Judging from the trailer, I said: 'this will either be very good or hella pretentious'.But it has my curiosity…
Well in full honesty, it's not very good, but not extremely pretentious either. It honestly just feels like someone dipping their toes into the psychological genre the first time, not knowing what to do exactly.
8 episodes in: Thoughts are still the same, except add bad dubbing to the list of things this drama lacks.
Tension filled and serious moments are now just that harder to watch. I'm still powering through because they have a good concept and story idea, but the execution really is lacking.
I don't know why but Usually Chinese Psychological dramas always that way in production if you watched journey…
Still a fun watch, just a lot more noticeable flaws. If you do decide to watch it, I'd recommend watching it with a sci-fi angle instead of psychological. It makes it easier to digest.
I don't know why but Usually Chinese Psychological dramas always that way in production if you watched journey…
Those two are some of my favourites of all time. But yea, Pandora's Box suffers the same issue as the other two dramas, except for in TJTTN and Evil Minds, the acting is a lot more consistent than Pandora's Box.
Story centers around the idea that the human mind/consciousness is more powerful than it seems. If good people unlock that knowledge/"third eye", then great things can be done. On the other hand, if bad people find out, then the bad will flood the earth, opening pandora's box. The whole series has a sense of deja vu/history repeats itself going on too. There is also an underlying theme of power corrupts.
Protagonist: Li Tian is an ambitious and brilliant young man. He's currently studying the human consciousness, for he believes that great things can be achieved. He's one of the only people that somewhat has control over their mind, the other being the antagonist. His mother warned him to not continue his research, implying that all humans are equal and no one should have control over others, but despite that he keeps delving in to the topic anyways.
Visuals: The cinematography is done really well. There's always a sense of eerie discomfort, even if the scene itself is beautifully shot. The editing and CGI on the other hand, is a hit or miss. There are times where the editing is extremely choppy, and times where the CGI just looks too fake and takes you out of a moment.
Other comments: The main thing that's bothered me so far is the scuffed English (this is mainly due to being able to speak both fluent English and Chinese, so this is more of a pet peeve than anything). On the other hand, the background actors have no idea what they're doing, so if you just stare at them the entire time, this whole thing feels like a comedy instead. Acting in general is also a 70/30 hit or miss instead of consistently good. Most of the times it's fine, sometimes really good, other times it's just hella fake (these usually happen with the disposable side characters, but still, it really takes you out when it happens).
Would I recommend? Yeah. Give it a try. I'd say the first four episodes are perfect to setting up the tone of the series, so if you dislike it after those episodes, then you should probably drop it.
I don't understand what the purpose of a trailer would be if it were to drop only 10 minutes before the actual…
No one does, except for the people who do it. Unless it's some secret technique that gets them higher viewship, then my best guess is that the media people forget or something along those lines.
The series was always flawed, but most of the time, the charm made up for almost all those flaws.
This season lacks A LOT of charm so far.
After, Lost Tomb, Lost Tomb 2, Ultimate Note, Providence (which I didn't exactly finish) and even Tomb of the Sea which doesn't even focus on our Iron Triangle, this instalment just doesn't hold up.
Not sure if it's my bias for the previous leads (who I all adore) speaking, which it honestly might be, but I'm not feeling it. Not yet at least.
My only desire for the drama is that they indulge us with a post-canon scene with Mo Ran AND Ta Xian Jun (you know, the whole body-sharing, D.I.D they got going on) being happy and fluffy with Chu Wan Ning.
That and the many head/chin tilts I expect to see on Ta Xian Jun's part.
Friendly reminder to drama watchers that everyone is allowed their own opinion, but that stan culture and anti-stan culture exist, and both sides love to purge ratings, especially in China. If you want to know if a drama is worth watching, take a look through a couple episodes, and make your own decisions whether it's for you or not.
I love seeing his work, and I'm excited for his dramas but I hope he's taking a well-deserved break between working. It seems like he's always churning out roles and filming.
1 
Thoughts are still the same, except add bad dubbing to the list of things this drama lacks.
Tension filled and serious moments are now just that harder to watch. I'm still powering through because they have a good concept and story idea, but the execution really is lacking.
Story centers around the idea that the human mind/consciousness is more powerful than it seems. If good people unlock that knowledge/"third eye", then great things can be done. On the other hand, if bad people find out, then the bad will flood the earth, opening pandora's box. The whole series has a sense of deja vu/history repeats itself going on too. There is also an underlying theme of power corrupts.
Protagonist: Li Tian is an ambitious and brilliant young man. He's currently studying the human consciousness, for he believes that great things can be achieved. He's one of the only people that somewhat has control over their mind, the other being the antagonist. His mother warned him to not continue his research, implying that all humans are equal and no one should have control over others, but despite that he keeps delving in to the topic anyways.
Visuals: The cinematography is done really well. There's always a sense of eerie discomfort, even if the scene itself is beautifully shot. The editing and CGI on the other hand, is a hit or miss. There are times where the editing is extremely choppy, and times where the CGI just looks too fake and takes you out of a moment.
Other comments: The main thing that's bothered me so far is the scuffed English (this is mainly due to being able to speak both fluent English and Chinese, so this is more of a pet peeve than anything). On the other hand, the background actors have no idea what they're doing, so if you just stare at them the entire time, this whole thing feels like a comedy instead. Acting in general is also a 70/30 hit or miss instead of consistently good. Most of the times it's fine, sometimes really good, other times it's just hella fake (these usually happen with the disposable side characters, but still, it really takes you out when it happens).
Would I recommend? Yeah. Give it a try. I'd say the first four episodes are perfect to setting up the tone of the series, so if you dislike it after those episodes, then you should probably drop it.
Unless they pull the "release trailer 10 minutes before show releases" move, then... welp.
Hopefully the show delivers the intrigue and mystery it advertises.
Man can't wait to see what type of chaos the dynamic duo will bring.
Hannibal vibes.
And I'm all for it.
This season lacks A LOT of charm so far.
After, Lost Tomb, Lost Tomb 2, Ultimate Note, Providence (which I didn't exactly finish) and even Tomb of the Sea which doesn't even focus on our Iron Triangle, this instalment just doesn't hold up.
Not sure if it's my bias for the previous leads (who I all adore) speaking, which it honestly might be, but I'm not feeling it. Not yet at least.
That and the many head/chin tilts I expect to see on Ta Xian Jun's part.
Gah- I'm so excited and impatient waiting for this to air~~