there, his and everyone else's acting more than made up for that. Be cautious however when watching for anyone with PTSD, anxiety, depression or anything else in that sector as you may have your triggers activated.

Pros: I'm in awe of CZY as LZ; this performance deserves an award, recognition of some sort. I have never seen an actor and a young one to boot with zero experience with PTSD and survivor's guilt play one so convincingly that it would send shivers through me. I'm a person who suffers from PTSD among other things though not from combat and it's not something one can just do like acting being angry or sad. PTSD is a complex disorder that has everything from flashbacks to intrusive thoughts to light sensitivity and being unable to eat or sleep without nightmares of the trauma. There are many others but I won't list them here as we saw them on screen being portrayed so realistically by this young man. He gave men with combat and POW (Prisoner of War) PTSD a real voice! Couple that with survivors guilt and by the end of the show a once proud, smiling man was reduced to having basically the mindset for the most part of a small child. And CZY was able to do it all; first time PTSD and survivor's guilt that had just started to get slightly better only to be thrust into a gut churning nightmare from which only by disappearing from everything and everyone to live a quiet life in the countryside, could they be as happy as this new existence afforded them a way from anything that would trigger him.

SR played by Liang Jie was also phenomenally done (the entire cast, let's just give it up to them, awesome acting), though writers diagnosed her with depression right away, she too had PTSD after the first trauma. Later it warped into depression but she played her part right. She was shy but very strong when it came to things and people she believed in. Especially her love at first sight with LZ. She was determined to stand by him until the very end and live out the rest of her life quietly.

The chemistry between the two was on point and probably would have been stronger had they told each other the truth about their health issues earlier; no relationship can be solid when there are secrets swirling around especially health related ones. They were all imperfect, flawed characters, which made things even more realistic. But their love transcended everything else which made it iron strong.

I'll talk about my thoughts on the ending and other things here. As most people know, I never read the source material so I don't really care unless it's an HE that was flipped to an SE for no reason. We've seen that happen too much recently. Here it was obvious that they got traditionally married and then on their wedding night decided to elope just as they spoke about a few times within the series because as their voiceovers spoke to each other about what they wanted to do in their next life and she said to live somewhere peacefully, safely, quietly and he said "why can't we do that in this life?" And that is what they did. She left a note to her mom and his dad to not worry about them and to give the manuscript to the publishers. She didn't want them to be a burden to anyone especially their parents. The sparkly montage at the end is more of perhaps his father's dream of them being healthy watching the trees because there was a wooden carving of them two on the hood of the car which was by his dad's house too. Furthermore, after the credits rolled, the two of them were standing by the olive trees, no longer sparkling but corporeal. And as they closed out characters, JY got another postcard from LZ saying he was on a mission and the postcard was voiced over by LZ. So to me it was a bittersweet/happy ending because of who they lost and if they had not delayed their leaving eastern country by a mere two days to be there for the opening of the orphanage, they wouldn't have been kidnapped and his life changed forever. Ben would still be alive as well. 48 hours changed everything. Just to bring things back into perspective, how precious life is. The story never dragged unless it was the merry-go-round of lying to each other regarding everything being just fine when it wasn't. It was a rollercoaster of emotions that literally had you hanging on for dear life.

The supporting cast was awesome as well so though I won't go into them all, I will mention the ones that were important. JL was such a great brother and WZC played him very well. We lost him far too soon. SB originally was the spoiled little rich girl who wanted LZ but she grew up quick after the deaths and explosion that claimed JL's life and sent LZ on his first PTSD spiral. I wonder if she blamed herself on getting SR and LZ to stay those two days for the opening when they were supposed to leave while she herself left. She could have sent them a picture. But you definitely knew whose side she was on by the mid point which was a good thing.

Ben and Sa Xin were your typical enemies to brothers story; they had a lot of screen time but as both were ultimately soldiers, they had to build that relationship as many veterans always say "you have to be able to trust the person in the foxhole next to you with your life." And you can't do that when you're barely speaking to each other. As Ben said to LZ in their last normal moments together, "You, Song, and Sa Xin are my family"; coming from an orphan that meant a lot. Both he and Sa Xin made a strong connection around LZ and SR as did JL while still alive. Brothers and sister in combat regardless of the role. They were the perfect addition to showcase the leads. Dr. Pei should have been given more time with Ben and in general. Mr. L as I called him was the best sounding board for LZ with the first trauma. I was very glad that when LZ bottled everything up, he at least had this one friend he opened up to. Lastly, mom of SR and dad of LZ were wonderful. Mom was a bit problematic at first but she evolved. Especially when she challenged SR on why she didn't ask LZ what was going on and by than even SR knew her ridiculous excuse of "I didn't want to pressure him" was just that, a ridiculous excuse. But both parents were 100% supportive of their kids especially at the end when things were so dire.

Give it up for the crew who essentially built an entire "country" on a plot of land. The set was beautiful and intricate and I believe it is still standing there as a tourist attraction. The OSTs were all beautiful though "Ignite Me On Fire" was my favorite as it was the rock anthem of hope the story needed.

Cons: Every issue I had was with the writing and directing of this series; if you're doing a series on PTSD or any illness for that matter make sure your actors playing doctors know what they are talking about. SR had PTSD to start and it warped into MDD or Major Depressive Disorder later. Her immediate diagnosis of depression was incorrect. Furthermore, what doctor in their right mind would give a clean bill of health to someone with PTSD though stable to go back to the place he received that trauma in the first place? That's a malpractice lawsuit right there plus absolute negligence. After a combat mission goes wrong and a soldier or a volunteer is diagnosed with PTSD plus survivor's guilt, they are discharged honorably and returned to inactive duty so they can resume a stable normal life. Stability is meant for a normal life not to return to hell and have something even worse happen. They may require inpatient care at first but once they stabilize, their family needs to be extra vigilant and they themselves need to be given hope, something meaningful to do to help others perhaps in other ways. Plus regular outpatient therapy and medication. That's how most combat PTSD patients live out their lives. At least the doctor admitted her mistake though not before saying that he should be confined to a prehistoric mental hospital. We're in the 21st century with a lot of treatments for this condition at our disposal and even though she was correct that LZ could pose a danger to himself or others, there were ways to treat that so throwing your hands into the air and just locking him up isn't the answer. Maybe in the early 20th century people did that but not now unless the person really did pose a threat. And even then it was to a temporary inpatient hospital for stabilization. Very outdated thinking and poor research on the part of production.

At the end of the series when LZ has an attack at the hospital, where were the doctors and nurses? They were encircled by bystanders as SR kept crying and pleading. Where was security? It looked like a shopping mall with people coming and gawking instead of doctors running to assist; so weird that it didn't seem like a proper hospital setting or how one was operated.

It was very hard to read the subtitles when you had the OSTs going, people speaking, plus voice overs by the characters. You didn't know what to read first. So a lot of pausing and rewinding had to be done. Wish this was all separated. The hiding the truth about their own health issues I think took way too much time. That was the only thing that was dragged for what seemed like forever. Even though to his credit he did try to tell her several times but she always inadvertently thwarted it and than he'd lose his nerve. But I wish it was out in the open sooner as opposed to right before they had the most traumatic situation. She could have helped him so much, just like she did in that tunnel. So writing was shaky there at best.

