Missing, Longing, Yearning
This is a beautiful if tragic tale of the loss of innocence, betrayal and the eternal yearning for something to remind us we are alive, human and deserving of love. All the typical ingredients for a lavish sageuk poignantly performed by a terrific cast and a killer OST make this a standout Korean drama for this year. Definitely worth a watch for any lovers of period dramas, although it carries a heavy tone and more violence than most Korean dramas out there as a word of caution.Was this review helpful to you?
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Justice and Power
After witnessing the brutal massacre of his family and loved ones, Zhinu, the son of Kuai Duo, the Imperial Astronomer, embarks on a harrowing journey of seeking vengeance. Rescued by a mysterious masked benefactor and taken under the wing of some peculiar masters, he is trained in the art of strategy and deception and becomes Zang Hai. As he fatefully sets foot inside the Capital, he discovers the true price of vengeance. Will he escape the entangled web of spies and agents seeking power and a means to silence him forever?Legend of Zang Hai is led admirably by Xiao Zhan, who puts forth one of his best performances to date as the vengeance-driven but conflicted Zang Hai, who deep inside bears an earnest heart and yearns for something genuine despite his years of learning to live a lie. He is surrounded by friend and foe alike, brought vividly to life by a large ensemble cast. Huang Jue as the Marquis is particularly noteworthy - the villain you can't help but want to watch more of. Liang Chao as master Gao Ming makes a poignant mark on the audience, particularly in his final moments. And Zhang Jingyi as the feisty princess of Dongxia gives another lovely understated performance, of which a highlight is a romantic boat scene with Zang Hai.
While Zang Hai's revenge story is complete, the world presented here is intriguing enough for another season or another drama exploring more regarding its more mystical and fantastical elements. But its realistic approach - the depiction of imperial government and its corruption and the very real complicated humans who make up such government - is what makes this drama really shine for me. Hoping for more dramas like this one who take the time to flesh out dimensional characters and probe deeper into questions about human nature, justice and the illusion of power.
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Love and revenge
This is a very watchable short drama with a very straightforward story but done well with its limited budget. A satisfying revenge story with characters you can care about coupled with a romance that is done quite tastefully and actually has some palpable chemistry - these are elements that even standard-length period Chinese dramas often fail to achieve.Cristy Guo gives a solid performance as the complex Mo Qingchuan, and Zhou Zhan is perfectly cast as the younger Xia Qiguang, who makes a great counterbalance to Qingchuan's character with his earnestness and unyielding faith in a just, brighter world.
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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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A muddled missed opportunity
My, where to begin?With better direction, this drama probably could have been more watchable - there appears to be at times a certain lack of attention made to guiding the performances and to creating a sense of a cohesive work of art.
But the real problem lies with the script. It tries to combine various elements that are common in idol period dramas these days but not always with good storytelling results. As a rebirth drama, not enough time is spent on establishing the "previous life" upfront. One spends most of the drama simply not understanding Jiang Si's relationship to Yu Jin or why we should care about Nanwu. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the drama's first half - when the story focuses on the domestic struggles of our female lead. Seeing her save her father, brother and sister from the previous fates was somewhat satisfying and had some emotional weight. But by the second half, as the semi-political plot takes hold, everything is a bit of a mess. The villainous mother-daughter duo of Grand Princess and her whiny Mingyue simply are not well-developed enough to carry my attention, and the rebellion plot was wildly unrealistic.
As a romance story, this too could have worked for me better with a director experienced enough in helping the actors to shape their performances for the better. Jing Tian and Zhang Wanyi are both capable of delivering far more layered and convincing performances, so it is truly baffling and frustrating to me what happened in this show. With so many other period dramas out there, I would probably skip this one unless one is an uber fan of any of the cast.
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There is a running theme about putting on a show in this drama, and for much of the first half, it is certainly an entertaining one. Xue Fangfei is cruelly betrayed by her husband Shen Yurong, who buries her alive at the behest of psychotic Princess Wanning. From there, we follow Fangfei as she is rescued by the noble Jiang Li, who faces an unjust, untimely death and whose identity Fangfei assumes on her quest for revenge for the both of them. Along the way, she crosses paths with the powerful and intimidating Xiao Heng, who is on his own mission to clear the imperial court of corrupt officials and to seek justice for his father's wrongful death.This drama has a lot of similar beats and characteristics as The Story of Kunning Palace, and had I watched this one first, I may have rated it higher. Unfortunately, it is too much of the same thing and nothing much profound is developed. Expect a lot of juicy plot and not much on the side of multi-dimensional characters or logical world building. The problem for me with these types of dramas is that without spending the time to build a story, themes and characters, the end product tends to fall flat at the climax because it is ultimately "just a show" without much substance. For example, the final conflict with Prince Cheng feels unearned. More build up with his character and his collusion with the other antagonists (Shen Yurong and Wanning had so much more potential for something truly interesting) may have helped to make that storyline work.
At the end of the day, it was still an entertaining watch, especially if you are in the need to see the good guys win and trounce all the evil guys and gals out there.
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If you like modern workplace dramas with strong female characters, this is worth checking out.
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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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A great rebirth drama
Lacking time to write a full length review, I will just simply say that this one is worth watching for any fans of Chinese period dramas. It’s an idol drama to be sure, but it maintains all the beats and elements that have made any excellent C period drama of yore stand out in the sea of period dramas from any country.Rebirth dramas have been popular lately, and I think this one balances that fantasy aspect with realism quite well. It’s grounded in Ming dynasty aesthetics and politics, which helps that side of the story work much better than say that of The Story of Kunning Palace. The romance side is done quite organically, with the tremendous help from a director with solid vision to tell that story with palpable tension and believability. My only small gripe is that the character of Song Han just didn’t work for me - he seemed to me an unnecessary villain in a story already complex enough with various antagonists.
Ultimately, gripe aside, of all the Chinese romance period dramas to pick from this year, this one reigns supreme for me.
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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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I've loved you for both lifetimes
This is a great romance drama - and it's been a while since I've watched a Japanese one in this genre that was so satisfying in terms of writing and chemistry. I have not yet watched the Korean original, but this one is an enjoyable watch from beginning to end, with a love story that has poignant moments and good old palpable romantic chemistry between the leads. The rebirth and psycho thriller elements involving the antagonists are well-incorporated into the story - just don't expect anything super extraordinary there in terms of writing. At least there is an attempt to make the villains more dimensional than most idol dramas. Definitely on the of the best for me this year in terms of Asian dramas.Was this review helpful to you?
The strength of women
One story split into two parts, this second half that follows Flourished Peony suffers somewhat from contradictory draggy parts and underdeveloped plot lines for an overall uneven effect. The production quality and performances are the same as the first part, but the defects in the story writing become more apparent here. The drama is blend of a serious historical drama with more idol drama elements, and while it may work for some seeking a story about women empowerment, the sometimes lack of realism made it hard for me to fully enter into the drama. Mudan is simply too capable and strong to believe, and blending her story with Jiang Chanyang's more political story elements is a bit awkward at the end, becoming a bit preachy and sentimental.However, Yang Zi, Li Xian and the rest of the cast put up some great performances throughout, making it worthwhile to finish this story. It is in the more domestic, intimate scenes between characters that this drama really shines. The costumes and sets are lush, and a pretty solid soundtrack accompanies in the background.
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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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