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7
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Great Performance by Little Actor
Any family that has a sicken child with a serious disease from birth can empathize with this story. In this drama, the whole story revolves around the child, trying to get him back to health. It’s tormenting and painful to see the child’s little body going through all the pains and sufferings. If you have experienced the anxiety before a surgical operation, you could empathize with the characters’ anxiety here too. This is a story that is full of loneliness, despair, longing, waiting, at the same time, lavished with determination and devotion.How this drama is being cut and edited is rather confusing at the beginning. As the story is unfolding, there is a lot of flashbacks and backstories. In fact, two timelines are playing out concurrently, one telling the present story and the other the story of how Nie Yusheng (Chung Hon Leung aka Wallace Chung) and Tan Jing (Li Xiaoran) have met during their adolescent years in high school.
I find it strange that when ex-lovers meet again, they act like strangers to each other; there’s no surprise, no nods, no eye contacts, no nervousness -- nothing, as if they have never met before. This strange phenomenon doesn’t only apply to our main leads, it also applies to our second lead couple, and even between father and son. Only the backstories reveal that these people indeed are no strangers to each other, and with flashbacks, only then viewers see their emotions and subtle expressions. As viewers get accustomed to the style of storytelling, it becomes rather enjoyable as the details are explained well in the backstories and flashbacks.
Nie Yusheng is almost like a walking corpse haunted by the past. Playing a tormented and bitter heart surgeon, Chung Hon Leung’s acting is very convincing, especially with the scene when Nie Yusheng breaks down and sobs. However, as many viewers have commented, dubbing in his own voice, it has given inconsistencies to the character. There are times when dubbing with the actors’ own voice is good, but not here because Chung Hon Leung’s native tongue is Cantonese. This has made him speaking Mandarin with a Cantonese accent which doesn’t go very well in this drama because he speaks differently, perhaps too differently from everyone else. It is even harder not to notice when the adolescent Nie Yusheng speaks perfect Mandarin and an adult Nie Yusheng doesn’t. I also find it hard to watch Chung Hon Leung playing the role of the adolescent Nie Yusheng when he loses memory as this is really a long stretch for the actor.
Tan Jing (Li Xiaoran) is mature and patient, enduring all the hardships that are thrown at her, at work and in life. A devoted mother, she would do anything for her child. Li Xiaoran has played her character convincingly showing the motherly side of her character with full marks.
I have really enjoyed watching the two young actors playing the adolescent Nie Yusheng (Zhan Yu) and Tan Jing (Fan Shiran). These two talented actors have truly captured the essence of the young couple and their amazing chemistry. I wish the director had continued to use the same actors into their adulthood instead of switching to Chung Hon Leung and Li Xiaoran because with the older pair, the whole feel of the story has shifted. Perhaps this is the effect that the director has wanted to show the viewers: how growing up has changed the couple and their chemistry.
My most enjoyable moments are probably when little Ping Ping (Mi Ke) comes on screen. The little actor is a gem and he nails the role so naturally. All his dialogues are intelligent and heart touching. His moments with his grandfather are precious as the viewers can really feel the love, joy and resignation of the relationship.
My Verdict
This is an adult romance drama that cannot be watched with skipping episodes nor with fast-forwarding as every scene is a hint to the next part of the story. From the beginning until about episode 12, it’s a rather excruciating watch as the viewers experience the longing and emotional pains of the characters. Misunderstandings are abound with words heard out of context and being misconstrued. This drama perhaps has the greatest and longest misunderstanding, from episode 1 to the last, that has kept our main characters apart. It is also a drama with mysteries, murder, coverup, office politics, family conflicts, revenge, and more. It is the little Ping Ping that has brought the adults back to reality and sanity, as watching him is the most heart warming experience. The story carries the message that, the one who is obsessed with revenge ends up with nothing; the one who leaves power and materialism aside and holds on to the people he loves gains everything.
A drama worthy of our time. Recommended!
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扮猪吃老虎 Bàn zhū chī lǎohǔ -- Pretend to be a Pig and Eat a Tiger
This drama is a very unusual rom-com; action packed, it is without the usual fluffy romance nor the love at first sight stuff. In fact, it’s rather dark despite a rather hilarious male lead with a Mr. Bean type of character, on the surface that is. Within the first 10 minutes of the first episode, I was absorbed into the story because it is both serious and funny. As the story unfolds, the plot becomes deadly and a hidden antagonist looms.Liu Qing (Zhu Yawen) is a soldier for hire. After a mission where he is wounded and lost a few of his comrades, he becomes despondent, feeling guilty of his role in causing his friends’ deaths. He is approached by the father of Mu Wanqing (Yang Zishan) who proposes to him to marry his daughter because the father wants someone with Liu Qing’s quality, and can be trusted, to protect his daughter in the company she has taken over as the Chief Executive. Liu Qing has been in love with Mu Wanqing since childhood so he immediately agrees to the arrangement. Having being betrayed by her ex-boyfriend, Mu Wanqing has lost confidence in any marital relationship, but only agrees reluctantly when her parents plead with her.
