Enigma05

Great until the Last 2 hours of the Live

This season was exceptional because of the addition of the international dancers. Each episode made you laugh and cry. However, as expected by many, the very obvious scripting and rigging of the finale sent the weakest (though still talented) member of Team Boom to win. The scores for the battle section were ridiculous in range and they didn't focus at all on the stronger/better dancers. With so many highly talented international dancers with decades of experience; China still couldn't let one of them win. Because of this, though I watched the live the majority of it and woke up at 4:45am for it, I couldn't watch the last 2 hours. It just wasn't fair. And therefore, it doesn't get a solid 10 from me.

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Man is Stone, Woman is Water; W/Time Water Flows Over Stone, Becoming Smooth, Complimenting Water.

I'm so glad this drama got cleared to air. I watched for LYN primarily and not only did he exceed any expectations but everything and everyone did too. I can't put into words how proud of him I am. To think we never nearly didn't get to see this wonderful drama is eye opening. I only knew the FL (at the time) from a variety show she was on with ML but that show which was filmed earlier the same year this drama was, gave them a chance to build their friendship and the chemistry that flowed naturally. I knew many of the supporting cast as well. As someone who goes into each drama without expectations, this went beyond mine.

Pros: "A man is a stone, a woman is the water; with time as the water flows over the stone, it will take a smooth, round appearance, and complement the water." This paraphrasing was essentially said by QX's (FL's) grandfather explains this drama in a nutshell. What started as a 14 year blood feud between the Wei and Qiao states/clans due to a betrayal by the aforementioned grandfather but for the sake of his people that caused many deaths including that of ML's (WS') grandfather, father, and brother resumed as a marriage alliance between a very smart and strategic QX and strong, powerful lord of Wei State WS. For him it was love at first sight but he was still hard to come around regardless how much she helped him at first and they bickered, schemed against each other though not enough to cause real harm. After all it was an alliance to be able to work together to unite the states and bring the country together. QX also had to deal with internal conflicts within his family as his stupid mother and random chick were always trying to cause problems. The fact that she had his grandmother on her side was a good thing and after some time his 4 generals and advisor also very strongly had her back. Her first priority were the people of all states and safety of her family before they grew together from cohabitation to bickering friends, to love and trust.

The story telling was very well done. The comedy was ever present and even when it didn't seem more than just getting along domestic life, the comedy made you howl sometimes. The chemistry was liquid fire and even though we only had two real intense scenes of intimacy, they were very well done, smoke was coming off the screen. I was really surprised that it passed censorship even though both were fully clothed. It can't be described but seen for oneself. Both actors did very well; we now know not to trust anything LYN says in livestreams or interviews. In one he said his shirtless scene he was just skin and bones pork ribs from a local super market with his face stuck on it lol; when in reality he had a full 6 pack. And when asked about kissing he first said there weren't any until SZR told him to stop and that they had two and that the audience should really prepare themselves. And did we have to ever! He was a total tease and actually let her take control at one point which was very hot. I better stop or my review will get flagged as rated R lol. I can write a whole review on just their two really hot scenes; one sadly interrupted but they made up for it a few episodes later and then some.

The friendship and love between the generals, assistant, advisor and their Lord which was both as boss and employee and brothers. Losing one towards the end was very sad but you knew it was coming especially when right before they spent a lot of time together. And he was nearly engaged to the maid; them two chubby folks were great. I loved how after his death the other 3 generals kind of adopted her as one of their own. Then there was the very complex and multi layered creepy and sleazy cousin or SY who fell for FL. That whole thing was very cringe but he really was a lonely soul that eventually found his way in the world and became his bastard father's successor. I really liked how they evolved his character and the actor did a great job. The other well done characters other than those mentioned were the other maids, BZ, FL's family (subtract uncle and his advisor), especially her younger brother, another general and awesome leader in the making. Eventually WS' mother came around as well.

You guys, I can't write absolutely everything I liked because then it wouldn't make a point for people to watch! But there were so many great moments of symbolism like for example; when one of the generals helped QX with her backup plan of blowing up the dam to release the river, (very LOTR style though on a much smaller scale); to back up ML when the enemy was invading on multiple fronts since she couldn't get reinforcements, thanks to her selfish cousin. The general (WX; who by the way used a bow and arrow and was probably half elf when it came to fighting) that was helping her and had her back in every single second was the same general that in the beginning of the series was ready to kill her because his family was murdered during the betrayal 14 years prior. It just showed how far this particular character had come from that time to absolute trust and faith in protecting this woman and backing her play. Another moment happened to WS himself at the end of the series when he had to make the choice of either returning and protecting his home or continuing with the original plan and finally understanding the why of QX's grandfather making the choice that he did. Because his choice was the same exact one that WS chose as well, which was to save the people as opposed to just save his family; whom WY appeared in the knick of time and saved. These little moments of symbolism really brought the entire story of many characters and many reasons full circle, and it was so important. They didn't sleep in the same bed for a year in respect for her grandfather's passing; the fact that he allowed her that bit was a big step. Also was a little less than the timeline of most of the show.

Another great point was that misunderstandings were very quickly resolved between the leads because they essentially had great communication skills and misunderstandings didn't stretch for 10 episodes each. Plus with the help of maids, generals, advisor and everyone in between those were handled very well because they both had great people on their sides to help them. WS in particular didn't know how to be gentle or say things that came from the heart as opposed to just blurting things out, but they figured out how to do it and many times it was comical because he would blurt something out and then realize it was the wrong thing to say because he pissed her off and ended up sleeping in the study more times then not in the beginning, which itself was a comedy show. But then he would try to get back on her good side and it was just very funny to see. Not to mention WS' hysterical jealousy.

The series had a smaller budget, which was obvious from a lot of the scenes, but it made up for it with the storytelling and the relationships and the acting. Costumes were beautiful sets were all right, OST's were very well done, especially the opening and closing credits by their respective artists. There are many many many more positive things, but I cannot possibly put them all into a review. This show is worth watching because there are so many small things that end up mattering later on and conversations that have incredible symbolism and mean a lot from start to finish.

Cons: Not a lot for me. Because of the smaller budget, I believe the battles were shorter that could've been longer instead of focusing on villains that were very lackluster. CGI was used and though decent, it was short. When they did fight in skirmishes and battles, it was really great to see, but they were always way too short. Another point of contention were the villains themselves or "the snakes" as I called them which included FL's uncle and his advisor, as well as SY's bastard father. I also did not like FL's cousin; there were people in the comments on both sides of her explaining why she said this or why she did that, but I really felt that she was a coward and selfish because after everything FL did for her including take her place in the marriage alliance, which ended up actually being a blessing for both, but she did not provide reinforcements because she wanted to live a peaceful life; but you can't live a peaceful life when you have war at your teeny tiny states borders from five sides and your husband is the commander of all of these troops. She said very hurtful things to FL and her decision to return back to her home even though neither she, nor her husband were accepted originally by her father, and it was such an obvious trap because he had by that time betrayed everyone and joined the snakes was very gullible and stupid; I felt that she was just waiting to be captured. I did not feel bad about her death; I felt bad for her husband and her child but she reaped what she sowed.

