PeachBlossomGoddess

A cut above.

This is a wonderfully produced drama that deserves a lot more attention. It is a riveting tale of sibling rivalry that spans a time of rapid change and turbulence in modern Chinese history. Jiang Mosheng and Lu Yuanzhi are both adopted and apprenticed by Master Su Jingan of Sancai (Triple Cut) House, couturier of the Qing Imperial Court. Sancai House routinely outshines other rival houses in the workmanship, symbolism and design of the intricate ornamentation of the Dowager Empress' court robes, allegedly due to their seamless stitch, a tradecraft that is passed down from one generation to another. Master Su's most bitter rival is his former fellow apprentice, Master Bai Henian of Sihe House.

Jiang Mosheng is the older, steady, responsible brother and heir apparent, whose great talent is meaningfully enhanced by his passion and dedication. Lu Yuanzhi is the hot headed, audacious and visionary brother; a rare talent whose brilliance is nothing short of genius. His recklessness however lands him in serious trouble. To save him, Mosheng cuts ties with Sancai House, defects to Sihe House and accepts Master Bai as his foster father. This sets the brothers down a complicated path of reluctant rivalry, conflicting loyalties, mutual friendships, convenient alliances, mistrust, betrayal and forgiveness. The most prominent feature of this drama is the Abel and Cain relationship between the brothers and it is well written, consistent and riveting. Both of them are flawed characters and neither is completely blameless for how things play out between them. Although Yuanzhi learns to rein in his recklessness and temper as he matures, it still manages to get the better of him. His culpability over Mosheng's sacrifice constantly lingers in the air between them. Even though he can be such an ass, I have to sympathise with Mosheng's battle with his own worst instincts in the shadow of someone who is perpetually a cut above. Both Zhang Haowei and Hong Yao delivered excellent, empathetic performances, alternately frustrating, enraging and beguiling me at all the right moments.

How the design of the cheongsam or qipao evolves to reflect the changing attitudes of times is the main, fascinating centrepiece of the drama. While not in the same league as the more modern and sophisticated qipaos of Wong Kar Wai's iconic In The Mood for Love, all of the outfits from the Qing court robes to the Western flapper dresses are simply gorgeous and I truly enjoyed the mini history of Chinese costume. How the female characters are dressed is also symbolic of who they are - Yaoyao is a remnant of the past at sharp contrast with Lijun, the ultimate, progressive modern woman. Kang Ning sits in the middle - she embraces change in a way that marries it with tradition; and thus she is truly Yuanzhi's muse. True to character, both Kang Ning and Lijun have a very refreshing attitude towards relationships and love that I truly enjoy and they fight to write their own stories even when events conspire against them. The only character I didn't like is Yaoyao who is your typical c-drama archetype but she is written that way as a foil for the other two. There are enough dimensional, grey and consequential characters in this drama that I am very satisfied with the character aspects of it. Most of these key roles are performed by veteran actors whose acting often surpasses the quality of the dialogue. I laughed my head off at the dynamics between Lijun, Feiyu and her father.

This is largely a character driven drama where the main characters have to cope with the changing times as they transition from the Qing era to the Republican era and Japanese incursion. While the pace is fast with many exciting and unexpected turns along the way, not all of the sub plots and arcs are consistently well written. Some of the stressing events that the main characters face are a bit contrived, can be lazily written and at times defy logic. But between excellent acting and all the interesting character developments, I found the plot holes quite easy to forgive. I do appreciate how all of the characters go through rough times, experience loss, how actions have consequences and justice is often blind. The villains are decent but less interesting than the characters themselves, some of whom are quite grey if not outright vile.

I am happy to recommend this as a very enjoyable watch with some good fresh takes on old tropes. Overall for me this is an 8.0.

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We are back!!! 铁甲依然在 (tie jia yi ran zai).

Novoland Eagle Flag is about a time in fantasy world Novoland's history where the outlawed Tianqu warriors are revived for an epic showdown with growing evil forces of the supernatural Chenyue cult.

These are tumultous times in Novoland, where the ruling Yin Empire only has a tenuous grip on its power over its vassal kingdoms. The emperor and the ruling nobles of the various kingdoms are protected by their own armies led by skilled generals. By coalition and mutual self interest, an unstable balance of power is maintained. Internal politics and power struggles within the empire and the kingdoms complicate the plot. These sub threads are quite well written but can be ignored or followed loosely without losing track of the story-line. This inherent instability is manipulated by the Chenyue cult who preys on the superstitions, insecurities and ambitions of the ruling elite. As war breaks out when a powerful warlord seizes power, the might of the Chenyue's undead Redteeth army grows surreptitiously with the death count. This sets the stage for the return of the formidable Tianqu warriors, historical protectors of the realm until banished for killing a despot. Only the Tianqu warriors, lead by their chief suzerain with a legendary sword, had been able to suppress the Chenyue.

Our three main characters are destined to play a critical role in Tianqu's return. They are bound together by a touching friendship as they come of age during these troubled times. Asule is crown prince of the nomadic Qingyang tribe who are fierce warriors in the harsh wintry North. He is sent at young age to Eastland as a political hostage. Yuran is an orphan from the elite of the Winged Tribe who is a princess in name at the Xiatang court. Ji Ye is the unfavored elder son of a nobleman whese mother was a concubine. They were lonely children whose paths crossed in Xiatang and essentially become each others' families. Yet they are pawns in this ruthless world where their friendship is constantly tested by ambitious and powerful actors who use them to achieve their own agendas. Asule is an idealist who wants to use his power to save the world. Ji Ye wants to prove himself, he is a conqueror who wants to rule the world. Yuran doesn't care about the world or the future, she just lives in the moment for herself and her friends. The relationship between the three leads was one of the best parts of this drama and well written. They balance each other out perfectly. Asule is a gentle soul who cannot bear to kill even when it is the only way to achieve the greater good. Ji Ye has no such reservations but his ruthless ambition is checked by Asule's goodness. And Yuran is the glue that binds them together and keeps them grounded on what is truly important - their friendship and the importance living for oneself.

The cast was very strong as this big budget production spared no expense with veteran actors. Many did not like the actress Song Zuer but I thought she was the perfect Yuran, which is not a deep character, just a very vehement one. While Liu Haoran did a good job portraying Asule, the character was poorly written and waffled in the back half. Don't hold it against him that the scriptwriter turned him into a brainless incredible hulk-like killing machine whenever he is angry. And while Chen Ruoxuan overdid the petulant youth in the beginning, Ji Ye's character is a strong one that showed tremendous growth towards the end.

The script-writing which was fantastic and gripping in the first half turned into an epic disappointment in the back half. It became repetitive, deviated into half heart-ed ill fated romantic tropes and took odd and messy turns with several core characters including Asule. I realized too late that this is the same dastardly Linmon Pictures that similarly destroyed the back half of Legend of Fuyao. It is their signature gimmick of replacing the production team with Team B so that Team A gets to move onto new projects. At that point you are so invested that you end up watching the rest of it anyway. The only thing that helped Novoland is that it is backed by the substance of a real book whereas Fuyao descended into 100 pct script-writer induced train-wreck. Given the record budget, the popularity of the novel, serious hype and the veteren cast this should have been a 9 or 10, one of the best of the year. What an epic let down - despite some truly superb battle scenes and cinematography, it ended up as just an OK overall production due to the messy writing.

The ending is controversial and felt rushed. Unlike most, I believe the Eagle Flag chapter of Novoland ended where it should have. One of the biggest misconceptions of this drama is that the story is character driven. It is not. The three leads may have their own subplots but all of the plot threads converge in the final conflict between Tianqu and Chenyue. The characters are relevant only as far as their roles in the build up to an epic climatic clash between good and evil. What happens to the characters after that is not important since the story is not really about them. A sequel or season 2 seems unlikely in this context although there could be spin offs that once again touch upon some of their subsequent paths - someone who read the books will know better than I.

