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This review may contain spoilers
The romanticization of the self-sacrificial heroine must stop !!!
This drama is a real danger for young women who seek inspiration through dramas. Here, the show normalizes and glamorizes the fact that a woman decides not to choose herself, not to prioritize herself, for the sake of a man's well-being.If QiaoXi had truly loved YingTao with a pure and strong love, he would never have held her hostage. He would not have fueled YingTao's perseverance to continue waiting for him and finding him.
QiaoXi is a coward and a hypocrite, his character is really realistic tho, don't get me wrong, most people would have behave like he did. He had legitimate reasons for being so, but that doesn't change the nature of his actions and choices.
He tried to make her understand why he gave up on her, saying it was because he was too ashamed of what he had become, that leaving her was for her own good blablabla ...
But in reality, he's a very self-centered person, who displayed ambiguity that was detrimental to YingTao's well-being simply so that he could keep two options open for his very own well-being: keeping her in his life or abandoning her for good AKA breaking his heart or hers.
Yintao has such a strong love for QiaoXi that she couldn't bear to leave him behind (the taxi scene, episode 21), to see him destroyed because of her decision. QiaoXi couldn't do what she did. Why? Because that's what we expect from women, not men ...
YingTao acted like the mother he didn't have lmao, and it was cruel to watch, making sure he felt secure and loved in her presence no matter what ... But she wanted to be a lover, his lover and his insecurities even stole this dream of hers for so many years, having her instead chasing and showing a devotion for a man who didn't actually do the same.
It was so unfair. And most people actually focussed on how QiaoXi was feeling.
Of course, his life was very sad but you shouldn't mislead people to think because of how sad your life is, you can have the right to misbehave with someone who always had pure intentions for you. This is not fair. We all have to face our responsabilities and the consequences of our actions.
Please, women, don't sacrifice your time for a man who hesitates to keep you in his life. You deserve more than a man incapable of confronting his pride to preserve your love. You deserve someone who is determined to choose you no matter what !!!
The directing was pretty good (lovely shots especially in the beginning), the writing was bad, the editing and pacing were awful and probably the worst things about the drama.
They wasted a lovely chemistry. The acting wasn't bad but I wasn't impressed at all, they did the job I guess.
Barely anything was realistic and meaningful in the storytelling... youth, poverty, separations, friendships, the love story, the adult life... nothing looked real or even actually made through the spectrum of the age of the characters which was truly disappointing.
Was it a waste of time? Yes. I finished it cause I felt the need to have a closure.
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A Fake Promise
The first part of the drama was very entertaining. The comedy was fresh, the chemistry between the cp and the whole cast was pretty nice. The directing is really the only thing that is actually impressive tho, the shots were different and brave especially for a cdrama, very innovative, the action scenes were beautifuly filmed too which is something that rare to see in cdramaland now.In term of acting, it wasn't bad at all but nothing was that incredible to witness.
Li Yi Tong did good, but when you look at her acting in « Royal Nirvana », you can see the radical difference when it comes to having her in a drama where she can display the depth of her skills or not. Here, she tried her best, but I don't think she portrayed her character the best she could have, some of her scenes felt forced or maybe one dimensional ...
Liu Yu Ning definitely improved again, still showing his ability for range when it comes to acting but you could clearly see how his skills lack depth and strong incarnation.
The writing after 20 eps went downwhill pretty fast, which was very disapointing. The ideas were good, the execution was immature.
The main and strong theme of the drama being the generic "mary sue" role freeing herself from that narrow minded narrative turned into a strong will or direction to make the ml the most pitiful possible. How come the work around the fl didn't get the same dedication?
It turned so forced, it was very hard for me to find the drama interesting during the 2nd part of it.
The main character's development was poorly done; the writing didn't emphasize enough her need to be straightforward and selfish to literally stay alive, AKA chosing herself instead of entertaining the idea of having to sacrifice for her love, for her family, for everyone else but herself, instead they made her seem like ruthless. At the same time, they made the ml seen as the most pitiful, deep down so kind and nice despite everything that happened to him, which ultimately blocked any attempt to showcase any real gray areas for his character, which would have been more realistic when it comes to psychology...
The last part of the drama was completely meaningless, nothing was really interesting to watch, and the conclusion felt flat. They turned the last segment of the drama the story of the ml's life and focussed on his relationship with his father.
The fl became a supporting character, and it's quite baffling when you consider the drama's introduction, which promised us to see her reinvent the character's position in the story, challenging stereotypes etc, clearly it was a fake promise LOL.
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A little bit of hope and sweetness
A cute movie def made in and for Netflix, surprisingly fun, endearing, and at times (rarely) quite deep.Netflix's generic tone and format made the story feel artificial, but I still found it to be quite charming.
