Stone Pony

Trigger Warning Abuse

This show probably has a high rating from others due to the acting of the ML and FL which is both well above average for these short vertical shows. But the never-ending stream of abuse, morally gray FL, and how long it dragged the story out makes it lose a lot of stars for me. The whole point of the vertical shows is to be short and snappy so if I'm getting bored with it that really doesn't speak well to the show's overall quality.

For some reason the heroine's predicament reminded me of My Happy Marriage. There is no magic or alternate world, but there is a heroine who takes a lot of physical abuse from family members. I mean this goes on and on and on. It truly is horrifying and serves as part of her Tragic Backstory. If you are into the abuse p/0rn trope I guess this will please you?

But where I have an issue with this story is that at two separate times her cousin is dragged off by her uncle and beaten off screen. Beaten so badly that next time we see her, her face is covered with bruises. We are supposed to be OK with that because the cousin joined in tormenting the FL (but let's remember who ruined whose wedding, please), but let's face it - it is the UNCLE who has made all of their lives a living hell that really should have been the FL's focus for revenge from the start. His kids and wife are also collateral damage.

The FL also has the asymmetrical hairstyle of the FL in My Happy Marriage. After all that, nothing is the same. FL is not some shrinking violet saying sorry all the time. She has an alternate plan on how to destroy her cruel relations.

The story is the strongest when predator uncle is being creepy. It gives a real sense of danger to the FL's predicament and they could have cut 20 eps and really focused on him. Especially when she tells ML why she picked him as a partner. Wow. She knew what uncle was about to do.

Stray jumps, missing information (might have been due to translation?), and the melodramatic Granny storyline are the weakest points of the story. Resolution is dragged out too long. ML saving brother and then sitting around talking in the same area as the fire made me laugh.

What was interesting was the scene where the ML finds out the true state of the FLs mental and physical state from having to deal with a decade of abuse. None of that is sugarcoated and we do get a montage showing him helping her regain her strength and fortitude. More of that please (and forgo all the flashbacks).

Overall, not something I would watch again and I sped through much of it to watch the ML FL interaction.

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Slow burn fantasy battle

Overall I enjoyed this even though I usually avoid xianxia genre. This is a slow burn, low romance between an ancient god and a demon (warrior) princess type. The series can be separated into several different parts with the first two more lighthearted and fun with playful banter and situations. It would be fine for a family to watch together. The rest of the series might get a little dark for young ones.

The first part has Shen Li defying the marriage order, falling to the human realm and becoming under the care of Xing Zhi. No surprises here but it has a gentle warmth. The CGI phoenix chicken is a bit cheesy but I rather liked that. This sets the stage for the romance with a suppressed male lead who emotes little (after all he's thousands of years old and a god), with a fiery female lead who would like to kill whoever bothers her.

The second section is mostly in the demon realm where Shen Li and Fu Rong (playboy immortal) square off against each other regarding this arranged marriage. We get a hint of the bigger problem (the Chemi and sealing off the abyss), and of Xing Zhi's jealousy. About halfway through we FINALLY learn why Xing Zhi is keeping Shen Li at a distance - the price is high if he gives in to his emotions. I think this does a disservice to viewers as it becomes frustrating wondering why he can't just love her (until we gain this explanation).

The third part our villains get more dangerous and a lot of people are harmed. Shen Li makes a huge sacrifice (and why, why doesn't Xing Zhi go with her? that was super unclear to me. Because she didn't ask for his help? Because he wanted to separate himself from her problems? why??).

The last part is Xing Zhi's journey, and there are some real tear jerkers here. Him going to the ocean to try to find her, when he does find her, and then helping her to heal got me to mist up.

While I am glad they gave me a HEA, the end seemed shoe-horned on. And the last episode with Jin was completely out of the ballpark in terms of tone. In the end, it just lacks the emotional resonance that I found in Dream within a Dream, and The Double.

Plot confusion: I really think the hall of ancestors of the gods was way underutilized in the worldbuilding. They gave Shen Li certain memories of Xing Zhi so they had some sentient awareness. At the end they seemed to thank Xing Zhi for his actions or at least send him off with respect. It was my thought that since Xing Zhi was born without a known purpose, his actual purpose was to act outside the Natural Law and bring down a system that prevented free will.

Romance: this is going to be a slow burn, mature lovers, with only a few steamy scenes. Most of the relationship is going to be banter and looks (his are far more guarded). This might not be satisfying to some viewers but I was fine with it.

Music: excellent.

Sets: Probably my favorite was the Sky Above with the white circle and marble/brush line throughout. The Immortals was the most boring (as were the Immortals themselves LOL).

Costumes/Jewelry: Loved the costumes, especially the military uniforms of the demon squad. Shen Li had some jewelry I really loved. The turquoise necklace paired with the gold chain; and the dark blue stone that were earrings and a necklace of three pieces edged in gold. Very pretty.

Underutilized roles: the goddess You La- really glad she was showed up to help Shen Li break out (and I also liked her eye makeup during this scene). General Shang Bei who wanted to hear all the gossip. Would have loved to seen him more.

Villains: they bored me. The situation with Mofang went on way too long. Just kill him already. PLEASE!

Overall it was a good watch and kept me wondering what would happen at the end.

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Hilarious farce with ridiculous scenarios

This is like a French Farce x Shakespeare x A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum drama with crossdressing, silly misunderstandings, and mistaken identities throughout. If you take this as a complete fantasy where people will be shoved into closets, be mistaken for dead and put into a coffin, and where the best assassin in the world falls for a princess who likes a bit of torture, you'll love the ride.