Ben, oh Ben my dude! You're not Superman; how do you go charging into a place with many rebels to save LZ without anyone as backup? One man against like 10, come on now. When you had a whole platoon that took those rebels out when they actually saved LZ. Screenwriter & director: if you had to kill him off, you could have done it in a way that was convincing! This made zero sense. For a realistic story, this was very poorly written. And where did the whole Abu revenge plot come from? That he remembered LZ and went after him but could go only as far as getting some kid to stab him and then get knocked out by LZ yet again and we never see him actually die. Meanwhile the other bad guys capture LZ through SR with the whole he can make bombs for us and yet they torture him until he's almost dead. How's he supposed to make bombs for you if he's nearly dead? Again suspension of disbelief engaged. And they had to know the special forces guys would find him eventually. It was all very strange and all over the place. Writing could have been way better and cohesive.

Lastly, the smorgasbord of actors as soldiers, rebels, journalists, nurses, etc could have spent more time practicing their English. I gave up reading the subtitles as those never matched up. We know Eastern Country is fictional but it depicts a lot of what has happened in wars past and present so keeping things cohesive is paramount to an otherwise very realistic story.

Would I recommend it? I absolutely would. Every actor did a great job especially CZY as LZ and it's his best role to date. The White Olive Tree represents hope and that's what we got with the leads living their solitary lives in a place of hope and a better tomorrow. I'm super proud of CZY for this role! He went above and beyond and even though it was hard for me at times to watch it, this is my favorite role of his to date! Again thank you for giving us a voice! Bravo!

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Why? Just Why?

This has been on my anticipated list since it filmed back in 2021. I really wanted to see VG in a Republican Era vampire role because I knew he could hit it out of the park (which he did); at the time I didn't know the rest of mains or some of the supporting cast. But what started as an interesting drama and story devolved into yet another ridiculous push for a supporting character to outshine everyone except the lead. Why? Just seriously why?

Pros: VG as a vampire or SZH was truly awesome even though his character wasn't very smart at times and couldn't put two and two together. I loved everything about him as an immortal that did his absolute best to be human. It was a great role for him and I hope he does something like this again just maybe with a different director and script. I loved SZH relationship with SWL who turned out to be his younger brother. Those two really did deserve so much more screen time even SWL by himself or with other characters like ML, our child-like FL or Jing Xue (who I really wish sounded like an adult not a 12 year old when she spoke or whined/cried). The four of them made this drama worthwhile to watch. The real antagonist was the Mu lady at the end and she gave the right kind of villain vibe. I loved the vampires kicking butt parts very much but then again I'm usually happy with any sort of martial arts in a drama or the kicking of the butt.

I have to say unlike SZH who was being as human as possible, SWL was the opposite. He was born as a vampire and didn't know human emotions or what being human really meant and though it seemed ok with him at first, he started getting confused once his feelings couldn't be explained with vampire logic and that's why though he came across as unserious or goofy, his character really was quite complex. Mi Lan remained as child-like through out her entire portrayal whether she was blind or when she was turned and could see (being blind to start and than getting used to seeing, ON really nailed her role). It being republican era, made the sets and costumes just really beautiful as well as the OSTs.

Cons: Was it really nepotism that swung TML and supposed villain into basically second ML lead status but in the worst way possible? Second drama that has done that after TPR. The director was determined no matter how many people he harmed, killed, etc., to give him a redemption arc death but he made most of us want to vomit because, I'm sorry but this actor couldn't be taken seriously, was miscast, and/or was just no and given way too much screen time, side tracking the story seven ways to Sunday. He had mental health issues and many complexes I couldn't remember or explain. I just wanted him gone and had to ffw a lot of his scenes because they were so repetitive, it was boring to the point of headache inducing. His death redemption arc was in the form of a lava bomb when he pushed SZH out of the way and you had to yet again do a facepalm as his life with SZH flashed before him just before he went kaboom. And Mu lady's death was laughable because one moment they were just on an erupting volcano fighting, the next SZH gets another power and he throws her into a very convenient and somehow nearby lava flow which of course consumes her though just minutes ago, she was able to control the lava.

What happened to that ending? HE in the book supposedly but filled with plot holes, the death of SZH (or maybe he just disappeared for a few decades and reappeared later and walked over to her playing piano in a park with an umbrella as per some HE writing released by production) in a completely ridiculous manner that made no sense; so after all of that, I'd call it an OE that still made absolutely no sense. Furthermore, they had to do it in a phony Titanic themed method of both floating on a wooden board in the ocean and than without us seeing it as the camera panned out to the sun that hadn't bothered him until recent episodes, he supposedly disappeared as Mi Lan was calling his name.

Sorry y'all but I didn't feel any chemistry between SZH and Mi Lan and it had nothing to do with their age difference as actors or vampires for that matter. But just because Mi Lan acted so child-like that they appeared as a family of three with SZH being the big brother and protector of SWL (even though didi was way stronger) and ML.

Loopholes included; how did Mu lady survive? How did Mu Lady get all those people from Chi's office on her side and when? Why and when did Mi Lan put that necklace back on? Had she not had that pendant on her, Mu Lady would have been killed and SZH wouldn't have had to fake die? If there's traffic on the road, why use horses when one is a crow and two are vampires that fly as well? You're going after a boat and yet back to a horse you go for starters? Mi Lan may have been weak but she could have easily overpowered that shadow soldier before he pushed the self destruct button of the boat. Oh and episode 24 had zombies that came from some weird location when that was never even part of the story. Many others I can't wrap my mind around. Like make it make sense, please! I'm just glad I never set expectations on dramas before watching them because when they essentially self destruct, I don't have to deal with disappointment.

Why couldn't the remaining living characters get proper endings? They ended SWL and Jingxue in mid conversation with dead bodies all around and no ML but a voice over of what she was going to do in the future. Oh and her flower bloomed. One of the most "wait, that's it?" endings ever!

Would I recommend it? Only for VG, ON, and SDC (actor's acronyms). The beautiful era and sets and costumes plus OSTs, but the storyline fell apart in the teen episodes. So I can't say one or another, sorry.

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Realistic Cuteness Overload; A Breath of Fresh Air

Never expected this drama to be so realistic and light. I watched primarily for CZY because I wanted to see him develop into a mature male actor. I've seen several actors previously so I knew it would be a good cast. It really was cuteness overload but probably one of the least toxic c-dramas I've ever seen. It was a real breath of fresh air.

Pros: Favorite character was ML and I'm very proud of how he's grown from playing younger roles to a mature male who let me tell you, when he turned on those eyes of his, he'd melt women of all ages into a puddle. Other than that, he was also probably one of the most caring individuals on earth. Life dealt him a very cruel hand with what his father did and that stalker chick, but instead of curling into a ball and giving up, he just strove to be a better person worthy of the love of everyone around him especially the only one who truly loved every piece of him, our FL SZ.

Most of the story was very well developed. And honestly, other than the stalker chick, there wasn't a single character I didn't like. She was the main antagonist I guess you could say. FL, her parents, bro and all of their friends were just wonderful. I do have to say that I don't know about China but in the US, if you live as a resident in a quad in college, it's beyond rare that everyone gets along so well. I was never a resident but a commuter but my resident friends told me all sorts of stories back in the day. The fact that SZ lived with and got along so well with her roommates just adds to the loveliness of this story.

This story had you mostly laughing at the antics of our leads and everyone else. But it was also very inspirational and sometimes it even made you tear up. SZ was more mature in some aspects then people gave her credit for. Though I do wish many of her inner monologues came out of her mouth instead, she was endearing, kind, respectful, caring, loving, and fiercely protective of those she loved the most.

Everything had its rightful progression to a point. I have nothing to complain about the settings, OSTs, etc. Their moments together once they start coming together were the best and of course the comedy. But there is a con section though it won't be that long.

