This review may contain spoilers
Won’t say much about this drama. It could have been my favorite one… Unfortunately, the ending is too disappointing for me (and for western people I would think). Do heroes have to die to be considered as heroes ? They can retire, can’t they ? They can live like ordinary people (AFTERWARDS !).
Another point that is annoying : romance. Several couples but too stereotyped (no surprises). The lead couple has great chemistry, unfortunately they don’t sleep together even once they are married ! Is love that dirty that it has to be just like a dream or a kind of brotherhood ? I don’t get it. Ok Chinese values have to be « clean » but the politically or ethically correct becomes a brake on fully enjoying the characters and the story.
It’s really a shame because for once the main couple is very modern, breaking traditional codes of male and female relationships, they value love whatever their background. They are so interesting as a couple but it is all wasted.
I would have loved an happy ending, at least for the main leads.
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Police officers fighting against drug trafficking : but who is really who ?
This drama is dedicated to policemen who sacrifice their lives for the ideal of a drug-free world. "The brave and fearless anti-drug police". Of course we have clichés with some protagonists here, but actors are so good that we really appreciate all the characters.The staging and script are really effective, creating a real suspense both on the story development and characters personality. At the end of every episode, a twist or turnaround holds our breath ad we really get eager to know what will happen next.
Here the bad guy is not that bad, there this good guy is just a scum ? Little by little you get the keys that let you know who really is who and why they got there.
To me, what makes this drama an outstanding one is really the cast : actors really add value to characters. Li Yi Feng and Stephen Feng are perfect, so are Samuel Gu and Gong Hai Bin. For the latter ones, you go from love to hate and vice versa.
Li Yi Feng is the real hero here, he doesn't die at the end and I am very pleased with it.
These 24 episodes are really worth watching !
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Identity game, how to win when you don’t know who’s playing on your team
After having watched so many Xian xia dramas I needed to watch something completely different something that would get me really thrilled just like when I watched « The disguiser ».« Autumn Cicada » became the drama I obviously needed to watch, mainly because of the actors.
From the very first episode, you know exactly what you’re going to get : spy games, bloodshed and heroism. « I wow to strive all my life for Communism. The Party interest prevails anything else. I will never yield, never become a treator » these are the words of Shanghai communist underground’s leader before shooting himself in the head on December 1941.
Autumn Cicada, undercower Japanese Major Ye Chong, has just arrived in Hong Kong while the Chinese communist underground in Hong Kong has to be reorganized. Japanese forces are blowing up the Communist Party ; activists are left with no leader. Who to contact in Hong Kong for Autumn Cicada to accomplish the mission he was supposed to be given? The « who is who game » starts and will really end on last episode !
At times when watching the drama, you may think that from both sides (Japanese intelligence officers and communist underground people) there is a lack of keen intelligence, so that actions tend to drag. Still, you really want to know who between Major Ye Chong and Major Miyamoto will have the last word…. These two characters keep us in suspense, the actors are so talented that it’s hard to take sides for either. Maybe that’s the reason why you keep watching the series ! Of course you can’t side with the Japanese but you can understand and support Miyamoto from a human and psychological point of view. After all, he only fulfills the tasks entrusted to him.
In this series, too much space is given to telegraph messages that one has to decipher or locate, espionage revolves a lot around that. The action and development of the story prevail over the relationships between the characters. This does not allow a good understanding of feelings between them or their psychology. Some characters are simple stereotypes or have no realistic basis. Take the example of Ye Chong’s brother : ask him anything, he can help. Yet he is not a magician nor a God! Ye Chong would have been helpless without him yet we know very little about him and his status, he is just another Ye Chong not knowing how to get in touch with Shanghai Communists underground . Anyhow the drama ends up stating : « This series is to commemorate every hero who fought in the war of anti-Facism. » That’s what we got ! Who cares about the script flaws ?
I like spy and republic era dramas especially when the action takes place in Shanghai, so right now I am thinking about watching « Sparrow » (a 2016 drama) I planed to watch long time ago...). Let’s go !
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Whoever fights against drug trafficking organizations is a hero
Nothing has to be perfect in this kind of drama, the most important thing is how the show manages to captivate your attention to bring you to the next episode. Being a hero is one of those dramas you want to watch at once to know more about the relationship between the two main characters and what will happen to them.One is a cop (Chen Yu) who works at the counter narcotics detachement, he is supposed to be the good guy. The other one is some kind of a mysterious character ( Wu Zhen Feng) who wants to rehabilitate his father's honor (he was believed to be a drug dealer as he died while drug trafficking). He looks like the bad guy who seeks to connect two organized bands that do not longer work together. He uses extreme means and doesn't seem that successful. All we know is that he wants to avenge the unjust death of his father and looks for a drug boss named Dong.
