This review may contain spoilers
Can we have more queer coding and less toxic men plz?
The Story of Kunning Palace has a fantastic premise. It starts where most historical Cdramas end: a despotic empress dies after losing a coup d'état. But lo and behold! She suddenly wakes up, reincarnated in the same life but as an 18 year old again, with a chance to set things right.For fellow fans of the latest isekai craze that has hit the anime scene, this plot may sound familiar. But unlike the comedic anime takes that places anime FLs in otome games, Kunning Palace takes itself far more seriously. Our FL is determined to do the right things by the people she wronged the first time round and does not mind using some underhand methods to do so. Along the way she (once again) meets the ML who, similarly, has good intentions and subscribes to an ends-justify-the means approach. A perfect match, right? So I thought initially.
Frankly, I quickly lost interest in the political intrigue of this drama and stayed around for the romance. Unfortunately, a gross error on my part. What the drama tries to construe as romance – I can only assume this from the sappy romantic soundtrack – is actually just the ML sexually assaulting the FL. Sorry to be blunt, but that's what it is.
This sexual violence would not have been an issue if the drama treated it as such. But with both the soundtrack and with the ML lead 'winning' the FL in the end, what the drama does instead is normalise violence in a romantic/sexual relationship. Ultimately, this ruined what I liked about the drama – two deeply flawed characters finding each other as soulmates.
Given this situation, I would have loved to see more romantic development with the FL and other characters. Obviously being a Chinese production, there's only so much you can do given censorship (especially recent crackdowns), but there was already clear queer coding happening between Jian Xue Ning and the Princess and You Fang Yin respectively. Perhaps this can be my pitch for a Kunning Palace baihe spin-off :)
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Mission Impossible with Chinese Characteristics
Small-time official Li Shan De must fulfil a deadly mission: transport fresh lychees from Lingnan to Chang'an. Deadly, because this is the emperor's order and should he fail - which looks likely - the consequence is almost certain death for him and his family.But old mate Li Shan De is a math guy. He is determined to see this mission through as far as he can and puts his skills, and newly found friends, to the test.
The Lychee Road follows a typical Mission Impossible template, both in terms of characters and plot. This does limit the film's scope because it plays it safe the entire time. However, it does execute the template and its clichés rather well, making it a fun and satisfying watch once you've resigned yourself to the film's genre conventions. The emotional pull is on the weaker side, but comedic moments help lift the whole thing.
Try watch this on the big screen if you can. There's some great colour grading and well composed landscape shots that benefit from a large screen.
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Let middle aged women shine !!
I won’t go into the flaws of this drama that others have already pointed out - such as the implausibility of the FL’s character, the monotonous acting, or the distracted screenwriting style.Instead, I’m interested in The Glory's double edged sword: its treatment of female relationships.
The drama’s strength is, without a doubt, Haiyan’s relationship with her mother: the beautifully cast Wen Zheng Rong. The mother/daughter connection is first presented as a deep emotional knot waiting to be untied over thirty episodes. From her first frames in episode one, Wen Zheng Rong is the strongest presence on screen (with kudos to the costume and makeup department who went above and beyond the brief). Mother figures in historical C-dramas are often depicted as either wicked and cunning or self-sacrificing, willing to do anything to protect their offspring. At first, thanks to some intricate unknotting in the relationship between mother and daughter, it looked like The Glory might break from convention. Unfortunately (without going into spoilers), it was not to be.
The other strength of the drama - albeit a fleeting one - is the subtextual GL relationship between Hanyan and Chai Jing. I was really hoping that I could live in my self-deluded fantasy where they could pursue their unspoken romance while the ML/FL relationship took its lavender-scented course. Alas, my fantasy crashed out a lot earlier than I was expecting.
Which brings me to the flip side of the coin. Surprisingly, I don’t think the ML is the drama’s weakness. The FL/ML relationship is, for the most part, one of mutually beneficial transaction. The ML has red flags, but no more than the FL does. And he’s not the one who destroys the aforementioned relationships between Hanyan and the two key women in her life. The writers are the guilty party.
