Enigma05

Was in my Dropped List Forever; but Came Back for Leads Roles Only

Initially I tried this drama and it absolutely did not pull me in especially the cement, walking statue, ML and the FL that was trying way too hard to break through to him. So I dropped it, picked it up dropped it again and left it in my dropped pile for quite some time and then knowing that ML can absolutely nail a passionate role. I decided to just watch for the leads and fast-forward everything else this is why this review is very short. I feel that once the ML opened up regarding his trauma, and the FL opened up regarding hers and how it was connected and they started investigating and got secretly married, it was a totally different ball game. With the help of friends and certain family members, the two of them were able to pull through and have the passionate love and marriage and family that they both deserved. I think this drama needed to focus only on them and not all the other couples and all the other BS. His grandmother is amazing or it was amazing. I should say. The people with positive reinforcement around them is what made them grow and evolve and it was a wonderful thing. The negative people around them should've never been around them sadly that's where all the trauma came in. They fought the battle and they won.

Best thing about it is that when you want to get your mind off of very tragic and horrible things going around you in the world and things that you cannot control this is one of those shows that can help your mind relax and just focus on something else else so that's a huge, huge, plus.

Would I recommend it? You know this is a catch 22 for me. This is one of those dramas that either you love it or you don't or you just watch it while you wait for something you really like to drop. But I have to give the ML his props for evolving throughout the story. I have never seen the FL act before and I think she did a good job. Hopefully I will see her again in the future and will be able to discuss more on that. So decide for yourselves I think it's in the maybe pile for me, but I did watch it at least the parts that I watched it lol.

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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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First Arc Stronger Than Second

Picked this up on a whim as a lot of the cast was familiar to me and I wanted to see an ancient crime solving drama. The storyline seemed to hold up for the first arc. Unfortunately, the second one was much weaker and the ending was sort of left on its own.

Pros: I enjoyed very much the chemistry between the FL and the SML and this had to be one of the stronger second male lead syndromes from a show that I probably had in a very long time if ever. I would have to say the ML had a good heart, but for the entire first arc was a spoiled manchild that you just wanted to throw away. The storyline was pretty good. I liked the strange cases that they all had to solve and how that little yamen became like a little family and they all took care of each other. The FL had a very rough childhood and didn't remember a lot of it, but she was very strong and very smart and relied on herself a lot sometimes a little too much because she had no fighting skills and would get herself into situations that she needed others help, but because she was stubborn, she wouldn't ask until unfortunately it was either too late or someone had to run in and rescue her.

This was another show which focused on women essentially being nothing more than window dressing, but with an FL that was strong and capable, and willing to do anything and everything it took to regain her freedom, even when it seemed impossible. I really liked that about her a lot. The other characters (other than the leads; even LW grew on you towards the second arc) that I enjoyed were the rest of the yamen crew, 2nd and 3rd Qi brothers, LS (kid couldn't read the room to save his life but was funny), JMC though tragic as her life was.

Cons: I have to mention the FL in the cons as well because I feel that she was miscast in this role. The actress herself is 32 years old and she's supposed to play someone who's 18 and a virgin. Most of it was very unbelievable. It was obvious that she was very intelligent and could get herself and other people out of situations that an 18-year-old usually would not be able to. I had seen the actress previously in a modern SWAT military type thing and she did a great job there. Here I felt that she was emotionless even when she smiled or cried, her face didn't move that much and when she was angry, other than raising her voice, it didn’t translate. I think that it could've been handled better.

I also didn't feel any romantic connection between her and the ML even after everything was explained and done and we understood why she couldn't be with SML or vice versa but the whiplash of her emotions from SML to ML was instant almost and was very unbelievable. They had enough episodes to make it better and flesh it out in a way that would make sense for the audience.

Most of this was in the second arc, which was very weak, especially where all of the antagonists were concerned I didn't feel like any of the antagonists were believable or people you could legitimately hate as antagonists, other than the obsessed creep QY. On top of that, said obsessed creep wasn't even given a proper death. He just fell into fire; you could call it symbolic, considering that he was the one who killed her parents through fire, but I felt he needed to suffer more. What he did throughout the entire show was just too disgusting to have him end so quickly. Furthermore, the other two antagonists were given ridiculously light sentences. Just because LW showed that her father could be reformed. Meanwhile, her father was essentially responsible for the deaths of over 250 people and multiple communities starving. Furthermore, the ML was punished for trying to save people. It did not make any sense to me. The end was almost deflated, felt a lot like the directors just threw their hands in the air and said "let's just end it however and call it a day" which was sad and the entire second arc brought the score down for me.

Would I recommend it? Honestly, if you want something simple to watch without investing emotions into it, this is a good show.

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Bugs Make the Best Detectives

I very much enjoyed the first one so was very surprised that they made a second one though in Thailand and China as back drops. Again this show was very underrated and I wish more people had watched it. It really had great friendships, crime solving, overcoming differences in traditions and so forth and of course the bugs make for the best detectives.

