This review may contain spoilers
A Near Miss!
To start, the Fox Spirit Matchmaker series has been somewhat disappointing, and “Sword and Beloved is no different. Was this because of bad acting, directing, or poor writing? I think writing and directing should share the blame. The acting, I thought, was not too bad, with some overacting and some underacting. Initially, I thought I was watching an anime, so I was confused. Once I realized it was still a drama. This reminded me of one of those vertical short dramas you can watch on YouTube. Once I settled on that thought, I didn’t mind it so much. I felt the CGI was just okay, but the FL stayed a spider too long. Uncle Fie was the only character who had or made any sense.This was like someone took clips from other dramas and tried to piece them together. However, for the sake of plagiarism, they never completed any of the back story. It would have made more sense to take the four Ancient Primordial Powers, then divide them among four righteous people to conquer evil and darkness. It doesn’t make sense for one person to be responsible for the fate of evil.
The cast worked hard and did their jobs it just did not come together well in the end. Neither ML nor FL did not connect; there was no chemistry. A love story that in the end was not love at all but duty. The other couples were good and a bright spot. The one characters that stood out to me were Uncle Fei and Rumu. Guo Jun Chen (Rumu) did a really nice job. Sometimes, I think, the main stars are roped into giving lesser stars the spotlight, because honestly, Guo Jun Chen had more of a leading role than Cheng Yi. Cheng Yi seemed somewhat demure.
On a positive note, the sword fighting is particularly good and entertaining.
Also, the soundtrack was good.
In conclusion, it was okay, just okay. If you want a more specific review, check out (bailang). His reviews are always on point and make my day.
Was this review helpful to you?
Modern-day approach to Vampirism
I really loved this mini drama with a modern-day approach to Vampirism. The cast, although small, packs a decent acting punch. There is plenty of eye candy and mystery for a fantasy lover. The ML and FL have plenty of chemistry and charisma, drawing you into their roles.
The production is small and low budget, but the scenery and costumes are on par with the Chinese Republic era it is set in. So, I didn't mind that it was not a massive production. The use of CGI is smart and well done; it fits well with this mini drama.
The soundtrack is nice and soothing; it does not overpower the drama like some others.
The story as far as far as I know, is original and deserves to be told in this fantasy setting. The writers could have spent a little more time on the origin of the story, explaining more about the Eternal Night Clan and Flame Maidens.
Was this review helpful to you?
Si and Jin (Jin completely adores Si)
Si Jin had everything I love in a drama and more of everything I love. Number one is romance: In addition to a good storyline, there was mystery, suspense, humor, a good dysfunctional family, lovable characters, an ML who is head over heels in love, and plenty of eye candy. The first episode starts with an epic cliffhanger where the FL dies, and we don’t know what happened. So, the audience is immediately drawn in, trying to piece together this puzzle. The episodes move at a quick pace, but getting to the heart of this mystery takes some time. While you are putting together the pieces, you will enjoy meeting the many characters, some of which are really good and others really bad.I have no sense of the novel, so I cannot write my review with that in mind. This is purely from a dramatization perspective and my point of view.
The acting is good, not great, but it delivers a decent drama. There are some over-the-top moments with scream acting and then some demure postures. (acting without emotions) The casting was good. I found most of the characters played a good role and helped develop the story. With that being said, I felt that there could have been more back stories with some of the characters. Because the episodes move along quickly, I couldn’t get into the emotions of the drama. I think you will definitely love the leads and hate the villains.
The production is grand and beautiful, with what looks like a picturesque background, but the cinematography is somewhat lacking and feels closed in at times. (makes a big production look and feel small) There are also some editing issues where it feels like they left out chunks of information. It may be that they couldn’t fit in a lot of the novel. Whatever they left out, it does feel like it could have made a better drama. The costumes are well done and provide a large array of colors.
As far as the OST is concerned, I do not speak the language, but it sounded beautiful and fitting to the scene.
