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Court Politics At Its Finest

Joy of Life is a 2019 Chinese wuxia drama that centers around a young man named Fan Xian who was born in ancient imperial China with memories and knowledge of the 21st century. He grows up knowing about a far more advanced society so he has always felt alone and isolated like a fish out of water. That premise alone made me want to watch this drama immediately, but I had to wait years because I found out that it ends in a cliffhanger and there was no confirmed date for a season 2 release. Thankfully, they finally announced the premiere of the second season this year, so I decided to start the first season. I didn't regret it. I was able to finish this 46-episode drama in just 8 days. That rarely happens to me, but when it does, it's usually because the drama is really enjoyable and has gained my full attention.

I'm a sucker for royal court intrigues, and political scheming and plotting, so this captured my undivided attention from the get-go. Not to mention this drama has what I hope most series would have, a very engaging, interesting, and endearing hero that you want to root for and fall in love with. Fan Xian is hands down one of my favorite characters of all time! He is highly intelligent, witty, humorous, crafty, skilled, and relatable in his flawed nature. I haven't laughed so much since I watched Word of Honor. But this drama also made me tear up more than once because of the emotional beats and brilliant acting of Zhang Ruoyun as Fan Xian. Ruoyun really carries this drama and he does it with flying colors. Despite acting alongside some of the best veteran actors in the business, he is, in no way, overshadowed by his more experienced co-stars. I've liked him since I saw him in Under the Microscope and Joy of Life only helped me confirm his undeniable charisma and screen presence. The rest of the cast are fantastic in their own way. My favorite among the supporting characters is Chen Pingping played by Wu Gang, whom I suspect to be a legendary actor in the Chinese entertainment industry. If he isn't, then it's a travesty! He is that good! This drama has such a strong supporting cast that I liked almost everyone, even the villains. I absolutely abhor the Princess Royal, Li Yun Rui, but Li Xiao Ran is so amazing in playing this detestable character that I applaud her for it. Wang Yang is also great in this, as always. He only appears in the first half of the drama but he cemented himself as one of the more unforgettable characters in the series. I also have to specially mention the actor who played young Fan Xian, he does not only look like Zhang Ruoyun but also acts like him. That was such a great casting choice!

The script is one of the best I've seen in any drama. It's what I expect from other dramas of its kind, even better than Nirvana in Fire's in my opinion. The dialogues are remarkably well-written with carefully chosen wording only meant to hint at the true meaning behind the statements. You have to read between the lines, so to speak. And this, coupled with the subtle acting from the cast, brings more tension to the scenes. The script also interweaves beautiful poetry with tragedy and unpredictable plot twists that make you immediately think of plot armor as an excuse. But as things unravel you begin to realize that perhaps the so-called plot armors can be justified by a number of reasons, making you believe in the brilliance of the writing.

As much as I love this drama, I do have some beefs with it, though. As I mentioned, while some turns in the plot can be justified, I do think that there are far too many convenient coincidences for them to be logical. I will not mention those here but if you pay attention to how problems are handled by the characters as things unfold, then you will know what I mean. I also have some issues with the female lead. For the life of me, I cannot understand why they have to continually infantalize women in these dramas. I do not find these women cute whatsoever. It is annoying and tiresome! Lin Wan'er is played by the beautiful Li Qin, but the character is the cookie cutter type of pretty, feminine, and angelic damsel in distress. I do not want all women to be warriors like Haitang Duoduo, but Lin Wan'er acts like a cute little girl who has a penchant for stealing food from the kitchen. What is so amusing about that?! How old is she, 8?! And Fan Xian falling in love with her at first sight is far too cliché for my taste. I don't know why they can't seem to write really good female characters in these dramas. It's probably a culture thing.

Even though it's quite obvious from the cinematography and sets that this drama was not made with a meager budget, the costumes look so out of place and plasticky cheap. I mean, leather belts and leather-like garb? Weird paisely looking patterns in the garments? Did those exist in ancient China? I understand that they probably wanted to bring a more modern feel to the costumes because of the science fiction aspects of the story, but come on! The costumes are hideous! I feel sorry for the actors who had to wear those heavy-looking dreadful garments in the peak of summer! I was also disappointed with the fight choreography. There are far too many cuts that you can barely see what's going on. I expected better. It didn't hinder me from enjoying the action scenes, though. The music is hit or miss. There are some themes that work, some that do not. Whoever thought that latin music would work in a Chinese costume drama is insane! Some are inappropriately used, too. Seriously, why would you put sinister-sounding music when there's no imminent danger?! lol