The deaths of all the snakes were very lackluster. The chick villain after she had her nose sliced by WS--who should've taken her head off then it would've been less problems--just took herself out after she realized that her entire life with her fake empress fate she had screwed up herself when there were literally three or four men that truly loved her for real and she just used them. And LY, who was drunk and delusional with power just got harpooned by BZ and WS at the end while he laughed or cackled maniacally felt off; I very much felt like the last two episodes were rushed. They could've had a bit less of the domestic life in the middle and made the villains feel more like antagonists as opposed to just clowns in the middle that threw wars in that for the most part, they couldn't win, even if they had more troops came and went to get power. It honestly just seemed like the villains were there just to say that the series had villains and nothing else.

Would I recommend it? 100%. It didn't get a perfect score because of the cons but it came close. LYN has outdone himself yet again; love him in his role here. I can call him Mr. Sexy for sure! I very much love this series and it's forever in my heart and in my rewatch pile.

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Love Food & My Voice

Had previously seen TJC in two detective type dramas so wanted a totally different genre for him. This fit the bill. This drama I always saved until the end of my drama watching days because it was all fluff and easy on the brain. It was sugar and a bit of spice in the dishes and just about everything nice. You've got to love food and my voice here.

Pros: I liked the overall progression of the show and it had a cute premise. The chemistry between the ML and FL was there as were the other two couples. All of the side characters were great support systems for our leads. Your mouth watered when there was a recipe created in front of you like you were at a restaurant. Also a view into the dubbing actors circle was nice. How they had real well paying jobs they loved and then this hidden hobby where they were known by millions through their voices alone but many never disclosed who they were like the leads. ML was a doctor but they never delved much into his real job not to overwhelm the audience but he really was the Jack of all Trades; doctor, voice actor, singer, musician, chef, etc. out of the two he was the nurturer and the one taking on basically most of the responsibilities of the relationship.

The series didn't really have a plot going; it was just the daily lives of voice dubbers and college students who meet and live their lives as romance blossoms. The OSTs and surroundings especially when they took trips were quite beautiful. Also funny that for two "virgins" the leads could kiss quite well; huge plus for the audience!

Cons: While everything was cute and whatnot, after a while I had a bit of a problem with the FL; for a 22 year old young woman (and I get she was an introvert), she acted maybe 10. She barely spoke two words to him or others even when they were very serious with each other. Even he questioned her on why her response to him was just "mhmm". She grew up sheltered and kind of expected people to do things for her because of that. Also, did the actress's stylist hate her? What was up with all of that granny wear? Even the for photos wedding dress; it boggled my mind how anyone would dress a 22 year old--by that time 24 as this happened after the time jump--that old and matronly like she was a ghost from the 1960s. It took me a solid week to realize that her wedding photo shoes were identical to my primary care physician’s and the woman is in her 70s! Plus she’s worn them for at least 3 decades! No young 20 something year old should be seen in that! Yes, she liked old and traditional but that was her "Sheng Sheng Man" persona or was supposed to be. Even after a time jump of 2 years it was like she was light years behind virtually everyone else. There was no evolution of her character at all. All she did was smile and eat. I understand that's how she was in the book too but they could have made her come out of her shell a bit (not asking for a massive change here) and act like a grown up as well as dress her age.

I also wish couple number two was less awkward for so damn long and we didn't even officially see them get together because that happened in the 2 year time jump at the end. Couple number 3 should have gotten together sooner; felt rushed. Also, though I'm personally an extrovert, I felt the friends of the ML were a bit too nosy and loud about the leads especially knowing how shy and awkward the FL was. They could have toned that down a bit; while I enjoy a great crowd, laughs, dirty jokes, and harmless ball busting, when there's an extremely shy person at the center of said jokes, it would make me feel slightly uncomfortable too and I'd probably shove the loud people into another room or out the door altogether lol.

Would I recommend it? Despite the negatives, this is a sweet and fluffy drama to watch when you don't need anything heavy, so yes I would.

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20 Episodes 10 Minutes Each w/1 Smart & 1 Dumb Lead Each

First time watching this type of drama where the episodes are 10 minutes each. Wanted to check it out because the ML I've previously seen in antagonist roles, so to see him play a protagonist was too good to resist. If you're a TBOY fan, you'll understand. I love Republican Era dramas as they're beautiful when it comes to costumes and sets. This review will be short. Again thank you @Lian for providing subtitles on Kisskh; couldn't have watched without your phenomenal work!

Pros: ML or FGY is very good at being a hard ass and a stubborn one at that and here it played to his advantage very well. You got to see the character's vulnerability, trying to save his childhood friend at all costs even when said childhood friend was a total moron. If I hadn't seen him play ruthless asshats in TBOY and Destined, I would have thought he was just really good at being deceitful while trying to save everyone that mattered to him. Though SML or HWJ finally grew a brain cell in the last episode and I really liked the church shootout sequence plus the actor played him well, I can't really find much else in the pros with him. LTT was a good addition for as long as she needed to be. Costumes (when they weren't oversized), sets, OSTs were beautiful. The comedy was good for the most part.

Cons: The storyline though understandable was edited very roughly. It went from as serious as a heart attack to comedy club funny in 2.5 seconds and it just made things very shaky. I wish we knew who the other characters were played by like the antagonist, the traitor, the girl who helped them out. Plot hole of HWJ being basically brainless to all of a sudden possessing extraordinary martial art skills and being able to fire a gun in the last few episodes was very questionable. For a good portion of it, you wanted to hit him with a desk for just being so stupid, it hurt your own head.

Would I recommend it? This series is really one of those in between ones that you watch when you're bored; it's short and sweet. But I am glad though short and small, I was able to see DK in a protagonist role for a change. He needs more of those and I hope he gets them in normal length series in the future.

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Calories Not Required--Good Youth Drama

Wish this had a different title because that was only the starting portion of the series. This was a good youth drama; I've only seen the ML in one other drama as a supporting character but have never seen the rest of the cast, however I was interested in the plot and for the most part it didn't disappoint.

Pros: Great storyline overall with characters lives interweaving between school and home. Everything was believable and each character evolved properly. Not one was perfect, they were flawed human beings but it wouldn't have been believable otherwise. I really liked both ML and FL's bond as well as their unwavering belief in each other and their friends. How their little group formed, started with 2 girls liking the same completely oblivious to the female population guy and the way that turned around. Also really liked that the parents of the little group were just as flawed in their decisions if not psychotic (XJJ x2's mom with the knife incident; no idea why she wasn't shown seeking out mental treatment for that). Teachers were shown to be just as human with faults like their students. Everything from eating disorders, depression, one track minded parents, quitting school to help family, bullying, sabotage, cramming for exams, cheating; standing up for themselves, each other, and their teachers. It was basically normal high school with a few extra things.

Whether hard times or not, they banded together and helped one another even if it was in a backwards way. But that's what made it so believable and funny, because it was real teenage lives as they moved from 11th grade through 12th grade and into taking their college entrance exams to decide what they wanted to do with their lives. Parents and their relationships plus fights, parties, togetherness. This series had it all. It's an underrated little gem that should be watched. The OSTs fit exactly as they should.