Pros: The friendships formed amongst the leads. You don't have to watch the first series in order to watch this though it does explain ML's (JT) background and how he and FL (JL) got together. Also very glad the Chinese detectives that had become ML's brothers in the first show made their appearances here and that was like a welcome homecoming for a few cases. In Thailand, the first detective aka Chai to welcome JT became also like an extension of that brotherhood. The running gag of the show was that Chai would either call or appear each time the leads would try to kiss. It's like he had a spidey-sense about it. There was definitely some underlying flirting between guys and some storylines depicted transgenderism and other LGBT notions which is why this series had no promotion and very little publicity during its run. Ter (played by Nine, first time seeing him in a series as he's most known for being a boybander from Into1), was a great character though he rolled his eyes so many times, I thought they were going to get stuck in his head lol. He was an immature policeman that was jealous of JT getting his boss's/mentor's/partner's attention but eventually he came around to value JT as part of the team. Kan was another great character from the police squad and so these guys took JT under their wing as well.

I liked the diversity of the cases though they did have an overall serial killer to catch, there were smaller cases that had to be solved in between both in Thailand and China that tested JT's mental health and knowledge of bugs. Mario was a very creepy and convincing serial killer. From the moment you met him, you knew something was off about him and than when he hallucinated what we found out later to be a witch in the mirror, it was obvious he was the serial killer. His obsessive crush on JL started from the get go and it was very creepy, which didn't help his case.

I also liked the authenticity of using both Thai and Mandarin speakers in the show, it gave that real feeling of two sets of investigators from two countries working together or when JT asked Chai to translate something to someone not speaking Mandarin. The surroundings including sets and OSTs were awesome and authentic to being Thai.

Cons: There were a lot of loop holes or strings left untied. Plus much like the prequel, they did too many flashbacks. But instead of them being repetitive, here they should have just left them until the entire case was solved. Here they were given to us in parts as particular portions of a case was solved which felt unfinished and unnecessary. There were two car bombs towards the end but they were never explained as to who caused them or why. We never saw JT go to school even though he was enrolled; they conveniently skipped over that part.

The ending was very rushed; it went from Mario possible suspect for one murder of a guy to not a suspect at all to he may have killed one woman to holy crap he's got JL and is the serial killer, run and get him! But not before we stop at his home and JT conveniently finds the book on how to kill witches in Mario's apartment's bathroom under another book yet we saw just 5 seconds beforehand he just glanced in there. So other than prodigal bug knowledge, does he also have X-ray vision? It was just very unbelievable and rushed.

Finding JL and Mario in that abandoned factory on the first try and taking him down was a low budget fight. There was no real emotion from Mario save his explanation on how he thought his foster mom took his real mom away and all of the other women morphed into this witch as well as what JT got from the book. Later finding out that Mario suffered from a condition called Capgras Syndrome which is real but I had to look it up myself as they didn't really explain it as thoroughly as they did each bug related anything. It's indeed a mental illness and is a type of schizophrenia where the brain substitutes the real person for someone or something else like Mario did with the witch. It was always one witch but because he sought after women that looked like his foster mom, something in his brain would glitch to form that image and he'd be thrown into a violent rage. I really wish they explained that in detail as opposed to three sentences. So he had a type of schizophrenia, mommy issues, and was a psychopath to boot. And that last part gave birth to a serial killer because with the other two, if treatment is sought after properly, can mitigate anything from manifesting.

Also wish they explained or showed what happened afterwards; other than Mario in the mental hospital not taking his meds and stalking a new victim. JT in school and obviously still helping Chai and the cops, was JL still in that lab or helping the coroner. Let them kiss for lord's sake! That was the only time when we felt chemistry between them two; otherwise they were like two good friends, which was fine too. That didn't take away from the story.

Would I recommend it? I absolutely would; it's a great crime solving show whether you watched part one or not. The insect portion of it was what made it the most unique. And how said insects helped solve crimes. For the friendships both new and old. Definitely give this underrated gem a go.

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Friends Can Come as Wild Men, Short-Life Spanners, Cultivators, Demons & Even Puppets

First reviewed drama of 2024 and it's a CZY drama (reason I was watching in the first place) with both new and familiar faces. Though I'm not a fan of Xianxias, thankfully this was more fantasy than that. The theme of this drama was friendship and fighting for what you believe in and never giving up. The foursome of friends were great when they were together and I really liked how much they helped each other. Because friends really do come in all shapes and sizes like naive, innocent wild men, short-life spanners, cultivators, demons & even puppets.

Pros: I loved the friendship of our Fab 4 even when they all had to go through existential crises; they would lean on each other and help each other. Though the leads were the main in love with each or would eventually be (I'm so glad romance wasn't the main focus here), the other two loved the main two silently while never giving up on their friendship with everyone. I have to say that YTH and ZY were equally favorite characters of mine, though both ladies held their own too.