[Admittedly there is a tiny spoiler in the paragraph below]
The writers find pretexts to remove the FL from her two close relationships with women, leaving her isolated. Unlike the FL in Story of Pearl Girl, for example, the FL in The Glory has no commercial traits that would provide her with financial independence. And thus the historical setting matched with the plot-driven isolation means she turns to the ML as a source of material support (because it’s hard to pursue revenge without food in your belly and a roof over your head). The ML therefore doesn’t need to rely on coercive methods - such as the blackmail marriage trope - because the broader plot effectively does it for him.
When the FL goes on her spree of neoliberal feminist campaigning in middle episodes, it comes across flat and hollow. By this point in the series, the writers have forbidden her from developing deep women/women relationships (romantic or platonic) and unlike other dramas of this genre, she doesn’t even have a close relationship with her maidservants.
Honestly, I could’ve given this a lower star rating. Fortunately, the show is somewhat redeemed thanks to He Hong Shan - who is a delight, as always - and Wen Zheng Rong (100000%). If nothing else, watch it for her. She steals the show.
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Wants to be a sex scene
Let's be real, the writers totally would've included one in the original series if they could have. As I said in my review of The Double, the FL and ML are horny AF and certainly continue to be in this 6 minute special ep.However, I found the sex appeal of these two in the original series to come from their switching. For most of the series they followed a traditional masc/femme, dom/sub dynamic – and it was the moments where they swapped roles when the sexual tension became pure electric.
Except for a rare glimpse of a fan in Xue Fangfei's hands, this short does not deliver the same power/sexual dynamic. Not only is the scene a picture of bland domestic bliss, it's also a consolidation of the Good Governance narrative from the original series.
As I mentioned in my review of the The Double, the political plotline hinged on the main characters supporting the 'rightful' emperor. As this 6 min epilogue asserts: the world is at peace. All the Baddies have been vanquished and the people (or at least the noble elites) can enjoy their lives. Nothing is rotten in the state of Denmark.
Anyway, this short was clearly meant to satisfy viewers who were invested in the romantic storylines of The Double. I'm afraid that wasn't me.
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My review of The Double: https://kisskh.at/profile/TheUnhinged/review/392435
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This review may contain spoilers
Like watching thumbscrews turn in real time
If you’re expecting a typical medical drama, you’ll be disappointed. If you’re expecting a typical romance drama, you’ll be disappointed. The Imperial Doctress is a tragedy. Through and through.This is my second time watching this drama. I don’t remember it being this dark the first time round. But that’s likely because I was a teenager when I watched this ten years ago. I didn’t even know the term ‘coercive control’ – let alone recognise its signs – which may explain why my experience watching Imperial Doctress this time round felt a lot different.
**The selling point of Imperial Doctress***
What I think Imperial Doctress executes beautifully – excruciatingly – is the No Win condition of misogyny. The FL, Yunxian, is perpetually surrounded by men who, in one way or another, want to control her and own her.
When I first watched the drama as a naive teen, I remember being super frustrated whenever Yunxian would seemingly freeze up instead of speaking up for herself or trying to explain her actions. Now, as an old and wise 20-something year old, I see this response in an entirely different light. It depicts how she is constantly between a rock and a hard place. No matter what she says or does, a man will condemn her for it. Find it a way to make it her fault. Blame her for all woes. She seizes up because she never knows what to do without digging an even deeper grave.
I went from seeing this drama as a messed up, confused romance during my first watch, to seeing this as a tragedy that follows the spiral downwards of a woman who simply wants to pursue her medical passions but is torn down every step of the way.
**Qiyu as the embodiment of coercive control**
Look, I would love to know what the intentions of the writers and creators were. What Qiyu – Yunxian’s love interest – demonstrates from start to finish is coercive control. As a teen, I didn’t clock onto how much of a dickhead he was until he become emperor. But with this second watch, it’s evident practically from the get-go that this mf is an absolute menace to Yunxian.