Cons: Mainly, I had problems with the editing. Especially towards the end, it really wasn't believable to me that the trope they used to separate the leads would start with all parents of ML and FL making FL keep that secret about his dad being sick. Here they're preaching that kids need to relax before the college entrance exams and you saddle her with this? She's not an adult; I'm surprised she didn't have a breakdown. That was the most unrealistic.

Also, a bit too much propaganda was chucked in rather randomly and was very unnecessary. Like let's not shove the indoctrination of youth in this nice and easy series.

Lastly, the last episode was beyond bizarre. How does that time lapse happen without any warning? At least write it on the screen that XYZ years have passed; instead it went from her getting her score from the exam and yelling on a bridge to waking up in her own apartment with a job at a design firm; it was a total whiplash. No smooth transition whatsoever. And the reason they had to keep the leads arguing for more then half of the episode is over an internet misunderstanding that he thought she was dating someone else while in college and so he blocked her? What even? HE happened in the last 3 minutes but so much was missing; many scenes including both of them in college, the painting she made for him that she never gave him. In the beginning of the series she did a lot of shrieking instead of talking that it made me almost drop the series but I'm glad I didn't. They need to stop writing FL's as these shrill voiced kids. In any case, editing in the final 3 episodes seemed to be really poorly executed and that's what I had the largest problem with.

Would I recommend it? Yes, it's really a great youth drama. Take away from the editing at the end and I would definitely still watch this again.

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Brilliant Class 8 of Comedy & Youth

Was watching this drama for 3 people I follow; WRC, ZFX, and Zhang Li. Wanted to see all three in completely different characters then what I've seen from them before. And I have to say, all three gave me great performances. Let's get into it, shall we?

Pros: This was only the 2nd youth drama I've seen and the first one also had WRC in it. What stood out was the actual plot; it wasn't just the usual trials and tribulations of students but threw an idol and the entertainment world into the mix. I enjoyed all of the nuances of combining these two totally different worlds together.

By far my two favorite characters were Lin Sheng and Su Man played by WRC and Zhang Li respectively. They also were the perfect example of a work in progress couple; a nice and steady evolution of their relationship. Their moments together on screen were just too cute. They were literally the perfect match from day one. I actually preferred them over the main leads relationship (more on that one later). It was my first time seeing WRC in a role where his character wasn't in some shape or form arrogant. He needs more of these kick ass take names but do it with a genuine heart types of roles because I am fearful he'll get typecast. Zhang Li, I first saw in Luoyang and loved her sociopath serial killer character and when I saw she was going to be in this drama, I wanted to see more of her. She did great; Iron Lady with a soft interior and fiercely loyal and caring about those in her life.

ZFX played the adorable nerdy math teacher Chen Liu San and did it so well that you just wanted to hug him no matter how many math equations he spouted out in a fraction of a microsecond. I think this role was perfect for him considering his age. Whenever he was on screen, it made you smile.

Who could forget the kids? They were truly an amazing and hysterical bunch. This series wouldn't have the same charm if they weren't exactly who they were. Their antics and fierce protection of their teachers and each other was heartwarming. Everything was resolved no matter how large the problem was. That cast of kids was truly diverse in age as the youngest was 15 years old at the time of filming and the oldest was 30.

The comedy was spot on almost every time; I liked the slice of life aspects very much. From fighting over idols to learning about what mattered most and caring about family. The ML was like a piece of music himself; started off as an arrogant ass but then gradually evolved into a mature man who took responsibility for stuff. I think when it comes to real character development and evolvement, his did the most.

Cons: This series could have done with only 35 episodes. It had a lot of inconsistencies that were never quite explained including why on earth did the FL break up with the ML over some BS public opinion when she spent the first at least 10 episodes yelling and kicking his and anyone else's ass that pissed her off? It made no sense whatsoever.

I have to say this is the first drama where I had to ffw the FL because of her complete lack of communication and understanding; resorting to violence when she didn't get her way. They tried to make it come across as comedic but it was abusive. You don't just start beating on someone if you're upset with them. I legit laughed when in a later episode she mentioned she might be bipolar because that would definitely explain the extreme mood swings. They never followed up on that, but I wish they did because she needed anger management at least if not medication and therapy, pure and simple. Yet around her sister she acted meek and powerless; it made zilch sense.

The series started to drag in the breakup episodes and lost a lot of its cohesion which also knocked down my rating of it. Instead of creating angst with an in-cohesive break up, the plagiarism plot could have been introduced. It's such an important aspect and needed to be pursued and developed more instead in like literally the last 4 or 5 episodes. Mu Chen was literally a useless character until episode 36. And where did Wei Lei go? She's on a set somewhere and that's it? No rounding out her ending.

The ending could have been done better with XDN releasing his album and the students being proud of their special song; instead it just ends with Mu Chen leaving the industry to clean pianos somewhere and XDN's blurry figure returning the following year to teach the students again. It deserved a way better and more complete ending for all involved.

Would I recommend it? I actually would despite the many flaws. Especially if you're a fan of any of the actors. The plot, acting, comedy, friendships, and relationships (for some) were all great. Definitely give it a go.

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Spliced Jigsaw Puzzle

This spliced jigsaw puzzle drama was originally only picked up to see Jing Boran in costume as I'd seen him in a modern and he did a great job here. I liked the overall mystery and intrigue. But it definitely had a bunch of flaws.

Pros: Peizhi which was Lan Jue's (JBR's beautiful portrayal) courtesy name was all around favorite character from his line delivery, to his expressive eyes, and as many have mentioned almost effervescent long locks of hair and ethereal clothing. He carried the charm, grace, and elegance of a man more worthy of the nobleman position than those around him. JBR did a fantastic job playing the hallucinations bit, it was very believable and authentic. The only really noticeable bromance in this series was between him and Mowen (an actor who redeemed himself tenfold for me after a drama a few years back that I dropped because of his insanely stalkerish vibes). Here the long, almost like drinking from a waterfall looks between these two characters, the not so subtle backup and care was very good to witness. Even though Mowen went off to fight and disappeared from the story until the ending, he made a huge impression as a man that would have Peizhi's back through thick and thin.

Zhang Ping was like-able though he was just a bit too forceful until faced with adult personal trauma. Mr. Lan as he called Peizhi, would always fuss over him like a mother hen. It felt more like a teacher/student relationship than anything else or an uncle and nephew growing together. Other favorite characters included Chen Chou the best friend of ZP who was literally like a leash to a constantly runaway puppy, Shifu, the emperor who was probably the most forthright and intelligent unlike his ruthless adoptive mother. The empress dowager was a very convincing and great antagonist who you wanted to put out of her misery the moment you met her. The aides of Peizhi were great men too.

The cases started off as open and shut or leading to a greater conspiracy which Peizhi, Mowen, and then ZP as well were trying to solve; absolve Peizhi's father of erroneous treason charges and learn more about ZP's own humble beginnings. However, the deeper into it we got, there were more questions than answers. The jigsaw puzzle grew instead of shrank.

