Mila

When love saves.

While I have never actually written a review for this 2018 work of art that was My Mister, it nonetheless changed my way of envisioning dramas and raised my expectations tenfold for every subsequent one after I discovered it a few years ago. If you haven't watched it, I will somewhat spoil it here. Although there isn't much to spoil, really. If you want to entirely discover it yourself, I will add a spoiler alert at the paragraph concerned by the spoiler regardless. Other than a review, it's more like a spontaneous rant meant to alleviate the feelings I'm feelings in the feels right now suddenly remembering it for some reason.

Until this show, never have I been this close to seeing my own perspective about love materialized on screen. It was at arm's length when I went through the anime Naruto, many years prior. Exemplary tale of pure, unconditional, sacrificial love. An everlasting brotherhood, an unbreakable friendship, a beautiful growth, sadly mistaken by many as a basic boring power of friendship shōnen that just went on for way too long. While it was far from a perfect score, if I remove all the filler and nonsense and inappropriate stuff, it's still today one of the most beautiful stories I've ever watched.

Except from this, I thought that outside of Christian or deep Buddhist contexts it simply wasn't possible to encounter stories of very profound spiritual and platonic love, unending forgiveness and redemption in the face of any fault, and impeccable uprightness without mixing in a lot of romance and passions to make it palatable to conventional audiences. My Mister proved me half-wrong, as it is still very much anchored in Buddhist philosophy and it has its fair share of romance, but at the same time it doesn't matter that much. It then opened the door for me to discover many other beautiful tales of love that are out of this world. Asian dramas simply have a way of doing that. Their romances are beautiful - their non-romances are exceptional. However, this far, nothing quite hit me as deep as My Mister did.

Therefore right now, I just want to talk about it. In particular, about this magical relationship between Park Dong Hun (marvellously interpreted by Lee Sun Kyun, who tragically took his life in 2023, December 27th, following false accusations) and Lee Ji An (made alive by Lee Ji Eun with all her heart, also known as IU).

Some people consider this a star-crossed lovers story, where neither time, nor space, nor circumstances were right for them to come together romantically but where they nonetheless wished they could. I see it as an entirely platonic bond devoid of wordly desires that transcends time, space and circumstances without burdening itself with any labels. While this isn't just about them but also about many other miserable people around them, all unhappy, flawed and relatable in their own pathetic ways, what I will never forget is these two characters whose pitiful lives got intertwined and could never again be separated.

I genuinely believe there is no ambiguity about the nature of their relationship in this drama. Even if they had tried to make it ambiguously romantic, it simply doesn't work for me. This is just not the kind of energy and dynamic that is going on between them, at all. Dong Hun on his side made it crystal clear from the start : she could be his own daughter (age gap of +15 years !) and in no way did he think of her like that. He is as close to perfection as could be a faithful, principled and selfless human being, and he never gave any indication that this kind of relationship with her was something he actually desired, at any point. Added to that, Dong Hun was married, and divorce or cheating simply weren't in his vocabulary.



[SPOILER ALERT]

He even forgave his wife with all the meagre strength he had left for her unfaithfulness and remained loyal to her to the end of the drama - and, I believe, to the end of their fictional lives.

While Ji An did 'kiss' Dong Hun once, it is very clear that this was out of her desperate, malicious, confused aim to create a scandal and provoke him, trying to shake off of him what she thought was merely a fake facade of integrity. As inappropriate as it was, and as distressed as that made Dong Hun, it simply made sense for where she was on her growth arc at this point. Then not only did he reject her firmly, she also ended up hurting herself instead of him as others saw right through it, and in no other instances did she appear to love him in a way that was sexual. She loved him, there is no doubt. But I sincerely believe it was not a physical love.

[END SPOILER]



In fact, this story could not be further from being about a passionate, forbidden, secret 'love' affair between a mentally-ill girl and a middle-aged man on the edge of a complete breakdown. It's about true and unconditional love that doesn't care about anything but what is right and just, forgiveness that remains even when everyone else would condemn, hope in absolute darkness, sacrifice without asking anything in return and unfailing virtue, that healed and transformed two people whose hearts had been ravaged by life, and whose lives were completely falling apart.