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Gangsta's Paradise

I bounced off walls with joy and excitement when I came across this movie. It has been too long since we have seen a hard core Hong Kong style triad martial arts movie like this. Not to mention the cast - Louis Koo, Sammo Hung, Raymond Lam; literally a Who's Who of veteran Hong Kong action super stars. Adapted from Andy Seto's manhua "City of Darkness," this movie is set in the 1980s in the Kowloon Walled City, or Hak Nam/黑暗 as it was known to locals. Dismantled in 1993, this was once the most crowded place on earth, packing 35,000 people within 6.4 acres. This infamous den of iniquity was a gangsta's paradise; a dystopian, lawless enclave of mostly refugees where crime proliferated and triads kept the peace with their own brand of street justice. The replica of the Walled City is viscerally authentic down to the chaotic claustrophobia of structure piled precariously upon structure and the stench of overflowing humanity permeating the dank, narrow corridors.

This fast-paced action-packed movie that pays tribute to the golden age of Hong Kong cinema exploits tried and true themes of loyalty, brotherhood and vigilante justice. Chan Lok-Kwun (Raymond Lam) is a mainland refugee that sneaks into HK in the 1980s. He runs afoul of triad boss Mr Big (Sammo Hung) and in a thrilling chase, jumps from the frying pan into the fire of the Walled City. Through blood, sweat and bone-crunching fights, he earns the grudging respect of Typhoon and his underlings, who keep the peace within the Walled City. The narrative rushes through not that well fleshed out subplots involving past grudges and shady business deals but who cares? They are simply excuses to stage one innovative, physics defying action scene after another featuring fighters dressed to kill at 1980s comic-con. While Typhoon and his rival Mr Big anchor the narrative, the younger crew really hold their own up against the intimidating cast. I laughed out loud at their moments of dark humor and brash camaraderie.

One of this movie's top highlights is the the gritty, awe-inspiring recreation of the dystopian underworld within the Walled City; a place that spawned countless video games and works of fiction. The action scenes pay tribute to the manhua with outlandish cartoon-like combatants and the death proof brawls featuring wildly exaggerated superpowers. The fight scenes got more fantastical as the movie progresses and climaxes in a crazy, all-out extended take down of an almost invincible villain. I was on the edge of my seat with excitement and anxiety the entire time; thinking more than once that the bad guy was gonna win. Nonetheless I felt the best fights were early on, where despite the astounding athleticism, they were still grounded in some semblance of reality. I had my heart in my mouth watching Chan Lok-Kwun's opening shattered glass skirmish, the way he fights his way out of tight spaces on the bus and his parkour like first foray into the Walled City. This is how real martial arts action scenes should be choreographed and filmed. Later on, while still inventive and gripping, the action strays a bit too far into the realm of the fantastical.

This movie is a must watch and not just for old times' sake; preferably in Cantonese and on the big screen. It shows that Hong Kong cinema is still alive and well and stands the test of time. I am only rating this an 8.0/10.0 because the plot could have been better but the overall entertainment value vastly exceeds this rating.

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We will feast on the enemies flesh and drink their blood.

Full River Red is an ancient dark comedy whodunit set in Song dynasty. It is Zhang Yimou's most commercially successful movie to date That is no reason to dislike it. For Zhang Yimou never fails to stun with the sheer brilliance of his cinematic vision and his ability to provoke and capture profound human emotions. It is his narrative style that tends to be weighed down by illogical, at times exaggerated plot points and inconsistent characterisations that rarely does justice to his incisive camera language. While there are traces of these habits, this twisty, stab-happy mystery is the tightest plot I have seen from him in years.

As much as the critical political and societal undertones of Zhang's earlier works discomfited the Chinese government, his recent works are now accused of pandering to government propaganda. Every Western film critic has remarked upon the movie's jingoist note with a sense of unease. The Chinese title Mǎnjiānghóng/满江红 or crimson river sets the tone from the start. This eponymous poem attributed to patriot Yue Fei is ubiquitous; it spoke to me even before I could understand its prose. People's hero Yue Fei was a revered Song general who relentlessly defended his homeland against the invading Jurchens. He was betrayed by the enemy within, a jianchen/奸臣 treacherous official Qin Hui who goes on to be prime minister. What happened to Yue Fei is one of history's terrible injustices, one that still resonates eight hundred years later. The common people appeased their deep sense of sorrow and thirst for justice by deep frying dough sticks in oil yóu zhá guǐ/油炸鬼 or deep fried guǐ/ 鬼 or devil, which in Cantonese is a homonym for Hui/Kuai/桧 in Qin Hui. When I was a kid, my dad used to rant about the dastardly Qin Hui every time we bit into his favorite crispy fried dough sticks.

The movie opens four years after the unjust death of Yue Fei. A Jin envoy is murdered on the eve of his meeting with Prime Minister Qin Hui. The important missive he carried is missing. The unfortunate night patrol is put under the knife as heads must roll for this diplomatic disaster. Desperate to buy time, corporal Zhang Da convinces Deputy Commander Sun Jun that he may be of value in solving the case. They make some small progress and are given two hours by Qin Hui himself to recover the missing missive. Thus begins a high-strung, knives drawn chase through the serpentine military compound as they question unreliable witnesses and fend off duplicitous officials vying to get their nefarious hands on the missing letter.

In a departure from Zhang Yimou's signature, bombastic color drenched cinematic style, the palette is muted, somber and haunting in its clean lines and simple, gorgeous grey toned soberness. There is a sense of profound gravitas that overhangs the thrill and suspense of unraveling the conspiracy at hand. The pacing is start stop as the narrative slows down enough to allow important plot points to soak in only to pick up again to the tune of a clattering amalgamation of hip-hop and Chinese folk music as they race through the complex to pin down the next clue. The body-count piles up as suspects are dispatched suddenly and brutally with dark humor that is as sharp as the knife play. I won't spoil the ending other than to say it is wildly, enormously satisfying and yet it still respects history.

In terms of the cast, it really doesn't get better than this. I was surprised by Shen Teng and Jackson Yi's chemistry and how humorously they convey just the right mix of conflict, mistrust and empathy. I must applaud both Lei Jiayin and Zhang Yi for taking on roles outside their comfort zone. I could see that Lei Jiayin absolutely relished playing the vilest most hated villain in Chinese history. While far from the monster of my childhood imagination, his Qin Hui is still a wicked, cunning creature but also realistic, mortal and even almost human. To me, the memorable highlight of the drama was to watch one of China's very best actors recite the titular poem. Yes it is a very patriotic poem but its message is universal - everyone loves their country for better or worse and will defend it with every ounce of their being. This is the one time that Zhang Yimou's famous digressions is actually fitting and gives a deeper meaning to the story. The movie's big message is also universal; that there are some truths that must be revealed at whatever cost.

This movie hits all the right buttons for me - a dark comedy conspiracy thriller with a touch of wild history around characters that set my imagination and sense of right and wrong afire as a child. It smacks of Zhang Yimou's hallmark provocative brilliance with small flaws and is one of the rare times I enjoyed his storytelling almost as much as his visual composition style. This is an 8.5/10.0 for me.

Full River Red (follows the toned down movie translation):

My last words reflect my thoughts
Full river red
My hair bristles with anger
I lean against the rail
The rain has stopped
Looking at the sky
I let out a cry
Emotions well up in my chest
My achievements in the past are merely dust
I fought bravely with the clouds and the moon
Don't wait
When your hair turns grey you can only regret
The national shame has not been avenged
When can my hatred be wiped away
Riding war chariots we will tumble the Helan Mountains
We will feast on the enemies flesh and drink their blood
When we recover our lost lands
We will satisfy people's demands

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Soul searching.

This is an absorbing sci-fi suspense thriller built around themes relating to the immortality of the soul and its ability to reincarnate after death. The city's top prosecutor Liang Wen Chao (Chang Chen) takes on a high profile, inexplicable and grisly murder of a terminally ill tycoon. As Wen Chao examines the key suspects - the son, the young wife, the deceased ex-wife and the business partner, cutting edge technology and superstitious rituals intersect to further muddy waters already tainted by greed, love, hate, misplaced loyalty, revenge and man's futile quest for immortality.

Without spoiling it, I think the whodunit aspect of it is quite well done from the way the suspicion shifts from one suspect to another until the impossible is eliminated down to what remains as the improbable truth. I did not completely buy into some of the motives of the key suspects and I was irritated by the over-acted supernatural twist that failed to deliver the chiller thriller effect it was striving for. As for the howdunit aspect I will just say it was much more fiction than science but this is the case with most sci-fi thrillers. Since it does deliver an interesting twist, it is very forgivable so just go along with it and suspend disbelief.