Cons: ZP really had to constantly wear pajamas and walk around like he was either pissed off or stoned. Other emotions didn't exist or couldn't manifest until much later. What was the deal with Shulin? He came out of nowhere and already knew how to find Peizhi. He kept saying he'd been planning his revenge for 10 years. So what about the other 10? His whereabouts were never explained. Where did he get so much money to pull off everything he did. Bringing him into literally the last 8 or 9 episodes with totally new information then had previously been known was a whiplash. Even his supposed shared affinity with Peizhi just seemed off. The man was as ruthless and insane as his biological mother. He turned this mystery drama into essentially a silly Halloween movie.

Which begged another question; when they switched babies; who did the baby that would become the emperor belong to? Was he just kidnapped from somewhere? Why the need for the last minute fake empress gab? Back and forth. They rushed so many things, that it felt like you were running to catch up with a new and confusing development. Not to mention the opening credits were just stuck in wherever without a solid beginning. Though many questions were haphazardly answered, many things were not or forgotten altogether. It did seem like the latter half of the series was more or less just spliced together to find some form of ending balance.

Would I recommend it? Actually depends on how you feel about the genre. I liked the majority of it and it always kept me guessing especially when I was tremendously confused. So try it for yourselves and see what conclusion you reach. Perhaps you can solve this puzzle on your own.

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When Bollywood "I Dream of Jeannie" & Comedic Slenderman Have a Kid.

This was not a good movie. The screenplay most likely came from a middle or high school student and production just added special effects. Only reason I watched was for Yin and War. Literally looked and felt as if a Bollywood version of "I Dream of Jeannie" and a Comedic Slenderman had a kid.

Pros: War's acting was heads above everyone else. He was able to portray many different aspects as two separate characters; it was great to see him and the FL as they understood who the other was and in their last seconds together, you felt their love for each other on screen. You hoped that somehow someday, their reincarnated selves would be able to reunite and be together. Though Yin appeared as 3 different characters (friend in the ghost hunting crew that wore a getup like he was entering into a radioactive facility, the prince in a past life, and a random guy wanting his picture taken in the last 5 minutes of the film), his roles felt more like support then main and he also had less time on screen. The costumes from the past life were beautiful and colorful and some of the comedy hit the mark in a silly way.

Cons: Sloppy script, obviously low budget. It was supposed to be a comedic murder-mystery from ancient times with reincarnation and whatnot but it had a lot of extra and unnecessary characters as well as a plot that ran amok. You had no idea how the characters got where they got to, how they knew where to go. Where did the forest evil place come from? Where did the light source with which they remembered their past lives come from and what triggered it? There was no explanation, just buckle your seatbelt and enjoy the ride until the end; maybe you'll understand something and maybe you won't. But hey mystery solved and everyone has amnesia for a bit or partial. The forced comedy was too much, the fact that one of the characters ate a puppy in her past life was beyond gross and unnecessary and even that didn't make sense as the cabin she was floating in had no cooking equipment; one moment cute puppy on the floor, next moment chunks of seasoned and stir-fried meat in a bowl. Just what?!?

Would I recommend it? Honestly, if you have a way of watching for free, then only if you are a fan of Yin and/or War or the FL. Otherwise, please don't waste money on it. I'm looking forward to better projects for these kids, though I do understand you have to start somewhere.

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Real Feminist Drama with Mature Romantic Comedy

When I first heard about this drama, it didn't speak to me in the slightest but the more trusted people recommended it and the more clips I saw of it, I started to change my mind. I'm actually really glad I watched it. It was very well, for the most part, executed.

Pros: Our leads; ZPE, GQF, SSN, and SYZ all came together in a story very uncommon in c-drama land because it was one of real feminism of bringing each other up not vice versa while understanding though being in love and loved is wonderful, one doesn't need a man to be happy and successful. This message was brought front and center repeatedly in the drama. Many people only watched for the romance and felt that when the main couple weren't on screen, what was the point? But the truth of the matter is that though yes while the main leads' romance was important to the storyline, it wasn't the main point. And personally for me that was refreshing to see.

I'm not going to rehash the synopsis nor what others wrote. Other then the very mature and adult chemistry on screen between ZPE and GQF, the ever evolving relationship between the three women was so important because though this was a costume drama, it brought home many modern points of how life will repeatedly knock you down to the point of giving up or even wanting to harm yourself but, you must get up and take a step at a time to move forward. And when you have 3 great friends (well two as one was sheltered and protected for most of it until some fame turned her into a spoiled brat that only another hard life lesson made her finally break the mold and grow a backbone), who can lift each other out of misery to move forward, it's truly touching and inspiring.

The romance of it was also totally different that what we're used to seeing in c-dramas because the two leads were mature adults and not scared kids; both were older and therefore the communication, flirtation, admiration, and passion were on a much more adult and much needed level. It brought the drama to an older audience too. No one waited until marriage to be intimate. And though the drama focused a bit too much on the "pariah" status, it ultimately still didn't overshadow the strength of love between the leads or the bond and drive to succeed by the three women.

Other favorite characters; I have to say CL was the MVP of the show. This guy was the best wing man ever! He was the matchmaker/go-between/Cupid between ZPE and GQF. He could also protect everyone he cared about with his own martial arts skills, was very intelligent, and always knew how to get his boss aka GQF out of an ill state. No matter what, he could be counted on 150%! The guy was a gem! Z girl as I called her that joined their rag-tag family later on was whip smart, loyal, and a wonderful character. When she said YZ was actually dumber then CL it made me crack up. DCF who started off as a loser but then became humane and even quite likable after falling for SSN and always being there to help the women as best he could; their wedding at the end was awesome as well as how he handled SSN's spoiled brat of a son. The fat guy working under the annoying as nails CP was also awesome along with the two male regulars of the women's tea shop and later restaurant and later on the emperor. Though he was as a bit of a prick, younger bro of GQF ultimately did redeem himself by saving ZPE. Even though he was jealous of his brother, he never wanted their despicable father to kill her.

The costumes and scenery were quite beautiful though the only OST I really liked was the one sung by LYN. His deep, soothing tones, and inflection always gives each song he sings added nuisances. I loved the rawness of different portions of the story which all of the music illustrated.

Lastly, villains/characters I loved to hate were CP and OX but for totally different reasons. CP started off as a diaper baby with a ratty annoying voice that I just wanted to shove off a cliff but when he got a taste of his own medicine dished out by ZPE as well as made to feel inferior--quite effectively I might add--it was comical and seemed to make him grow a new portion of a brain. Of course he then very quickly fell for ZPE but at least the comedic relief that he was supposed to offer from the get go, was finally realized when they opened the restaurant together. Though I still found him ridiculously annoying, at least now he was more likable when he stood up for and helped them and each time they laughed at him for acting a plum fool was the comedic relief necessary.

As for OX, he was the real villain in this piece but a haphazard one. And the longer the series went on, the crazier he got. Everything he did was only for himself, he claimed he loved ZPE and than GH but he was only ever capable of loving himself. I would best describe him as a delusional narcissistic psychopath that on top of everyone else he killed or tried to also murdered a child. I was very glad that he was handed off to GQF for "a proper investigation" in the last episode, though like many others, I wish we got to see him get tortured and killed. He deserved everything he got and more.

Cons: The fact this very adult and mature thinking drama took 11 episodes for a really ridiculous misunderstanding/miscommunication trope between the leads, was beyond unnecessary. It essentially did what most of these dramas do when this trope is thrown in. Honestly expected more from the screenwriter. Breakups or separations occur but when a drama is this smart and you write something so idiotic, it will break down and make us question the intelligence of the leads up to this point. It essentially dumbs the characters down. Why couldn't another situation be used instead?