The MVP of the show was definitely Elder medicine guy of the sect. I can't even call it a sect but really a cult run on obsession of ascending and loving people you can never have. XY, our awesome puppet who was LS' friend and his death left a hole in the audiences' hearts. XX played by WD was a morally gray antagonist and he played him phenomenally well. One minute he wants to kill you, the next he wants to save you; his obsession was his downfall but at least in his end, he made some form of peace with YTH. The grand monster was just annoying as hell. She was the easiest major antagonist to spot because her obsession of that damn sword and XX were more important than anything. Sometimes she pretended like she cared about the sect but in reality, they were cannon fodder to her. There were several disciples/one elder who took Mengli as his daughter even when he realized she was a demon, that I was sad died or barely survived because they were great to our 3 main friends before ZY joined them and even afterwards.

CGI was decent, costumes were great as were some sets, OSTs were nice too. Though I liked their journey together, there were still unanswered questions and plot holes.

Cons: The script took way too long to resolve and absolve YTQ and TH of any wrongdoing when reality it was the sect/cult that attacked the demon realm unprovoked who were the real traitors. Also too much time was spent on the grand monster's obsession instead of the foursome's solving mysteries and getting XX out of the ice (whether was ultimately a good idea or not was TBD). Though LS was the host, she never held the sword or used it, so what was the point of calling her the host? The fact that the manuscript of sword breaking was so important but could be reversed and kill its host was explained in 5 minutes at the end.

Why did LS have to go to that mausoleum place when ZY and TH could have achieved the exact same result without her losing soul stones on her life? That was so unnecessary because the bow was absorbed by TH anyways. It was never explained what happened to Mengli's foster parents after she left them and the demon revelation. Also why did the divine make it seem like the war 19 years ago was TH's parents fault for leaving with the Jade thing when the sect was already using unscrupulous means to become immortal? That didn't make sense.

Why did the entire mountain float into the sky and then after the fact when it came "crashing" down, it was more like a hot air balloon going down gently then the supposed meteor destruction that was promised. So TH went blind after he destroyed the falling mountain or? But when did LS die? That was just glossed over. And then 100 years pass like nothing and the ending is 10 minutes long. So even though LS' tombstone said "My beloved wife", you'd assume she lived for a while with TH on that peak but it's all guesses and assumptions. Also remember, they officially got together in the 2nd to last episode only. I wish the ending was less rushed and more flushed out even though the leads from what we see anyways go off into the afterlife happily together; it is bittersweet because we really don't get to see how our Fab 4 live those 100 years and I wish we did.

Would I recommend it? I would as the show never once dragged and kept me watching all the way through. It's very entertaining, so give it a try.

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Heal the World; One Heart at a Time

I wanted an easy on the brain rom-com without tropes and this was exactly that. I know both leads from various other series but the first time watching them in a modern. They had great sparks from the first episode and it really was like healing the world, a heart at a time.

Pros: The comedy and strength of the leads chemistry even before they get together. It's a slow burn but not to the point where you don't know whether you're coming nor going. The ML played by Joseph is a breath of fresh air in a modern lead where he's optimistic, loyal, kind, always has the FL's back no matter what the situation is. He keeps bringing her out of her low-self esteem stage due to her childhood. She in turn starts to grow and expand in her element as a doctor before our very eyes. It's quite lovely to see.

The two supporting best friends as someone mentioned in a previous review, don't just bust out with unhelpful comments and advice but who take real life into account and always offer advice that will lead to the best outcome. It's quite realistic. There aren't any overbearing parents, in fact both sides are very supportive of their children. No stalker, clingy ex's either or really dumb misunderstandings. Everything is real, mature, and worth the watch and the laughter.

The first antagonist was dealt with properly and maturely. Wish same went for the second one.

Cons: I really wish we got to see what happened to President Gao. He created so much havoc towards the end and then there was just a small message of "oh he went to jail". For what? That could have been shown better. I had to fast-forward the beginning parts a bit because though they were comedic, they were too slapstick and not my personal preference. Also wish the second couple got together a solid 5 episodes before the finale, it would just have flushed out their storyline better. Lastly, wish that our FL didn't wear her hair in that weird bun looking thing; either hair down where she looked liked an adult or a ponytail. Just made her look like a kid. Other than that, I saw no other cons with this series.

Would I recommend it? Yes I would. Especially for people who like easy, funny rom-coms. This is definitely the way to go. Grab some popcorn and enjoy.

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Rescues, ML, Friendships, & 3rd Couple Were The Show

Picked this one up because I like natural disaster and rescue type of shows. I have seen only the actor who plays Xiong Fei in a small supporting role two years back and Janice Wu also in a guest role last year otherwise, relatively unfamiliar with the cast. Have heard good things about Leo Luo, so paid attention to what he could do. The rescues, ML, friendships, & 3rd couple were the show.

Pros: The rescues were pretty good for a regular series that didn't call itself a docuseries or documentary. If people were looking for something more realistic, then they should just watch the Discovery Channel. The only really unbelievable portion was the ML in the last episode, climbing through an entire mountain to find that magical doorway up above that somehow dumped him by a river far away. I loved the friendships of the crew; that was more pleasing to watch than the romance aspect.