In conclusion, if you are a romance, family drama, crazy villains, smart, strategic and adoring FL, ML you will love this drama. If you need a more specific review, I thought this one was spot on https://kisskh.at/profile/DramaloverPanda, although the score is too low.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Slow Torture!
To begin the pace of this drama was extremely slow almost as if it was purposely done to drag out 40 episodes. I did like the beginning plot and the way in which I felt the story might develop. It has a smart, pretty FL and a smart, handsome, dominant ML. These two although they start off at odds find a common element early on in their ability to solve cases. Each has a strong moral position and an unwavering penchant for justice. The FL is one of a few that will stand up to the ML and does not seem to fear much. The case-solving tends to move slowly to match the slow pace of the drama.The set and costumes are done well for the most part you do feel you are a part of the room. However, they did over-decorate some scenes and the room is too congested. I am not Asian, but I notice that many Asian movies are done in the cold where you can see the breath of the actors as they speak, and in this drama, it happens often. This is distracting at times.
Another thing I liked was the fight scenes. They were quick and entertaining moving faster than the pace of the show. The actors handled the action well and did a good job.
There is an interesting cast of characters with political intrigue. With this being said the first two episodes had my interest but then it fell short due to the slow pace of the drama and the lack of connection between the leads. Ding Yu Xi, I felt played his part well as the domineering lead but I felt Ancy Deng could not match his presence. There is not a lot of time spent on the supporting cast. Just some flashbacks to get a sense of the characters. If they spent time on them it may have helped with the slow pace.
So I think I get it now, why I am not seeing any chemistry between the leads. There is a certain immaturity in the FL so when I looked her up I found there is a huge age gap of 10 years between them. Not that age matters but if you have ever seen Yang Mei Mei, who is 19 yrs., but she looks 15 yrs. and she can pull off the coy woman role like nobody's business. the FL in this case, her youth and immaturity strongly come across in this drama. I think that with some agencies popular actors are sometimes forced to act with newcomers to give them a leg up in the industry. What a shame they could have cast better.
I stayed until the end to give Ding Yu Xi the benefit of the doubt because I felt he did a good job. The ending was not unexpected but could have been better.
Was this review helpful to you?
Could be a little more realistic!
“Fighting For Love”,So this a story of two people on merging paths to each other. I am only a few episodes in but the story is well written so far. Some of it is not so much words but the expressions and actions of the actors are so believable. The drama is well written I find myself listening to the dialog and not fast forwarding a lot. So, for me there is some intrigue about where it is going.
Acting:
Now that I am at end of this drama it has been fairly good. There is no shortage of plots and palace intrigue. There is a large cast and what seems like a big production. The story is not new with a strong woman pretending to be a man. The FL handles her part well and her played down looks helps with the part. In the beginning episodes the acting was really good, and I take my hat off to the emperor he is superb. The ML could have been a little better with the acting. He plays an aloof playboy prince that is not mature and does not know anything about responsibility. So, it is up to the FL to guide him. Their relationship does not take long to develop as they become friends first.
This drama has a lot a battle scene a little more than I like, because they lack that wuxia element, but they move quickly. The production of the battles are done well. I would not call this a wuxia it is just more of a drama.
I have binged most of the drama it does draw you in with the curiosity of who, what why and where is this going in he end.
Story:
The story is not original but is written well and does draw you in to watch. It has a lot of twist and turns. The last three episodes are rushed so much so I thought it would be a second season. I don’t know if everyone will stick around for the end or even appreciate the ending. I for one did not like the ending. I did not like the direction the story went in for the final episodes. This I more on a personal level and observation. I am all for the independence of women and that being able to forge your own path. I liked that the writers kept her personality of women in that she always knew she was a woman. She was forced by her circumstances to act as a man. I also liked that she was not portrayed as a woman that was physically stronger than men but she did work at being smarter.
Rewatch:
In conclusion I would not re-watch this. However, being that I binged most of it would suggest that I like the drama overall. It could have had a better ending, but I think that is how most people feel about endings these days. (They suck).
