This review may contain spoilers
boring drama - an excuse to show the hotness of He Yu
It's a simple love story, but very uneven.
The very choice of the main couple is oddly conceived. He is a walking ideal: physical attributes 10/10 — looks, build, sex appeal — your knees just go weak. On top of that he’s a one-man band: fixes everything, can cook, a master of car racing, a master of boxing, intelligent, easily solves math problems, likes to read. Girls throw themselves at him, but he remains faithful and is mainly interested in pampering his beloved. He is also honest and morally impeccable. People like that simply do not exist. His only “flaw” is that he wants to carry all burdens himself and has a slightly excessive need for self-sacrifice.
By contrast, she mostly provokes irritation. She isn’t stupid, can be clever, and can also make sensible choices. She is stubborn, but also open-minded. However, what stands out most are her unbearable mannerisms: her way of speaking, her facial expressions, and her capriciousness typical of a seven-year-old child. This is annoying and downright uncomfortable, because in the context of a love story it evokes associations that go beyond the limits of what is legal. It is hard to believe that such behavior could appeal to anyone who does not have a tendency toward perverse acts.
The problem of childishness brings up the actress who plays Jiang Mu. If it were not Esther Yu playing this role, would the effect be equally irritating? It is hard to say how much her characteristic way of speaking and making “rabbit in the headlights” faces creates the character, and how much is required by the script. In any case, Jiang Mu is definitely far too childish in her mannerisms, which is one of the biggest flaws of the drama.
The second flaw is the entire background of the story, which is simply boring. Supposedly everything takes place in the criminal world — illegal car races, illegal boxing matches, smuggling — but despite all the dangers the creators failed to create any real tension. The viewer does not feel intrigued or emotionally engaged in these events. In fact, the content of the first 20 episodes could easily be squeezed into five with no loss to the whole.
It only becomes more interesting in the second part, which takes place six years later. The fact that most of the characters who six years earlier functioned in some semi-legal underworld are now doing well and leading fairly law-abiding lives only confirms that the realities of the first part were not believable. In the final episodes we also see a more adult, more mature Jiang Mu, who - in this new version - is much more palatable.
The central topic in this second part is to lead Jin Zhao to discover that carrying burdens alone and lying to the person he loves “for her own good” was a mistake. Once this problem solved, everything ends with a cute happy ending.
In summary, most of the footage is just an excuse, a backdrop for showing off the fantastic shots of He Yu — his looks and his really good acting. A plus is also the large number (for a Chinese drama) of passionate kisses.
Anyone who likes admiring a beautiful body and a handsome face expressing moving emotions will have a lot of pleasure, though they will probably fast-forward through quite a few scenes.
Someone who wants substance from dramas — an interesting story, action scenes, and the like — will probably be bored and disappointed.
The very choice of the main couple is oddly conceived. He is a walking ideal: physical attributes 10/10 — looks, build, sex appeal — your knees just go weak. On top of that he’s a one-man band: fixes everything, can cook, a master of car racing, a master of boxing, intelligent, easily solves math problems, likes to read. Girls throw themselves at him, but he remains faithful and is mainly interested in pampering his beloved. He is also honest and morally impeccable. People like that simply do not exist. His only “flaw” is that he wants to carry all burdens himself and has a slightly excessive need for self-sacrifice.
By contrast, she mostly provokes irritation. She isn’t stupid, can be clever, and can also make sensible choices. She is stubborn, but also open-minded. However, what stands out most are her unbearable mannerisms: her way of speaking, her facial expressions, and her capriciousness typical of a seven-year-old child. This is annoying and downright uncomfortable, because in the context of a love story it evokes associations that go beyond the limits of what is legal. It is hard to believe that such behavior could appeal to anyone who does not have a tendency toward perverse acts.
The problem of childishness brings up the actress who plays Jiang Mu. If it were not Esther Yu playing this role, would the effect be equally irritating? It is hard to say how much her characteristic way of speaking and making “rabbit in the headlights” faces creates the character, and how much is required by the script. In any case, Jiang Mu is definitely far too childish in her mannerisms, which is one of the biggest flaws of the drama.
The second flaw is the entire background of the story, which is simply boring. Supposedly everything takes place in the criminal world — illegal car races, illegal boxing matches, smuggling — but despite all the dangers the creators failed to create any real tension. The viewer does not feel intrigued or emotionally engaged in these events. In fact, the content of the first 20 episodes could easily be squeezed into five with no loss to the whole.
It only becomes more interesting in the second part, which takes place six years later. The fact that most of the characters who six years earlier functioned in some semi-legal underworld are now doing well and leading fairly law-abiding lives only confirms that the realities of the first part were not believable. In the final episodes we also see a more adult, more mature Jiang Mu, who - in this new version - is much more palatable.
The central topic in this second part is to lead Jin Zhao to discover that carrying burdens alone and lying to the person he loves “for her own good” was a mistake. Once this problem solved, everything ends with a cute happy ending.
In summary, most of the footage is just an excuse, a backdrop for showing off the fantastic shots of He Yu — his looks and his really good acting. A plus is also the large number (for a Chinese drama) of passionate kisses.
Anyone who likes admiring a beautiful body and a handsome face expressing moving emotions will have a lot of pleasure, though they will probably fast-forward through quite a few scenes.
Someone who wants substance from dramas — an interesting story, action scenes, and the like — will probably be bored and disappointed.
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