John Hart

SEMI-ENGAGING MEDIOCRITY

I understand the type of show MEET YOURSELF wants to be. And I celebrate that ambition. And I wanted the hype around the show to be true. But in almost every facet possible this production underwhelms. I can't recommend it to anyone.

As to not spoil much, what I will share is this series treats all characters as supporting characters. The FL and ML aren't really the thrust of the show. This choice makes the series feel really long... because it's almost like looking out a window and watching real life. There's no real plot.

Now, many around here seem to love this. Me? I love an ensemble show, but I need it to have some discernible direction. THE YOUTH MEMORIES is a show like this show that has a great ensemble. It's slice of life too but there's more ups and downs, twists and turns, and so many things that are not predictable.

This show seems to be developed for people who are going thru so much personal stress that they cannot handle any fictional stress as well. Like a show someone in a hospital might like to watch. I love CDramas precisely because many of this very relaxing quality that makes for calmer entertainment before bed, but is overlong series is too calming for my tastes and I'd predict most tastes.

------------- DETAILED ANALYSIS -------------

PREMISE -- Our FL lead experiences an immediate tearjerking event, which breaks her heart and sends her off to an extended vacation in a village. Once there, said event quickly fades off and we're stuck with a stranger in a strangeland situation. It only takes a few more episodes to realize this shock and awe opening was a cheap unnecessary trick to engage us into a show that goes into a completely different direction: a warm cozy sweater.

PACE -- Terribly slow. This story could have been done much better in 28 episodes instead of 40. I read people who binge this show. Of course they do: you have to watch 3 episodes to get 1 episode's worth of story. And the most maddening talking point about this is 'slow burn'. The implication is that there's small flame growing larger and warmer. Completely false. What happens is that our main story is lit like a candle... that goes out often.

DRAMATIC STAGING -- is painfully weak. SCREENWRITING 101 insists you avoid putting two characters in a room simply talking at each other, because that's 'radio' and not taking advantage of 'the moving pictures'. But over 95% of the time these characters are either talking while preparing a meal or eating the meal. That's not only crazy lazy -- but I'm dieting and the show isn't about cooking.

PLOT -- is almost non-existent. And it's not only predictable but inevitable, since this story abhors conflict and therefore doesn't offer alternative resolutions. There are countless subplots, however, and most are wordy filler. Fans wax poetic about these characters and plots -- but have these fans ever seen another CDrama? Almost every other drama I've watched has stronger characters and subplots. THE YOUTH MEMORIES is a great example of being on the edge of your seat with almost every character in the story. MEET YOURSELF? As the story repeatedly suggests, it's two grannies taking an afternoon nap.

LI XIAN -- our ML is... okay... but I didn't love him. Yes ladies, I'll grant he's cute and sweet. In the first half of the show I felt he was over-using his squint, tilt the head, and laugh thing. I sensed he wasn't much of an actor. As the series progressed, though, his charm won me over. I really didn't like his costuming sometimes. (You know that blue denim-ish shirt he had, made of different denim panels? Yuck. And he'd often wear this white teeshirt that made him look like someone named Skippy.) Often I wondered if this show would have worked better if he had been the lead.

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS -- There are waaaay too many. Less is more.

Remember the lady that had a heart attack at the end and wound up in a hospital. My wife and I spent minutes trying to figure out who she was. Why? Because she wasn't a major character.

Many of these supporting characters just don't feel real. I'm not asking for sex, drugs and rock and roll, mind you. I love stories about kind and nice people, but you need darker characters to contrast against the nice ones.

That said, there's cuteness everywhere. I loved Aunt A Gui because she was identical to an Irish Aunt I have, which is strange but true. Annabel Yao stole every scene she was in -- and the producers wisely kept her comic relief lovelorn struggles to a minimum. My heart absolutely went PITTER PATTER every time I saw Ma Meng Wei, the struggling writer. It's hard to believe she only has supporting roles in her future projects. Wake up, Producers -- she's cute as hell.

One character I had a little trouble with was Shen Xiao Mei (Hao Wen Ting). She is our ML's business partner. She was smart, pretty, pragmatic, an excellent business partner -- and even looked like our ML. The story failed to notice they should have been interested in each other, because why not.

Another eye-candy character to note was the handsome young actor playing 'Woodworker Boy'. (I can't find him on MDL.) It's rare to find such a handsome actor (or actress) that convinces you they are not aware of their attractiveness. So many CDramas are loaded with pretty boys pretending they're not and this actor pulls it off, which is funny because netizens swarm him and say how cute he is and he completely pulled off how unaware of this he was... and embarrassed.

(By the way, in later scenes -- we watch him carve wood. He smashes his palm against a tool that chips the wood. OUCH. I winced every time he did it, because within two weeks anyone would be crippled doing that.)

CRYSTAL LIU -- is spectacular in A TALE OF ROSE. If you'd like to see her act, watch that. MEET YOURSELF was a career waiting room, where she smiled pretty in pretty clothes and did next to nothing else. The show didn't need her as the lead. I'd have cast the young lady that plays the 'struggling writer' instead. Oh, yes, speaking of that --

NAVAL GAZING -- or what I like to call WRITER'S WRITING ABOUT WRITING. Bad writers have a terrible habit of writing about 'the terrible struggles of writing'. Who... umm... cares? What's really going on here is the writer of MEET is insecure about their script, and so they insert themselves into the story to say 'how hard writing is' and then characters swarm that character and say 'but you're so good'. It's sickening. And this story did it two more times, with a songwriter and a vocalist.

