Underrated masterpiece
I started this with low expectations because of the mixed reviews, but I was left utterly impressed and blown away!
The directing and cinematography for this drama is top notch from start till finish. It was an emotional and cinematic experience that felt more like a movie rather than your typical short drama.
I liked that the ML and FL were equally matched in intelligence and maturity, they had complete trust in each other and supported each other throughout the series. The romance is slowburn and sensual, conveyed through tender words, sound, scent and touch since the ML can't see. The romance between the second leads was also very moving, I'm glad there was no annoying love triangle.
The sound direction is impeccable. Besides the nice OST, I love the very apt choice of soft music and some classical tunes that matched this era which saw a blend of western influence on traditional Chinese culture. The soft tinkling of bells, the pitter patter of raindrops, the munching of food -- little ASMR sounds like these are also amplified so you get to experience the world from the perspective of our blind male lead. I thought this was ingenious.
There's not a single bad actor in the cast, everyone gave a powerful performance. Lin Ze Hui has always been a good actor and he was convincing as a blind man here. This is my first time seeing the FL and I found her very charming.
In fact, one thing I noticed is the presence of several strong female characters in this drama. The women faced abuse and disrespect from men in that era, but they showed resilience and fought back in different ways. The ML was weak at the start, and he gradually becomes stronger with the support of these ladies.
I would have given this drama a 10/10 if not for the last 6 episodes where I felt the story started to become unbelievable. It wasn't nonsensical, I still get the logic but it needed more suspension of believe, and I felt the drama lost a bit of its original charm then. But otherwise, the story overall was very refreshing, meaningful and intelligently written with unexpected twists. This drama moved me to tears at several points, and this means it's really good since I'm not someone who cries easily when I watch shows.
Like other reviewers have mentioned, yes, this drama has a lot of explicit graphic violence, which is surprising. It was brutal, but I felt the violence was understandable considering the time period and the character setup. I got used to it after a while and as someone who can't watch gory stuff, I was able to watch this without having to skip or fast forward.
Will I watch this again? A big YES!
The directing and cinematography for this drama is top notch from start till finish. It was an emotional and cinematic experience that felt more like a movie rather than your typical short drama.
I liked that the ML and FL were equally matched in intelligence and maturity, they had complete trust in each other and supported each other throughout the series. The romance is slowburn and sensual, conveyed through tender words, sound, scent and touch since the ML can't see. The romance between the second leads was also very moving, I'm glad there was no annoying love triangle.
The sound direction is impeccable. Besides the nice OST, I love the very apt choice of soft music and some classical tunes that matched this era which saw a blend of western influence on traditional Chinese culture. The soft tinkling of bells, the pitter patter of raindrops, the munching of food -- little ASMR sounds like these are also amplified so you get to experience the world from the perspective of our blind male lead. I thought this was ingenious.
There's not a single bad actor in the cast, everyone gave a powerful performance. Lin Ze Hui has always been a good actor and he was convincing as a blind man here. This is my first time seeing the FL and I found her very charming.
In fact, one thing I noticed is the presence of several strong female characters in this drama. The women faced abuse and disrespect from men in that era, but they showed resilience and fought back in different ways. The ML was weak at the start, and he gradually becomes stronger with the support of these ladies.
I would have given this drama a 10/10 if not for the last 6 episodes where I felt the story started to become unbelievable. It wasn't nonsensical, I still get the logic but it needed more suspension of believe, and I felt the drama lost a bit of its original charm then. But otherwise, the story overall was very refreshing, meaningful and intelligently written with unexpected twists. This drama moved me to tears at several points, and this means it's really good since I'm not someone who cries easily when I watch shows.
Like other reviewers have mentioned, yes, this drama has a lot of explicit graphic violence, which is surprising. It was brutal, but I felt the violence was understandable considering the time period and the character setup. I got used to it after a while and as someone who can't watch gory stuff, I was able to watch this without having to skip or fast forward.
Will I watch this again? A big YES!
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