I think this show, ended the way it needed to, even if it hurt to watch. Beautiful OSTI found this hard to review…
Don't get me wrong, Xiang Lius character is the one character that I will never forget and is the best I have ever seen. His traits were that of a blood thirsty animal that was abused and tortured, and that can lead to narcissistic traits.
There are many types of narcissists, some in fact do feel a type of empathy but have an ‘unwillingness’ to empathize. They can in fact show a large excessive amount of empathy in certain circumstances for certain reasons. In my original post I said he showed emotional growth .... After a shocking event, (being rescued by his foster father) (Xiao Yao) it can impact a narcissistic person to change over time. It was a beautiful thing to watch ... Xiang Liu character growth, to see him change from a blood thirsty animal into someone who almost ... almost gave up everything for the one he loved.
Let's not forget that he is a fictional character. It is also my personal opinion, and I respect that you did not see him the same way I did. That is the joy of these shows; people take what they want out of each role, character, and storyline. To me, Xiang Liu is beautifully flawed.
I think this show, ended the way it needed to, even if it hurt to watch. Beautiful OSTI found this hard to review…
I stand by my opinion. There are many narcissists who live beautiful lives and are well loved, but the traits are all there. Some very famous and successful people.
But it lacked depth. I believe, with the premise/story line, it could have and should have gone deeper, darker, more mysterious, and showed more of the human psyche. I think it would have been better if the audience was pulled into the intrigue, instead of wallowing in frustration.
I didn't feel the characters, I was only shown their reactions and actions, so there was no way for me to feel compassion or anger or any emotion that would draw me into the story.
A good drama has multiple layers; audience members can peel away those layers. Sadly, this show was obvious from the very first episode. To put it plainly, it had no depth. Could have been so much better.
This was a wild ride. There was a lot happening and a lot of information, so it was never boring. The characters were superb and the cinematography was lovely to watch.
The music was great and placed well within the scenes.
The only downside was that it was so short. I would have loved to see the story in more depth and the relationships develop at a slower pace. This is the second time that I have watched this and found it just as good,
The 2 MLs had so much chemistry, their friendship/brotherhood/romance was mature yet playful, deep and meaningful.
They had their differences, they disagreed but there was not a forced, prolonged separation thrown into this show, instead the characters were intelligent, patient and understanding and that is satisfying to watch. The fight scenes were beautiful, well-choreographed, and the music was well suited to the scenes. The costumes and coloring were also great. I enjoyed the flirtation throughout and found it refreshing to see.
It gets a little tiring to watch CDramas where the FL and the ML hate, flirt, fight, love and live happily ever after ... Sometimes it comes off a little too forced, but this show was refreshingly funny and cute.
You can have the biggest budget, the best storyline, BUT. If your leads are not well written and loved, then the show will fail. The 2 leads in Word of Honor ... made the show.
Heartbreakingly beautiful. Watched many. many times. My thought below.
I think this show, ended the way it needed to, even if it hurt to watch. Beautiful OST
I found this hard to review because there was so much involved. So many characters with so much depth.
Xiao Yao was such a strong and independent character. She had spirit and intelligence but was less so in the second half of the show, I truly believe it was because she was safe and finally had people who would love and protect her. The hardships she had to endure in her youth, skewed her take on healthy relationships and her fight and flight response squashed any ability to really love and let herself go. As an audience, that was hard to watch.
Xiyan Cang Xuans' character was so intense and had so many layers, he was very strong willed. He built up such an obsession mixed with guilt, duty, and love. You could see how his character slowly slipped into misery and pain, yet he held tight to Xiao Yao. He hated himself because he knew he could never be with her, and he blamed his choices for that loss. It was heartbreaking for him.
Tushan Jing was an interesting character. He was scared, yet constrained, but vulnerable because of the betrayal and hate that was shown to him by those that were supposed to love him. He almost lost Xiao Yao because of his uncertainty and fear, but he was the one who finally gave up everything to be with her.