Favorite character was LB or the ML; every emotion, every action was well placed. Started out as a kind of cocky know-it-all, but then just defrosted into a regular human being with faults. I really enjoyed Leo Luo's portrayal here and will look out for him in future dramas; I do however wish that he didn't look so gaunt, it's worrying. Other favorite characters included LB's sister LY who played a mute speaking in sign language quite well, XF and his kind heart who had a way to mediate even the gruffest of situations. He didn't let his past get in his way and his match up with LY was perfect; they were the main couple for me in this series. They complimented each other really well.

Other favorite characters were the captain, who as we all saw was a very flawed person but was trying his best to make up for all of his mistakes especially the life altering ones. The rest of the LCR crew were great, like Falcon who everyone lost and missed, even gruff Dapeng who grew on you. The OSTs, mild CGI, costumes, and scenarios (save the one mentioned above) all fit well.

Cons: This was one of those dramas where romance really should have been tapered down not given 3 couples, one of whom (I nicknamed them Ding Dong and Ming Mong) was annoying as nails, had to be ffw'd frequently, and really made the show take a hit. On top of that, the robotic FL and her total lack of chemistry with the ML just didn't do any favors. Yes, she was a doctor and had to deal with life and death all the time, plus the trauma of her childhood; she could have been portrayed way differently. I'm not sure the casting was done well here. From the beginning to end, I was waiting for there to be some form of connection between the two and I just didn't feel it. They could have been bickering cousins and it would have made more sense. She was always cold and stubborn and he was always apologizing for his feelings needing to justify them even when she was in the wrong. It didn't make any sense nor was it realistic for any form of relationship. The nasty mother of MM, Dr. Weasel, and Ai Rui'er, were all given nearly last minute redemptions from their idiotic portrayals but they were also the types of characters that really were unnecessary, because you had already so much going on.

The show had way too much propaganda given what they were trying to portray and more times then not in sensitive situations, it felt off. Like you need emotions here not flag and country; y'all aren't military but a non-profit organization, keep it that way. I never compare dramas but this show was trying way too hard to be "You Are My Hero" and it didn't come close. It needed its own formula not a repeat of someone else's.

Would I recommend it? I would have given it a lower score if it hadn't been for the rescues, friendships, ML, & 3rd couple. That said, some people actually like everything I disliked or vice versa, so decide on this one for yourselves.

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Hauntingly Beautiful Portrayal

As someone with several friends who are parents with Autistic kids, this short film was an absolutely hauntingly beautiful portrayal of what goes on in the mind of such a child. Their inner world is chaotic and seldom quiet unless they find some sort of calmness. Xiao Yu Liang, absolutely nailed An Ning; from the tremors, to hitting his head against the mirror in a bid of self harm and running into the water to escape both his inner and outer torment. The dance in the water and seeing the bubbles and whale in the clouds of his imagination and ultimately finding peace with someone just like him, honestly brought tears to my eyes. In just under 11 minutes, this short film managed to convey what many 3 plus hour ones couldn't. The poetry was recited solemnly and on pace with everything else that was going on at the time it was. I would recommend this to anyone whether or not they have any form of mental illness.

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A Dark and Gritty Drama; Worth It.

This was my first ever Light On series to watch because though I do like the whodunnits and CSI type series, they never spoke to me before. But because I follow and highly respect Zhao Liying, plus this was such a different role for her from what she'd previously done, it intrigued me even more. The only other actor I have seen previously was Geng Le (Li Lan) but he only had a bit part and was killed off in the first episode.

Pros: I knew this was only a 16 episode series though these Light On ones were usually 12, so I felt that 4 extra episodes were a bonus. I loved the richness of the actual story and how within the first 3 or 4 episodes, all 3 characters had come into there own. I think this genre really suits ZLY because she fits the creepy sociopath very well. She was so convincing at times that, it honestly almost made your skin crawl. I've done my share of research (close to a decade) on serial killers, their psychopathy, and crimes and each had different Modus Operandi. I was very interested in which angle they would take with this one.

Episode 12 gave a serious shock but a very, appropriate cliffhanger that shifted the entire case and story in a completely different and unexpected direction. I think that was my favorite part. As a novelist, I've written many cliffhangers, so getting one that was that well written and executed was rare in cdramas.

I loved the interconnections with the leads and those in their everyday lives. They were all portrayed as very flawed and at times quite selfish individuals. It spoke of the rawness of humanity at our bad or worst times and yet at some moments they showed the best of us. Every emotion from fear, anger, sadness, despair, obsession, helplessness, determination, and so forth was shown in nearly every episode. Even if all three were in a sense going towards the same goal; finding the truth, they still managed to do it separately which many a time worked and other times seemed a bit off.

