The premise is intriguing. But it's unclear who would want to stick with this. If you are a ballet lover, there's actually very little exposure to the craft and 'behind the scenes' of ballet. If you like family dramas with evil relatives, the 'villains' are exposed in the first few episodes and do not change their strategies or motivations some 20 episodes later. If you are intrigued by the the fantasy/supernatural elements, this world is not fully developed, explained or exposed.
What kept me watching is the angel's struggles with being human, and the lead ballerinas struggles getting back into ballet. But, this resolves some 20 episodes in - and then there was nothing left to keep watching. Indeed, the plot was being dragged on without exposing any new complexities in either plot or character development.
The acting of the two main leads is endearing and competent. Music has its atmospheric moments, but neither can make up for the plot.
The big philosophy questions of our existence are of course, why do bad things happen to innocent/good people? What causes a person to harm their friends, family and community? But 20 episodes in, I couldn't trust the writers to answer these questions in a way that I'd be happy with. I thought best to drop it, while I still have some fond memories of the earlier parts.
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Buy-in to this drama is easy - the romantic chemistry is excellent. All the characters are believably in the fashion industry, talk intelligently about it, and there's a lot of interesting tidbits about fabrics, embroidery etc. On top of that, all the clothes and fashion the characters are wearing are really stylish and a joy. . . . so then why drop it?
It is a very retro drama, is the reason - with many irrational and emotional women characters. The domineering CEO is truly old-fashioned. He is of course more important than anyone else, and thus he should have the power and control over the relationship. Everyone must trust his priorities and his judgment, those who do not (mostly women) are foolish.
As it drags along, the mysteries resolve in the same lacklustre way. Our domineering CEO solves everything, and if he can't, his plucky romantic interest will solve it for him. There's no real crisis or point where he loses his cool, and without any sophisticated themes, it all just drags . . .
Worth a try if domineering CEOs are your thing but it lost my interest .
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The show is frankly a mess, and I'm confused as to why the two main stars signed on to this. I would absolutely like a modern, big city romantic storyline with two mature adults in the second phases of their career . . . this however is a disappointment
The only thing that kept me watching is the two main leads have a good amount of naturalistic chemistry. All the other plot points, however, from its portrayals of the fashion industry and corporate politics, to abusive partners, to difficult parents and family dynamics is terribly done. There's no point to any of it and for a show about fashion not much emphasis is put on the actual industry itself, nor do we get to see many finished designs from the main characters. As others have said, the product placement and cellphone ringtone was out of control.
I may finish this at some point just to see how it ends so haven't put it as 'dropped'
A little bit of a higher score for the music as I liked the end credits song. I will not be rewatching. I grade on other criteria as well.. .
Complex Themes - 3
Barely any. You need to work hard to have a successful career? Talking about your feelings is helpful?
Character Growth - 3
The little sister I guess matures and becomes well rounded. Everyone else is basically the same
Complex Women characters/relationships - 6
Higher points as I liked the female friendship between the two female leads and the friendship was not 100% centered around the men of the show. There was also a decent amount of female investors and mentors.
Production - 6
It's shot competently with attempts to not overly rely on artificial sets. But, if you were hoping for a big splash out budget of lavishly beautiful cinematography and clothing be prepared to be very disappointed. Frankly some lower budget shows with a fashion focus do a better job than this one.
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This drama just drops you in right away. The world is thinly sketched out world and assumes you know the basic tropes of the genre.
What keeps you hooked is excellent chemistry between the leads and multiple stacked plot/mysteries:
1) When will it be revealed Ming Yi is actually the enemy?
2) How will both Ming Yi and Ji Bozai survive multiple poisonings and plots against them? Will they both be able to survive?
3) Who will confess their love first and how?
There's LOTS of angst, protectiveness, rescuing and a smattering of jealousy. Plus a good secondary romance as well. I also appreciated the theme that whatever trauma you suffered growing up, you still have a choice on your morals, ethics paths in life as an adult.
The costumes and settings are a bit more creative and unusual than other shows. I do wish they shot a bit more in the real world almost everything is CGI.
One of my favorite couples modeling an equal partnership, an entertaining watch even if it slows in the last 5-10 episodes. Highly recommend!
