monstersnroses

Great beginning slowly marches toward a predictable and unsatisfying ending.

Starts off with great chemistry and plenty of swashbuckling and sexy scenes peppered here and there. All leads are very good in their roles.

However this director/ screenplay has a hard time balancing the plot with the sense of romance and excitement. As the plot progresses and becomes more involved, the leads gradually lose their spark, and you kind of start to wonder why theyre going through all the trouble.

FL, while pretty and charming, is -imo- not quite right for the part. She is supposed to be a proud, dignified, and vengeful person. But the way this actress portrays it comes off too harsh and awkward and I found several of her "strong proud woman" scenes to be nauseating and tedious. However, she's not THAT bad. She was decent.

Now, the SML / SFL couple is where you will really emotionally invest. Right away you'd notice that they violate the c-drama rules for a happy ending, so logic would tell you from the start that theyre doomed and won't live. And indeed they don't. But it wont stop you from emotionally investing. Therefore by the time they died, I no longer cared about what happened to the main couple. The second couple is funnier, sweeter, more exciting, and WAYYYY sexier.

The plot was involved, but not very gripping. The villain is unpleasant and gets too much screentime. Main couple gets very little screentime together through the middle/end of the story.

It doesn't feel like a happy ending, although technically you could get away with calling it one.

The whole thing lacks a firm artistic vision, and often seems like just a hodgepodge of scenes tromping blindly ahead through the prescribed plotlines, to the point that finishing some episodes felt like a chore. The director on some level knows this, and attempts to use the ost to pump up the emotional amperage of what is basically a somewhat flat story. Which just makes the ost sound aggressive and intrusive.

In this case, it was the 4 lead actors who had to hold this crappy story up, and they do a very good job of it, but they cant rescue the drama from its phoned-in direction, muddled script, and letdown ending.

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It will occupy your attention... but it probably won't leave much of an impression.

I liked this one for the easy, mildly interesting plot, and the way the pacing flows so nicely through the beginning and middle.. I also liked the actors. The leads had some chemistry, the kiss scenes were decent. FL was wisely cast -- she was the only thing elevating the show into something that could almost be taken seriously. ML did his best and it wasn't bad at all, he just needs some more acting experience under his belt and he will improve.

The problems: The way the story unwinds towards the end starts to get laggy and a little bit boring. The storyline, plot devices, dialogue.... all of it is really tired and cliche. The main couple kind of loses a little fizz in the final few episodes. Some of the soundtrack was slightly overdone to try to boost the dramatic or emotional content of the scenes.

I thought it was a little bit refreshing and ambitious for them to try to miniaturize an epic wuxia into something compact like this, and they didn't do too bad of a job. They just didn't do too good of a job either. This is a good between-shows watch with some decent kiss scenes, but definitely not of rewatch caliber.

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THE STORY IS SPICY, AND THE DELIVERY IS DAMN HOT!

This drama is LIT. But don't be fooled by the hype, this isn't a one size fits all crowd-pleaser. It's a love-it-or-hate-it.

You will have a bad time with this drama if:
*You're uncomfortable with pseudo-incest dramas
*You can't stand FL's babydoll brand of coquettishness
*You go in with high expectations that this is going to be some kind of Lighter & Princess or Amidst A Snowstorm Of Love

You will have a good time with this if:
*You go into it knowing that you're watching basically a pimped out on steroids version of a short-length c-drama scorcher.
* Your standards are "I hope it's at least as good as Embrace In The Dark Night"
* You like it when your dramas play up the "dark ML/ light FL" dynamic

If this sounds like your scene, then this is what you will get:

DARK FIRE DONE RIGHT. This is the most clutch point you need to know about this drama.... it has a kinky side. If you can't handle taboo/dark/forbidden/morally gray stuff, you gonna dislike this show. ML and FL are not blood related. But he fed her her first bottle when she was a baby, they show a flashback scene of it. Mkay. And that's the basic foundational dynamic. He played an outsized role in raising her for the first half of her life. Now that the two of them are of-age, they are semi-cohabitating alone together, and their father is ambivalent about it. He probably wanted to see them get together from the time she was born. There's a scene where ML goes to her parent-day at school. It's like that.