THE SCENERY -- Most fans LOVE THE SCENIC SHOTS and such. Do I need to see an eye doctor or is over 94% of this series shot in a cafe set and that 'homestay' set? And when it does go outside here and there, the photography is ordinary. Uninspired. Some of it looks like file footage too. See TO THE WONDER and learn what real cinematography is.

I should say the sets were gorgeous! (Unrealistically so, but still eye candy.)

MUSIC -- Oddly the shows strength, even though there's miscalculation even here. This show loves playing the same six songs over and over, so that sequence after sequence is a montage. It's filler for a story that's barely there. And my favorite song, SADDLE OF MY HEART -- was translated poorly into English. It's so indicative of a show that means well but keeps misfiring. Like the opening sequence which is all 'sitcom' bouncy but the show isn't. 'Wind' should have been the ending song.

SO IF IT WAS SO BAD -- why did I watch it all the way through?

1. This is my 3rd Crystal show, and her quality acting, unique beauty, and lovely outfits do not disappoint.
2. I love a show attempting to stage a community based on kindness.
3. At the halfway point I wanted to walk, but I was interested on how it would end.

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IMPERFECT Approaching Perfect (Spoilers will be few and mild)

I was lucky enough to enter the world of Chinese dramas via RUYI'S ROYAL LOVE IN THE PALACE, a show that has compelled me to watch 12 more series. I was so impressed with Zhou Xun I'll watch anything with her in it, and she's here in IMPERFECT. (I even saw her IMPERFECT LOVE show as well.)

This IMPERFECT also features another Ruyi alumni, Dong Jie -- who I'm beginning to respect as a truly great actress. In Ruyi she had to play a very cold and distant character, which she pulled off brilliantly, but was utterly unlikable. Here viewers might say she plays the same, but I found her far more sympathetic in this series. Her sad yet beautiful face constantly spoke to me of a woman that could have had lifelong love but instead made a very bad choice.

Frankly the entire cast is terrific, even amongst the smallest of roles. My only disappointment was with Police Captain Yan Ming, who wasn't convincing as a cop. She is very pretty and her that was kind of distracting. I've seen THE DISAPPEARING CHILD and that lady cop seemed so real that I was disappointed not to see her type cast here. Understand Elaine Zhong is otherwise fine here, and again she is in an otherwise perfect ensemble.

Our villain Cheng is portrayed beyond perfect by Liu Yi Jun. I'm new to this actor and his ability to make such a despicable person sympathetic goes football fields past Dong Jie. He is terrific in his completely lack of awareness of how horrible he is, which is why you can't help but feel for him a little now and again and kinda a little bit always.

Also new to me is lead actress Jelly Lin, who portrays the title of this series. Her character is as compelling as perplexing. Often you want to hug her but sometimes you want to slap her, which is painfully ironic considering the series them of appropriate actions upon a young lady like this. But despite the irony these feelings run real because her character Zhoa Xun makes you want to pull your hair out during the first two thirds of the series.

This paragraph will run mildly spoiler-ish in giving away the victim's main flaw. I'll talk around it by saying she behaves like almost all 'kids' her age. When you get them on a topic that makes them uncomfortable, they won't say it makes them uncomfortable. Instead they go silent, off topic, or just behave oddly. Because they're really still half children, aren't they? That is how a child reacts when you accuse them of having their fingers in the cookie jar.

The point of this series is to indicate that victims of rape and sexual harassment can't be expected to be perfect victims. The series plainly states that when you have an older man with power over a young person it is very difficult for the 'girl' to react and respond proactively enough to impress the Court system she wasn't complicit.

What drove me a little crazy is this discussion of the victim kind was always with respect to her adulthood. What I just did two paragraphs up I wish the series had said over and over again: the victim was so young she was basically still a child, and you can't expect adult behavior from a child. It's THAT simple. It is this innocence and lack of adult experience the likes of Cheng count on and prey upon.

That idea was never said in such words but hammered upon with Lin Kan's lawyer story. (By the way, who was the genius that cast Zhou Xun but named our victim Zhoa Xun? That would be like naming Harrison Ford's STAR WARS character 'Mark Hemill".) Anyway, as usual, Zhou Xun was TERRIFIC as our lawyer character. I love Zhou Xun only like one other legendary actress, Bette Davis. This means that no matter the age of either actress or the project -- it's must see.

I was, at first, a little surprised when this production didn't use Zhou Xun to play her younger self. They did so in RUYI and really pulled it off. Her size and figure can easily pass for a college kid. But I said at first because, at second glance, the face of Zhou Xun is evolving. Filmed in her late 40's there is nuisance of age. I'm not talking about wrinkles and such that special effects could hide in flashbacks. I'm talking about her lovely eyes that speak of this woman's journey.

