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Started for the Second Couple, Stayed… Briefly
The Human Realm’s queen gives birth to twin daughters with vastly different reputations. The elder sister, Qing Kui, is gentle, virtuous, and admired by all, making her the ideal bride for the Heavenly Prince. In contrast, the clever and sharp-tongued Ye Tan is misunderstood and ostracized, destined instead for the Demon Prince. When an unexpected mix-up sends each sister to the wrong groom, fate takes a dramatic turn. What follows are two unlikely yet captivating love stories, set against a growing conspiracy that threatens to disrupt all four realms.This is my first xianxia drama that I decided to watch on a whim. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me. I wasn’t particularly drawn to the plot; instead, I started watching after seeing a clip of the second couple and finding their bad boy–good girl trope interesting. Despite my anticipation, the heavy CGI felt too unreal and came across as cringe, especially when paired with the over-the-top comedy, which I found exhausting. On top of that, Xuan Shang’s death-and-resurrection storyline was something I especially dreaded.
The second couple stood out more to me than the main couple, but I eventually grew annoyed with Chao Feng’s constant mischief and Qing Kui’s naivety. The main couple didn’t capture my interest either, and I found myself exhausted by Ye Tan’s antics as well.
Even after taking a break and giving this drama another try, I was still unable to find it interesting. I ultimately decided to drop it after 16 episodes, as it simply wasn’t my cup of tea.
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When the Lotus Did Not Bloom
Ten years after disappearing from the jianghu following a fateful duel with Di Fei Sheng, the once legendary swordsman Li Xiang Yi resurfaces under a new identity as Li Lian Hua, a laid back traveling doctor. All he wants is a peaceful life on the road, but trouble has other plans. A bright eyed and persistent Fang Duo Bing latches onto him, while Di Fei Sheng himself returns, slowly piecing together the truth. As buried pasts come to light, the three men form an unexpected partnership, solving strange cases and standing up for justice along the way.I went into Mystery Lotus Casebook fully ready to fall in love. On paper, this drama has everything I usually enjoy. A fallen legend, a quiet life interrupted, mysterious cases, brotherhood, and that slightly melancholic wuxia atmosphere. And to be fair, from the very first episode, it is obvious that this is a well made and well written drama. The production is solid, the pacing is calm and confident, and the mysteries themselves are genuinely interesting. This is not a messy show by any means.
And yet, somewhere between solving cases and brewing herbal medicine, I got bored.
I kept waiting for the moment that would fully hook me, the spark that would make me hit next episode without thinking. Sometimes the humor landed and made me smile, but often it just floated by without much impact. The growing brotherly bond between the trio felt a little too slow for my personal taste, like watching a friendship bloom in real time when I was craving a bit more emotional punch upfront. I also understood the lack of romance given the genre and themes, but I did wish the drama offered something else to fill that gap and keep me invested on a deeper level.
My biggest struggle was Li Xiang Yi himself. I went in expecting a charismatic, magnetic former hero with layers of quiet pain. Instead, at least up until episode 4, he came across as oddly bland and a touch too self absorbed. I know this might be unfair since I did not get far, and character growth is clearly part of the journey here. Still, first impressions matter, and his presence did not pull me in the way I hoped.
So for now, I am dropping Mysterious Lotus Casebook. Not because it is bad, but because it simply did not click with me at this moment. I can absolutely see why others love it, and I may come back when I am in the mood for something slower and more contemplative. Until then, this is a respectful drop with the door left slightly open.
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A Chinese Version of Extraordinary You and It Is Not for Me
A Dream within a Dream is a drama about Song Xiao Yu who was pulled inside a script playing a tragic female lead who was constantly bullied and tortured by the male lead, Nan Heng. The story definitely resembles the Korean drama, Extraordinary You, even sharing the same plot that no matter how hard the characters try, they are always pulled back towards the 'right' plot.For the record, I was also unable to finish Extraordinary You. The reason is because I find the idea of being so helpless against the plot (or fate) to be disturbing. I ended up getting bored over the repeated attempts to change the plot and I also cringed at times when the characters failed to change the plot. However, one thing I like about this drama is how they reenact popular scenes from other dramas.
