Michael_0718

An Excellent Surprise!! Exceeding expectation and Serving the Best Quality~!!

DEFINITELY A MUST WATCH!!

This production proves that anyone can create an exemplery drama with minimal and limited funding.

Honestly speaking I got so used to Low-Mid Tier budget drama serving just the bare minimum, something that is created to simply catch it's viewers attention and I never felt wrong about that as it made me enjoy it even more due to the fact that I can avoid unexplainable and ridiculous plot scenes and such.

BUT, this drama is indeed a cut among the finest piece. Almost everything about this drama is well planned and is comparable to those High Budget excellent dramas. So, lemme enumerate them to the best I can.

First and Foremost is the Excellent Writing and Plot allignment. These days most of these are being overlooked and neglected just to cater to the audiences liking but this drama used it in a more favorable way by making sure that they're not only serving what's on-demand and highly sought out but also made sure that it's with 'Great Quality'.

Next, Graphics, Cinematography, Lighting, Costume and Production. It feels like the director and all the people behind this project made sure that they'll never miss a single spot unless out of coincidence and/or inevitability reasons cause the entire time I was watching it, never, even once, had I encountered any distraction and aloofness towards the drama. Instead, I was expecting for more greatness each coming episodes.

Last but not the least is the Artist/Cast. The Main Leads look so good together + their chemistry is on point. While the 2nd Lead has their own charm for being unique, comical and entertaining 99% of the time. Also, our adorable Fei Yuan whose appearances tend be on the sidelines but never failed to deliver consistency with his acting and emotions.

Story - 10, Excellent Writing. This drama really went all out with their Solving Case Scenes and executed to nearly Perfection while making sure that it won't ruin the plot and story even one bit.

Acting/Cast - 10, Spectacular set of Artist who's delivered impeccable performances and emotions. I never felt awkward watching them cause they really felt natural and in-character the whole time they're ON with their respective scenes.

Music - 9.5, Music is decent but I usually have 1 or more songs I truly like out of the all tracks in a drama BGM list yet for this production nothing really stood out the best for me. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed it and never once got bothered about it.

Rewatch Value - 10, This drama deserved more views and positive word of mouth to people around the C-drama community because it truly went above and beyond the usual expectation to most Low-Mid budget dramas.

Overall - 10, Anyone who will tell me otherwise is welcomed to fight me. I would never forgive any slander over this drama as it truly went over the 'norm' and usual general expectation. Highly Recommend~!!

If you find my review helpful please let me know.

Read More

The Wedding Ceremony | You are mine and I am yours. ♡

"I've seen your light and your darkness, your vulnerability and your madness. I know everything about you that is known or unknown to others. I might even say that I know you better than you do." - Jiang Xue Ning

This particular line above from JXN gave me relief and made me feel at peace for Xie Wei. Because finally! He'll be with the person who genuinely love and understand him. The woman he value and love the most and who's willing to share the good and bad times with him.

Also, I'll be lying if I say that I am not even a bit disheartened on what they have decided to show in this special/extra episode. I mean, they have shown us their family of 4 at the epilogue of the final episode, so I automatically expected that this will be about their family relationship and dynamics but then it was not...reason why I feel a sudden sadness for a moment.

Anyways, I am not saying that I didn't like it. It's just that I presumed and it's not the I way I though it would be. Nonetheless, I still appreciate them giving us a sneak peek of what had happened on their wedding ceremony and how they celebrated it.

IF you find my review helpful please let me know.

Read More

Beautiful Love Story + Explicit and Satisfying Ending for the 3 Couples.

First and Foremost, Just where the hell do people get the hate for this drama? Seriously? I mean, I get that we have different preferences and standards when it comes to 'everything' but I find it offending when I'm reading reviews about this drama being less satisfactory, overhyped and a waste of time. Like, are we even watching the same story? — Well, I guess people preferred those overly complicated, frustrating and messy type of tropey idol drama than this.

Anyway, moving on. Let me just share the things I love about this story.

Let's start with the proper characterization of the Female characters. I feel like there's only 1 in a million chance for a drama to have this excellent story progression for their female characters and this story did that flawlessly and wonderfully. They gave fair treatment and justice to every character and made sure that they won't leave anyone behind.

Next is the unexpected yet highly satisfying takes they did with the story itself. 1st is the way they made the Guys go after Girls. Finally! I know that this isn't the first time it happened but I just love how they execute it here in a very neat and smooth manner. None are problematic and most of them have their own ways and personality that made their characters different and standout from each other. 2nd is the unexpected takes and turns in this drama. There are countless of times where I was fascinated on how things won't go the way i expected it to be. I mean, I got so used to clichė stories that I have long predetermined the scenarios that's going to happen but to my surprise they always managed to go against it by taking a turn which I never expected to occur in the first place. 3rd is the way they made sure that all 3 couples of this drama is properly concluded with a clear and happy ending. I always hated it when a drama neglects and completely forgets the other CPs; cause it always leave me this unsatisfied-lingering-feeling that something is missing. That's why I was glad and relieved to see that they made sure that all the CPs introduced will be able to get their well deserved conclusion.

One last thing... Even when I'm really satisfied with this drama I just would still love to mention some dissatisfaction I have for it. First is the extremely weird reaction the Female Lead has whenever she's facing her boss and ultimate idol.— Getting starstruck is fine but to the point where you started to severely stutter and unable to move... Huh! Isn't that completely ridiculous? I was really turned off by that yet decided to not have it affect my rating simply because she eventually got used to him and got rid of that reaction. Second is the weird treatment she got from her co-workers during her probation period. I admit that things like those do happen but the way it was presented simply infuriated me. They acted awkwardly and weirdly towards her for the most absurd reason and up till now it bothers me how irritating those scenes are.

Anyways, this story just proves that not all Idol dramas are extremely clichė and problematic. Hopefully many more dramas of the same genre can take this as a reference for their future projects.

P.S. I freaking appreciate the cameo of the drama 'Make a Wish'. Chiyan & Xiao Xiu <3

Story - 9.5, The execution and conclusion of this drama is definitely one of the best out there— Not problematic, extremely fun, wholesome and heartwarming. However, I feel like it lacks a proper 2nd Male lead that can stir things up for the Main leads relationship. There's just this point where it seems like something is certainly missing. A rivalry at most.

