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Mermaids Only Listen to The Heart's Voice, It Says You are Worth It
The Blue Whisper: Part 1 (与君初相识) is a 22 episode drama adapted from the novel 驭鲛记, The Blue Whiper by 九鹭非香. The Blue Whisper is set in a universe where there are magical races (demon) and spiritual masters (human with longer lifespan). The narrative revolves around Ji Yunhe, a spiritual master but also a nine-tailed demon fox and Chang Yi, a mermaid and the lord of north.Helmed by Zhu Ruibin, the director from Ashes of Love, The Long Ballad, Noble Aspirations and more; you can have a high expectation for this drama! The Blue Whisper has a high-quality production that features a splendid set, lavish costumes, remarkable cinematography, brilliantly choreographed scenes, an enchanting music score, and more.
The Blue Whisper sets, props, scenery and people are simply eye-catching, which keeps one visually interested all the way through. Unlike most historical dramas lately, The Blue Whisper has a vibrant and bold colour palette and outfit which makes it refreshing to see! The drama also has exemplary cinematography, the use of soft filters and vibrant colour at the same time provides a pleasant and vivid viewing experience. Every shot is also beautifully angled creating a feast for the eyes. Moreover, The Blue Whisper also has a beautifully done and well-rendered CGI and special effects. The use of authentic set designs and props also further enhance the realism of the whole universe.
The Blue Whisper narrative is brilliant and captivating, even if you don’t read the book beforehand, you would understand the drama as the overall narrative is easy to follow and well-paced. The drama storytelling is progressively paced and satisfyingly engaging with hardly a dull moment or substantial fillers. There are some light-hearted scenes with pure comedy, and some of the drama’s dialogue is also witty and sprinkled with light humor. Although some may find the troupe of lying to each other in order to save them is kinda cliché but this one doesn’t bore you.
What I adore from this drama is that every character in the drama is extremely well-written, each has its own distinctive personalities and qualities; they are multi-faceted and complex. Each character is properly dimensioned and balanced, even the “bad” characters have shades of grey, no one is black or white. They have their own background story and obsession, which leads to their action; thus, you might even feel their actions are justifiable. Although the main couple is the focus of the story, other characters and their relationships are not cheated out of a good storyline too! In addition, I also love how the side characters build up and enrich the whole story, instead of being just there for the necessary of the drama plot. You care for the characters and even if you don’t like some of the characters, others will most certainly capture your interest and heart.
Ji Yunhe and Chang Yi is stellarly portrayed by Dilireba and Ren Jialun. Both actor’s facial expressions and emotions are compelling. Their acting can make us relate and feel the character’s happiness, anger, pain that you can’t help but shed tears for them. Both of the actors can also convey their love, heartbreak and everything through their eyes and micro-expressions. It is unimaginable that anyone can pull off Ji Yunhe and Chang Yi in such compelling way other than Dilireba and Ren Jialun. Furthermore, Dilireba and Ren Jialun also have explosive chemistry; there is a great rapport between them and the romance are very good. They look fitting together and there are many squel-worthy moments.
Ren Jialun’s portrayal of an innocent tailed fish to an overbearing North lord is excellent! But what I find really commendable from his acting here is his acting of an innocent and pure tailed fish, it is unlike something he has shown before, he has acted as a cute and innocent 8 year old kid before in Under The Power, but here he is totally different he evokes a different charm. Ren Jialun character didn’t speak a word on the early episodes (until eps 3) but he still managed to convey his emotions with his eyes (sorrow, happy, anger and more). That’s what I find really amazing from Ren Jialun, he can simply convey his emotions with his eyes, and here with his pouty lips.
Dilireba also did a very commendable job! Dilireba has the ability to blend into every role, and in my opinion, Dilireba’s performance as Ji Yunhe here is several notches above all her works so far. The way she conveys her emotions through nuanced micro-expression and articulating every scene is beyond words. Especially on those scenes where she was laughing and crying at the same, when she turned into the nine-tailed demon fox. Every single Dilireba performance here is really praise-worthy.
Also, special mention to Hu Yixuan, she is adorable. Luoluo is loyal, bubbly, and clueless and Hu Yixuan manages to portray her and her lovable quirks so precisely. I bet she’ll steal your heart! Her scenes with Dilireba is also heart-warming and cute to see!
The Blue Whisper music scoring is also incredible. Sa Dingding is the music director for The Blue Whisper and she did a really great job! Every single OST and background sound is hauntingly beautiful, it’ll give you goosebumps. Each song also encapsulates a deep, beautiful and meaningful story. The poignant classical instrumental piece that accompanies the scene also sets a dramatic and emotional tone.
Overall, The Blue Whisper keeps you engaged and engrossed, you’ll find yourself wanting more new episodes!
