Minalapinou

Once bitten...

I was in the mood for an angsty scumbag husband redemption romance, so I was tempted to watch this one. It's done on a shoestring budget (the leads have like, three outfits they rotate until the end), but it does have a strong leading pair in Ben Wang and Wang Yun Yun, who deliver the required devastating thousand yard stares and barely suppressed sobs. Both main characters were dealt a terrible hand in their arranged marriage, and she pushed loyalty to extremes while he never gave her the slightest chance to prove she's not the money grubbing schemer he thinks she is. Opinions may vary, but I do think he deserved a chance to win her back, as the basis of their first marriage was so fraught with lies and misunderstandings. Also she had the sweetest in-laws, always a plus. The plot got weird at times (I never really got why the grandpa had to keep his grandson so much in the dark about a rival family schemes, and the little arc abroad was clumsy) but the central romance is gripping enough to make up for it. For all the ones who see potential in SMLs who fall in love after the breakup, have a weakness for scumbag exes (I love mess, the scumbags are kinda hot at times, and if you give one Ben Wang's face, well...), don't necesseraly root for the perfect rebound boyfriend and like to see a good grovelling/redemption arc, it's a great watch.

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A hot, short mess

I have so many questions, and so little answers. First let's get this out of the way : the title makes no sense, it's not about redemption at all, it's a period revenge story (chinese title is "Run Wild") with a plot I've seen several times where FL becomes a concubine of her family's killer who stole her house and has an affair with his son. Second, don't ask me about story details, the subs were so bad I could have watched it without them and get the same level of understanding (actually I think I could have benefit from turning them off, as they were so confusing), third ; what the hell was up with the format ?? Did they intend to shoot a horizontal mini, ran out of budget and went for 2 minutes, vertical length episodes (while having only one hour of scenes to work with) ?? Some transitions were just...missing, new characters went in and out of the plot faster than we could get their names. No way the initial script intended the show to be that disjointed. And last, but not least, am I crazy or was there supposed to be a romance between Yun Mo and Rong Yan ?? Is there an uncensored version out there were she's having an affair with her AND Tian You ?? Is it a one-sided love ? The drama heavily hints towards it, but it has already so little time to develop its story, why add a secondary romance ?? I have no idea who the ML is as a person by the way, no time for his character to be explored. Okay with all this out of my chest, let's focus on what the drama did well : kiss scenes. They were fire. Masterpieces. Need to be framed and taught in school. Great abs, at some point he's rolling in the snow half-naked to cool her fever, 10/10 boyfriend material. Costumes and songs were very pretty, the drama is a strong advert for the talent and beauty of its main cast. It's a frustrating experience, I think there was potential for a good, addictive mini drama in here, but as is it still made an impression.

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Warring hearts

The first couple of episodes are some of the most action-packed and colorful I've seen, never showing signs of slowing down, and by some miracle Fated Hearts managed to never relent until the end. What a show ! Sometimes it's a bit overwhelming (everyone is shouting ! The music and sound effects are so loud !) but it's blood-pumping and thrilling. The mature cast is perfect for this angsty romance of warriors who are fatal ennemies but still recognize each other's valor since they are made of the same cloth. I have yet to see a middling performance from Chen Zhe Yuan and he's killing it as unhinged prince Sui Ge, serving bitch royalty with hot temper and slutty looks all day, all night. I hadn't seen Li Qin in anything before and I'm conquered, ready to follow her charismatic commander anywhere. Both are dominating the show by their presence and high-octane, moody relationship. This is made by the Kunning Palace team, who has a clear talent for writing crazy power couples. There is a scene where he says he wants to cut her into pieces and tear her limbs, and it's the hottest thing. I'm sad the secondary male cast is on the weaker side, their roles are great but Chen He Yi and Zuo Ye are not giving us much beyond perfect skin, shiny hair and smoky eyes (to be honest Zuo Ye did okay, but Chen He Yi is so wooden you can't even tell what he's supposed to be feeling). Thankfully the show has an excellent secondary female cast (Xia Meng and Xu Xiao Sa delivered), some truly great acting from the veteran cast and an ace in its sleeve in Qin Tan Yui as a broken ennemy emperor, whose completely unexpected affair with the princess gave a new exciting life to the final arcs.

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Do not try this at home

I think you can ignore most of the medical blabber they throw at us. The "psycho" behaviour of the hero is a cover for his fears and the heroïne clearly has a saviour complex, forgetting it's best to help yourself before helping others. On the heroïne violating every ethical codes imaginable : yeah she does and should be banned from practicing, but I think the drama did a good job at showing why she did it, how she fell head over heels for him, and how she paid a hefty price for it, their relationship being more akin to a purgatory than a paradise.

Directing wise it has a legit director in Zhou Jiu Qin, and it shows. He made some much talked-about shorts this year like this one, Dark Side of the Sun, The Love of a Fool, and Debauchery. What can I say, each one is pushing the limits of what verticals can do, getting the best out of their cast (To Love a Fool is often described as the best work of Ma Xiao Yu, same for Zhang Chi here, and even if Towers of Whispers had weak writing IMO, its opening was striking and the drama did a great job at showcasing Jerome Deng's talent). I think he's amazing at directing broken but resilient, unhinged heroes as Zhang Chi's performance was mesmerizing. First he looks like some pop idol picked straight from an edgy hit clip, with his million-dollar teethy smile, perfecltly messy hair strands and see-through mesh tops ( if you want a ref, his styling made me think a lot of the wet, sad, skinny puppy look of TXT's "LO$ER=LO♡ER" era). Second, he plays the "psycho" lover part very well, he's a devoted puppy who will bite if provoked, but since his lover is no angel herself and made the first move, the drama never becomes an endless chase where only the ML is crossing lines. On the contrary, it's the fact that they a are so much alike that makes the heroïne run, as she's not ready to face her own trauma (yet).

