Sunbath12

If I were more of a stickler for historical facts in my dramas, I probably would have rated this much lower as this drama takes quite a bit of artistic license with historical figures of the Ming dynasty. As a drama of itself, I found it quite entertaining and moving in parts with a terrific, experienced cast and overall great production values.

The first 2/3 of this drama is pretty near perfect for me - the story and character arcs make sense. The last 1/3 (after Zhu Zhanji dies) is a bit of a mess - I've nearly blocked out all of it in rating this drama. The ending nearly obliterates the journey Zhu Zhanji and Sun Ruowei take together, and the head-scratching ending with the background music out of nowhere just seems like a weird fan MV to me.

In my mind, this could have been split into 2 dramas and would have worked better for each story being told (the first part being Ruowei and Zhanji's story and second being Ruowei and her son's story). In any case, if you are a fan of historical dramas, this is worth checking out (at least the first 2/3).

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The power of love

My fondness for the Ancient Love Poetry universe led me to this drama. While it is far from the worst Chinese drama that I have watched, it is the weakest of the 3 dramas (so far) set in this world in my opinion. The incredible world building and themes established in the original Ancient Love Poetry drama are not developed here in a deeper way. Characters are mostly archetypal sketches, and the full length of 40 episodes somehow works against the storytelling, making it feel a bit overstretched by the end.

Still, there are moments here and there to be enjoyed. Personal highlights include when Bai Shuo's Dad sacrifices himself in the beginning, Tian Huo's story, and Bai Xi/Fu Ling's story. The drama's take on the timeless theme that love is the most powerful and enduring force in the universe still brings out a sense of hope and sincerity by the end of the story. But maybe it's my age speaking; having been around for a while, it will take something more than this type of drama to truly captivate me for 40 episodes.

If you are a fan of ALP or The Last Immortal or a fan of any of the cast (who do their best with what they have to work with), it is still worth checking out. If anything, it will be worth it to have playing Sa Ding Ding's OST over and over in your head - it's an incredibly catchy song and tune.

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Uplifting legal drama with so much heart

I found this little gem while scrolling through Netflix. It's a heartwarming tale of two unlikely partners who find the courage to fight for the "weaker" ones in society and for what they want in life.

Ishida Shoko is a paralegal who works at her father's small law firm. Though a graduate from a prominent university, she has failed to bass the bar exam multiple times. Haneoka Yoshio, on the other hand, passes the bar easily due to his photographic memory despite finishing only high school. The two find themselves immediately at odds with each other when Haneoka is hired to join the firm. Through the course of the 10 episodes, they learn how to support one another and overcome their respective traumas and inner struggles.

There are plenty of darker, serious-toned dramas involving the legal process. This is not one of them. If you need something to lift you up and give you hope again in humanity, this is a nice, short one to enjoy. The cases are easy to follow and are interwoven with the characters' own stories as they progress throughout the drama. Arimura Kasumi and Nakamura Tomoya have excellent onscreen chemistry as our leads - it is almost a shame the drama did not make most of that and push their relationship together further. Shoko's fledgling romantic storyline with our second male lead, Oba Ao, really does not go anywhere. Akaso Eiji does a fine job in his role, but I just did not buy Oba's relationship with Ishida.

In my perfect world, there would be a special or second season to see our legal duo continue their bickering, common folk-helping ways. Alas, I will most likely have to settle for what we have here and rewatch their scenes together whenever I need a pick-me-up. Their quiet moments together are pure gold. Arimura and Nakamura seamlessly move between comedy and drama and ultimately move our hearts.

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Destined to disappoint

The biggest problem with this drama is that there isn't enough story and development of characters to sustain 40 long, meandering episodes. If condensed and streamlined, it could have been a pretty straightforward xianxia story about two star-crossed lovers who try to go against their destiny to save the world and each other. The highlights of the story are when Mo Xiao first meets Wu Chen (a naive, amnesiac version of Feng Lixue, her true persona) and when Mo Xiao struggles with his true identity. Everything else is either too rushed and glossed over (the opening arc in Heaven) or unnecessarily drawn out (the Suyu mountain arc).

In any case, it was still enjoyable to see Tong Mengshi as the male lead, although his character is made too be too weepy for my taste. And Han Dong is consistently Han Dong, bringing yet another villain/antagonist to life, albeit at some moments a bit too outlandish. The opening song is catchy, and the ending at least brings everything together satisfactorily, although I wish there was more of a bookend in addressing the Heavenly people horrible treatment of Bai Yan, Ni Huang and also Chong Guang (before he became Chong Guang).