Theses 2 characters are childhood friends but their bond is not that clear. When the drama begins they haven't been in touch for 3 years and Chen Yu is convicted that Wu Zhen Feng is a drug dealer and drug addicted. And we think so too. We don't know exactly who is Zhen Feng. We might see him as an informant, a cope undercover, a fool who aks for death. We don't know. As the drama goes on, we can see how police forces are investigating but also how drug organizations work. We also have some scenes where we are explained that drugs destroy families and people, and whoever fight against drug trafficking oranizations is a hero.
I was really interested in watching Wang Yibo and Chen Xiao working together. I was not sure of Wang Yibo's acting : he did a good job in the Untamed but not in Legend of Fei. Surprisingly, I found him very good in here. He was perfectly suited to his character and could express the right emotions when they were needed. Chen Xiao is a great actor but I think that Zhen Feng's character was a bit difficult to deal with. He had to endure the will of the drug dealers and was a little passive at times. I would have liked to see him in more winning fights. I also would have liked to see more scenes between Wang Yibo and Chen Xiao. Their characters have many things to say and explain and share with us. I would have liked to know more about their past lives when they were like brothers. So, a bit frustrated here ....
I would say a word about the OST. I really liked it. The closing theme is really moving, not surprising at all it's sung by Ayanga : Bear.
This drama has good pace, good actors and good storyline. Sure, you'll watch it till last episode.
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Funny, refreshing and happy ending
Are you looking for a love story with many situations comedy ? This drama is for you !How refreshing and nice to watch a comedy where a girl who wants to avenge her parents murder enter the Ji mansion dressed in man, falls for the handsome and cold general and behaves so foolishly !
Many interesting points are developped all way through and you cannot help from laughing at so many happenings ! The general is actually falling in love with this girlishlike doctor and it's really funny to watch the actings ! Furthermore, this general is not supposed to show any interest in girls but gossips are growing .... is this general a gay ? That's what we are supposed to think too !
I really love the screenplay and the actors. No time to get bored till ep 20. Things are less funny afterwards because the plot focuses on different people revenges or bad actions and Dr cutie is now acknowledged to be a girl.... things become darker.... But we'll get a happy ending and that is what we want.
One more line for the actors : Sun Qian is so good when playing comic and witty roles....Huang Jun Jie is really sexy with his long black hair wig and when wearing ancient dressing gowns !
If you want to have a good time, you can watch this !
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This review may contain spoilers
Hurting love and military heroism : life is a battlefield
How difficult it is to rate this drama ! If you are a Shawn Dou's fan (as I am) you will be magnanimous and give a 9. This love story is painful and bothering to watch. Military plots and revoltionnary goals in the chinese republican era give a very good background to this drama. Mistrust, hurting feelings and misunderstandings are maybe too much but it's something that couples have to face when one is stubborn and the other one too possessive.At first, we have a one sided love from the ML who is a bold handsome young man (Xiao Beichen) from a very rich family who falls in love with a girl who comes to live within his family. At first, he just makes a bet with his best friends that the girl (Lin Hangjing) will fall for him just like any girl who would meet bim ! She is the kind of girl who would be discribed as the perfect girl with the best morals and heart, caring for the others. She also is an intellectual with modern points of view. At first she can't help but despise Beichen because she thinks he makes fun of her and she doesn't value someone who acts just like a spoiled boy not caring for anyone but him. Actually, he is just the opposite but he wants to enjoy life and acts frivolous. He lost her mother at a very young age (she was killed before his eyes) and he is still heartbroken. His stepmother loves him very much and understands him. She is the one who knows that Beichen and Hangjing could be a perfect match because they are basically alike.
In this drama we have Beichen who is in love with Hangjing and wants to be her hero, that's why he will be so good at the military academy and on battlefields. He speaks his heart to her but she just doesn't want to see his love even though he puts his life in danger to save her many times. She can't see his deep and sincere affection and love because in her heart there is Mu Zizheng with whom she shares the same ideas. Zizheng is in love with her. For Hangjing, he is her soulmate, she can do whatever for him. Hangjing cannot accept Beichen's love because she misunderstands him and won't trust him. They will get married but "on paper" playing wife and husband in front of others but not sleeping together. This wedding was to spare Hangjing from jail and was Beichen's idea. Beichen always hope to gain Hangjing's heart. And he will.
