WK1

As a non-novel reader, so far, I do not see any red flag. The humourous tone in the first few episodes are already giving way to something far more serious in E5 & E6. We should grant the screenwriter and director some freedom in choosing how the opening frames for the drama should be. After all, we are having Dilraba as the FL. To watch any of her drama and not see any humour? That would be such a waste of her acting talents. It was her unique interpretation of QJJ in YAMG that made that drama shine. Here, it is going to be her interpretation of Ji Yunhe that makes TBW shine. Allen is not known for playing comedic roles. Yet, we are seeing Reba's influence on him.

CGI wise, they already fixed the error that we saw in that first trailer. We can hardly tell that it is a muscle suit he was wearing. It really does look very inch a part of his 'natural' body. That tail of his looks big! And powerful. And my guess is that it looks as close to the description in the novel as they could make it out to be. We need to bear in mind, interpretation of the novel itself can vary. He is, after all, a mythical merman. We cannot and should not, expect his tail to look exactly like a shark tail in our oceans in terms of shape and colour. If it even resemble one, it is good enough. Using the colour of tail to attack the quality of the CGI is preposterous. Have we even seen one? Do they even exist??

Is the CGI overdone? I don't so. But people are entitled to their opinion and it can get really subjective. Like a piece of steak, I guess? What is overdone is just right for those who hate the sight of blood.

I really do not see anything negative so far. I think the pacing is just fine!! I found it a bit fast, at first. Maybe only E1? I have adjusted to the pace the director wants. By E2, it is already perfect for me.

If I were to be downright critical, I will just say that the opening OST is not an epic song. Avatar did not have an epic theme song like Titanic, yet Avatar did very well at the box office. So, the opening OST is not going to ruin TBW. Thus far, they are using Sa Ding Ding's song more often, as an insert OST, and that is a great song!

If I were an independent reviewer, I will certainly give this drama a thumbs up. But I am a Reba fan through and through. So, more than just giving this a thumbs up, I am loving every minute, no, every second of it.

That is a very positive way of looking at it.

We cannot force others to agree with us, but it is clear that the CGI is top class. Chinese Xianxia dramas have a unique brand of CGI. All who love and appreciate this brand will surely concur that the CGI used in TBW is superb. Unless, of course, they have a hidden agenda we are not aware of. But this is an open forum; whatever is their agenda, we cannot stop them from expressing their opinions.

Just wait. Won't be long.

If you have read the novel, you might even be able to manage without the Eng sub. Even those who do not understand Mandarin are able to understand what is going on in the 1st 6 episodes. Can always rewatch later, when the subs are out.

If you like this genre, you should love this drama. That much I can tell you.

If the English sub had been out, we would have had even more comments. And once all Reba and Allen fans rate this, the rating will jump. Even Xianxia lovers who are not necessarily their fans will love this drama.

Those who know how good it is will likely rate it 9 and above. They will offset the haters, for sure, so eventually, we may end something around 8.7 to 8.8, if not higher. That is the kind of rating of all recent Dilraba's dramas.

Do not worry about it. Just 37 raters. When lots of people have watched this and know just how good it is, the rating will go up.

Not sure how you would define chemistry, as different people have different definition of that term. If your definition is, how do they look at each other, do they feel comfortable with each other, when they hug each other, do they look genuine, etc. The answer is yes. Reba never fails to have good chemistry with her co-star and, I think, it is the same for Allen. All good actors are able to have good chemistry with their co-stars. That is what makes them good.

But, we are only up to E6. There is long long way to go. We need to watch the rest of the drama, before we can give a fair answer to that question.

No need to cry. For all we know, in about a week or so, the Eng subs may be out.

Yes! It could be out much sooner than we thought. Just need to be a bit more patient.

It is not worth our time reading their comments, nor the time spent typing responses to them. Leaving them alone, in most cases, is the best response. They would likely end up talking to themselves (when no one engages them), typing something and then responding to their own comments.

They are interesting. When you watch it later, I can assure you, you will not want to FF scenes involving them. Acting wise, many of them gave good account of themselves. If the director was responsible for making the casting decision, he did a great job.

Which is why I said, it is not wrong to let them shine. At least for now. Our two leads' turn to take centre stage will come soon enough.

Oh, it is the same person. A DB hater. No point wasting our time with someone like that.

Really? Ok! I go check it out!

I see! That is what meant. Sorry I misunderstood your intention.

Combined total of Part 1 and 2 will be 43. It exceeds the current limit of 40. The two parts are closely related.

Reading some of the comments below, I am hardly alone in watching this thing raw. So, lots of people can help defend this drama, Dilraba and Allen. I am glad I am not alone.

I am hardly going to push back against everyone with a bad comment. No time to do that. I will pick my battles.