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Do not waste your time
I thought this had an interesting plot, something uplifting about being thirty and it being a good thing, but it was just depressing. It was actually quite predictable nothing that comes out at you. Maybe the music was a bit somber that made it seem to drag on. I fast forwarded a lot. I did not feel any chemistry between any of the characters not even the FL's. I remember thirty and it was one of the best times of my life in spite of bad relationships and barely making ends meat. This should have been about the joy of surviving thirty but I could not find any joy in this drama. Glad it is over. I thought "WWW" had a better take on thirty.Was this review helpful to you?
I am in my feelings for this.
I got total feel-good vibes from watching this short drama. The attraction and chemistry between the lead couple are just mesmerizing.Although the script does not seem to require a lot of emotional acting. It is just the fact that they can ooze such chemistry with each other. The subtle gestures and looks. The cute smile when they think the other is not looking kept me watching. That is good enough acting for me.
If you're expecting a big production with a long-drawn-out plot and suspense this does not have it. Well, maybe a little it does have one of the best plot twist I never saw coming. However, if you are like me a hopeless romantic this will feed your soul. With that being said I feel like this could have been much longer. This leading couple (Ke Ying and Ryan Chen) look so good together and apart. I think they are relatively new to the drama scene and I hope they continue. I will definitely watch some of their other dramas, especially Ryan Chen. As I said this does not have a big production but it does make the most out of what they have. It almost feels big and lets you imagine that there is more.
Face swapping can be tricky in a drama because one face may not hold up in the view of the audience. So, I am not always a fan of this plot-line.
So, I have re-watched it twice and got feels both times. If you are a romantic at heart this is a must watch.
One final note I think when rating they need to separate categories into dramas over 24 with 45 minute episodes because the scoring is a little different.
Was this review helpful to you?
This is how a C-Drama should be.
Full disclaimer: I have a weakness for romance. So whenever there is a decent romance in a drama I tend to give it a higher score. So for the serious people take this with a grain of salt with the high score.A C-drama should have a decent plot, intrigue, mystery, suspense, and good fight scenes. ROMANCE, eye candy, smart ML and FL, good casting, and a good wrap-up at the end. This happens to check all of the boxes. It is not perfect and that is why I did not give a perfect score. With that being said I enjoyed this drama.
STORY: ML and FL on opposing sides fall in love never forgetting who they are. So, the story is slow in parts but that seems to be the norm with C-dramas these days. I think that is to drag out more episodes so I am getting used to it. My one CON, in these dramas is that the plot does get lost at some point. It took a while to get the story going somewhere. So, I found myself wondering when it would get to the point, but then it happened, so I did not take offense and kept watching.
ACTING: The acting is okay or on par with this type of drama. It is filled with a rather large cast. You may find a couple of the characters a bit over the top but, somehow it works out in the end. I have been watching C-dramas for a few years and I do not get the over-the-top FAN thing. Some people do not like (Angela-baby)' but I do. Is she the best actress, no, but she is getting better.
Overall this is a good light-hearted watch.
Was this review helpful to you?
Great start, but ran out of steam toward the end.
The Princess’s Gamit is not an original plot, but it is well performed by Meng Zi Yi and Liu Xue Yi. These actors deliver their roles with experience and skill. I started liking it from the beginning. What stands out to me is that the story isn’t original, but it keeps your interest for most of the run.The Story
This is a story about a powerless princess who leaves her country for a political marriage with a neighboring prince. Unfortunately, she is framed and ends up marrying the ruthless Left Chancellor instead. It’s suspenseful from the start as the leads use their wit and cunning to navigate this chaos. If you enjoy dramas where both leads are sharp and capable, you'll find this enjoyable. Sit back and watch as the plot twists and turns throughout the series. Although there are concubines, the story doesn’t focus heavily on harem antics. Instead, there’s more political intrigue, palace politics, and a mystery waiting to be unraveled.