Cons: While I understand the misunderstandings as people have that makes them imagine or overthink when they're young; but it shouldn't happen when they're adults in a relationship or even by 12th grade in high school. Miscommunication is a known relationship killer. SZ never asks DJX what he's thinking but goes full steam ahead on her own assumptions which are usually worse case scenarios and completely false. DJX also doesn't open up to her and then they end up finding out through other means and how foolish it looks. But instead of learning and not doing it again, they keep repeating it. Even by episode 24, she still thought he was considering breaking up with her.

Then DJX's not dealing with the stalker as soon as he paid off the debt. Why? Her harassing him just complicated things for him both literally and psychologically. If he didn't find out she went after SZ, would he ever have dealt with her? What if she flew to Nanwu to find him?

The thing I wish there was less of were the flashbacks of SZ's childhood. Like once she became an adult, end those. We know what's going on. It wasn't until episode 3 that this drama picked up for me. But I'm very glad I stuck around.

Would I recommend it? Definitely. From all the ones I'm watching it was the only one that made me laugh and love little moments that I would rewind just to get a little bit more. I'm very glad I watched this drama and you should give it a chance too.

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The Answer is: You Are My World

This was a very twisty drama; originally watched because Yang Yang and Xuan Lu are two people that I follow. Plus the plot looked awesome and wuxia dramas are just cool if done right. Wanted to see YY in a costume drama and this one seemed like the one to really show his acting skills. I was pleasantly surprised.

Pros: The chemistry between HFX/FLX and BFX/FXY was off the charts starting in episode one. They were like two magnets, just circling each other. The attraction was real and they made a great team even when they still were very wary of each other and competitive. Best power couple vibes. The fact that they would be together was obvious from the get go. The romance between them was arguably the best part of the series even when it took BFX forever to get over denial (and I ain't talking about the River in Egypt). That pre-wedding, wedding, and afterwards was everything!

Loved that HFX was always many steps ahead of everyone else; though he was great at martial arts, it was his intellect that made him so powerful and scary for even his father. His brains and brawn were on full display here. Though BFX was certainly no damsel in distress, HFX was always there to save her in the knick of time and she in turn helped him as well. Probably his best scene albeit brutal was getting beaten by his father and losing his inner force; I feel YY's strength as an actor shown a lot there; the growth was obvious. Not just physical pain but emotional and psychological was impressive.

I also loved the face stuffing, butt kicking BFX who was the perfect other half to a dashing/smart as heck ML. FQW was a great SFL because usually these characters are the gorilla glue of a show but here to see her get turned down and just shrug it off becoming one of ML's most trusted allies and resources was truly refreshing. She was also a great BFF to BFX turning our poor HFX into a 3rd wheel lol.

Other great characters was the older brother, who though I felt was the most tragic out of the cast, was able to stay on his feet still while supporting FLX throughout everything they had to endure. Han Pu who we lost tragically at the end and who I felt should have stayed behind at the sect, was a cute edition. Purple robe dude was alright though completely oblivious to the walking evil next to him until like 20 minutes of the last episode? All of their sergeants and aides were great for both solidarity and comic relief.

The big bad, YWY was definitely convincing as the main antagonist and I like that they kept him mysterious enough. That final battle was epic; knocking each other through buildings and finally bringing him down in a slash and crash method. Only our power couple could do that and appropriately done by them.

And I'm not the slightest bit worried about HFX and his now white hair because there's still old man Taiyan's flower that people have somehow forgotten about; it does bloom, if properly nurtured, every 10 years and it's been over 10 years since last used so I think our couple will live peacefully in the world for many more years to come, hopefully with children. I think the ending was handled pretty well.

The martial arts I liked a lot though I wish there was more of it through the story without the gaping hole in the middle; the beginning was probably the best with them going around trying to solve mysteries. I loved the battle scenes! Those were real, some even reminded me of the CGI of LOTR or GoT; so very impressive. The OSTs were pretty awesome especially the one by Liu Yu Ning.

Cons: The reason this drama took a serious hit from me primarily is because of how much unnecessary political stuff was introduced in the middle. Instead of growing the FL's backstory and family, the constant infighting between Lord of Yongzhou, junior evil, stepmom, and the rest of that sewer drain that was just unneeded and the ffw button was deployed. It turned an interesting story into a petty fight for power that wasted precious time on things that weren't in the outside world and were more pressing. It was however very satisfying in episode 34 to get rid of most of those morons--in FLX's usual 7 steps ahead way along with the 3 slaps heard around the world--who contributed very little to the main plot but practically hijacked it.

The amount of absolutely useless characters that were seen once but never again. The conspiracy of that Empearyan Token that YWY said he already had but it wasn't revealed until the last episode was inconsistent along with so many other things. Purple robe dude was in the twilight zone of obliviousness the entire time and then out of nowhere it was like "EUREKA, he's been by my side the entire time!" Made me think like "did you just wake up; have the aliens returned you back to earth?!?" Even YWY killing his annoying sister wasn't a thing. The last episode of the 3 main warriors confronting YWY seemed like something out of a twisted church confessional where when they ask him, he just gives up all of his secrets but for 39 episodes for some reason HFX couldn't put those puzzle pieces together? Definitely dropped the ball there among many other places, screenwriters.

Lang Hua being the show's by far the dumbest character can't be forgotten and her literal backstabbing and then just getting away with a no big deal bugs me more then I wanted it to. Han Pu as a child could have run that sect better then her after her father's death (another smart character turned dumb in his final episode; completely the opposite of what we knew). Many characters that were portrayed as very smart, were dumbed down for their last appearances, it was very uneven. And of course I nearly forgot the beyond deflating reveal of FXY's identity; probably why I didn't add it when I first wrote this review. We were all anticipating this big deal because of the buildup that they gave us and then...crickets. Like "oh you're FXY, please pass the bread."

Would I recommend it? Yes for the actual leads, their chemistry, allies, martial arts, and pretty spectacular battles. Also, if palace politics don't turn you off, that's a plus. But it shouldn't have been marketed as a straight wuxia as it was far from it. Definitely has a lot of cons but I do feel the pros outweigh those.

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Beast Mode Activated

Picked this up on a whim when the air date was announced as I had seen HYT (ML) in two republican era detective dramas and this was a totally different genre plus a romance so was interested in how he'd do. I'd heard of ZJY before but never seen her in anything and was familiar with some of our supporting cast especially the main antagonist. This was a female-centric drama about going through hardships and evolving. Not to mention ML's ability to go from quiet and kind to beast mode activated.

Pros: I have to give the martial arts of ML or GYX main pointers here; it gave this review a title. At 6'2 or 6'3, GYX towered over everyone including emperor psycho aka his own uncle (which baffled me when I saw it in the first episode as I had seen the actor who played big bad twice before and thought he was monster sized but here he looked like a mouse in comparison), so when he deployed his martial arts be it sword or fists, he could destroy a human in seconds. This was also funny to me because his fat guard in the brigade who could carry two people at once and the guard he killed upon assuming his post as commander; both actors played bad guys in TLB (ironically the aunt who was raising the kid of the concubine played the main antagonist in TLB too; reunion!), and they were huge there; yet here they paled in comparison. Props to HYT for doing the stunt work himself. The chemistry of the leads was on point as well; they were just too cute together and great partners in crime. Loved how no matter what—even during breakup—he had her back 100%; even if it meant as stealthy Batman. The story was nice about the FL and how she leads her female family out of disaster after disaster while they evolve from dependency on men to independence as the men are exiled north and just in general because once the men returned, they learned of the new normal very quickly. GYX also led the bureau to a change from barbaric to a brotherhood that was united and supported each other. Was also great that his three guards (my favorite was spider monkey guard though CQ was good too), always protected HZ and her family too however they could. It was like the Hua family and them became a massive family. Called the entire bureau the Spider-Man brigade; their ability to assassinate goons in a midst of a food competition at the restaurant while picking up blood drops took the cake. We're talking Cirque du Soleil meets Special Ops action here.