Now add another layer: They take it to the next level with the innocent/badboy dynamics here. They dress her up in barettes and little girl dresses and corsets and frills with porcelain perfect skin and she does the babydoll thing. They put him in black hoodies, old ripped up metallica tees, leather, black raver pants, and he almost never cracks a smile or loses his cool.

Not only that, but seen through a green-flag lens, he's allowing his attraction to her to drag her down into a life full of risks and crime and danger, throw away her future education and career prospects, and tie her down without any real way of supporting her. And he's practically her brother.

If all of that bothers you, this is not your drama. For some of us, this dynamic is completely lit. And we don't get enough of our kind of romance stories. You green flaggers have so many dramas to choose from, we don't. Our romance stories always have to do so much extra to make it past censors and find a good script and get funding. Well this one's for us, not for you! We like it DARK!

Now that the green-flaggers have been scared off, let me just say to everyone still interested even after all that: Waaaahhhhhh they nailed it!!!

Yes, FL is doing babydoll. But the way she does it here is ***justified by the script***, and feels genuine compared to many other FL's who try to do babydoll and fail. Her EQ is high. She is often quiet, shy, or demure. But she is very clever, and often her silence is her shield. She uses it to stop and think things out carefully on her own before she acts. She also has a precocious, brave, independent side. She is unafraid in many situations: She unflinchingly navigates during car chases and she takes it upon herself to learn to drive racecars, she jumps in to melees and kicks bad guys' asses, she can stand alone in the center of a crowd of intimidating people in an unfamiliar situation and keep her cool no problem. Without asking anyone's permission, she enrolls herself in school, and she insists on getting her way when something is important to her. She is actually a strong personality. That's why she can *afford* to act so soft and sweet and innocent. She is NOT a doormat, and she is NOT infantile or helpless.

ML is stoic, protective, secretive, and is tortured by a constant low-grade guilt that comes from knowing that having a thing for the girl you fed bottles to as an infant is basically deviant. Yet that guilt is always wrestling in his mind with another part of him that is fierce and unapologetic in his desire for her. And he is a total shitkicker. He's always banged up, bruised up, covered in dirt, sweat or blood.

It goes so much harder and darker than Hidden Love, and with NO groomy aftertaste.

EXCELLENT FASHION. The hair. The clothes. The shoes. The makeup. The sets. The way they portray Thailand. The color palatte. The dialogue. The extras. The cars. The people involved in creating the aesthetics for this show really had their shit together. Coture + thrift store = HOT. There is always a contrast and a seamless melding between rich and poor, having everything and having nothing. It feels authentic. Everything has it's own beauty. Extras and side characters are treated right by stylists, and full justice is done for the script.

CARS! I love how the topic of the drama is not treated as just a pretext for romance and fight scenes. It's treated like it's an important part of the story. This makes cars sexy and interesting, and gets you so involved with the racing scenes in a way that reminds me of Days of Thunder, F&F, or Rush. And yet it is still a *romance*. It doesn't look like some male person's testosterone and car fanaticism muscled out the softer and more romantic side of the story. It's a completely seamless blend of both.

This drama kicks the sh*t out of Fast and Furious, Need for Speed, and Mia Culpa. It also kicks the sh*t out of almost every other badboy ML romance out there, and in this sense, just as far as 'ultimate badboy' characters go, ranks among some of the best with stories like SOPK, WDBTD, EITDN, LOTEOD, MLM, and TTEOTM.

Now there is just one true caveat: This is one of those dramas that peters out at the 2/3 mark and ends in a whimper and not a bang. Is there a time-skip, are there montage scenes, does it drag, does the chemistry fade, do ML and FL stop getting screentime together, are there misunderstandings, do the clothes start to look stupid, do they juuust miss eachother 15 times before they reunite... yes. All the things. So expect to spend the first 2/3 of the drama enthralled, and the last third yelling at the characters and just generally being bummed that it stopped being awesome. But honestly. WORTH IT for the first 2/3 alone, the tradeoff is that you just have to tolerate the last eps to finish it. And it's not thaaat bad, but it's not what we signed up for when we started is all.