The Acting
I am a fan of Liu Xue Yi; the more I watch him in dramas, the more I respect what he brings to a role. He portrays a ruthless Left Chancellor, and when you see his cold stare, it might send chills down your spine. Yet, he can also soften and show a gentler side when he switches gears. Meng Zi Yi has also grown in her acting. She is a beautiful woman who convincingly plays the victim. Overall, this is one of the few dramas where I think the casting is quite good. There’s plenty of cuteness and eye candy. That’s my particular taste because I’m tired of characters who stay grimy and stay in the dark throughout the entire series. That said, the villains could be more convincing.
Since there are only 36 out of 40 episodes, some editing and scene cuts were necessary. This leads to parts of the story feeling a bit disconnected and poorly edited. You might wonder whether they should have included more content or cut more, especially toward the end.
Production
The production quality is solid, even if it’s on a smaller scale. You won’t see sweeping countryside shots, large mansions, or grand ponds. However, the interior scenes appear larger than they are. The costumes are nice, especially the men's, which I find more captivating than the women's.
The Music
The music is good, but since I don’t understand the language, I can’t comment much on it.
In conclusion, this drama seems to have lost some of its initial ambition by the end. The villains didn’t quite live up to their potential. The ending is of a type I’ve always disliked in Asian dramas. If you enjoy the other aspects I mentioned, then it’s an okay choice for costume and historical drama fans. It’s not top-tier, but it’s also not the worst.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Not quite there yet as a real Romcom.
If you look at the trailer or read the description you will immediately think this a great Romcom. However, this fell short in so many ways. Let me first say the highest rating I gave is for the story. The story had real potential to be a blockbuster hit. It had all the makings to start a good Romcom. It just never got there. If I had to sum it up it was just boring. It never had two parts that go together. You know, peanut butter but no jelly, bread but no butter. The title does not go with anything. So a great story but the leads were not enough to pull it off. Individually they were cute but together no chemistry. I tried to give it every chance I could. I watched objectively until the end. I gave up better dramas for this. But when you start fast-forwarding through most of the episodes, you know something is wrong.Many of the comments ask why the ratings are so low. This has a slow pace and never really goes anywhere. It reminded me of those short dramas on YouTube that give you different versions of the same plot. I fault the director for not knowing where to go or lead this drama to make it more exciting and loveable. I fault the writers for giving the actors too much dialog that they could not pull off. Thus, making the actors look like bad actors.
On a positive note, it is a rom-com and there were some funny moments. There was a hint of romance but it was barely fulfilled because it took so long. It has a happy ending.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Will stir emotions!
This is a hard drama to rate. Call me crazy but I fell in love with the ML in this. I hated that he was so evil but I love that he had this pure love. The way he looks at her melts your heart and makes you want to root for him. I almost wanted to drop it because I could not stand him turning so bad. It did not hold much substance as far as dramas go but I wanted to find out what happened to his love in the end. If you have ever had someone close or family member do something questionable then you will realize how your emotions can get caught in the middle of forgiveness or hate.I found the other characters annoying at times and this was hard to by pass because the writer never really developed or had any growth of these characters. For this reason I did fast forward a lot.
I am not sure how they actually develop Asian dramas whether they write as they go along or if the story is actually written episode by episode. It seems as if they write episode by episode and they change the story line to meet the audience approval. In the beginning I could not tell who was with who and why these older men and much younger females were going.
I would say it is a OK watch if you like your emotions being tapped into a little.
Try "When a Man Loves" 2013. I thought this was one of the most emotionally charged dramas I have seen in a while.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Left me empty!
I guess I needed to write a review for my low score. The drama never leaves the first page. (If you know what I mean) It does not build to anything in order to finish anything. It starts off slow and depressing and never goes anywhere from there, in my opinion.To be honest this drama is about emotional baggage, everyone's emotional baggage and mental illness. Everyone is the drama is pretty much mentally ill. Or you can just say emotional baggage. Sure, we all carry some but there are still good days unlike this drama.
If you like the male and female actors they are nice to look at but that is about all they have to offer here.
I am not sure if there is more than one song in the sound track. I just kept hearing the some depressing song over and over and over.
I watch dramas to be entertained not to be depressed.