To go even further, from how I see it, Lee Ji An could have been a child, a senior lady, a man, a pony or an alien life form from another dimension, it wouldn't have changed anything or made inappropriate the love they had (minus what I talked about in the spoiler section, obviously). It is the purest, the strongest and the best rendition of true unconditional platonic love I have seen in any fiction this far, and haven't come near this again. Except for some good bro-sismances, but not between a male and a female, and certainly not to this extent.

Apart from this, watching this show feels like taking a deep dive into psychology and Buddhist philosophy. The amount of pertinent life quotes these beaten-down guys say, that make you feel both exposed and healed is something that really attracted me. Yet, this is also one of the reasons I cannot rewatch it. I have rewatched it multiple times already. But that was before Lee Sun Kyun passed away. This a psychologically and emotionally very difficult story to endure, as rewarding as it is in the end. It's heavy. It's depressing. Many of these people are walking corpses. Their last resort to survive is either make-believe and cynicism or ridiculous attempts at grasping some air with one nostril while they're themselves blocking the other one and the entire ocean is filling up their lungs through their mouth. It's not like they're going through extreme, abnormal trauma. It's just... life. And it's already so hard. It's not a tale culminating in well-earned success, perfect health, eternal happiness, wrongs made rights ; it's a realistic yet satisfying and spiritually uplifting one. Now that it's said, the fact this great actor and good man is gone only leaves us a painfully bittersweet memory. It truly makes journeying with his character that much more gutting. Which is why I don't feel ready to rewatch it. However - if you haven't yet watched this and are considering it because the themes appeal to you - please, please, please : do. Really. You will cry. You will be angry. Your heart will rise, and then it will fall flat. It will swell, then it will be crushed. But in the end, it will all be worth it.

I hope that anyone coming across this drama will remember it, carve it in their heart, feel it in their soul. If only Lee Sun Kyun had done so.

"So just watch. Watch and see just how happy I live my life. None of this is a big deal. Being humiliated ? People gossiping about how my life is ruined ? None of that is a big deal. I can live a happy life. I won't be broken. I will be happy." - Park Dong Hun to Lee Ji An.

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Broken-hearted idealists look towards the stars.

It is very difficult for me to summarise in any way, shape or form what "Three Body" made me experience. Because this is a dense story, I'll try and structure this likewise dense review simply : bad - neutral - good - summary. EXTREMELY LONG and highly subjective but spoiler free (within reason). My rating is susceptible to change just like my review because I'm going to keep thinking about this freaking drama for a while. I already feel so empty that it's over. At the time of writing this, I have watched both the initial 30 episodes version and the 26 episodes Anniversary Edition version. I appreciated this complicated and heavy story a lot more with a rewatch. I haven't read the books in detail, I am just aware of the general plot and how different it is in terms of characters and relationships. The drama followed the first novel closely but added a fair part of "non-canon" content and characters/relationships development. As sacrilegious as that might appear to book purists, I'll review this drama as its own separate story. Its creator was well involved in the process anyway, so if he doesn't mind their choices I don't either. I haven't watched the Western Netflix version; I didn't even know there was one when I started and I am not planning on watching it - while Liu Ci Xin was a side consultant for it as well and said he liked it, he was not as prominent in the creation process as he seemed to have been for Tencent's.

[THE BAD]

LACK OF NUANCE. TRIGGERING INACCURACIES. WRITING ISSUES.

When it comes to philosophical stories and existential themes, there's always a risk of coming off as pretentious. In my opinion, it occasionally happens in this drama. Especially its first half, when the plot isn't very clear yet. The attempt to present a pretty wide range of ideas and opinions on multiple topics from multiple points of view (not just science but also religious beliefs, environmental issues, human nature, right and wrong, meaning and value of life, etc.) is good. But the fact is that a fair part of them (not all - but a lot) remains either one-dimensional or unimpressive. At best. If you've never really considered these kinds of thoughts before this might be mind-opening to various degrees, which is fine. If you have, it won't really seem revolutionary. Worse, it might even be pretty annoying. It deals with extremes and lacks nuance and finesse. This can be a turn-off. In spite of that, in the end, I felt like it was ok and rewarding. Like life, you can just somehow put this aside and still experience the events and the people for what they are. It's just that, as you go through it, it might get periodically irritating.