This movie's strongest selling point is Chang Chen and Janine Chang's performance as the core investigative team and lead couple. The kind of stoic, desperate soldiering on Chang Chen does as a terminally ill man desperate to do his best for A Bao and their unborn child with what little time he has left is heartbreaking and moving. This is really Chang Chen's best role in terms of how he conveys such deep emotions and soul searching with so few words and how his journey gives him unique insight into the victim. Beyond his incredible weight loss, I was also riveted by how effectively Chang Chen conveyed the impression of a man calling upon the last legs of his energy, whose mind is very much alive as his body fails. This is not a love story but because of amazing acting by the lead couple, I can see the depth and complexity of their unspoken emotions, how well they just fit together, understand and sacrifice for each other. This is the part of the movie that will stay with me.

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Birds of a feather.

The second part of Love Like the Galaxy 月升沧海 (The Moon Rises over the Ocean) is shades darker as Cheng Shaoshang struggles to open her heart and mind while Ling Buyi's secrets and inner demons are revealed. Their romance plays out in the bosom of the royal family, where Shaoshang blossoms under Empress Xuan's affection and tutelage. This subjects our golden couple to much envy and political intrigue.

Shaoshang of Part 1 is disappointingly over empathetic and likeable. Shaoshang of Part 2 is immature and frustrating to the point of being dislikeable, This is exactly how she is meant to be depicted and the portrayal I was waiting for. So I must applaud Zhao Lusi for so daringly rendering Shaoshang as a difficult, often petty, unforgiving, vengeful child woman who wallows most unbecomingly in self pity. As an unloved child, Shaoshang is terrified of love. While she tries to figure out what she wants in a partner, she puts up all kinds of walls and clings to any excuse to not allow Ling Buyi in. She is her own worst enemy, fighting happiness every step of the way. Ling Buyi's infinite patience and indulgence of her is so hot anyone else would have succumbed to raging hormones in short order. Not Shaoshang though. She knows her worth and digs in her heels to demand to be an equal partner in every sense and meaning of that term. While highly usual for a woman of that time, it resonates with modern audiences for obvious reasons.

There aren't really good villains in this drama. That is because Ling Buyi is such a chilling character that he is already as close to a villain as can be. He is a man with a secret, one whose entire raison détre is to uncover the master mind behind the Gu City massacre and to avenge the Huo clan. He did not expect to fall for anyone and certainly not Shaoshang. He meant it when he said they were on different paths. On many occasions he merely eases her way with the intent of letting her go but never quite succeeds. He loves her selflessly and indulges her worst instincts, especially her vengefulness. Hence Yuan Shen's blinding epiphany that Buyi and Shaoshang are birds of a feather. They are rebellious and vengeful eye for an eye kind of people who can't tell the difference between a chicken and a duck. They are also at surface cold, unforgiving even selfish but in truth feel deeply. I find Wu Lei's acting in Part 2 more natural and compelling. He is such a patient, warm and tender person but only for Shaoshang. This is utterly different from the cold-hearted, calculating general who is a borderline psychopathic killer to his enemies. Wu Lei's combat scenes are simply the best. The aesthetic camera angles and gorgeous choreography brilliantly captures his stunning athleticism and graphic, muscular, ferocity that is capable of mowing down an entire battalion.

For me, Empress Xuan is the true hero of this story. As much as I enjoyed Buyi and Shaoshang's journey, it is her story and that of Wen-di and Consort Yue that I find so much more complex and moving. Told with epigrammatic dark humor that dulls the edges of their pain and sacrifice, they are nonetheless imprisoned by values that are bigger than themselves. While Consort Yue lashes out with wit and acerbity, Empress Xuan suffers in dignified silence. Do not be angry with Shaoshang for finding it so difficult to forgive Buyi. Although his cause is just and the outcome serves the greater good, it cost Empress Xuan everything. Shaoshang's first unselfish, grown up act is to accompany her, to atone for what Buyi did and for how she unknowingly helped him. That is what devastates her as much as Buyi reneging on his promise to her. Buyi knows and understands this. Without Empress Xuan's forgiveness and generosity of spirit, they may not have found a way to forgive themselves and each other. Her love is truly like the galaxy in its vastness and selflessness. The galaxy owes it to her to make sure she and Wen-di do not meet again.

In terms of storytelling, very much like Part 1, Part 2 wastes too much time on too many delusional love sick women who conspire against the lovers. This comes at the cost of the storytelling. which towards the end suffers from heavy cuts and sloppy editing. As a result, characters like Lou Ben and Tian Shuo are not properly fleshed out and I did not feel that invested in either the Peng Kun or Guo Village arcs, which feel rushed. When they could have simply omitted both the Fifth Princess and Luo Ji Tong's arcs which were superfluous to the plot. It also underscores how nasty, dumb and divorced from reality the vast majority of the women in this drama are. I really do not like this type of misogynistic and cynical depiction of womenkind. Even though the ending is very satisfying, especially when it comes to the character stories, the unfolding of the plot which we waited way too long for is not well done. Considering the stunning production values, it is a shame if they do not go back and re-edit it with some of the cut footage into a Director's Cut.

All things considered, I enjoyed this beautifully written drama immensely. I find Part 2 slightly better than Part 1 and am pleased to rate the drama in its entirety and Part 2 on a standalone basis a 9.0, better than my 8.5 rating for Part 1 by itself.

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Sizzles while it fizzles.

A massive fire devastates Qingzhou on the night Dayan's Weibei army triumphantly reclaims the city from Xiyan. Suspected of razing the city to the ground, the Weibei army is disbanded in shame while their leader, Prince Murong Jinghe is sent to his fief. To Mei Lin whose world collapsed that day, that was not justice; far from it! Rising from the flames, she transforms herself into an elite assassin for the Shadow Works. Her first assignment is to infiltrate Dayan as a Xiyan beauty bride to assassinate the "Butcher General" Murong Jinghe. She must complete her mission with all due haste to obtain the antidote to the deadly toxin the mysterious master of the Shadow Works uses to control her.

The stage is set and Murong Jinghe's entrance made my my jaw drop and my mouth go dry! Sinister and unspeakably handsome, insolent, casually malevolent and utterly unforgettable. When his cold cynical gaze collides with Mei Lin's wild, ferocious one, the screen explodes into flames. I was seated for what promised to be the ultimate revenge drama, a dark, passionate and twisted enemies to lovers story. I can't remember the last time a drama hooked me so completely from the get go. So I hushed my inner voice that protested the fact that they seemed to reveal the entire plot by episode 3. All too soon after, their thrilling dark, combative chemistry and one-upwomanship tit-for-tat turned into a moving unbreakable alliance that made them both so vulnerable I feared for them. Even though the plot falls apart around them, I enjoyed every moment of the torrid, ardent, connection between Jinghe and Mei Lin that was so effortlessly conveyed by Liu Xueyi and Wu Jinyan. They captivated me with their intense screen presence and the way their chemistry still sizzles while it fizzles through every silly, illogical, emotionally harrowing arc the script made them jump through.

This drama was by a wide margin, my biggest disappointment this year. As someone who read and more or less forgot the novel 春花厌 or Spring Flower Disgusted, I should have known that you can't make a symphony out of one note. There simply was not enough plot to do justice to the exciting concept and delicious character designs. Unfortunately Murong Jinghe, who was a ruthless scumbag for most of the novel, got whitewashed so early in the drama I thought he was body swapped into his adorable little white dog. Nonetheless, I enjoyed watching the enemies become allies and then lovers. Exceptional visuals and the couple's chemistry got me through the boring digression into the romantic filler arc that saw both leads regress into lovey dovey country bumpkins. The all-important revenge arc however disappointed me deeply as Mei Lin was unforgivably short changed of her vengeance so we never really get to see her slay as an assassin nonpareil. The drama should have ended at that arc instead of soldiering on for another mind numbingly boring eight episodes. The entire final Xiyan arc was ridiculously melodramatic and Zigu's love story was yet another filler arc, one that was in poor taste. Jinghe turns into a noble idiot who entrusts a well-meaning but incompetent young idiot with a task that was way over his pay grade. After all the blood and tears, I almost laughed out loud that they were ultimately foiled by a flower chomping, superstitious old fool. The drama comes to a full circle with the novel in that no one gets an ending that they deserve.

