Aesthetic but loud and unmemorable
I expected more from the drama starring Zhang Ling He. But something helped me overcome my skepticism: the scenery and supporting characters!The sets here are so beautiful that you can pause and examine the details (which is what I did). The Nan Yan's home, the whale boat, the markets, the courtyards of the sects - they are all amazing! The multitude of small details, the color scheme, the general shots - everything creates the right atmosphere, from coziness to ostentatious grandeur.
The supporting characters are colorful, vivid, not annoying, moderately dramatic, and moderately comical. The little dragon and the fox are absolutely outstanding.
The main couple was cute, funny, and dramatic. And I'm even embarrassed that their storyline didn't hook me.
I didn't like the sound design. There are a lot of comedic sounds, which feel strange and generally out of place. Of course, this is my subjective opinion, but I don't like such loud sounds. And the music in general is loud, pompous, and often draws attention to itself instead of emphasizing the emotions of the scene.
I also didn't like the editing and the rhythm of the narrative. I read that four episodes were cut. Maybe it would have been better with them... But even so, there is too much talking. The characters voice their thoughts, intentions, and actions. The final fight is not a fight at all, but a long, pompous conversation with threats. It starts to seem like the script was written by a novice. And overall, the plot is quite predictable and clichéd.
In general, I thought the drama is mediocre. Only the older generation evoked my emotions, and only the scenery and a couple of supporting characters were memorable. I really expected more from my favorite genre and the magnificent Zhang Ling He.
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From comedy to drama
A very genre-diverse narrative — that's the first and most important thing I can say about this miniseries. It ranges from absurd comedy to hardcore drama, and vice versa. The comedy part, by the way, is really strange, absurd, and parodic, but if you watch it in a lighthearted mood, it's incredibly funny. I laughed out loud during a third of the drama.This is the funniest wedding night I've ever seen. And the cliché of showering the characters with petals in romantic scenes is ridiculed several times.
It was unusual to see Yu Xuan Chen in a comedic role. But he did a great job (although I'm biased — I really love his talent in general). Rebecca Jin was a discovery for me — she is excellent in the comedic role of the jealous sister. And she did well with the drama too.
There don't seem to be any obvious problems with the logic of the plot. Nor are there any annoying characters. It was interesting to follow the plot. Where the romance or adventure sagged, comedy appeared, and there was no desire to fast-forward.
This mini-series cannot boast of innovative or unusual plot twists, but in 10-minute episodes, the creators of the drama managed to cram in the uncrammable - comedy, drama, adventure, and romantic aesthetics with a beautiful song.
Overall, I think the drama is quite decent. It's unusual because of its range of emotions and specific humor, but it's watchable. Personally, I got a lot of positive emotions from watching it.
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Cute, enjoyable, but with no outstanding features
Excessive expectations rarely lead to anything good. In the case of this drama, I ended up feeling disappointed rather than enjoying it. It's all because of the first episode — the ML behaved so unpredictably and made such funny faces that I was expecting the same level of cuteness, cringe, and surprises. But it turned out to be a pretty average mini-series — cute, predictable, with no outstanding features.The FL is funny and likable. She is not shy about sex, makes full use of her cooking skills, is self-confident, and is generally not annoying. The ML, however, is annoying. Cui Yu Xin is a good actor and can do a lot of things, but here he had to stand in front of the camera with a poker face way too often. Chu Jun Yao is neither a brave general nor a mama's boy, although there were prerequisites for both characters.
I liked the characters of the older generation, especially the general's mother and the empress. One constantly cheered me up with her soup, while the other made me want to strangle her because of her nastiness. The general's assistant is also cool, in my opinion, and often behaved more appropriately than the main character.
What else... The fights are so-so, there aren't enough costumes, but at least they are beautiful. There are kisses, and they are quite good. There are beautiful shots of food (the FL is a cook, so food is important here). There don't seem to be any critical plot holes.
Overall, for me, it turned out to be a enjoyable mini-series with excellent actors, but without that special things that would hook and impress me.
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