One thing that the series never lacked was just rawness; whether it was in emotion, action, or dialogue. The simplest "how are you" like when XM visits SY in jail in the last episode carried with it a seemingly 17 year burden of truth both characters must forever carry, though they both found out their own versions of truth. The series was powerful and nothing could be taken away from that.

Cons: For starters, there were several inconsistencies and disconnections that were never answered or corrected. Like why did SY's father get so angry at Hu that he beat him up, making the latter leave the hospital and than when little SY asked her father who Hu was in the library, her father was very angry that she asked and that was just left alone. SY's friend in the wheelchair seems to be important but he appears and disappears without fanfare and we literally know nothing about him, which is quite odd considering how SY literally had no other friends.

Both SY and XM seemed to have very lackadaisical schedules where they could walk in and out of their respective places of employment whenever and do whatever they wanted. It was rather strange how much a rookie cop was able to get away with during his own private detective work. Why had SY been able to get away with everything else she had done aside from sending the poor man falsely accused into a coma? Also, the very much unneeded psychological warfare on XM and how doctors just handed out patient information without notifying the patient for consent. Another point, how did SY's father know where the murderer was during the XJ murder? Out of the entire city he just happened to walk by him there and recognized him in a mask and cap after not seeing him for many years? Zilch cohesion.

The reveal of the actual murderer was a bit underwhelming because there was this huge lead up after the bombshell at the end of 12 but it didn't deliver the wham of the killer. His confession was typical obsessed psychopath with a one sided relationship with his victims story; a rookie profiler fresh out of Quantico (school for future FBI agents) could have done better. Even his reasoning wasn't imaginative, though he made it sound very sinister (hats off to the actor). Now I'm not saying all serial killers look like monsters; as a matter fact more often then not, they look like your next door neighbor. It wasn't about the looks, but about how he was cornered, in a restaurant that allowed a random stranger who'd slept amongst their trash the night before cook dishes in their kitchen? Come on now, that's not even soap opera writing. It felt like the writers were just tired of this story and wanted to add just random components into it and hope something clicked. It could have been done so much better to make for a satisfactory ending.

Lastly, there were times in the middle that the episodes did get draggy but then they righted themselves. This series could have stood to explore the pathology of criminals a bit more to make up for the inconsistencies and lack of cohesion in many places.

Still though, I think this is a very strong series and I would recommend it to both people who enjoy crime dramas and fans of ZLY who want to see her do really well in this dark and gritty role.

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80K Di Troops + 30K Naval Forces + "You're the Crown Prince" = Messy Script w/Plot Holes

I go into each drama I watch without any expectations and that makes for shows like this to be a wise decision because then I'm not surprised or disappointed when things go south. In this case the people I watched for were Reba and LYN both of whom did good jobs in their roles as well as some of the side characters which I'll list below. But the storyline was just a mess in a dress; this series is best watched for entertainment purposes only and to suspend all logic possible. Because it's literally 80K Di Troops + 30K Naval Forces + "You're the Crown Prince" on constant repeat.

Pros: The revenge plot made the most sense and they should have just stuck with that. As mentioned up top FL and SML were convincing in their characters and as were a few of the side characters like LL, An Ning, and WS. But even with them, this wasn't their strongest drama. I really feel the script failed everyone. Both the empress dowager and the emperor were the best villains given their circumstances with this script. Costumes, sets, OSTs were beautiful. CGI was ok, could have been better.

Cons: The script was just ridiculous, you had the FL for about a dozen episodes act like fake gorilla glue towards ML. People surviving things they could only do in Xianxias; like being pierced with a ton of arrows and sail off a cliff. Cliff diving seemed to be a favorite sport of a lot of the characters because 3 did it after being mortally wounded and survived, ML did it twice. The show dragged a lot for only being 39 episodes and many scenes were very anticlimactic. You were just watching going "that's it?"

This was the first time I had ever seen GJ act in anything and I have to say that HY seemed to have facial paralysis. He said his lines but there was no emotion even when it came to sarcasm or announcing something. I don't know if that's how he always acts or they edited him that way because BTS and interviews, it was like a totally different person. I understand playing aloof characters but you need to be able to emote with your eyes at least and I didn't see any of that. It came off as largely robotic to me. Hopefully it's just because of this drama as even those that I listed in the pros, their characters weren't the strongest they've played or were edited weirdly and if I see him in the future, it'll be different and better. There are extra little clips on Youku of the ML and FL's life together that wasn't shown in the show that seems like a different drama. Their interactions there are way better than in the show. They could have put those clips into the last episode instead of keeping the ML on the mountain for 1.5 episodes refusing to go down without any rhyme or real reason.

MB or LB whatever his name was who also played an antagonist was so much of an afterthought that the character went from loyal to who he really was plus they made him randomly weirdly stalkerish when he revealed his "real self" just made no sense. It felt like that whole war plot was created just to kill off AN and send ML off the cliff going blind. What was the purpose of fake DZY and all of her bathing scenes? To make us roll our eyes more? The revenge plot and war/aftermath plots seemed like they belonged to different shows. And how did DZY's hair turn black again? I can't even count the amount of plot holes; I know I forgot most of them. I'll just say, it had a lot of potential considering what novel readers said, but came up ridiculously short.