It was for this reason I understood her central role in this series. Zhou Xun is what lives in between a Jelly Lin and and Dong Jie. (I just learned this statement doesn't make real sense since Dong Jie is 6 years younger than Zhou Xun, but it's Xun's youthful features the suggest the opposite.) Still -- our lawyer Lin Kan is attempting to rescue herself before it's too late and she turns into a Dong Jie, if you will.

Great credit needs to be given both to the female writers (Gao Xuan and Ren Bao Ru) for creating this vivid world where all these actors get to shine. Where the depressing subject matter dissuades viewership the writing and direction and cast DEMAND a viewing. This is probably the best series I've seen yet, tying with RUYI'S ROYAL LOVE in quality.

The series was not perfect, though. (Dare I say it was 'imperfect'?) Luckily the problems can be counted on one hand --

1. I found almost all the songs to be 'fake' somehow. As if someone insisted they be inserted and so they came off as an awkward after thought. Plus I've heard better songs. The closing credits song in Zhou Xun's IMPERFECT LOVE is incredible, if you need a point of comparison. (Go catch that on YouTube or wherever now.) I almost always listen to the opening and closing songs of these shows with a big smile, but for the first time every I found them skippable. This is extra weird since some even had my native language (English)in them.

2. I don't mind lighthearted funny scenes, but towards the end of the story they were no longer needed but inserted anyway. The inclusion of these overlong 'smirky' scenes took away desperately needed time to --

3. -- resolve a few more storylines. The boy that loved Jelly Lin? He was seen in the last episode but only as a prop. To have him there at the court but not let him speak to the victim or her parents was a missed opportunity. The same for the security guard, who not only should have said something after the trial but have his victim friend by his side. It honestly felt like the series was padding a little to get to the last two episodes, and once there, they realized they needed more time... but didn't have it.

4. Call me an Old Softie but I wanted Lin Kan's assistant (Zhou Cheng Ao) to be somehow back with Lin Kan at story's end. But not as her love interest or employee. Instead I wanted a scene where he was doting on the victim at Lin Kan's home, implying that at some point these two might be a couple. But no hurry.

I've come to learn no Chinese series is perfect. I had a string of series that were disappointing and one was so terrible it had to be abandoned. IMPERFECT VICTIM won me back over... because it is near perfect.

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Actors ages do not ruin this otherwise MUST SEE series

Hiya,

My first C-Drama ever was RUYI'S ROYAL LOVE IN THE PALACE. I knew watching it that it was a masterpiece, because only a masterpiece would keep my attention that long on such a depressing series of events.

The problem became what in the world to watch afterwards? Since I was new to this world I tried MISSING PERSONS (Two Ruyi Co-stars featured) and that was fun but nowhere near as slick. I also watched a ton of Chinese films during Ruyi and some after. That's when I caught some Zhang Ziyi and felt, yeah, let's give REBEL PRINCESS a try.

Firstly, the jerks that call these 'costume dramas' need to be thrown into the Cold Palace and forced to watch Wonder Woman 1984. It's like calling Westerns 'saddle dramas'. Give me a break. This genre is Epic Imperial Romance, okay?

Secondly the title simply doesn't work. Or translate. I have a sublime title to offer but it would spoil to explain why I chose this.
Call it FOR THE LOVE OF AWU and you'll see why about halfway thru.

Unfortunately the series isn't as good as RUYI. That doesn't mean it isn't watchable and entertaining. And, in fact, for reasons I cannot divulge, it has a higher 'rewatch me' factor than RUYI. So it's better in a sense as well.

My personal big problem with this series is the initial ages of the actors. Where Zhou Xun completely tricked me into thinking a woman in her 40s is really a teenager, that didn't happen here. Many major players tried their best but simply looked old.

Deeper into the story we're introduced to a young woman that (we're told) is so like Zhang when she was young. SPOILER: she looks NOTHING like her. I was so confused I went to an eye doctor. (JK. NK.) And in THIS character SOMEONE should have realized lied a solution.

Rewind. You look for a young actress that looks a lot like a young Zhang. Then you shoot the first episodes using her. Then, and get this, when you need to introduce to the young woman who allegedly looks like Awu? Use the same actress, perhaps with a little rubber on her face to make her look a little different. Two problems solved.

The other unfortunate casting issue is Zhang Zi Yi herself. After having experienced the WOW that is Zhou Xun in RUYI, Zhang seemed a little... flat. It was like she was playing not only a noble Princess but a Goddess, who -- somehow -- is detached from reality. Often when Zhang is hearing something she doesn't like -- she starts staring off into an emotionless abyss. She looks catatonic even. This emotive distancing pushes the characters annoying her back a bit, but so too have we the viewers lost critical access into her thoughts and feelings. It took me halfway thru the series to get used to this.

With this out of the way, almost all of the other characters are terrific. Where Zhang is the blank canvas, everyone else is the paint. The series grows more and more endearing as each episode passes. Where RUYI slowly waterboards you into giving up all hope, REBEL offers hope.

Every great series has a breakaway character that you'll then want to see a LOT more of. In RUYI it was Princess Jia (Xin Zhi Lei) who is the most beautiful b!tch to hit TV or cinema. In REBEL it's Helan Zhun (Yuan Hong) who I called Aquaman the entire time because he looks (kinda) like the Chinese version of Jason Momoa. His character does some pretty awful things but MAGICALLY you hold some compassion for him too. He really made Tong Yang fight for screen time.

