3
That was a big waste of time
(6/10) Story: Maybe this story wouldn’t have fit into a typical 90–120-minute film; however, 46 episodes were completely unnecessary. There was excessive screen time for side characters, especially the second female lead, who sometimes took up 90% of an episode. I’m all for developing characters beyond the leads, but in most cases, there was no real development. And when there was development, another misunderstanding or miscommunication would undo any progress.I think this could have been a 16-episode drama. I’d compare it to My Sunshine (2015), which had an extremely similar storyline but managed to tell it in 32 episodes. The only thing that kept me watching was the fact that there was nothing better airing at the time.
(10/10) Cast: I was so happy when the cast was revealed. Seeing Hans Zhang and Janine Chang reunite was awesome. The last drama I've seen with them as co-leads was The Four (2015). How unfortunate because I gave The Four a 9/10 rating but this drama was a disappointment, though it isn't the actors' fault.
(10/10) Music: Not something I really noticed or cared about. I don't think the music would bother anyone though.
(1/10) Rewatch Value: Totally not worth spending 46 hours on. Even if there is nothing to watch, this was too frustrating. But it did give me something to waste my time on which is why the overall score I've given is a 6.
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Stalking 101; this one was not for me
The character writing for Ji An wasn’t particularly convincing enough for me to excuse all of her stalker-like crimes (yes, crimes). She faced no real consequences for stalking and wiretapping Dong Hun. And, of course, as viewers, we sympathize with Ji An, so we naturally don’t want anything bad to happen to her either.Every time Ji An eavesdropped on Dong Hun’s personal life and became emotional, I think it was meant to be a touching scene. However, to me, it just felt creepy. Dong Hun’s privacy was invaded 24/7, yet no one seemed to be angry at Ji An for it. Instead, they supported her.
And then there’s Kwang Il. His character was written to be pitiful, in some ways mirroring Ji An. However, when half the comments are rooting for Kwang Il and Ji An to get together because of their "visual chemistry," I’m not sure the director and screenwriter fully conveyed the message they intended.
This drama certainly explores some thought-provoking themes, and it’s a fan favorite for a reason. I’m more critical of it because of the weight of these themes, and I believe that if they are going to be tackled, they need to be handled exceptionally well. This means portraying the main characters empathetically without erasing their mistakes. I’m not sure the drama succeeded in that aspect.
One big positive, however, was Dong Hun’s neighborhood. That alone kept me invested in the drama until the very end.
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The queen Ariel Lin is here with Zhang Binbin
Story (9/10): The story of Masked Heroes/Viligantes is not particularly unique or original. However, the writers have definitely mastered the art of capturing people's attention by making each character’s traits unique and lovable.This doesn’t surprise me, as I keep up with the reactions to every new episode. People go from loving to hating certain characters and vice versa—it’s incredible. Then there are some villains you can’t help but feel sorry for.
Another noteworthy aspect of this drama is the strong theme of women’s empowerment. Our female lead, played by Ariel Lin, is a powerful character despite not having the typical kung fu skills. She survives through her street smarts and wit. Meanwhile, our male lead, Zhang Binbin, is a hero with a soft spot for the innocent—and sometimes even for the wicked. He only kills when necessary and loves the female lead unconditionally.
Acting/Cast (10/10): So many people started this drama for Zhang Binbin. I don't wonder why since he is, not only, handsome but also such a mesmerizing actor. Personally, I started this drama for Ariel Lin. I've been her fan since "It Started With A Kiss" and she actually dropped from the acting scene for a while (probably due to personal life) so newer drama watchers often discredit her in her looks, acting, and even her worth (i.e. saying she isn't good enough to be the female lead, or she isn't good enough to be Zhang Binbin's partner). I think the acting in this shows everything I want in a duo. Ariel Lin's acting makes me forget that she is a wife in real life. I would love to see this duo once more. The rest of the cast also does great justice to this drama.
Music (10/10): I am in love with the OST! The intro song is so good. In the beginning, I thought it was a pretty comical intro but as I watch each episode I find myself humming along to this upbeat song. It really matches with our female lead and male lead's personalities and relationship.
Rewatch Value (10/10): I already see the Viki comments in the first episode saying "Rewatching for the nth time", this drama is definitely one that I would rewatch with my family (who also love Ariel Lin) and my friends.
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Celebrities planning out their own vacation? It's going to be messy
(10/10) Story: I think it's brilliant to create a show where top stars, who of course are wealthy, are limited to a tight budget and have to plan a vacation entirely on their own without their managers. For most people, unless you're really on top of things, planning a trip with 7 people is extremely difficult, especially if you're practically strangers of different ages. With this story, you get to see each and every member's personality during the biggest ups and downs. It was spectacular on that part.(4/10) Cast: This is a reality show, no acting from what I can see. I understand how stressful the entire situation was to the entire cast; however, sometimes, I really could not believe the audacity of certain members. Of course, everything ended on a light note, but this triggered a lot of stressful and emotional responses. I had to pause this show multitudes of times just because some of the cast was annoying me so much [by being unreasonable moody]. The editors did a really good job patching this up and making sure the cast ended up looking good at the end.
(10/10) Music: Not much to comment on since I don't even remember any particular music. Yang Yang did play "Good Boy" by GD&Taeyang of BIGBANG, "Bad Boy" by BIGBANG, and a couple of songs by WINNER during the show. Not complaining about that at all!