I won't lie - even Liu Xueyi and Wu Jinyan's phenomenal acting and charisma could not save this drama, it just made it barely tolerable. None of the other characters are interesting or well written enough to make me invested in their stories. Baron Chen's Murong Xuanlie is quite well portrayed but is too archetypal and his story and motivations quickly becomes repetitive and boring. Luo Mei's moral code is too mismatched with that of Xuanlie that as a couple, they are completely implausible. And Yue Qin was written to be such a lame character that there really was no room for Bi Wenjun to shine. What promised to be a dark and riveting story about love, revenge and justice turned out to be a sober warning about the ravages of war. Everyone from the common man to the king in the high castle is not safe and lives regretfully ever after.

This was a story that was written by four different writers and it shows. I can easily rate the first 3 episodes of this drama 8.5-9.0. After that, it barely holds an 8.0 for me and after episode 24, it is barely a 6.0. I think a fair rating overall is 7.0 but I throw in 0.5 more for Liu Xueyi and Wu Jinyan's acting to call it a 7.5. Watch at your own risk and use the FF button liberally.

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This is like a fine dining experience - to be savored and remembered. It deserves an 11/10.

Nirvana in Fire is an exceptional drama by any and all standards - nothing else I have watched comes even close to surpassing it. It truly checks all of the boxes in terms of a complex plot, an incredibly talented cast, excellent screenplay, well executed action scenes and overall movie-like visual impact and production quality.

This is the story of Lin Shu's single minded quest for justice and reform. His father, a powerful general in command of the 70,000 strong Chiyan army is framed as a traitor while away defending the Liang state. Victorious but battle worn, he is slaughtered along with his entire army before they have a chance to return to the capital. Young Lin Shu barely survives and re-emerges 12 years later as Mei Changsu, the mysterious leader of the powerful pugilist Jiangzuo Alliance. His appearance is completely altered and he is a sickly, shadow of the vigorous young warrior he used to be. He returns to the capital amidst a power struggle between the crown prince and his brother Prince Yu as the Divine Talent, a brilliant strategist regarded as an emperor maker. He plays them against each other and is on surface allied with Prince Yu while he surreptitiously advances the out of favor Prince Jing. The complexity in the plot arises in the brilliant and occasionally cruel strategies he employs to uncover the full extent of the conspiracy and all those complicit in his family's murder as well as to advance Prince Jing's position. This is not a story about revenge, it is about justice. It is also about reform as justice is worthless without reform. Making abiding changes to the court and the system that would be overseen by a just and moral ruler was an equally important outcome to Lin Shu/Mei Changsu. To achieve his mission, he had to do many things he considered despicable. Cleaning out the corruption in the court was the only thing he could do to make the senseless massacre of his family and comrades in arms mean something.

This is an impossible show to binge watch - I can at best get through two episodes in one sitting. We learn from the get go that Lin Shu is living on borrowed time. That imbues the drama with an omnipresent sense of sorrow and inevitability that grows as it steadily progresses towards the end. Whenever the mood gets unbearably heavy, there are welcome moments of brilliantly timed comic relief. The first episode is probably the most difficult to follow as most of the key characters are introduced all at once .Thankfully there are many excellent character guides online that are super helpful in the beginning. There are no unnecessary characters in this show; each one was brilliantly cast and has an important role in the unfolding storyline.

The role of Lin Shu/Mei Changsu is a complex one and not at all easy to play. This was without a doubt Hu Ge's defining role and he just killed it. Time and again he was able to subtly convey a multitude of intense emotions behind a superficially stoic expression. As Mei Changsu the strategist, he was brilliant, ruthless, calculating, Machiavelli and breathtakingly cruel when necessary while battling his self-loathing for the person he was forced to become. He is filled with longing, regret and fear of discovery as he re-encounters his former love, friends and relatives under this new identity. He masterfully portrays a callous indifference that masks unbearable hurt as his actions and morals are misunderstood by his best loved friend. As they inevitably begin to recognize his old mannerisms and think the unthinkable, he cannot help but tease them with the truth before skillfully evading their suspicions. The chemistry between Lin Shu/Mei Changsu and the rest of the cast and in particular Prince Jing (Wang Kai) is mesmerizing. Twelve years later Prince Jing still misses Lin Shu, his boyhood friend and cousin and was never quite convinced the Lin family could be guilty of treason. Despite his contempt for Mei Changsu's lack of moral scruple, the principled Prince Jing's soul knows him and he is eventually drawn into a strong and touching bromance with him . Equally moving were the rare smiles, flashes of humor and fatherly affection that emerges when Lin Shu/Mei Changsu teases Fei Liu, his lethally skilled and fiercely loyal boy protector. Despite his crushing physical weakness, he desperately lies to shield his loved ones from the extent of his suffering and true condition. I found myself grieving for not only the lost friendships and love affair that could have been but for the Lin Shu that Mei Changsu can never become again.

The character development in this drama is so sophisticated and multi-layered that even the worst villains of the piece are to evoke a sense of pity for their human failings and have some redeeming aspects. The story builds towards an epic climax that sees Lin Shu/Mei Changsu confront the person ultimately responsible for this terrible and unforgiveable betrayal. Both actors in this final showdown were phenomenal but I think the tyrant's rant from rage,to hubris, to denial, to defeat , to defiance and then finally to almost but not quite remorse truly blew me away. It is in this encounter that Lin Shu delivers his most excoriating, most tragic and and most damning indictment -"If you knew your son you would never believe he could betray you. If your son knew you, he would not have refused to believe you betrayed him." The script writing is powerful and we are treated to many emotionallly loaded lines but for me, this one was the one that summed up the root of the tragedy and made me weep for both of them. But Lin Shu/Mei Changsu was beyond tears. It is this ability to convey bottomless sorrow without shedding a tear that made this Hu Ge's unparalleled performance.

{Warning - Spoiler ahead]

I love it that this show pretty much ends after the climatic peak with most of the loose ends tied up well ahead. Even though we know from the very beginning that Lin Shu/Mei Changsu dies, it still broke my heart. Nonetheless, the drama comes to a very fitting and satisfying end. While this was an enthralling, immersive journey from start to finish, I think I need to take a break with something less intense. I suspect this will remain the very best drama I have ever seen for a long time although I still love Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms best.

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There is something rotten in Kaifeng.

Riverside Code at Qingming Festival/清明上河图密码 is adapted from Ye Wenbiao's popular suspense novel of the same name. One of the highest rated popular novels on Douban, it draws inspiration from Zhang Zeduan's epic 11th century scroll painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival/清明上河图. This panoramic masterpiece meticulously depicts 814 figures, 60 animals, 122 houses, 28 ships, 15 vehicles, over 30 buildings and 8 sedan chairs going about their daily lives along the grand canal. It is an eerily vibrant, intricate and authentic snapshot of Kaifeng (then known as Bianjing) at the peak of its cultural and economic significance; not long before the city was invaded, captured and largely destroyed by the Jurchens in 1127. It is a miracle that this iconic and magnificent record of the city's urban infrastructure, military instalments, industry and commerce and citizens from all walks of life survived. This visually immersive drama virtually restores the sweeping grandeur and prosperity of Kaifeng when it was believed to be the largest city in the ancient world and brings it to life. The drama opens with the mysterious disappearance of the Mei ship sailing under the Rainbow Bridge, which is the centrepiece of the painting.

This narrative examines what lies beneath the glittering facade of prosperity and the elated bustle along the Bian River as the citizens of Kaifeng celebrate the Qingming Festival via the eyes of a common family of five. This ties in with the Confucian concept of the family as a microcosm of the state 家国一体; thus the wellbeing of the family is intricately linked with the success of the state. For fifteen years, Zhao Buyou languished as a lowly assistant scribe at Dàlǐsì, the Court of Judicial Review. Even though he doesn't have everything, he is content; happily married to Wen Yue, a filial son to his eccentric father Zhao Li and a good elder brother to his much younger siblings Mo'er and Ban'er. Wen Yue however thinks they need a bigger house so she makes umbrellas to supplement their income. Their world fractures when Buyou is unfairly dismissed from Dàlǐsì while Wen Yue is extorted and harassed by a corrupt official. Pushed into a corner, they discover each other’s hidden secrets and race to protect each other and their family. Soon the entire family uses their special talents to assist Gu Zhen and Wan Fu of the Kaifeng Court solve a series of mysterious cases beginning with the Mei ship case. As the cases unfold, it becomes obvious that something is rotten in Kaifeng, and his name is Zou Mian.