(By the way, in America, the CW took the world's largest POO on the classic Kung Fu series. I don't mind the remake as a show but recognize it's plainly not based on the original series at all. It's like renaming THE OFFICE as KUNG FU. But Tony Yang's intensity in the back half of the series tells me China should do an actual remake of KUNG FU, starting and spending a lot of time in China. Starring Tony Yang. He'd make a solid Caine.)

Now, of the romance. This story was a welcome soapy affair after RUYI. I don't want to spoil but I will say Awu attracts men the way an open KFC dumpster attracts flies. If you take this story literally you won't like it. If you accept its instead a feel good romantic fable -- and need that in your life before embarking -- this series will charm you SILLY.

FUN TRIVIAL FACT -- At the end of each episode is an absolutely beautiful duet between a man and a woman trying to find love inside the Kooky Backstabbing Kingdoms of C-Dramas. If you open your heart to it you'll watch the complete ending every time. The song is even featured within maybe 6 episodes.

But there is a BATTLESHIP sized detail about this song. The lovely woman who's singing? As Austin Powers once said, "She's a MAN, baby!" It may be worth watching this show just to experience that.

Oh and the production values are through the roof and puncture a hole right thru the Moon. But that can't carry you further than 3 episodes. This ensemble will. But know the series takes time to really grab you. Under 10 episodes for most.

Now, there was on character I felt was handled poorly. General Song started out great, but in the interests of romantic drama, took a series of turns that... well... I don't believe the audience appreciated. I've saved this last note for people who have seen the series, and so the next paragraph is SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER.

***************************** SPOILING BELOW *******************************

At the end of the story, Song watches his wife beg him to save himself (and his soul) and let Awu and Lord be. When he refuses to abide by her wishes, she does (something) that should have changed his mind. Minutes later, at the end of his sword, he does something that wasn't intended. The audience says YAY but then (the pig) grabs Awu's face and makes a play for her. That was done for drama but wasn't the least bit believable. If memory serves Helan never even pulled that stunt, was more of a gentleman.

Since I've written a handful of stories myself, I'll offer what I consider a cleaner (more appropriate) resolution of Song's arc.

Song witnesses his wife jump to her death. Later (before he confronts Awu) he looks down at his dead wife on the ground. He realizes his folly. He might even say to someone how she only lived for him. And how he didn't appreciate that.

When he's with Awu, her father explains that he will be emperor. And that nothing and no one can stop him. He stands close to his daughter when he says this, meaning even Awu. This threat is critical, and was missing from the story. And the fact it was missing kinda screwed up the ending. Because in the story she later talks to her father as if all the crap he's pulled was okay with her because of blood relation. Except we the audience know it wasn't.

So it's CRITICAL that Away abandon any love of her Dad she has upon being threatened. At this moment Awu should pull out the small knife the Lord handed her a long time ago in the story. I believe they intended to have her use it here but chickened out at the last moment. I wouldn't chicken out. I'd have Awu tell her father it's over. That's when he takes the knife and attempts to turn it on Awu herself. And it is at this point Song ends Wang Lin.

After doing so, Song looks completely broken. The Lord and his soldiers arrive, but it's clear from Awu's face it's already over. Song sees the Lord and Awu stand beside each other and wipes a tear away. He says words to the effect of, "I see what I always should have seen. That you two belong side by side. And that my place was always... elsewhere."

Song would leave the chamber. Moments later a servant would run in and tell the Lord Song will kill himself. They run out to and catch Song just as he jumps off the ledge his wife did. They look down and find him dead... beside his wife.

What I'm trying to suggest is that Song was more noble throughout the story. That he didn't need to become a 'demon' in the last moments of the series. Even Helan had this figured out.

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HERS STORIES is a more accurate title of this charming little film

Overall an extremely well made little film about a Mom, her daughter, and a young lady neighbor This should have been a 24 episode series, at least.

1. The cast is excellent. SHE AND HER GIRL FANS will love seeing Song Jia playing her smart but emotionally stunted self, with her now classic hand gestures. IMPERFECT VICTIM fans will be amazed at how lovely and fragile Zhong Chu Xi is in comparison to her frustrated cop role in that series. And (apparently) newcomer Isabella Zeng is terrific as the young daughter trying to navigate her way in the adult world of patriarchy, demanding mothers, annoying Dads, Mom's new boyfriend, etc. Really all the men are just as great as the women -- KUDOS to the casting agent.

2. The story isn't really much but a slice of life of women in China. Like a quality Woody Allen story, the story relentlessly pursues social commentary on topic. Woody is obsessed with infidelity, whereas HER STORY focuses on feminism issues. I'll say if 7 dashes of a spice does it, this had 9. It didn't ruin the recipe, but two dashes could have been removed and only made the 'discussion' tastier. Again, that's why I say this should have been a series where all these interesting women topics didn't have to be crammed into two hours.

3. The costumes, sets, lighting, camera, music -- they were all top notch. When those are this good you don't really notice them at first. Halfway through the film I realized they were all perfect. Watch this filmmaker and her crew.