The theme of domestic violence deserved more prominence in the movie. The entire segment was rushed, and as expected from Netflix and kdramaland, they simply used tragic events as special effects or shock value, instead of truly tackling this type of subject with proper writing (psychology, introspection, relevant dialogues, etc.).
Despite this serious flaw, I do recommend this movie. I had a good time. The last part felt rushed, but I don't regret watching it. It was quite inspiring, but I don't think it's really rewatchable.
The whole scene where the ml and his mother are crying together in the hospital made me cry, it was such a well-acted scene! I really liked Gong Myung's performance, I think he did a really good job, and the whole cast was actually quite nice, but their acting wasn't that interesting, the fl was cute but her perf was simply ok.
It's most definitely not a movie that engage your brain lol, but it has some sparkles in it, many scenes and vibes bringing a little bit of hope and sweetness in the heart of the youth.
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Yet again, another missed opportunity for dramaland
6.25/10The plot was interesting, with a psychological aspect that was both realistic and courageous. The characters' gray areas were not only relevant but also refreshing.
The acting was good, but could have been better and deeper. It lacked a lot of maturity and spirituality.
However, I think this is zls's best performance. Wc's acting was more interesting than usual, but still rather superficial.
The rest of the cast was quite good, without delivering performances that made the cut.
The chemistry definitely the cp works quite well. They're cute, there were intense moments between them, they were natural, but we didn't get the chance to see a deeper chemistry between them, due to the flaws in the acting and the lack of scenes that could've help display more depth.
The pacing wasn't frustrating, but at times, especially during the second part, several scenes were completely uninteresting. Matter of fact, I think the whole second part of the dram ruined it. It was very disappointing.
The second couple's story was boring.
In my opinion, the writing was the drama's major flaw. The ideas were good, but the execution could have been more impactful, stronger, and more gripping.
After episode 18, the fl and ml have lowkey new personalities out if nowhere, without us being able to witness the progression of these changes, which is quite annoying and makes the drama lose its seriousness.
Many elements were missing that would have allowed us to realize the intensity of the characters' backgrounds and feelings.
The drama was in the beginning very entertaining. Too bad, it got generic and boring during the 2nd part.
It could've been easily better, they truly missed a good opportunity...
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A distraction I regret not dropping earlier !
It's going to be a quick review.The drama was boring as hell but the natural chemistry made my heart flutter, so of course I couldn't drop it...
The chemistry was nice but after ep14, not only it got insipid but also the cp got boring interactions with dull dialogues. The storytelling was mediocre, it feels like the writer was uninterested by the story they choose to write LOL.
Their chemistry was, as I wrote earlier, natural (which is rare in cdramaland) but it did lack depth and intensity.
I like how the two leads carried a very natural tone in their interactions instead of forcing a fake intensity for the sake of gaining attention, but those kissing scenes felt like a very superficial fan services level type of stuff (as most cdramas have)...
The writing is dull and boring, no brain stimulation at all, the psychology around the characters has potential but of course the lazy writing ruined it, nothing was that entertaining to watch, and the directing was generic.
I had to skip most of the drama, especially all the scenes with that stupid selfish fl's brother who was evil enough to get romantically involved with his sister's bully ...
Nothing that interesting was happening, the stories around the 2nd characters was also boring, they turned the 2nd ml pure evil, which was cringe af.
The last 4 episodes weren't that boring but lowkey pathetic, what was the purpose of all that nonsense, like what are we supposed to learn from this? Truly disappointing, you don't need your brain to watch this drama.
Tbh, it was simply a distraction for me. Blaming censorship isn't valid, the team behind the drama could've tried better and harder to finish the storyline with a better or even just a freaking decent ending.
The whole coma situation wasn't the problem, the cp should've been woken up much earlier and shown us how they would reconnect in real life, they were just too lazy to even try to give something decent... Basically, we saw two people dreaming of being able to change the past and that's that LOOOOL. No aftermath.
They also chose to close the drama with a scene with that pathetic brother and the psycho girl LMAOOO, THE DISRESPECT WAS REAL, a real clownerie ... ANYWAY.
The lack of efforts and intellectual abilities in the writing was disrespectful to the audience who watched the drama.
The acting was ok, but really nothing outstanding. I feel like often the fl lacked a lot of incarnation, she had a superficial embodiment of her character. The ml did ok but I feel like he could've display more range in his facial expressions (fl too, I mean lowkey the whole cast...).
I would recommand for the people who are considering watching this drama to just watch the scenes of the cp if you want something sweet to binge watch, it's the only good thing decent you'll get from it LOL.