Acting/Cast - 10, OVER THE TOP! I'm so overwhelmed with their acting specially by Chen Zhe Yuan. The amount of expression he gave for his character is overflowing. He's got full contol and is a master of his emotion and expressions that I never find it awkward even one bit. Shen Yue on the other hand did great as well. I feel like she fits this high school/idol drama type of character the best. + Their entire Wedding Scene is a MASTERPIECE!

Music - 10, Perfect choice of Music overall and I love the fact that every song played just fits perfectly with the scenes. It accompanied the story very well and it really help me a lot to feel comfortable and happy watching the drama.

Rewatch Value - 9.5, I won't lie about this. I was kinda bored at some point specially during episode 6-10 but luckily the story picked up its pace and from then on porgresses beautifully. and maybe it's just me being too engrossed and addicted to Costume dramas that I find it this way. Still, a drama that's worth re-watching over and over again.

Overall - 9.5, When it comes to story progression, acting and music wise I can proudly that this is one of a kind. A drama that you won't get tired of, simply because it offers something different from the norms and completely nailed it in every possible way.

IF you find my review helpful please let me know.

Read More

The proper Intro to the Exciting & Thrilling world of The Lost Tomb Series~ <3

PERFECT with its IMPERFECTION~!!

Note: I'm writing this review months after I completed the drama and this is my honest take of the whole show.

First of, I must say that this is the best way to start the The Lost Tomb Series. IF you're reading this, I must inform you that TLT Series should be watch in chronological order cause you'll find yourself lost of everything IF you failed to do so. (Not to mention how confusing it is even watching it in order. Hahaha)

This show solidified the series for me. It was the fiery start who encouraged me to binge-watch the series till the very last adaptation there is.

This is definitely not the most well adapted but it is a great contender when it comes to Story, Graphics, Cinematography, Action and Acting. This show isn't lacking in one bit. There surely are few downplays to this drama and you might feel weirded out and lost most of the time but this drama is probably one of the BEST out there.

P.S. Don't wanna give so much spoilers. But watch out to my additional sentiments below.

Story - 10, This may be very confusing to others who are watching the series for the 1st time but for someone like me who have completed the entire adaptation there is, this is probably one of the most well adapted among ALL. It is jumpy & confusing but all of it is for a purpose. You might even get disapointed by the cliffhangers but thank god the continuation is already up there for people to watch compared to how I suffered back in the days since the sequel's not aired yet.

Acting/Cast - 10, Neo Hou is definitely the Best Wu Xie of all. His portrayal is impeccable and would be hard to be compared to the others as he really owned it. He gave the most coolness, confidence, chick and charm to this character and above all he knew what he's doing. He nailed it. As for the other Characters, Like Zhang Qiling & Pang Zi they also performed well and left a great impact and lasting impression to their characters. A-Ning of this drama is probably my most favorite of all.

Music - 10, I honestly forgot the Music used for this show but I remembered getting so into it watching the scenes with it's thrilling BGMs and the Mellow sound they played during Wu Xie's scene after he went out of the Under Sea Tomb, so does explain my score.

Rewatch Value - 10, I would, DEFINITELY. If there's an adaptation I'm willing to watch over and over again, this would be it.

Overall - 10, Deserved! I started this Journey with the mindset "This is a series so I should expect to feel disappointed with cliffhangers and such" and that made me enjoy the whole show. It is even my most favorite Series of all dramas in general out there. It provided me so much fun & entertainment and helped me cope up with boredness and loneliness. All love and adoration for this show.

IF you find my review helpful please let me know.

Read More

An enjoyable fun-filled drama made perfect by it's mischievous contemporary contents~!!

First and foremost. I highly recommend this drama to anyone. I'm sure it would entertain any audience in General. A drama that won't disappoint. Anyways, Let me list down some qualities I like and may dislike in this drama.

×× Dislike...
→ Something I hate about this drama is how forgiving the 3rd Princess is but I also understand that it's all for the good and it actually entertains me most of the time. So instead of dislike, I may say it is something i don't favor thaf much?
→ I hated how short this drama is. I mean, why do dramas with sucj great plots always tends to be so short while the other crappy one's are receiving more than 50+ with abundant budget. It really is a waste that we didn't get to see some Modern day development and adventure from the Main Leads. I'm still feeling disheartened about it. This drama deserved MORE!

×× Likes...
→ I love how the Main Lead incorporates her Modern World knowledge and making it extra hilarious through out the drama. That was such a mood that brough so much laughter and giggles to me. I really love her.
→ I love Chen Qianqian (3rd Princess) clothes during her first appearance. Like i understood that her clothing is kinda bold for and all that but damn she looks extremely cool with them. I'm no pervert, it's jist that every time i watch the ending credit her hair style and clothing always left in awe.
→ I like the way this story delivered direct messages about how the world treated women so they have no choice but to fight for their rights and stand with pride to bring it back.
→ I also love how comedic the XuanHu's City Owner is. He appeared to be a little rigid at first but turned out to be a loving and funny husband.

Story - 10, It may not have the best plot ever but it was perfect for me in a sense that it depicted justice to gender rights and how things are viewed in our world right now. More than a drama, I think it is a representation of how we can do some changes bit by bit to make our world fairer. EXCEPTIONAL!

Acting/Cast - 10, Oh God! I love the acting here. Starting from the Main Leads to the tiniest people involved did well. I also love how there's a Boys love situation going on with the Main Leads servant. They made it more enjoyable. I cannot! Hahaha~!

Music - 10, Music in this drama is really good. The first time I heard of it I was like "Ohh I like this soothing type of music" It is perfect and compliments the drama scenes a lot.

Rewatch Value - 10, Highly recommendable and I will surely watch it If given a chance. I love it so much~! Surely one of my top 5 chinese dramas to date.

Overall - 10, I'm actually lacking of adjective to use to describe this drama. It simply satisifies my expectation and even went beyond and over all those borders I created. PHENOMENAL!

If you find my review helpful please let me know

Read More

I NEED MORE!!

This is such a breathe of fresh air after getting exposed to the oversaturated confused, indenial and such BL series genre's out there.

It was a take of how same-sex couple deal with various things on their life as they fight to conquer the norm to provide better understanding to their son.