4. Both posters for this film are TERRIBLE. It's neither a bright Disney affair nor some exotic floral journey. The Mom, Daughter, and friend need to share a poster, that's it.

4. To talk more about this film makes it out to be more than it is. It's just a very good little film. You watch it to observe these characters bump into each other. I've seen many American arthouse films fill a movie with quirky weirdos and sh!t goes down when they get together and eat. It's a sort of tradition of these types of films. Well, it happens here too -- BUT -- it doesn't feel like a sitcom stuffed with weirdos but instead real people in real situations.

Makes a perfect matinee. Don't hesitate. See the comment fields to find a subbed version.

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The Many Loves of Dr. Qin Medicine Woman (9.3 out of 10)

1. I'm absolutely stunned by the green screen visuals. I mean I know it's 'fake' but it doesn't scream it. And since it's a fable it's okay if it looks storybook-ish. Obviously they're using some ginormous green screen action but sometimes I'm wondering if they're using that wall of TVs tech too. I normally don't care about visuals over story, but in this case it's worth mentioning.

2. I also normally don't comment on the fight scenes either, since they can come off as so generic. There were not a lot of fights in this series but I really enjoyed each and every one of them. If I ever rewatched this series I'd look forward to them.

3. This is my fourth Li Qin drama. She was fantastic as the Han woman in RUYI, forgettable as chicken leg girl in JOY OF LIFE (Season 1), wonderful in YOUTH MEMORIES, but s-t-e-l-la-r here. Her always understated performances come to life here when extreme situations finally push out her emotions.

4. Our FL has a 'cold disease' and must stay out of the cold, yet her entire life is spent in cold, kneeling on the ice -- you name it. I'm amazed they don't show her eating ice cream inside a fridge. Viewers must ignore this extremely confusing element or risk losing their mind.

5. SNOWY NIGHTS is the definition of LESS IS MORE. It doesn't need 100 characters and as many plot twists. It's a clean perfect narrative with no clutter. It is aimed directly at people who cherish the journey instead of the destination. If you've ever once fast forwarded thru any C-Drama, feel free to skip this one and especially avoid reviewing it. That said --

6. -- in the last third of the series the show becomes obsessed with it's own songs. They're nice songs, don't get me wrong, but they plays them way too often towards the series finale, rendering minutes of each episode as 'music videos' filler.

Not to mention (but I will) it's INSANELY distracting/annoying to have vocalists singing while characters are speaking. I've seen many Broadway musicals and not once do they have characters speaking WHILE the chorus is singing. This one element took two tenths off of my review score alone. But I have to admit --

-- I loved the closing credits song. And like REBEL PRINCESS, I was once again stunned by who was actually singing this song.

7. So although the show slows down a little in the last third, at least this show doesn't commit the dreaded Chinese Drama Cliche: another ending. Most C-Dramas seem to end the story, and then -- end it a second time. I honestly can't figure out what so many of these series end twice, but SNOWY NIGHTS does what every drama should do and simply end ONCE.

8. The first shortcoming I can really name is our ML, Joseph Zeng. There's nothing really wrong with him, but he's just a little too boyish 'perfect' to resonate as real. I picture a warrior like this rougher around the edges, more like a cleaned up 'Eye'.

I don't hate our male lead, but I don't hang on his words like a Wallace Huo or Huang Xuan. I'd have loved a reunion with Xiao Zhan if they wanted such a boyish face. I will say Zeng ripens after the halfway mark. Perhaps he was trying to show that 8 years had passed on his journey from young man to man? I'll say this ladies: my wife thought he was super cute.

9. I'm hearing people here trash the villains. Hmm. I guess you could say they're not as villainous as you'd expect, but I kinda like that their leader looks like a college art teacher (lol), and one of his disciples is always eeriely smiling.

The weakest villain is the Lady in Red is not much more than... a stylish Lady in Red. (Her character rounds itself out towards the series end, but it's kinda late. We needed better hints about her past.)

Weak too is the comic relief fat dude doesn't seem like a believably evil member of this clan. It would only make sense if the gang resented him but kept him around because they loved his cooking. (Well they have to eat!)

Eye seems to be the only monster in the clan besides the leader. Every drama has a lesser known actor who steals the show. Eye is this character and I can't wait for the right lead role to come his way. I'm concerned that I recently learned his voice was dubbed, suggesting a pretty boy lacking proper vocal talent? I hope that dubbing goes away in time.

10. This is not a story set in realism, and so understand it's really a parable on the topic of sacrifice. If you don't accept this, our ML's heroic quest becomes impossible to understand. (Would you keep risking your life as he does for the reason he does?) The theme of sacrifice echoes in Li Qin as well, which produces not one -- not two -- but three examples of selfless love.

Cliche love is about marriage and children. Not everyone goes down that path, sorry. If your heart and soul need to be reminded of humanity now and again -- this series does it ---

SPOILERS below SPOILERS below SPOILERS

-- without one kiss.