Even the blood feud angle was haphazardly thrown in 1 minute before they got back together because she had only learned about it and decided it had nothing to do with them while he didn't know she never got the bank note (who leaves that much money just lying around?) in the first place and thought he abandoned her. It was very messy and in-cohesive to the rest of the plot and pace device. Also why did it take 11 episodes to fix it? With only 40 episodes in the show, you waste 11 of them on this mess. And yes, the women were going through a hard time and they wanted to focus on the feminism aspect, which is great but that doesn't mean you need to compromise the rest of the integrity of the plot to get there.

Furthermore, though I thought the tea challenge was beautiful and well done, it didn't need to take the entire episode. Just like the trial of OX at the end didn't need to take up two; by doing that the ending was literally a mad rush into the last like 10 minutes of SSN's wedding and the leads walking hand in hand on the bridge while flashbacks of their times together flashed across the screen. It was that gallop to the end that wasn't needed and wasn't satisfying enough. By wasting something like 13 or 14 episodes on things that could have been done in literally half that time, the ending could have been done more appropriately and had two weddings maybe instead of one and not done at the speed of sound.

Many fishy characters that never really had particularly any closure though QM was sent to some outpost, but what about LJ or GQF's father, they went from being on screen a lot with motives and agendas to just basically disappearing into thin air. Another plot hole.

Would I recommend it? Yes, I would very much. This is a real feminist drama with mature romantic comedy. Despite it having some of the usual tropes, loopholes, and rushed ending; I still feel the pros outweighed the cons and I'm glad I gave it a try after all.

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Story of Resilience in Life, Love for Both Humans & Geese

Had been interested interested in this one for a while as I wanted to see LX act, I've seen ZYT before in one modern and a two season costume. This was a slice of life with imperfect characters and romance. Great relationships with siblings on the female side and just a rollercoaster of reality that mirrors what we deal with in real modern society. A story of resilience in life and love for both humans and geese.

Pros: LX's acting impressed me enough that after writing this review, I'm off to watch Meet Yourself. His character (CMD) was very much honest, he knew when he was wrong, when to go hard, when to back off, and when to give solace and learned how to seek it. I loved how they showed how through losing his best friend and meeting his Shifu, he was able to turn his life around. Becoming a mortician, he was able to become a gentle source of comfort and independence. Though he didn't know about partnership love until FL or ZJ returned into his life and taught him though she herself really didn't 100% know either. Their chemistry was on point from the get go and you understood that they really were high school sweethearts in their own special way. ZJ wasn't a cookie cutter character either and despite her disability had managed to become quite successful in her field. She did plenty wrong but also knew or was told by her best friend (WXX) or even CMD when she screwed up. No one spared her feelings, but told her straight up what she did wrong which I really liked. And she owned up to them because it was explained to her in an adult fashion. And that's such a breath of fresh air; to air out everything wrong right away and not just let it fester. Very straight forward.

Other favorite characters were WXX as the smart best friend. It was so great to finally see a bestie that wasn't afraid to give ZJ a verbal smack when necessary. Probably one of the best ones I've seen in a modern recently. Her soon to be hubby grew on me too. ZJ's siblings ZY and HNN were some of the smartest kids in terms of EQ ever, loved the three's relationship. Also best friendship goals of the drama were grandma Chen and grandma Lin. From the time they were kids until sadly grandma Lin's passing, those two were the bestest of friends. Another sad and tragic death was Mr. He, who was HNN's father and the other two's stepfather. They'd already lost their father when ZJ was 12 to a car accident that also took half of ZJ's leg (was very glad how she explained phantom pain to CMD; it wasn't glossed over); now HNN eerily also at the age of 12 lost hers. He was such a great father to all three. CMD was there every step of the way for ZJ through that and afterwards. ZY had to become more mature and he did it, though losing his pet goose to a plot device was sad, until the goose showed up with its girlfriend at the very end of the last episode after the credits finished rolling. That was absolutely hysterical.

You laughed, you cried, you enjoyed the precious moments of every character. The OSTs, sets, and everything else was on point. Wish she showed her feelings and vulnerability more. Only when she really screwed up in the end, did she finally stop with the smiles and cried. I get it about vulnerability supposedly looks weak because I've done the same but in reality it's what makes us human and not robots. He called her out on it and that was another great example of how quickly she understood things. I'm glad it was a HE though the way ZJ handled things in the second to last episode left you wanting to bang your head against the wall, the rest of that episode and 21 was essentially them getting back together (with the help of her siblings) and having a long-distance relationship until a freak occurrence made them both say enough is enough, we're not going to be apart anymore. From what I gathered, she was returning to Nanping for good (after all they were already engaged and he's got the great apartment) because with her own business and setting up that medical tourism bit would require her constant attention, she could move about at her own pace. She finally loved someone more than Shanghai. She'd handle healing living people and he would handle respecting the dead and their families. They really did belong together.

Cons: Very few of these. Mom was my least favorite character until her son read her the riot act. Her nagging was nasty and degrading. The stuff she said to all of her kids was something I would personally not have tolerated. I honestly wanted to hit her with a broom for many episodes, I even ffw'd her. She would maybe give 2% of good advice but the rest of the time, it was a hot mess. However, after ZJ fainted from stress over their argument and the mess she caused with CMD, her other two children sat her down and told her what's what. I was surprised how much she improved afterwards; it was in no way an overnight thing but she made every effort to be better which was very appreciated. After a while, she became the mom her kids really needed and should have had from the get go.

Thing I liked least about ZJ was that she brought up her disability nearly every episode sometimes twice to CMD and in general just in regular conversations even though she was the one constantly preaching about independence and being worthy of equality. If people already know, why keep bringing it up? It was just very weirdly written. Nothing to do with the actress. The other thing was why did she have that tendency to bite CMD? It was so out of character; she wasn't a vampire or a dog. Like you're trying to apologize but then do that? Like why?

Last small thing, is when they wrapped up the series, I wish they showed our leads walking hand in hand on the beach of Nanping like the trailers and many posters showed. That would have been the perfect and important way to end with them; so felt that portion was a bit rushed as our other supporting characters got a little something at the end especially the goose. Otherwise, I'm very happy with the HE.

Would I recommend it? Yes, I totally would. This was a slice of life with imperfect people who learned and evolved along the way. Wonderful romance that was believable. If you like mature dramas without tropes, this is for you.

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3 Amigos in Moving Lotus Tower Solve Mysteries & Bring Justice to Jianghu

10 years can change a person completely or it can keep someone exactly the same. This series was very well written and I'm very glad to have watched it. So much so, that it's hard to move on from honestly. I don't follow any of the actors from this one though I have previously seen both Joseph and XSY in other series, first time watching Cheng Yi. This show came very close to getting a perfect score if it wasn't for a few things that I couldn't get over. Overall, the 3 Amigos in the moving lotus tower that solve mysteries and bring justice to Jianghu were impossible to resist.