It does have some departments where it's lacking at, but I just love how they emphasized and tackle the most important matters and that what made this drama a cut above the rest.

Story - 10, This type of BL Genre hasn't really been shown to the public's eye that much and does made this piece very interesting and eye-catching. The story itself is good and has captured necessary topics that should've been discussed and highlighted on how same-sex couple deal and struggle to achieve acceptance and understanding.

Acting/Cast - 10, IF i can give 1000 then so be it. I'm labeling this as the BL series with the most kissing scenes that felt so natural you can't help but get drawn to them and feel jealous.Hahaha The Actors & Actresses were excellent and was able to portray their own character the way it should be.

Music - 8, Honestly I'm just so excited to watch the series that i'm doing skips with the intro and outro. 😅 But the rest of the filler sounds & music were properly assigned I must say since it never bothered me one bit. Sorry about this crappy part of my review. Lol

Rewatch Value - 10, This story just deserves as many rewatch as it could get. Probably will rewatch it once the Season 2 comes out... Hopefully!! /Cross fingers/

Overall - 10, A very worthy story i would recommend to anybody simply because it is that good. It addressed so much concerns and share its own take of values and this made this series super special and unique.

Read More

Braving the cold and winning thru the calamities of life to find a HOME | TRUST above eveything else

Is it really that hard, exhausting and heartbreaking to find a home?

I feel so bad for Zhuang Hanyan for having to suffer all those traumatic and inhumane experiences growing up; only to experience a more intensified and horrifying events after she went back "home" when all these times, going back means so much to her as it gives her hope to finally feel the warmth and comfort of a family she never really got to experience growing up.

This drama seriously deserved the popularity, all the praises and everything it received. I was utterly speechless on how grave the situation and all the occurences was on the 1st episode and I thought it was just an opening act of how crazy this drama is but soon it shall be lighter...but man! How wrong was I for thinking that way. They placed the intensity and chilling aura on top and never really tried to lower it down even once! Even those romantic and seemingly lighthearted scenes always ended up on a terrifying comfrontation I never really expected at all.

Consisteny on this drama is top-notch. What's more astonishing is their decision to keep the drama's vibe grim and dreadful till the very end! I say, the scriptwriters deserves a whole round of applause for this impressive masterpiece. From ZHYs remarkable first appearance infront of the Zhuang Mansion, to how she stirred some troubles to see everyone's true color and intension towards her really made me realize that she shouldn't be underistimated in any way.

I mean, she should've been buffled that the one who welcomed her was her father's consort whose kindness felt suspiciously dangerous but no she was not! Not to mention the treatment she received from her Mother and Grandmother during her first week on the household—getting refused to meet them + the blatant words her Mother threw at her were like daggers piercing-through-deeper each moment. The emotional burden and torment must have been tough but she carried on and was still able to fend for herself every now and then. Although she fails oftentimes to see through the schemes, what I like about her is that she was always ready for a counter-attack. And at the end of the day, those experiences served as a good reminder that she shouldn't be complacent and should always be alert as the danger lurks around her 24/7.

Additionally, Zhuang Hanyan never schemed to harm her family despite the countless betrayals from them—all she wanted was to give them a warning, a lesson. So It really must be painful for her to see them attack her with all their might to the expense of her life.

"Saying the softest words while doing the doing the most ruthless things." ZHY to ZSY.

The line above etched in my mind for how accurate it was. I say, a well deserved spotlight goes to Zhuang Shiyang (Hanyan's father) for how cunning, cruel, manipulative and ingeniously vile he is. Man should win the MVP & Best in Scheming Award for how seemless his plans were and how great he was in feigning ignorance and portraying this kindest-man-ever role while seemlessly manipulating eveything in the shadows. Man was a shit of a husband and would pass as the shittiest beyond salvation Father that I have ever known in my entire drama watching journey in this lifetime. A malevolent and an evil incarnate person—Purely diabolical! The type of person who doesn't deserve to be a Husband, more so a father. He deserved to be unlove and to suffrt the most painful death there is.

Chemistry between our main leads are actually good. I love how both of them sought one another not for love but for a different purpose yet still ended up together. I also like how it's the male lead who ended up helplessly in love and is always in agony for every expected yet unexpected betrayal from Hanyan. He love her already but still did all the scheming so he's expecting her to be mad but never really expect her to go as far as try killing him every single time. This man is easy but at the same time quite complicated to love. So I was really glad when they started to truly help each other at the end. Specially after Ruan Xi Wen told Hanyan that it is not love and affection that's important in a relationship but TRUST! So it feels nice and fulfilling to witness that they've finally become a couple who have developed mutual understanding and trust towards each other.

Lastly, the trademark of this drama should have been blood-stained Hanfu's. Althrough out the drama, what truly stood out to me are the Hanfu's who's stained by blood—specially Zhou Ruyin's when she was cleaning her son's (Zhuang Yu Chi) blood, Zhuang Shiyang when he stabbed Ruan Xiwen and Yuwen Chang'an and Ruan Xiwen's during their wedding banquet.

Talking about the Wedding Banquet (that turned into the Last Supper) surely is the most heartbreaking scene of this drama. The bittersweet taste still lingers in my mouth and I still can't shake off this disappointment and heavy feeling off my heart everytime I am reminded of how they ended up together but shortly aftet had to experience the most painful and traumatizing way of death (Night of their wedding day). They surely would've been a wonderful couple for sure. Too bad we were not given the liberty to witness it, and I curse Zhuang Shiyang to death for that.

"That day, the warmth I just gained in my life turned into a cold corpse once again." - Zhuang Hanyan's statement witnessing her mother dying in her own arms...

Story - 10, An emotional roller coaster than never never tried to keep the intensity and momentum down a bit the moment it started on Ep 1. The emotion on this drama may seem light but is truly heartbreaking. Every scenes are filled with words and actions meant to kill physically but oftentimes emotionally.

Acting/Cast - 10, I am really happy with the cast, specially Chen Duling! Been seeing her to a lot of dramas I watched all throughout the years and been always wonderding why she's not really that famous yet given how beautiful and good she is in acting. So watching her attain that in this project made me feel happy for her. + I know Xin Yunlai by face but doesn't really know him that much but I am glad for him too. While I have this mixed feeling seeing He Hongshan here. I am quite irritated on her acting ever since I watched her on The Legend of Phoenix. Lol - P.S. Yu Entai and Wen Zhengrong deserved to bag all the acting awards they'll be nominated for portraying their roles in this drama.