The design of the overarching plot is fresh and interesting; the main villain Zou Mian is so powerful he appears to be above the law and his identity is known from the get go. But the true antagonist hides in plain sight and uses ruthless means to expose Zou Mian's corruption and misdeeds, including threatening the Zhao family. All of the cases are linked to the overarching plot, which is well designed and ties everything together in a satisfying way. The cases are very dark and disturbing and some of the antagonists are unnecessarily depraved and cruel. A unifying theme is that good people can become radicalised and driven to do terrible, desperate and extreme things when they lose faith in a system that fails them repeatedly. While the cases start out well, possibly because of how daringly they push the boundaries in terms of justifying vigilante justice, the conclusions seem to suffer from heavy cuts that leave logic gaps and loose ends. There is some level of just too much going on with the Zhao family drama unfolding alongside the cases. While I enjoyed their family dynamics and learning their backstories, these scenes could have been tightened. In particular Wen Yue going solo was based on shaky logic and her mid-life crisis was not well articulated and detracted from the cases at hand. I always get excited to see c-dramas attempt dark comedy but in this case, while there were some really funny moments, half the time it just didn't land. Overall, for something adapted from such a highly regarded novel, the screenplay does not do justice to the high production values, the exquisite set and the stellar cast.

As for the cast, it is a veteran dream team. I couldn't ask for a better lineup of favorite actors who deliver commanding performances in supporting roles notably Li Naiwen's disingenuous Dilun, Zhang Xinyu's wicked Qiniang and Hai Yitian's slightly unhinged Xiao Yishui. As expected, Zhang Songwen delivers an empathetic and nuanced performance as a flawed, miserable and oppressed character who just sucks it up while his talent is ignored until his harmonious family is threatened. He is more of a coward than a hero and his motives are selfish but relatable. I thoroughly enjoyed his humorous banter with Gu Zhen and Wan Fu and but was shocked by how cynically and ruthlessly they navigate a system that is so broken from within to find their own brand of justice. While Bai Baihe delivers a few exceptional moments as Wen Yue, she doesn't consistently convey the complexity of the role and the inner conflicts that Wen Yue struggled with. The weakest link by far however is Zhang Yao's Mo'er. This is an important role that is meant to illustrate the poisoning of the well. Unfortunately this young actor who struck me as promising years ago in Love in Between, was not ready for this role. He failed to convincingly portray how Mo'er's sorrow, disillusionment and budding resentment made him susceptible to manipulation. This made his darkening from an idealistic young scholar who wanted to reform the system from within seem abrupt and out of character. After all the build-up, I was also surprised by what a lame, wimp Zou Mian turned out to be. There were many fantastic wild, wicked and intimidating villains in this drama but sadly, the "Big Boss" did not live up to his reputation.

Even though this drama ends satisfyingly shortly after the plot climaxes with the reveal of a well-acted and well-hidden mastermind, Zou Mian's take down was anti-climactic. After all the vigilante justice, it makes sense for rule of law and procedural justice to win the day. However, I would have better enjoyed a more exciting denouement and preferably one that does not bypass the question of whether the ends justify the means. As much as I appreciate the meticulous attention to historical detail and the high production values, this drama falters enough in the writing and execution that I can't rate it better than 8.5/10.0. It is still a riveting suspense drama that is entertaining and engaging enough that it deserves another season, hopefully with a better writing team.

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Everybody lies.

This psychological suspense thriller featuring a female hardcore detective starts out well. Ran Dongdong investigates the death of Xia Bingqing, a young woman with secrets. To figure out what happened to her, Dongdong has to piece together who Bingqing was and why someone wanted her dead. As the list of suspects in this complicated murder case grows, it is clear that everybody lies whether they are doing it consciously or not. The way Dongdong nails down inconsistencies in the various testimonies by unreliable narrators and incisively teases out the truth is riveting.

Work and life collide for Dongdong when it is discovered that her husband Mu Dafu crossed paths with the victim and he had twice rented a hotel room at the likely scene of the crime. She explores the complexity of love, marriage, and fidelity in both the work and personal arena and the lines start to blur. She begins to interrogate him like a suspect. In fact, he gets the worst of it because there are no professional restraints at home. Not that he is a paragon of virtue, far from it!! He was always a bit of a narcissist humanities professor that openly indulges in deeply intimate, highly flirtatious but ostensibly intellectual discussions with professional peers and students. She was fine with it until inexplicably, she is not. Likely because they fell out of the idealistic love phase of their relationship or maybe because he stopped telling her about these women that fall for him.

I did not expect to see this suspense plot devolve so deeply into a dark exploration of marriage between a dislikable and messed-up toxic couple. Both Song Jia and Wang Yang deliver mesmeric performances as flawed, complex, egotistical, and ultimately selfish characters. I did not like either of them. In fact, there are no heroes in this story. Other than the poor kid, pretty much everyone is a terrible person. Even the victim is too much of an architect of their own fate and is not empathetic. Neither of the two parallel plotlines is satisfactorily resolved. The whodunit mystery ends up being a howdunit procedural with too many plotholes and a weak, trite, cop-out motive for the murderer. The way the relationship is resolved also leaves unanswered questions although there is closure in the sense that Ran Dongdong and Mu Dafu really deserve each other. May they live tortuously ever after.

I enjoyed this drama up until episode 10 after which it turns into something I had no interest in watching. I can see how it may hold some appeal to people who like difficult relationship stories. My rating of 6.5 is for the very mediocre suspense plot, which is what I came to watch.

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Switched by the witch.

In Blossom or 花间令/Huā Jiān Lìng (The Flower Order) is a mystery romance with fantasy elements. I checked this out because of Liu Xueyi, an under appreciated actor who is just as good an antagonist as he is a protagonist. Despite some flaws and controversy, this sleeper hit won Liu Xueyi high praise for his good looks and compelling acting.

Yang Caiwei is a scarred, inauspicious undertaker shunned by citizens of the sinful city of Heyang. She finds herself embroiled in a murder case with the new magistrate Pan Yue, the most handsome gentleman in the capital. As it turns out, before misfortune befell her family, she was engaged to Pan Yue and he seems determined to honor their betrothal. On their wedding day, she is switched by the witch Shangguan Zhi using dark magic. She finds herself in Shangguan Zhi's body right before "Yang Caiwei" is murdered and suspects Pan Yue of doing the deed! Assuming Shangguan Zhi's identity, she investigates her own murder by working for Pan Yue at the yamen in the hope of finding evidence of his complicity. Body swapping is the only fantasy aspect and it is readily accepted without that much disbelief by the characters in this story.

This production drew early criticism because Zheng Hehuizi guest starred as Yang Caiwei for two episodes and impressed viewers with how she interpreted the role. Her Yang Caiwei is a solemn character; a child whose world was shattered overnight and endured nine years of hardship. She finds meaning in following her shifu's footsteps as a coroner, obtaining justice for victims of foul play. This characterization of Yang Caiwei makes sense to me but unfortunately, there was no meeting of the minds in how the role should be portrayed. Although Ju Jingyi delivers an adequate performance, her depiction lacks depth and gravitas. Her Yang Caiwei is literally only Shangguan Zhi; a happy, pampered young lady who never suffered a day in her life. She is so un-serious as a coroner I just scoffed at her autopsies. Still, she didn't quite ruin the show for me as she is so pretty and charismatic I always have a soft spot for her. I just sigh for the opportunity missed because Yang Caiwei is one of the better written female roles and Liu Xueyi is a fantastic actor to be paired up with. She could have impressed enough with a more layered performance to break her out of her usual typecasting but sadly she did not approach this role thoughtfully enough.

While I watched this for the suspense plot, both romances are nicely written. Liu Xueyi and Ju Jingyi look so gorgeous as a couple that their visuals alone deflect many flaws. To me, Pan Yue’s early obsession with Yang Caiwei was not healthy or well founded but I enjoyed how he fell for her against his better instincts thinking she was the detestable Shangguan Zhi. I never faulted Pan Yue for taking so long to figure out she was Yang Caiwei because both actresses failed to show me of they are the same girl. I like how Zhuo Lanjiang is written to be as capable and powerful in his own way as Pan Yue. He is a credible love rival that does not descend into delusional archetypes. But I wasn't that invested in his romance either.