I enjoyed 99.9% of it and it would be a strong rewatch for me. The show keeps a strong pace throughout, with an ensemble cast that really make each episode hilarious.

I've never seen a C-drama that had so many guys stripped down to their waist! LOL The main lead spends a LOT of time in his bathtub which isn't a bad view at all from my viewpoint. Although there are a few pursed lip kisses, the kissing scenes get better as the FL and ML spend more time together. The romance is between equals and there are some playful moments with the woman being in charge which the hero seems to be more than fine with.

The FL (Zhang Yue Nan) had a way of changing the intensity of her gaze when she was in lord-mode that was really good. Some of her standout scenes for me was when she regained her memory and sits on ML's throne telling him who she really is; when she is standing next to the ML and counsels him when the prospective bride shows up (a great moment showing the FL's game level); when she kills the first villain (bow-and-arrow scene); and multiple scenes of her working with the trio of Muxi spies who she calls father and brother.

It can be hard to pair a good male lead with a strong female character, but the ML in this show does an excellent job. I liked that he had a touch of vanity paired with his arrogance and none of the cold cruelty. The dialogue teasing between the two of them was easy to enjoy, and you could see them being not only lovers but good friends.

The story itself doesn't surprise but it's all played for laughs. There is some bathroom-potty humor which I usually dislike but this time it made me laugh as it was so ridiculous. A slight touch of noble idiocy at the end which gets quickly resolved.

What I didn't like: at the end there is a notice that "no animals were harmed" but let's face it - the villain picked up a rabbit by its ears (!) and a rat by its back (!). I honestly don't see how these scenes could have been filmed without some rough handling. Well, at least I didn't have to watch horses going down with a trip wire.

I also didn't like the ? mark ending with the implication that the villain would rise again, but that can be easily ignored.

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Smart vertical drama w outstanding M/F leads

Wow! Loved this transmigration novel (into a game-like setting of a real world) which upends some tropes, with witty repartee between the leads, and an interesting world. The Female and Male lead actors are highly skilled so this makes this drama a cut above most verticals. The intriguing storyline and world concept, as well as the acting, makes the overall quality high, almost as good as a regular drama.

FL has a mission to make 2nd ML fall in love with her. After repeated mission attempts lead to failure (the 5th one resulting in her unaliving herself) she requests a change in the target. The new target though is having none of her nonsense! This results in several funny encounters where she tries all the drama tropes (FL "I was drugged! Help me!" ML "That isn't real" LOL). The teasing and much of the dialogue is very clever and enjoyable, unlike many verticals which seem to work from the same script (evil mom, evil stepsister, disengaged dad, CEO BF who is disguising his wealth).

This is a drama you need to let unfold. You can't rush it so just enjoy the M/F leads as they dance around, getting to know each other and become a couple (at the very end of the show). The ending (happy) is very sweet and makes you misty-eyed.

All the background and explanations are not told until the last couple of episodes which I think has lead to some being confused and abandoning the drama. So I marked this as a mild spoiler on how the world works.

From my understanding there is some entity (unknown) which reaches out to select people and lets them become strategists/players. These people are given a mission, and once completed will get a wish granted by the entity. While conducting the mission, if they die, they can reset, and return with a new identity. The regular people will not recognize them (think face blindness).

Our heroine wants to return to high school on a day that her mother was hit by a car (not killed, but severely injured, which puts her life into a downward spiral).

If you are willing to be drawn in to a more mature drama in both acting and plot, give this one a try!

I found it on IQ but only through the app (look at the tab for vertical shorts). If you try to find it via your TV it doesn't show up on search.

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Boring soap opera with unlikeable characters

After seeing a recommendation here, thought I'd give this a try. One word: Boring. Predictable. Lacking. This is a snoozefest and probably one of the reasons the government has said no more stories over 40 eps! LOL I just don't see the magic that everyone else does.

Unlikeable characters. Who am I to root for? I was like 10 episodes in and the female hero was still a blank. Dad? Scummy. Main wife? Temper tantrums every day. Concubine? Crybaby manipulator. And the men? They all seemed the same to me and blurred into one anon face.

Acting: it was okay. I mean they worked with what the writer gave them which was boring and predictable so they gave it as good as they could.

Tropes: plenty and none of them are presented in a playful way that might be a wink to the audience. Let's check them off: scheming concubine, main wife with no power, scummy daddy who thinks with what is in his pants (and unfortunately does not die - I went and watched the last ep hoping for it), sister rivalry, scheming servants, Cinderella heroine, etc... There were zero surprises and it was very predictable so why watch 70 episodes of this?

Time skip: from childhood to teendom - the FL's bang tragedy keeps you staring and not in a good way. Since they naturally changed actors it would have been helpful to have the subtitles remind us who these people were. The concubine's face in the teen part didn't seem like the same actress (but it was?).

Male actors: all seem a bit old to be playing the young 20 somethings. Just another oddity next to the young girls that was jarring.

Music: there are some weird upbeats in the music which happens right after a tragedy (i.e. death of FL's mother) that are unsettling. Otherwise nothing of interest here.

Sets: uninspiring. A LOT of brown was used everywhere. It's drab. Lots of drab.

Costumes: I detested them all.

Others say the story changes beats about halfway through but I just couldn't force myself to watch this any longer.

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