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A Refreshing and Thought-Provoking Story that is Surprisingly a Fun Watch
I started this drama without much expectations and actually surprised myself by how much I enjoyed it. Fate Chooses You has an engaging story, brilliant pacing and complex characters with beautiful cinematography and spectacular fight scenes. The writing is elaborate and beautifully layered. The story has depth - it's interesting and thought-provoking but is also light-hearted and fun to watch.
Most of the characters here are complex and make you feel a range of emotions. Sometimes you agree with their actions, sometimes you don’t. But even then, their actions usually follow a train of logic and it’s mostly understandable where they are coming from. The character writing is consistent, and the entire cast really did justice in bringing their characters to life.
Ren Jialun really portrayed the nuances of Lu Qianqiao to a perfection. His detached and resting ‘everyone and everything is beneath me’ face portrayed how Lu Qianqiao was used to experiencing life in third person, like everything around him just brushed past him without ever touching him. Lu Qianqiao is an extremely layered character. He is strong and has the maturity and understanding of having lived a long life but also the sadness and emptiness of never truly experiencing it. He had lived among humans without ever feeling like he belonged, had silently suffered injustice and betrayals time and again but still never lost his heart. He retained the goodness in him and longed for a fulfilled human life where he could experience the bright and colourful world, eat delicious food and even experience pain and death. And all of this could be seen so palpably in Allen’s subtle expressions.
There is a beautiful contrast of all the immortals running after power and immortality when Lu Qianqiao, who was born with boundless power and innate immortality, desired nothing but to be a mortal human to experience the little things that are taken for granted.
Xin Mei is also a very complex character. She is extremely stubborn and strong in her own way. She always followed her heart and fought for what she thought was right, no matter the cost. Xin Mei questioned everyone and everything - through every norm and every convention and forged her own path that aligned with her own beliefs. Yet really, she is just a simple girl at heart, free from great ambitions, who just wants to live a normal life with her loved ones. Personally, I think Wang Herun did a wonderful job balancing and convincingly portraying Xin Mei’s kind-hearted and naïve side as well as the fierce girl who never backed down at the sight of injustice.
As for the romance, it's not a central part of the story. Lu Qianqiao and Xin Mei’s relationship is subtle and sweet. Their chemistry is not electric and fireworks but rather feels like comfort and belonging. Their love is made of small moments and understanding and is honestly so wholesome that I did not need to see physical intimacy to feel their love.
The other characters also have very interesting settings and brilliant character development. They feel important and vibrant in their own way and really elevates the story. They have their personal agendas and do their own thing until they come into the narrative in a way that feels deliberate and meaningful. All the characters bring their own colours to the story and make the world of Fate Chooses You feel rich and alive.
The plot is surprisingly tightly woven without many plot holes despite being a bit underwhelming at times. It can feel a little disjointed at first with many characters and scattered scenes, but it creates room for development and eventually comes together to form the complete picture. The comedy here is done exceptionally well and balances the more serious scenes perfectly. The story is refreshing as well as impactful and presents viewers with moral dilemmas and social commentaries that drive you to think and relate the problems to life beyond the screen.
Overall, Fate Choose You has a deep and thought-provoking storyline, engaging characters, good pacing and excellent comic reliefs. This drama is not perfect but is totally a fun and worthwhile watch and deserves way more hype than it got.
Most of the characters here are complex and make you feel a range of emotions. Sometimes you agree with their actions, sometimes you don’t. But even then, their actions usually follow a train of logic and it’s mostly understandable where they are coming from. The character writing is consistent, and the entire cast really did justice in bringing their characters to life.
Ren Jialun really portrayed the nuances of Lu Qianqiao to a perfection. His detached and resting ‘everyone and everything is beneath me’ face portrayed how Lu Qianqiao was used to experiencing life in third person, like everything around him just brushed past him without ever touching him. Lu Qianqiao is an extremely layered character. He is strong and has the maturity and understanding of having lived a long life but also the sadness and emptiness of never truly experiencing it. He had lived among humans without ever feeling like he belonged, had silently suffered injustice and betrayals time and again but still never lost his heart. He retained the goodness in him and longed for a fulfilled human life where he could experience the bright and colourful world, eat delicious food and even experience pain and death. And all of this could be seen so palpably in Allen’s subtle expressions.
There is a beautiful contrast of all the immortals running after power and immortality when Lu Qianqiao, who was born with boundless power and innate immortality, desired nothing but to be a mortal human to experience the little things that are taken for granted.
Xin Mei is also a very complex character. She is extremely stubborn and strong in her own way. She always followed her heart and fought for what she thought was right, no matter the cost. Xin Mei questioned everyone and everything - through every norm and every convention and forged her own path that aligned with her own beliefs. Yet really, she is just a simple girl at heart, free from great ambitions, who just wants to live a normal life with her loved ones. Personally, I think Wang Herun did a wonderful job balancing and convincingly portraying Xin Mei’s kind-hearted and naïve side as well as the fierce girl who never backed down at the sight of injustice.
As for the romance, it's not a central part of the story. Lu Qianqiao and Xin Mei’s relationship is subtle and sweet. Their chemistry is not electric and fireworks but rather feels like comfort and belonging. Their love is made of small moments and understanding and is honestly so wholesome that I did not need to see physical intimacy to feel their love.
The other characters also have very interesting settings and brilliant character development. They feel important and vibrant in their own way and really elevates the story. They have their personal agendas and do their own thing until they come into the narrative in a way that feels deliberate and meaningful. All the characters bring their own colours to the story and make the world of Fate Chooses You feel rich and alive.
The plot is surprisingly tightly woven without many plot holes despite being a bit underwhelming at times. It can feel a little disjointed at first with many characters and scattered scenes, but it creates room for development and eventually comes together to form the complete picture. The comedy here is done exceptionally well and balances the more serious scenes perfectly. The story is refreshing as well as impactful and presents viewers with moral dilemmas and social commentaries that drive you to think and relate the problems to life beyond the screen.
Overall, Fate Choose You has a deep and thought-provoking storyline, engaging characters, good pacing and excellent comic reliefs. This drama is not perfect but is totally a fun and worthwhile watch and deserves way more hype than it got.
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