This was so good! At times, I genuinely had to pause and discuss the strategy and characters with my watching buddy because there were so many schemes, betrayals, and layers of deception that you never really knew what to expect.
I love how smart ML is and how completely done with life he seems, while still being vicious and driven by revenge. He was fully prepared to stain his hands with blood to achieve his goals, and I honestly loved that the drama never tried to sugarcoat it. What I appreciated even more was that no one constantly preached about morality or acted morally superior.
Supporting characters were interesting and likable too, for the most part (shout out to Wang Pu!!!). I especially loved Zhang Mo's character development.
Also, I loved the portrayal of all the villains, especially how they were shaped by their traumas and how those traumas ultimately guided the paths they chose in life. In the end, all of their conclusions made perfect sense, and the closure felt very satisfying.
I want to watch this, but want to stop before the sad parts that leads to the bittersweet ending. I know they…
Episode 35, basically. By that point it seemed like he had overcome his initial PTSD and they were ready to return to some kind of normal life away from the war. The really heavy stuff starts in episode 36.
They absolutely nailed the mix of dark comedy and war drama. The gallows humor never felt forced, and it reminded me a lot of my country’s cinema, where that kind of humor is pretty common in serious stories. The acting was really strong too. Great film overall.
Wang Pu is such a charismatic character. I mean, he’s obviously a psycho but I can’t help liking him, and it’s not just because of his pretty face. It’s his whole personality: that childish cheekiness mixed with psychotic cruelty. I’m intrigued!
His first appearance when he lied his way through the market completely won me over, lmao.
I’m not done yet, but from what I’ve seen so far (28 episodes), while it’s not great, it’s not horrible…
This could’ve been so much better if they’d toned down the obsessive brother and the evil (Rumu’s) father, and if they’d made the main leads’ relationship at least somewhat romantic. Alas, Cheng Yi did an amazing job anyway. I love Wangquan Fugui, but the story overall could’ve been improved. Also, I hate the evil, villainous cackling .... it’s so tacky, and way too many characters did it.
I’m not done yet, but from what I’ve seen so far (28 episodes), while it’s not great, it’s not horrible either. If you like any of these actors, it’s worth a watch. I like Cheng Yi, and even though his role kinda fades into the background in the second half, I’m also enjoying Chang Huasen's scenes. His fox character is such a cutie.
I don't like the spider brother, though. He’s the worst kind of obsessive character, and his acting feels so theatrical (not sure if that’s the right word tbh) and annoying.
I liked it. It was very melancholic, and I really liked that “in a sea of hopelessness, you gave me hope” vibe. I liked the ending too; not happy, obviously, but it was handled in a way that didn’t leave me heartbroken. More like, “That's life. Maybe in the next one, we could be happy."
As for the ending, I do not think they committed suicide, even though many people interpret it that way. I have…
I agree. No matter what people say, I do not believe Ran Ran would kill herself, especially not in some kind of “group suicide.” Nothing about her story convinces me that “elope” meant “let’s kill ourselves together.” Their decision to run away actually makes a lot more sense. A Zan was clearly unable to keep living normally in society, so leaving was likely the best way to ease the burden on him, on her, and on everyone around them. I also agree about the tree and its size. I do not think it could have grown that large in such a short amount of time.
After watching him in The White Olive Tree, I really loved his charisma, so I ended up watching Love Story in the 1970s even though it’s not something I’d usually pick. He was so good in that too, and I’m really looking forward to his future roles!!
Dropped. I thought the first 2 actors shown in the cast list were the ML and FL, but now i know they're not involved…
Lu Wuyi and Ji Ling are the main couple and their love story is epic but also very tragic, so that may not be your cup of tea.
The other couple is also very good.
But, since the story is inspired by Painted Skin, deception is really at its core. Even the characters who love each other and would die for one another keep deceiving each other. That’s actually what makes it so interesting to me, I loved the suspense and never quite knowing who’s who. But if you prefer simple, straightforward romance, then yeah, this probably isn’t the best choice.
I guess I'm just weird, people complain about getting confused about the story of this drama while i understand…
Yeah, it’s pretty straightforward once you get past that phase where everyone keeps deceiving everyone. I guess the people complaining just haven’t watched that far.
They are frustrating but I wonder if it's a cultural thing. I think in Chinese families, sons are expected to…
Yeah, I get that it’s a cultural thing, and from their perspective I can even understand it to a point. But why does she keep going back for more? They clearly didn’t care about her happiness when she lived with them. Then they kept making things harder for Fei Ting, drained him dry, and still stayed nasty and ungrateful. They took every chance to humiliate and use them, and she just keeps playing the “good daughter”?? I guess that’s just who she is, but it’s so frustrating to watch. I hate characters who have zero backbone and just let people walk all over them.
And yeah, filial piety is a factor, but this was also a time when everything in China was being turned upside down and traditional values were being questioned. She didn’t have to keep putting herself in a position to be humiliated like that.
As someone who has zero qualms about confronting my own family the moment they take things too far, I guess this type of character just annoys me even more 🤣
But yeah, aside from that, it’s a really good drama. Based on what’s happened up to where I’ve watched, I’m guessing all the bad apples will get what’s coming to them.
Depending on what happens to Lin Mei’s family and Feng Li, I might raise my rating by the end. I can’t remember the last time characters annoyed me this much. It’s not just them either, it’s how Lin Mei and others/main leads keep accepting the “abuse” and going back for more/not retaliating. It’s really frustrating. 😑
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I love how smart ML is and how completely done with life he seems, while still being vicious and driven by revenge. He was fully prepared to stain his hands with blood to achieve his goals, and I honestly loved that the drama never tried to sugarcoat it. What I appreciated even more was that no one constantly preached about morality or acted morally superior.
Supporting characters were interesting and likable too, for the most part (shout out to Wang Pu!!!). I especially loved Zhang Mo's character development.
Also, I loved the portrayal of all the villains, especially how they were shaped by their traumas and how those traumas ultimately guided the paths they chose in life. In the end, all of their conclusions made perfect sense, and the closure felt very satisfying.
Fighting scenes 10/10!!!
Overall, it’s a fantastic drama! 9.5-10/10
His first appearance when he lied his way through the market completely won me over, lmao.
(they both die in order to defeat the villain)
Also, I hate the evil, villainous cackling .... it’s so tacky, and way too many characters did it.
I don't like the spider brother, though. He’s the worst kind of obsessive character, and his acting feels so theatrical (not sure if that’s the right word tbh) and annoying.
So yeah…
The other couple is also very good.
But, since the story is inspired by Painted Skin, deception is really at its core. Even the characters who love each other and would die for one another keep deceiving each other. That’s actually what makes it so interesting to me, I loved the suspense and never quite knowing who’s who. But if you prefer simple, straightforward romance, then yeah, this probably isn’t the best choice.
And yeah, filial piety is a factor, but this was also a time when everything in China was being turned upside down and traditional values were being questioned. She didn’t have to keep putting herself in a position to be humiliated like that.
As someone who has zero qualms about confronting my own family the moment they take things too far, I guess this type of character just annoys me even more 🤣
But yeah, aside from that, it’s a really good drama. Based on what’s happened up to where I’ve watched, I’m guessing all the bad apples will get what’s coming to them.