The actors did well though! After watching The Prisoner of Beauty, I became a fan of Liu Yuning, which is why I started to watch this drama. As expected, Liu Yuning did great! He has that charisma and appeal whenever he acts in costume dramas. Li Yi Tong was befitting for her role as Song Xiao Yu/Song Yi Meng, as well.
To be fair, I've only watched 4 episodes. I might give this drama another try but for now, I am putting it on-hold.
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A Pesky Plot
Set in a tumultuous time of war, Lin Hang Jin seeks refuge and lives with Xiao Bei Chen's family after her father got imprisoned. As they live together, the immature and mischievous Xiao Bei Chen often bullies her and cause trouble in her daily life. Despite so, she always answered with resilience. Topping that with her kind heart, Xiao Bei Chen's admiration for Lin Hang Jin grows and love blooms. The story follows their romance filled with misunderstandings, war, distance, and rivals.The themes explored in this drama was intriguing enough for me to start watching. Upon watching the first episode, I wondered how the enmity between the two main characters will develop to love and whether their love would stand the test of war, distance, and competition. However, I find myself feeling exhausted over the initial buildup of the story.
Xiao Bei Chen being this mischievous and immature young gentleman, constantly bullies Lin Hang Jin. Although he keeps approaching and bothering her in order to prove a point to his friends, I believe that he just wants her attention. After developing feelings, Xiao Bei Chen would come up with schemes to enforce himself on her. Despite this plot being cute at first, the repetitive schemes started to get boring and annoying. Not to mention, Lin Hang Jin was so naive to his schemes and despite her aloof exterior and intelligence, she would always end up a damsel in distress, which was frustrating. This drama had a promising plot yet its writing did not deliver. All the schemes in the beginning had already wore me out before the real romance and story even began.
Despite the exhausting antics, they made a good decision at casting Chen Du Ling and Shawn Dou for the roles of Lin Hang Jin and Xiao Bei Chen, respectively. Chen Du Ling's visuals and expressions were befitting for the naive, gullible, intelligent, resilient, and elegant young maiden, Lin Hang Jin. Her outfit, makeup, and hairstyle did not disappoint! She looked really pretty wearing the outfits from that era. Shawn Dou was also great at portraying the annoying and immature young master, Xiao Bei Chen. Even as his character grows, he was able to pull a 180 in portraying Xiao Bei Chen as man who became more responsible, mature, and charismatic in addition to the personalities that he already had.
By episode 5, the antics had already wore me out and I decided to drop this drama. I have to admit I am still curious as to how their romance progresses though. I just can't seem to tolerate watching Xiao Bei Chen's schemes towards Lin Hang Jin and how he later pursues her.
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Not My Cup of Tea
Despite the many positive reviews and the fact that it extended up to 3 seasons, this show was just not my cup of tea.I am a sucker for mystery, detective shows. Although I wasn’t really convinced when I read the synopsis, the story that blends mystery, detective, and supernatural beings was worth giving a try. However, I ended up finding myself getting bored mainly because it was too slow and there was too much back and forth dialogue for my taste. The mystery cases presented in this drama also did not get me hooked.
The actors did not help either. In terms of acting, I’m pretty sure they are great actors. Sadly, I just don’t find their characters interesting. However, I have to say the production quality, especially the makeup and outfits, were great though!
All in all, I wouldn’t say this drama is bad. It’s just not my cup of tea. There’s too little thrill, adrenaline, build up, romance (even a subtle one), and too strange of a mystery for my taste.
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Huh?
The story was too weird and messy for my taste. The cool toned color grading did not help at all. Also, I felt so uncomfortable and disturbed when I see Peng Guan Ying’s character(s).To be fair, I’ve only watched the first 2 episodes, which is why I said it was too weird and messy. I might need to watch more so I could understand it better. In terms of how I feel when I see Peng Guan Ying’s character(s), I think it may be because of what happened in the first episode. I’m not sure why but he just gives me the creeps and makes me feel so uncomfortable, like for real. For the record, I’ve watched similar-themes shows and I usually don’t feel uncomfortable or disturbed when I see the antagonists, but with Peng Gaun Ying’s character(s), I do. I have nothing against Peng Guan Ying though!
I might give this one another try in the future, but for now, I’m dropping it.
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