Minalapinou

Straight to the point murder mystery with a delicious serving of romance

The plot is your über classic, you-killed-my-father-prepare-to-die (and let's solve a bunch of murder mysteries along the way) type of revenge story, with some trendy tweaks like the indentity switch, but this show wants to focus on the mystery, adventure and romance parts, rather than the gimmicks framing it. As a result it's very straight to the point, and more importantly, well-paced. The first mysteries are intricate enough to sustain our attention, and the tension escalates when our heroes reach the big city and get into the Prince's murder. I was not sure what to think of the main couple at first, their mutual crush was a bit on the nose, but after watching so many slow burns (some without payoff) I was very happy to see our leads get together faster than expected and all over each other (so many kisses, I was in romance heaven). They are so complementary, a true power couple : she will get sh*t done, and he will kick ass. It didn't hurt that the leads were played by two of my favs. Overall this drama is surprinsingly great at writing romances, and their sweetness balanced out the dire darkness of the cases. The production is not lavish whatsoever, it's a true case of strong writing, acting and directing covering for the smaller scaled budget.

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Belated but still enjoyable climax of a drawn-out story showing its weaknesses

I was initially glad the drama could keep its 56 episodes length, but after finishing the second part I'm not so sure it was the best decision after all. FP lost its momentum after the break and rehashed the same leftover plots, like Mu Dan's business being dragged through the mud before flourishing again (it became a running gag, they even use the same inspirational song every single time). The princess and Lui Chang were never letting go of their obsession whatever happened, running around in circles, while our main couple was still pretending that they were not into each other, totally platonic friends for sure, which, after almost 45 episodes, was not fresh anymore. Thankfully once romantic rivals came to spice things up, the show was back in business, gorgeous, fun and well-acted, and the slow-burn romance finally paid off (it came so late I was starting to ship her with her asshole ex). The plot's weaknesses were more apparent this time, some arcs felt overly preachy, Mu Dan kept saving people with the power of business left and right, and the villain was still a cackeling cliche straight from a kid's cartoon. I longed for a more nuanced version of this story, less naïve, but overall I would lie if I said I didn't have a blast. It's just not that clever or deep. I am also ashamed to admit that Miles Wei as an obssessive, violent and possessive ex-husband awoke something in me and now I kinda want to watch a romance where he's a problematic lead.

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The path to revenge and glory of a merchant's daughter cursed with a terrible marriage

I'm not the biggest fan of Yang Zi and was starting to think I would never be able to connect to a character she played, until Mu Dan. I was bored, new dramas were not doing anything for me, and I was convinced by the buzz around the second season to give FP a try. And I'm so glad I did ! It made me think a lot of Dream of Splendor. The Tang era reconstitution is soo beautiful, they haven't spared efforts or money in order to have their frames look like elaborate paintings (down to small costume details : I was low-key obsessed with Li Xian's brocade garbs). The lighting is sorcery, the makeup is divine, the music soars. Plot wise, Mu Dan's story is a very classic Cinderella journey with unexpected comrades, slow-burn romance and mustache-twirling baddies, but it tackles story arcs in such an exquisite, detailed and lush manner that you can't help but get enchanted (very appropriate for a love story between a peony breeder and a flamboyant "flower and bird envoy"). It's also not pretending that the peony business is going to save the world or something (can't say the same about the second part tho). To notice, this is one of the very few dramas that refused to get cut to 40 episodes and choose to keep a 56 episodes length with two seasons (apparently only the most high profile shows can do this now, sadly). I finished and reviewed both parts.

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Sometimes you just need to watch a young chaos god raise a baby phoenix and the hijinks that ensue

So I think that a lot of xianxia enjoyers have their own favorite fluffy idol xianxia that doesn't have much depth, well, mine is this one. It's a very average sweet, funny and heart-warming drama. The visuals look a little too fake for my taste, but I do like the pastel tones, they fit the youthful, innocent characters perfectly. This is a pure coming of age story with immortals and demons going out on adventures in various realms. It has all the usual xianxia tropes, and as a sequel (spin-off ?) it does suffer from being a "what happens to the heroes' kid after the big war" kind of story, and the writing can be toothless, but it's super easy to watch, mainly thanks to the good rythm and the gentle charm of the actors. As is usual for xianxia, the show has a really sad climax, and the last part is focused on redemption. I have one regret : I wish they had given us more time with Ao Ge, his twin and the matchmaker, their story was rushed. Overall it's nothing new or innovative, but it's a well-rounded drama that stays engaging until the end.