But my biggest disappointment is how the writers (or original writer of the novels) failed to cleverly incorporate modern elements into the story. Considering that Fan Xian was born with the knowledge of a technologically advanced society, he rarely used that knowledge for his benefit. While he did use his expertise in poetry and literature to help him advance his career in politics, it didn't go beyond that. The drama also barely explores the true nature of Fan Xian's character and that of his mother, who supposedly came from another world. I expected it to be more like the manga/anime Dr. Stone wherein the characters are frozen in time when a second ice age hit the earth and they wake up in another stone age. They help provide the foundations of that world by introducing science, technology, literature, and even modern warfare. But this drama doesn't do anything of the sort. Instead, it focuses on political intrigues and wars of that primitive society with Fan Xian barely putting his knowledge of a futuristic world to use. He rarely even mentions it, which is a total waste of that concept. The science fiction aspects are just cosmetic tools used to make the story seem a little more unique but does not use it to its fullest potential. Shame. This drama could've been way better.

But despite all that, I still give this drama a high rating of 9 out of 10. I recommend this to anyone who wants to watch an intelligently written drama with fleshed out characters and an engaging plot.

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The Most Daring Costume BL Drama China Has To Offer

Needless to say, I really really really liked Word of Honor, and it's probably the best BL drama (including the Japanese and Thai series) I've seen thus far. Among the C-dramas I've seen, it definitely has one of the highest rewatchability percentages because I actually wanted to rewatch it the moment I finished it! I loved it so much that I felt compelled to read the book version written by the popular danmei author, Priest. But despite my obvious bias, I cannot ignore the fact that it is not a perfect series.

The positives:
This series has the best male leads in any BL drama I've seen, period! They are utterly perfect! Some would most likely disagree, but for me, their onscreen chemistry is so palpable I can taste it! Hahahaha. Don't get me wrong, I do not ship the actors, I don't do that sort of thing, but their portrayals of Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing are undeniably spot on. I feel that they really understood what they needed to do to bring these characters to life and just had a blast doing it. I was so shocked to see so much touchy-feely scenes and the sexual innuendos in the dialogues are so blatantly obvious that even if you were as pure as Mama Mary herself, you wouldn't be able to brush them aside and just say, “Oh, they must be really close.” But for someone like me whose brain is practically living in the gutter, I almost choked on my own saliva from laughing so hard and giggling like a maniac. I'm surprised they were able to escape the proverbial axe of China's censorship board. I am still wondering how they were able to make it work. But BL stuff aside, I found these two characters incredibly interesting. Both have questionable morals and tragic pasts, and they go through redemption arcs. I love that most of the characters in this series are gray and they could go either way. I was sometimes confused whether to despise or sympathize with particular characters because of it.

Zhang Zhehan as Zhou Zishu is captivatingly gorgeous. I have to admit, there were times when I would just stare at him and not understand what was going on. Hahahaha. But he brings a certain depth to the character that I didn't expect. You'd think he's just another pretty face, but the subtlety of his micro-expressions effectively convey the self-loathing, guilt, sadness, and remorse of Zhou Zishu. As the founder and leader of a massive private army of assassins and spies working for an ambitious Prince, he projects a cold and ruthless front. But the weight of that responsibility and the guilt of working for a megalomaniac bears down on him, so he chooses the most brutal of means to buy his own freedom. He starts out as a more stoic character but slowly becomes more playful and even cheeky as the series goes on, especially when he meets Wen Kexing and Cheng Ling.

Wen Kexing is played by Gong Jun, who is also frustratingly attractive I kept screaming at him to stop being so cute. Hahahaha! Wen Kexing is the leader of a notorious group of criminals who are so terrible and repulsive that society no longer sees them as humans but ghosts or devils. He, too, has a painful past that drove him into the deepest pits of hell and made him obsessed with revenge. Gong Jun plays him to a tee, animatedly displaying Wen Kexing's flamboyance and flirtiness, but also showing his more sinister, volatile, and melancholic side. And his interactions with Zhehan's Zhou Zishu are some of the most touching and humorous moments in the series.

Apart from the main actors, I would also like to mention, Zhou Ye, and her character, Gu Xiang. I gotta hand it to her for making me initially annoyed at her silliness, but eventually loving her character that I cried because of her and her suffering.

As for the plot, I suppose I could sum it up to a power struggle between warmongers and ambitious politicians all racing to find a vault that is supposely filled with all the ancient martial arts secrets known to man. Knowledge is power, after all. But it's actually more than that. In fact, it appealed to me more than some of the C-dramas I've seen because it reminded me so much of the kung fu films I saw as a kid. It just has that same vibe to it.