Music - 10, Emotionally touching and pensive songs that can make anyone feel lost and melancholic. I was truly moved and touched. Great set of music for sure.

Rewatch Value - 10, This is not even a question at this point. I am not the type of person who likes riding the wave of popularity of dramas but this one genuinely deserves it.

Overall - 10, Everything about this drama is perfect for me. Specially since I am one "Emo" guy. Lol I appreaciate everything on this drama—from the very first episode till the last. I love all the things (Heartbreak, joy, excitement and thrill) it gave me and would surely love to experience it again. Highly recommend!!

IF you find my review helpful please let me know.

Read More

A combo of bad writing & terrible direction + A blatant disregard to basic palace norms & etiquettes

Welcome back to me! Lol. So after a total of 83 days, I finally completed this one hell of a ridiculously challenging drama. And I would say "Whoah! That's a LOT". I don't even know where to start at this point.

Anyways, let me start this by going through the most problematic aspects of this production as a whole, and that is...the Direction and Writing itself—Dang! I can't even count how many times I complained about how bad both are throughout my entire experience of this drama. It's a combination of bad writing and amateur direction which resulted into a complete chaos. A terrible, ludicrous and disgraceful show to be very honest.

One thing I cannot understand is how are people giving this a Perfect 10 when it doesn't even deserve an 8 or 9, more so a 10!? Like, the heck are those people thinking? This drama feels like a food you want to throw away after taking a big bite of it expecting it to be delicious but turned out to be one of the nastiest food you have ever tried so far. I got fooled so bad by the good reviews and the fact that Jeremy Xu is here. I definitely did not expect him to have this kind of stupidly absurd drama on his arsenal. This production did him dirty! No wonder he's decided to retire. Geez!

The story per se maxed the hell out of my patience and drained every little piece of tolerance I have had stored as a back up. One of the MDL reviews I read stated that they finally matured after the first 10 episode and from then on, has started acting more matured and attentive. BUT I am here to counter that! Like what the hell does that person meant by episode 10? I was on Ep.26 and is still complaining on what is the director and writer thinking while supposedly directing and producing this drama? 85% or more of the events that's transpired does NOT make sense at all. The direction was straight out BAD! It was like a scratch paper of an amateur director trying various things to gain experience. It was not even bare minimum, it was lower than that—a total lackluster and disappointing show.

This drama is in a competition against itself on how ludicrous it is. Each and every episode, something absurd always happen—like several times!! Which never failed to surprise me and got my eyeballs rolling non-stop each time. It's fascinating how can it topple its previous episodes on that specific category every single chance it gets, which made me grief so hard on how ridicuously unrealistic and nonsensical those scenes are! Its consistency on that entire area was bewildering to the point it has become disgusting over time.

Another major aspect I can't bear to overlook because of how deliberate it was are the times they just do not conform to the Palace rules and etiquettes. Few examples are:

× Ye Ning Zhi (FL) arguing with the Empress even when she's just a Maid at that time.
× Not bowing to both the Emperor and Empress as if they're of the same status and even suddenly leaving their presense without proper "Farewell" salute/bow.
× The multiple occasions where she acted on her own whim as if she's not on the palace grounds and many more.

I mean, I understand that they want her to portray this lively, free-spirited and vibrant character but she just went too far that it has become an impertinent and insolent action as time passes by. I am sure all people in their era knows how different the Royal Palace is and how you should be "Treading on thin Ice" while you are there but she's different. She doesn't seems to care about all that and I guess the Director wanted her to appear as someone "Unique" but to me she's more of an ignorant and mischievous person who went to the palace to get killed. She was clumsy, careless and doesn't even follow the common rules. She would have died already if it was on a different "Proper" period drama. Her writing got so exaggerated that I feel frustrated and irritated watching her.

The way it was presented to us/viewers seemed like they meant to do it that way. Maybe to stand out or something? I don't know if it's some kind of marketing strategy and/or promotion to gain publicity but surely they captured my attention...in the most awful way. I mean, I understand negative publicity is still publicity. However, I believe there should be a limitation to that...right?? 1-2 times is alright, 3-4 is fine, 5-6 a bit much, 7-8 excessive, 9-10 overdoing it but 11-20 and even more? Isn't that just straight out being rude and stupid? This drama's such an insult to those intellectually analytic people. It's as if they've abandoned their common sense and have decided to go on with this drama without considering such things, which is techinically the most important basic ethics out there. Oh God!

Lastly, is the incompetent Emperor who never fails to disappoint till the very end. He's such a disgrace that watching him infuriates me. Also, it's funny how Ning Zhi feels like the one running and front lining the palace against the Royal Princess because both the Emperor and Empress are ill-tempered and rashed! Hasty and doesn't do much thinking when they do things.

Overall, I would say that this production meant to showcase the growth of the Female lead—as someone who rises from the lowest rank to become a spectacular figure head; and they accomplished that at the very end but at the expense of ruining the entire context of the show because of the foolish route they've chosen to proceed with to finish this drama.

Story - 5.0, I am still trying to give credits (Happy Ending + the healthy relationship between the Empress Dowager, Empress and Imperial Consort) where it's due at this point. But aside from all that this drama can be categorized as nasty trash. The way it disrupted, disregarded and ruined all the basic common knowledge in the Royal Palace will forever leave a foul taste on my mouth. Unacceptable!!

Acting/Cast - 7.0, I got no issue with the cast, their acting otherwise made me feel some things a lot of times. I do not know if they were merely following the directors guidance and instructions but most of them acted as if this is some kind of a "Role" they're trying hard to play. I mean, the acting was there but the obvious effort to deliver it was very evident all throughout, which threw me off countless of times. P.S. I am not used to Jeremy Xu being all smiley and playful at times so seeing him here brings me utter joy and fascination.

Music - 9.0, Honestly, the only thing I truly love about this drama is the OSTs used. Opening Song is sorrowful which helps set the mood of the drama + the insert music on each scenes are neatly done too. I just want to include this here as well...Dubbing reminded me of Chinese drama's decades ago which are always obviously dubbed.