This drama was not short on comedy be it intentional or not. There was always something that made people laugh at any given point. The comment section here was lively. The OSTs and BGM really fit most scenes especially the beast mode ones. Favorite single character was actually very hard but both leads fit, wish we saw more of the SML as he spent like 30 episodes studying lol. The secondary couple (SY and SH) was adorable, SY stole everyone's heart (and boy is her actress versatile; from a cunning seductress spy in MJTY to a young woman with high functioning autism as it seemed here), Ah Jian, empress dowager (who I wish went to the wedding) as mentioned guards, the eunuch (first kind one I’ve seen in any drama next to a nasty emperor), all aunts and cousins of HZ, the maids and their men, one uncle, grandpa and grandma (grandma's death was the saddest thing of the entire show other than Hua Rong's).

Let's talk about our main antagonist; emperor psycho as I dubbed him. Actor never disappoints; you hated his guts from the first episode to the second he died in the last one. Hell has never had a more deserving candidate from a drama. A narcissistic psychopath that only with death could people be free. Though I loved how HZ finally took him to town in 38 and GYX let himself be heard too, the man himself was the absolute monster and played it very well. Costumes and sets were nice as well.

Cons: I wish the script let the leads emote more as HZ was far too perfect and could get through any turmoil without so much as an eyebrow lift. Only saw her really show negative emotions twice, when she was told by the emperor she couldn't redeem the men through money and she went from catatonic to ballistic in under 2 minutes and when GYX took on the palace guards and got himself severely injured, she was shrieking and crying. Same went for GYX, the actor has a difficulty emoting in general apparently as his are very subtle; but when he's fighting, he's not playing around. But his negative or even positive emoting was rare i.e. breakup scene and when emperor psycho croaked were the only two times he cried, I think I saw him really smile maybe three times in the entire show. He smiled more in their BTS when they did the actual scenes; so wonder why director didn't use those scenes.

I had more issues with the script than the acting; though the breakup scene lacked gravitas especially given it was a nobility arc for a change and not a dumb misunderstanding. It just seemed that many important scenes where angst was required, were never given a pause but just rolled along to the next whatever it was. The spy astronomer and last adult prince were more like plot devices to get to the death of emperor psycho; I forgot who that prince even was as he appeared a total of two times prior. Felt very disjointed from the rest of the show. The last 6 episodes were a sprint to the finish line as for a story that large you needed to pack it in. Especially the very last episode. They really sacrificed quality for quantity here, sadly. Instead of focusing on many smaller characters and story lines, they could have chosen less of those and really fleshed out the leads, second couple, SML, a few others and stuck to a more conducive storyline. What we got at the end, was a dizzying amount of people whose loose ends needed to be tied and it was done in 30 seconds or less for each batch while the leads were forgotten for a bit.

Wish the Jurassic sized CGI dolphins didn't take up the ending of the leads as they were unnecessary and made that scene laughable for the wrong reasons. Continuity and dubbing were also visible issues during the show, the other CGI wasn't that great either though thankfully rarely used and mostly for the background and I wish the music didn’t drown out some of the conversations as well.

Would I recommend it? Yes, I would. Despite the running around and kinks, it was an enjoyable series and one I would recommend especially if you like female-centric with sweet chemistry types of dramas.

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Not Very Shadowy but Loved the Case Solving w/the Majority bringing it Back to the Main one.

I wanted to see WXY in something that wasn't a costume drama. This was republican era so I knew it would be beautiful with costumes and sets. He absolutely handled it very well. I wish more versatile roles for him. The rest of the cast handled themselves well too.

Pros: It all begins with a case from 20 something years ago where the ML's sister and the FL are involved in a kidnapping and child trafficking operation. ML's sister is missing and possibly presumed dead but we don't find out until the very end. The FL ends up having amnesia but ML knows who she is. The initial big case is the one that they are looking to solve as it's a big cold case and yet many of the other cases within the series tieback to this original case as unfortunately, the child trafficking and other horrible things are happening to young women and girls. There are other cases that have nothing to do with the big case which I like the fact that they added sprinkled into the series and that it's not just about this main case. There are a lot of middle villains and many villains that do their part.

When meeting again as adults the ML and FL at first get off on the wrong foot because the ML uses her as bait to lure out the killer(s)/person (people) responsible for his sister's disappearance. After a period of another two years, the FL joins the police force where the ML is an inspector and at first, though not too fond of each other, they do grow to trust each other with the help of an intelligence dude Mr. Du who has a thing for the FL but once he realizes and it takes a while and quite a few people to try to get him to understand that she has no feelings for him and he sees that the ML and the FL have grown to care about each other, he does the gentlemanly thing and gives up. Instead, he and the medical examiner aka Dr. Ding get together.

I guess you can call them the four amigos as they go around trying to solve each case that either rolls back to the main one or find the murderers respectively. Other actors in the support section do a great job too. I have to say that the psycho serial killer with a grin was an awesome antagonist. When someone is so creepy with the way they kill that it makes you think of Silence of the Lambs and Buffalo Bill's line, "it rubs the lotion on its skin", you know that's someone believable.

I like that there was romance in it, but it didn't overpower the main theme. I also like the fact that the flashbacks were necessary, but also didn't overpower the episodes or were repetitive but instead they moved the story along. We got our HE with the ML proposing to the FL and he found his sister alive which is great for them both and the ending was very satisfactory.

Cons: Many people didn't see this as an issue, but it did kind of make me feel strange when the actress who played the FL for the most part, walked around with a frown on her face and didn't properly react to emotions unless it was happiness or love. I have seen this actress before and I do not recall the same. That and she, for some reason would always walk into danger alone. It was like she was a magnet to somehow end up by herself and at the mercy of some thug or killer, though she was always either rescued by the ML or was able to take care of herself; slightly. There had to be a lot of suspended disbelief, especially for the other main antagonist because of how quickly everybody figured out who he was, even though they tried so hard to hide his face in the shadows or behind poles it was quite obvious who he was, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out either.

Another thing that was very strange and unnecessary was to portray both leads as superhuman because they would get shot and bounce back like nothing happened, going after whoever shot them in most cases the creepy serial killer guy. And lastly, how his sister actually survived living in some random village for 20 years vaguely remembering her brother or at least the embroidery that he did for her while other children that were trafficked were killed or harmed, so it didn't really make sense for her to survive unless she was bought by a couple that needed kids. Only rational explanation I have.

Would I recommend it? Despite a lot of inconsistencies and strange things; the series was actually a great watch, even though it only lasted four days. Watch for the cases, for the actors, and of course, the beautiful costumes and scenery that always adorn the Republican era.

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Smarts & Advance Prep Always Win

Started watching for DYX who I had first seen in this year's White Cat Legend and his acting impressed me. Wanted to see him in a different genre and though I try to avoid any and all MGTV dramas (due to the fact that they don't have proper subbers), I decided to give this a go because it was acquired on Viki (though that too became problematic as the subbing was inconsistent at best). I only am familiar with some of the supporting though not all. All I can say is smarts and advance prep always win.