Would I recommend it? I'll divide this one; if you're looking at this from a good storyline perspective, then no. But if you're just wanting to be entertained and not think, then sure go for it. Anyways, the choice is yours.

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The Quality of Death is as Important as the Quality of Life

I wasn't expecting to like this series at all because though I follow LHK and was only watching for him, it was obvious to be a lower caliber series. In that sense, I wasn't wrong. The writing wasn't strong and even though the series had a fantastical premise; many things especially in the last two episodes, were just beyond even basic standards of not done well. It was very obvious when the actors were in front of a green screen and much of how unnaturally they acted was due to inexperience with such things. As well as the dispersement of the budget was a bit questionable; some things seemed more expensive than others and that also showed some inconsistencies.

JBJ's zombie-esque jacking off the pavement twice and flying to save others was very dramatic and quite comical. The first time he flies off the morgue slab and ends up walking on ceiling as well as the growling mutation scene, reminded me so much of Twilight sans the blood drinking and sparkling. This series should have premiered around Halloween, it would have filled the genre nicely. A lot of comedy was included which also helped move the story along. Funniest by far was JBJ running away from the goose!

What drew me to it the most was the absolutely tactful way the series dealt with the topic of death. One lead was essentially immortal and the other only had like a year left to live. Yet she was able to be a pain reliever to him and he's watched practically everyone in his life pass away and couldn't join them. She also faced death with a healthy attitude; living each day to its fullest while still trying find a cure for her rare illness. Also spoke a lot about the importance of organ donation which like death is an unavoidable and very necessary for people to know about and discuss with their families. I personally have connections to both topics so that's probably another reason I was drawn towards this drama.

They were able to deal with death and dying just like it was just another part of a journey. As many know, death is a taboo topic in many cultures and is regarded as morbid if one talks about it. But the simple fact is that, sooner or later we also must deal with it. No human is immune to it. Not even our characters. Our immortal/invincible male lead or JBJ has been trying to get rid of it for 100 years. And though at the end of the series, he finally becomes a mortal again, it is an open ended question to whether JXY has found a cure as well. I'd like to think that by the time they get married in the very last episode, if not a cure, there's been at least some form of treatment to prolong her life. So that the two of them can finally lead a good, normal, human life.

The OSTs, especially one called "Together" by Yang Chuyun is hauntingly beautiful. I love all the side characters, even the annoying Cheng guy who kept trying to break them up in his own misguided way of protecting JBJ. The only inconsistent characters were the villains; they had some bizarre reasons for wanting the immortality meteor and didn't really come together in a cohesive manner. Could have been much better written to make them better antagonists and some version of believable. But all of the loose ends and backstories were eventually explained.

Would I recommend it? As a filler drama, yes I absolutely would. It has many great components and many errors. But if you want a dose of realism in a fantastical premise, give it a go.

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Big Beautiful Mess w/Fantastic Acting

Xianxias are my least favorite genre so made myself watch for XZ and hoped that the storyline would hold. Other actors were familiar to me as well and did very well however the plot was a bust. Every actor was commendable in doing their part just wished for a good story.

Pros: Favorite character was hard because there were several that did very well for different reasons. SY as ML had to go through the myriad of emotions and evolutions and he did so very convincingly. XZ didn't disappoint in this role; it was far different than what he'd done before and I like that he doesn't have a box he sticks himself in but tries different characters and styles. Of course, however, it being a costume drama, a flute made an appearance which brought a smile to my face. CM as the 7,000 year old mystical bird was hysterical, sometimes you wanted to smack him, other times hug him. I've never seen the actor before but he did a good job. Alan Feng as ZY, was also very versatile but I did feel his was a tragic character; that said, he did play good and possessed pretty convincingly. Lastly, I have to give it up for Han Dong or High Priest who was our biggest morally gray character in the entire thing. Usually this actor plays crazy antagonists but here he actually cared about someone other than himself and sacrificed himself for that person.

All of the other characters for the most part were there as needed and played their roles well. This was a big budget production so obviously CGI, costumes, sets were stunning as were the OSTs.

Cons: This storyline absolutely threw me; hence the low score. I know the standard operating procedure for xianxias with the baby voiced, talking to yourself, gorilla glue FLs, the misunderstandings, deaths and multiple resurrections, so on and so forth. But this had to have so many subplots and boring portions that didn't make sense that I legit had to skip episodes. Honestly, you had the merfolk/dragon plot, the palace politics nonsense, cultivators and their lives, and if that wasn't enough throw in a Sauron looking character who wanted to possess two rings not one and an ice clan that left midway and returned out of nowhere. Plus the Sauron thing could possess people by jumping them. Only thing missing was Frodo and the fellowship. Those two last episodes looked like they belonged in a totally different series; like something out of a Marvel film; very sci-fi. It was a very big beautiful mess with fantastic acting.