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This review may contain spoilers
A standard formula done to a high standard. Sweet without being cloying, and two great romance storylines . . .Yes yes, this is the time old plot of a quiet, handsome, a bit brooding, talented boy and bubbly, sweet with pluck girl. She wins him over with her straightforward good heart, and he's forever grateful she came into his life.
Why is this better than the rest? One is just how well, mostly through glances and small gestures, you can see our male lead fall helplessly for the female lead. And once he realises they are both on the same page, he confidently leads them into the future no doubts or bizzare hesitations just for plot points. Their relationship also matures with their age, and doesn't get stuck in some sort of strange immature 16 year old zone the whole show.
All the actors are excellent and along with the script they make you believe you've dropped in on a friendship group of teenagers. They also go through all the developmental stages modern kids went through - transferring schools, dealing with difficult parents, going to different universities, etc. And all these developments are honored and treated seriously as the pivotal life events they are. The show paces these hurdles with an excellent sense of timing.
This is a bit more traditional than I've seen in quite awhile, this isn't one where they are in equal partnership on all fronts:
- Our female lead Zaizai struggles for respect in the workplace, and is sexually harassed by a client with encouragement from her boss. She walks out of that dinner - good for her. But it's unclear why or how she is able to work there after?
- There is no cost of living crisis! Ranran our male lead somehow has the money for their first apartment and most of the wedding costs as well and a car! Zaizai contributes what she can but it's clear that Ranran is expected to be and is the primary leader and breadwinner.
This probably? Is my favorite of the Chinese dramas in this format on high school friends and lovers. The lack of darker plot points means I don't have to knock off points for mishandling red flags. And the show is pretty perfectly paced, with a beautiful soundtrack, well filmed, easy to watch.
I had skipped this for a long time as cloying nostalgic views of high school are usually not my cup of tea. But, I was wrong, this is worth a watch.
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This review may contain spoilers
Fast paced, lots of themes, and enjoyable primary and secondary storylines make this a good watch . . . There's a lot to recommend here. We get two couples with solid romantic chemistry and fun storylines, plus some themes on childhood wounds and how they carry over into adulthood. Interjected throughout is a really funny sense of humour, and a much more modern feeling to the characters. While a bit clumsy, this turned out to be one of my favorite K Dramas of this year.
The brilliance of this show is that realistic childhood traumas get in the way of forming romantic relationships. Unlike may dramas where poor communication is the result of unexplained immaturity, here there are understandable, justifiable reasons for
As with most dramas, as it nears the end the storylines get clumsy and the end is a bit anti-climatic. (So much so that I actually thought for a whole week more episodes were on their way!) Even so, I enjoyed it and would recommend it.
Sometimes having less budget/prestige pressure allows for more enjoyable watching. That was certainly the case for me. This drama was really a present surprise.
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When 'Demon' doctor Tendou Kairi is about to be too overbearing, and callous for words, he all of a sudden does or says something incredibly romantic, kind or protective. This addictive formula creates an enjoyable 10 episode series. There is a lot of screen time between the leads, creating emotional and physical chemistry. This romance was fully fleshed out compared to series double the length.
Yes, there is a large age gap (I'm guessing about 10 years), a power dynamics issue (he's one of the lead doctors in her department, and whilst she is technically managed by the head nurse, he has a lot of power over her workload), and an experience issue (he has romantic and sexual relationship experience, she does not). But, I actually never felt like a boundary was crossed in practice. He never removed her from work or put her on work based on their romantic relationship, jealousies etc., he didn't pressure her into sex.
In the end, you get to feel the vicarious thrill of your first romance being the best romance with a man you think is attractive, competent, wealthy and powerful, and willing to change and give it all up for you. It's exactly what an old-school shoujo should do, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
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Our modern main character, Zhang Xiao is no match for the crushing weight of the institution of the imperial palace. At first spirited and challenging, she comes to dread the inevitable and it taints her ability to connect in her relationships. Unfortunately, she comes to this realization in the first 1/3 of the show, which makes the remaining 2/3s a bit plodding and onenote.
[Comparison to the K Drama adaptation at the end]
The acting here is very good and despite numerous 'brothers' you are able to distinctly identify with them all. There's enough episodes to develop the main 5 or so brothers into complex characters. The music and production values are very high for the time period, and still stand up to the present day.