If you are already dealing with emotional baggage you might want to stay away from this one. Somehow I don't think this will make you feel better.
Was this review helpful to you?
The FL and ML ooze chemistry with a refreshing take on who is in control of the romance. The ML is a wealthy and shy introvert very much caught up in his work dedicated to family. Where as the FL also comes from a affluent family is totally outgoing not afraid of a challenge. Both of their characters are totally likable and adorable the chemistry is great balancing "Yin and Yang" if you will.
The story line is simple and sweet. If you want a emotional waive of feelings this is not for you. I just found myself smiling most of the time at how cute their romance was so I took the drama for what is was. I would say that originally this may have been over 48 episodes because the editing is cut a little too deep. You will never really know who Mrs. Fang was just that everyone loved her. So don't try to take this seriously it is what it is.
One last point OST, it was hard to get with it because there were no subtitles but it was pretty on point with key moments.
Was this review helpful to you?
Pleasantly surprised it was short and sweet.
When I first read the synopsis, I was uninterested in this drama, thinking it was a zombie genre. It's not that I don’t like zombies; I was just not in the mood at that time. Now, I am sorry I waited because this was a pleasant surprise.Well, this short drama packed a punch of love and good chemistry. This is about a man in love who will not give up on his wife, who may or may not be a monster. This was well directed, and this couple pairing was spot on. The director took his time detailing a complex story and the development of their relationship with answers to so many questions in each episode. For a drama lover, this has romance, suspense, and thrills with a splash of horror. The story is intriguing, and the leads are captivating. I have seen the two leads, FL, Rain Lu as Tang Qian Yuein, and ML, Zhao Yi Qin as Ling Chang Feng, in other dramas, and they have a sort of charisma when playing parts. They both capture a love-struck look with the innocence of youth. I found myself smiling from the inside.
The acting was good, and the casting was great. There is a family dynamic, friendship, and another side story that adds a new twist to the plot.
The cinematography is visually appealing, with small nuances in the production that draws you in.
You may find that some scenes were probably cut for one reason or another with some plot holes. Just go wtth it for me, that was okay. This goes under my short drama category, so the score is a little inflated being it was short, sweet, and to the point. This is a romance first and all else second. I truly enjoyed it and recommend it if you need a break from tragedies.
Was this review helpful to you?
Captivating , a good watch!
The quality of a good drama is back in this one. Starting from the opening scene “Blossom” is captivating and intense. FL comes across as smart and witty knowledgeable ahead of her time. She commands her household like a four-star general. This is a big production on a grand scale, and you can see it. The trailers did not disappoint. I personally appreciate the cinematography and visuals on display in this drama. The special effects, although brief are visually captivating.The ML is intense and somewhat barbaric with his frightening presence as if he has lived a full life at a young age. It is clear that his soul has weathered with time as his hair is fully grey. He comes off as smart as FL commanding a stealth army and on a mission.
The director draws you in from the very beginning setting up the entire plot in the first episode. The back story and some main characters are introduced. Right away you know what has happened and what is at stake for the two leads. You can sense that the two strangers were meant to be together. Fate has brought them together and oddly they share the same fate with both being poisoned and dying together then reborn. The FL retains her memories but not the ML.
The next set of episodes explores the FL living her new life trying to change her fate. It makes for an entertaining watch and suspenseful waiting for the two leads to meet again.
The cast is well-chosen and their storylines are interesting. The story is smooth and moves at a good pace. I do think that the writers could have spent a little more time on the character development of the other cast members. Some of them deserved a little more background to add more to the story. The costumes are well made and fit that time period.
What is disappointing is that the confidence that “Shou Gu” and “Yan Tang” had in the beginning episodes gets lost somewhere. So as a reborn drama, (IMO) I felt the leads could have been smarter, making us question the directors' choices about where the show must go.
This was a good quality drama which has been hard to come by lately. So, don’t miss out.
You will like this drama if you like:
Big productions
Costume drama
Different twist political plots
Harem and concubines’ hierarchy
Strong FL and ML
A love story full of romance
Was this review helpful to you?