Events will become darker as the story goes on, Beichem will become jealous and possessive and things would be really despicable when Hangjing is pregnant. Beichem thinks that the baby isn't his.... Starting from here, sufferings will be everywhere in the drama, the japanese pression will grow, military and spy actions will be more present. I won't spoil what happens further in the drama, it will be heartbroken. As a matter of fact, love demands some sacrifices just like a country needs to sacrifice some of his chidren when it is in danger. I really liked this drama from here till the end. Shawn Dou's great acting and sincere emotions are really to be pointed out.
Love and sacrifice in war time are so well depicted, I could even give this drama a 10 ! I really liked this sentence : "choose what you like and like what you choose " (even if your choice is wrong).
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Sisterhood and brotherhood vs family struggles for power and/or idealism
I've been really interested in the whole story eventhough many scenes were really heartbreaking.The storyline is easy to follow with a good pace and interesting plots. Some scenes are everything but soft and others are rather unexpected. We have some nice and poetic moments as well.
It's all about sisterhood, brotherhood and betrayals. It is although about power and plots to get the THRONE. At first, we have a mad emperor who kills whoever he wants, drunk most of the time, of course he will be replaced by a very good one who wants to instaure the Han system but is in bad health so he will be assited by his Queen .... It's quite interesting to see how a female will impose herself and become the Regent all mighty ! Quite rare in c-drama. We have in this drama 2 strong female leads, quite different in behaving and values.
Love is very present too. Unfortunately, to me, couples don't really match (maybe because of the age difference : female leads are mostly older than male leads... something seems wrong with the chimistry ....)
The acting is really good that's the reason why you are stuck to this drama. Special attention to Peter Sheng for his character (horse breeder).... quite free and wild and unfortunate (from ep. 45).
This drama is certainly not a must watch one but it' s quite interesting for its surprising or heartbeaking scenes. I'd also like to point out how elegant and beatiful the Queen is with very nice outfits. The production did a very good job with costumes, sceneries and scripts.
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No chance to get hooked if you haven't watched seasons 1 and 2
The Eternal love was the very second c-drama I have watched. Back then, I really didn't know a lot about c-dramas. What impressed me then was the funny scenes and the chimestry between the 2 lead actors. The storyline was interesting too : timetravelling, getting into another body and dealing with another self but also with people and customs from an other era or world, finding love, THE eternal love... and above all the 2 different selves (sharing the same body) being in love with two different guys, switching at the wrong times.... just made the scenario spicy or bringing so much fun (but also sad moments with huge misunderstandings) !In season 1, it was Tan er who timetravelled. In season 2, it was Cheng Cheng who find himself facing is double. In season 3, Tan er and Cheng Cheng timetravel together and find themselves in other selves of a paralel world where girlpower is an institution. This time, Cheng Cheng don't recall any of his true self and Tan Er makes whatever she can to make him get his memories back. Tan Er also find herself with her double, the original Qu Xiao Tan who killed the original Lian Cheng in the genuine original continent. Qu Xiao Tan is the Empress and is quite evil.
The all story is quite interesting, unfortunately you will need time to understand the real plot so you may quit this drama early unless you are Tan er and Cheng Cheng addicted ! This season 3 is certainly the worst one of all seasons because it's all focused on the couple interactions (bickering, flirting, kissing....) and the real story is delayed. When finally you understand the plot, it's nearly the ending of the drama ! I have to say that from episode 24 to the end it's thrilling !
The eternal love 3 is all about love, the idealistic and unrealistic one. Listen to Cheng Cheng : "Even though we've known each other for so long, when I see you my heart still pounds in my chest. I still feel this overwhelming happiness and I still want to marry you thousands of time over." GOSH !
What is love ? What is equality between men and women ? Good and evil, who wins ?
To me, season 2 is definitely the best season.
I will recommend to watch the 3 seasons starting from season 1. That's the only way to appreciate this drama and have fun with Eternal love 3 !
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Ordinary LGBT love story with charming characters
This is the first gay romance I have ever watched. Only 12 episodes (+one actually) so no time to get bored, action focused on main characters + Wanwan (a coffee place cat).I really lke the chemistry between main characters. How love grows, how one has to go over his own fears and uncertainties, how to face one's own feelings, all of this is well shown.
This taiwanese production is really well intentioned and beautiful : yes love between men can be just the same as love between men and women : it can be deep, at first sight, questionable, romantic, passionate ...
Nothing is bothering us in this drama, the storyline is very nice and entertaining. It is all about love how it grows and how to accept and recognize it.