Pros: The storyline and you're always wondering whodunnit. Favorite characters were the 3 amigos (with FDB only once he grew up and matured). When the three of them were together especially during DFS's memory loss, had to be the best both because of the comedy and their interactions; who could forget the constant calls for "Ah Fei".

Let's talk about how the plot went from LLH trying to find his senior's body as it was his only reason for living to finding out that said senior was still alive and the biggest antagonist of them all with only the Saintess as number two. The heartbreak LLH faced each time something new about the past came out and how as LXY he had missed understanding the fundamentals as he was still very young. The agony of suffering from the Bicha poison each time he over used his inner power. For 10 years he used it very little and therefore was able to control it but in that last year when finally on the path to the truth, brought him agonizing pain. Cheng Yi did a fantastic job as both the suffering man and one that could lie through his teeth with a straight face that had the audience laughing and shaking their heads each time dumbass young FDB would fall for it; while DFS would just walk away basically saying "you're full of shit." He was whip smart and often steps ahead of everyone, being able to tell who the murderer of a particular case was as they got closer to the real truths as each case was tied with the next one. He was able to unveil that the supposed spy amongst the Segu sect, really was working behind enemy lines for over 10 years. He made peace with his impending demise and wanted everyone around him to do the same.

DFS was a great morally gray character; because of his upbringing his first instinct was to kill but overall he ran by the Jianghu code of ethics. He didn't kill women except Saintess at the end but she deserved it. He wanted to fight LXY fair and square but neither got that 10 years ago because of all the people pulling the strings behind the scenes. When he had that Rama Vessel thing, first thing he did was cure himself of mind control, then return to Di fortress, destroy his childhood captor/Shifu and free the current kids under that freak's control.

FDB lands both in the pros and cons for me. I like the older him way better. Because of his caring nature towards LLH and his ability to be the detective everyone wanted to see and being able to explain things and speak like an adult and the funny relationship with Ah Fei. The older FDB was a much better version that Joseph did well. No matter what, he was the one that always had LLH's back and he was a very quick study of anything martial arts or technique related; dude was like a sponge.

The two antagonists or Saintess and SGD were very ruthless and both of everything they did was exactly what you wanted to see in antagonists up until the end and that will be explained below. Still, SGD had to be more ruthless as he killed a child 10 years before just to get his hands on some armor.

Most of the support especially the MVP of the show or Foxy Spirit, LLH's dog were for the most part well placed and really did a good job for as long as they needed to be there. The Sigu sect was a bit behind mentally on a lot of things and it was full of spies; it's like it got stuck 10 years ago and never went anywhere. If I had to choose the next sect leader, it would definitely be Shi Shu as she was always on top of things and didn't jump to conclusions like everyone else.

The martial arts scenes were top notch. Starting from the first episode, onwards, whether actual battles or just LLH dancing with his sword to express whatever emotions he was feeling were very well choreographed and done. You could tell each actor put his everything into it. When martial arts scenes were very well executed, it just elevated a wuxia for me. I'm also very glad they sidestepped romance in this one; there were undertones and we all braced for them but thankfully in every case it was quickly let go of. These types of dramas just don't need that in the slightest.

I like the open ending but wish the extra part one was actually added to 40 as it would have made a lot more sense because otherwise the ending of actual 40 seemed rushed and incomplete. But it's a lot better than them all finding him dead on a road somewhere or floating in a river. OSTs, costumes, sets, CGI were all on point.

Cons: Not very many of these but I'd have to say FDB got on my ever loving nerves in the beginning and it took quite a while before he grew up. Acting like a brat and throwing adult sized tantrums at LLH and in general actually made me happy when LLH just left him at the side of the road multiple times. He was insufferable. I really wished they matured him a lot faster.

Also many of the Segu sect members basically had no voices they just stood there like statues to make up space and said maybe 5 lines the entire time. The character of Zijin and his jealousy was so extra and unnecessary; he didn't understand anything even until the end. Every time he opened his mouth, you just rolled your eyes and prayed he'd get off screen faster. Ah Mian--while I understand her necessity as LXY's old flame and all that and her taking charge of the sect towards the end away from the jealous and unnecessary Zijin--why was she always in tears? She reminded me of the cartoon character Droopy as her eyes were always swollen, red, and teary even when she was fighting at the end. The fact that none of them could tell that LLH was LXY though they knew him best even with half a mask or no mask was laughable. His face hadn't changed, just his hairstyle and clothing. Same went for DFS, his own people couldn't tell it was him with half a mask? Really unbelievable. Plus knowing how deadly LXY's poison was, they believed him when he said he could cure it? Like how? Those were the first plot holes I noticed.

The other plot hole was during that last showdown, where did LXY and SGD's Master's wife come from? If she knew the secret of LXY's origins this entire time, why not tell him? How did she know where to find them? And it had to happen when both sides were stumped. It was way too obvious and put a bit of a damper in a great momentum building episode. Now though I liked both SGD and Saintess as the main antagonists; their ruthlessness took a plummet when they both started to get overly delusional towards the end and let out that nails on chalkboard Halloween store witch prop cackle. It absolutely ruins every antagonist it touches; laughing evilly doesn't have to sound like that. Both did it numerous times and that's another reason this drama just couldn't have that perfect score.

Would I recommend it? I absolutely would. I'm notoriously picky with dramas, so what I view as cons, may be nonsensical for others. The show itself is really great and I enjoyed it very much. I think if you like wuxia and mysteries, this is the drama for you.

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An Absolute Fantastic Rollercoaster Though without An End

I haven't had a show suck me in like this in a very long time. I'm still in somewhat of a stupor. I've never seen any of these actors before save for some in the older generation and SFL so absolutely blown away by their talent and believability. Every episode had me and pretty much everyone else trying to come up with theories of who was really good or bad. It's like my mind was taken away and placed elsewhere. This drama was a fantastic rollercoaster though sadly with no real ending.

Pros: I will try to not write a novel because this had everything one wants in a mystery wuxia; great martial arts, theories, not everything is as it seems, stunning costumes, scenery, cinematography, OSTs, heartbreak and love. Every single character for the most part was multifaceted and layered. The 2 main gray characters and then learning their stories and understanding where they came from. I'm not even sure I have a favorite character here. The actors absolutely just annihilated it! So amazing; the truth, the lies, the scheming, the understanding, love, hate, insanity. Good vs evil plus good that was evil from episode one. The gradual building of feelings. So ML (ZY) and FL (YWS) together and separately were great, SML (SJ) and have to give props to the newbie who played his little brother; how someone so young can play a convincing obnoxious creep with a smile that sends chills down your spine, is beyond me. TJR or YZ is the standout in this cast of amazing performers for sure. I personally called him Junior poison or little shit depending on how he acted. YQ, Raven papa HYS (who was on the dark side but ultimately had a good heart), JF and our seal diving elder sis plus all the young masters from the back mountain were refreshing and sometimes you were left in stitches from elder sis because she added the sunlight to this predominantly dark drama. All the dynamics were great as were relationships between people. Though I only saw real romantic connections between the leads and later on the odd couple, the second leads were in a game of cat and mouse and though he did ultimately fall for her, I didn't feel what many others felt. Theirs was like two vipers circling each other.