In comparing to Scarlet Heart Ryeo, Scarlet Heart Ryeo has a few cinematic scenes that really stand out and a more emotionally complex last few episodes. Our main modern character in the K Drama is much less spirited and more sweet and charming. The K drama, overall, however is very choppy and inconsistent with the plot, characters appear and disappear, act very inconsistently. I also found the side story with the mask, and the mask itself a bit ridiculous. Also, the K drama feels less grounded in politics and history.
Despite this mess, if I had to choose to watch one, I would watch the K Drama. Those 5 or so incredibly strong scenes have really stuck with me.
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In 2 hours, I loved and connected more with these characters than I do for dramas that are 16 hours in length.
It's a simple story just enough hurdles, love triangles and other dynamics to keep it interesting. But it isn't the plot points, it's the way the actors, writing, and director were able to build out full characters that grow to love each other on screen. It's also the way this is it shot with a poetic, dripping with golden nostalgia, millennial way.
By the end, this show hits on the high school dreams of many of us, to find love, unexpected, spontaneous and early with someone caring and mature and good looking. It's the thrill of realising that you can have a crush on someone and they can have a crush on you back. It's the knowledge that some of our best life moments are behind us, and there is no way to get them back.
For lovers of slice of life, love set in a short period of time, stories tinged with equal hope and sadness, this one is for you.
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The first half set in Xi'An is strong. Xiang Yuan, the high energy 'princess,' is assigned to a regional, failing subsidiary of her grandfather's company. There, she reunites with Xu Yan Shi, a former school genius now fallen from grace, This is an excellent core plot about how corporate spaces with their jealousy, mediocrity, and office politics can ruin talent. Additionally, Xiang Yuan is a great character - with family and friends, ambitions, ethics and intelligence. She is not just the muse for Xu Yan Shi.
Unfortunately, the show falls apart as they transition to Shanghai. The secondary romance never really gets off the ground and 'villains' pop on and off screen with no real logic to them. One highlight, though, was Xu Yan Shi finally seeing the university classmates who ruined his life reap the consequences of their own character flaws.
The main leads are attractive and competent. Vin Zhang playing the serious and 'old soul' lead with just the right touch of fire, and Xiang Yuan mostly succeeds in being high spirited and naive while not crossing the line into childish. The secondary characters and actors here are not memorable.
The music and credits are average, and there isn't much I'd rewatch. I grade on other criteria:
Complex Themes - 8.0
It's state propaganda sure, but the depiction of soul crushing office politics was well done and realistic. Greed and power often do override any desire to recognize great talent and create great products. I also appreciated the realistic depiction of the difficulties of modern relationships, the travel, lots of time apart, extremely hectic and busy with work lives that are emotionally draining.
I will always appreciate plot lines around supportive friends and I found that theme particularly touching here.
Complex Characters/Growth - 7.0
Xiang Yuan learns to transition from the girl who would throw away cake if it came an hour late, to someone who can be patient and persist. Xu Yan Shi recovers from his career set back and is forcibly pushed to realize his dreams of being a pioneer in Chinese technology.
Complex Women/Women Centered plots - 6.5
Xiang Yuan is a good role model of a modern career woman. Otherwise, her relationships with her women friends are fairly superficial. In her family, she is the only woman, on her team there is only one other woman and they barely interact, there is the typical middle aged woman villain etc.
Production Values/Cinematography - 8.0
The clothing here was excellent. There was the occasional misstep, but generally very fashionable and fit the main leads well. The sets, cars etc. were also well done and felt 'in the real world' for the most part. Otherwise, this was not very creative or cinematic.
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A thrilling story of two people following their hearts in a dangerous, toxic imperial palace. The first episodes are violent, overacted and aesthetically ugly, but these issues mostly resolve and settle in.
The plot is unique, you are dropped right into the middle of the conflict and the characters have to fight hard for control over their fates. The ultimate strength of the drama is both people in the romance are skilled and strategic, personable, and have great chemistry.