What was up with that ending though? When I saw "BE" trending on Weibo, I wasn't sure what to think but then when I saw it for myself, I understood. So our ML dies yet again, and a year later is resurrected when FL just randomly chucks the petal into the tree where they first met as kids from said petal. But is he real or a ghost because they stand like 10 feet apart just smiling at each other before credits role. Couldn't they at least show them hugging? And couldn't she have sent that petal into the tree earlier so he could come back? It really defies logic.

Would I recommend it? Only if you like xianxias and are a fan of any actors. Otherwise, the story is not worth it though like I said the actors did a fantastic job. I wish better scripts for the actors; with all of their skill and talent, they deserve that.

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B-I-N-G-O and Most of the Plot was Very Lame-O!

All I can say is, what happened? Started out well but then took a nosedive into the damn Mariana Trench! This wasn't a drama I was anticipating this year but I've watched two ZLH dramas already and he did well there as he and pretty much all the others as well did here but this plot was an absolute mess. I was singing the B-I-N-G-O song randomly in my head and came up with the title for this review. It really was lame-o.

Pros: Very few here, sadly. The fight scenes, CGI (though the winged monkeys and beasts looked more modern day or futuristic beasts then anything ancient), Fab 4 (when actually together), and certain side characters did well. The Qian/Yan plot as well finding out the 500 year old lie/secret which included Huzi's origins were the best. Also have to give it up to ZLH for being able to handle playing totally opposite twins essentially. That's all they should have stayed with. It would have been more than enough for the storyline. Actors did what they could with what they were given. Only reason this series even got the current score is because of what's mentioned above.

Cons: This was an original screenplay but who let it near the shredder? After the drama made most of the plot about those lord forsaken elders that had zilch to do with the actual story, I knew the rest of it would be a mad dash to the finish line. The main antagonist wasn't even introduced until maybe the final 4 or 5 episodes. Furthermore, killing off two of the four mains and the way it was done was idiotic at best. Firstly, Brick had no business fighting a demon God with goat horns (don't get me started on that whole thing; even the modern devil would role his eyes) in the first place. ZXT dies maybe 5 minutes after Brick as she alone faces off against the demon God for a few seconds while Huzi and QXX just stand there. I was like "um hello, do something! Are y'all frozen?" But at least she got that Phurba thing back to Huzi. Then they continue to say their farewells as what? The demon and QXX just wait and watch? It made no sense.

Everything was rushed, even the deaths were like um ok...no explanation or hasty. So with both of them dead, who's going to run that one state? And does the sister get her title back as Commander in Chief or does it go to QXX? She turns good only after she gets her ass whooped by YM and her resurrected grandma reads her the riot act. But grandma of course dies again as does Eldest Master, 2nd master, and Mo Guzi. Even Yan sacrifices himself for Qian but then in the second to last episode the mountain God everyone thought dead pops up to Qian and goes, "well your twin sacrificed himself for you and you broke the curse, so wham bam boom curse broken and you get my crane power, go kill the demon." And again this couldn't happen at the point when Yan was gone and Qian was rescued by his friends before more than half died? Bird was busy?

Finding out some of the truth first from Huzi's mom (who also dies, can't do without that) and the other half after killing the demon; if only they found out about the 500 year old secret before demon killing, maybe they could have kept Brick and ZXT alive; as their deaths made absolutely no sense and because of how they were presented, you were left with a feeling of disbelief more then sadness at first; because they were completely and utterly meaningless. The one death that I think everyone felt was Yan's. Even YM's death wasn't satisfying as the chipmunk puppet or doll, whatever she was, died slowly and looked very creepy as she opened her mouth like a fish out of water and fell over. Lord just why?

Disbelief had to be suspended for most of it as so much just didn't make sense. The delayed facial expressions or reason for something happening; like the two states leaders or officers hating each other's guts from past prejudices but are best buds after catching chickens for a dinner? Like huh? Or the sudden relationship between that Ya woman and the Chiang guy who got a redemption arc. Where? How? Why? So much is being thrown at you and you are just trying to piece the puzzle together as most pieces belong in the twilight zone.

Even though there was hope, with that fortune teller who I secretly think is the Mountain God, that QXX and Huzi will reunite in the future....even their separation doesn't make sense. Why would Huzi stay on that island alone? You lost so many people but your best friend is still alive, stay by his side. But why bother making it make sense? Barely anything else did.

Would I recommend it? Personally, no. The plot was a serious dud; could have been good but just fell and busted its ass hopelessly. And what they did to the mains plus Yan was just very bad writing. If you're a fan of any of the actors, watch something else of theirs.

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Intelligence & Amazing Chemistry Worthy of 2 Lifetimes

Picked this up for both leads though only follow MZY (I’ve loved her acting since CQL) and the plot. Originally this was supposed to be LYR's first ML role but his modern drama aired first and he did really well in both. I didn't know this was a rebirth type of deal but they actually just turned it into a dream which was a nice departure from the usual transmigration storyline. The leads intelligence & amazing chemistry was really worthy of both.