I have zero interest in watching this drama ever again
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A happy ending is not mandatory... It's okay to leave behind the people who hurt you !
The first 20 eps were truly incredible, all the themes around family and what this word truly means were very inspiring.I love how the fathers (mainly thanks to Hai Chao) built for their children the best they could a family, and a stable and warm home.
The casting was very well chosen but I think the acting of Song Wei Long was bellow in comparison of the rest of the main cast tho. He did a better job during the last part.
After ep21, the drama was ok but not as good.
It was too much of that fake triangle insinuations and many scenes with 3rd characters I didn't care about.
The development of the lovestory between Jianjian & Ling Xiao didn't get me interested as I was in the beginning of the drama, probably because their chemistry was good, cute but not that deep ...
Yang Tong Shu, Tu Song Yan and Zhang Xin Cheng put the best acting performances imo.
Tan Song Yun's perf on the 1st part was great, I wasn't that impressed in the 2nd part.
I was expecting "a masterpiece" as many people stated, it was not, it was a good drama with more flaws that people let us believe...
It was tiring and triggering to watch the writers try to force us to accept the excuses of the toxic parents who chose to abandon their children and having to see those same children becoming adults still having to "compromise" for those awful parents, just for the sake of pleasing a certain chinese moral standpoint, and for it to please the censorship... and to also please the idea that in the end of a story, we need things to get better at any expense, even against common sense, that we need an answer to every situation even those dark and complexe ones ...
I think the drama needed a more mature dimension in the writing to deliver a real, honest raw ending to truly respect the representation of what dysfonctionnal family and toxic parents are and what they lead to.
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What was the point of the storytelling?
Eps 1-4 : very good, acting, directing, writing, chemistry, I had zero complain, the quality was very niceEps 5-7 : the pacing started to go bad, the scenes less revelant, the dialogues were still quite inspiring but the writing of the scenes weren't that good, too much focus on the time thing
Eps 8 : the major scene came out of nowhere and it did affect my appreciation for the storytelling... It was abrubt, no introduction, we have no idea what actually happened in details, why and how.
I'm not sure if it is because of censorship, but it was disappointing.
Eps 9-10 : quite boring especially in term of writing and pacing, as if we have to be bored to expect the next major events, the upcoming shock value was too obvious. The writing was clumsy and lazy.
Eps 10-12 : They tried real hard to make us cry, the tone was a bit artificial for my taste, they were doing too much when in fact I think the execution felt off.
I feel like the production tried to take heavy inspiration from the aesthetic and directing of the famous japanese movie "Love Letter", the chinese movie "Better Days" and the taiwanese drama "Someday or One Day". And it's something I enjoyed, but at the same time I do think the drama still managed to have its own style.
The ending left me bored, I honestly got really uninterested and uninspired by the execution and the writing of the drama after ep8. The conclusion of it felt flat, lacked so much sense and depth.
At the end of the last episode, all I was thinking about was the point of that whole storyline ... It felt too idealistic and naive while portraying real pain and misery. But for what? What was the point of it all? The whole time thing had no real purpose but to tell a story of being able to change the upcome of the past, which I didn't find interesting.
For exemple, the drama "Someday or One Day" portrayed the storyline in just an effective way with similar themes (the different timelines and the ambition of changing past events).
Overall, the first 4 eps were very good but after that, the writing and pacing weren't as good and convincing imo, the acting and great directing carried the show until the end tho.
The quality of the drama was overall better than most cdramas that were overhyped this year but failed to impressed me.
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A distraction, and that's it.
First of all, I need to confess that I'm not a fan of short cdramas. I barely finished any of those I tried in the past. But this one caught my attention because I like how both leads weren't characters that were written with the sole intention to make them loved by the audience (at least in the first part of the drama).Eps 1 - 13 : Very entertaining, creative direcring, cute chemisty, interesting grey areas from leads, good pacing, nice costumes, acting performances that were ok from the leads, not impressive at all but with potential from both (the rest of the cast was meh tbh), cheesy writing but a cheesiness that felt right LOL (if you get it, you simply get it. If you don't, then you don't).
The quality of the writing is not serious enough for me to even try to analyse it, I was there just to be entertained and clearly the writing wasn't trying to get my brain's attention, which is good since I had no intention to waste my braincells.
Let's say the storytelling was good enough to get my attention.
I have to add, that some scenes of v'olence were a bit too excessive imo, a bit triggering and of poor taste just too add cheap quick useless shock values ...
Eps 14 - 20 : Disastrous, absolute nonsense that didn't need to be seen. Ridiculous writing, boring and repetitive delivery from everyone.
The whole initial tone of the drama disapeared to leave us with a eww chessy (the wrong one this time) writing and fake candy taste of superficial romance that was way too obvious for me to pretend to not be bothered by it.