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This review may contain spoilers
Goddess or Science Experiment Monster?
The Blessed Girl/ Ling Long is a drama production made by Tangren Media along with Tencent. This drama takes place in Suchuan a fictional continent. The drama narrates the story of Ling Long (Angel Zhao), who is allegedly a "goddess" / an experiment monster made by the villains. Meanwhile, Yuan Yi (Lin Yi) is the powerless young emperor of Suchuan. Together, they embark on adventures and challenges along with others to seek peace and stability in Suchuan.The production of this drama is exquisite, and we can see that its budget is mostly spent on CGI. The CGI in this drama are really well-made in my opinion, especially the sceneries and fish boats. Then again, there are some scenes were the CGI are average/ terrible; but it is still bearble. In addition, the color schemes are really beautiful, it is rare to see historical dramas with this kind of color schemes. The color combination are bold yet goes along really well with each other. Also the styling and costumes of this drama are very immaculate and intricate. And the OSTs are also very beautiful, it managed to successfully encapsutlate the essence of the story.
The plot of this drama is not straightforward, there are a lot of flashbacks and memory travelling which may be arupt and confusing. The characters of this drama are not really well-written, the motive of their actions are not really known to the viewers which is a minus, and there are also some plot holes in the drama. However, I love how this drama highlights the relationship between Ling Long and her father. It is really heart warming to see how his father sacrifice and protect Ling Long at all costs even though he is kinda powerless.
The actors acting are average. Angel's acting is okay but Lin Yi's acting is very stoic. There are not many skinship in this drama, however, the chemistry between them is there. I personally think 40 episodes is too much for this drama. It gets really draggy in the middle, and there are a lot of unnecessary fillers. If this drama only has 24/26 episodes, it would be much better as the plot would be more straightforward and simple. The ending of the drama is not straightforward, it kinda hangs. So I am guessing there will be Ling Long S2.
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Ancient Poetry in Motion and Girl Power!!
Marvelous Women（当家主母）is a 35 episode drama produced by HuanYu Entertainment. The drama premise itself revolves around the art of Chinese traditional weaving culture, Kesi (cutting silk) and how the two women in that era tries to defy the traditional norms.Produced by HuanYu Entertainment, the drama aesthetics itself is visually stunning. Marvelous Women uses a soft and muted colour palette and grading making it visually pleasing for the eyes. It has beautiful cinematography, such as wide, fluid shots that will draw you into the story. In addition, the outfit details and daily items details during the Qing dynasty is also shot beautifully.
What I loved about Marvelous Women is that all the characters are three-dimensional and real. Their actions are understandable, they didn't feel generic, they felt like real people with real stories. For instance, one of our female leads, Zeng Baoqin was once from an affluent family, but her family was ruined overnight, thus she was sold to a brothel. From then on, her personality changed and her outlook towards life has also changed, and through learning about her story, you can understand where she came from and why she does this and that. Moving on, the female characters in the drama are also not those young and innocent women but they are all strong and independent women. Both female leads started off as friends during their childhood, but then they grew up and become love rivals but then they became friends again. I simply love how both of them worked and racked their brain together to protect Ren family.
The cast of Marvelous Women is not stellar or star-studded but every single performance is stellar. This is one of the examples where drama doesn't have to have actors to bring tremendous traffic or to be star-studded; a good script, cinematography and production is the key. The most commendable actor I find is Zhang Huiwen (Lin Shufang) and Mao Zijun (Wei Liangong). There is not much to say about both the female lead's acting, both Jiang Qinqin and Yang Rong manages to be complex while never compromising on the very real human emotions being experienced by the characters. Meanwhile, other than Zhang Huiwen's character in Nirvana in Fire 2, I have never taken a liking to the characters she played until now. Her portrayal as Lin Shufang is excellent. YES, she tends to play dramas where she's cold and aloof, but here I can see a few changes and I find myself immersed and invested in her story. Mao Zijun on the other hand, his acting has never disappoints but his depiction as Wei Liangong here is very fleshed out. He managed to depict a sickly but gifted scholar perfectly, he speak through his eyes. Also special mention to the little boy who played Xiushan, he is so adorable!!
Moving on, honestly, I don't think I have any issue that I find in this drama, only that the whole drama is average in every aspect, the only thing that stood out in this drama is its cinematography and aesthetic. But as a Yu Zheng production, his aesthetic has always been the same, if you have ever watched Story of Yanxi Palace or Winter Begonia, you can find that there are a lot of similar and recycled elements. It is still pretty and beautiful, but it is just not refreshing.
In conclusion, the story itself isn’t that compelling but if you are looking for a visually stunning drama with a beautiful aesthetic, do pick this up!
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