Rewatch Value - 1.0, NOPE. NEVER! I will never put myself on the same situation again where I would lose my passion and appetite in watching dramas just because I stumbled upon a ridiculous nasty one.

Overall - 5.5, Considering everything, this is the best I could give for this drama as a whole. The story could've been promosing if they didn't incorporated so much nonsense and did not blatantly go against the basic norms. I can never recommend this drama to anyone. This is definitely one of the toughest drama for me to finish. I endured a lot. Geez! Never again.

IF you find my review helpful please let me know.

Read More

Cute and lovely CP | Great crime and investigation scenes but unfortunately got a Half-arsed Ending!

Standing apart from the crowd allows one to calmly assess the entirety of a situation." - Han Zheng

Finally, A long overdue review. I unintentionally procrastinated watching the last 6 episodes of this drama because I got distracted reading a couple of stories from my favourite author. Another thing is that I lost my interest quite a bit because I got spoiled by the ending from watching too much snippets from Youtube. My bad! I swear not to do it again (as much as I can Hahaha).

Anyways, this is one of the dramas I find easy and light to watch as we are focused on mainly 2 things. First is the progression of the main leads love story and second is them solving cases; which made it particularly more entertaining and easy to follow because I don't really have to constantly think critically of what might happen. And although it involved various complex cases that needs to be unraveled, I just find myself watching it leisurely without really minding how are they gonna resolve it. I guess it really has something to do with it being an "Idol drama" which helped me watch it with ease and without any reservations and overly high expectations. I even came to the point where I told myself to just enjoy it as it is and stop overly thinking of the plot; and I must say that it actually worked because I got to let go of my obsession and concern on how the story will unfold.

The crime and cases are well thought and the investigation process were done impressively in a clever and entertaining way. However, I feel like they gave the spotlight and credits too much on the FL to the point where I felt weird about it after just watching the first 10 episodes. I understand that she's the main "brain" of this story but there are just so much time when I felt like the credits aren't properly given to where it's due. It never appeared to be forced because of how well it was presented however as time goes by, I developed this significant feeling that she's getting so much more compared to what she actually deserves and worked for. She got pushed so much that I find it inorganic and weird because I know that the other characters worked even harder than her yet she's receiving most of the recognition and glory from it all. Not to mention how she typically handles her cases in an amateur and novice like way as if she's new to the job. I would say that she's carefree to the point of being careless. I am just glad that the ML was always with her while resolving almost all of her dangerous cases because she might have been long dead if he is not.

When it comes to the story progression, I would say that they spent plenty of time with all the occurences on the first half of the story that they lacked a huge amount of screentime at the end to address and deal with the main antagonist/hurdle of the show. The last 15 episodes of the story was rushed and I just knew how they most certainly had a hardtime with the editing and stuff because of how time constraint they are with the #s of episodes they got approved of (I don't know much about distribution licence but it surely is connected to that). Overall this impacted the drama a lot (objectively speaking) as anyone can visibly see and feel how quick things are going on (I can't even use "dealth with" because they didn't even show that to us) and how are we jumping from one scene to another without any proper explanation of what had actually transpired and how we arrived to the result they have showed us.

In terms of chemistry, I'd say that they all fit in with perfection. I never feel any awkward aura for all the characters and I can even feel the synergy and mutual affinity of the actors of this show. The vibe of the whole production team must have been light for the drama to exude this comfortability.

Lastly, the Ending...and as I mentioned above, it really left a significant impact to the whole show. Because what do you mean we're getting the revelation of the main antagonist, Final fight, resolution and conclusion of the story at the last 2 episodes of the drama? They never even provide as a proper wedding scene. Grr!

Story - 8.5, Don't get me wrong the story is actually good and WAS on a good pace however it's the Editing Team who didn't consider the entirety of the show and have decide to screw the ending which resulted for the whole drama to look incomplete and half-arsed. What a waste of good story honestly.

Acting/Cast - 10, I won't pick on the actors' acting because they did it according to how to story required them to do so and its genre. But I would love to commend Li Yitong and Bi Wenjun for nailing their respective characters. This is my first project of them both and I like it a lot already.

Music - 10, I'm not gonna lie, I love the music! Opening is really cute, easy to listen to and entertaining; same goes with the inserts music/tunes. The placement of the songs are good too and is always on point. Kudos to the Sound/Audio Team.

Rewatch Value - 8.0, This honestly is a good drama overall and I can give it a higher rating only if they exert some more effort on showing us the ending. I still feel bad on how it was too JUMPY at the end! We missed and was robbed of a lot of scenes. Daheck!!

Overall - 9.0, Despite all of my feedbacks above, I guess I am just glad that they still end this happily and in a good note. I would at least commend them for keeping it light and easy to watch until the every end (But that was just TOO easy to watch). Nonetheless, I still hate the Editing Team for submitting such incomplete and lacking work and for the Director for approving it.

IF you find my review helpful please let me know.

Read More

The Business-centric Wife and her Benovelent Husband + Would've been better with lesser episodes.

In this world, everyone has their own identity. If everyone is the protagonist, this story would be too boring - Gu Gu (NPC)

So, to put things into simple words... This is a story that has been going under multiple revision to achieve the best quality yet— A work in progress.

In terms of how the story progresses, I'd say that it was rather mundane at first, like a straight-up tropey and corny comedy skit from a gag show that slowly gets dull and stagnant after achieving its momentum but was still able to keep things all together at the very end. It was imperfect and can be very boring several times but wasn't that bad for me to halt or drop it. It's one of those dramas that made me realize how tolerant and trustful I am that there's always a good side in everything. Even to the point where I had to ask myself "Why do I feel stupid watching this?" and "Am I that credulous for continuing this even when I know how ridiculous the entire drama has been going?" Hahaha! But, Fret not! This drama is still enjoyeable overall, specially with how they ended it.

Ending - It was unexpected yet fulfilling... For some reason they made the ML kinda lose his credibility for not being able to cure the FL even after years of practicing and researching on how to cure that specific disease; then kept things hanging by making them going 'Missing in Action' for years, resulting to a timeskip and finally be presented with the Main Leads coming back... FL still alive and apparently in great health and even with 2 kids. It was surprising but I'm just glad and grateful they gave them a happy ending.