He promises the world. But as soon as he has Yunxian in his palm, he goes back on his word. Not only this, but every-single-time, finds a way to victim blame Yunxian and gaslight her (and I’m talking about BEFORE he becomes emperor). Unlike Qizhen who at least starts to mature and learn the error of his ways, Qiyu is Yunxian’s thumbscrew until the very end.
Qiyu’s character is clearly put into Bad Guy territory, but it’s not clear *to what extent* the writers actually want the audience to condemn his actions. There are multiple scenes (and this applies to scenes between Yunxian and Ye Xian as well) that are NOT AT ALL romantic – and more often than not depict elements of abuse (including coercive control) – but have romantic music playing in the background. Would LOVE the creators to come forward and explain their thinking.
**Ye Xian as the Northern stereotype**
The character of Ye Xian is a tricky one to analyse. Yes, he too goes to immense lengths to try and control Yunxian and make her his possession. He attempts rape. However, I think he needs to be viewed through a different lens than Qizhen and Qiyu because he’s treated through the Cdrama as the ‘northern foreigner’.
On the one hand, Ye Xian is yet another facet of patriarchal control in the plot. On the other hand, the writers have trapped him into a cardboard trope where, I’m tempted to argue, raping the Han FL is part of the convention. To me, it felt like there was a trend in 2010s historical costume Cdramas of this ‘northern foreigner’ character appearing as the uncouth northern barbarian, sprinkled with a bit of ‘noble savage’ characterisation. The Rise of Phoenixes, Rebel Princess, and Legend of Huolan featured such characters. Their mistreatment of women was portrayed as a cultural inevitability.*
This is not to dismiss the misogyny of his character, but rather recognise that his characterisation is complicated due to this othering.
It’s also interesting that his character seems to be more attuned to gender oppression than the Han MLs. He explicitly states the sexist double whammy Yunxian is caught in: either accept his marriage proposal or go back to Da Ming to face the scorn and derision of having her reputation sullied. But at the same time that he recognises the reality of her impossible situation, he also doesn’t seem to understand why there are practical reasons for her to reject his proposal. She knows (subtextually) that while he can proclaim to love and protect her, that this is entirely subjective to changing feelings and is no long-term guarantee of safety. This is deja vu of what she has already experienced with Qiyu’s own unreliability.
On a tangential note, this is why I actually have a lot of time for Princess Wanning in The Double. She is married off to [insert cardboard northern character] royalty. Eventually, she is able to return home after this marriage, only to face a royal court that sees her as used goods, but feels so uncomfortable about it, that they don’t even dare say it aloud.
**The tragedy form**
I think the main reason behind why a lot of other reviewers are unhappy with Imperial Doctress is because they tried to watch the drama as a romance or medical drama rather than a tragedy, and hence are disappointed with the second half.
Personally, I find the second half is when the tragedy really hits home. It follows the acceleration of Yunxian’s downward spiral as Qiyu intensifies his efforts of coercive control (and this becomes physical abuse too).
This drama has a lot more in common with a series like Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace, than dramas like Rebel Princess or Princess Weiyoung.
So, unlike others, I thought the ending was perfect. Obviously it wasn’t rainbow-and-uniorns happy, but nor was it morbid (like in Rise of the Phoenixes or The King’s Woman). For me, it was a well-balanced bittersweet ending that suits the tragedy form.
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*Although Rise of Phoenixes’ Helian Zheng doesn’t fulfil this particular convention, he is indeed depicted as unsuitable for the FL. I’d argue that he suffers at the hands of the Han superiority complex, but that’s a can of worms for another day.
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Predictable storytelling with big heart
Bangkok Blossom is one of those dramas where you can sense the overall thrust of the plotline from the first episode. While a satisfying underdog fight-against-the-odds story, it's also a very predictable one. Consequently, I felt the pacing was often off kilter – especially when a lot of time was sunk into big reveals that we could easily see coming.This is my first lakorn so I'm not sure what the standard is, but I felt like the acting was all over the shop. I can at least understand why these types of dramas don't really prioritise subtle complexities in acting, but the face-value acting sometimes made the characters seem wooden and repetitive. However, I did really enjoy Goy's and Charlette's performances. They kept me going through the episodes, even when the pacing was lagging.
