This review may contain spoilers
Can't Touch, Can't Taste, But Can Feel
Any movie description that starts with 'beauty blogger' immediately makes me run for the hills. I didn't even know this was fantasy, I thought it was some kind of unbearable modern drama. But I was very pleasantly surprised!The main female lead was, yes, unbearable for the beginning but got her ass kicked by the game, so she got better. The male lead was...cute I suppose. The other princes were pretty great - Da turned out to be a good actor, Xiu was in love with his bodyguard and was a lovable character overall, and Bao was so adorable. I knew from the start that her main love interest was going to be the game dev she was supposed to go on a date with, so it's nice that turned out to be true. The over-the-top product endorsements throughout the show were funny and goofy af, but at least they didn't happen that much.
But honestly, the very best thing about this show was Deng Wei's role as the deus ex AI Jie Ke (Jack). It was unbearable watching such a sweet, beautiful, gorgeous character - inside and out - unable to love someone. He doesn't emote much, but when he does it moves the sun. Deng Wei's most powerful secret sauce is his ability to be sad/lost/hurt/devastated. I don't know if I've ever seen anyone cry so damn beautifully, and it absolutely shatters me every time. I just didn't know I could feel so deeply about a fictional character!
It's my second favorite role of his besides 'Lost You Forever' - and maybe the most favorite, because it hurt so much more. Always separated through a veil, unable to even touch or taste or feel the one you love. Then he deleted himself and got himself respawned in the world without a trace of memory, just so he could be with her (and that raccoon tail hat...omg I could watch a whole show of Deng Wei in fuzzy hats!). And STILL he didn't get her because she was in love with the Prince (I was really rooting for her to hurry up and finish her task and get with DW like I would do, but alas, no...DW was doomed. Again! *sigh* It's like...aaaaagh, won't this guy ever find love?)
I want to see Deng Wei in more of these kinds of roles. I saw him in 'Love of the Divine Tree' and it just didn't quite hit it for me, playing some sort of angy boy/demon lord (ah geeeeeez, c'mon, I don't buy it). He's so good at this beautifully doomed and unloved thing, I can't even. If they made a whole show about him trying to reach across the veil, I'd never stop watching it.
So the show really gets 7.5 stars, but 2 extra because Deng Wei as Jie Ke/Jack just makes me cry.
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