hmmm....
To be honest, there was never a point of this show where I was sure if I liked it or not. But there was something about it that kept me from dropping it all the way until the end! I think there's an interesting premise here, but I'm not quite sure it was executed well. An over-reliance on montage and rushed/choppy story made it hard to buy into the romance. Honestly, sometimes it felt more like a cautionary tale about unethical experimentation than a love story, but I was kind of into the vague horror of that! I don't think it was bad, but I don't think it was what I expected or wanted either. In honor of this indecision: 5 stars, dead middle.-The Full Review-
STORY:
I found the story to be simultaneously the strongest and weakest point of this show. For it's strengths, it definitely had a message that it believed in strongly. The conversation around history and humanity was quite interesting, and I liked the way artificial intelligence complicated Chu Yiping's perspectives. There was a very compelling quality to the way he rationalized Ever 9's humanity, and a satisfying conflict with his Uncle.
For it's weaknesses, however, the love story was... odd? I don't want to say it wasn't clear or believable--I actually really enjoyed the unique ways these two people connected. But we aren't given enough time with them to truly feel that relationship or the strength of it. Too much is left in the montage, so a lot of the most emotional scenes feel fairly unearned. I would have liked to see some better pacing here.
ACTING:
Ah. I guess the problem here lies with the lack of progress. I think both actors were good at the more robotic side of the character--the early days when they were stiff, awkward, and uncomfortable. But I would have liked to see these characters pushed a lot farther as the relationship progresses. We never really get a proper sense of this astronomical change in Chu Yiping that the other characters talk about. And we only ever get glimpses of a natural humanity that could have sold the relationship. It was alright.
PRODUCTION:
The production quality was so hit and miss during this show, but I think my biggest issue was that it missed on things that should be easy. It's fine and understandable if a low budget production has some less-than-impressive special effects! It doesn't really upset my enjoyment of the series. But when there's sloppy make up? You can't afford to take two minutes to fix his foundation? I think it made some of the scenes feel more amateur than they actually were and distracted from the story.
In all, I can't really say I would recommend this show. But I don't think I would discourage someone who was interested in this concept from checking it out. I would say, it stays pretty constant--so if you aren't feeling the first episode or two, you might want to drop!
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exactly what I always wanted ?
I absolutely adored this show from start to finish. Something about the mix of tone was just so compelling to me. While the underlying romance (and other relationships) was so strong and taken so seriously, the rest of the plot wasn't afraid to have fun and lean into tropes in the best way. The action was fun and bombastic, the reincarnation lore was fantastical and epic, the friends were bright and funny, and the chemistry was truly off the charts. I know not everyone will appreciate the way this style sometimes undercuts it's own tension, but I really enjoyed the way the show didn't let itself get bogged down for long.Of course, I have to give accolades to the cast. Billy is, of course, a wonderful actor (as always). Phaya always has his heart on his sleeve and Billy's ability to show that in every moment is really quite beautiful. Especially as a new comer, Babe is incredible. Easily one of my top actors (I'm lying to seem less biased, he's the top). Nothing ever felt forced or put upon between these two, and the characters were crafted so completely that they could be understood without words from start to finish. It was a really exceptional performance. (Of course, there were many, many wonderful performances from the supporting cast as well).
My only faults with this show were some minor pacing and story issues. I would have liked to see a bit more care and craft in the way information is revealed, especially regarding Phaya and Tharn's past lives. Art's arc in Ep. 7 was so wonderfully done in subtle flourishes and circling narrative, it was disappointing to see the main characters get a less thoughtful info dump of a flashback. In general, I think the writers could have trusted the audience to pick up on clues a little better, as characters frequently repeated information that, at that point, had become pretty obvious. But this honestly didn't affect my enjoyment of the story all that much.
I am absolutely looking forward to the upcoming special episode and whatever BillyBabe have coming next! I certainly wouldn't complain if that happened to be a season 2 ;)
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maybe if you're really bored?
I was so excited for this title because I love circus and acrobatics... but there is not nearly enough of that to keep me watching. With so little effort and budget put into the host club, it's really just the thinnest of gimmicks to differentiate a show without enough plot to stand on it's own. While the cast seems mostly competent and there's a decent (if slightly weird) sense of chemistry, this story doesn't really seem like it has any interest in exploring that. Instead, the plot just kind of moves around perfunctorily without any real sense of character or motives.I'll admit, I'm not really interested in giving this show second or third chances. The show started out with blatant plagiarism of the kpop group OnlyOneOf in episode one--which the production team later admitted to and apologized for--and it's soured the experience for me. Combined with the way this appears to be one of the shows where Cheewin's got no strong sense of direction or vision? I'll pass. There's plenty of other shows to keep me busy. But maybe if you're just looking for background noise?
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