Now for the hard part .... Xiang Liu ... a complex character, just haunting and unforgettable. He was living a life of sacrifice but was blindsided by love. As a nine-headed snake his instinct is to be the one who is feared, who fights for what he wants. He begrudgingly starts to have feelings and develops a conscience, so his character sees a lot of growth. He is intelligent, resourceful, but stubborn, and narcissistic. He slowly realized his love for Xiao Yao and that terrified him because he was vulnerable. There was a moment when he thought they could be together and realize their true feelings but was told they could never and should never be together. Instead of running away, he made sure Xiao Yao would be loved and protected for the rest of her life. Even though it seemed he picked his own death, instead of Xiao Yao, he picked her happiness above his own.
Xiao Yao knew Xiang Liu was in love with her; he knew she deeply loved him but they both knew they would and could never be together.
The action scenes are amazing; Bai Jing Ting is perfect for this role and looks stunning through the fight scenes. I did not like the FL though. I am sure it is just the way the character is written but I found she had very little emotion and she seemed slow, actions and speech, like she was under water the whole time. I also did not feel any chemistry between the two. The comedy was an unexpected bonus though. With all the negatives, the plot and ML made me score this quite high.
Too frustratingly unrealistic. If it went .... 'All the way ridiculous' .... then it would be funny, but it went .... 'People are stupid and incompetent to the point where it could cost peoples lives'.... route. I doubt I will continue to watch it. I watched it halfway through EP 6 ... but I couldn't take it anymore.
A bit frustrating. Characters are not very smart; the resolutions seem to come slow, but I think it is because it is very repetitive and not a lot of intellect and creativity is used to analyze scenarios. That makes it feel drawn out. It is a shame because they have the right premise and the actors are likeable. I will put it on hold for now and maybe watch a little bit, here and there.
Ok, I am on EP 3, and I think I need to stop watching now. I have read the comments, and I do not think I am strong enough .... I am going to find my 'happy place' show.
I found this funny. I accidentally laughed my way through this show. This is the 2nd time I have watched it, and…
The actors were very good; you were able to feel their characters. You knew who they were, and how they fit the roles that were given to them. The second leads were engaging and likeable. It means that it was written well and directed well.
I understand there was a deeper meaning within this show and some might find it hard to empathize with a pretty FL who is supposed to be 'not good looking' but I think the shows message gets through ... attractiveness is a feeling, action, mindset, while being good looking is a very visual thing and not necessarily 'attractive'.
I really felt for the ML and the mental torture he was put through; they did make light of that, but the story was about being attracted to the FL, the way she was and the fact that he fell in love with HER. I think it also showed the MLs true character. He was intelligent and he had the ability to rationalize so he was able to overcome and realize his feelings were for the FL all a long and not the packages that he saw ... so his ability to see loss for gain fits this character .... If that makes sense.
The coloring was a little bland and the chemistry was a little flat. I also do not like the 'getting married and lives happily ever after' ending that most shows force on us. Audiences are not stupid; we have the ability to end a story ourselves using our brains. There is no explanation about the main plot point and leaves us hanging, some might not like that but for me it was OK. It did not make or break this show
All in all, I like this show, it's fun, and it also has Tan Jian Ci, which is an added bonus ;)
On a side note .... Who has a dart board right next to a glass door ... As someone who has OCD ... OMG @the school library/archives :O
I really enjoyed this show. The actors and storyline kept my interest. It was good quality and pace. Not really big on romance but I thought the friendships were nice to watch.
I did not find it re-watchable (I watched it a long time ago and tried to watch it again today). I already knew what was going to happen, and it was frustrating to wait for a resolution. Great the first time though.
I enjoyed the start of this show. I found it interesting. The characters were pretty good, and I am glad they did not push romance when it was not needed. I think it would have been better at 8 episodes. I struggled to finish this from the halfway mark. It was watchable and as I said, the start was very good.
There are many types of narcissists, some in fact do feel a type of empathy but have an ‘unwillingness’ to empathize. They can in fact show a large excessive amount of empathy in certain circumstances for certain reasons. In my original post I said he showed emotional growth .... After a shocking event, (being rescued by his foster father) (Xiao Yao) it can impact a narcissistic person to change over time. It was a beautiful thing to watch ... Xiang Liu character growth, to see him change from a blood thirsty animal into someone who almost ... almost gave up everything for the one he loved.
Let's not forget that he is a fictional character. It is also my personal opinion, and I respect that you did not see him the same way I did. That is the joy of these shows; people take what they want out of each role, character, and storyline. To me, Xiang Liu is beautifully flawed.
