Who said a prince can't be 1.72m?
What's else to say other than I'm hooked. D.O. never stops surprising me with his acting skills, from being such a believable imaginary brother in It's Okay That's Love to the composed psychopathic killer in Hello Monster and now this.STORY:
This drama is one with grace and eloquence, much attributed to the flawless script. I enjoy the steady pace where it is neither too slow to be boring nor too dramatic to leave the audience huffing and puffing for air. There is also a perfect balance between romance and politics, which is unusual as sometimes those old officials can really exasperate and bore you with their greeds and Machiavellian means.
CAST:
Who said a prince can't be 1.72m? In dramaland, it is often assumed that a prince should be tall but it's a fact that most princes in history were probably even shorter, genetic is not perfect after all. There are also criticism of D.O.'s "stiffness" and "brooding face" circulating since his debut. However, this drama will be his first step in breaking those preconceptions. His indifferent expression and intense stare play wonder in portraying the emptiness of the lonely prince. They will make every bit of his character development even more rewarding in the sense that every slight smile and gestures showing adoration towards the female MC become more obvious. And when you get the whole smile, it will be like your Christmas prezzie has come early.
Ji Hyun is doing a fine job playing the female lead, but I feel there could be more room for developing character uniqueness. I have not seen as good child actors playing historical dramas for a long time, since Ijimae and The Moon Embraces the Sun. I'm also glad that the supporting casts are quite familiar from past historical dramas, as they are very good at creating a strong backbone for the story and effective in moving the plot along.
CINEMATOGRAPHY:
This is more like an amalgamation of Iljimae and Love in the Moonlight in terms of visuals. It has the stunning vibrant palette while not so sharp and 'crispy', keeping some of that old historical charms. Also, interesting uses of contrast in costumes. The prince wears dark-coloured silk clothes before he meets 'her' but starts to wear rough white ones after the amnesia (no spoiler btw). This not only emphasises the couple's different standings in social hierarchy but it also shows how the prince is able to forget his sorrows. It strikes a question that whether being a prince is worth it afterall and is it really horrible to be such a low-life?
MUSIC:
I'm disappointed that they haven't incorporated much of Gummy's Fade Away into the actual episodes. It is well-known that whichever drama Gummy sings for, it will be special and this should be no exception. Her voice really suits the pure, longing and bittersweet love in historical dramas. Hopefully, as the drama rolls out we will be able to witness the magical and memorable moments with Gummy's voice in the back to amplify everything by 10 times.
OVERALL:
I can guarantee that you're getting la crème de la crème with this drama. If you are not interested even after the first 2 eps, then the historical genre is not for you.
QUOTES:
"Am I the only one uncomfortable?"
“Ever since I became the prince, 69 329 hours have passed, but I have yet not smile.”
“It is not that I cannot forget about her. It is that she still remains in my memory."
“My heart cannot seem to persuade my body.”
“The scorpion that must cross a creek on a frog’s back stung the frog. It is obvious that they will both sink and die. So why kill the frog?”
“You must kill in order not to be killed.”
“You must return as a dead body. That is how I wish to see you.”
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"Those streets, let's swallow them all."
While the synopsis offers much romance, Cruel City is anything but a damsel-in-distress tale. Trapped in a world where the streets are filled with hidden brothels and drug dealers, the forsaken ones are taught light from knowing darkness. Their despairs and pains become motivation for such selfless righteousness and sacrifices to rectify the twisted world that have discarded them.Cruel City forces its audience to redefine the line between good and evil, only for us to be left bewildered at the realisation that there was in fact none to begin with. How could goodness ever be measured? Is it morally sound to exploit an innocence in the act of saving the lives of many others?
STORY:
Rarely does an action drama exceed audience expectation for its plot as it often mainly focuses on action scenes, but hands down to the scriptwriters this time. Each MC has a different mask to hide their terrifyingly calculative and Machiavellian nature. There is also a sense of despair which often associated with the noir genre, forever reaching for that flicker of light at the end of the tunnel but never quite there. The romance is bittersweet with a slight heart-wrench. And those cliff-hangers really played with my heart.