Trying to get everyone and everything is impossible because some assassins are real and others actually have hearts and want their freedom. The fact that in the final episode it is revealed that only 3 months passed since the start of this journey, your mind is blown because you feel it's been years. Each episode is an hour long and leaves a cliffhanger with lots of theories for you to discuss with fellow watchers. WuFeng or assassins creed as I called them are an organization led by fear and though most were absolutely ruthless, they had/have many weaknesses. They were the main antagonists but they weren't alone. Actually many of us figured out who the other ones already in the mansion were and it was just a matter of time before that was confirmed.

It was also mind blowing when the reveals started happening, just how much was actually done. And so funny to some of the commenters in this section that kept saying ZY didn't deserve to be SW, but SJ did because ZY was somehow either cheating or being helped, come to find out that SJ was secretly helping him too. Felt good for those of us defending ZY lol.

Cons: Ok, this section will be smaller but there are a few reasons why this drama didn't get a perfect score. As many before me, the ending or lack thereof was just ridiculous. You had such a captivating story and then to make the literal 4 minutes a cliffhanger that looked like it belonged in a different drama looked lazy. Yes it could be hinting at the potential of a season 2 but it could have done it way better. I've written my share of cliffhangers and regular endings and though I'm no maestro writer/director, I would have just ended it without a cliffhanger because one can still leave an air of mystery and end something satisfactory. It made both leads do things completely out of character with what we've seen. So that was a huge point buster.

SGQ got away way too easy. It didn't seem to me that she suffered much if at all with her constant crocodile tears and lies. She was a pathological liar that was also a narcissistic sociopath. Her raven was right that she only loves herself. But though the dynamic with SML in scheming against each other worked, I felt unlike everyone else that was consistently there--good or bad--evolved in some way except her. Would have been good for her to also have growth.

Last detail is the smallest but it was a personal peeve and reminded me of another drama I watched this year where they had each special skill a character made pop up on screen in massive white letters even though it was verbalized; very unnecessary. Looked 90s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Plus it was subbed twice so all that lettering on the screen was very busy and hard to understand.

Would I recommend it? 100% would! Despite those last 4 minutes of the last episode, this was fantastic. So much so, that I think it has its own force field that doesn't let you leave even once you finished it. Really, really good especially if you like the wuxia genre.

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Soul Swap & Case Solving; Possible Season 2?

This series mystery solving and "face swap" intrigued me plus I wanted to see LXY in a different role as when I put this on my watchlist I had only seen him in TBOY and though he did well, I wanted to see him play someone other then a sarcastic, bald monk with insane powers. Since then I've seen him as an antagonist in Destined too. This was a very different soul swap & case solving with a cliffhanger ending to the storyline so a possible season 2?

Pros: I liked the cases themselves and that one case was connected to the next and so forth; slowly exposing the massive organization behind it. LXY or PY was impressive as he moved from various emotions of love, grief, revenge, foresight into just about everything, his swords skills were quite impressive, and his jealousy was hilarious. This show was able to make sadness and comedy pop. FL or YCW/SZ played by JJY held her own and I can say that her acting has improved from the first couple of times I've seen her; she was able to portray her character very convincingly. I actually thought the show had some fantasy elements too like the soul swap (I can't call it a face swap because the two actresses were different; both in body type and height. Even though they tried to pile JJY's hair on top of her head to make her appear taller, to a discerning eye, it didn't work), and the bugs spell incantation to make someone blind and how it reversed itself upon healing. This made the cases even more interesting as it wasn't just another coroner and investigator type thing. I liked SML whom I nicknamed Sparky, when he showed up because let's face it, the guy is hot and he played his character very well though I'm glad they got rid of the extra eyeliner he was introduced in (as the young master) as it was very distracting. Though I liked SFL as a friend of FL and a part of the foursome, I'll talk more about her below.

Other characters like the maid, A Ze, brother of the original SZ, Lady Qi, the princess, and even fat Liu were all great characters. The villains and spies even the supposed mastermind all did their roles well. The story of PY trying to bring down the organization that "killed" his wife on their wedding night when it was really the obsessed sister of his best friend that had kidnapped and soul swapped with her just before the wedding, pushed her off a cliff and than got handed her own karma due to the death warrant by the mastermind of YCW’s parents murder and many others in a huge conspiracy. SZ didn't deserve that kind of death and YCW was going to get to the bottom of it. So the husband and wife team that didn't trust each other at first, still started to work together. Second leads also helped in their own way. Though Sparky had a thing for YCW, that was a silly competition and never really felt like a love triangle. Also liked that they showed a few decent kissing scenes and even the second leads getting it on. Plus YCW told Sparky from nearly the get go that she only saw him as her best friend. Best part was the revelation of when PY figured out finally that FL was indeed YCW. It took a bit for them to get together but they did and it was super cute.

The costumes, sets, OSTs, all fit as they should. The story ended on a bit of a cliffhanger in the storyline as the real mastermind wasn't really unveiled leaving room open for a possible season 2 but what they were doing was totally revealed so the mastermind had lost that element so also could just have been set up as an intriguing finale.

Cons: While I loved Sparky’s character, his ending was just weird. It was like they needed to add more tragedy to this; really? And it had nothing to do with his acting but the writing was inconsistent with how we saw him for the rest of the show. One could argue that when he saw his dad essentially die twice, he lost it and decided to go infiltrate the big bad organization all by himself. It made no sense though; if he found information that was useful to his friends ie PY and YCW, he had no backup to bring it to them and everything was just very haphazard. Essentially he was going on a suicide mission with no real assurance that he would even succeed; he ignored his friends warnings repeatedly when they told him how dangerous it was. We saw his death coming very soon after his father's death because it was just that stupid. They essentially did him dirty by making a smart, decisive man just impulsive and dumb. Also the actor lied to fans when the foursome did that Sina building sweep to promote the series and they were asked if both sets would have a happy ending. The leads didn't say anything and he said the second leads would; in reality the very opposite happened (don't get me wrong, I'm happy the leads at least are together). Same was done by the cast of A Journey to Love, when in reality everyone died lol. I think fans should not trust actors from these types of series with this question anymore.

SFL was just strange. Her romance with Sparky was sort of lopsided. It felt forced and she couldn't even talk without pouting 95% of the time. She followed Sparky around like a puppy even before as someone said in the comments he had "runner-up feelings" for her. Yes, they got together but I can't say the chemistry was real to me. Even the maid and A Ze had more chemistry than these two. Can't even compare to the leads; those two had chemistry before her identity reveal even happened. I would have preferred them two to just be friends. We really didn't need a second or third romance. This story had so much going on already.

Suspension of disbelief had to be deployed several times; other than Sparky's whole suicide mission decision but the abuse case with the girl fighting her father in the alley while both male leads just watched? She knew information about that ripple organization but they didn't act and just watched her father essentially kill her or she herself by his sword. Like what even? You've got two highly skilled swordsman just standing there watching their only real lead die? Just beyond.

The ending was rushed with the "mastermind", death of the princess, Sparky and his thing but at least he gave them the evidence they needed even if it was just a clue off his dead body, dad and son reconciling. Like a lot happened in a very condensed amount of time and I wish it was fleshed out more. The pace of the rest of the show was great but the ending definitely took off like its pants were on fire.