Eps 20 - 24 : ok, some cute scenes here and there, but frankly after ep13, the whole thing went mediocre.
The fl was lowkey trying to force the ml to do it with her in ep22, and tried to make him feel guilty for not engaging with her attempt to get phisicaly close, which was a psycho move we also didn't to have !!?? tf was that for?? Yikes.
And then she has to fake her death for the ml to kinda confess his feelings to her ... I was left speechless of how cringe the drama turned out to be, gosh the FATIGUE was real at this point.
The actual love mak'ng scene turned out to be the peak comedy I didn't see coming, was that scene supposed to be steamy??? HAHAHA.
The final of the drama was clearly just about how both were horny for each other .... yup, the writer had nothing else to write about... they added few others scenes just for the sake of not turning the drama into something else hmhm, ANYWAY.
I kinda felt some pity of the the 2nd ml at the end of the drama cause damn they really tried their best to make him look ridiculous, pure clownerie level.
Do I regret watching it? Nah it was entertaining until it wasn't. I can't get mad at a drama that isn't arrogant, or that never aimed to be more than it was aka a good distraction which it was.
Will I rewatch it? Absolutely not.
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How to give suffering a meaning?
6.25/10The drama was good, and it started with 4 excellent episodes. I really appreciated the pervasive gray areas in almost all the characters. It was very interesting to watch.
The directing was good, though I would have preferred something more "noir" and more artistic.
The acting surprised me a lot (in a good way) :
- Kim Yoo Jung's performance was definitely good ! She never overacted, and never underperformed. I really liked her acting perf here, even though I don't usually like her acting.
However, there were still flaws in her perf, and one of them was major.
She didn't manage to incorporate that kinda "mystical" elements into her portrayal of her character. There's a lack of inner depth, and quite honestly, I think it's because the actress herself doesn't seem to be someone with a "mystical" sensibility, imo she probably lacks dark complexity.
- Kim Young Dae has finally grasped the meaning of acting after a string of mediocre perfs in the past. Here, he's good, not yet THAT good, but the progress is evident. He's also managed to imbue his character with something lowkey poetic (a blend of melancholy and strangeness).
- Bae Soo Bin once again demonstrated what an excellent actor he has always been; it was a pleasure to see him on screen again. I think it's been over five years since I last saw him.
- Hong Jong Hyun also surprised me too, I found his presence quite captivating in the drama. He certainly made an impression with the aura he displayed while playing his character.
His acting wasn't outstanding at all, but imo he added value to the drama.
- I must add that I think the overall casting was very well chosen. Everyone had chemistry and delivered good performances.
As I write earlier, the drama is definitely good, especially in the beginning, however, it gradually lost some of its luster for several reasons:
- The quality of the writing wasn't always consistent. Several scenes lacked detail, context, and depth, which was disappointing because it could have made the drama quite exceptional.
- The pacing was uneven, with a lot of scenes being uninteresting and occasionally too long (especially during the part of the drama that described her rise to celibrity).
- The 2nd ml's attachment to the fl, I felt, lacked realism. Him sacrificing his life for her, was too extreme ...
- The directing was good, but I felt it lacked shots with more symbolism and artistic merit. It's a shame because the story itself was enough material to do that.
- The story should have been told much more explicitly. Strangely, I found the drama too prudish. Kdramas these days are often explicit without any valid reason, but here, I think it would have been necessary because psychology is the major element of this drama. The characters' sexuality was barely addressed, and I found that unrealistic.
The writing isn't bold enough or to be more precise, honest enough. It doesn't sufficiently explore the complexity of the characters, refusing to delve into their true inner intimacy. It fails to truly disorient and unsettle the audience as it should have, given the complexity of the events and characters portrayed.
To conclude this review, I want to write about my opinion about the awful writing of the ending of the drama.
The whole episode was a mess, hectic and rushed.
In that episode, Junseo (the ml) was a pathetic looser for what he did to Ajin.
She is a deeply dysfonctional and complex character. She ended sacrificing the life of a innocent man (her very own friend Jae O) for the sake of her own ambition. I won't give her excuse, of course.
BUT, Junseo had no right to do what he did. Not only he tried to k'll her with himself, but before that he publicly destroyed her.
Was it necessary? I don't think so.
He only did it for himself, simply because she was the woman he loved. And therefore he couldn't forgive her incapacity to change for the sake of his love for her.
Something Ahjin also felt for him too, she hated the fact that he couldn't change for her knowing he was in love for her, she hated his unability to become a monster for her, to become a monster to save her. His love for her wasn't without limit, he couldn't destroy his own conscience for the sake of his love.