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Everything you want from a thrilling revenge story, with a fun satirical edge to boot

Betrayed, Xue Fangfei swears she will get revenge, after a cruel princess kills her family, steals her husband and leaves her for dead. What an opener. After a very disappointing first half, 2024 started to deliver with this absolute banger. The Double is not reinventing the wheel, it's pulling a a lot from other shows, but in a very clever and tongue-in-cheek way. For example, the beginning feels very Kill Bill, and then it becomes budget Ming Lan, but in a fun, satirical way ? It is very enjoyable to see "Jiang Li" terrorizing her friend's family to avenge her, while keeping her own personal revenge goals. A double revenge ! I also appreciate the effort made to rewrite the story in order to avoid actual body switching, as I really do *not* like this trope. As for the romance, this was Wang Xing Yue's big time to shine, and he did a great job at such a young age. I felt like the building of the main romance was perfect, they did not meet that much at first but every encounter was intense, until they just couldn't stay away from each other and deny their mutual attraction. The pay-off of the slow burn was middling, but I didn't mind it that much. Also, great villains ! You can never go wrong if you have great villains. Princess Wan Ning and Shen Yurong made a big impression, what a fascinating couple of selfish bastards. I wached the show twice, something I never do, and it holds up very well.

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Fascinating original xianxia diminished by some weird tone choices and a missing final act

He is yin, she is yang, she's fire, he's ice, he's aloof and detached, she's passionnate and involved. When the balance is broken, one takes the advantage and rises while the other falls. This drama was NOT joking with its title, huh. This is not really an enemies-to-lovers story, it's way darker and more complicated than that, and it takes you on a RIDE, whether you want it or not. Bai Lu is back in her full glory, as fiery rebellious roles suit her so well, and Joseph Zeng made me feel things, a bunch of them. He might be my favorite version of this cold, heavenly emperor role (think Dijun in Eternal Love of Dream). I do think the drama was restrained from achieving its full vision, and noticed the editing and sound choices were dumbed down for some reason (what's up with all these stupid sound effects ?), which surprised me, as the promotion had me believe it was going to have a mature and serious vibe. For example, every scene with Bian felt like they were shaking a puppet for the kids falling asleep in the back and were superfluous, especially as the story is so tight with episodes (why not even 40 for such a big scale story ??). It was walso weirdly tame for a story about two gods using an entire human realm tribulation to explore love together. Finally, we were robbed of a true final redemption arc with more Joseph Zeng : Bai Lu's character took the upper hand, a shame for a romance about finding true balance. Why so many fantasy shows feel unfinished these days ? Appart from that, this is a fascinating, if a bit frustrating piece of philosophical fantasy, with several layers to unpack.

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A limited production that made the most of what ressources it had

Julia Xiang is bubbly and charming, but still convincing as a sect master, and Deng Wei has improved. They are a tad green for their roles and I do think this cool story deserved better actors, but they still make a cute duo of underdogs, taking turn at subduing each other. As usual with recent ambitious xianxia the format forces the writer to cram a lot in their allowed number of episodes, but she still tries to get everything to fit, and it does pay off, even if you have to take in a LOT of information (I don't recommend this as a first dive into xianxia, you're going to get a headache). Once you get past all the magic rules, proper nouns, and a slightly underwhelming introduction, the show becomes super addictive, and every new arc is better than the one before. On the visual and budget side, it's not a huge production but it's beautifully shot by Yin Tao, makes a great use of outdoor scenery, and gave me exactly what I wanted from some disappointing better financed projects with similar premises (The Longest Promise, to name one). The secondary cast is also charming, I had a crush on Deng Kai who makes an adorably tsundere demon lord with his own cute love story to boot (yay for a righthand lady who won't settle for scraps !). Finally the drama takes time to deliver an awesome ending AND conclusion true to its spirit and ambitions, something many xianxia fail to do. If you're a xianxia fan, don't sleep on this one.