Another problem in such stories is when, while trying to make themselves look intelligent and rational, they expose obvious mistakes as facts. Which unfortunately happens as well. I know nothing about the science side of it and how accurate that is, so I definitely have nothing to say on that matter. Some lack of realism is perfectly fine. However, there are some things I know about.

Such as the common but no less blatantly false belief that Middle Ages people thought the earth was flat. They knew the earth was spherical. This erroneous idea that they didn't came in much later. And it really doesn't take much to find that out. Or their ignorant insinuation that burning at the stake people for some conflicting intellectual ideas was the Church's hobby every Sunday during the Middle Ages. Most of their examples in fact happened not during the Middle Ages (roughly 450-1400 AD) but during the Inquisition of the Renaissance period (1400-1600 AD) and involved a lot more theology and politics than just "not being convinced by their scientific ideas". Also none of these guys were tried/killed on the spot; it would start with a non-violent warning and then escalate over multiple years and repeated offences in some cases (well, what the Popes at the time considered offences anyway). D'Ascoli (Middle Ages) in particular was definitely not killed for his "belief in a round earth" as Ye Wen Jie confidently states, but because he was teaching many forbidden things about astroLOGY.

The ridiculous in-game representations of some Western figures also triggered me (such as de Vinci and Newton who both acted like dumb and effeminate cowards for some reason ???). Even though they actually respected their works so I don't understand these weird characterizations. Sure, all historical figures are anachronistic and stereotyped in some manner in the game. But some of these are really bothering honestly. I just don't understand why they did that. If it was for comedy, it was lost on me.

Also : no, one cannot just snap other people's necks like that.

Aside from those various inaccuracies which are akin to an enormous life-sucking black hole at the centre of a drama aiming at rationality and scientific rigour, there are a few other things that could have been better. Although they're not as bad. In particular, there are plot conveniences and holes here and there. Far from the worst writing I've seen, that's for sure. Yet not the absolute tightest either. Especially with those original characters and storylines. Some plot points were forced.

[THE NEUTRAL]

CHARACTERIZATION. PACING. COLOURS. THINKING THOUGHTS.

You see, that's often the case with these conceptual and massive plots : character development is relegated to the second (or third or fourth or fifth) place. I said I wouldn't compare with the novel. However it would be unfair to the drama not to mention that, in the original work, character depth and development is virtually nonexistent. Liu Ci Xin said himself he didn't care about characterization when he wrote. They're a means to an end, tools. Maybe good tools. Still tools. Thanks to the screenwriters, in this adaptation most original characters have the merit to express substance, layers and potential. The team breathed life into these one quarter-dimensional faceless names and made them look and behave like interconnected human individuals. But because they're still working with the base material without deviating too much, they cannot make miracles. Wang Miao has some aspects of his personality I found incomprehensible and unlikeable. I wouldn't say it is "bad", though. At least he has a personality. Shi Qiang and Ye Wen Jie are undoubtedly the best and I'll talk about them more in the good section. The non-canon characters however, I'm not convinced.

Now something else that needs to be clear is that this drama follows the heartbeat of a blue whale and the colour scheme of a winter's night. You may like it or dislike it. I didn't mind. I wasn't bored because the topics interest me and the tension is palpable from beginning to end. However I can understand why some people fall asleep to it. They talk and think a lot. I like talking people. And I think the aesthetic choices fit the story. Although sometimes I couldn't see crap. The Anniversary Edition does "improve" a little on these aspects, as it cuts some non-canon storylines and "unnecessary" bits to shorten the whole, while brightening it. If you find the original version too dark and/or too slow and/or too filler-filled compared to the novel, definitely give the Anniversary Edition a try. But be warned : because they had to edit out storylines for this version, there are even more plot holes (for instance, an important scene is kept in which someone will briefly mention this thing that happened in that other scene but, oops, turns out that scene was cut out in this version, too bad, let's move on).