CAST:
To say I'm watching this not only for Kyung Ho would be half-lying. His portrayal of the Doctor's Son is lithe and lethal as a black panther in the night. Kyung Ho is able to capture the loneliness and recklessness of being an undercover. Both the female lead and male 2nd lead didn't come out as strong for me, I feel like they lack the intensity and unique characterisation but still fit in with the story nevertheless.
CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Right from the start, interesting dichromatic color schemes are used to enhance the dark and sinister scenes, giving various meanings to "darkness". Meetings between Shi Hyun, Soo and Lee Madam are often portrayed in black and blue to show the characters' cold and cunning natures. When Shi Hyun is with Soo Min, it is black and yellow to show how she's bringing light to his world.
MUSIC:
I would highly recommend Hurt by Kim Yong Jin. Even though the drama only has one memorable OST, it is able to incorporate that into crucial moments to get me really sympathise with Shi Hyun.
OVERALL:
Cruel City really sparks my interest in noir genre. So here is my beginning into another genre of K-dramas, what about you?
FAVOURITE QUOTES:
“If you don’t kill, you die.”
“The world is like a mirror. If you spit and curse at it, the world will spit and curse back at you. If you laugh, I’m sure the world will follow and laugh with you.”
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Mysophobia should be a subplot, not the whole plot!
Am I the only feeling like there are gigantic black holes in the plot?It's like the writers have decided to go on a cooking spree and mix wasabi with chocolate. These 2 ingredients are potent in each of their own rights, but Wasabi Kit Kat? Thanks, but no thanks. From mysophobia to chaebol to love triangle, you name the cliché they've got it. The show even started with the whole stylised apartment and walk-in closet thing.
Everything is unbearably unbelievable and predictable. We've got the female protagonist, who is supposed to be "dirty", looking still pretty and neat as ever with just a few a hair out of place. And the lead male keeps having way too many "accidents" where he would overexaggerate to the same degree every single time, enough to make the couple seems as polar opposite as possible. Then, somewhere in between, there are bits and pieces of flashbacks that are recalled rather awkwardly and forcibly which don't really add much to the depth of the storyline.
Maybe my expectations were a little too high as I anticipated for Yoo Jung's comeback and Gyun Sang's rom-com debut. Either way, it's not my cup of tea at the moment.
On the other hand, where is my Untouchable adaptation, JTBC?
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This review may contain spoilers
“Your pains resonate within me... Because of you, I chose to believe.”
General Feihong and General Fengyun are the talented, loyal "Twin Stars" destined to protect the borders of the Wei Kingdom. But beneath the armour, they lead two different lives. He Yan is forced to put on the "cold mask" that "smothered" her identity and masquerade as the male heir in place of her ailing stepbrother to gain prestige for the He family, only to be betrayed and hunted mercilessly. On the other hand, Xiao Jue bears the weight of rebuilding his family's military reputation after being embroiled in palace politics and losing both of his parents. Yet it's their shared righteousness, unwavering trust and mutual respect for each other that allowed them to weather the storms and become an inseparable duo both on the battlefield and in life.What drew me into this drama is the perfect balance between the female and male leads. He Yan is such a powerful female general that she not only wins people over with her phenomenal fighting skills and military tactics, but also with her wit and charm. She's ruthless on the battlefield, yet empathetic and devoted to those whom she vows to protect. Zhou Ye displayed a fantastic duality as He Yan that still amazes me with every rewatch. She can be lethal in one moment as the strong and confident General Feihong, then turn into the happy-go-lucky He Yan with her Dudu in the next moment. It's an unexpected, yet much-welcomed twist from her last role as the timid and sweetheart Sheng Sheng Man from Love Me, Love My Voice, whom I also adore. Xiao Jue is commanding and enigmatic, but he sometimes also looks as if he's about to buckle from carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. He undoubtedly believes that He Yan can prevail against ten men and conquer the world, but still always has her back and will be her "moon" if she's in need. Ryan Cheng gives such a complex and fabulous portrayal of Xiao Jue. His captivating, piercing gaze and impressive presence serve as a stark contrast to when he actually softens for He Yan or shows vulnerability and grief. I first fell in love with Ryan Cheng's role as the sassy Gong Shang Jue in My Journey to You, so it's wonderful to see him with more screentime playing a more fleshed-out character. On-screen, Zhou Ye and Ryan Cheng show superb chemistry as the invincible general couple. Off-screen, they're a goofy pair that know each other's quirks inside out and are always up for a good laugh. Even when singing, they're equally matched in singing off-key on Hello Saturday!