Pros: I'd have to say my favorite characters were our ML or SD and our main antagonist LLZ (whom I had seen in a protagonist role this year only). Them two were as black and white as they come. SD was a man on a mission of both revenge and vindication for his father and family that were framed 16 years prior while he was just a young boy. He only survived because a friend of the family's told him what to do and also pleaded on his family's behalf. He had a lethal exterior earning him the nickname "White Ghost." But what many didn't know or see was that he had a good heart and the exterior was just a front. DYX was able to play both very convincingly. Things changed when he reunited with the FL who had snuck into the detention center he was held in to give him food and they had been friends before his family's disaster. At first they couldn't stand each other (he didn't recognize her and she thought he had really become this ruthless person) and she married him instead of her sister so the marriage didn't start on a strong foundation. That said their chemistry was spot on from the comedic get go to when he started falling for her for real and afterwards realizing who she was and started to put in more effort to actually win her heart. He repeatedly saved her when her reckless actions sent her to death's door but at least she was grateful. I didn't really care too much for the FL other than the fact that she was for the most part really good at solving cases and finding out truths when others couldn't see it. When they teamed up to work together, they really made great teamwork. The chemistry was definitely chemistrying.

Our main antagonist did a fantastic job at playing a very convincing looney. I have to give it up to the actor; he played an obsessed, power hungry, murderous and appropriately nicknamed the "Black Fiend" to the hilt. He was creepy but in a believable, skin crawling way. Ironically he usually wore white which made the fact that he was essentially a cult leader all the more diabolical. His realization that he had been lied to by his mom (he wasn't the son of the late emperor and therefore not in anyway shape or form fit for the throne) and his entire life was a lie at the very end and the way he went out was fitting for his maniacal self.

The other characters I liked were SD's guard, PC, Marshal Xu, XW, JXL; the empress, prince, and princess were all morally grey characters that had a lot of problems with themselves but they were believable. Many died under the Empress's watch like her musician or FL's uncle, Marshal Xu, and YQ while LLZ was rising to power aka falling into SD's trap and the Empress did little to stop that. I'm just glad she finally cleared the Shen family and held everyone responsible for that massive mess. PM Zheng was the other one I'd consider an antagonist as he was responsible along with a few others in the Shen family's mess as well as holding the Yan family "hostage" and trying to use FL as a spy with SD when she married him. I didn't like him at all and that meant the actor did his job. FL's family was ok; I liked her sisters the most. Her mother was a bit too cringey for me.

Otherwise costumes, sets, OSTs were good.

Cons: SFL I had the biggest gripe with. Why was she written that way? Dumb as a brick, sounding like a 12 year old and always being the thorn in SD's side; like mind your own business! Why are you bringing "the divorce" up every two seconds, like it's any of your business? You are getting all cozy with the evil in the graveyard not even understanding what's going to happen. Only time I felt bad for her was when he kidnapped her but she didn't seem to mature after it at all. I legit wanted to slap her, so instead I ffw'd her pretty much the entire show.

The dumbing down of FL who was always on top of things periodically within the show was inconsistent; thankfully these moments were usually short lived. Wish the whole end wedding didn't have to happen the way it did; yes they said words to each other in the palace but she was the one who gave him the ultimatum when it was his choice and she didn't really have a right to demand that; so the whole mini groveling and game playing made the official wedding anticlimactic and uncomfortable. I'm glad though the Empress laughed at it she did tell her that it was important to cherish those around you. I was also glad he pretended to have left so she would stop acting arrogant and understand that if she really lost him, it would be bad. He spent the entire series even when they weren't yet together, essentially saving her life or from pain and getting hurt himself. So the ending deserved to be better and smarter instead of that weird version.

I know DEX is only 19 years old but she has to practice kissing. DYX did all the work during those and it seemed like she legit didn't move or barely. So though we had some kissing scenes and the deed itself done a few times, they would have been much better if the director had the FL practice instead of just go immobile. Or like other actors have done in the past, just don't have kissing scenes if you're inexperienced, uncomfortable. Better than getting them halfway and lopsided, though by the final one, it seemed she kind of got the hang of it.

Also YQ and Marshal Xu's relationship seemed to come out of nowhere and like a total afterthought. There was zero chemistry between them. So when they died together, though very sad about him; her being there at all just took off from the gravitas of the situation. You could tell post production was moving at the speed of sound because there were revealing mistakes like the palace fight, you could tell the people in the background weren't really fighting but moving with their swords in slow motion or in the last episode wedding scene, the blue screen "sky" was visible in multiple takes.

Would I Recommend it? Sure. For the cases and the chemistry between the leads it's a good watch. Now that all of the episodes are out on Viki, you're good to go.

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Speed Skating through Episodes, Big Plot Twist Finale & a Possibility for S2

I had just come from watching XZG in Dashing Youth so wanted to see him in a different genre. CW I had seen twice previously and was familiar with some of the supporting cast, though not the female lead. This being a short with something like 15 minutes per episode, not counting credits, web series albeit with 52 episodes, was curious to see how it went.

Pros: I really liked the cases themselves and how our 3 leads were creative in solving them. Going from strangers to lifelong friends as they worked each case was nice. They never left each other in the lurch especially at the end. All three were equal favorites in their own way and how they made unlikely allies along the way from great martial artists to thieves to the wealthiest man in the city. The main antagonist was the biggest surprise as you really didn't see him coming because of how much he loved his son even though he was a total sociopath. Also it was cool to see how many cases were related to him when it was all said and done and how many of the villains and others were his followers. It being Republican Era as usual the costumes and sets were very nice. The fights were nicely executed. Though telling that one dude to not bring a knife to a gun fight would have helped lol.

Cons: As the title says, we were basically speed skating through episodes. It was one case after another with no break in getting to know our leads backgrounds or having them just shoot the breeze. One ended and in the very next scene you jumped into something else; there was no smooth transition and it definitely hindered the series. We saw why the leads became close but their actual characters weren't really given any deep dives. Like we didn't know SH's dad was a criminal until the last episode; in fact we didn't know anything about his past, who his parents were, where he lived, etc. There were many moments where you're like, how did so and so end up here and why? Like how did at the end the thief know to bring the wounded SH to Mr. He and why would SH know that was a safe zone? Also how did XF follow them so closely and also know this was a safe haven? How did that random bouncer guy know where HL lived and just happened upon the place with a knife and tried killing him while he was tied up on his bed and than was miraculously rescued by that Youlan lady? A lot of the pieces didn't fit at all and you're just watching with a lot of suspended disbelief. If they had less cases and less episodes, perhaps they would have had enough time to properly flesh out the cases and all of these kinks. The fact that they ended it in a way that could possibly suggest a S2, I hope that they understand that less really is more and that characters need fleshing out with proper backgrounds. Did they really stick every one of the bad guys including the mastermind in the same prison?

Another thing, hypnosis isn't an exact science. You can't hypnotize everyone as not everyone is susceptible to it and not that quickly. They made that part of it look way easier than it really was. The OSTs were very forgettable.

Would I recommend it? Despite the many cons, I actually found it entertaining and enjoyable to watch. Give it a whirl.

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An Absolute Slam Dunk of Sweet Victory!

All Xianxias should be like this! PA redemption and a perfect score across the board, which is incredibly rare for me. Obviously watched for both leads in this reunion that blew many dramas out of the water. This was an absolute slam dunk of sweet victory!

Pros: Literally everything! Though I never read the novel, those that did made it obvious that this series followed the novel by about 98% which is very rare. The novel had a solid storyline and this kept it exactly there with apparently lots more comedy. Comedy was good here. Even in the somewhat angsty scenes, it was ever present. Both leads (SL and XZ) delivered stellar performances and their connection started literally from episode one and the mortal realm. Their love transcended all three realms. All of the characters were very layered; though some needed evolution and growth where originally they were annoying. SL playing the powerless chicken while the human XZ takes care of her was just hysterical. Once she returned to the immortal realm, though she still had that prearranged marriage to that annoying FRJ (who up until the end when he finally grew up, I really wanted the maid to hit with her broom), XZ who I nicknamed Mr. Clingy as he clung to her like glue--when he still didn't understand that he was falling for her--and all of their interactions were gold.