The drama could have gone to very dark places in its second part, but it doesn't resist the appeal of using some convenient external evil plots to bring the characters back together. I would have liked them to be a bit more daring (does he really have to be yet another CEO nepo-baby whose family rival is trying to usurp, with an obsessive fiance trying to possess him like a trophy ?) but I guess paying tribute to the format's most used tropes is not the worst choice, as they could have really stumble if they had tried to be more ambitious with the script, since they were already treading dangerous waters with the premise.

So overall I don't think the writing is amazing or that it should be taken seriously about mental health, but for what it is, a dark romance about broken lovers and a heroïne coming to terms with the fact that a "normal" relationship is probably not for her, facing the consequences of her actions and the impact of what she endured on her life, it was damn good.

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Picked it up to have a good laugh, stayed for the secondary romance

A very fun, but also very forgettable contract marriage romance. As I feared, Kim Yong Dae is once again too lifeless for my taste, but props to the show for writing his character in such a way that it doesn't really impact the story. Shin Minah is hard carrying the main romance, and she's helped by a wonderful direction. The plot is okay, but it's trying a bit too hard to be modern and trendy for my taste. I feel like the writer did a better job with the contract marriage in Her Private Life, but that one had the huge advantage of having a very strong couple of lead actors who tend to elevate even mediocre scripts. In truth at a point I kept watching this one mainly for the secondary couple. Their story was way more interesting, and they had lots of chemistry. On that subject, their spin-off Spice Up our Love was a bait and switch, not as sexy as promoted, but it was still very entertaining. Overall No Gain No Love is a good pick if you're missing laugh-out-loud romances, but you can find much better in Shin Minah's catalogue.

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Tempted

Republican era version of the Prince is Too Wild plot with Chen Si and Lui Xi Yu. Loved the contrast between the bubbly, petite actress and Chen Si's lean, sighthound stature and menacing energy. Girl is over her head when she accepts to become his mistress and he's clearly setting a trap for her to fall into, but she's not exactly reluctant. Their dynamic was both cute and sexy, a difficult mix to blend well, but the young actors balance it perfectly : she's not so innocent while he's not so jaded. She wants to explore, he teases and pushes her but not too hard, waiting for her to take the bait (such a fun dynamic). This is my first Chen Si drama and I'm impressed, he's got talent. A very strong pick if you want to watch a Republican era romance leaning more towards romantic comedy with a dash of spice than Noir thriller.

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Not as steamy as advertised but still really strong

In spite of its title, sexy poster and scandalous opening where we see the heroine having an affair with the son of her new husband after seducing them both at the same party, this is a surprinsingly tame, sweet and sincere love story that doesn't have the usual trashy stuff found in these period minis. Is it a bait and switch ? Totally. Feast on that fantasy first kiss, because it's (almost) all we get ! It is frustrating to see the sensuality of the first episodes disappear in favor of a very classic courtship, and the heroes not taking advantage of all the opportunities they get to ravage each other right under the nose of their enemy, but it is also relaxing to not have all the usual tropes like forced kisses and shrewish ladies slapping people around. On that point, the usually evil stepmom is kind of adorable ?? Overall it's so serious and invested in its characters and story, it might have work even better as a longer show. I still mourn the lack of skinship, you can't just show this electric opening and then ask us to forget about it !

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Cute mini for xianxia lovers without time to invest in a 40 to 60 episodes epic

Fei Li is Jing Yuan, a demon lord whose powers have been sealed in a world where demons are hunted and killed by cultivators, is protected and healed by Fusheng, the Phoenix Queen played by Ming Jia Jia, who is trying to marry an immortal sect leader. A very fun and cute hodge-podge of xianxia tropes. It's speedrunning various xianxia plots often at the sacrifice of smooth transitions and logic, but manages to feel like its own story (or at least cliffnotes of its own story...). One of its main influence is The Legends so if you want a quick version of that, Seal of Love fits the bill nicely. You can fill the gaps with the meat of other, longer dramas. Problem is, the last arc is obviously missing, but if the second season is never produced you can take the last scene as a typical xianxia open ending. Maybe my favorite Richard Li drama ?

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Great meta romance that holds hup against classics of the genre

The plot is bonkers : an evil novel rival girl gets a conscience and is recast in a story as the female lead, she has a heart disease that forces her to kiss the male lead to survive, but instead she strikes him into a coma and kisses his half-brother who is the villain that will kill her the day of her wedding. It's on par with Extraordinary You and Lost Romance, it just works. It's very funny (the dialogue and meta humour can be hilarious and all the part where Yehan gets confused about his feelings for Luo Qing is great), the leads are rock solid, and if you don't think too hard about it, the laws of the novel world kinda make sense. Overall very refreshing and addictive. It looses steam at the end but stops right in time and doesn't overstay its welcome.

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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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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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