And now some comments on some sloppiness by this series --

1. One reason I dislike fantasy stories (vs. science fiction) is that it can be license for LAAAAZZZZZYYYY writing. In Ep 26 our ML's bird flies into the valley and Granny needs to ask it a question. Up to this point it hasn't been established that our ML can truly converse with his bird, never mind a stranger that says 'chirp once' if you like potato chips and 'chirp twice' if you don't. WRONG, UNACCEPTABLE, I'm docking the series a tenth of a point just for this one moment.

2.. I gather the ML's Master was recast unless I missed something. Or written out. A bit awkward in such a short series.

3. . In the battle between Eye and his master, three golden needles are popped out. But certainly we just watched Dr. Qin Medicine Woman pull those same needles out some episodes back. WTH?

4. What happened to the bird?

5. Are you the type of reader who skips thru stories and skim's long reviews like this. If you are, you missed the hidden scene after the final credits in the final episode. If you've read these words and missed it, this is your reward for reading this far.

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The Film Devours Its Own Message for Tasty Visuals

Imagine a touching story about a farmer's daughter and her favorite goat. They're pals. But one day she learns her Dad sold this goat for money and she's angry. So she goes on a quest to the city to get her goat back.

That's basically the story of this film, but this version of the story is injected with fantasy, fantastic CGI, animal rescue weirdos, corporate psychos, and frankly as many chase scenes as they could manage to infest what should have been a simple touching story.

I watch C-Dramas mostly. The main reason is that they understand LESS IS MORE. The Koreans have spent too much time watching our Western films and when they try to please us -- these lose me.

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Botched story structure damages potential masterpiece

I will warn you when any spoilers are offered, so feel free to read until then.

1. The Western title of this would be, THE LIGHT BULB MAN

2. In general the entire production values are great. The first half of this piece borrows liberally from David Lynch, but in a good way.

3. I knew 3 people in this cast (the Mom, her daughter, and the light bulb man) and they were as good as ever. My only complaint is that the camera wouldn't leave the crying girl. You're not going to force me to cry because a girl is crying forever. That's cheap and it started to become an obvious ploy.

4. A major issue with the film is it changes genres midway -- which is a serious NO NO! You spend the first half of the film selling us on a dreamy Lynchian world only to flip it to a tearjerker melodrama? Nope. Both must be blended from frame one.

5. The major problem with this film was the story. Without spoiling, reveals needed to be re-arranged. And when 'reality' comes into the story, most of that should have been quick flashes, as to suggest we never should have left the dreamy world. And the Light Bulb Man deserved a more central role. And now, as warned, here come the STORY --

************ SPOILERS ************

************ SPOILERS ************

************ SPOILERS ************

6. In general there should have been a simple and crystal clear quest for our leading lady.

She, like her boyfriend and everyone else, should have 'been' in this weird alter-verse but started to suspect something was off. One by one the others would begin to recall a traffic accident, but never say 'bus'. They would start to recall they were all together, but something is wrong.

Our lead would say, wait, my boyfriend and I weren't in any accident. He'd be like, yes I guess so (for now), and they'd help the others find their bulbs and say their goodbyes. Our lead would help everyone get to that bulb store. She'd often have arguments with the man there, because she knew he was keeping a big picture secret from her.

When the lead and her BF helped the last person, she'd wonder why they were still stuck there. That they had no one to say goodbye too. Only then would the first flashbacks of the accident be seen in her memories, and she'd realized it was BUS ACCIDENT. She'd wonder if her BF was the driver, and he'd say it's time to say goodbye.

Then, and only then, would she wake up at the hospital.

If the above wasn't clear, I've un-divided the film. It's now a dreamy melodramatic tearjerker that still holds a big reveal for the end. This way it's very simple while maintaining a consistent tone.

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Almost but not quite A MASTERPIECE

I have NO IDEA why users aren't AMAZED by this production. It's so close to PERFECT it's painful.

The story, acting, filming, music -- are you kidding me? I've seen about 10 Chinese Dramas at this point and it shoved its way up to #2 under RUYI'S ROYAL LOVE IN THE PALACE.

The reason why this series didn't trounce RUYI is it didn't stick the landing. It appears to do so but once a day or so passes you realize there was something off about the end of the story.

About halfway into EP 11 the plot resolves itself. But for the story not only requires another 30 minutes to resolve itself but all of EP 12 to do so. Normally shows wrap up a little fast after the plot resolution and sometimes you feel ripped off because of how hurried the wrapup is. (I'm looking at you GREAT CRAFTSMAN.)

So why did THIS take so long. According to AvenueX on YouTube, the novel this story is based on ends with a dark tone. One of the characters has had a hidden agenda. This final episode looks like it was going to reveal it, since said character eluded to ALSO having secrets, but then -- no secrets revealed.

AvenueX implied that the real ending wouldn't get past the censors. As a writer myself I believe this production did shoot the dark ending and the censors said, nope -- too dark. And so they had to reshoot the ending to be less dark, which in turn makes the final episode seem a little aimless, long, and pointless.

Even if you're unaware of that angle or the book's ending, my wife said, "Wait. That girl was so perfect despite her parents not being so perfect. Really?!?" And therein lies the problem with the series is that the Tutor character simply isn't believable. Her acting is great but the writing is... undecided.

This knocks DISAPPEARING CHILD out of Masterpiece work into NEAR MISS and ALMOST territory. What a shame. That said, SEE IT ANYWAY you lazy couch dumpling!