But it also was the reason she was deeply attached to him... She accepted the fact that he could never do what she needed him to do for her to succeed.
Why didn't he display that savior energy to bring down her psycho husband or his very own psycho mother, or anyone else who tried to destroy the woman he loves tho??? WELL .. I think it's because he never dreamed of forcing on them a pseudo redemption arc ... but he forced it on Ahjin, simply, because she is the woman he loves. There is something narcissic in his way of forcing Ahjin to change.
She had to become better, he never accepted her unability to change for him ...
Strangely, I've always seen Ahjin and Junseo as almost mystical twins. One being a part of the other, yet both driven by an absolute will to achieve something. Ahjin wanted to build a life that would prove to God that, despite the torment He inflicted upon her, she had managed to climb the social ladder and attain absolute power through sheer force of will, perseverance, and determination. It was her way of defying God.
Junseo, on the other hand, sought to change Ahjin, to prove that the power of his love could change someone he loved. Because his existence and his love hadn't managed to change his mother. Junseo sought to prove that his existence had a truer and deeper meaning than simply being born to become his parents' wallet... to be merely a means for the other to get what they wanted.
The thing I hated the most is indeed that public humiliation ...
He k'lled her twice, first by destroying the reputation she worked to build, a reputation that was actually a way too be loved by others, and then by letting that car crash ...
But he forgot something important, she already died a long time ago, when her own mother died in front of her own eyes, when she made the decision to let her die, a decision for herself to survive from the hell both her parent have put her through. She died when she had to kill to survive. She died when she had to become a monster to survive.
Ahjin did not escape death. Her soul has always been elsewhere, lost in the abyss of suffering that longs only to end. She is merely a body that moves with the strong will to give meaning to her suffering, the need to restore the dignity that life has stolen from her.
If she can't be loved and protected for who she is. Then, she thought she would be loved and protected for what she pretend to be and the power she worked to obtain.
Ahjin is a shadow, who lost her ability to live a long time ago.
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The Principle of Polarity Put into Perspective: "A weakness can also be an armor"
I actually rate this drama a 6.75/10, but since I can't give that rating on MDL, I opted for a 6.5/10.I also want to emphasize the fact that this is, for me, the first xianxia I've found interesting in over three years. And this is essentially due to the fact that this cdrama focuses on stong philosophical reflections, that I found very inspiring. However, this drama has many flaws, and I understand why many fail to connect to it.
Nevertheless, for me at least, there's still something in the design of this drama that I value greatly: the expression of sincerity in artistic & creative exploration. This drama really tried to create something visually different from the usual xianxia genre (mainly the first 11 episodes, cause after that it went slowly downhill).
This drama is far from perfect, but despite everything, it managed to touch the part in me in search for a creative journey.
1.The Directing :
The 1st ep looked very much like a pilot one, a bit chaotic & clumsy, weird voice over for the fl, your classic xianxia trope, in term of directing it's wasn't that great but still charming.
Episodes 2-11 were beautifully directed imo, not perfect but the creative input was def strong & authentic, it impressed me. The shots were differents & gorgeous, you could sense the inspiration from old famous movies from hong kong & china, and there was a serious will to give us a different looking xianxia. There was something very seductive in the way the scenes were portayed through the lens of the director.
The color palette, decor, makeup & costumes truly surprised me in the best way. I was so tired of watching xianxias having the same aesthetic.
Shots got repetitive after the first 11 episodes tho. Most of the creativity of the beginning faded away to display the most generic directing, probably less costing LOL. During the last part of the drama, few shots were pretty but kinda meaningless, so it was a disappointement.
Most cgi during the 2nd part & most importantly the action scenes were bad.
The editing was often weird. It participate on the downfall of the quality of the drama. The scenes followed one another in either an abrupt or robotic manner. Of course, it is obvious that to respect the 32-episodes format, there must have been a need to reduce a lot of scenes.
The work on the lighting was generic and lacked efforts. It actually made a lot of scenes (that were already poorly shooted) look very awkward.
Have you noticed how all the hugging scenes were poorly filmed? A shame. The directing after ep 11 definitely lacked sensibility, spirit but also bravery. I never got actually emotional while watching the drama, I could feel so much distance with what was displayed, it didn't feel real despite many realitic themes. The execution of it was most definitely NOT credible, lacked so much attention for details and precision.
The sountrack was absolutely underwhelming. I only like two songs and one of them was the one sung by Zeng Shun Xi.
2. The Writing :
A/The Themes of The Story :
The choice of the themes deplayed in the drama were outstanding and what truly makes this drama worth the watch and give it a high rewatch potential.