Started off as a 10, one point off for not recognizing that the last section of the drama needed a total creative overhaul because they wanted to give me angst, but all I got was eyeroll and exasperated sigh.

9/10

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Idk if you're gonna like it honestly....

I think if you go into this seeing it as less of a drama, and more of an extended music video or the movie cut from a video game, you might like it better.

It's the direction that's the most at fault for this... many scenes that in a normal drama would be filmed with a still camera shot, are instead filmed with a thatrically lit moving camera shot. Not just key parts of scenes, but little things like "the chauffer picks up the FL and takes her to the mansion" etc, are filmed dynamically and stylistically, and this creates the "music video" effect.

Everyone's makeup is just a liiiiitle too thick, everyone's clothing styles are just a liiiiiiitle too tryhard.

The acting is amateurish, especially on the part of the FL, who has weak acting and weak kiss game. She's holding her mouth closed like a nun sometimes during kiss scenes, and it looks like she's not into him at ALL. She just wants to act out the scenes, pick up her paycheck, and gtfoutta there. The ML is the only one who could keep up his end of the story. His acting was a little flat, but he got some riz and with more experience and a different director, he could probably improve quite a bit.

The story is ok, but it's hard to keep your attention on it because the director's sense of pacing is ALL OFF, and so it puts you to sleep when it shouldn't. The ending was interesting, although it's like 50% cool and 50% facepalm. With better acting and directing, maybe it could have been more like 90% cool. If this was how Sima Jao's story ended it would be sort of cute I suppose.

It does have a few redeeming qualities, but I was not a fan.

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Starts off fresh and strong, ends as a meh.

The good:
*Underused plot ideas free of many of the common tropes and cliches
*Some good acting
*Very visually pretty
*BGM/ost is not intrusive

The bad:
*FL was the weak link - OK actress, but not a good match for the role ---> becomes annoying as show goes on
*Plot not fleshed out right - tension, balance, sense of realism, dialogue, emotions.... all are lacking in screenplay.
*All acting was good but not extraordinary. The ML is gaining acting experience and improving, but still not quite exemplary.
*Teases spice, but also very much lacks said spice. Meager kiss scenes.

It just is what it is, which is a 7. Take it or leave it depending on how bored you are.

I would recc this only to people interested in watching Ma Hao Dong's acting career progress, because he IS getting better, and I think this is some of his best acting to date. IMO he has something special, and his career holds a lot of promise.

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An incredible work of art....

This is one of the shortest series i've ever seen, and yet I feel like I could write a huge essay about it (I won't... but I could).

Starting with the most obvious thing, that being the TERRIBLE dubbing/music: This drama is like a Michaelangelo painting covered in mud - that mud being the dubbing. It may at first look like shit. But if you wipe off the grime, what's underneath it is breathtaking. So my strenuous advice in order to fully appreciate this is

>>>Put on the sexiest, darkest, hottest music you know of.... AND MUTE THE SOUND ON THIS SHOW<<<<

I personally reccommend Type O Negative's 'Love You To Death' on repeat. But just whatever suits you, whatever you think would compliment this drama.

Once you've removed the offensive dubbing/music, what you will find is an absolutely gorgeous, sexy, raw romance story... perfectly cast, perfectly acted. The script is fucking genius. It reveals just enough emotion, and leaves just enough for your mind to fill in the blanks.

Theres zero bullshit filler here. Thats why its so short. Its focus is only the ML and FL. But its also powerful, it really grabs you and holds you. If you think its easy to create such powerful emotions with such a short script, you try it. Paring something down, stripping it to only its most basic elements, while retaining its evokative emotional power is an art form, thats why Steinbeck and Coetzee are considered literary geniuses.