After the big letdown of Youku's big budget Judge Dee's Mystery, this much more modest production satisfied my craving for a good mystery. The cases, beginning with Yang Caiwei's own murder hooked me from the get go. I enjoyed how each case pulls at threads to reveal links initially to the four major clans of Heyang and ultimately a far wider conspiracy that goes back many years. This familiar formula used in many other investigative series is quite well executed. Despite small plot holes, the focus on the human tragedy aspect of these side cases made me either empathize with the victims or at times even the perpetrators. This is something both Judge Dee's Mystery and Mysterious Lotus Casebook failed to do. The main villain is neither too obvious nor revealed too early, which was my biggest gripe with Mysterious Lotus Casebook. This one does well in keeping us guessing right up till the end. However, this is achieved by concealing information from the viewer instead of hiding all the clues in plain sight.

The narrative hiccups in the final arc back at the capital. It seems like a different writer took over. The villain is revealed shortly after they show up onscreen instead of building suspense for a bit. The final villain is not that smart and only gains an upper hand because two hitherto smart characters are thrown under the bus and exercised their free will in unintelligent ways. It always makes me angry to see good characters get undeserved outcomes so I am not happy with how this ends. Good characters were literally wasted just to squeeze some tears from the audience. Instead of ending on a big reveal, it just descends into melodrama. The chilling ending epilogue however is well done but to avoid spoilers I will elaborate on that below. All things considered, this is still an enjoyable watch. I would have rated it 8.0/10 were it not for the ending. My final rating is 7.5/10.0.









ENDING SPOILER COMMENTS

The ending epilogue is a nice chilling way to end regardless of whether Season 2 gets the go ahead. If there is no Season 2, it suggests that #1 is some kind of arch nemesis of Pan Yue, like Moriarty to Holmes who is still out there; that organizations like The Flower Order are not that easy to wipe out. Note there are actually 9 tokens in total in the end scene.

If there is a Season 2, the mastermind is either someone we already met or someone that has not yet appeared onscreen. Recall #2 only shows up in the final arc so this writer does not play fair with the audience. In that case, it is not useful to speculate further. If however, the mastermind is someone we already met, I think it is most likely Shangguan Lan. It is evident from the plain cyan sleeves that it is a man and while the cloth is rich, there is no elaborate embroidery on the sleeve like the nobles and high officials like Pan Yue and Minister Pan wear. The Shangguan family keeps a private army and they have the vast resources and network to be behind this kind of clandestine organization. They also have links to witch doctors and dark magic, which is how Shangguan Zhi swapped bodies with Yang Caiwei. So it would not be surprising that they worship pagan gods like the ram god. I initially ruled out Shangguan Lan due to his age, but he could have inherited the token from his father.

There is also a possibility the mastermind is a woman because the Chinese title is The Flower Order. In that case, it could either be The Empress or Qingdi, who now pretty much controls Heyang after Pan Yue effectively eliminated all her rivals for her.







X

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Mother most foul.

I prefer to review c-dramas that are arbitrarily split in two parts to circumvent episode caps only once, after the entire story has been told. In this case, I am making an exception because Part 1 is largely a family drama that focuses on a difficult mother daughter relationship. This Part 1 review will evaluate that aspect of the story and defer a full discussion of the romance to Part 2.

Cheng Shaoshang is a grey character - a thorny, defiant, scheming and distrustful Han Dynasty fifteen year old. She is left to fend for herself while in the care of abusive but not smart relatives while her military family is away defending the country. She runs circles around them and grows up to be distrustful, cunning and unrestrained. When her parents return from the battlefront, they are appalled to discover a lovely, wild, uneducated child, shockingly unschooled in the etiquette expected of the young daughter of a newly minted marquis. Her mother, a fearless, decorated general finds in her recalcitrant daughter a greater foe than found on any battlefield. The mother daughter conflict is the guts of Part 1 and drives most of Shaoshang's actions and decisions.

As a fan of grey characters, I like Shaoshang's character design a lot and Zhao Lusi delivers a very empathetic and charismatic portrayal. While there are better actors, what makes Lusi special is she is very, very funny. Even though there is a recognizable pattern to her comedy, her timing and delivery is more refined with each drama. Underneath the humor, she shows us that Shaoshang is a sad person who refuses to weep; adroitly infusing a note of loneliness, false bravado and vulnerability. This makes the character extremely empathetic, to the fault of being overly so. Lusi seems less comfortable articulating Shaoshang's many flaws, which are glossed over hastily and in a muted tone. As a result, Yuanyi's insistence on harshly taming her daughter's "harmless mischief and high spirits" comes across as heartless and misguided. A more balanced depiction of this relationship rather than one where the mother is so unambiguously the villain would be more interesting and realistic.

One of my biggest issues with the character writing is how main characters, especially Shaoshang are elevated by diminishing other characters, particularly her mother. Their forced separation from birth and subsequent alienation and resentment deserves compassion on both sides but is written in a way that consistently only assassinates the mother's character. After suffering through many of their blood boiling disputes, I was pleased to see Shaoshang get some inkling of what her family went through after Hua City. And I thought she won her mother's grudging respect and approval in how she dealt with Lou Yao. So I was just gobsmacked and revolted by how her mother inexplicably smacks her down in front of the entire court. This is all so that Ling Buyi can gallantly come to the rescue by praising her to the skies as the best lady in the capital. Which considering how awful the other ladies in the capital are, is hardly such a great compliment. After the initial cheap thrill, it looks very high handed and coercive on Ling Buyi's part. It also undoes the hard won truce if not tentative mutual understanding between the mother and child. I don't need them to ever see eye to eye or become best friends but it is disappointing to see Shaoshang's nemesis in Part 1 reduced to a two dimensional mother most foul.

What I can praise is how Shaoshang is lifted up by her intelligence, courage, compassion and her ability to do the right thing even at great cost to herself, which we see in both the Hua City arc and Lou Yao arc. Unfortunately in the latter half, Shaoshang is propped up largely by kicking other characters down. I have never seen such a long list of repetitive, nasty and screechy female characters in a drama. They are all cardboard copies of each other - bratty, rude, stupid, arrogant and in love with Ling Buyi. The mothers are all older and uglier versions of their daughters. I don't enjoy watching women doing their worst to each other. Nor do I like that they are repeatedly dressed down by men, even when it is Ling Buyi and it is well deserved. Sure it is very satisfactory in a low way but it is also frustrating and with repetition, boring. It is very disturbing that with few exceptions (Qi Qi and third aunt), the likeable characters in this drama are all men.

Despite a few thrilling knight in shinning armor moments, the romance is only set up in Part 1 with little real development. Shaoshang's main purpose is to gain freedom and escape her mother's eagle eye and she views marriage as the means to that end. None of her suitors are that compelling and their courtship methods are so appalling they are comical. Lou Yao trails after her like a lovesick puppy, willing to wait on her hand and foot without realizing that women don't need to marry doormats or servants. Yuan Shen's retarded strategy seems to be to make her hate him and pray that hate turns into love. But Ling Buyi is the one that just takes the cake. He makes sure her parents, no, the whole kingdom, knows she has seen him nekkid and failing that, makes her an offer she can't refuse. Who ultimately prevails is pretty much a foregone conclusion with the casting of Wu Lei, which is also a bit of a shame. I'd enjoy it more if we are kept guessing for awhile and there is genuine competition among worthy suitors.

We don't get to see enough of Wu Lei or the romance as Part 1 is mostly Shaoshang's family story. However, there is enough romantic fan service that shows Wu Lei's chemistry with Lusi is promising. While Wu Lei looks incredibly hot as the cold and intimidating general Ling Buyi, initially he appears stiff, like he is trying too hard to project gravitas. He improves noticeably later on when he relaxes his face muscles and his character is humanized by his sidekicks Liang Qiuqi and Liang Qiufei or Tweedledee and Tweedledum. Tweedledum is my favorite side character; his vivid facial expressions in each of his interactions with Ling Buyi have me rolling with laughter. Indeed what really livens this drama's slow burn pace is the humor which also brilliantly amplifies character traits. It is a poignant reminder of how funny and ferocious Wu Lei's Fei Liu was. I had long forgotten how good he is at humor. I look forward to seeing more of Ling Buyi's story as well as genuine relationship development between the leads in Part 2.