Here a short list of the themes :
-The Principle of Polarity (Yin & Yang, Cause and Effects)
-The cycle of life that never ends
-Theory of causality: cause and effect
-The theme of motherhood and fatherhood
- Maternal instinct ( HRY being overprotective) vs detachment ( BJS chosing to take action for both of them without her consent, being also overprotective)
- The challenges of perception
- Reality vs Imagination
- Hysteria or the condescending term and judgment of women's emotional expressions (Yin)
- The silent burdens in the expression of masculinity (Yang)
- The puirsuit of Truth & the construction of discernment
I have written a very long essai that I added on discussion topic of the page of FEUD, so if your curious I'll invite you to read it, it is called "An attempt to highlight the beauty of the deep philosophical themes of the story of FEUD".
B/The Storytelling :
The storytelling was a complete fail.
The writing & choices of the themes were great but the construction of the narrative was very amateurish and full of obvious and tacky clumsiness.
The audience is really left alone trying to guess the depth of the writing. And if you don't pay attention enough, you would definetely miss the beauty of the subjects displayed, because precisely the storytelling wasn't efficient enough. You do not get to truly witness the beauty of the theory of polarities reaching its high potential when it comes to a drama adaptation. FEUD is to me more of an attempt, a lovely & clumsy attempt that still reached me, but if I wasn't myself educated enough on taoism and other philosophical ideas, this drama wouldn't have reach me like it did. And that's why I can see how many people didn't connect to the drama.
The writing of the first twist was actually good (HRY faking having forgotten everything), the 1st stabbing scene did get the reaction from the audience that was needed, but the twits after felt VERY repetitive, forced & cringy, simply added to avoid truly writing something creative & more serious as obstacles or ways to deepen the psychology of the characters.
Honestly, they were too many repetition in the writing, it was annoying.
I guessed most major twists, and after the 1st one, the thrill of guessing became flavorless.
The constant focus on those stabbing scenes & the display of physical pain was of poor taste (most xianxias have those and it needs to stop LOL, can you write angst in another way? Like it's 2025?). One or two scenes were enough for us to grab the importance of how deep their sorrow was, but nah, they kept going just to use those heavy scenes of suffering as a way to fill up the storytelling, which I find not only problematic but also triggering. It destroyed the impact of the first scenes, making the use of those same looking scenes (where you see the fl stabbing the ml, one of them needing to die etc) as a pretext or disguise for the lack of cleverness needed to write new scenes with such a strong impact.
HRY & BJS “acting” to then cooperate felt flat as hell, it was simplistic and yet again REPETITIVE ! So, in the beginning, HRY was acting up, BJS was playing along, then HRY played AGAIN in an illusion to trap BJS. And then, both of them play fools to win against the bad villain bla bla bla uuugh so boring and cringy ?! Like, the writer didn't find any better way to make the story evolve? haa? That's the real major issue, the writing didn't get to evolve at all ! A waste of so much potential, and that's a shame.The drama could've been epic.
The last part of the drama (eps 22-32) was highly disappointing. I did enjoy the scenes were BJS get to discover the truth when it comes to what HRY had to go through in the mortal realm without him but after that, nothing interesting was going on. The quality of the writing definitely showed its heavy limitation there. Watching BJS acts like a child was cute but felt completely random since the drama was almost ending.
The drama was far too abstract & focused on aesthetics when it came to the story of the two heroes' love, we were forced to display a form of detachment since the writer failed when it comes to the storytelling.
We don't really know how BJS & HRY fell in love in details. I mean we know the circustances but we never got to see the characters wonder and have introspection about how they feel and think. The drama was too focus on displaying a robotic way of narration. We needed to dive more into their soul imo. We didn't have enough scenes where there was a real effort in the writing, particularly with the help of sincere and deep dialogues.
Now, let's talk about the ending.
The ending was underwhelming but the idea of it was very interesting and meaningful, too bad the making was badly done.
The whole idea of HRY going back in time to try to change things in the past, but failing into changing the future for her & BJS was an excellent idea but again, poorly executed. They rushed the whole process.
The idea was that Destiny or your Karma fate, is bound to happen no matter what, your mistakes, one flawed action, aren't the only responsibles of the trajectory of your life's journey. Erasing suffering won't change the separations, the misunderstanding (etc), nor the course of what should happen. Suffering is what made you transform, you have to live it. You have to accept how unperfect your past could be, & if you are able to make peace with it, you can find some sort of harmony, between suffering and happiness, cause one can't exist without the other, again it is the symbolism of polarities. Happiness might not be the actual precise word to express the opposite of suffering, I think it was more a matter of Prosperity (a spiritual abundance) that is about experiencing a sense of profound fulfillment, gratitude, and richness in every aspect of life.