But it lacked depth. I believe, with the premise/story line, it could have and should have gone deeper, darker, more mysterious, and showed more of the human psyche. I think it would have been better if the audience was pulled into the intrigue, instead of wallowing in frustration.
I didn't feel the characters, I was only shown their reactions and actions, so there was no way for me to feel compassion or anger or any emotion that would draw me into the story.
A good drama has multiple layers; audience members can peel away those layers. Sadly, this show was obvious from the very first episode. To put it plainly, it had no depth. Could have been so much better.
The music was great and placed well within the scenes.
The only downside was that it was so short. I would have loved to see the story in more depth and the relationships develop at a slower pace. This is the second time that I have watched this and found it just as good,
It gets a little tiring to watch CDramas where the FL and the ML hate, flirt, fight, love and live happily ever after ... Sometimes it comes off a little too forced, but this show was refreshingly funny and cute.
You can have the biggest budget, the best storyline, BUT. If your leads are not well written and loved, then the show will fail. The 2 leads in Word of Honor ... made the show.
I found this hard to review because there was so much involved. So many characters with so much depth.
Xiao Yao was such a strong and independent character. She had spirit and intelligence but was less so in the second half of the show, I truly believe it was because she was safe and finally had people who would love and protect her. The hardships she had to endure in her youth, skewed her take on healthy relationships and her fight and flight response squashed any ability to really love and let herself go. As an audience, that was hard to watch.
Xiyan Cang Xuans' character was so intense and had so many layers, he was very strong willed. He built up such an obsession mixed with guilt, duty, and love. You could see how his character slowly slipped into misery and pain, yet he held tight to Xiao Yao. He hated himself because he knew he could never be with her, and he blamed his choices for that loss. It was heartbreaking for him.
Tushan Jing was an interesting character. He was scared, yet constrained, but vulnerable because of the betrayal and hate that was shown to him by those that were supposed to love him. He almost lost Xiao Yao because of his uncertainty and fear, but he was the one who finally gave up everything to be with her.
Now for the hard part .... Xiang Liu ... a complex character, just haunting and unforgettable. He was living a life of sacrifice but was blindsided by love. As a nine-headed snake his instinct is to be the one who is feared, who fights for what he wants. He begrudgingly starts to have feelings and develops a conscience, so his character sees a lot of growth. He is intelligent, resourceful, but stubborn, and narcissistic. He slowly realized his love for Xiao Yao and that terrified him because he was vulnerable. There was a moment when he thought they could be together and realize their true feelings but was told they could never and should never be together. Instead of running away, he made sure Xiao Yao would be loved and protected for the rest of her life. Even though it seemed he picked his own death, instead of Xiao Yao, he picked her happiness above his own.
Xiao Yao knew Xiang Liu was in love with her; he knew she deeply loved him but they both knew they would and could never be together.
Truly Lost Forever.
I understand there was a deeper meaning within this show and some might find it hard to empathize with a pretty FL who is supposed to be 'not good looking' but I think the shows message gets through ... attractiveness is a feeling, action, mindset, while being good looking is a very visual thing and not necessarily 'attractive'.
I really felt for the ML and the mental torture he was put through; they did make light of that, but the story was about being attracted to the FL, the way she was and the fact that he fell in love with HER. I think it also showed the MLs true character. He was intelligent and he had the ability to rationalize so he was able to overcome and realize his feelings were for the FL all a long and not the packages that he saw ... so his ability to see loss for gain fits this character .... If that makes sense.
The coloring was a little bland and the chemistry was a little flat.
I also do not like the 'getting married and lives happily ever after' ending that most shows force on us. Audiences are not stupid; we have the ability to end a story ourselves using our brains.
There is no explanation about the main plot point and leaves us hanging, some might not like that but for me it was OK. It did not make or break this show
All in all, I like this show, it's fun, and it also has Tan Jian Ci, which is an added bonus ;)
On a side note ....
Who has a dart board right next to a glass door ...
As someone who has OCD ... OMG @the school library/archives :O
I did not find it re-watchable (I watched it a long time ago and tried to watch it again today). I already knew what was going to happen, and it was frustrating to wait for a resolution. Great the first time though.