Main Leads - I guess what I love about our leads is that they balance each other. Male lead is always there to provide advisement and correction to his wife whenever she's doing something accidentally harmful to others. While Female lead kept things more exciting and lively by filling his husbands weaknesses and providing countless entertaining scenes with her clever business tricks and ideas. Also, their chemistry might have been a bit questionable at first but they make it all out flawlessly as the story goes on.

2nd Male Lead, 2nd CP and Supporting Roles - Xue Mu as a character is simply hateful. Someone who goes deeper and deeper into darkness because of his loathe and greed. Ye Wenzhao & Xia Liuqing on the other hand is an interesting combo. They're unique in their own way. While the siblings Xia Lan & Xia Yaozu are that foolish, naive and hateful characters who was given a chance to turn into a new leaf.

Xia, Xu & Ye Patriarch - One thing I find odd about this drama is how the Matriach's were all dead... Like, do the writers have some kind of resentment? Lol. Anyways, the additional chaos the patriarchs brought made this show extra boisterous. They serve like a secret weapon that made this drama different and fascinating in a really good way.

Lastly, I wanna say that I love how rich this show is when it comes to marketing and business ideas. The way they innovate and expand their business everytime it fails is an interesting and worthy progress to see. I just find the used of Child labor very wrong and problematic at some point... But I guess, reality hits really hard, huh?

P.S. I'm captivated with the Female leads yellow costume. It was very pretty and one of a kind. Something rarely seen. Simple yet explicitly beautiful.

Story - 8.0, It was actually fun and entertaining in general but the repetitive dull and boring scenes worn me out eventually. I feel like it could've work out much better if they reduce the episodes to 20 and concluded Xue Mu's infuriating revenge agendas as early as possible.

Acting/Cast - 9.0, I'm pretty satisfied with the casting and acting is actually good, but the way they set up the scenes tends to have this unnatural and forced vibe in it, like a self-explanatory thing that it's all scripted. + Although I find the Main leads chemistry a bit rough at first, they surprisingly carried each other very well with how comfortable they act with each other. The only acting I find really cringy up until the last moments are from Thea Xi, who feels like she needed all the direction she could get and Xu Bingchao's portrayal that feels exaggerated at times. Special mention to Liu Yaoyuan! He freaking nailed it!

Music - 9.0, The BGMs used fits the overall theme of the drama. Although I find the opening a bit too lively and intrumentally loud at first, I'd say it fits perfectly with the playful and funky feel of this drama and helped out a lot to better accentuate the overall vibe of the show. While the other Ballad song just sounds really good as well.

Rewatch Value - 8.0, Just, so-so... I'd rather watch other shows with better story direction than this. I still feel like they could reduce the episodes and get rid of the repetitive and wearisome plots that made this show draggy. The Xue Mu plot still makes me sick up till this point! The way he came back all the time after getting defeated felt like a loophole that truly exhausted and irritated the hell outta me.

Overall - 8.5, This drama could've been better if they didn't purposely drag/prolong the entire plot. It feels like they tried really hard to make it seem interesting and unique but it ended up getting tiring and boring. I guess, trying hard wasn't always good? P.S. The ending made this rating a bit higher. Thank god they didn't murder the leads or something.

IF you find my review helpful please let me know

Read More

The peace & people-loving Hei-Feng Bai-Xi and their mighty & passionate conquest for love.

From now on, we'll be drunk together (referring to kissing) - Feng Lanxi

My desire to get highly critical with this review is strong but I have decided to let my fun-loving drama passionate side stay rational by giving this production an impartial and honest feedback. So, rest assured that all informations stated are base on how I genuinely view this drama as a whole.

Plot twist, revelations and overall scheming - Most of the time I spent guessing with this dramas outcome was really satisfying and unpredictable. Kudos to the writers for making sure that we're still getting the elements of surprise throughout the solving and brain racking moments.

Pacing went too fast and felt too rushed. Sequencing may seemed alright but it's rather lacking as well. I feel like more than anything else this drama needed more time and episodes to make a lot of its scenes more detailed and effective. They dwelled so much in imperial struggles and throne infighting that they kinda forgot how much episodes they've wasted on it already and how many more is left for the climax and finale.

Fighting scenes - Most of the early fights were flawless, extremely good and greatly executed specially with our Main leads. However, towards the end everything just felt lacking and unimpressive. It feels like they were short of budget to make it 'actually' happen or simply because they got limited resourches to do so. Overall I'm still grateful and glad that we still got a lot of decent and even great combat scenes.

CGI, Graphics and Editing - This production survived because of their magnificent editing team. CGI is outstanding and I'm impressed on how detailed and well coordinated they all are. It's just that they have 'too much' of it that it gradually felt lackluster. They off-screened a lot of supposed great scenes and it's just a huge missed opportunity from them.

Climax and ending - Full of Recaps, Cuts and Off-screens... Climax should've been the most detailed and eventful part but it overall felt rushed and disappointing. The way they transition the events felt like they wanna wrap it up in the best way possible while still showing the necessary contents; although it kinda worked out, it still felt wrong the more you think about it. Ending is good and quite reasonable but I think they could've done it a lot better than that.

Main leads relationship and chemistry - It was refreshing to see that both of our leads have a pre-established connection through rivalry and countless interactions during their introduction as it served as the greatest foundation to further develop and strengthen their relationship. + Their constant bickering was more than enough to make me go insane!

Feng Xiyun / Bai Fenxi - What made this character really unique is her ability to befriend and attract anyone just by being carefree and unbothered. Not to mention how brave, skillful and sassy she is that made her even more interesting to watch.

Feng Lanxi / Hei Fenxi - I just wanna say that I really love his simply yet classy carriage. Hahaha! It contributed a lot to make his calm, composed and intelligent character be even more convincing and attractive.

Other character rants (mostly about Lanhua & Sect leader Bai) - This two character made me uncomfortable and rolled my eyes 10x or more. I feel like for a leader, Master Bai seemed so weak, fragile and vulnerable. While Lanhua just didn't deserve any screen time she has had in this show. Her character is the greatest downside of this story and I just hated how immature, unprogressive and stagnant she is even when the show's halfway done.