I recommend this drama (rather a comedy!) to people who have never watched LGBT drama. It's never too late to open one's mind.
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Beautiful lovestory : love is stonger than anything, so is hate
I admit that this drama was on my watchlist just because of Xiao Zhan and Xiao Qin staring together ! I was not quite interested in watching a "beauty and beast lovestory" cause I was sure to find too many clichés ! Actually this drama is amazing ! First of all I was astonished by Taiwanese actor Wang Da Lu (The Wolf). Honestly he incarnates his character so nicely and perfectly ! You may think that he was really raised with wolves ! Watch out, you may have a crush on him even when he plays evil.Everything is just great : storyline, acting, soundtrack.
It's all about relationships and hardships : love (or cursed love ?), trust, friendship, misunderstandings, betrayals, hate, redemption. It's also about power, war, political issues and schemings. But over all it's about love, the love that can heal evrything, the love that makes oneselves sacrifying for others, the love that makes you suffer willingly...
I really enjoyed this drama very much. I was always wandering what would happen next and was eager to next episode.
Couple Wand Dalu and Xiao Qin has great chemistry and is amazing !
Bravo to the whole team of this drama : you have done such a great job !
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Refreshing comedy with original plot and first class actors
I wasn't expecting much from this drama based on the trailers I watched, that's the reason why I've started to watch it lately. Surprisingly I enjoyed the whole drama, the plot, the actors, the music and settings.Over all, main lead actors did a very good job, I really fall in love with the couple Chen Qian Qian / Han Shuo. Not only the actors chemistry was good, but they also managed to make us share the love and feelings the characters had for each other. Yes you definitly want to know how all the story will end and won't skip any episode !
Beside main actors Zhao Lusi and Ding Yuxi I'd like to underline the fact that all the actors in here were really good and those who played the lead characters servants were really brilliant bringing fun with hilarious sentences and acting !
Interesting plot, fun, good acting and love story, what else do we need to be entertained ? Nothing.
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How many mentally disordered people you'll get in this drama ? Try to guess !
This is quite an original thriller with an addictive plot very well directed with amazing actors.Every episode starts with a flashback that helps to understand the plot and main characters' personnalities and emotions. There is indeed a psychopath but also people with traumas and mental or social disorders... this make the all drama quite interesting.
The main love story is just very touching and emotional and you really don't know how it will end.
Lee Jong Gi is just wow wow wow !
I highly recommand this drama for the stroyline, the actors, the OST and fhe emotions you will go through watching it !
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Great parodic and moquery moments make this drama a "must watch" one !
This is quite a good drama where you can find a very interesting plot with mystery, derision, love, brotherhood, demons, and everything you are looking for in a fantasy costume drama.The different plots are never boring and we laugh all way through mainly because of the main characters themselves, the way they are or let's say the way they want us to think they are... Xu Kai and Sandrine Pinna are terrific and show good chemistry. Xu Kai is so cute and sincere in emotional scenes. Xu Kai and Ryan Zhu are very sweet together and act perfectly.
What else ? Very good dialogues, the OST is phenomenal (maybe not the opening theme...), nice sceneries, good visual effects and good rhythm all way through.
A drama that makes you feel good, don't hesitate to watch it if you are looking for fun, good actors and different interesting plots.
Hope for season 2.
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Real love won't be defeated
This a very good drama focused on Wang XI Yi and Chen Xia Jin characters, feelings and emotions.To me, "You are my destiny" has nothing to do with the original taiwanese "Fated to love you", and they aren't to be compared. Too many changes in the chinese version make the characters different. You have in here a drama with a happy ending (the taiwanese version is an outstanding comedy).
In " You are my destiny", I liked the filming, the music and the acting. The story progression is good and you really get interested in the 2 main characters. You will share their feelings, their doubts, their stubbornness... You will understand their points of view and hope that Wang Xi Yi will be able to get her loved one back to him...
Love scenes and emotions are credible, there's a good chemistry between actors.
If you like not easy love stories , this one is worth to be watched.
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This is an idols film reuniting 4 actors of the notorious chinese drama Swords of Legends ! Those who watched this drama definitely watched this film because they were eager to see Li Yi Feng and Yang Mi together again. Even if the storyline is not quite accurate and the love story unrealistic, this movie is quite pleasant to watch and Yang Mi's tears are not even breaking your heart !
It's in here that Li Yi Feng dress up as a girl with heavy makeup and a long black hair wig... it's quite hilarious ! Is he sexy as a girl ? Make you own opinion watching this movie.
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