Nonetheless, I think what makes Bangkok Blossom stand out is its big heart. It really does the right thing by its audience and commits to the bit 110%. I actually appreciated that even the 'good' men were mediocre and useless, because not only did it feel realistic, it also meant the women shone all the more in contrast. So, even though it took me a while to struggle through episodes, I knew from the start I'd need to see it through to the end.
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Fool's gold
*sigh* this movie had potential. I'm pretty over the Sacrificial Young Maiden trope by now – especially after having watched Damsel (the big Hollywood production with Millie Bobby Brown) earlier in the year, and now the The Bride. It's such a tired cliché, so if you're going to do it, you better do it perfectly. The Bride does not.The story as a whole is a struggle. The mystery in the plotline isn't really a mystery. The twist in the middle is predictable. And the ending feels flat. Yet there were instances, particularly after the little plot twist, where I saw gleams of curious concepts at play.
For example, there were moments where the relationship between the protagonist and the spiritual world seemed interesting and complex. But each time it looked like there might be something more to unravel, the story immediately plateaued. And the moments were, well, merely moments.
The Bride does get brownie points for costume design. But otherwise, the VFX wavered between impressive and laughable, the acting was oftentimes wooden, and the narrative structure was erratic. This is one to torrent, don't pay to see this in the cinema like I did.
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Souls trapped in the human realm, unable to move on
As much as I hate to admit it, it was the movie adaption of John Green's The Fault in our Stars that taught me, "Funerals... are not for the dead. They are for the living."From watching the trailer, I thought this film would be presented in clashes of dichotomies: death vs life, tradition vs modernity, religion vs industry. And while all these themes do surface in the film, they don't do so as mutually exclusive dichotomies. Instead, the richness of The Last Dance comes from the intersections and overlap of these themes.
The story structure itself is neat. There are three parts and the narrative comes fulls circle, starting and ending with the Taoist funeral ritual of Breaking Hell's Gate. The cinematography of the ritual scenes alone could carry the film if needed. But the bulk of the film is what provides the emotional impact of these scenes.
The strength of this film is its messiness. And the messiness is found at the intersections. Tradition and modernity don't so much clash with one another as grasp out to one another, trying to find purchase, albeit sometimes in awkward or painful ways. This doesn't only play out in the funeral home between the male leads. The friction and fondness also happens within the family home as the characters try to figure out how religion features in their own identities and how it impacts their relationships with one another. There is also just enough wry humour – mostly from Dayo Wong's character – to provide breathing space (pun intended).
Unsurprisingly, there is a lot of death in this film. Despite the music being a tad heavy-handed at times, these are emotionally deep touch points. Each death progresses the narrative and also reveals some new aspect to the intersecting themes of the film.
To bring this review back to full circle, The Last Dance itself is for the living. Perhaps this is why we don't ever get to see any of the deceased characters on screen alive. The film is *about* the living because it is *for* the living. After all, no one gets to see their own funeral.
NB: "Souls trapped in the human realm / Unable to move on" are the translated lyrics of Terence Lam's song 普渡眾生 which plays during the credits.
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This review may contain spoilers
#HottiesForGoodGovernance
I love bad boys. I especially love bad boys with sharp wit, dressed in black, and adorned with a fan to show that fragile masculinity is a foreign concept to them.What I don't love is when a bad boy turns out to be not a bad boy at all.
Before I go any further, I'm setting PeachBlossomGoddess' review as pre-requisite reading because their review matches exactly my thoughts and feelings on The Double. The point on which I will extrapolate is why I think the drama ultimately undermines itself.
For me, The Double fails to follow through on what is a very powerful swing during the first half of the series. And this is for two reasons. The first, as PeachBlossomGoddess describes, is weak plot lines echoing those of other dramas of this genre.