Dylan Wang from Love between Fairy and Devil continues excellence at conveying menacing, brooding protectiveness. He also succeeds this time in softening and adding some humor and teasing. Chen Yu Qi excels at moving between humor and pranks, to righteous anger, to deep sadness. I was really cheering for them to overcome the odds.
The music is fairly one note, and some of the romance scenes may be worth a rewatch.
I grade on other criteria as well:
Complex Themes: 8.5
Obsession and jealousy are soul destroying - healthy love is completely different. Holding firm to simple principles avoids corruption. Fighting for what you want leads to less regret. Being unafraid of death provides courage and a life with dignity.
Complex Characters/Growth: 7.0
The emperor is a simplistic fool who lets his irrational fantasies and desires run wild. While not a complex characterisation the character is welcome: more dramas should explore obsession v. care and love. Similarly, I liked how the main characters leaned in to stereotypes and tropes to deceive and trick their way to freedom. It was a refreshing take on what is considered a moral and dignified way of life when you have no power and it worked for me: what is crying, faking illness, lying etc. compared to protecting the people you love?
Complex Women/Interactions Between Women: 7.5
Chen Yu Qi is complex: while she desires a simple and carefree life, she is fully capable of initiating her own strategies and power plays. She is making a conscious, active choice to not lead a life full of power struggle - not because she couldn't hack it, but because it's not what she wants. Besides her though, the other women characters are simple and mostly discuss the male characters.
Cinematography/Production Values: 7.5
On one hand, the fight scenes are well done, and there are a few cinematic moments. On the other hand, it really is shot like a drama from 5 - 10 years ago.
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The premise of the show; 'maybe in the end, we all need Attorney Woo more than she needs any of us.' Each episode, we are treated to a new legal case where this premise is freshly tested.
While a bit simplistic and condescending (this is a premise often used for stories about pets and small children), there is an inherent truth and simple joy that is cathartic. Oftentimes, especially in the law, we deliberately make things excessively complicated to avoid our responsibilities to fairness, justice and equal application of the law. Sometimes, there really is a right side and a clear answer.
I will say the legal cases of the week, the legal problems and applications of the law were well researched and presented compared to most legal shows, and illustrated the spectrum of personalities attracted to the law extremely well.
Added secondary elements of romance and family drama kept the show interesting, as the initial simple premise wore thin.
The actors are all distinct, and I was attached to many of the secondary characters. The emotional range and depth was fairly shallow for all. The show often pulled its punches, and would open up difficult scenarios or questions only for things to resolve neatly with a bow, before anyone was too distressed. The music was fine, and I'm not sure if I'd rewatch.
I grade on other criteria:
Complex Themes: 7.5
The show opened up a lot of thorny ethical and moral problems: can someone non-autistic and someone autistic be in a relationship of equals? how will Attorney Woo handle morally ambiguous cases? why do people who feel righteous do immoral things? But then always takes the easiest way out - mainly by side stepping and dropping the issue entirely.
Character Growth: 5.0
There really isn't any, unless you count being more accepting of Attorney Woo
Complicated Women/Interactions between Women: 8.5
Featuring women in careers, esp. in higher power positions is always extremely welcome. Attorney Woo as a woman genius/savant/autistic already gains huge points for this section. She also has a growing and complicated friendship with her fellow female associate and old classmate. However, the touch points, for Attorney Woo are mostly men: her father, her boss/mentor at the firm, her romantic interest, and her nemesis at the firm.
Cinematography/Production Values: 9.0
The production team, directors, and cinematographer excelled in two areas. 1) in illustrating Attorney Woo's internal thought processes from the whales, to how her brain jumps to finding patterns no one else can see 2) in filming the numerous lengthy court scenes to make them engaging and exciting
Beyond that, it's the typical high standards of a modern K Drama.
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The plot covers two romances:
Plot A: the perfect billionaire grandson who falls for a pretty, silly and loveable girl from a humble background
Plot B: the rebellious billionaire daughter who falls for a serious, earnest, and secretly hot man with a bit of a past
The plots carries along with hijinks, and secrets, and slapstick humor. Never too stressful, serious, or well, unexpected.
Comparisons to Secretary Kim are inevitable. But in Secretary Kim, the power balance is much more subversive.