If I were to rate Part 1 solely on the mother daughter relationship, I would only give this an 8.0. What makes me mad is this had a lot of potential and we really don't get that many good historical mother daughter character stories. Instead the mother is written to have so little redeeming value it just ends up being a giant waste of emotional energy. But I will throw in another 0.5 to make this 8.5 because apart from the first four episodes which were an aberration, I enjoyed the comedic moments immensely. I may have given this a 9.0 without the many nasty, noisy women.

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Junk food with no calories: highly addictive and binge-worthy.

This is THE drama that revived my love for Chinese costume drama. I was hopelessly addicted and inconsolable after it ended. I hungered for the next Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms and was crushed and then frustrated when I realized there is nothing else like it. I still have to restrain myself from binge re-watching my favorite parts. My conscience always struggles with inflicting this on someone else so be warned: TMOPB will connect with you and compel you to fall in love with it but it will also ruin everything else you for a long time.

At its heart, this drama very simply an intense, fantasy love fairy tale that spans three lives and three worlds. The plot is not complex, the CGI and some of the fight scenes are not the best and there are small holes and loose threads but nothing diminishes the utterly spell-blinding love story between Bai Qian (Yang Mi) and Ye Hua (Mark Chao).

In the first part of the story, Bai Qian is disguised as a boy Si Yin, the best loved disciple of Mo Yuan (also Mark Chao), the God of War. The young Bai Qian/Si Yin is a carefree, mischievous and indifferent student. A terrible betrayal by her first love that leads to a devastating war and the sacrifice of her beloved sifu Mo Yuan’s soul leaves Si Yin inconsolable with grief and remorse. If Bai Qian occasionally comes across as dislike-able, it is because Yang Mi did not successfully convey how deeply and utterly wounded Si Yin/Bai Qian was by these events. This transformed her into an aloof, cynical and outwardly cold goddess who closely guards her innately warm and loyal heart.

As for the Ye Hua character, part of his magic is there is no such thing as a Ye Hua - he is the brilliant, invincible and handsome Crown Prince of the powerful Celestial Tribe. He is also a great cook, a wonderful father and he loves only once and unconditionally. But underneath that too good to be true surface, he has his own glaring flaws. His first hopeless love is Susu, a lonely, kind heart-ed, docile mortal woman he meets on a chance encounter. It is an unequal relationship that was doomed to end in tears. As a result of his inexperience and hubris, he makes many miscalculations and ultimately betrays her in a way that tragically ends their relationship. He mourns her and waits for her return for hundreds of years and against all logic and odds. When he discovers Susu and Bai Qian are one and the same, he is elated and goes to extreme lengths to crack the ice around her heart and win her love and forgiveness. But Bai Qian is a much older and complicated woman who is initially dismissive of his puppy love. She is a high goddess and a queen and thus more than his equal. While he was thrilled by this spicier version of Susu, he finds to his frustration and fear that she has a past and her heart is not as easily won.

Mark Chao’s Ye Hua will forever be the defining Ye Hua. It doesn’t hurt that this dude has the best eye ogling motion and is capable of the most unbelievable micro facial expressions. He is not afraid to look ugly when he is terrified or devastated with grief. As Susu’s Ye Hua, he is the austere young prince who discovers love and happiness for the first time. As Bai Qian’s Ye Hua he is darker, more passionate, more aggressive and much wiser. Chao's Ye Hua literally gets better looking as the drama advances. Its an illusion that arises as he compels you with the many faces of Ye Hua; the serious and dutiful prince, the valiant warrior, the besotted bridegroom,the grieving widower, the protective father, the frustrated lover... He is equally persuasive as the stoic Mo Yuan who silently mourns the love he lost while he was recovering from saving the world.

Yang Mi and Mark Chao together are a heady, addictive combination. They are both so gorgeous that it is just a gigantic eye candy feast. This drama unabashedly spams you with steamy scenes of the two of them kissing and rolling around in bed. I suspect Mark Chao was cast as Ye Hua based solely on how shockingly good he looks lying down and his terrific acting skills were just an accidental happy bonus. Their chemistry gets noticeably more intense and you to fall in love with them falling in love. In lighter moments, the dialogue is both hilarious and touching. As a couple they subtly mock many cliche costume drama stereotypes – Ye Hua is the cook, he is Mr Mom, he cross dresses and he turns on the waterworks more easily. She is a much older woman who can drink him under the table, proposes to him and likes to lecture him. While the drama is sloppy elsewhere, Ye Hua and Bai Qian’s scenes are shot with meticulous, loving attention to detail. In each life, they hold each other the same but slightly different way when they sleep, she combs his hair the same but slightly less loving way, and when Bai Qian hugs Ye Hua the way Susu hugged him you just KNOW he has almost wormed his way back into her heart.

All of the emotionally moving scenes are accompanied by one of the four haunting love songs from the OST. The production team had a cheeky sense of humor when it came to Ye Hua’s costumes - they sneaked in a number of really sidesplitting outfits. In the memorable episode when he meets Bai Qian for the first time, he looks like Big Bird in a black feather outfit that highlights his beaky side profile in not the best way. By then, I was so smitten that the thinking part of my brain barely processes this. And then there is the cross dressing.… In most of the love scenes, Ye Hua borrowed my pajamas and copied my hairstyle. I can't explain how I am not bothered that he had the audacity to look so delicious in my nightgown. At the end he even pulls off this black with pink peach blossom flower print dress that I have aptly named Su Jin’s Revenge. None of it matters - he can speak the cheesiest lines, cry, cross dress and still come across as this crazily sexy, hot man beast. Love is blind indeed.

The strong cast of supporting characters brings this story to life - the uncle confidante, the brother and his "friend", the deranged evil concubine and the usual love rivals. There is also Dijun (Vengo Gao) and Feng Jiu's (Dilraba Dilmurat) love story which has charming and heartbreaking moments but the main couple is a tough act to follow.

I will leave to your own imagination the many hidden undertones to this show - from the somewhat taboo to the very naughty. There are many better, more well-rounded shows with more substantive and complex plots out there. This one still wins on the strength of its simple, brilliantly accomplished mission: it forces you to relive all of the joy, passion and pain of an intense love. Like junk food, it appeals to all of your most basic instincts and can result in binge-ing. Don’t ask why - just enjoy it. Over and over and over again if you must.

There are about 60 episodes of very funny bloopers on Youtube on the Croton Mega Hit channel but most of them are not translated.

Footnote: Forget the rubbish Netflix title Eternal Love, this drama is Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms.

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The abyss looks into you.

Escape from the Trilateral Slopes 边水往事 is a thrilling survival adventure drama adapted from Shen Xingxing's autobiographical account of his year in The Golden Triangle. The Golden Triangle is a large mountainous terrain at the confluence of the Mekong and Ruak rivers and is comprised of northeastern Myanmar, northwestern Thailand and northern Laos, bordering Yunnan. Despite multiple coordinated crackdown efforts, The Golden Triangle has long been the world's largest drug producing area; initially of opium and subsequently synthetic drugs, especially methamphetamines. It is also a hot bed of related illegal activities from timbering to gambling and is a lawless place where local warlords control different territories and businesses. Names of places and people have been changed to protect the guilty so for the purposes of this drama, the Golden Triangle is Sanbianpo and the story opens in Monung, in the fictional Republic of Bomo. Meticulous research and attention to detail is evident in the world building, to the point of inventing local dialects and written languages. As impressive as this effort is, I would have preferred they staged it in the real respective Southeast Asian countries. However, unlike Hollywood, Chinese productions shy away excessively from portraying other countries and nationalities in an unflattering way. @Frost_edelweiss has meticulously documented this production and the setting in the discussion section for those interested in more details.