There were 3 tragic characters in this story (all done extremely well by their respective actors); MF, and SL's parents. I know people hate on MF about his betrayal but he had no choice as we saw and he explained just before he took his own life. His identity didn't leave him the choice of not betraying her (by killing his own friends in the military but you could tell how much it affected him after the fact) and though at first he was brought up on hatred, it was because of her that he learned about love. But he refused to kill her or harm her and even when possessed fought against the demon FS to help her escape post her "death". If he had the choice, he would have betrayed the demons a long time ago. His own father didn't care about him; which as SL said, he was heartless. MF's only reason for existence according to the two demons was to be a spy and used as a body shell for both. Quite sad and unfair. Her mother was right about being shackled by your identity. Both parents fell in love despite dad being a demon and completely harmless but even they couldn't be saved from the demon emperor. Dad voluntarily had to become the fire seal to keep all the demons in that abyss and mom died shortly after childbirth. Even XZ was shackled by his identity until his death but freed by his long gone friends in rebirth. A fun fact; the actor that played FL or SL's dad, also played opposite ZLY in JOF as someone who was in love with her. And this was also their first collaboration since that show only they played father and daughter here. To have her father save her life through self sacrifice at the end was beyond touching; only time they got to meet each other face to face.

Other great characters were all of the generals, SMY, the maid, lady Jin, Luotian, QY, and eventually FRJ. Each played great roles in the overall story and the lives of our leads. The demon emperor had very few scenes in later episodes and he did ok as a villain; maybe if he played a bigger part in this story, he would have been considered as more but it was FS that offered main antagonist vibes during the entire show. Which being played by this actor who's known for comedic roles was quite a switch up though he was convincing.

Every inch of this show from costumes, CGI, OSTs (LYN's song and two of the BGM's were my absolute favorite), sets, were spot on. Nearly every episode had you rolling in laughter but it knew when to taper that off into seriousness or a bit of angst. I love this modern take on ancient costume drama; the one liners, innuendos, going against the grain, everything was well done and executed. You were invested in the leads and there were no misunderstandings, no annoying guerrilla glue third wheels that spoke in a prepubescent voice and pouted, no tropes, or unnecessary angst. Also no love triangles though SML or MF did love SL, she made it clear right away that no way and that was that. They still fought side by side until the betrayal and even then he was still willing to risk it all to save her. Only other couple were her parents short lived story and the best friend God who was going through trials on earth with the same two women every life cycle but even he was freed. It was so refreshing to see just one couple and the arc of their story as it revolves around times of peace, war, and so forth. Only two full rebirths no more and the ending was great though I wish they spent less time on Lady Jin and her love life and showing them two with her pregnancy and their friends and family in his mortal backyard as it was said in the book. But his proposal and her dropping the baby bombshell leaving him speechless and then chasing her around in the snow was still really awesome. Their love really was eternal.

Cons: I don't think I can call them cons here but more like slight inconsistencies. Like who was MF's mom? Did she even exist or was he born from fire like SL's dad? Or hatched from an egg? The demon emperor didn't have a body towards the end and because MF self sacrificed, his body couldn't be used for his father. But how did he ultimately disappear? Because after FL broke the seal and took off out of the abyss, we never saw him again. Was he in FL's body when he fought XZ and ultimately purified by XZ and SL? Wish that was shown better. And I didn't like the Heavenly Emperor; just as you think he got the point, he turns around and says or does something that makes you want to just send him into that abyss. Only in the second to last episode did he seem to be a bit wiser. Honestly that was it. No other cons.

Would I recommend it? 110% yes! Literally floored me from start to finish. I didn't skip a single thing. An absolute must watch if you want to laugh, giggle, cry a bit, and just enjoy yourself. One of the best dramas I've ever seen out of any country. Forever put into my watchlist.

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A Psycho, Crypt Keeper & Narcissistic Sociopath walk into Bar; Result? Bloodbath, Revenge, & an HE.

Watched this for XZ and the tomb raiding element. Never really expecting anything but I was blown away but every part of this drama so much so that the way it ended, I didn't see coming at all. And XZ's acting was solidified for me here. Basically a psychopath, the crypt keeper and a narcissistic sociopath walk into a bar the result is a bloodbath, followed by intelligent revenge and a happy ending.

Pros: This director managed to pull off everything very well; the storyline that never dragged but always kept you on your toes trying to figure out what the real conspiracy even was and who to trust and not to. Every character and their backstories were fleshed out. ML or ZH after witnessing the slaughter of his entire family was saved by some mysterious person in a mask and brought to 3 masters to raise and learn the art of deception, war, and craftsmanship (which is what the ML's) father did. For 10 years ZH after going through facial reconstruction surgery learned under these masters how to get his revenge on who he thought was only one person but in reality were 3 and it was only towards the end did he and we learn that the masked person was also the mastermind.

I told people in the comment section that in the beginning the only people that were trustworthy were ML, maybe the FL and a few cats and dogs. Literally everyone else was suspicious. The ML worked for a whole year to plan his revenge meticulously on the first person who he knew was responsible for the massacre. He worked under this monster and molded himself in a way that he could take him down later. I usually never put antagonists this high up but the Marquis was a brutal man and an absolute suspicious psychopath and the actor that played him was absolutely top notch. I was actually at first kind of upset that he was the first one that was taken down given that the crypt keeper was just a hot mess, but then when the mastermind was unveiled, it became clear that he was the worst of all.

I can't say enough how the ML and every character portrayed their roles with such precision. You always have someone that you're like OK this person is unnecessary, this character is unnecessary. In this series, every single character was necessary for however long they belonged there. I am glad that the FL and her friend, his childhood friend and martial artist, and though taking orders from the mastermind, Shifu never harmed ML. So we knew who we could ultimately trust. And even a morally grey character like ZX got his deserved redemption arc at the end and for once I believed it needed to happen. As ZH himself pointed out, it was he who ruined an innocent teenager for his own revenge but said teenager, though getting lost on his path, ended up as the general his father never became; a righteous one with proper guidance.

The court was filled with corruption and ZH helped wheedle it out a little at a time while still working to being the rats to justice. The amount of planning that went into the first arc at Lord Ping head's home was just masterful. The Crypt Keeper was evil and did what he was supposed to until he was no longer needed though I feel he should've just been killed off earlier than what happened to him. What is absolutely amazing is that the three of them looking for this artifact that brought power without really realizing the detriment that that power possessed and why it was hidden in the first place; had met when they were kids at school to stand up to bullying and here 40-50 years later they were ready to turn on each other and eat their own young just to get their hands on this artifact.

In this one, I can't pick out the characters that I liked because honestly good or bad, I liked them all because they acted so so well. There wasn't a single one that dropped the ball. And even though the actors did a superb job, I have to commend the director and the screenwriter for writing a story that was so immersive that two episodes a day felt like an entire series. And we had to sit and guess who was bad, who was good, who could turn on whatever and very often we were surprised who really were the middle villains or the mini villains. Very few dramas had you understanding the complexities of antagonists and why they had to be put down not just simply "because he was evil."

This was an S+ drama and it showed in everything; costumes, sets, OSTs and especially those amazing battles. I have to say that this drama really cemented XZ as a full-blown actor for me, his ability to switch on emotions from fake sadness to downright evil or real sadness and being happy was something that had to do with taking the time to immerse oneself into the character. There was very small amount of comedy which usually revolved around ZH's lack of fighting skills and how the FL and her ninja powers had to come and rescue him a lot and he just used whatever the heck he could find under hand to throw it at bad people.