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A Pile of China Can Do Stories INSTEAD OF One Compelling Feature

I was tricked by the description of this film. On this site it says, "It tells about the Chinese people's blood connection and spiritual inheritance." I knew it was four short films and presumed it was a generational story, meaning a character that was, say, a boy in the first film would be a man in the second one... and... perhaps that man's daughter would be a woman in the next film. A 'blood connection' that would have made these four films a coherent whole.

Instead what we get is a 'pile' of 4 stories, moving forward in time but really with no relation to each other. No, there's no 'spiritual inheritance' to speak of. It's simply 4 stories about what China CAN DO when they set their minds to things, and in this way is like a cultural victory walk.

I'd say the first two segments (war, space research) were excellent dramatic pieces. But the second two segments change to comedy and sort of silly sci-fi, which is a little jarring. It leaves the viewer with the feeling these four films were part of some contest and were never intended to be shown together.

I gave the overall story rating a 6 out of 10 for this reason. Please understand each individual story was better than that, say about an 8 on average. But the feeling these were all originally different projects just stapled together really hurts this otherwise well made, well acted and well intended film.

By the way -- Zhang Zi Yi stars in another film just like this, RUN FOR LOVE, except the theme tying it all together is love. It feels even more disjointed than this and I'm convinced it's simply some short films by graduate school students. Zhang's "So Long My Love" is rather excellent. Better than her segment 'Poem' in this film that is also rather amazing. I must confess I'd love Zhang to create another short or two and tie them all together as a Zhang Zi Yi collection of stories.

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Worthy Premise, Good Execution, but Slightly Lacking Somehow (MIld Spoilers)

I eagerly awaited to see this film because THE GREAT CRAFTSMAN makes anybody a fan of Huang Yang Tian Tian. She is one of the young leads here and I was willing to forgive the TV movie budget just to see more of her.

In CRAFTSMAN Tian Tian was a dynamic character that demanded your attention and fellowship. Here she's kinda wasted as one of two girls with physical ailments. Anyone could have played either of the female leads. I actually found the Dad and Mom giving the most nuanced performances.

Don't get me wrong. If the trailer entices you to try this movie, your instinct is correct. But I felt they got lost in some unnecessary subplots. The violent man in the hospital, the 'Carrie' apartment, and the helicopter sequence were all 'alarms' to keep the audience awake. The Mom's Dad was so unnecessary the story itself removed him midway.

I think the better story would have been to have the Dad pursue the Mom romantically, only to learn he had an additional motive. And everyone involved, including the audience, would wonder did he actually love her... and suspect 'yes'. In this way the four leads could have become this lovely accidental family and therefore make an important family 'decision' together rgarding the daughters.

I'm not saying the film doesn't drift towards that idea. I'm saying it would have been a much stronger movie if it had committed to that idea.

One last thing: this is the DEFINITION of a weepy cry cry flick. Oddly it didn't pull as many tears as the premise warranted. Maybe if the Doctors didn't seem so aloof.

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A short student film stretched out to 90 aimless minutes

I found this film because I'm a fan of THE GREAT CRAFTSMAN. In that show an actress looks like Betty Boop and I wanted to see more of Jiang Hong Bo. Despite her being one of the three leads -- she spent very little time on screen.

This is because this director has no idea how to create dramatic scenes with actors. So many opportunities were missed. It was as if a cinematographer made this film instead of a dramatist.

It's not a student film. It's the 4th of 6 features by this director. But it sure feels like a student.

I know some will defend this director and say, "Not all films are action packed super hero films!" I know it. Get it. The problem is this film was the complete opposite. The premise is promising but almost nothing happened inside the film.

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An Elusive yet Potential Masterpiece

The show boasts a fantastic cast, terribly engaging soapy story, in a Republican Era setting that is needed break from Imperial Chinese dramas. It is way better than a "7.8" thanks to Wallace Huo and Yang Mi knocking it out of the park.

I knew Wallace from RUYI'S ROYAL LOVE IN THE PALACE and thankfully he's given more breathing room here. I can't imagine he's had a better role than Qi Nan. He is just terrific here. But as good is my first introduction to Yang Mi -- who has as difficult a role to pull off. My wife and I watch an hour of this 3 times a week, but after the halfway point it was around 5 times.

All the supporting actors were great, many of these faces new to me. For American viewers like myself having trouble keeping all the names straight, I recommend these nicknames: Daddy Fu, his wife Nasty Fu, Dandy Fu, Minister Du, Momma Du, Dandy Du, Minister Wu -- and for that woman in the club that looks like an older Betty Boop -- simply 'Boop'. It made it much easier for us to speak about them without getting confused.

Okay, the single worst thing about this series is the availability in America. It is ELUSIVE. So much so I can't recommend the series until Mango fixes these issues.

The main issue is that there is no way to see the series unedited with proper English subtitles. The series on YouTube 'forgot' to include subtitles for about 10 episodes in the middle and I think Ep 58 the subtitles were broken. And the subtitles themselves were poor quality. And anytime a song happened instead of muting the song they simply cut the entire sequence out, often eliminating important story moments. ARRRGGGHHHH! There's a 'cool' 'Drama' site that has the series in low quality resolution. The subtitles are better but, get this, the audio is out of sync the entire time.