Shen Xing decides to skip college to join his uncle's construction company and shows up unannounced in Monung, to his uncle's dismay. He quickly discovers that Sanbianpo is no tropical paradise but a complicated, sunny place for shady people. To collect on bad debts, his uncle ventures into a conflict zone and disappears, leaving Shen Xing to hold the fort. Facing a liquidity crunch, Shen Xing borrows money from loan sharks at usurious rates to make payroll. Things snowball as desperate to find his uncle, he gets involved with counterfeiters and finds himself framed for murder. Before he knows it, he is a fugitive fleeing many different forces. He ends up indebted to Uncle Cai, a wheeler-dealer businessman who juggles the various competing forces in Sanbianpo. Thus Shen Xing becomes the patsy that Uncle Cai nonchalantly sends off on increasingly perilous missions. Before long, he is finds himself embroiled in all aspects of the Sanbianpo economy; sending provisions to drug dealers, smuggling gems, cattle farming; timbering, gambling; everything short of drug trafficking. That is Uncle Cai and his men's bottom line; the one they vowed not to cross. The story highlights how divisive the drug trade is; with some forced into it by poverty or conscription while others doggedly avoid it after losing loved ones to its trade or use.

I am pleased to see Guo Qilin step out of his comfort zone to take on this role of Shen Xing. And he delivers an acceptable portrayal overall but one that is lacking on several notable fronts. For starters, he doesn't look the part so it is a stretch to imagine he is hardy or athletic enough to survive numerous life endangering encounters. To make matters worse, it is absurd to pair him up romantically with a lanky actress like Qi Xi; even though she pulls off her role well, I cringed through that entire arc. He does a credible job humorously portraying the bewildered, naive young man who looks into the abyss and only manages to survive by sheer luck. His critical fail is in conveying what happens when the abyss looks into you. His character stays largely the same throughout and in moments of trauma, dumbfounded tends to be his default expression. This stands at sharp contrast with young actor Zhao Runnan's compelling portrayal of Guo Limin's shattering darkening and psychological downfall. What saves the day is there is fantastic rapport between the entire cast and Shen Xing's relationships with Uncle Cai, Dan Tuo, Wang Anquan, Lan Bo and even the hapless Justin seem authentic and moving enough to make me root for all of them. His enemies into besties relationship with Dan Tuo and how Dan Tuo silently looks out for him is one of the highlights of the story. Jiang Qilin is a fantastic actor and his Dan Tuo stole the show for me and is the unsung hero of the story. I also thoroughly enjoyed Jiang Qiming's hilarious portrayal of jack-of-all trades in the middle of all scams Wang Anquan as well. The villains are satisfyingly nasty and heinous; from the duplicitous Ang Tan to the viciously scary and hateful Mao Pan. While I wish they had cast a stronger character actor like a Liu Haoran as Shen Xing, the entire cast is so exceptional that their riveting portrayals paper over most of Guo Qilin's shortcomings.

The enigmatic, utterly ruthless and diabolically charismatic Uncle Cai is the lynchpin of this story. He is the most fascinating, multi-faceted character in the story. At surface, he is pragmatic, reasonable, an incredibly devout Buddhist and loyal to his wife's memory; a ruthless businessman when he needs to be but one with a bottom line. Thus he is not a villain for the sake of villainy but only when it serves his purpose; there is a utilitarian calculus involved in every action and decision. He doesn't hide who he is or what he is about but this is masked by his devoutness and humble persona and how he disarmingly switches between Cantonese, Mandarin and local dialects to best convey his sincerity. Only a highly skilled veteran actor like Francis Ng can deliver such a mesmerising portrayal. Like Shen Xing, Dan Tuo and his many followers, I was so dazzled, almost spellbound by his personal charisma that I didn't look too hard at his actions. He callously sends Shen Xing out on missions without full information but seems so wholeheartedly delighted that he survives time and again that I forget that he is the guy that tossed him in the frying pan and turned on the fire at the same time. Uncle Cai holds his cards close to the chest and never explains himself unless he has to. The drama respects audience intelligence and leaves it to the viewer to figure out how he manipulates situations and outcomes. This is a character that keeps you guessing until the end that can only be fully understood upon (multiple) rewatches.

The narrative builds to a shocking and thrilling climax and the ending is chilling and realistic. This drama has fantastic production values and movie like cinematography. It is riveting, thrilling and unpredictable from start to finish and sets a high bar future Chinese suspense and adventure thrillers. A must-watch that I am happy to rate 8.5/10.0. I knocked off 0.5 to be fair because as much as I like Guo Qilin, it is impossible to deny that the key role of Shen Xing is mis-cast. It is the dramas only real flaw.

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You only live twice.

Fan Xian is back!!! There are no words to describe the pure joy I felt after what was for me, a three year wait. I never expected S2 to be as strong as S1 and as much as I enjoyed it, it is not quite at the same level. To begin with, killing a character onscreen is never easy to unwind and their walk back of the S1 cliffhanger was long winded, cumbersome and comically farcical. What saves it is that most audiences are so grateful to see the whole gang, villains and all, back together again they willingly suspend disbelief.

The most noticeable difference with S2 is the visible shift in the narrative from plot driven to largely character driven. After narrowly cheating death, an introspective Fan Xian who realizes you only live twice, returns to the capital. During S1, Teng Zijing showed Fan Xian that some things are worth dying to protect. This season explores what those things are for Fan Xian. He reflects upon his mother's ideals and begins to see the injustices that made her want to change the world. The plight of the common people resonates with him as he comes to understand that he is also but a pawn in a high powered chess game. He embraces his mother's legacy with a sense of purpose and a clear vision of what he means to do with it. The most exhilarating moments of this season are not action packed or full of intricate twists but pivotal moments in Fan Xian's character journey. It is less exciting if you are an action junkie but this is the season that reveals who Fan Xian really is and more importantly, who he wants to be.

With the signature Joy of Life verve and wit, important plot points or character motives are conveyed indirectly with humor. As the laughter abates, the manifold implications, often dark and diabolical start to sink in. The most chilling aspect of S2 is Fan Xian's complex, multi-dimensional chess game with the emperor, who is the grandmaster firmly in control of the board and all the chess pieces. It is not even clear that Chen Pingping is really on Fan Xian's side; after his "miscalculation", he seems just as dangerous as friend or foe. It is from such a disadvantaged position that Fan Xian plays to win even though winning could also cost him his head. While the emperor's end game remains murky, he reveals a guarded, almost resentful affection for Fan Xian that has me hopeful and fearful at the same time. Some of the emperor's schemes and motives are too intricate and have to be explained via dialogue, which is something I am not a fan of.

Inasmuch as I quite miss the rounder and carefree Fan Xian, Zhang Ruoyun's lean and mean new look lends a sense of maturity and gravitas to the role. My mouth goes dry at the layer upon layer of divine masculinity that comprise Fan Xian, the man. His scenes with the emperor where they both test and measure each other are mesmerising until the tension is broken by at times offbeat humor that has me yodelling with laughter. Every dysfunctional Li family gathering is a hilarious parody of a feast at Swan Goose Gate (Hongmen banquet/鸿门宴). There are many insanely well acted emperors in c-drama yet Chen Daoming still manages to stand out with his complex, differentiated, infuriating and utterly unpredictable portrayal. Just when I am sure I loathe him, he blindsides me with an unexpectedly moving expression of almost regret. Fan Xian has yet to get the better of this sociopath but at least he still manages to run circles around "Mini Me". The moment he scared the living daylights out of the second prince is one of the highlights of the season.

It is no small feat that they managed to reunite such a large and sought after cast and practically all the roles are well conveyed. Ye Lingér however was obviously abducted by aliens and replaced with a bot. Hopefully Si Lili rescues her offscreen and returns with the real Ye Lingér just in time for S3. I won't deny that I basked in every moment of this reunion of my favorite characters, good and evil. That said, outside of Fan Sizhe, no one really gets to do anything consequential. Many new characters including the first prince, the Beiqi princess and Fan Xian's scholars are introduced with unclear purpose. Everyone is being teed up but the punchline is put on hold until S3. This unbalanced focus on introducing and fleshing out characters and relationships comes at the cost of plot movement. This makes me worry that this leaves too many open plot arcs to be closed in S3. While I wouldn't dare to explicitly wish anyone's bestie villain dead, I think they should have closed at least one of the villain arcs instead of pushing everything into S3.

The character arc of S2 closes triumphantly with Fan Xian reclaiming his power and free will by choosing what family means to him and in doing so, he changes the game. I expect S3 to be once again more plot driven like S1. While I savored S2 and appreciate that they took the time to flesh out the characters and key relationships, there are just too many open plot threads for me to rate this the 9.5 I gave S1. Thus this is a 9.0/10.0 for me for now. If everything comes together well in S3, the series overall will easily be 9.5 or a 10.0.

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