The cinematography is absolutely stunning! From the beautifully choreographed fight sequences to the sheer intensity of the leads and massive scale of the battlefields, there isn't any action scene that's not iconic. Personally, I love He Yan's diverse range of weapons, including the fighting whip, archery, spear, sword and twin blades. This highlights how versatile and outstanding she is as a general. My all-time favourite scene got to be when He Yan and Xiao Jue fought side-by-side in the final battle with their majestic, complementary black and white armours and matching ferocity. I feel like this could be a crossover between The Long Ballad and Who Rules the World.
For soundtracks, I love it when Light Within The Heart (心海里的光) by Zhou Shen and Moon Like Song (月如歌) by Curley Gao are played during the intense battle scenes. But Embroidered Moon Verse (锦月书) by Zhang Zining and Long-Cherished Wish (夙愿) by Zhang Yuan definitely stole my heart as they perfectly encapsulate He Yan and Xiao Jue's lonely journeys before they found their reflection and soulmate in each other.
It's not to say there are no flaws in the drama. I find the villains of the drama a bit anti-climatic. The supposedly big villain He Rui Fei and his conspirator Xu Jing Fu are not as scheming as they're projected to be in the first half, with both having a rather quick downfall. Chu Zhao is perhaps one of the most pitiful SMLs who's got no place to jump in between the two inseperable leads. I feel like he could be a more calculative and interesting character rather than reduced to a crazed, obsessed SML. While not really a villain, I do think the emperor could be more discerning instead of being easily swayed by those around him just for the sake of maintaining the "balance" in palace politics. Although I haven't read the original novel, I believe that the fact that He Yan stays alive in the drama, rather than reincarnating into another body, after the assassination (possibly due to drama regulations), drastically limits the plot potential of the last few episodes. Nevertheless, this is still a drama with very high-quality production, which I enjoy watching immensely. This is not meant to be a historical drama full of political intrigue, but rather an awe-inspiring journey where two generals find their soulmate in each other, who could share their pain and happiness as they fight life-and-death battles to defend their beloved kingdom and its people.
FAVOURITE QUOTES
“I like the moon, but the moon doesn’t know.” He Yan
“Now the moon belongs to you [He Yan]. The peerless moon is yours now.” Xiao Jue
“I’m afraid after pretending to be someone else for too long, I might forget who I really am. I hope there’s someone in this world who comes for me. Not for He Ruifei. Not for General Feihong. Just for me. Coming for me.” He Yan
“Women are never inferior to men. Through the ages, people have claimed women belong at embroidery frames and housewifery. But must we women be confined to domestic roles or limited to needlework? We can write and fight. We can write literary masterpieces. We can charge into battle and earn glory. We’re not just waiting to be saved. We can save ourselves.” He Yan
“Swords are for enemies. Never against the weak.” He Yan
“You [He Yan] and I always share similar experiences. Be it our pasts or present, your pains resonate within me. It was you… Because of you, I chose to believe.” Xiao Jue
"She [He Yan] graces my view, occupies my mind and claims my heart" Xiao Jue
“As the General Feihong, you must soar freely in the sky.” Xiao Jue
“Even against ten men, let alone women, she’d [He Yan'd] still prevail.” Xiao Jue
“Many people may show consideration for others, but those [He Yan] who would sacrifice themselves for other people at critical moments are exceedingly rare.” Xiao Jue
“I know you are worried about my safety. But you must realise that once I wear this amour, I become a soldier, fearless of death.” He Yan
“He Yan, receive orders! Come back alive.” Xiao Jue
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