Pros: Let's clap for the finally promised and attained HE! The storyline was always moving along. There was never any dragging. I loved how smart both leads were and their intelligence made them into the ultimate power couple. I like how the first life was handled in the first episode and it was a called a dream by the FL as only she and SML remembered it. I also really love the fact that though this was only 34 episodes, it felt like a lifetime literally since the first episode. And also that in life number two, she went back to being a child as opposed to the usual first life adult, second life adult. How she followed the book at first and then just went with gut instinct. DZ and SM were destined in every life and their chemistry was palpable and it was like they could finish each other's thoughts.

Learning how to kiss from the director and his wife BTS was hysterical and they actually mentioned in an interview that they watched something like 800 videos on kissing. I always found it funny when human beings nearly in their 30s had no idea how to make out and directors had to even explain that portion. Some people may think that MZY was expressionless but I disagree; she showed contemplation, happiness, anger, fear, exhaustion, embarrassment, surprise though many a time the expressions were on a smaller scale, I think that is better than over dramatic in a drama like this. LYR was fierce and at the same time protective and loving as SM. Made all of us want an SM in our lives. The small things they did for each other to protect each other meant a lot especially when they were taking down the antagonists big or small.

I was very glad JY (SML) was playing double agent and not really turned into a traitor in life number two. I think his job was the hardest having to do all that while all of these chess pieces moved around. He knew how things were going to go from life number one but still unexpected things were going to happen and he had to be ready for them. Him unexpectedly falling for DZ when he never had any feelings before was a bit of a hindrance. I loved the side characters like the twin maids and twin guards though sadly we lost one, GY was hysterical and I loved how he took care of SM though wish we saw more of him, all her bookstore intel gatherers, General Yan, Mr. Chen, his uncle Meisun (his death was the catalyst in both lives; though with different outcomes, still painful), CJ and JR made for a cute couple. Grandma rocked and I love grandma's like that in series. Crown Princess and CP's wife. DZ's dad took a little time to thaw but finally he got it right, her half sister also in the second life was good though tragic, Ansu was nice though love dumbed her down, she eventually did the right thing when she came to her senses of marrying a monster. I liked how the emperor was grey but ultimately made the right decisions as did the CP.

There were a lot of antagonists in this one from her step monster and shitty fifth uncle, to his father and brother, LQ, that horrid eunuch who killed them in the first life, and of course the mastermind being the empress. They were all about power and it didn't matter who they harmed to get it, even each other. LQ, eunuch, and empress were the best antagonists as was his father. Everyone else will be spoken about in the cons.

The emperor choosing to save SM from the hate poison instead of using it on himself was probably one of the best decisions he made the entire show. Also, it was funny how once peace was achieved and the 5 year time jump happened, the leads had a daughter but complained that raising a child was harder than doing business or fighting on the battlefield lol! The comedy though not often in this show, came through when necessary. Little girl had both of her parents courage and intelligence and they were suffering for it. Thankfully, when she was old enough to start school, they sent her off to her great grandmother and grandfather and ran off to travel and just have alone time as well as probably work on baby number 2 😉. There is a small funny scene with her after the ending credits of the last episode that you should watch. Brings the word fate into the forefront again.

Costumes, sets, OSTs, and some of the fight scenes (especially in episode one) were on point.

Cons: Not a lot of these but they were here. Starting with the antagonists that I didn't like; the step monster was an annoying pawn that I had to use the ffw button on and really was the only time I did that in the whole show. She was desperate and horrible. Her actions (coupled with those of the other villains) caused her own daughter's death. But still they didn't off her. That said 5th uncle was even more rotten but his death was a copout. After everything he had done to DZ and others, even though he "went out on his own terms after clearing the rest of the D family of any possible retaliation", it just seemed too light for him. Death by arrows while protecting the woman who recommended him to the emperor in the first place was just eh to me.

SH, the psychopath that supposedly only turned into that after he lost his status; I don't believe it. They shoved his emerging psychopathy into like two episodes and the way he treated Ansu before and after he married her and even before when his "mom" was alive was questionable. You could tell there was something wrong with him from the get go and it should have been more properly fleshed out. But his death at the hands of Ansu was very appropriate though I wish she had told him she knew he killed her brother.

That last fight scene in the palace; yes I know the guards had limited bullets as I was explained the history, but why didn't the main palace guards use those crossbows then like the other army soldiers running into the palace as they fired multiple rounds and reloaded or even regular bows and arrows are a lot faster than swords. It sure as hell beats just standing there. That entire scene was just thrown off for me. Help the Ding Army out! Don't just stand there watching them die until reinforcements rush in. It was off. The fight scenes could have been a bit better towards the end. Felt the last few episodes were definitely rushed, could have slowed that down a bit with more fleshing out earlier on.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely! The storyline moved along very well and it was the second chance, don't accept fate, and love with all of your heart show that you just want to hang onto. Great characters and actors; one of the better dramas of 2024.

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