HRY go back in time and resolve the main misunderstandings, leaving the people have more informations, to guide their future choices but without forcefully intervene (the way she did in the past). It's a way for her to help them gain a better level of consciousness, something she lacked herself for a very long time.
By being more conscious of what's happenning around you, because of yourself and others, you get to at least try to harmonize the income of your future by not failing into the trap of self victimization. The source of your suffering, doesn't have to kill you, it can transform you.
The ending is about Yin and Yang becoming complementary, forming One through their differences.
3. The Pacing
It was awful.
Unlike many, the beginning of the drama and the first part was the most interesting part to me.
Yes, the very first episode was very clumsy, but despite that, I immediately saw potential and the chemistry.
Nothing was clear, and that's what I liked about it. Everything was designed to encourage us to make suggestions rather than offering an academic introduction to history. And the pacing was very good, during those episodes, I never got bored.
It's only after episode 12 that the chain of events slows down and makes the narrative less engaging. There are many scenes without passion, without a well-crafted rhythm, particularly in the way events follow one after the other. The drama lacked so much passion, lacked so much life, and the terrible pacing made those inadequacies even more heavy.
Despite many lovely scenes, some great emotional moments and the chemistry between the lead, they couldn't correct the void left by the lack of quality in the storytelling & the pacing.
Those scenes in that 2nd part (eps 13-21) were largely premeditated with the aim of solving the main mystery rather than showing us a shared adventure with moment of deep connections. The drama lacks a lot of subtlety.
The other thing that made the pacing quite awful that were most definetely
repulsive are the filler scenes. They were soo boring, especially the scenes about the Jingyun sect and its members, all those scenes with the 2nd male lead etc, gosh so boring.
4. The Chemistry
The last time I actually liked Bai Lu's chemistry with her male lead was with Xu Kai. The chemistry between Zeng Shun Xi & Bai Lu was also one of the reason I decided to continue watching the drama. The chemistry was very obvious from the get go. Their scenes felt natural, you could sense how comfortable they were in acting together.
They did lack intensity but they instead displayed a very lovely, charming chemistry, that was very refreshing.
In the beginning of the drama, you could sense a sexual tension between HRY & BJS but after episode 12, it kinda got lost. Their mutual attraction got muted for the sake of highlighting a more platonic love, which was disappointing to me. I mean, I loved the platonicity, the innocence from it but it wasn't neccessary to suppress their desires lol, both could exist at the same time.
5. The Acting :
Since FEUD is a drama produced by Yu Zheng, we have to deal with the fact that he adds most of his team members into the cast of the drama, and as always it's annoying as hell, cause most of the time those actors & actresses bring nothing truly interesting to the table, at least for most of them.
Zeng Shun Xi's performance was the true suprise of this show for me but also what made me curious about this drama in the beginning.
I never was impressed by his acting if I'm being honest, he always does the job but never truly was impressive.
Here, he really was good. His care and dedication to display the right expressions but also subtle ones (especially during the 1st part of the drama) were one of the major reason that made me choose to continue watching this drama.
I really enjoyed his work on the characterization of Bai Jiu Si and the expression of his character's aura was undeniable. It felt sincere, even if, during the 2nd part of the drama, his acting lacked novelty, his portrayal got a bit redundant. The last part of the drama gave him enough substance to show us more of his range.
Zeng Shun Xi does look very young despite being 27 year old, and I think it did take away the credibility of him looking like the most powerful & respected deity (Heavenly Lord Dacheng) in the heaven realm lol.
But it wasn't really that disturbing to me, I could ignore that. But the real flaw in his acting imo, is that at some point (and it's also the case for Bai Lu too) you can very obviously see how his own lack of experiences in life made some of his scenes feel unsatisfied, incomplete and sometimes superficial.
Bai Lu's perfomance felt quite flat and average. There was few scenes were I fought she did a good job but overall, her peformance lacked range and depth to portay Hua Ru Yue.
She didn't display anything different of what she usually does. She lacked tremendously micro expressions and energy shifts in her perf.
Li Mo (Liang Yong Qi) and Sun Zheng (Long Yuan) were the only interesting character's outside the leads to me. Their acting perfomances were good especially Li Mo.
The rest of the cast performed in a rather ordinary or caricatured manner. They were simply uninteresting to watch for me.
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A drama that has lost its soul as its focus on entertainment has increased.
6.25/10I'm gonna make it short and simple :
the 3 first episodes were excellent, but after that, it went downhill.
The writer made the fatal choice to prioritize entertainment over delving into the psychology and sociology of the story, which made me lose interest pretty fast ...
The directing was very good, the writing excellent until it took a less serious, and less rigorous turn.