The camerawork and the lighting is so perfectly suited to the story and the acting. Stylists did a great job. The actors brought ALL their energy and talent to this piece. I felt everything they were feeling, and when they cried I cried. When they were distraught, I was distraught. What they thought about is what I thought about. The final two episodes were so perfectly written, which is exceedingly difficult to do.

It was hot, realistic, emotional, and so so beautiful. And yes I said realistic.... ask me how I know ;P

This is exactly why I dig through old and lesser rated shows, to find hidden treasures just like this.

Amazing -- and the only reason I don't give it a 10 is because I dont know how many rewatches it can stand up to, and because the sound (all of it) is atrocious.

Trust me... muted, this drama magically transforms from a mess into a masterpiece.

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A solid in-between-shows watch.

This ML is a fucking phenomenal actor, and the actual basic plot is creative. However, they are being hamstrung by a mediocre director, mundane script writers, phoned-in makeup, and budget production.

There's nothing that outright sucks about this one, I'll give it that. FL is fine and brings the slightest touch of comedy to her performance, and it works. She lets herself have some chemistry with the ML (Some, mind you, not really a lot though). The creative vision lacks a certain amount of cohesion.... is it fluff, is it comedy, is it action, is it drama.... it's not really sure. There is no distinct "look" to it. It leaves an afterimpression of averageness.

I think this is a good watch if you need just something light and mildly entertaining with a brisk pace. I also think this is an allright watch if you are just curious about Cheng Yu Feng's acting evolution. He has a few brief flashes of genius acting in this drama, but for the mostpart what you see is him dumbing himself down as an actor to fit the role that's beneath him.

There's a part where the FL asks him if his lazy personality is all fake. He looks at her and considers the question and then says "It's fake... and it's not fake." And in that 10 seconds of acting, you can see that brilliance he has, as his emotions silently shift from one to another so fast... it's like his emotions are "shiny", they flicker across his face and it's quite extraordinary. He does it again in the last episode when the FL gives him the big news that I'm not going to tell you so I don't spoil it, but you'll know it when you see it if you decide to watch this one. And there's a few instances in the first half of the show where it is written into the script that his facade has to crack open for just a fraction of a moment and you see a glimmer of who he really is, and wowww it was sexy and cool. But again..... these moments are fleeting, the script and direction really don't give him any room to breathe as an actor.

It was decent.

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This is absolute apex cliche.

How can I describe this drama..... it's like somebody saying "I will make you authentic italian spaghetti," and then serving you plain boiled spaghetti noodles with a can of extremely cheap marinara uncerimoniously dumped on top of it.

Things you will see:
>Distracting and fake-as-shit-looking milk moustaches. Yes, more than one.
>FL is aspiring artist, CEO ML gives her a job next to his office.
>Got dayum that 3ML lookin genetically recessive.
>Trying on outfits with the CEO ML sitting on a couch pooh-poohing all the outfits until..... he sees the STUNNER DRESS..... you know the one. The one that looks like a 20-dollar little mermaid knockoff princess dress. "Oh, I couldn't get my zipper zipped all the way up by myself...."
>The shoddy wire gazebo strung with christmas lights, which the FL was tricked into wandering into, when suddenly OUT OF NOWHERE the ML appears in a suit with a giant bouquet of flowers, gives her his confession and a piece of jewelry. Bet you didn't see that coming.
>Backlit errythang!
>The kind of kissing you'd see from two people if, say for instance, they were complete strangers thrown together by a shitty script and standing under a glaring light, surrounded by camera crews.

It goes on and on like this, you get the idea. It's dull, flat, insulting to your intelligence, unoriginal to such an extent that you could call it noteworthy. I would not watch this unless I was having a PTSD attack or someone had just died, and I just needed something "on".

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As a red-flag lover, this drama was a bad time.

The secondary couple should have been the main couple, and the story should have been about them.

They had stolen my heart and my attention to the point that when their storyline concluded, I gave up on the whole drama. It is a MAJOR design flaw in this production.