The second reason, I argue, is the second half kills a boner. No, seriously, bear with me here. This drama is horny AF. In the first half, you have a FL and a ML equal in terms of looks and wit dancing around each other as they glide from suspicion to mutual trust to deep thirsting for one another.
The appeal of the ML derives partly from mystique. He has a sharp mind and, as explicitly stated, he is projecting himself in a similar direction to the FL. Although he doesn't ultimately give up his dom position, there's enough switching between the two to keep the power dynamic infused with sexual tension. At the initial stages of the drama, we don't know the ML's background nor his intentions. The fact he appears to be a bit of a lone wolf lends him an even sexier air; the idea that he isn't at someone else's beck and call.
Or is he?
It was a disappointment to find out that the ML, all this time, has been in cahoots with the emperor. I feel like you'd be disappointed too if you were crushing on a silver-tongued, hot and brooding colleague at work only to find out they're actually the boss' right-hand man. idk about you, but that gives me the ick.
Sorry but maintaining the status quo isn't sexy. I'm not saying everyone has to be a rebel or underdog in order to be attractive. However, if you're going for the Bad Boy Hottie approach, supporting the vanilla and (assumedly?) benevolent monarch kinda takes the edge off.
Honestly, this isn't an issue unique to The Double. It's probably safe to say that, to get government approval at all, the good governance narrative must endure in these historical C-dramas. As I've mentioned in other reviews, it's a common trope to have the FL and ML protect the emperor's power (or help the 'rightful' emperor ascend), even though at no point do we see proof that the emperor actually does anything beneficial for his people.
Which is why, by the end of the series, there's not much substance to the political plot. Oh goodie, #HottiesForGoodGovernance win again. I'm shocked. How grand, the ML and FL have mellowed and now have domestic bliss. Sly smiles and black coats be damned.
And y'know what? If it wasn't for Shen Yurong losing his cool right at the end, he could've been a great Bad Boy Hottie. Uxoricide aside, I'd personally love for a morally ambivalent (and conveniently good looking) scholar to come brood in my corner. Let's hang out, shall we? I know a great graveyard.
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Finishes what Princess Agents (2017) started
I watched this drama purely for the sake of the FL and ML who most of us know from Princess Agents (PA). I was disappointed by what I saw as an unresolved ending to PA and so was very excited when the Legend of Shen Li popped up on my radar. On that point, I feel like the drama's creators had an easy job on their hands. For me at least, it seemed they could rely on the romantic chemistry pre-existing between the two lead characters (even if it was non-canon) and therefore develop a love story quickly and... weirdly?? The Chicken x Human romance gave me Bee Movie (2007) energy... Take that how you will!In the end, I was incredibly satisfied with the romantic plotline. The rest of it, however, was pretty underwhelming. The side characters are poorly developed and the fantasy conflict elements are hodgepodge. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed it as an easy watch.
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Inspiring sports film? Nuh-uh, this is a political drama, baby
Did I know anything about sumo before watching Sanctuary? No. Was I even notionally interested in sumo beforehand? Not at all. Did I binge all six hours of this series in one go? Absolutely.Our protagonist, Oze, becomes a sumo wrestler so he can financially support his dad. He has no emotional investment in sumo nor respect for its traditions and thus is quickly marked as a troublemaker. But don't let the premise mislead you: the sport should not be taken at face value. The power politics of the wrestlers and the vested interests means this series has just as much intrigue as a political drama. It's also just incredibly deeply and darkly funny.
Combine complex power dynamics, high end production (those slow-mo shots are *chefs kiss*), impressive character development, and you find yourself deeply sucked into the rich world of Sanctuary. The episode length times put me off from watching this at an earlier date, but when I did finally hit play, ohhh boy. The plot raced me through all eight episodes in one day,
That said, I can't give a full 10/10. At one stage, the series does teeter dangerously close to cheesy sports movie territory. Despite opinions expressed in other reviews, I think the ending worked well and redeemed the series from its brief foray into inspo-porn.