With all these headaches I can't recommend the series to anyone until Mango offers a proper version of CRAFTSMAN with quality English subtitles, which I'd gladly pay $20 for the series.

What's maddening is the series is nearly flawless otherwise. You can count the mistakes on one hand.

1. The series starts with terrific child actors. When they are replaced with adult actors, you can't believe you must let them go. Thankfully they re-appear in flashbacks a lot. My complaint is the older actor playing eldest brother (Li Dong) looks nothing like the boy he replaced. Not even close. It took me like 25 episodes to accept him where Qi Nan, Han Jun, and Lucy took seconds to accept. Don't get me wrong: the actors playing Li Dong were solid, but I guess they needed a different skinny intense kid to play him young.

2. The series spent a little too much time discussing architecture. As well as too much time speaking about business deals. Yes, it was interesting, but often I suspected it was 'filler' to extend the length of the series. I'd say about 20% of all of it could have been cut. That could have shaved about 3 episodes off the series.

3. The last 10 episodes were getting a little sloppy or lazy. Maybe they were all exhausted and the show's amazing quality was slipping to merely 'good' sometimes. I felt the entire elevator incident was rushed. And there was a scene going on between Momma Du and Dandy Du that seemed... odd. It was like the series didn't know what to do with her character and that scene showed it. I also felt the explosion in the flour factory should have shown who that was the flew out a door. But I felt

4. -- the final episode let us down. It seemed more interested in resolving Minister Du than providing the romantic climax we were all waiting for. What was delivered wasn't as majestic or poetic as I hoped. And Li Dong's departure and discovery off camera in the last moments seemed rushed. Certainly there could have been a way to tie in the 'discovery' into the court scene somehow. That person could have read the court case and made the connection to show up?

That's really all I can complain about. The final episode failing to be what this series deserved took an entire half point away, dropping from 9.5 to 9. But still -- despite all the agony of finding a way to watch this show -- a solid 9 is a WOW.

FUN TRIVIA

I can't be certain but I'm nearly certain that a music composer from the show was inspired by Ennio Morricone's work on DAYS OF HEAVEN. There are scenes where Qi Nan is out in fields and that entire movie is about people working in fields. Go to YouTube and seek out Track 9 (The Return) from the DAYS OF HEAVEN soundtrack. It's not a theft, but I'm pretty sure the similar theme from this show HAD to be inspired by that track.

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Action Movies are TEDIOUS but this one isn't bad at all

MILD SPOILERS, nothing terrible

I see a lot of people harshing on this film. I don't know why. I find this genre tedious and so I expected to abandon the film before the first hour. Turns out I made it all the way thru and was happy for the two hour diversion.

This movie isn't entirely cohesive and so I'll just drop you some notes and hope it gels into something useful.

1. Eddie Peng stars? I'm in.
2. Xin Zhi Lei as the female lead? I'm not only in but watching this mostly because of her. (If you have no idea why someone would flip their shinola for her -- you haven't seen RUYI'S ROYAL LOVE IN THE PALACE, have you?)
3. I'm not sure rescue forces exist to this degree. If they do, wow. If they don't -- I love Gerry Anderson's THUNDERBIRDS.
4. The visuals/FX are rather stunning. However, I'm not used to Chinese films spending THIS much $$$ on them, and so -- sure enough -- the film can get talky sometimes to save money. Mainly revolving around --
5. -- a cute young kid. I've watched enough C-Drama media to know cute kids are a thing to kinda force 'endearing' onto the movie. In America we don't stick cute kids into all sorts of movies for fear of damaging the premise. What was wrong here is that --
6. -- with him came scenes with dopey cartoon music. With little bells ringing 'comically' in a movie they don't belong in. Are we in an action drama or not? Later on that kid was used for another classic trope --
7. -- which I can't spoil but is the stuff of soap operas. Not action movies. However, the way they ultimately resolved this trope (inside the closing credits) made it almost worth it and definitely tolerable.
8. Xin Zhi Lei was great when she was given something to do. Unfortunately the story didn't give her enough to do. There was a natural coupling she needed to be a part of but the story got either scared or distracted.
9. The original 'Stand By Me' song appears in this film and, sorry, the film by the same name owns the song and no one else should be using it. Like I don't want to hear Garland singing 'Rainbow' in this film anywhere for the same reason.
10. If a sequel is being planned -- I'd see it. Because it might give Xin Zhi Lei more time.

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A nice little film and diversion

Many of these lower budget films start okay but get kinda lost. This one hangs together well.

The tale debates how communities should work together when possible riches await. You'll enjoy this film for that, the lush soundtrack, lovely visuals, and most of the verite acting of the kids and villagers.

The lead girl was kinda a two trick pony: big sweet smile OR tears down her face. But that's okay because the rest of the cast had lots of wonderful moments. Don't miss the Mouse Guy or the Leek Man. Or the two tiny boys who didn't seem to be aware that they were in this charming little movie.

I'm not sure I'd recommended a paid rental for this, unless inexpensive. I found it on America's YouTube for free and in 1080p.

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