As usual, the production team who created this drama did a great job. The supporting casting is off the hook, the costumes are great, the styling is so amazing. The bgm/ost sounds recycled from SOKP and is a bit repetitive, but that's overlookable. What is not overlookable is the MOST interesting and captivating relationship dynamic in the story coming from two side characters who are then thoughtlessly discarded when they no longer serve the larger (and more boring) storyline.

Just aigoo...

7/10, because it's worth a one-time watch, but BARELY.

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This story deserves a remake. Story and acting are good. Production is not.

This story could have been really awesome. The ML could have been a really dark sexy badboy ML. But that's not how they went with it, and instead decided not to take the dark parts of the plot seriously at all.

The makeup and styling are really really bad, in a weird awkward way. The lighting is awful. The BGM is ok but it's often out of step for what's happening.

Dialogue was corny, superficial, uninspired most of the time. Scene transitions are done really oddly in spots where it seems like the producer was just totally out to lunch, without any artistic vision at all for how the story should be unrolled or paced. Things are laid out in sort of a haphazard way that isn't very addictive.

The actors were great, but they're styled so badly, shot scenes under such harsh bright lighting, lines so cheesy and bad, music too loud and corny sentimental.... this is just not it. All I saw that I liked in this one, was the promise of an unfulfilled good storyline, and a moderately sexy ML/FL couple.

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This is a lot more than just some trashy smut-film.

This is one of only a handful of movies I've ever watched where the sex scenes aren't gratuitous. Each one conveys something different, and when you add them all up, you have a very beautiful message, in which the director is trying to convey how for some people in some situations, sex and love aren't a straight line. Sometimes people, through complex situations, get wired differently in that area of life.

I see this movie as controversial because in a very distinct way, it romanticizes prostitution, and romanticizes dysfunctional sexuality. Yet the opposite side of that is that it humanizes sexual dysfunction, so that a person isn't defined by their kink, it's just another aspect of their personhood. Also in defense of the film, it is highly respectful of how it treats the topic of AIDS.

If you skip the dialogue and just watch for the smut factor, you miss the entire artistry of the movie. If you skip the smut and just watch for the dialogue, you also miss the artistry of the movie, because each sex scene has something to convey. In this sense, the movie is sort of genius. A very deliberate movie.

We have all seen shows that depict sex work as seedy, dirty, depressing, hopeless. This is the opposite side of that. I think it's relying on the concept that most of the viewers already have seen the sordid side of the sex industry and know what it entails, and this movie is almost like an apology to that. A serious attempt at an explanation for why people end up in the industry, why they stay, or why they support it.

I don't agree entirely with some of the viewpoints the film takes, but I respect that at least it wasn't at all just another piece of smut. There are very deep emotions running through this movie.

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Good smut + Lynchian darkness + raw depth + strange cheesiness = cult classic

This was like watching Wild At Heart, My Lethal Man, and The K2 blended together in a Vitamix and then smothered in sexy.

I see a fair number of watchers taking this drama only at its face value, which is an in-your-face raciness combined with a wild plot more full of holes than swiss cheese. So it begs obvious comparison to My Lethal man, in that afterward youre like "I dont know what the hell I just watched but it was hot." And that is a fair comparison.

But I was also strongly reminded of David Lynch. (Thats the director that did Twin Peaks, the original Dune movie, Wild at Heart with Nicholas Cage, Blue Velvet, Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive)

Like Lynch movies, there is a strange, dark, quiet, beautiful, unsettled, disoriented feeling to this drama, that makes you wonder how many mysteries the show holds. Are the plot holes accidental or deliberate? Its riding a fine line.

This odd balance between darkness/lightness... quiet/dramatic... depth/simplicity.... cheesy/sexy..... is what I think has the elements of an instant cult classic.... like Repo Man, Heathers, True Romance, Twilight, etc. Many cult classics have a strange and stylish, mysterious blend of hokey and twisted and profoundly deep that makes the story so rewatchable.

There are weirdly placed intrusions of cheesy frivolity sure. But there are also scenes of real emotional depth that some shows try so hard to bring to the screen and fail at. I teared up at many scenes despite myself, because the emotions were so raw and beautiful, and well placed.