The fight choreography is one of the best I've seen in any wuxia film or series. It's so poetically beautiful that I almost forgot how bad the CGI could be sometimes and that some of the backdrops didn't quite suit the scenes. But for a wuxia drama that only had half of the budget of The Untamed, I'd say they did remarkably well with what they got.

The musical score is surprisingly good, too. I don't normally like musical scores in C-dramas as they don't usually stand out to me. But I actually liked the soundtrack almost as much as I liked the soundtrack of Mysterious Lotus Casebook.

The negatives:
First off, this drama was supposedly made with just 50 million RMB, which was considered cheap for an epic costume drama. So suffice to say, the production value of this drama is nothing to write home about. There are parts when the CGI is just plain awful and the sets are obviously reused again and again. Not to mention, the costumes and props look plasticky and inexpensive. I don't think it will hinder people from enjoying the drama, though. It certainly didn't take me out of it.

Second, the editing is a little clunky, inhibiting the smooth transition between scenes and affecting the pacing. But I guess it's because they had to cut down the number of episodes due to budget restraints and move the plot around to fit the planned scenes. I thought the last few episodes were rushed and would've benefitted from more episodes to flesh things out better.

And last, the fact that the supporting characters are mostly morally ambiguous, as perfectly imperfect as they are, they are unlikable to say the least. Aside from Ye Baiyi, I couldn't bring myself to really care about the others. Even though I found Qianqiao's misguided love for the wrong man heartbreaking, I can't say I cared about her enough to empathize with her. And that has something to do with the writing, I think. And probably with the acting as well.

Overall, this series led me down a rabbit hole for weeks on end. I couldn't make myself watch anything else and that doesn't happen to me very often. It was a very entertaining 36-episode ride!

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The best wuxia drama I've seen thus far!

Mysterious Lotus Casebook is hands down one of my favorite Chinese dramas to date. Though it is not perfect by any means and it doesn't have the most satisfying ending, it didn't leave me frustrated or disappointed unlike another C-drama that would've been without flaw if not for its horrid ending. In fact, it leaves you hungering for more with its open ending that may or may not lead to a second season. Despite the fact that it is a solid detective story dripping with political intrigue, mysticism, and evil schemes for world domination, the true driving force of this series is its characters. It boasts of well-written characters that each have their own story arcs and go through significant character development as the plot progresses.

Cheng Yi plays somewhat of a dual role, the young and brash, Li Xiangyi, who basks in the glory of his achievements in the martial arts world, and Li Lianhua, the reclusive wandering physician with a sharp tongue and an even sharper wit. I love how he contrasts these two characters, showing how much the ambitious and arrogant Xiangyi has changed over the years and become the more mature and grounded Lianhua, who is content in lazing about with the company of his dog and growing vegetables in his garden. I love love this snarky bastard! 😍

Zeng Shunxi is Fang Duobing, the young and impressionable son of a noble man who grew up idolizing Li Xiangyi. He also undergoes a major change as the series goes on, from a bratty rich kid to a young man worthy of becoming Xiangyi's successor. Xiao Shunyao plays Di Feisheng. He starts out as an anti-hero but soon proves to be one of the most compelling characters in the series. His friendly rivalry with Li Xiangyi or Li Lianhua is quite possibly one of the best bromance dynamics I've seen in any drama. While he is the typical stoic “tsundere” character, his interactions with the other two protagonists are the funniest moments in the whole series. And damn, he's such a striking figure, an absolute badass!

The villains are absolutely despicable! You will never find an ounce of sympathy to spare for these hateful people. But they are not exactly your cookie cutter type of villains since their motivations aren't solely rooted in the fact that they are evil. The supporting characters are also engaging albeit some of them are not as memorable as the others. But perhaps the one character that really struck me was Yun Biqiu. His story of remorse and redemption is truly touching.

The writing could've been better, though. There are parts in this series that left me scratching my head, trying to find logic in them. Some seem too contrived, convenient, and coincidental that I had to suspend my disbelief more than a few times in order to enjoy this series. I wish they could've been more precise in the writing department, but since it is a fantasy drama, I figured I could just chalk it up to mystical arts.

As for the production value, they didn't skimp on the set designs, costumes, and cinematography although there are some scenes that looked iffy to me. I suppose I could attribute that to bad CGI due to lack of budget. The fight scenes are spectacular, though. Most costume C-dramas don't play around with their fight choreography, but this drama, in my opinion, has some of the most convincing fight sequences and the main actors really look like martial artists. I give the stunt coordinators and fight choreographers (apart from the actors of course) the credit for that.