[THE GOOD]

THE CINEMATOGRAPHY. THE OST. THE ACTING. YE WEN JIE. SHI QIANG. SHI/WANG'S FRIENDSHIP. THE BIG IDEAS. ALL THE REST.

If you can put the aforementioned darkness aside, this drama is a work of art that deserves all the praise. The cinematography is gorgeous. It does not look like a drama at all. It looks like a movie. A breathtakingly gorgeous movie. So many beautiful shots. The CGI is as good as it can get in a C-drama and not a thing to complain about. I am reluctant to watch any drama with CGI because it's usually hideous and makes me unable to get immersed in the story. Here it's fine.

The OST is a whole story on its own as well. Every piece is an experience to listen to. Powerful and soulful. Well-used. Really immersive. Perfectly suited. Just "listen to the universe". Seriously, what a fitting title. The openings are beautiful to watch. I generally don't like to hear English lyrics in dramas but in that case I'd say it's relevant.

Another strong point is the acting. Flawless, from everyone. And there are difficult roles to play. Many of them impressed me. Even the foreign cast. They carved supplementary reliefs into their characters. Yang Dong is an angel. Yang Wei Ning is a good man. Ding Yi is pure-hearted. Xu Bing Bing's a cute puppy. Wei Cheng and Shen Yu Fei kind of broke me. I also liked Colonel Stanton. Their faces and expressions remain ingrained in my brain. They're all awesome.

But the moment the actress of young Ye Wen Jie appeared, Wang Zi Wen, I couldn't take my eyes off of her. It helps that she's a beauty but it's not so much her surface; it's her charisma. Her face barely moves, ever. Yet I could feel everything through her eyes. When she cried, I cried. When she smiled, I smiled (and cried). This character's mind is fascinating, her presence so powerful, I just... yeah. She is an excellent character. A fascinating *female* character, at that. And an astounding actress made for this role. Chen Jin is impressive as well, don't get me wrong. They did such a great job casting her - her vibe is vastly different from her younger self with good reasons and she nailed it to perfection. Wen Jie really hit me on a personal level. This drama is worthwhile even if only for this character.

Then Da Shi. Supposedly the plainest, I ended up thinking he was among the most subtly layered of them all. Rough and straightforward, the kind of person I, like Wang Miao, would barely be able to discuss anything with, ever. And yet he offers a necessary grounded perspective in all this cerebral mess. Most importantly, he has a huge heart. Yu He Wei showcases a lot of micro-expressions, including from his vocal cords. Very dynamic. Very pleasant to watch and listen to. Opposed to that, Zhang Lu Yi's acting here is way more restrained and delicate, as is his character. He often speaks slowly, gently, at a very low, almost muffled level. He really pulls off the somewhat awkward and reserved scientist vibe with his entire being. It's another kind of character completely. They're a particularly good balance to each other.

Which brings me to their relationship. Look. One would not simply expect such a moving connection between these two astronomically different guys in this type of story. Their bond really pulled at my heartstrings and it's not stopping. The team zoomed in on details in the novel and expanded on it to flesh them out while adding their own spin on it. Somehow, as unlikely as that is, it just ticks. Albeit still a bit lacking in development. Although it can't really be helped in order to stay faithful to the original.

For the rest of the good, as a counterbalance to my main criticism, I did appreciate various ideas they presented. And the way they presented it. It was surprising and refreshing. We get to consider different sides on some questions. Made me ponder and think, all that. Regularly, it felt like they really hit the nail on the head, personally. It just resonated. It was impactful. As "rational" as that is meant to be, it was also a 'spiritual' journey for me.

Overall it was very enjoyable. And frequently emotional. There's even some comedy, especially thanks to the perpetual bickering between our two main guys. When things happen... they really happen. And that finale...