After marriage, Liu Qing is treated like one of the employees, from a car park attendant to a bodyguard, until he begins to rescue Mu Wanqing from all kinds of predicaments, and even from danger, again and again, without letting her know he has helped her. In front of her, he is just a dumb guy good for nothing. Mu Wanqing figures out his real background eventually and begins to fall in love with him.
Zhu Yawen’s Liu Qing is simply amazing, exhibiting his wonderful acting skills. Either in his tactical gears or in his office suits, he is very convincing. Without a present day’s effeminate face, many young viewers have not realized how good Zhu Yawen is. Here, he can look very silly, comedic and humble like a dork, the next minute, he is commanding and lethal. And he is so believable in both of these personalities. Indeed his acting as a pig eating a tiger is so enjoyable to watch because everyone underestimates him.
Yang Zishan’s acting is fine here, with a lot of inconsistencies as attributed to the poor script writing and mediocre directing. I’m also not particularly impressed with the side couple’s and other supporting characters’ scripts. Some actors seemed to have used their own voices. Zhu Yawen has a magnetic deep voice and with his professional dubbing skill, he makes his character come alive. Unfortunately this doesn’t apply to the other main characters, in particular He Junxiang’s Lei Shuo; his dialogues sound stiff and unnatural. One of the biggest complaints among viewers is the mouth motions don’t quite synch with the words spoken, as if the dialogues have been rewritten. Though not in his own voice, Zhu Yawen’s English dialogues are some of the best spoken English in Chinese dramas.
The drama shifts from office politics to kidnapping, to flesh trade in Indo China, to arm trade in Russia, involving company trade secrets, rescue missions, snipers, heavy machine gun fights, explosions, all unfolding in a story of adventure, thriller, murder, police, military, criminal organizations, and more. From episode 20 onwards, the story escalates into a Hollywood Rambo style of story telling.
The ultimate villain turns out to be rather disappointing and anticlimax with no compelling objective other than greed, and even with greed, he flip-flops, giving the viewers a cloud of questions, “huh?”
My Verdict
I have really enjoyed the beginning of this drama, in particular with Zhu Yawen’s pig-eats-tiger acting. Unfortunately as the plot unfolds, it deviates, making the story feel like a potpourri of multi genres. As a viewer puts it succinctly, “The first half looks like a poet, the last half looks like a hobo.”
If you’re not into rom-com and prefer watching some actions, this drama is action packed. But be warned, it is not consistent and plots holes are blatant. Some props can even look very fake too. The writing is wild, the directing is on and off, the editing is inconsistent.
This is an 8.0 from me, but I really like Zhu Yawen’s acting which I think he could deserve a 8.5.
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Fast Moving - Everything Goes in a Blur
After The Untamed, Jade Dynasty is a much hyped movie because of its main male lead, Xiao Zhan, the most popular Chinese actor currently. Many viewers, including myself, love Xiao Zhan in The Untamed playing the character Wei Wuxian. In this review, I’m trying to be objective despite my love for the actor.I’ve never read the novel related to this movie but I have watched the drama Noble Aspiration. I cannot say I was impressed by the drama; I found it too draggy, to the extent of becoming boring to watch. When it comes to the movie, it has to pack 55 episodes of the drama into about one and a half hours of the whole story. Things get moving very fast (in the movie). A big segment of the time is involved in fighting, which is pretty good at some scenes, especially the fight choreography performed by Xiao Zhan. However, there’s not enough time for character development. We hardly get to view the Bi Yao character properly; she’s simply just in and out of the scenes. There’s no time to see her and Zhang Xiao Fan’s relationship development, let alone how they fall in love with each other. We do get a peek at how Xiao Fan loves his shijie and how well she has treated him from young, how close he is with his shixiongs (senior brothers). I do prefer the Zhang Xiao Fan character played by Xiao Zhan than by Li Yi Feng. In Jade Dynasty, Zhang Xiao Fan is lovable and selfless but not lacking in his playfulness and silliness, whereas the Li Yi Feng’s portrayal in Noble Aspiration is a super slow person in every sense, so much so that many viewers are being put off by the un-charismatic character.