I really liked how the ML always was a step or a few ahead of the villains, and if he got caught somewhere, he would always play it by ear and be able to wiggle out of any situation with some contingency plan. Once he entered the court, which was very quick; he gained as many enemies as he did friends, but he took out the smaller villains with his smarts and used the big ones against each other. It wouldn't be fair to talk about everything because people need to watch this. Now onto the cons and there weren't many, but still some small ones which I wish they had covered.

Cons: I know the series had very subtle romance because of all the other genres and things going on, but I felt even there, that the ML and the FL got together a little too quickly. They went from just talking to friendship to asking each other for favors, and then him locking her away for both her safety, and because he was weary of her and then afterwards it was like everything was forgotten, and they were together. It should have been done in a much smoother fashion. The other thing I had an issue with was when Lord Pinghead went for the gates of the palace, ZH just jumped out of nowhere with a little crossbow coming into the sight of this Goliath? Exactly what was he thinking he was going to do with that itsy-bitsy weapon? If it wasn't for ZX, he probably wouldn't have survived that assault. It just shows that there are some times where he was a little too naïve. He could barely fight on the street let alone with a bunch of armies, and this brutal man who wanted to decapitate him. It was very wishy-washy and unbelievable for a smart man like him. I understood it had to be father against son ultimately but having the ML there with his little weapon just seemed off.

Felt the last few episodes were a little rushed, and the whole Dongxia arc at the end was also very rushed. I understand that they had to deal with the tomb raiding, truth of the ghost soldiers and figure out what to do next with that artifact, but everything in there was just kind of thrown in and even though ZX got his redemption arc and our leads were free to live their lives and everyone else did who was part of team good including the new appointed emperor, too much stuffed into the end. I think if they took three episodes and maybe just smoothed them out into six, it probably would have been more cohesive. No more cons.

Would I recommend it? 100% This is a story of many conspiracies not just the original one, revenge, intelligence beyond most people's expectations, a little bit of tomb raiding, and a very good plot with a very good storyline. I will, however say if you're looking for romance, this is not the show for you. It is a show for mystery, thriller, crime solving, and revenge taking. And it's still somehow ended up with a happy ending. Go figure! And again, I have to give a lot of praise for the director, screenwriter, and the rest of the production crew who made this possible. The actors could only do a fantastic job if the people behind the scenes were guiding them properly and that is exactly what happened here.

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Great Acting by the Entire Cast But Plot Took a Nosedive in the 2nd Half

I'd seen a retro tribute modern drama already with ZLY this year but this one had a totally different premise, so I wanted to see how she would handle a harder plot and though she and the rest of the cast did a wonderful job in their respective roles, the plot took a serious nosedive towards the second half and the end.

Pros: I can't say enough about the acting of this very professional cast. ZLY did a terrific job as XBX, a stubborn, enterprising, reflective, yet very flawed character and everyone else followed. At first, I wasn't a fan of GXY as she appeared like a spoiled rich girl going through a rebellion but it became clear after a handful of episodes that though she was spoiled and bratty, she had a big heart and really cared about TXQ. The "steel trio" of XBX, TXQ, and CYZ were a great bunch who sincerely loved one another even if that sometimes came across as tough love or protection in the form of lying which backfired more often then not. The intent behind it was real.

Other favorite characters were ZL, President Gao, Dr. Su, Su Computer Nerd, and manager Jia; all were wonderful supportive people to XBX and each other wherever they fit. When it came to the good guys, all of their parts were done accordingly. The scenery and OSTs were on point and appropriate.

Cons: While I understood this was a propaganda tribute drama and that it would have a lot of that included in it, what absolutely shocked me was the hamster wheel plot of the antagonists would completely overshadow even that. There were a total of 4 really bad guys, one coward, and one insignificant idiot that came and went. The plot essentially took a nosedive in the second half when the 3 main antagonists/business partners and XBX plus her ex routinely sent each other to jail. It was a literal revolving door of prison sentences. They'd set each other up, beg for someone else to take the fall, or manage to somehow twist themselves loose so many times that all of their illegal deeds combined would probably equal a 25 year minimum for each save XBX.

Everyone of them ended up with some sort of redemption arc in the last few episodes that they didn't deserve. Even though Mr. Wu did turn himself in, in the final 15 minutes of the last episode, the amount of illegalities he'd done throughout the years should have seen him in prison for more then just a year. I didn't like the antagonists at all in this series, though their acting was on point 100%, it was because every time one would get into trouble, he'd get himself out by setting someone else up, rinse, repeat x maybe 8! The storyline hindered them completely which was very sad because they could have really done something more believable in terms of how the law worked.

Speaking of the law, how is it that TXQ got 5 years in prison for kicking XBX's ex in the balls while the latter was choking her to death (murder attempt number 1) and the ex 10 years later only got 1 month after he ran her off the road and threw a metal pipe at her head causing a head injury (murder attempt number 2)? So saving another person from near death is illegal but actually trying to kill someone isn't. In that second case plus with the antagonists, was XBX Mother Theresa? She gave the ex a debit card that she'd deposit money in each month to help him and the kid he adopted. She felt like she owed him; for what? Trying to kill her? Same with Wu, Qiu, and even Dong, they'd set her up but there she goes trying to bail them out. That kind of backwards logic was confusing. Lastly on this topic, they essentially spent the last 4-6 episodes spouting various domestic and international laws that the average viewer wouldn't have a clue as to what was happening.

Another point of contention was with poor CYZ, once it was obvious he had terminal cancer and had little time to live, they kept dragging his death out. It was brutal to watch; they could have had the pier sunrise scene maybe 6 episodes earlier then they did. Made me wonder if they purposefully did it as filler but that's like the really wrong way of going about that. Because even to the last episode, they brought him in as happy and in flashbacks. That would have been way better then what was done with his character at that time.

The introduction of Russian speaking characters that couldn't speak the language fluently like Nina was ridiculous especially to someone whose native tongue it is. The entire Russian arc in the beginning, I fast forwarded because it was off historically among many other things. The last part that bugged me though it wasn't huge were the costumes especially XBX's wedding dress which was straight out of the 1980s instead of the year 2000. Some ppl said she didn't have enough money for a new one but that didn't jive either as by that time she and ZL lived in a huge house and her car was a Mercedes, she didn't drive herself but had a driver and assistant with her at nearly all times.

So though the acting was very well with a professional cast, the storyline/plot started out strong but then just unraveled. Hadn't it been for the great acting, I would have given it a much lower score.

Would I recommend it? Honestly, only if you like ZLY or anyone else in the cast. Otherwise, plot wise it's not strong at all with many factual and historical errors.

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17 Steps Ahead of King Schemey McSteamy

This series surprised the heck out of me because I never even intended on watching it. When it was postponed I never really thought twice. Then I saw ZLH in MJTY and was intrigued plus at the time I hadn't seen BL in anything nor any of the other leads though the supporting cast I was somewhat familiar with. I'm not a fan of palace politics but this series got me curious from all of the excitement it generated once the drop date was announced. I nearly gave it a perfect 10 if it wasn't for the very few cons, I couldn't get past. But it really was the 17 steps ahead of King Schemey McSteamy.

Pros: It should be very obvious who the favorite character is; ZLH's acting has improved leaps and bounds. This was his first morally gray protagonist and he absolutely nailed it. He was like a mad scientist in every way. I have no idea how XW's brain worked. It was like he was psychic and planned things as he foresaw them. The story originally started more on the FL's side and she too just knocked her role out of the park. It was her redemption/rebirth story plus reverse harem so our ML had to be the 3rd wheel for a while, something that with his absolutely insane jealousy streak was heart pounding and hysterical at the same time.