This will probably be one of the more forgettable xianxia dramas out there, but if you need your xianxia fix or if you just want something to casually watch while eating or cleaning your house, this would be an option.

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Twists and turns

Buckle up, this is a wild ride through a crazy family's shady dealings, orchestrated by the female lead's father, the sniveling and conniving Zhuang Shiyang. He decision to murder his father in order to save his own skin sets off a huge ripple down to the next generation, entangling his wife, concubine, their children and his in-laws into a messy web of over-the-top plot twists, which require a certain amount of suspension of disbelief but in their own macabre way deliver some amount of shock entertainment.

At the center of this melodrama is female lead Zhuang Shiyang and male lead Fu Yunxi, who happens to begin this tale as her brother-in-law. Theirs is not an easy romance - even as they join hands in search of justice (or is it revenge?), there is a seemingly endless back and forth between them that may leave some romance lovers out there unsatisfied or frustrated. I enjoyed the tension between them, but some more emoting from actor Xin Yunlai would have sold the romance better.

Hoping to see Chen Duling in more complex female lead roles - she's perfectly cast in this as the shrewd, seemingly cold Hanyan. The rest of the supporting cast do their best with the extreme script (some will love Yu En Tai as the Daddy Zhuang, some will hate the crazy eyes haha), but it's the little girl as Fu Lingzhi who steals the show for me.

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A Tale of Two Families

Somewhere inside this melodrama is an excellent story about two people who have trouble communicating with each other and their journey to overcome all and finally open up to each other honestly. The use of the phone calls, sign language and other motifs help to tell this story in a creative away.

What is more difficult to achieve in this drama, and where I feel things fall apart a bit especially towards the end, are the more classic drama storylines involving two powerful families with dark secrets and the triller/kidnapper psychotic son. The story simultaneously feels over-bloated and too simplistic - something about the story just does not work by episode 12. However, this is primarily a romance tale, and the superb performances of the cast, particularly Yoo Yeon Seok and Chae Soo Bin as the leads carries the drama to a solid ending.

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The strength of many

This show is a delightful surprise in an overall lackluster year for Chinese dramas. Much more than an idol romance fantasy drama, this one invites you on a journey to re-examine what true love is - romantic love, familial love, friendship, and even a healthy love of oneself.

Ling Miao Miao is our 21st century heroine who enjoys reading novels written by a certain Fu Zhou. She somehow ends up in the world of one of his novels and is tasked with various missions in order to return to the real world. As the story progresses, we learn about the various characters in the novel and particularly about the intense animosity between humans and demons (monsters) that pervades this world. This tension between races centers upon our male lead, Mu Sheng, who happens to be half demon and half human.

Love blooms between the two, but the story is not entirely focused on their romance. We also have our secondary leads, Mu Yao (Mu Sheng’s sister, though not by blood) and Liu Fu Yi, who have meaningful arcs to their characters as well. The fine line between love and hate, devotion and obsession, are explored throughout the show - and it is ultimately selfless, sacrificing love that saves the day.

If there is anything to nitpick, it would be that the female lead never really changes from the beginning to the end, making her story far less compelling than that of the male lead and even the secondary leads. Fortunately, the story is full of rich supporting characters and themes, making this far less a lead-centric tale and more of an ensemble piece, which, when considering the stirring climax where the entire world comes together to save itself, is a fitting characteristic of the show.

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The future is a long past

Having not read the novel, I had no idea what I was in for in this first installment of the Joy of Life series. And honestly, it took me about 12 episodes before I really settled into the drama. The anachronistic elements and humor were not landing for me yet, and Fan Xian's love-at-first-sight for Lin Wan'er was not at all interesting. Once his friend Teng Zijing is killed, the drama finally finds its footing and a better balance between its heavy drama and lighter moments. As Fan Xian becomes mired in the cesspool of political and palace power struggles, the audience too is drawn in - and things do not let up until the very last shot of episode 46 when you are left with a most frustrating cliffhanger.

The characters are deliciously multi-dimensional, even as some ooze pure evil (Princess Royal Li Yunrui is a standout) as they endeavor to manipulate people and events to their own benefit. Even our determined male lead Fan Xian behind his confident exterior carries a lot of pain and loneliness. My favorite scenes are those where we get a glimpse of his true inner state - the quieter moments (such as Xiao En's final moments, the last scene with Zhuang Mohan, and just chatting in Haitang Duoduo's garden).