It is interesting to note that the Zhang Xiao Fan character is slightly similar to the Wei Wuxian character in The Untamed – among others, innocent young boy turns demonic; upstanding, altruistic and loved by all surrounding him; loves and adores his shijie (senior sister).
The whole movie is light-hearted, at times funny, but mostly cartoonish. For me, it is quite a letdown. Maybe I have geared up too high hope in the first place.
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I was initially intrigued by this drama because of some good reviews and its cast. But after 20 or so episodes in, I became weary of the repetitive cases, each more or less of the same format. Instead, I thoroughly enjoyed the relationship of the trio, Bai You Ning (Xiao Yan), Lu Yao (Hu Yitian) and Qiao Chu Sheng (Zhang Yunlong). After The Untamed, many viewers crave for BL or bromance themed stories. The Bai You Ning character in this drama becomes a spoiler and has been criticized by many viewers. This is rather unfair and unfortunate because Xiao Yan is a wonderful actor and her character a brilliant one. To me, she is the adult in the room, balancing out the 2 ingenious boys who can be crazy at times.
Bai You Ning is independent, determined and clear minded, whereas Lu Yao cocky, silly and playful like a small child with a genius mind, and Qiao Chu Sheng is mature, patient and calm. Together, the scenes are funny, cute with constant bickering, teasing, hitting below the belt dialogues; they have fantastic chemistry together and the whole drama would not be complete without any one of them. If we say men can be smart in every sense but naive when it comes to human relationship particularly with women, these two men embody everything in the statement; they are like elementary school boys. The amount of patience Qiao Chu shows towards Lu Yao is unlimited. Countless times Qiao Chu Sheng's blatant show of bromance, intentionally or unintentionally, sends viewers squealing. Like a walking encyclopedia, You Ning supplements the men with valuable information to help crack their cases rapidly. Most of the murder cases, seemingly cold blooded, are in fact for justifiable motives; the victims seem to deserve their deaths and justice is served.
Hu Yitian's acting has improved somewhat but occasionally I still find his facial expression either overact or unnatural. This is the first time I see him acting as a playful and flamboyant character, and he is doing a great job. Zhang Yunlong's acting is on the spot. Good looking and has the air of a commanding authority, Zhang makes a great Inspector Director. My favorite is Xiao Yan's acting. She has that sharp and yet mischievous demeanor, and she brings these qualities to her character.
If you don't mind too much about the similar repetitive murder cases, this is rather a fun watch especially with the relationship of the trio - they can really make you laugh out loud with constant bantering and bickering.
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It's My Encore
This is a youth, high school, puppy love romance. It reminds me of myself during my own years in school.I sat together with the school smartest and most good-looking boy one year in school. He was also the class captain. I looked more or less like Yan Ze with the same hair style, except I was 1,000 times uglier with a flat chest (still do). Like Yan Ze, my grades were not good (ranked lowest 10 or so). Our similarities stop here. Yan Ze is popular; I was like the air – nobody noticed me. Our class captain was the top student. I had always wondered how he managed to get such good grades without seemingly putting in as much efforts as I did. Just like Ji Xiao, my seat mate tried to help me in my school work, and I had a crush on him. When he left town, I remembered I cried for days. We were both 10 years old.
A few years later in junior high, he started writing to me. He had never expressed any admiration for me. Then his best friend who was the go-between, started to ask me out. One day, I received a letter from my ex-seat mate, expressing his admiration and love. It was too late; I was in love with his best friend, who, by coincidence, not unlike He Xin Liang – outgoing, basketball, and playful.
Until today, from time to time, I have wondered, what would have happened had he expressed his feelings to me sooner? Would things be different today?
I believe every one of us has a similar story to tell. Sometimes, these stories happened so long ago that we may have forgotten. Sometimes, these stories are seemingly unimportant and we don’t pay much attention to them. But if we look closer and think deeper, I believe we all can live through our younger years again through this drama, “Just an Encore”.
Fun watch!
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Pretty Jewelry
My original title for this drama was ‘Hand in Hand They Conquer’. By the time I completed, it’s become ‘Pretty Jewelry’. That's because the plot is rather shallow, everything seems just superficial and decorative. The drama starts off so well, with all the intriguing and interwoven characters. The female lead is beautiful and cute, and both the male leads are so handsome and cool. And yet, the logic is simplistic and often incoherent, and the editing is disjointed at times.What I Like
I love the Fu Rong (Ju Jingyi) character. She is tomboyish (climbing walls and trees) and yet very feminine. She’s creative, intelligent, kind and has a way with people, and yet she’s also mischievous, stubborn and superstitious. With her curiosity and courage, she’s everywhere, investigating. How she bumps into her future husband, Xu Jin/Prince Su (Zhang Zhehan) is hilarious and lovable. She loves her family and her family loves her. I love how her big sister condones and helps her out whenever she gets into trouble. Her family’s dynamics are endearing.
