5
33
2
1
2
1
This review may contain spoilers
Not about man or demon, but the character
‒Review‒
The Demon Hunter's Romance is an engaging entry with that blends the lives of demons and humans in depicting a vivid world of supernatural intrigue, brotherhood, romance, and morality. The show deftly weaves together elements of different genres‒Xianxia, supernatural, mystery‒in mini-arcs that leave memorable characters and messages while pulling the viewer along the arc of its grand mystery.
This show was a pleasant surprise as I found the execution to be far more fluid and interesting compared to the well-received Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty and other case-solving shows. One big reason is the show didn't trigger my mini-mystery gag reflex by cobbling together a bunch of gotcha cases. Rather, it focused on making the main characters and the case characters interesting. Thus they were able to unveil the cases organically and use the cases to reveal more about the struggles, motivations, and qualities of the characters. The pacing was fast and even (which are common issues in CDramas), with plenty of comedy and well-choreographed fight scenes sprinkled in. The show also employed supernatural Chinese folk lore very creatively, in creating the lore and depicting it on screen.
As for the actors, the two leads were quite convincing in their performances. And plenty of veteran side characters helped deliver the laughs and emotions along the way. This is my first time watching Song Zuer and it was easy to see why she's considered one of the most capable actresses of the younger generation. To go through the whole show being connected to her character and never taken out of scenes makes for such an easy and enjoyable experience. *[In fact, the only thing that took me out a bit was SZE's looks. She was already considered one of the prettiest young actresses, and would have appeared more natural without doing any cosmetic work.] Allen Ren, who I had plenty of issues with in past shows, was a pleasant surprise. He fit the cool, stoic character really well and was even able to deliver enough of a emotional note for more moving scenes. Same goes for the supporting and case characters as I can't think of a single character that ejected me. While nothing was Oscar-worthy, I'm more delighted with a show free of acting issues.
The ending was sensible if not somewhat poignant. While the love-love-kiss-kiss contingent may not be happy, the ending was hardly some plotline terrorism that detonated characters and HEA for no reason. In fact, this was a pretty happy and positive ending. It even preserved the deep love connection between the leads and left open opportunities to meet again in the future.
Overall, this was a pleasant surprise that can be summarized as 'it's not about idol or not, but the show quality.' This is an idol drama, a mystery, somewhat Xianxiaish, and has a romantic focus. These are not the typical elements of shows I enjoy. But it was done well here and the romantic elements was not gratuitous (perhaps not gratuitous enough for some). In fact, I hope this becomes a show that all costume idol dramas can learn from and aspire to. Like Mysterious Lotus Casebook in 2023, this show did a lot of things well and avoided the typical landmines. And it was able to succeed even if it didn't go for something spectacular. Rating: 8.5 (8 + 0.5 MDL adj)
‒Category Ratings‒
- Overall - 8 + 0.5
- Plot - 8
- Theme / Concept / Impact - 8
- Acting - 8
- Visuals - 8
- Audio / Music - 8
- Rewatch - 8
- Cultural/Topical Accessibility - 7.5
- Subtitle quality - 8
The Demon Hunter's Romance is an engaging entry with that blends the lives of demons and humans in depicting a vivid world of supernatural intrigue, brotherhood, romance, and morality. The show deftly weaves together elements of different genres‒Xianxia, supernatural, mystery‒in mini-arcs that leave memorable characters and messages while pulling the viewer along the arc of its grand mystery.
This show was a pleasant surprise as I found the execution to be far more fluid and interesting compared to the well-received Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty and other case-solving shows. One big reason is the show didn't trigger my mini-mystery gag reflex by cobbling together a bunch of gotcha cases. Rather, it focused on making the main characters and the case characters interesting. Thus they were able to unveil the cases organically and use the cases to reveal more about the struggles, motivations, and qualities of the characters. The pacing was fast and even (which are common issues in CDramas), with plenty of comedy and well-choreographed fight scenes sprinkled in. The show also employed supernatural Chinese folk lore very creatively, in creating the lore and depicting it on screen.
As for the actors, the two leads were quite convincing in their performances. And plenty of veteran side characters helped deliver the laughs and emotions along the way. This is my first time watching Song Zuer and it was easy to see why she's considered one of the most capable actresses of the younger generation. To go through the whole show being connected to her character and never taken out of scenes makes for such an easy and enjoyable experience. *[In fact, the only thing that took me out a bit was SZE's looks. She was already considered one of the prettiest young actresses, and would have appeared more natural without doing any cosmetic work.] Allen Ren, who I had plenty of issues with in past shows, was a pleasant surprise. He fit the cool, stoic character really well and was even able to deliver enough of a emotional note for more moving scenes. Same goes for the supporting and case characters as I can't think of a single character that ejected me. While nothing was Oscar-worthy, I'm more delighted with a show free of acting issues.
The ending was sensible if not somewhat poignant. While the love-love-kiss-kiss contingent may not be happy, the ending was hardly some plotline terrorism that detonated characters and HEA for no reason. In fact, this was a pretty happy and positive ending. It even preserved the deep love connection between the leads and left open opportunities to meet again in the future.
Overall, this was a pleasant surprise that can be summarized as 'it's not about idol or not, but the show quality.' This is an idol drama, a mystery, somewhat Xianxiaish, and has a romantic focus. These are not the typical elements of shows I enjoy. But it was done well here and the romantic elements was not gratuitous (perhaps not gratuitous enough for some). In fact, I hope this becomes a show that all costume idol dramas can learn from and aspire to. Like Mysterious Lotus Casebook in 2023, this show did a lot of things well and avoided the typical landmines. And it was able to succeed even if it didn't go for something spectacular. Rating: 8.5 (8 + 0.5 MDL adj)
‒Category Ratings‒
- Overall - 8 + 0.5
- Plot - 8
- Theme / Concept / Impact - 8
- Acting - 8
- Visuals - 8
- Audio / Music - 8
- Rewatch - 8
- Cultural/Topical Accessibility - 7.5
- Subtitle quality - 8
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