So yes, I highly recommend giving this series a shot. The blurb doesn't do it justice. I'll end this with a note on Ichinose Wataru's stellar performance. I'd seen him in a support role in the film, The Village, and was disappointed that he didn't get more screen time – his talent seemed so much larger than his character. With Sanctuary, his acting skills are on full display and he's a wonder to watch. Brilliant work.
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Larger-than-life tragedy about... work health and safety?
Yuu, when we first meet him, is in a state of misery. He works at his village's mega waste facility as a garbage sorter by day and illegal waste dumper by night, coerced into the work due to his mother's gambling addiction. His life takes a turn for the better when his childhood friend, Misaki, moves back to the town. The two share a love of Noh: an important tradition in the village.From the start, the stakes are clear: environmental destruction, worker exposure to deadly hazards, and deep corruption among local authorities. In many respects, this film could have been a documentary. The tale it tells is one currently happening around the world.
But to avoid banality and hitting too close to home, the film's creators have opted for a larger-than-life tragedy approach to the story. The result is a high quality production with beautiful cinematography, especially the shots focussing on the Noh tradition of the village. Unfortunately, this comes at a cost to narrative cohesion, character development, and pacing.
The split focus of The Village means it ultimately fails to pack a punch. While it does have a strong tragedy element that explores the morally ambiguous nature of coerced labour, the supporting characters are just a little too underdeveloped to make it work. Maybe give this reel a sharp edit and try again.
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A perpetual coming of age
Honestly, I'm still not 100% sold on whether one can really call Ainu Mosir a coming-of-age film. It follows teen Kanto as they try to figure out their Ainu identity. Yet, I would argue, this has very little to do with the childhood-to-adult convention of usual coming-of-age stories. Or, perhaps, that the age distinction is simply irrelevant.Kanto is far from the only one in the Ainu village community who is struggling with their identity. Debo, for an adult example, struggles in his own way with his Ainu identity, He expresses his uncertainty even as he tries to impress on Kanto the importance of being Ainu. Arguably, Debo too is undergoing a coming-of-age process.
What this film does well is sit in discomfort. I agree with JennyStuckOnThatRooftop's review in that I believe this film refrains from "judging". However, I don't think it's offering social commentary per se. It's more observational in its style and while there is certainly deliberate framing at play, I wouldn't go as far to say that's it editorialising. Instead, it allows for messy nuances and seeming contradictions to unravel on screen.
Sure, it's a quiet film as far as dialogue is concerned. But I found it noisy viewing: you can clearly hear the characters' thoughts among the rainfall or the crunch of snow. No one seems to really know their place in the world but they exist regardless.
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Eehhhhh
Look, it's a cute idea. But I think if you want to watch a good crime/fairytale blend, you're better off watching Hoodwinked (2005).Once Upon a Crime is a whodunnit lazily mashed together with a Disney-esque Cinderella story (I'm referring the animated one, not the kickass Whitney Houston one). The characters have no depth, nor is the world-building overly creative. I don't mind a bit of oddball humour but it ended up being annoying.
It's a shame. I think if the creators had thought outside the box a bit, this could've been decent. I got bored and dropped it around 30min in.
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Would you like a side of class commentary with that?
The social criticism of this film is about as subtle as, well... plonking a massive rack of meat on a table and calling it a "sacrificial feast" for your wealthy onlookers.On the one hand, Hunger bangs you over the head with a wok while screaming, "rich people are evil" (facts) and asks you to maybe go touch some grass. On the other hand, it undercuts its own attempts at class commentary by erasing nuance and thereby failing to really contribute anything insightful.
I think if you want to watch something that leans more into the power dynamics and social criticism but still centres on food, I'd recommend The Platform (2019, Spanish).
That said, the production quality of the Hunger is top tier. It's worth watching purely for some of the cinematographic moments. The soundtrack is strong as well. Though I would've liked more of those jazz elements from the opening scenes to have been used later in the film too.
It may look like a long run time but it goes fast. Terrific pacing means this one is an easy watch for a Friday or Saturday night. Best served with the cheapest cook-up or takeaway you can muster.
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