There are multiple villains here, each working for his/her own agenda. At times they collaborate, but mostly, their schemes are uncoordinated, and our protagonists always come out on top winning because they are smarter than the antagonists (the antagonists are super dumb).
I love the epic military scenes – they are fearsome and grand, and look very authentic. I love how Xu Jin fights – lightning fast and deadly. And he’s infallible. Though gravely injured each time, he always miraculously heals the next day (unreal but it does take out the angsts).
I love it that whenever Fu Rong is in great danger, Xu Jin is always there to save her. Again, unreal but how they are being put together, meeting by chance over and over again is heart-warming and sweet.
I love the side couple, especially Wu Baiqi (Wang Youshuo). I love his humor, forthrightness and devotion. I also like Liu Yichang’s acting as a double character with a hidden identity as the antagonist. I feel both Wang Youshuo’s and Liu Yichang’s acting here a lot better than Zhang Zhehan’s.
What I Don’t Like
I love the Xu Jin character but not so much for Zhang Zhehan’s acting. He lacks the micro facial expressions. He maintains a frozen face, hardly a twitch of his facial muscle, not unlike a mannequin; a stern face doesn’t mean a frozen face. Having said that, at times, he can change completely with huge smiles and comedic facial expressions which are totally out of character.
I don’t like Ju Jingyi’s makeup here – it’s overly done especially with the eye section, making it uncomfortable to watch; her eye lashes are not unlike how little children drawing faces. With an overly white face, she can look horrendous closeup and unreal.
I cannot accept how no one recognizes that Xu Ping/ Prince of An (Liu Yichang) is also Ju Shui Nong Fu, not even the intelligent Xu Jin; by just wearing a half-mask doesn’t make a person unrecognizable.
I don’t like the grand scheme of things. The overall plot is basically fighting over the control of the production of jewelry for the palace consumption, a personal revenge for a misunderstanding, and a deranged obsessive one-sided love for a girl who takes him as a good friend. Though there are rampant government officials’ corruption and treasons, these are not the main features of the story. The fighting over the control of the spy agency can be a big thing but again, has not been the main plot here. Though unusual for palace politics, it does feel the bloody fighting is over nothing but just some trivial matters.
As always, people jump into conclusion too quickly without verifying matters properly and causing a lot of unnecessary misunderstandings. The supposedly intelligent Fu Rong falls under this and it really frustrates me watching how her logic plays out.
I also cannot accept that a person can think of one’s own safety when one’s ready to die – imagine wearing a Kevlar vest when the person also wants to be killed. I don’t appreciate the logic that Fu Rong wears her soft armor when she wants to die with Xu Jin, and how she revives later is even more head-scratching.
As the Emperor is quick to execute any persons, it is out of character that he pardons a hideous character here. When this hideous character is down, I breathe a sigh of relief but with him still surviving while others who are less evil perish, and with a dumb maid still trying to show her love for him, it’s just hard to stomach.
My Verdict
I have mixed feelings for this drama. On one hand, it’s rather enjoyable watching a young girl running around doing some mischiefs and falling in love with a super good looking and powerful prince. But on the other hand, there seems to be not much substance here; the plot is rather shallow. Nonetheless, it is still rather entertaining if you don’t mind the usual tropes (yes, falling off cliff, multiple times, is one) and don’t have anything else to watch. Just don’t expect too much.
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Sherlock Holmes (Doubles as Dr Octopus) & Dr Watson
After The Untamed, many viewers like myself wish there were additional episodes of the drama; we couldn’t get enough of it and we had missed it so much. When it was announced that there would be some spin-offs of the drama, we were ecstatic. The Living Dead is one of them.Perhaps we were over excited for the new movie and over expecting, when I finally watched it, I could not say I liked it a lot, like the way I love The Untamed.
This is a story about Wen Ning and Lan Sizhui, and their adventures. Viewers who do not know who Wen Ning and Lan Sizhui are, please watch The Untamed. This is a horror movie. The beginning scene was creepy and intense.
In this movie, Wen Ning is not that Wen Ning in The Untamed anymore. No more innocent and cute as he was previously. He is now serious and somber. Though he still has all the veins on his neck and is still wearing chains on his body, he is now a very powerful and intelligent person. His eyes are clear and bright. He can think and analyze a situation very fast and accurately. Together with Sizhui, they solve the greatest mystery/crime; he is like Sherlock Holmes. The chains that he wields become his weapons and when he waves the chains around, he looks very much like Dr Octopus in Spider-Man 2.