All in all, this was an enjoyable 40-episode drama that I don't regret watching and would probably watch again if I can't find another series to obsess on, or when I miss Li Lianhua. But for now, I'm saying goodbye to my old friends, Lianhua, Fei, and Duobing. Yes, they're my friends now!

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A beautiful and poignant live action adaptation of a beloved manga/anime series

Hikaru No Go was one my favorite anime and manga series from the early 2000's. It became so hugely popular that it spawned a newfound interest in Go, drawing many new players to the sport - me included (although I was never very good at it). But for some reason, the Japanese entertainment industry never felt the need to make a live action adaptation despite its massive fandom. It wouldn't be until almost 20 years later since the manga's inception when a C-drama adaptation of the series would be released. It's called Qi Hun in China, but it retained its original title for its international release. I didn't have the chance to watch it when it was initially shown because I didn't have subscriptions to Chinese streaming sites at that time. But recently, I remembered that I still haven't seen it and found it on iQIYI thankfully. As a fan of the source material, I went into this with a lot of skepticism because live action adaptations, more often than not, do not give justice to the original, so I didn't think they could pull it off. But color me surprised, they did and they did so with flying colors! I fell in love with the drama from the get-go. I could tell from the first few episodes that this was created by people who loved the manga and this was a love letter to the timeless work written and drawn by Hotta Yumi and Obata Takeshi. Yes, the setting, names, looks of the characters, and language are different, but they preserved the soul of the manga. It felt like Hikaru No Go through and through, not some cash-grabbing poor imitation of the original.

It follows the story of an unsuspecting young boy (Shi Guang/Hikaru) who stumbles upon an ancient Go board that is haunted by the ghost of a Go prodigy (Chu Ying/Sai) who met a tragic fate and has been waiting for more than a thousand years to obtain his redemption. Together they set out to find the “Divine Move”, something that most masters of the sport dream of finding. As the story progresses, Shi Guang grows to love the sport and Chu Ying starts to mentor him, teaching him everything he knows and molding him to become one of the finest players the sport has ever seen. The bond that they share is one of the focal points of the story and this drama gives justice to that. Their relationship is wholesome, touching, and heart-wrenching. Chu Ying isn't just Shi Guang's mentor but also his father figure and most avid cheerleader. They are thick as thieves! I cried buckets because of them.

Chu Ying is definitely the best character in this drama just like Sai in the anime/manga. He is such a pure soul and the perfect teacher. He's patient but strict. He encourages but he doesn't push too hard. He doesn't become envious of Shi Guang's growth and talent, but he feels proud instead. He knows that Shi Guang is his legacy and the only proof that he ever existed. Another thing that this drama got right is the rivalry between Shi Guang and Yu Liang (Akira). One of the highlights of this series is Shi Guang and Yu Liang's intense rivalry that develops into a beautiful friendship. Their tacit understanding of one another makes them a compelling pair. They may hate each other's guts sometimes, but they want the other to succeed and feel terrible when the other fails. Yu Liang is the complete opposite of Shi Guang and yet it is he who understands him best apart from Chu Ying.

Shi Guang's other relationships are equally heartwarming, from his supportive grandfather and high school friends to his comrades from his Go club who would do anything for him. It made me think that he is indeed fortunate to have friends like these. Hong He is one of my favorites among his friends, he is such a good guy and I found myself rooting for him. His love-hate relationship with Gu Yu is also interesting. I cried when Gu Yu confronted him and told him how much he envied and admired him at the same time. His teachers from his Go club are also very endearing as well as the nameless monks in Lan Yin temple and the construction guys who gave Shi Guang and the boys a hand. I also learned to love Yu Liang's senior, the arrogant playboy, Fang Xu. His character development is one of the things that I liked about this drama. I couldn't even dislike that spoiled brat who prides himself as the best player in their Go club because at the end, he becomes a little more mature and accepts defeat. I love every character in this drama except that braggart, Mu Qing Chun. He's a real piece of work! Hahaha!

The screenwriters did a marvelous job at adapting the source material, something I really didn't expect. The dialogues are so on point and there are many quotable quotes, especially from Chu Ying. The emotional beats and tense-filled scenes are so well-executed that I felt nervous whenever they played matches. I love that this is not just about Go but also about life, growing up, love, and loss. I cried so much watching this drama. Yes, they made changes, but I actually have no complaints, especially with the way they ended it. Truth be told, the manga ends abruptly with no real resolution or closure that many people felt disappointed. So the fact that they ended it the way they did made it better.

The music is also well-suited to the series. The makers of the drama even went out of their way to do a Chinese remake of the iconic theme from the anime that was originally written by Kids Alive. There are tons of easter eggs and callbacks to the manga and anime that if you're a fan, you will definitely be able to identify them.