P.S. This drama doesn't need any skips because they do it for you. /Sighs/

Story - 9.0, Story flow is actually good and considerably packed with details. It's just that they spent 3/4 of the show to build up the climax and finale only to become unimpressive due to the lack of episode, countless recaps and off-screened scenes.

Acting/Cast - 9.5, Impressive main and supporting leads, specially Zhao Lusi, Yang Yang, Zhang Haowei, Lai Yi and Liu Ruilin. I just think that some of the side actors/actresses felt weak in showing the approriate emotions and body language.

Music - 10, Overall BGM were properly placed and in-synced to every scenes and I just love the songs they used in this drama. Lots of good ballads I'll surely add on my playlist.

Rewatch Value - 9.0, Despite all the rants I mentioned above, I still won't neglect the fact that this story is enjoyable and exciting to watch. Heck!!, I finished it in 3 days. Just be wary on the countless off-screened cuts that may spoil your watch experience.

Overall - 9.0, It could've been more impressive and satisfying if they could've added atleast 10 more episodes to it. It felt too compressed and rushed that I feel like something important is missing. It may have wrapped up 'decently' but this drama deserves better. Specially since it has Zhao Lusi and Yang Yang in it.

IF you find my review helpful please let me know

Read More

A Light, Fun-Filled and rather Fast-Paced Idol Wuxia Drama~!!

Hmm, that was unexpectedly light and fun despite all the unjustifiable killing and story manipulation.

Actually.. I have mixed feelings for the story itself and would've ranted my way all throughout this review if they took the bruised and broken path; but I guess they have a clear plan for this drama as a whole that they were able to execute and conclude the story pretty well despite all those questionable plot holes.

I don't really wanna dwell into the con's of this drama but let me just mention a few to summarize some of it.

× The relentless killing just felt odd to me. I understand that most of them were the sacrifial lamb for the story build up but the way they do it just felt so wrong in my opinion. They introduced and killed the suppossed important characters like it's no ones business.

× The expected yet sudden change of FLs love affair. Like, woah. I myself find it really weird that they build her relationship with the 2ndML for more than half of the story just to finally pair him with the ML at the last 15 episodes of the drama. I mean, that made a lot of sense but everything felt so incredibly rushed that I myself don't know if I'll be glad about it or not.

Anyways, aside from those mentioned above, the rest either felt good or decent to me. There might be some other scenes that affected the drama but most of them are just minor stuff and aren't worth mentioning anymore.

One great thing they did that made this drama redeem itself is how they kept the last 10-15 episodes rather calm, slow-paced and sweet. They toned it down so much and build a lot of romantic and fun scenes between the main leads that they were able to salvage the entire story and kept all of it intact and in proper places.

Above everything else this drama is truly fun to watch and is considerably a Good Idol Wuxia drama.

Story - 8.5, It wasn't perfect but definitely not bad either. It is in between good and fair. For a 36 episodes drama it is indeed lacking in terms of plot progression and I think they could've worked on it a little more better to make the story more worth it... but overall it was decent.

Acting/Cast - 9.5, For an Idol drama it is really good. Acting is fine since most of them doesn't really include heavy scenes that requires more emotions. But I must say that even those scenes were executed really well. I'm satisfied with the Cast and their overall acting and synergy.

Music - 9.5, It was enjoyable, something that truly fits the energy and vibe of the drama. It's just that my preference is quite weird and I was quite sad about the intro not being a Ballad. Lol~

Rewatch Value - 8.5, It was fine. A drama I would watch again if someone asked me to watch it with them. There was nothing really remarkable about it so watching it once is enough.

Overall - 9.0, I would've given it an 8.5 but they were able to fix a lot of the parts i was unsatisfied with and brought lots of justice to the other CPs so I would still give it this rating. Overall feel of the drama is fine and nothing really much to criticize or pick-on with. I would just say that they could've lessen the scenes between FL and 2nd ML and instead gave more romantic scenes to the Main Leads. Cause, that's how it should be. Come on.

IF you find my review helpful please let me know.

Read More

Amazing Teamwork & Unconditional Bond Built through Disasters, Hardships and Misfortunes.

This is an inspiring story of 6 Young Adult with different backgrounds who happened to be in a team and was able to get through so many dangers, troubles and challenges that created indestructible bond between them and eventually turned out as the BEST TEAM there is.

This may seem to be a Feel-Good-Drama at first but finishing it changes my mind drastically after. This drama surely has its own Goofy, Quirky, Fun and Ridiculous sides but it also carries such important and heavy topics that are relevant to the world right now.

The Story made sure that they tackled and highlighted some of the most underlooked issues for decades now such as Women Emporment, Power Abuse and Poverty and I felt that they all did justice to all of it.

One thing I want to aplaud and commend the director, writer and everyone who have worked for this production is the way they deliver the entire story in such a unique and interesting way. I admit that this is one of the most Oversaturated Theme there is in the market but I must say that they're able to establish their own identity in it and made it Different, Fresh and New compared to all those production who share the same plot and theme.

A 'Well-Rounded' drama that deserves more views and recognition. HIGHLY RECOMMEND for sure~!!

Story - 10 Satisfying plot and twists incorporated with a lot of funny, tricky and entertaining scenes that can make its viewers stick their attention to it from the first episode till the very last. I felt so bad that it was ended in an 'Open-Ended/To Be Continued' way but never got to release its sequal years after its release. I want to watch more of their adventure together. Wishing for the best!

Acting/Cast - 10, Outstanding Performance from every actors/actresses of this drama. They all executed perfectly and I never felt bored and awkward with any scene. They even made the Romantic Scenes comfortable, easy and fascinating to watch considering how I usually feel awkward watching them.

Music - 10, The moment I heard the Opening theme I've already decided fhat I will like it. The Anime-sounding and Adrenaline-Vibe only highlighted the greatness of this production. Other Music/BGMs used are either good and decent as well so I got no complaints.

Rewatch Value - 10, I would definitely watch it again. Its just that I have a long list of dramas to watch and I can't afford to wait to watch all of them as well. BUT, If they suddenly announce the release of it's Season 2/ Sequel then I surely would. DEFINITELY.

Overall - 10, This is such an Amazing and Interesting drama that should be watch and enjoy by many people regardless of Age and Gender. 💕

If you find my review helpful please let me know.