And the wholllle thing is just covered with sexiness everywhere. Even the "villain" is strange-sexy and hot af. Reminds me of a young asian marilyn manson with no makeup and a haircut. His looks are captivating and his acting is excellent. The ML and FL are sexy af and hot like fire and good actors. There is real kissing in the kiss scenes. GOOD real kissing, that make me think the ML is in rl probably an excellent lover. And for any kiss scene affectionados out there ----> there is french kissing in this one.

The casting was so excellent, the costumes and styling will stand up to a test of time... in 10 or 20 years, it will look just as hot as it does now, it will age well.

A very unique style that I appreciated greatly. The dumbness of this drama is deceptive. Beneath the dumbness lies real artistic skill and vision, and the dichotomy between the crappy cheapness and the refined elegance was, imo, highly enjoyable and very genious.

Im a hard grader, I dont give out 9s lightly, but this drama was truly excellent and had a distinct style all its own.

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Stellen sie keine fragen!!!

(interrogation room, light shining in eyes)

So! I suppose you think you are ready to watch this drama... well I am not so sure, frauline.

(interrogator sits at table, opens thick manila file folder)

I can see from your file that you have watched... 312 dramas. Impressive, frauline. Most impressive. You are probably thinking you are an expert, ya? You are thinking you know everything about the drama Chinesischen. You have seen the Arthursteinen und the Dilrabaschlager many many times und you are thinking this drama will be amusing und clever with the fancy kostume und the spezial effekte. Well not so fast!

(interrogator slams desk dramatically, then gets up, paces slowly, hands clasped behind his back)

If you are to finish this drama successfully, you must not ask any questions! We will ask the questions here!!!

(pauses to clear throat and adjust tie. continues to pace officiously back and forth)

You will see things that make no sense. You must not let that break you. You must not engage your gray matter. It is of vital importance that you stay focused on your mission!

FL is 400 years old. ML is 20. AH AH! I told you not to ask any questions frauline, and look here you are already you cannot take it. I do not think you will survive at this rate. You must concentrate harder on not thinking or I am thinking you will fail your mission.

Now.... this FL has none of her five senses. But she can walk, talk, understand speech, read and write, paint, cook, play music and so forth.

(slap!)

Frauline!!! Get a grip on yourself! No questions! If you allow the questions to come into the brain, they will never end. Why do they forget the kid all the time? How can she have had 22 previous lovers when she can't feel anything? Why does the ML turn from a psycho bloodlust obsessed maniac into a basket of boneless chicken wings? If the producer can afford such gorgeous costumes and sets then why can't they spend some money on a decent hair stylist? If FL is the most powerful being in the known world, how come someone more powerful shows up in the third to last episode? Why as soon as ML and FL agree to be a couple, do they immediately begin a long-distance relationship? Why is ML able to repeatedly win martial arts battles with the second most powerful being in the known universe when he is only a mortal? Why does ML take FL back after she dumped him so brutally? How can she taste the subtle flavors of the food when she gets a sense of taste, but has no sense of smell?! Zum teufel mit deiner wissenschaft! To hell with your science! To hell with your so-called "Emotionale Logik"!

You must swallow the pain and the angst and focus on die freiwillige aussetzung des unglaubens! Willing suspension of disbelief!!!

(peers closely at frauline)

I see you have finished the first half of the drama, and now you are getting sleepy. Wach auf! Wake up!

(firmly pats frauline's cheek repeatedly to revive consciousness)

You must watch the 17 prefectures plot with the side characters! No, i will not 2x it for you!! No we will not be pressing the skip 10 sec button! You must stay awake or the drama will defeat you and crush you utterly! Here I have brought you the toothpicks for the propping open of deine augenlids and keeping the eyes from closing.

(frauline props eyelids open with toothpicks, continues to watch)

Das ist excellent frauline. Now comes the kisses and sweet confessions. Nevermind that he is dying! Das ist fine. It doesnt matter if he has terminal illness breath and can't feel anything, these are simply useless questions again, you musn't let them intrude on the romance of the drama!!