(1/10) Rewatch Value: I will be rewatching certain clips but I don't want to go through this emotional rollercoaster again by rewatching.
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Touching film but the domestic violence was just glossed over unfortunately
(8.5/10) Story: Such a unique storyline, but flawed in a way where I felt like something was missing at the end.(10/10) Cast: I'm not really familiar with the cast, besides infamous Yang Yang and Guan Xiaotong, however, I was so immersed. Their acting captivated me till the end! Really worth watching. Splendid casting. I'll look out for Chen Duling's future works because she did a great job in particular.
(10/10) Music: Don't trust me on this. I don't really pay attention to music at all. However, Ba La did have a singing scene which sounded really pretty.
(6/10) Rewatch Value: I would totally [and happily] rewatch this film if I was super bored and didn't want to watch anything else.
I would have given this a super good score because I enjoyed this film a lot... However, every time I remember how Zhang Yang was violent towards Ba La, I want to throw up. Yet it seems like by the end of the film, no one even remembers that anymore. Yes, the bigger focus was on Ba La's tragic death and Zhang Yang blamed himself for calling Ba La a slut; however, he never really seemed to be apologetic for fucking abusing Ba La or even for cheating on his ex with Ba La.
I also wish Xu Yi had a more definite closure. I think the directors wanted to show how fucked up Xu Yi's character was ever since Ba La's death and his family situation; however, having him cheat on Li Er seemed so pointless. I really do wish Li Er was successful in saving Xu Yi from his mental break, even if it's just as friends.
However, maybe all of this is what made me like the film so much? Because it touched on so many sensitive topics in such a rounded way. Though I really can not forgive the physical abuse that Zhang Yang did on Ba La.
Also, Ba La's character is so beautiful. She has so many legit reasons to be fucked up, yet she had such an innocent mind at the same time? I'm not excusing the fucked up shit she did [and the director did a good job showing how she wasn't a good influence on Xu Yi, who started to be a bad boy, or Li Er, who started smoking] but her character was just so flawed in such a beautiful way.
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This whole season could have been ep 55 of season 1
(5/10) Story: The story kept me captivated enough to complete both S1 and S2; however, most of it was due to the urge of my wanting to know what happens at the end. I think it's a unique story since I didn't see much good versus evil in this drama. It was more human versus human meaning that there were faults in both sides but also good in both sides. Although the story is unique, I gave a mediocre rating because I feel like compromises could've been made in one way or another.(10/10) Cast: I didn't notice any type of flaws in the regards of acting. I'm not familiar with the cast as this drama was my introduction to them. I thought they did a great job portraying their characters. I don't have any notable things to say regarding their acting.
(8/10) Music: I usually do not pay too much attention to the music because I'm super focused on the story; however, the rap in this historical drama is quite not my taste. I think the opening and ending is fine though.
(1/10) Rewatch Value: Too long for little progress. Definitely will not be rewatching this one.
I'm really into the Xiao Fan, Jing Yu, Shu Shu, and Xue Qi squad, as well as the war between the Ghost King and the Qing Yun sect. The romance is okay—I would love to see Bi Yao wake up, which would be ideal, but throughout the entire show, my main thought was: "Both sides had legitimate reasons for joining the war beyond simply being power-hungry."
I wasn’t entirely satisfied with Season 1’s ending, where the war suddenly came to a halt due to Bi Yao's death and how soulless Xiao Fan became. Yes, his lover had just died protecting him, and yes, he is an incredibly compassionate person. However, a war was happening. His friends were dying. Moving on is difficult, but in situations like war, you have to. I was still okay with that part, but what really frustrated me was when he decided to work with the Ghost King to bring Bi Yao back. At that moment, Xiao Fan had a perfect opportunity to kill the Ghost King. I’m not trying to be unsympathetic—I like Bi Yao myself—but so many people on both sides were fighting to their deaths, and Xiao Fan gave up the chance to eliminate the Ghost King just because he was caught up in his emotions over Bi Yao.
As for Season 2, it felt like a complete waste of time. Xiao Fan finally kills the Ghost King, which could have happened in episode 55 of Season 1, saving dozens of lives if he had acted sooner. In a way, it feels like Xiao Fan sacrificed the lives of many on both sides just to save Bi Yao. The ambiguous ending made it feel even more pointless. Of course, this was intentional since the novel’s ending was unpopular with most fans, but I still wish the scriptwriters and directors had just wrapped up the drama in their own way instead of worrying about the novel. If Bi Yao had been resurrected? Cool. If Xiao Fan had finally bid Bi Yao farewell forever? Also cool.
Because both sides had such legitimate motives, it was difficult for me to root for either one. That’s why my ideal ending is probably going to make people question this review. I'd prefer if Jing Yu, Bi Yao, Xiao Fan, and the Ghost King all died together, with the Qing Yun sect emerging victorious. Jing Yu and Xiao Fan because I can’t imagine Jing Yu being happy without Xiao Fan, and I can’t imagine Xiao Fan being happy without Bi Yao. Bi Yao because the Ghost King would need to die for the Qing Yun sect's victory, and as a consequence of failing to kill Xiao Fan, she would die alongside her father. Meanwhile, Shu Shu and the others would continue training in the ways of the Immortal Sword, preserving the story of this era.
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