For Sizhui, he remains more or less like the Sizhui in The Untamed with better fighting skills with his guqin. There is a moment where the Yiling Patriarch appears in the movie encouraging Wen Ling when he (Wen Ling) is feeling lost. It is just a very brief moment, and I long for Wei Ying’s appearances (which I know not possible). At the end of the story, both Wen Ning and Sizhui return to the Gusu Cloud Recesses. The beautiful scene stirs up a lot of fond memories and I’m hoping to hear the sounds of the flute and guqin playing the Wuji tune again.
The Yin metal comes into play again. But in the movie, what the metal is has not been explained in detail, and I fear many viewers may be confused if they have not followed The Untamed story.
Overall, the acting and settings of the movie are pretty good, but it doesn’t have that celestial air that The Untamed has, and the people are not ethereal as Wei Ying and Lan Zhan. I guess, nothing else would ever replace the feelings that The Untamed has given me.
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Fun Drama But Rushed Ending
I started out with a very high rating, like 9.5, for this drama. The story line is simple, cute and endearing. You have a poor little girl rescued time and time again by a masked superhero. The chemistry between the female and male leads is fantastic. The actors, including the supporting ones, are good and beautiful, especially Vin Zhang, who is simply adorable. The whole drama is light-hearted with a lot of endearing and funny moments. It is in a way comedic but not in a stupid way. I really enjoy watching it as it makes me laugh out loud and relaxes me a lot. Throughout, the pace of the drama is good. The scenes, CGI, special effects, sounds, character development etc are pretty good, and the drama enjoyed a pretty good rating, like 8.5, from most viewers. That was before the final episode.Things changed. When it came to the final episode, all hell broke loose; the whole drama is seriously damaged by the final episode. The screen writer/director decided to have everyone dead, except the female lead, Hua BuQi. Not that I cannot accept dead people, but imagine jamming all the deaths into one episode and that’s it - THE END. It feels rushed, unplanned and chaotic. There are unanswered questions. Viewers are baffled. No wonder the rating dropped. This is really unfortunate.
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Strong Chemistry between Male and Female Leads
Viewers either love this drama or hate it. Those who love it is mainly because of the chemistry between the two main leads. Those who hate it because of the seemingly un-realistic plot in contract marriage and the beginning of the story. Most viewers drop the drama within the first few episodes, before it gets into the good stuff - loving relationship between the leads.For me, the beginning was also a bit hard to watch. However, after 10 episodes in, I began to enjoy the story and the plot. The chemistry between the male and female leads is enormous; they don't seem to have enough of each other. Ling Yi Zhou desires his wife constantly; he is passionate for her; there are umpteen kiss scenes - serious kisses, not just taps on the lips; bed scene is a constant play, sensual and sexual; it's really very sweet and beautiful, and sexy.
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Life Lessons, Humorous
From strangers to contract marriage to lovers. Sounds cheesy? Yeah, that’s how I felt initially. Yang Mi partners with Xu Kai? I couldn’t visualize them together. As I intended to skip this drama, the philosophy of the male lead – The Pareto Principle – caught my attention. And then I saw a clip of Yang Mi looking homely with her wide frame glasses and no make-up, my interest was piqued. It turned out better than I had expected.The Pareto principle states that 80% of the results we get in life are determined by 20% of our decisions. This principle can greatly guide our life so that we are not so bogged down by unnecessary demands that may make life miserable. It has become the alternative title The 80/20 Rule of Love. Unfortunately, the principle has not been explored further apart from some brief mentions by the male lead at the beginning.
This drama is about a 28-year-old ex-financier, Yang Hua (Xu Kai), who lives like a hermit with his parents. His mother constantly nags him to get married. One day he crosses path with Qin Shi (Yang Mi), a 34-year-old single and ambitious lawyer working in a law firm where she claims to be a married woman for a promotion. With that white lie, now she needs a man to act as her husband. Yang Hua comes in handy. At the same time, Yang Hua is fed-up with his mother’s relentless nagging, so he needs a girlfriend to keep his mother off his back. Meeting Qin Shi helps him resolve this need, at least for now. To ensure no one takes advantage of the other, they sign a contract, and get married. It turns out they are made for each other, supplementing, and complementing each other. Yang Hua helps Qin Shi in avoiding disasters with his savvy financial knowledge, and in getting the promotion she desires.