(more agitated pacing)

Und finally, you are at the finale! ML lives forever in a merciless icy blizzard which torments him as he endlessly fights his way toward a blinding sun, trapped inside a jellyfish from which he can never escape. Isn't it lovely? No?!! Well then you can have das 6 minütige Fanservice-Ende!!!!!

(bangs dramatically on desk)

You have finally completed your mission, frauline. Was it not a happy-making time? Was it not everything you hoped it would be, with the Dilrabadamme and the Arthurschteinen and the artifical intelligence? I suppose you will be watching this drama over and over now, correct?

(frauline weeps tears of relief and runs from interrogation room)

BRUTAL TRUTH SUMMARY: The romance was not romancing, the plot was not plotting, ML and FL have very little shared screentime, ML starts as a borderline yandere badass lunatic and ends as a feeble, cucked, dying shell of a man, and the best part about the whole thing was A) Ding Jia Wen as Feng Yi and B) The insanely gorgeous costumes.

With a budget this big and names this big, I'd call this a fail. The story could not support the weight of this big a production.

YES worth watching once just for the costumes and performances, but NO not worth a rewatch. Therefore: 7.5/10

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A short-length masterpiece.

❤OST and BGM are so so well done, styling costumes and settings are more than just achingly gorgeous--->they hold deliberate meaning. Cinematography is shot with a careful eye for beauty in details. Lighting was always on point. And quite frankly Im floored to see such high quality in such a short length drama.

❤Acting was EXCELLENT. From everyone. All the actors and actresses gave 100% to their roles, and it really shows.

❤THE DIALOGUE was so so SO good, it is really whats at the heart of this drama, is an excellent script. Every now and then a chinese drama will come out that shows such an astonishingly masterful grasp of human nature and human psychology that it blows everybody else outta the water. This is one of those dramas. It tells its story with elegance and rawness and incredible depth.

I have to establish all that, because of what I'm about to tell you now: IT WAS FEKKIN HORRIBLE. Not the storytelling. Just the story.

Theres LOTS of works of art where the story is basically horrible. Voltaire's 'Candide'. Sophie's Choice. Schindler's List. There Will Be Blood. Romeo and Juliet. A Million Stars Falling From the Sky. And.... yeah this is one of those. Its fekkin messed up, offensive, and tragic. Its like having your feelings tenderized with a meat mallet, deep fried til burnt and then autopsied with a plastic spork.

If you have triggers, this will trigger them. Even eating disorder triggers. All the triggers are here. If you are sensitive... or previously traumatized.... if you are just looking for something fun or easy..... if you expect a drama to do all your moralizing and thinking for you.... you gonna have a BAD time. A REAL bad time.

Because not only is it horrible, it is unrelentingly horrible. Theres no comic relief ANYWHERE. Theres no cheesy acting, or bad makeup. Theres no goofy side characters. Theres no 2ML 2FL side story. No CGI to cringe at. No cute cats or adorable children. No dumb tropey stuff. Everything is beautiful, emotional, poignant, aching, sentimental, cruel, torrid.

The format of short-length drama, in this instance, is like a series of poems the director is giving us. Each one is beautiful, deliberate, painstakingly created. This was, quite simply, fine cinema. It elevates the short-length format into something really awesome that has real artistic merit.

This drama, at its core, is about love as it relates to sin, atonement, and forgiveness... ML has committed a grave sin against the FL he loves dearly. And the FL who loves him dearly also, is faced with a choice of whether to forgive him or not. The questions this drama asks are not for the faint of heart... because when this show is through with you, youre gonna feel kinda like you just stepped out of the spin cycle on a heavy duty washing machine.

You better have a fluffy drama and a pint of ice cream lined up for when you finish this, cuz u gonna need it.

I basically hate tragedies, but this one was stellar. Grips your attention and doesnt let go till you are bleeding from your eyes and begging for mercy.

9.5/10... Absolutely incredible.

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