Without getting too much into things, this story is apparently a period drama, but it is actually set in the very distant future (I know, is this story sci-fi? Historical? Have to wait and see in season 2 if this gets explained further). As such, it makes the story all the more poignant. Many years from now, what will mankind have to show for itself? Have we been able to overcome our greed, hatred and distrust of others? When will we stop hurting or killing each other? Can centuries of literature, poetry and history truly make us better? These are timeless questions, all the more pertinent in today's conflict-ridden world. I think this story, which has yet to finish, will ultimately take an optimistic stance because we all want to believe in Fan Xian - the seemingly powerless one who can stand up and continue in the endless fight for good.

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Something is rotten in the state of Liang

Nirvana in Fire 1 is a masterfully paced tale of revenge and a fight for the throne in a quest for truth and justice. Its story is mostly linear and thus builds satisfyingly to its climax near the end with a fittingly bittersweet denouement. NIF 2 is a different kind of story. More complex in its character construction and narrative, the second installment gets off to a slower start and because of its story structure, may encounter some bumps along the way for some viewers.

There are essentially 2 major parts to this story, the first part ending with Xiao Pingzhang's death, and the second culminating in Xiao Yuanqi's revolt. As such, although you may consider Xiao Pingjing to be the main character, he has to share screen time with his brother in the first part of the story. At other points in the story, he is either in a coma or hanging out on Langya Mountain, while the plot is moved along by some of the supporting cast. What is more, he comes off as somewhat of a callow youth in the beginning of the drama, although he is very intelligent and quick on his toes.

Once viewed as a whole, however, NIF 2 becomes an epic tale of the frailty and courage of human nature - a timeless tale reminding us that as much as we aspire to be our better selves, we may just as easily fall prey to our vices. There is always a sense of unease when watching this, whether it is watching the creepily Rasputin-like Puyang Ying achieve his devious goals or the pitiful Yuanqi fall further and further to his inevitable defeat. We see the bonds of brotherhood and family tested as the balance of power between the Imperial court and the military hangs forever in a delicate balance. Pingjing's coming-of-age story is interwoven throughout, and I found myself very much moved as he struggles to deal with the deaths of his brother and father and his identity as the son of the Old Prince of Chang Lin.

The older cast definitely elevate this drama with their performances, but the younger cast do a fine job in their roles. The grounded production and stirring music round out this excellent drama worth watching and re-watching.

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Forest of secrets indeed

This show got me back into K dramas after a long hiatus after college. I was tired of watching the usual romcoms and found this one a refreshing departure from what I had been used to seeing. From the outset, the story seems to be a straightforward murder mystery, but as you keep watching, you realize soon that the web being spun if far more complicated. I found myself delightfully second guessing characters and trying to figure out who everything was connected right up until the thrilling climax.

The talented cast give as a whole grounded and nuanced performances, fittingly restrained (for the most part) for the darker tone of the series overall. But it's not a downer of a story; throughout the whole drama, you can't help but root for Hwang Si-Mok, as he charges ahead in search of the truth.

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Not enough steam to last until the end

This drama starts off in a powerful way but by the middle of the 16 episodes, there is not enough meat to the story to sustain it until the end. The female lead's "revenge" story has nowhere to go because the audience already knows that the king is not the true villain of the story. Perhaps more importantly, the character lacks any real personality to make her scenes compelling to watch, much less make her romance with the delightfully complex male lead at all convincing.

The king (male lead), on the other hand, has a true story to tell in this drama. His journey from Grand Prince to exile in Qing and back to Joseon and ultimately the throne is thrilling, and Jo Jung-suk plays him with so much pathos and intensity. The show could have ultimately benefited from minimizing the romance and female lead's role and focused on the king with a shorter number of episodes. Alternatively, a more interesting romance or more complex political storyline could have justified the full 16 episodes.

I was hoping for more from this beautifully produced show, hoping for a really satisfying, dramatic sageuk. There are some really great moments throughout, but by the end, I was fast-forwarding more than actually watching. I feel as though an 8 is really generous from me - but some of the performances (including the younger child actors) are really terrific and lift up the show. Something to check out for those who love period/historical dramas, but it is no masterpiece.

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