Qin Shi is a good lawyer, talented in her sharp rebuttals when faces challenges. In the office and the legal circle, she is shrewd, eloquent, and intelligent. But in private, she is vulnerable, disorganized, and insecure. Yang Hua comes to see this side of Qin Shi and realizes she is a girl who needs love and care. He falls in love with her. For Qin Shi, she falls for Yang Hua too because he respects her and treats her gently and kindly. What initially a contract marriage is now a romance in brew. In front of Qin Shi, Yang Hua feels like a little boy, each wanting to protect the other.
As always, Yang Mi is beautiful and elegant. She makes a very believable Qin Shi with her gutsy style and at the same time, very sophisticated and sensual. However, Yang Mi’s acting is confusing at times. For example, she acts so cozy with her boss, purring at her (her boss) to get her way, and yet she can become so scared of the same boss in an instant and totally loses herself. When she’s with her ex-boyfriend, she seems to be still in love with him with her body language, though later the relationship becomes clearer. I don’t know if this is meant to be because of the writing, or because of Yang Mi’s own interpretation of the character. I feel she may have overacted, at the same time, underacted with her lack of facial expressions.
Xu Kai’s acting here is acceptable. As the hermit Yang Hua, Xu Kai’s styling is rather down to earth, dull and stiff. Though I found it hard to visualize the two as love birds initially, their chemistry is not that bad, and becomes somewhat interesting later.
Both actors use their own voices in dubbing. Standalone, Yang Mi’s voice is quite nice. But here, I find her voice too high pitched and child-like. It takes many episodes to feel more comfortable with her voice. Xu Kai’s voice is low, soothing and a bit uncertain, quite well fit for the subdue Yang Hua character. The OSTs are beautiful, fitting appropriately with the ups and downs of our characters and the mood of the story.
My Verdict
When famous stars like Yang Mi and Xu Kai are chosen for a drama like this, the actors are being scrutinized more thoroughly, and the demand on them is higher than on other less famous actors - something fans have to accept. Both Yang Mi and Xu Kai are not too bad for their roles. Though initially I couldn’t envision them to be the one true pair, I do enjoy the story especially after episodes 24 or so when the couple grows stronger together. The character development is at times inconsistent. This has to do with the writing, but Yang Mi’s acting doesn’t help. Xu Kai is acceptable, acting as a rather boring character. The overall cast is quite well chosen and believable.
There are many life lessons in the story – The Pareto Principle, how to enjoy defeat, forgive others to forgive oneself, win or lose is just temporary, losing is not scary but helps one see one’s deficiency so that the next time, one can become stronger, etc. It is a mature drama, funny, humorous, ironic and paradoxical.
It is refreshing to watch a drama with a strong female lead and a subdue male lead. In fact, most of the women in the story are strong one way or another, and realistic. For romance buffs, there are plenty of real kissing scenes between Yang Mi and Xu Kai. The couple do separate for a brief period of time for growth that makes their eventual reunion stronger.
A fun watch. Recommended!
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This is a very short movie, about 1 hour 20 minutes long, with a lot of computer graphics and special effects. The whole movie revolves inside the Nie sect ancestral burial mausoleum. It's basically about how powerful the sword knife spirits are and how treacherous it is to suppress them. Inside the mausoleum, it has the vibe of a Christian crusader knights' chamber, with a stone knight statue and ossuaries. Some of the flying stunts with fighting in midair by the actors are rather commendable.
It's nice to re-listen to some of the very familiar tunes from The Untamed and I enjoy the orchestrated Nie brothers theme music. I wish the English subtitles have been better. Though it has a slightly more pleasing backdrop than The Untamed, it's not a movie I would go all the way out to watch.
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Crazy, Crazy, Crazy
OMG! This is really a cartoonish, funny, silly and absolutely CRAZY drama. Normally I don't watch dramas like this. But it's so outrageously hilarious that I can't stop watching. The demeanor of the characters is a mixture of traditional and modern. Some of the dialogues and story are so stupid that they become hilarious, and that's the hook.As much as I roll my eyes, I can't stop watching it. I can't resist Xu Kai's good look and the narcissistic character he plays. The way he bad mouths his Shifu (master) is hilarious and relatable, as if any teenagers treating their own parents. As much as we're accustomed to the submissive demeanor of ladies of ancient times, Wang Wu's character is refreshing and absolutely CRAZY to the point becoming lovely (I don't know, I'm going crazy too).
Overall, unless you're a hardcore Xu Kai's fan, or you're out looking for crazy entertainment, you may not like what you're seeing. Having said that, if you don't mind cartoonish stuff and crazy dialogues, this may be your cup of tea. Either way, I'm continuing watching this unless I have no time to pursue it further because there are better dramas out there waiting (there is currently a deluge of Chinese costume dramas).