The acting is competent all around, but the chemistry between the two main leads was a bit lacking. Common for the genre, but they both were like two teenagers with a crush. The secondary romance was much more naturalistic and lived in, and they had good banter and physical chemistry. I enjoyed that romance a lot more.
Music didn't really register, no need to really rewatch. I grade on other criteria:
Complex Themes: 5
Follow your heart and be earnest and everything will work out. Lies are always found out.
Character Growth: 4
Really, none.
Interactions between Women: 6
The main female lead genuinely engages with her female coworkers about developing products and succeeding at their goals. While interactions with her mother and best friend are often centered around men, they are not always, and the main lead has plenty of screentime with other women.
Production values: 7.5
At this point, I expect more. While with a larger budget than dramas of 10 years ago, the clothing and style was a bit lackluster, as were the sets. There was little to no creativity attempted with the filming.
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The key to selling love is, of course selling the couples, and the main couple here is a rare mix of fun, sexual tension/chemistry and equal partnership. The 'unicorn' for career women in their late 20s/early 30s. All couples have mismatched traditional criteria (age, money, family status), but each couple comes to the realization that character, compatibility and intention matter so much more.
Pacing was great, and only briefly wobbled in the last third. The show ended on a perfect note.
The acting was excellent when it came to the main couple interacting with each other, otherwise it was your typical overacting for this level of drama. The music stood out and I got attached to a couple of the songs which is rare for me. Some of the couple moments, and the ending will stick with me.
I grade on other criteria:
Complex Themes: 6/10
Keep yourself open to love's possibilities, it's rare to connect and feel an easy joy with a person who truly wants to see you succeed.
Character Development: 7.5/10
The characters do somewhat shift with the show, the most heartfelt transformation was the male lead who turned from quite the hardened cynic, into someone who wanted to believe and commit to love
Complex Women/Interactions between Women: 6/10
There are a lot of female characters, and female friendship front and center. While they mostly talk about men, they do also talk about career and work and ambitions. Most of the women are pegged to a 'type' the flashy influencer/blogger with a soft heart, the cute bubbly girl/woman, and the career woman who is a bit oblivious to the human dynamics around her.
Production Values/Cinematography: 7/10
They got top name designers, sets, cars etc. so that everyone felt wealthy (sometimes a downfall of this type of drama). Otherwise production values/cinematography was very very straightforward and the typical quality you would expect in this era.
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Do Bong Soon and Ahn Min-hyuk are the key. Coming from opposite backgrounds, they share a childlike exuberance towards life, a love of video games, and underneath it all a strong sense of vengeful justice. Both know what it's like to feel like 'an outsider looking in,' and they hate the strong bullying the weak.
Ahn Min-hyuk immediately, and endearingly thinks Do Bong Soon's super-strength is an amazing quality. Better still, his admiration for her strength doesn't lessen his concerns for her well-being. It is this rare quality in the male lead that really stuck with me.
The music and sound-effects all have a comic book/video game feel that suits the show, and some of the scenes are so iconic or so startlingly unique that they will live in my head forever.
Themes: 8.0
Inner strength and a life worth living comes from being sure of your strengths and values. Pick a romantic partner who respects and values your strengths and does not try to supress or diminish them.
Complex Characters/Character Growth: 7.5
Do Bong Soon is on a journey to becoming comfortable with who she is. She doesn't so much change but settle into her skin. Ahn Min-hyuk develops different facets (childishness, ruthlessness, admiration) but not sure if he has much growth per se
Relationships Between Women: 5.0
Strong Girl Bong Soon does have friends etc. but all the other main characters are men.
Cinematography/Production values: 8.0
Thought was put into the comic book/video game feel to the show with the pops of color, noises and special effects.
NOTE: There was one gender nonconforming/LGBTQ character that was played very campily for laughs. I couldn't tell whether it was cultural differences or a disrespectful portrayal. Overall, the jokes are based on dated patriarchal ideas, and I could see the 'flip' of gender dynamics jokes not aging particularly well.
In addition, the creepy male serial killer attacking women who fit the patriarchal ideal and then being brought down by a strong woman - is a nice theme but it belonged in a different show. Worse of all, all the emphasis and fascination with this storyline overwhelmingly and unnecessarily centered male violence and took away from the point of the show.
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