I cannot heap enough praises for this drama and I cannot recommend it enough. If you're a fan of the anime/manga, this is a must-see! But if you're new to Go or the IP, it is also a wonderful coming of age story filled with ups and downs, wins and losses. It's not perfect, for sure, but I give it a 10 out of 10 because it is the kind of drama that I would want to rewatch again and again, and I became so attached to the characters that I felt that they're already a part of me. I was so immersed in this world that I'm very reluctant to leave it behind. I thank the makers of this drama from the writers, director, producers to the cast and staff, you made me laugh, cry, and feel good about myself. This drama truly deserves the only perfect 10-rating that I have ever given a C-drama thus far.

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The Worst Idol C-Drama I've Seen To Date

This, quite honestly, is the most infuriating Chinese drama I've ever seen! It took me more than 2 weeks to finish because I kept taking a break from it. If not for the male lead and the second couple, I would've dropped this long ago. The plot is so convoluted and ridiculous that I think the writers themselves didn't know what to do with it exactly. It started out promising enough with the female lead dreaming about her future and trying to avoid the disasters that would supposedly happen to her and her loved ones. But that only lasted for a few episodes, after that, it was all downhill from there. The female lead is so poorly written that I believe almost everyone who has seen the drama thinks she's stupid, bratty, selfish, and does not really deserve to have a happy ending with the male lead. It doesn't help that Ju Jingyi's portrayal of the role is just downright awful. Her acting is totally out of place. It's as if she forgot that she's acting in a period drama or maybe she just doesn't know how women usually behaved in those times so she chose to be herself? And her makeup! OMG, she looks like a walking and talking filter! I'm convinced that whoever does her makeup is high on drugs! That is NOT attractive! She doesn't even look human.

The male lead, however, is close to perfect. Xu Jin is quite literally Prince Charming! I may be a bit biased since I like Zhang Zhehan, but he really did transform into a just, wise, kind, benevolent, and handsome prince who would do anything for the woman he loves. Despite playing a typically tsundere character, he doesn't appear cold and distant, and is in fact, very affectionate towards the female lead and displays various emotions whenever he loses his regal composure. I believe he cries several times in this drama because the female lead breaks his heart again and again. I wanted to strangle her for that! lol

The second couple was also delightful. Wu Bai Qi and his Fu Xuan should have been the main couple because they carried the show for me. I watched this drama for Zhehan but stayed for this couple and I wasn't disappointed. Even though the story has promise and the political scheming is interesting enough, the rest of the drama is just one BS after another. Most of the characters do things that simply have no logic. The main villain and the female lead are the worst written characters in the entire drama, and the worst actors too. They should've ended up together. I think the writers were either drunk or had their brain cells removed when they wrote the screenplay. As a whole, it was entertaining enough but I certainly wouldn't want to watch this dumpster fire again. I would give it 3 stars for the male lead and second couple, and political intrigue but zero stars for rewatchability.

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A Not So Scary Horror Film

Exhuma is a South Korean horror film that draws inspiration from Mudang or Korean shamanism and feng shui, and the atrocities committed by the Japanese during the Japanese occupation in World War 2. It follows a team of shamans and feng shui burial experts as they unearth a cursed grave that bears a secret darker than anything they have ever imagined. I can't really say much about the plot as it would be a spoiler so I'm going to stop right here. But this I will say, it doesn't deserve the praise it got.

Sure, the story is creative from a writing standpoint and it is intriguing as it is based on the superstitious beliefs of the Korean people. But it is not the least bit scary, at least not to me. The acting is nothing special, so I don't understand the multiple acting awards it received. Not to mention it could've benifitted from a shorter runtime. This was at least 30 minutes too long.

And my biggest beef with the movie is the unrealistic first scene where the leads are on a plane to California to meet their client. I believe that scene only serves to throw shade at the Japanese and introduce their anti-Japan propaganda. Yes, Japan did occupy and colonize Korea, and the Japanese committed all sorts of war crimes there. I know that because my country suffered from the same crimes and so did other Asian countries like China. I understand they want to make a movie about the common superstitious belief that Japan cursed their land somehow, but there are plenty of ways to go about it. They certainly didn't need to shoehorn that scene in the beginning.

All in all, this was an entertaining film with a unique plot. But that's about it. South Korea has produced better horror flicks in the past. It's a shame that they've followed in Hollywood's footsteps and become obsessed with inserting political agendas in their movies instead of focusing on making good films. I find their later movies utterly lacking and to think I used to be a huge fan of Korean cinema.

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