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Xianxia in the Repulican Era
My first impression of this drama was: what the heck is this with a fusion of everything (不伦不类)? Among others, there's a mixture of costumes - Republican era cheongsams and qipao, xianxia’s ethereal robes, historical military uniform and costumes for the commoners, wild wild west cowboy attire with hand guns on the sides (Gu Beixi), Indiana Jones explorer leather jacket and boots (Yu Dengdeng), English noble man tuxedo and long boots (Lu Yan). Then I found the storyline to be quite unique and refreshing. If not for the self-dubbed voices of both leads, this is a rather watchable drama.Don't get me wrong, I don't mean their voices are not good. In fact, they have great voices individually, but when the voices are put together with the others in dialogs, they sound out of place - the female voice (Li Qin’s) is cringy with too high pitch and sounds forced, whereas the male voice (Ren Jialun’s) is too soft, uncertain and lack energy. Some viewers can’t bear listening to their voices and drop the drama.
This is a love story about a prince of the human race and a goddess of the spirit clan three thousand years ago. When Lu Yan (Ren Jialun) the prince was killed in battle, the goddess Yun Xi (Li Qin) was devastated. She took out her own “yuan dan”, injected it into the prince and revived him. Without her “yuan dan”, the goddess perished. For the prince, with “yuan dan”, he becomes a half-human and half-spirit with supernatural power. He guarded the goddess hoping one day she would return.
Three thousand years later, Yu Dengdeng (Li Qin) went into a cave and accidentally bumped into Lu Yan and woke him. To Lu Yan, Yu Dengdeng looks exactly like the goddess Yun Xi he has been waiting for. The story of their second life begins.
Lu Yan is very good looking but a cold person with few words. With Yun Xi’s “yuan dan” still within him, he has tremendous healing power and he can ward off all his adversaries by a wave of his hand. I started to like Ren Jialun’s acting in Under the Power. But here, I can’t say he is doing well. He has very few facial expressions and little body language except a constant frowned face. There are many instances of hesitant as if he doesn’t know what to do. I’m not sure if this is due to poor acting, or poor directing, or poor editing, or all of the above.
Yu Dengdeng is the head of a camp. She is carefree, crass and domineering. She falls in love with Lu Yan at first sight and takes him as her husband by force. I have to say, though Li Qin is beautiful with great acting skills, she doesn’t fit the Yu Dengdeng character very well; her demeanor as a crass woman feels forced and unnatural. With her screechy voice, some scenes are unbearable to watch.
Many viewers find there’s a lack of chemistry between Li Qin and Ren Jialun. Until the end of the story, I’m not even sure if Lu Yan loves Yu Dengdeng despite he sacrifices himself for her. When they embrace, Lu Yan is stiff and seems to keep a distance from Yu Dengdeng. He has no desire for her. They have never kissed.
In fact I find Gu Beixi (Chen Xijun) to have excellent chemistry with Yu Dengdeng. Gu Beixi is the head of another camp that has quarrels with Yu Dengdeng’s people from time to time, therefore Yu Dengdeng is always suspicious of him and doesn’t treat him very friendly. Gu Beixi has an upfront personality and has been in love with Yu Dengdeng since childhood. After he meets Bai Shiqi (Wu Mingjing) who is the daughter of a police chief, Gu Beixi begins to have feelings for her and let go of Yu Dengdeng whom he knows he’ll never get, for Yu Dengdeng is deeply in love with Lu Yan.
Bai Shiqi is a sweet character. Wealthy but without the bratty demeanor. She is gentle, well-read and kind, but very strong when it comes down to the crunch. Betrothed to Gu Beixi from young, she gracefully let go of him when she realizes he is in love with Yu Dengdeng instead.
My Verdict
It’s a disaster for any production that, all the other actors perform very well for their respective roles except the main leads. First of all, I feel the issue is with the selection of the main actors; Li Qin doesn’t fit the role as the crass Yu Dengdeng, Ren Jialun barely makes it as Lu Yan, but his performance is not up to standard. Secondly, the self-voice dubbing is a disaster though many viewers prefer the actors’ own voices. For me, I would say, it depends. Thirdly, I feel Lu Yan doesn’t really love Yu Dengdeng except he just wants to fulfill his obligation for her. Therefore, this is hardly a heart-wrenching love story when it’s only one-sided. Whether this is what the writer has intended, this is the feeling it conveys for me and many viewers.
Nonetheless, the storyline is refreshing, not your usual xianxia. Watchable if you are waiting in between dramas or have nothing to watch, or you’re a Li Qin’s or Ren Jialun’s fan.
My score here is mainly awarded to the acting of the other actors and the story.