And you know what ? Regardless of my opinion, the fact is that many people who worked on this project have a genuine appreciation for the original work and it shows. Yang Lei (director) and Lu Bei Ke (visual effects supervisor) are hardcore fans and decided to do everything they could to preserve it (and in my opinion they enhanced it). Yu He Wei wanted to play Shi Qiang so much he made the request himself to be cast, even though he'd have to get body makeup because his skin is too light (and light or dark he's perfect). Tian Liang Liang (screenwriter) probably knows the book almost by heart as well and wrote accordingly (and many dialogues are word for word what's in it). And it really shows through everything. They didn't do this thoughtlessly. They put in a lot of care. Without the unfortunate inaccuracies and dark areas I mentioned, this drama could have been a 9-9,5 for me. It's no surprise it's a masterpiece for many. And an important cultural achievement for Chinese fans.

[THE LONG SUMMARY]

Tencent's "Three Body" is a HARD SF with a fascinating premise and setting, a strong plot but weak spots and bothering inaccuracies, a gorgeous realisation made alive by fans of the original work, good characters on paper whose depth and likeability in practice may vary but still allow for enjoyable dynamics between them and especially a noteworthy duo. There is mostly A.L.O.T of thinking, philosophising and speculating about scientific and existential topics but BIG AND INTENSE things happen as well. It also indirectly addresses various but not always nuanced views on some ethical issues and metaphysical questions through the musings of the characters and general context of the story. Which may or may not be enjoyable depending on who you are. Do not expect frequent fast-paced action. Definitely do not expect romance between anyone (although there are married couples, romantic interactions between them are scarce). Even the heartfelt friendship between Miao Miao and Da Shi stays subtle, blended into an ocean of plot points.

However, this is not just a science-fiction story. This is a deep dive into the frontier between hope and disillusion, ideals and reality, so-called rationality and what lies beyond our control. I think it can appeal to different person for different reason and offers different levels of understanding and interpretation. I found a lot of value in this drama. Through their desperate ideals and tragic longings for a more beautiful, humane universe, it made me unbury my own, as painful as that is. In the end, what I'll truly remember are Ye Wen Jie's character and Shi/Wang's partnership, because I care more about people and bonds than I do plots and concepts. As interesting as they are. Which is why I'm looking forward to the short Shi/Wang spin-off preceding "The Dark Forest", hoping it will be a proper wrap-up before entering into the second phase of the story. I don't know if I'll keep watching afterwards for reasons I won't spoil. And I don't even know if I'll still be around when it all comes out, because it's probably going to be a massive production with an equally massive wait time. But regardless, I liked this drama despite what I didn't. As a part 1, an introduction, a summary, a standalone with an extremely open ending, or anything else. I will remember it both in my mind and my heart, with criticism but with fondness also, and am finding it hard to part with it.

Thanks to the team for their work. And thank you if you read the entirety of the unintelligible, emotionally confused scrawl that is this review and didn't just skip to the summary (I know you did - it's ok). May the vast universe around you bring you comfort rather than fear.

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A criminally underrated treasure.

I do understand the low rating for this drama and at the same time I really don't. The themes are extremely dark and everything is pretty gloomy and unpretentious. If you prefer light-hearted subjects, or breathtaking cinematography, or extremely tight logic with a masterfully written whodunit, this is not going to satisfy you. This is not what it is. Also, the premise is on its own hard to believe. Some suspension of disbelief is needed. However, if you can do that, the writing in general is in my opinion gripping even though some tropes aren't that surprising. The pacing is more contemplative than it is active. But unless you're an action junkie or very impatient or you simply don't care about these characters at all, it's short enough to finish it pretty quickly without getting bored.

There is another complaint about this drama that I don't get, is trying to level it to The Bad Kids. As much as I love that drama, I don't see the point in comparing the two. Of course on a technical level The Bad Kids is probably superior. Does it mean it's necessarily better ? It does not.

This show is powerful on many levels and doesn't need to be ashamed of its identity. I will not say much because I don't want to spoil anything. But it deals with heavy topics, shows us a glimpse of a very broken humanity and what it can do, sometimes, supposedly, out of love, and is overall extremely sad. Basically every time you learn something new this becomes more and more tragic.