YL was Spider-Man; dude had supernatural abilities when fighting in that heavy ass armor that the actor even said was really hard to move in. What made this series really worth watching is that other then our cast which were all absolutely amazing; I can't say anyone screwed up their parts, was that the plot was always rolling along. You kept waiting for what's next. You never had to ffw or you'd miss something vital. Furthermore, the cast filmed during peak summer months and in extreme heat, they were constantly on the verge of heat stroke. I loved every member of the cast the ones mentioned above, ZZ, the princess, JXH, the hilarious and yet awesome guards of XW, fake DF, and everyone else, even the villains sans Lord Pinghead as I think he was used as more of a plot device to get the leads together. I'll speak more about him below.

The leads chemistry especially Ep. 36; people should know what I'm talking about. King McSteamy was born! I was actually surprised how much made it in. Usually after a passionate kiss, it's cut to spotlight and curtains or next scene. Here we saw more and it was great! And so glad that the kisses were real and XW was an absolute panther. I could probably write a whole review on just his love and lust plus jealousy alone. From what I wrote in the comments: That whole “JXN: I want you” bit? Woof! And then of course…Duke asswipe is all “I’m gonna rule the world.” Our boy goes “Hold my Qin. Back up dog, emperor and I got this on lock before I even left!” Who saw that coming?!?

XW, uncle, cousin reveal actually brought a tear to my eyes. It was a brief but beautiful moment. Plus XW's jealousy of his own son liking ZZ was too funny and a totally face-palm moment. JXN needs to nip that in the bud before the son starts picking up dad's negative traits lol. Daughter was too cute too. There were so many great moments in this drama; even the villains did what they had to do and for the most part were intelligent so it wasn't like some trope or cliche.

Costumes, sets, fights, OSTs, were great! I probably will come back to write something I missed or forgot lol. Just too much goodness.

Cons: Very little of these, but the .5 was knocked off for several reasons. Though I wish the modern day wasn't returned to, I understand it was done so because of censorship; I really would have preferred the 7 minute wedding to be in the last episode instead of an extra one plus do it before the scene with kids, instead of her dreaming of XW killing himself per lifetime number one. We're past that, no need to go back. Furthermore, Lord Pinghead's whole arc towards the end felt off to me because, he's supposed to be this murderous insane villain who killed children and destroyed a city but it looked more like just a ploy to get the leads officially together. He really wasn't much of anything. Just a paranoid killer. Duke asswipe had mountains more on him in terms of evil.

Wish they kept ZZ's rebirth arc because otherwise even to the almost end, it seemed he was still pining for her and it felt incomplete. He should have been given his own proper ending. Should have killed loser Xue son as per the novel too. Why was Duke asswipe allowed to stab XW with so many guards around him just because he was staring at JXN? The poor guy was already pin cushioned 6 ways to Sunday. YL and DQ should have finished the job before he even launched himself off the ground. Lastly and this felt the most unnecessary, was the death of FY. They could have killed ZYZ as is, he held her captive and tortured her. Why did she have to grab hold of him and he stab her? He could have just kicked her away and run; he would have been caught regardless and JXN should have delivered the death blow herself like "You think I can't kill you? Watch this, bitch!" FY's death was completely pointless. I don't understand this portion at all.

Would I recommend it? 100% would. It was a gem that I didn't expect to fall in love with but did. The pros way outweighed the cons. The plot was very well handled even the portions that deviated from the book. This is how dramas should be written and done with proper endings. Must watch y'all!

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The Story of Nut Sack

The title says it all, doesn't it? I can't say this was a highly anticipated drama for me, but I did add it to my watchlist because of ZLH. At the time, I hadn't yet seen ZJM in anything but was familiar with the SML or CHY and several others in the supporting cast from previous things. I however didn't expect to see so much of the series essentially taken over by SRQ and away from the ML and leads altogether. It was sad and everyone was sick of it. Instead of The Princess Royal, this should have been renamed "The Story of Nut Sack." That's what I dubbed him; even funnier just how many people started using that nickname after I put it out there. I knew we were all in the same boat.

Pros: Everyone's acting. The leads really embodied their characters especially ZJM or LR; I'd only seen her in a modern drama at the beginning of this year. For a 21 year old, she sure knows how to act. Very impressive. ZLH or PWX, though relegated to a virtual supporting character, he was infinitely patient and loved with all of his heart. I don't know how he was written in the novel as I never read those but he did the best with what he was given. Little prince was too cute and I really liked him with QZZ. It was actually funny that he in real life is older than ZJM who plays his older sister. The other characters I liked were SY, SRH, QL, LFB, the eunuch, and the rest of the folks on team LC. None of these characters were cookie cutter good. They were all complicated with problems that they had to overcome and evolve into. That was the part of it that was really good. The sword fights were good; loved when PWX told nut sack off at the end for being so damn delusional and how he had every choice in life number two to change everything but still didn't. I also really loved the OSTs.

Neutral: Before I start on the cons, I just want to make sure people understand that I have no hate towards any of the actors. Though this story of nut sack was played by CHY, the actor did the best he could with what he was given. He himself is still very new in the industry and green. I do hope for better work for him. I think he was miscast here. If you want him in a good drama; check out "Warm on a Cold Night."

Cons: The people responsible for turning this story into the mess it became, was production. The script was absolutely horrendous (we had a second lifetime of do overs to get things right but instead what we got was a convoluted mess); it turned the story away from the leads and to the SML who wasn't even given a billing lead role but as a supporting character. How could they do that to him given how much screen time they gave him? Really unfair to the actor. At every turn, nut sack took most of full episodes of screen time and became essentially an obsessed lunatic with forced second lead syndrome plus producers really wanted to give him a redemption arc, though they still killed him; but his constant glorification was pretty ridiculous. He was vile and stupid; he killed her in their first life, yes with two others but he was probably the first forgiven. If the reason it took her longer to forgive her little brother and SY was because she cared about both more, why the hell did she waste so much time yelling for nut sack to turn back to the right path? Right up until his fiery death, both leads still were trying to get this POS to see reason and become good. It just didn't make any logical sense. Reason and what we were seeing were two different things and this was constant. Say one thing, mean another. Just constant contradictions until you got a damn headache! I can't begin to even really explain what happened to the story but it went from in-fighting palace politics over a throne in two lives that would have still happened to absolute chaos with the SML. A lot of the time, you were wondering; what was even happening and why? Many scenes had you cracking up because they were so absurd.

Nut sack was both Superman and somehow escaped flames for a long time after being stabbed plus he was able to play a song. What in the what? Way too many loopholes and continuity issues; arrow that killed consort Ru came from where? How did her daughter scream without opening her mouth? Cheng 2.0 came from where; was he created from clay? How did nut sack catch up to LR when they went diving off the cliff? When did this turn into a Xianxia? And many others. Suspension of disbelief was a constant must. Wasn't this an S+++ drama? Why the hell was everything so cheap looking? Where did all of the money go?

The ending was rushed obviously because over half an hour was spent on nut sack's last time on earth, though the sword fight with PWX wasn't bad. It was an HE for our 3 couples but very rushed and a lot of the characters didn't even get proper closure as they were just left on the sidelines or disappeared altogether. So now we're getting an extra episode at some point because our leads barely got their 3rd wedding in and the kids weren't shown. My question to producers is, was it worth it? To screw up a great story for one character that should have been kept as is. Only reason this got the score it got was because of the really awesome acting of the actors.

Would I recommend it? Even though the actors were awesome, this story was a mess and I can't with good conscience recommend something so completely out of left field. Even if you didn't read the book (like me), as just a viewer, you'll know very quickly something is very off about the story. All of these actors deserve a better script, so I'd recommend you watch all of them in other things.

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