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Witty comedy of manners with a great ensemble cast

This show was exactly what I was hoping for : a blend of screwball comedy and matchmaking goodness. It's very witty, I laughed a lot, the ensemble cast is so, so good, I had a grand time. So glad I didn't sleep on it or listened too much to the early bad reviews. It's a clever comedy of manners about very human men and women treading the muddy waters of seduction and love in dangerous times. First couple is your classic her pride against his prejudice affair with a business war setting, second couple are sweet but stubborn scholars down on luck who overcome tragedy, third couple (my fav) is a mix between romantic comedy and legal drama with a side of amnesia, and fourth couple is a more shakespearian taming of the shrew with a twist and lots of adventure. It's varied, very well paced and they let talented lesser known actors shine. My only gripe is that I feel the last romance's third act was unfairly hijacked by their need to wrap up the story, and I also feel second sis was neglected (the lack of commentary in the conclusion for her couple was sooo awkward) and it did end the drama on a slightly sour note, but overall it was a very fun show that I enjoyed tremendously.

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Often cited as the best mini ever and with reason, it's lightening in a bottle

My first mini drama. Before trying it I was very skeptical of these soapy chinese shorts, I saw them as cheap cash grabs with superficial plots, but after finishing Familiar Stranger (and some other recs like Maid's Revenge), not only was I completely hooked but I realized they are kinda genius : the format allows them to be cheaper to produce overall, but it doesn't mean they can't be gorgeous, sharp, and well played by talented but lesser known actors, giving them an edge. Also they are less affected by censorship, and can be more daring (read : smuttier) than longer shows. Familiar Stranger is one of the best. As is the case for many shorts the plot is very far-fetched (a painter in search of her long lost sister gets cursed and wakes up in the body of the fiancee of her one true love) but it works. It's wonderfully directed by talented Zeng Qing Jie, Ryan Cheng's hotness is next-level, him and Ke Ying's scenes have a memorable sensuality. It also has a very chaotic secondary couple that I found at times even more compelling than the leads, but their ending was frustrating. That's the only shadow in an otherwise perfect picture that I will revisit.

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Solid revenge story, rest is lacking

This soapylicious revenge drama has some crazy imagery, like Yu Qig being ravaged while her family is feasting (pretty good metaphor about the whole toxic family profiting off of her body), giant bird cages, worm infested flowers...it's the kind of revenge drama that is running on vibes and style (the costumes are striking), and does it well. It's not without faults, the writing is okay-ish, sometimes bonkers and not always in a fun way (the whole dad revenge arc was too over the top with all his crimes, and everything about the kid made zero sense to me), the romance is enjoyable but just so-so, the beginning makes you believe that there will be more angst but no, she becomes his favored concubine and hidden weapon very fast and nothing really gets between them beside her secrets. I didn't care much about the tragic romance of the legitimate sister, I guess they were trying to say something about trauma bonding but it was clumsy. I love Deng Kai but I think he was a bit underused here. So overall it's a good revenge story with an explosive start (and first few arcs), but the rest doesn't really lives up to it.

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Polished prod, lovely actors, but the weak writing doesn't manage to maintain the initial tension

Yeah so there is no hiding, it's a big guilty pleasure, there is zero excuse for the very toxic plot at the beginning beside fulfulling some dark fantasies (I'm the target, can't complain). It starts with the hero going straight to the brothel to assault his ex instead of deflowering his bride, before throwing the heroïne in a snowstorm, literally putting her in ice and fire trials. I can't deny it, I really enjoyed the first part of this when it's very f*cked up and all "I will get my revenge on you but I'm also still very attracted to you, so my revenge will be agressively sexual with lots of angry kisses and biting". I also enjoyed the crazy ménage à trois with Bao Bao (Teng Ze Wen is delightful as a childish and vain first wife), but lost interest once it became more classic as the dynamic between the characters changes. It stays beautiful though, thanks to strong production values and direction. Deng Zhan Neng is known for churning some really polished short romances like this one, and I'm very excited to see what he does next. Plot wise, I really like this kind of dark romance where the revenge is personal (it's a whole subplot in Kunning Palace), but ultimately I found the writing not strong enough to sustain the tension until the end.