Yet there is hope in the same broken love that some of these characters show for each other. Imperfect, sometimes messed up love, it still is basically the core of everything. It is heartbreaking. It's also very human.

The acting is spectacular from most of the cast, the relationships between these characters are fascinating and complicated and the OST is an absolute gem - these three songs are among the most beautiful I've heard and they really suit this show. One of them is sung by the two MLs' actors and becomes the ending song for the second half or so of the drama. It's such a sweet and soothing song, well needed after the emotions this story can make you feel.

If you're interested in thrillers, child trafficking, dysfunctional families, parents/children relationships, and love in general, please give this drama a chance.

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Sometimes it is.

I usually do not leave a review for dramas I drop because I think it's a bit unfair. I also rarely drop and usually keep watching even when it's pretty bad because I always hope there will be something better or that it'll make sense in the end. But this drama is 37 episodes, OK ? 37 episodes of 40 minutes with barely anything I appreciate in it is a bit too much to subject myself to. As much as I love watching Wang Zi Wen. So when I reached the end of episode 7 thinking "gosh still 30 left to go", I figured it was time to give up.

As context, I started it for two things ONLY : Wang Zi Wen, and the promising unusual friendship between her character, Jiang Tian, and Wu Jing Fang. After seeing her rendition of Ye Wen Jie in "Three Body", I just needed to see more of her works, especially in a lighter role. And these kinds of unexpected platonic bonds are my fuel and my passion.

I do not like romance however I wouldn't have minded a little if this was good (according to my subjective preferences). Not only is there a lot here (romance should be one of the genres, I don't know why it's not) but it's not very well written and the "first love rekindling after 10 years" trope, especially with the guy still liking her after so long, is a nope for me.

BUT even with that I was perfectly ready to keep watching. For her great acting, Ms. Wu, their relationship and the rest of the story. But you see, Jiang Tian is actually extremely unpleasant. Sure, she probably has to go through a positive arc and I do admit she has potential. She's cute when she's nice and her personality is interesting.

BUT after 7 episodes I could still barely connect with any of the characters. I hated her workplace and all her dumbass colleagues. Mr. Qian is a freaking prick and yet everyone is expected to lick his boots like he's some kind of Messiah. Is that even possible in a normal company ? I was looking forward to her working on her own, sure, but for that I would need to continue watching. Which is not gonna happen. Also her best friend wanting to push her towards her ex constantly while she was still with her boyfriend (basically encouraging her to cheat or to tempt her to ?) for 5 episodes was so incredibly annoying that I started to dislike seeing her despite their relationship being absolutely adorable and having so much potential.

BUT the final move for me was the "unfaithfulness" of her boyfriend. It was so forced and stupid. The way she found out is terribly convenient ("oh sure, take my phone full of unfaithful conversations with another girl, you know the password"). And honestly none of what he said was false - Tian can be very domineering and unlikable. Telling her that she's all good and he's the villain isn't going to change anything. That woman he chatted with could have been his best friend (if they didn't talk romantically like they seemed to do with each other though...) and if that was the case, I don't see how it would have been wrong in any way. But Tian didn't even try to listen or consider what he had to say. And even with that, maybe he truly wanted to make things better between them. Not trying to excuse cheating in any manner and not saying that his relationship with the other girl wasn't at risk of becoming physical, because it seemed like it was. But this whole plot point was an absurd excuse to push her back with the other guy. She shouldn't have had a boyfriend to begin with if it was to insert this ridiculous arc that dragged for way too long. Alternatively, he should have just broken up with her directly from the start of the show to push forward her character's growth and give an additional justification to her coming back to her hometown, without this silly cheating thing.

That's really too bad. I really wanted to witness the growing affection between Tian and Jing Fang and their developing career and life. The acting is very good and I'm sure there are a lot of great things in the following episodes. But I cannot go through this. Especially if these 7 episodes accurately reflect the 30 remaining ones. It was supposed to be a comfort drama but it ended up becoming a stressful, unnerving one. Maybe I'll give it another try later, skipping every annoying scenes just to watch what I'm interested into. But not right now.

I'd rather keep watching what I enjoy. Life is difficult and short enough.

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