Minalapinou

Eh, this one didn't do much for me. The drama is gorgeous : gorgeous actors, sets, costumes (her wardrobe is to die for, so elegant), even the music is good, direction is pro-level, I was taking screens all the time. They nailed the atmosphere. I like the story, it's about a rich heiress whose throne is threatened by the search for her dad's secret son in Macau (not named but it's clearly the reference), and by an arranged marriage with a lame family friend (she's in love with his older brother). She escapes to Macau, finds herself in dangerous situations in the gambling world, and gets involved with the shady mobster her dad hired to find her brother. They make a pact : he will give her some intel so she can get to her rival before her dad, while she will pose as his new girlfriend to escape the control of a powerful family who wants him as an in-law.

I don't know why I was so lukewarm about it, the pacing was perfect, the hero's story was about redemption and escaping the mafia's claws, themes I adore, the drama didn't overrely on cliffhangers every two minutes to hold our attention...maybe I'm just not a big Zhang Jin Yi fan ? She's perfectly fine, even good, it's just that I didn't find she had much chemistry with Zhao Zhen Dong, she looked distracted in their scenes, not fully there, and too often I saw the actress, not the character. I'm also not sure about the way Wen Ning was written, the drama wanted her to be this powerful princess of Beijing circles out of her element in gambling dens, but truth to be told, she feels more like a brat most of the time, not really grasping the danger she's in, making impulsive decisions. Her motives and the way she wants to accomplish her goals felt very selfish, down to the way she flirts with the hero, oblivious to consequences. I guess it's supposed to be part of her charm, but I didn't find it very endearing. The fact that she's in love with her fiance's older brother does give her a bit of dimension, but it's revealed way too late to have an impact. As a result I wasn't that invested in the main romance, even if it had all the usual delicious trappings of forbidden lust (and ZZD crazy charisma). I wonder if the other versions of this plot have a better written Wen Ning, and romance. It's a shame because I love the drama's direction, subtle sensuality, and luscious visuals. A beautiful drama, but somewhat hollow.