Would I recommend it? Yes I would. This show has many layers and despite the minuses, it was a good watch. Actors for the most part did a great job and it's nice to see the alliances form the way they did.

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Man in White Seemed 1 Step Ahead but YM was A Master GO Player

I added to my watchlist after I saw TJC in UTS before his breakout role in LYF. I didn't know he had a comedy background so was very interested to see how that would play to his versatility. Also him being a professional ballroom dancer helped in the last episode. I was only familiar with certain supporting characters including the main antagonists from other roles. Man in White for a good chunk of was one step ahead of everyone and killed more people than we could count. But he didn't count on the brain power of YM or ML.

Pros: I liked most of the comedy and the friendships amongst the two couples as they got together. Yes, YM was my favorite but I also really liked WKW and the antagonist. The best part about this show was that they didn't reveal who the antagonist was other than a vicious predator who killed everyone and everything standing in his way. Had us guessing though most guessed right as even netizens dug into things like the ear and mole similarities lol. The Faceless as these assassins called themselves which had to be one of the cheesiest names ever but whatever, their ruthlessness was obvious. The MVP of this show hands down was Envoy Kang or Uncle Kang that raised both AS and "Fatty" to assist them in bringing all of the people down even though he didn't get to see that day himself. YM's parents, WKW's friends, and for AS to avenge Uncle Kang each delivering a blow to MIW who turned out to be AS's prince brother but just from a different mother. Bastard was power hungry and would kill literally anyone standing in his way.

I really liked how the East and West Court went from hating each other to being a family and winning the alliance with the other states as well as standing up for one another. YM went from an immature money grabber to someone who his parents would be very proud of. It wasn't until AXY lost SS to MIW that he realized what real priorities were and who and what was important in life. His father was absent but cared in his own way; still I don't care about that relationship. Mr. Yu was essentially YM's adoptive father and I loved their relationship. Other great characters were all the envoys, Duomi, his bodyguard, the ministers too, Ji and Shen, YCH with WKW best 2nd couple!

The story moved along quite well and I liked how they were able to work once they understood Sifang Pavillion was a family. Comedy always ensued when alcohol and even a pet snake was present. Or just general tomfoolery. Costumes especially from the different states, OSTs, were done very well. Some of the sets were nice.

Cons: What I didn't like about the series is that it AS started as a squatter in YM's home and ordered him around like she owned the place. Who does that? Only because he had a good heart did he allow that, had it been anyone else, she would been drop kicked into another location. She was really ungrateful, even landing him in prison for her own misconduct. But it was how quickly their feelings developed that was really a bit whiplash-ish. From all that, to fine roommates and then beds together and smooches.

I also feel that YM got bullied a lot by her and then later her royal maids. Like the man loves her and sacrifices a lot for her and she doesn't even tell him her plans and throws her weight around just because she was the recognized princess by Yong but from Yanle. I'm not a fan of those kinds of tactics. Making the woman seem stronger by bullying isn't the right way to do it.

The CGI, costumes on guards appeared very cheap. Also I saw someone mention it in the comments but the bad guys aka Mutu, LTQ, and even big bad himself MIW got a lot dumber. Maybe because he was on home turf and he didn't think YM could find connections to take him out. The other two were never smart to begin with and so everyone of the good guys working together and even using MIW, took them out, though as mentioned above, the last and much deserved assassination was the most deserved and done by the 3 people he harmed and thought he got away with it. Just shows to never let your guard down no matter what. Also the ending was rushed with the wedding, pregnancy, etc and the 7 minute little extra, tying some loose ends could have been better incorporated into the last episode. But it did show proper humor because comedy was ever present in this show.

Would I recommend it? I would. It was very entertaining and funny. There were some misses and a lower budget but worth for all those moments even the tear jerking ones. I say, it's worth it.

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Out Scheme the Schemers

Though I don't play chess, this series was essentially exactly that as the moves were strategized in people's heads and then we as the audience saw the results including flashbacks of how we got somewhere. In general I picked this up as I've seen and liked how Chen Xiao had previously done as well as some other actors. It was really a battle of the schemers in a wuxia-like environment.

Pros: I personally like anything wuxia related so the fight scenes though there weren't a lot of them because that wasn't the premise of the series, were very well executed. From YX, our ML to every other "good" character, what I really enjoyed was that they were all morally gray. None of them were these goodie two shoes protagonists we see frequently on the screen. Each and everyone had secrets, lies, flaws, past experiences that shaped them into who they were and nothing was ever black and white. I'm also glad that the romance portion was profoundly tapered and didn't steal time from the main plots. Was YX really the ingenious one? That's hard to say, he certainly out-witted everyone in the end but he wasn't without flaws or mistakes he made which he did own up to. Originally everyone was a pawn to him, but gradually many became friends and even sworn brothers. He planned his revenge for 15 years but even then, there were many factors he couldn't count on like falling for SYN and even though she was the opposing sect's eldest child, they both broke many of their respective sects rules by having faith in each other and that ended up actually being their benefit in the end. Plus having and trusting friends as mentioned above.

Really liked the characters of SMY, KML, JB, LGC, MBF, and KQ even though we lost the latter two and that was just very sad. Another positive that just about every character stayed for as long as they needed to and then either bailed out or was killed off. Favorite antagonists both survived; one was half evil and half just grey and I feel like he should have returned to round out team good grey in the end. His leaving just seemed kind of odd and like it wasn't properly finished or balanced. NGF was the vicious, best evil schemer half to YX but he should have been offed properly not just had SYN cut off the family jewels (not that I didn't enjoy that very much), but I felt he was just given more of an opportunity to grow his evil, vicious side, with the pirates.

Costumes, scenery, and OSTs were great and on point. All quite appropriate and placed well.

Cons: Here I find that the plot strayed a bit and then took off like a galloping pony towards the end. Plot holes included who the real SYN was and where she was and why did KLY take that name? And the entire mystery surrounding WC; that was just left by the side of the road somewhere. The entire premise of this was for YX to find out who the mastermind and executioners were of his village but by the time that happened, it was kind of just put by the way side as other conspiracies took over. Again, he let NGF live! Though Prince Fu was the mastermind and died a totally copout death by suicide in flames; NGF did most of it, yet sans his meat and two veg he was allowed to live with pirates and grow strong again. A decision YX made! Made no sense to me. Most of this series was about revenge but when it was right in front of him, for a different purpose, he let it go. He was now no longer scheming but would live a peaceful life with his lady love and sworn brothers. That part I was fine with, but the rest was a bit of a let down. Most likely had a lot to do with that race to the finish line where the script took a hit.

The whole revelation of Prince Fu being the mysterious Master of the Yuntai sect was beyond lackluster because everyone knew it by the time it happened. They kept dragging it on for too long and others were ruled out and there was no one else left. SYN's bro was the stupidest, greediest, power hungry moron that killed his own mother and was ready to help NGF to rape his sister, should have been just discarded immediately. The only positive here was the actor that played him did so very convincingly. But glad SYN took him down finally.

Would I recommend it? I would; other when YX forgetting his scheming ways in the last 8 episodes but coming back strong along with everyone who mattered in the last two, the pros outweighed the cons. This is a good, engaging, and entertaining drama to watch.

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