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Tragic but hopeful scholar romance with zero budget balanced by sincerity

So, the plot is more or less the answer to : what if the husband in the Double didn't betray her ? Even with many tweaks, that route is also very tragic in a different way, as the heroïne has to watch her man (well they are not really an item yet but still, the vibes are there) become the unwilling boy toy of an unhinged princess. It's made even more cruel in this as the heroïne is a slave (later a commoner), and she doesn't get reborn in a shiny aristocratic clan where she can win contests and catch the eye of a powerful official. She's just trying to stay alive and honor her debts to the poeple who saved her. The beginning is absolutely gut wrenching, even more so since this mini is going for realism without special effects (it feels like a short indie movie at times). The story is full of twists and turns, the production is broke as hell but as an upside we get to see pretty actors who look like real humans without the usual aweful filters (we can see pores ! hair !! the true effect of warm light on their skin !!!). Plot wise, the drama made the very weird choice of getting rid of its main villain (and hook) seven episodes too early, and I'm not sure it's worth watching beyond that (I fast-forwarded to the ending and called it a day).

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Amazing high school romance that goes nowhere

Great performance by Kim Tae Ri, Nam Joo Hyuk was my dream boyfriend, lovely directing, but I'll never forgive the show for being such a huge bait and switch. Maybe I'm wrong but I have a theory, and suspect that two ideas were at war for the script : someone wanted this to be a sublte queer romance paying hommage to yuri stories of the 70's with rival lesbians fencing, and someone else wanted this to be a straight romance spanning decades and crises paying hommage to The Way We Were and the Before Sunset/Sunrise/Midnight trilogy. I think both ideas were good, but obviously doing them at the same time is a huge challenge and 2521 is no Rose of Versailles, so as a result the story ends up somewhere in the middle, cutting both stories short. The ending is also a big middle finger to those of us who were invested in Baek Yi Jin's story arc as he ends up after so many hardships and heartbreaks being reduced to a side-note and memories. You can also make a case of the show trying to be : a "Reply" like romance that kept us guessing about the future (that went nowhere), a social commentary on the 90's crisis and the evolution of sports and journalism, a friendship is magic tale, a family drama...and in the end it all crashed with a tepid conclusion, leaving me wondering what was the point. I still adore the Na Hee Do/Beak Yi Jin high school friendship and romance but I can't ignore how the drama *completely* wasted the potential of their adult relationship (I didn't even need them to end up together, I just needed their adult story to make sense !).

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Dangerous gateway drug to a whole new world of epic romantic fantasy

This is one of the most popular xianxia, with reasons. Plot is so well written, art direction is top notch (so many frames look like paintings), OST is killer, costumes are legendary, there is tons of alchemy between the actors. It manages to be sweet, funny, heartbreaking. It's very well-paced and has no filler, which is rare. I even love Esther Yu's voice. It was my first xianxia and it hooked me hard on the genre, making me desperate to find other shows like it (and thrilled when I discovered that there was an entire catalogue of it waiting for me). What to say that hasen't been said about it already, just watch it.

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Addictive Die & Retry about redemption instead of revenge with a thrilling, dangerous romance

My second favorite 2023 drama after Till the End of the Moon and would you know it, it's another dark, sexy and twisted angst-fest with Bai Lu as its lead. The hype was sky-high, and it did not diasppoint. It is by no means a perfect drama, the story can feel rushed, the palace politics are hard to follow, and the production is of average quality with some weird lighting and framing choices (hate them or love them, here come the Chu Yui Bun lens flares and close-ups), but the plot is gripping. Bai Lu has chemistry with every character, and her (incredibly hot) slow-burn romance with Zhang Ling He's scheming and secretly unhinged teacher is rich, intense, and pays off wonderfully. It's sort of a harem, Jiang Xuening has three suitors who are based on classic tropes (childhood friend, incorruptible lawman and mysterious teacher) and after trying to convince herself that she wants the most righteous one that she missed in her previous life, she ends up falling for the most dangerous instead. Xei Wei is fascinating, and I kept rooting for him despite his ruthlessness and controlling tendencies. This is how you write a flawed character ! Yan Lin was also great, only Zhang Zhe was a letdown, and I don't know if I should fault the script or the actor (maybe both). I also really liked how the politics were cleverly intertwined with the romances and destinies of all characters, it made it all the more gripping, and the rythm was flawless. This is the kind of show that hooks you right away and never let go. I was sad to see it end, 38 episodes went by like nothing.

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