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Dark and Depressing
This drama is a dark and intense story taking place in Ningzhou, a southern region of China. The weather in the summer is mucky, everyone is covered in sweat and dirt. Unlike the usual glamorous sights of high rises and high fashion in cities like Shanghai and Beijing where most modern dramas are set, Ningzhou is dilapidated, people work hard to eke out a living. Being in this part of China, apart from speaking mainly Mandarin, Cantonese and other dialects are also used.Accordingly, this drama is adapted from a novel. When I first read the English title, The Bad Kids, I was expecting street urchins. Surprisingly, the kids I saw were nothing but honest, courteous, upstanding, compassionate and intelligent children who try to help each other out. Apparently, the characters of the children have been greatly rewritten to make them more humane as compared to the actual novel. The motives of the characters have also been changed to garner more sympathy from the viewers. Though I have not read the novel, from the reviews of viewers who have, I can see the original novel is even darker than what is depicted in the drama.
The sound effect is amazingly good and the dubbing is first rated. The child actors are simply fabulous to say the least. The lighting is natural and there's hardly any noticeable whitewash of the actors' faces unlike most other Chinese dramas; blemishes and pimples remain on the teenagers' faces. Their skin tone is also natural. The overall acting is really 10/10. The children song, Xiao Bai Chuan (Little White Boat) brings back childhood memories - it's one of the most well-loved children songs. Other music played at the strategic moments brings enormous intensity to the drama, preparing the viewers for imminent happenings.
I stopped at episode 6 and couldn't continue anymore because it's getting very dark and convoluted. I'm a rom-com kind of viewer and the story here depresses me with deaths and situations out of one's control. For that matter, I couldn't even stomach the award-winning movie Parasite. However, don't let my personal taste deter you from watching this drama, especially if you're a thriller buff. This is a great drama, just not my taste.
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This review may contain spoilers
Quality Production
What an amazing drama this is. When it was first released, I wasn’t very sure if I wanted to watch it; it has all the big names like Adam Cheng and Leon Lai. I was thinking, maybe it was going to be like one of those crappy dramas trying to use big stars to prop it up. How wrong I was.Ning Que (played by Arthur Chen) and Sang Sang (played by Ireine Song) are adorable. They have the purest love for each other. The care and concern for each other are so heart-warming. The fighting scenes are so well executed that they look very authentic, with elegant postures showing the gracefulness and beauty of Chinese sword fighting and martial arts.
Arthur Chen is definitely a heartthrob that it’s hard to believe he is only 18, still a teenager. But he has a physique of a man in his 20s. In contrast, Ireine Song looks like a little 12 year old girl despite her actual age of 25 (or so). My only qualm is, since Arthur Chen is a relatively new actor, his inexperience does show on his facial expression. In the drama, he is arrogant when faced with people he dislikes, but mischievous when he was with people he cares about. So far, he looks almost the same on his face when he faces both types of people. The arrogant part is fine, but he lacks the mischievous expression; had he used a bit of his eyes or edges of his lips to achieve his mischievous look, that would have been perfect. I love everything about Arthur, but he hasn’t given us a convincing Ning Que. Until the end of the drama, I still couldn’t make out Ning Que’s true personality. On one hand, he seems very devoted to Sang Sang, but on the other, he flirts around with other girls. He wants to take Sang Sang as his wife, but at the same time, he wishes he could marry the others. I could never tell when he was trying to be playful, serious, or angry. In the final scene when Ning Que was supposed to be heartbroken with Sang Sang's death, he didn't come across as in pain and despair (I wasn't even crying myself - which I normally do when it comes to scenes like this). I was not moved at all! Despite this deficiency, overall, he melts my heart. I love seeing the duo together, one tall and handsome, the other little and humble but with an unyielding charisma.
This drama also touches on Chinese calligraphy and learning, making it somewhat, cultured with a lot of finesse. Like most Chinese epic dramas, the costumes are immensely beautiful. The attention to details deserves our kudos.
I was disappointed with the later episodes, the whole thing felt like a let-down, with a disastrous final episode. Sang Sang ‘died’ in the last episode. Though I know she will come back in Season 2, that’s not why I felt the last episode was disastrous. I’m talking about the building up of the whole story to the supposedly ‘climax’ in the final episode, which then played out like a deflated balloon with a ‘whiff’. There was no catharsis. The so-called climax felt more like an anti-climax instead. The drama finished leaving everyone feeling like, “What???????? That’s it??????” There were still so many loose ends. It feels like the director(s) simply wanted to pack everything up and go home. It’s a shame that they had such a good start but finished so shoddily. It is not surprising that the rating went down to the current 8.9 from 9.5 earlier.
Pretty good drama with no ending.
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