Read More

Don't you dare lookdown or even underestimate Househusbands + Deserved more appreciation and views.

I have decided to write this review as I feel like this drama deserves more attention and appreciation.

This is such a feel-good & comical drama I never expected to enjoy. I started having doubts with its 1st episode but everything has gotten better and better all throughout as the story progresses.

I have always appreciate fatherly love on dramas and this is one of those that made me felt warm and comforted watching it.

It may seem corny and weird at first but it was indeed enjoyable and worth all the time I spent watching this piece.

Story - 9.5, Actually the story itself has nothing special in it and it's not even following any kind of direction. It's more of a day to day experience of a father striving to be a better househusband and each episode it offers something fun, new and comical.

Acting/Cast - 9.5, They all performed great. I mean there are a lot of lines which i felt like would be hard to be delivered (since it's so awkward) but they did just that and that made this drama so special. I even love the silent laughs from the Lady Boss whenever it felt like she over-acted her gestures. HAHAHA

Music - 9, The BGMs are decent and are on point. I even have the main song downloaded on my spotify. Da-Ice - Citrus. You all should give it a try.

Rewatch Value - 8, It is indeed good. But i probably wouldn't watch it anytime sooner since my drama list is piling up but it worths all the time. No doubt. 💯

Overall - 9, Just base on my review I'm sure I was able to rely my thoughts about how good and fun this drama is. A must watch!!

Read More

FLs the Master of talking back, fronting face, scheming and faking it! — A Drama Queen!

Before anything else, I wanna say that Zhao Lusi gave her AAA+ in playing her role in this drama and deserves a Top Actress Award for doing so. Damn, I cackled so hard whenever she says or does anything. She offered and gave so much 'drama' and comedy to her character which is something I've never seen before—one of a kind. I will be forever in love on how calculating and scheming she is, a badass capable lady!

This first part is all about the process—struggles and obstacles someone must go through in their lifelong Journey.

I kind of contemplated to write this reaction after finishing the first 27 episodes (Part 1) because I feel like it shouldn't really be cut-off in the middle and it's just a continuation without any timeskips or so happening, but I still decided to do so because I feel like it has been giving me the best enjoyment and it deserves this early review to serve as a commendation to how excellent this drama has been going thus far.

I never expected this drama to be this good in all honesty. I'm just glad to finally watch another ZLS & WL drama after quite a while but this masterpiece hook me from the very beginning till this very moment. It's a 'one in a thousand' type of production you'll got no choice but binge and get addicted to because of how crazily addicting and great it is.

Cheng Shaoshang as a female lead has been giving me nothing but pure joy and excitement. I feel like she was born and created to give non-stop color to brighten up my day. Every scene she's in felt like a whole damn amusement park ride— exciting and thriling. Take note that, not even once have I felt bored watching her. She's got a whole variety of entertainment in her that never cease to amuse me.

I also love how the story didn't dwell much on her sufferings with her relatives, Instead, they gave us another twist by showing us how parental love can be hard, rough and tough. It was indeed cruel I would say... and up till this moment I still can't agree that her Mother's way of disciplining her is correct. Heck! I even hated her mother a lot of times for using an 'Iron-Fist' to educate her because it hurt her even more. Not to mention how often her mother tells and shows her how someone is better than her and that she's nowhere close to how good her cousin Yangyang was. It made me upset so much to the point where I wish that she can just disown her mother and give her love to her 3rd Aunt instead because her real mother doesn't deserve it. But at the end of the day I just understand why her mother is doing it that way as well. It was because her mother loves her so much but didn't understand and know her at all. Her mother's lack of understanding of her made them drift miles apart as story goes by and I just hope that they can slowly reconcile and gain mutual understanding of each other in the next coming episodes.

Another thing I wanna mention is how lively and comical her entire family is. They were like a Circus troupe full of funny and unexpected tricks you'll never get tired of. I love how her Grandmother is greedy yet ignorant and how the rest of the remaining family and friends around truly loves and cares for her. Special mention to her Father, Maidservant, Qiqi and Brothers for being a great support and companion— specially during their silliest times.

Next is set of fine men who love and adores her...

×× Ling Buyi, I'm always satisfied with his character. He's always been respectful and honest with his own feelings and not even once disrespect the FL. Although he kind of lack the basic knowledge of how equality works, I just know that he'll do great in the future.

×× Lou Yao could've been a really great Husband and Partner to our FL but I'm just glad it didn't happen because I still want Ling Buyi no matter what. One thing I wanna mention is how pityful yet outstanding his character is. He's simply well written and would love to see him succeed and live a happy life with his Wife.

×× Yuan Shen is just like his Master. Cautious and coward to express his feelings. I just know that he'll be regretful and will suffer from a brokenheart for eternity because of how taciturn he is with his real feelings.

P.S. I badly need to mention how entertaining it was to watch all of them interact. Very different from the usual Jelousy scenes I was expecting but still very satisfying. It clearly shows how some men of the ancient past deals with Jealousy and stuff through their wits and imposing way.

Story - 10, It deserves beyond that honestly. Story is well-written and on top of that very funny and entertaining as a whole. No dull moments even once considering how l've finished Part 1 now.

Acting/Cast - 10, Solid and Perfect set of actors and actresses. I've never been this satisfied before with any dramas entire cast. I feel like they've got the best characters for each role and they also made me realized what real acting is. God, gonna mention how Zhao Lusi's acting is insanely one of the top and Wu Lei's imposing posture and body! whooa! He grew up so well from the Fei Liu (Nirvana in Fire) I've known and adore.

Music - 10, I'm really satisfied with their choice of music. I also love how the flute and its sound fit so well whenever Shen Shaoshang's playing it. I really thought they would murder it but they did extremely well in making it sound and look pleasant. P.S. Dubbing is really good too!!

Rewatch Value - 10, I would rewatch it again and again whenever I want to. It is one of those dramas that can never make you feel off and bored even one bit.

Overall - 10, Come on! This drama has been nothing but a masterpiece so far and i'm expecting it to constanly progress with the same intensity and satisfaction. I highly recommend this drama to everyone and I'm very excited to watch the Part 2.

IF you find my review helpful please let me know

Read More