The cast was also very good, but the writing could've served better scenes for us to watch how good all the actresses and actors were ...
Another drama with such a waste of good potential !
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The angst could've been epic, a missed opportunity
The quality of the production was very nice, the costumes were stunning.The chemistry between the two leads is definitely what made me stay, it was lovely, sexy, intense, but also could've been even deeper if it wasn't for the lack of scenes displaying actual depth.
Their acting was good but the plot itself was actually the most interesting thing. I really liked it.
I enjoyed the grey nuances of the writing of the female lead and male lead. I
The writing and execution of the storytelling weren't that good, and the short format is probably the main cause. This one could've been far better if it was a longer drama. The angst was there but wasn't executed properly because of the format and the flat writing.
The pacing was good but unfortunately the cringy scenes during the last episodes really affected the unitial appreciation I had for it.
The ending was flavorless and was extremely boring & cringe.
The first part of the drama was really nice but then, it went downhill.
Nevertheless, this short drama is one of the very few I managed to finish.
I definitely recommand this one, but I really don't see myself rewatching it.
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A Lovely Experimental Cinematic Attempt
In my opinion, this movie draws heavily on Wong Kar Wai's classic film "Chungking Express," particularly the love story between the two characters played by Leung Chiu Wei and Faye Wong.For me, this one is a kind of conceptual homage and a loose reinterpretation of what the story of Faye and Cop663 (from Chungking Express) could have been.
Zhu Yi Long's performance was interesting. It was indeed good and clearly reflected his own style, without trying to "imitate" Leung Chiu Wai.
However, I found it lacking in realism. His character was supposed to be "numb," but I found him more airhead like ... He clearly carried the movie on his shoulders, the intensity of his presence was lovely to watch.
Faye Wong's energy and her portrayal of her character were too iconic to be simply imitated.
Qiu Tian lacked originality, I felt she was simply trying to copy Faye Wong's free spirit, but in a rather superficial way. Her acting wasn't mediocre, just disappointing..
The direction was very creative, a little too far-fetched in a non-artistic sense, rather in a nerdy intellectual science fiction driven way, which means that the seriousness of the film from a purely artistic point of view dissipates very quickly, giving way to a more amateurish tone and visual...
The story was interesting, quite inspiring actually. I really liked the themes of it : alienation, mental illness, traumas, escapism, critic of ultra capitalism, connection, freedom, identity etc.
"Neither of us liked the scripts we were given.
But we just escaped them in different ways.
I chose to be numb. She chose to pretend."
Some of the dialogue was really deep, it's a shame that this depth wasn't always well executed, especially in the choice of scenes presented.
The chemistry was charming, lacking depth and intensity, but still very enjoyable.
Overall, the film's style seemed too "experimental" while tackling very serious themes, which isn't bad in itself, but not my taste. The film could have demonstrated more subtlety, nuance, authenticity, and depth in an artistic way.
I had a good time watching it, overall, for me, "Land Of Broken Lands" was more of a lovely experimental cinematic attempt (Indie vibes) with potential than a real serious film that added real impact and value.
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"There are beings that exist that you can't even imagine."
Much more of a theater play than a film to me, the movie makes a fascinating mixture between esotericism and psychology.Aragami sometimes reminds me of Coppola's film Dracula and sometimes Zeffireli's Hamelet but still, with an unique style od its own, a precise and well thought mise-en-scène and enigmatic acting performances that keep you in suspense !
In a silent and isolated room, a room that resembles a deep and secret thought full of imagination, strangeness, and the unknown, the destinies of a man, a demon and a witch (?) are colliding.
In this same room, the mystery and magic of their world is revealed.
Lurking in the shadows, one of the secrets of the mystery finds the light :
"There are a lot of people who look human but are not ... They are human, yet they are not human."
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There is true beauty, real magic in just doing your best !
A hidden gem of a coming-of-age film, the film features a headstrong but utterly charming girl who decides to join an all-male rowing team.By staying true to her desire to join the team, she inspired other girls to join. She finds pride in her activity, her friendships, her difficulties and her doubts, she learns to face the romantic feelings she hides for her childhood "enemy", but above all she learns how much she can be strong and perseverant.
The film inspires people to be braver, even if it's just a small step, to be bold enough to do something for yourself, even when people don't understand, even when it's hard, even when it seems impossible to do. The film tries to inspire people, especially young people, not to be afraid of the difficulty of what they want to do, and not to be motivated only by the outcome, because there is true beauty, real magic in just doing your best.
Stunning soundtrack, gorgeous directing, lovely chemistry of the cast, the directing was beautiful. The pacing wasn't the best, and more dialogues could have made the movie more impactful.
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